The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-04-14

THOMPSON'S LANDING. b. C.. April
5.-Toward the north end OF the West
kootenay. 3. c. near the head OF the
Arrow lakes lies a country OF which little
Is heard. but which is bound 10 become or
worldwide repute as a mineral producer.
II is country OF lofty mountain peaks.
whose heights reach above timber line
and whose SUBMITS are capped with per
petual snow and ice. II is country of
prtmeval forest, of raging torrents and Of
mountain solitude. But locked within
these vast stretches or rugged and Jagged
mountain peaks there are inexhaustlble
stores of the precious metals only await
ing the prospector and the miner TO reveal
and bring them forth and direct them
into the great arteries of commerce.
The name Of this mining district is the
Lardeau. II is reached from the Ameri-
can side by taking a Canadian Pacific
railway steamer from Northport AT the
inter- ational boundary line, and follow
ing the Columbia river TO Arrow Head.
thirty miles south Of Revelstoke. on the
main line Of the Canadian Pacific railway;
thence a small steamer 10 the head of the
northeast arm. distance of ten miles, to
Thompson's landing, where one finds
himself right in this great mineral belt,
which is thirty miles wide and 10 miles
in length. From Thompson's landing the
seeker for mineral may follow up Fish
river for forty miles with mineral all the
way. or he may travel over Il good govern
ment wagon road 10 Trout lake, a distance
of twelve miles. and find himself IN the
heart of the belt.
Trout Lake City is the Quitting point
for large extent Of country. as all trails
and wagon roads to q great part or this
district center here. The town
consists only of two hotels, a store and
mining recorders office. but good deal
of business is transacted in QUILTING
parties for prospecting purposes.
The district is slate country. with in
Vulnerable bikes of lime traveTsing the
country in a northwesterly direction.
This lime is a dolOmite of the lower car
boniferous era identical with the time
found associated with the rich deposits of
silver-lead at Leadyiile, Col Along these
lime dikes are found the rich deposits of
silver-lead ores which are destined TO give
this district a prominence in the mining
world. The leads are all true contact
veins and can be traced for miles, giving
evidence of great permanence. The ore
bodies are, as a general rule. very large
and concentrating variety of a good
grade galena, invariably carrying a pay
streak Of gray copper averaging from 100
TO 600 ounces in silver per ton. These ga
lenas all carry gold TO the value of from
81 TO $40 per ton in addition to their silver
values.
But it is not silver and lead alone that
will make the reputation of the Lardeau
district as a precious metal producer. The
country abounds in free milling gold
quartz, and the creeks are rich in placer
gold. There are about 100 men on Lar
deau creek. washing gold by crude meth
DDS and getting good returns. There have
been no efforts made to trace this placer
gold 10 the hedges from where it came. but
there have been several free milling
hedges staked by the prospectors while
looking for silver, and experts have time
and again told the prospectors that this
was free milling gold district. but the
prospectors seem to pin their faitn to
silver and pass by the quartz, If IL SHOWS
no evidence OF carrying silver. or if gold
cannot be readily detected in the rock
without an assay being made.
The first locations were made in the dis
trict in 1890. when Holten. Downs and
Walker came in from Revelstoke on a
hunting trip and staked the Great North
ern. Broadview and Silver Cup. In 1891
and 1892 there were a few locations made.
and in 1855 there were many locations
II ade throughout the district, and several
properties were bonded. Then came the
great fall in silver. Bonds on prop
critics were quickly dropped. faint-hearted
IrospectoTs scurried out of the country
by scores, silver was doomed. they said.
and ii was impossible to open up the coun-
try with silver at such low prices. AT the
beginning Of winter there were not more
than a dozen men left in the district.
These men held on with grim tenacity,
pinning their faith to silver and to the
Lardeau. They have since reaped their
reward for the properties have since been
sold by them for big figures. For two
years after the fall in the price OF silver
claims could not be given away in the
Z - lie off
claim for $50. which he would not accept.
1t has since been sold for $4,000. But in
1896 timid capital, spurred on by results OBJ
tanned in the SLOGAN, began looking Lar
deau- ward once more. with the result that
several properties were bonded. and active
development began.
The Horne-Payue syndicate bonded the
Great Northern during the summer Of
1896 and put men TO work at once. They
have now $50 feet of tunnel on their prop
erty. which exposes remarkably large
body Of ore with a pay-streak OF four feet
OF ore avera ging $50 ounces silver and s32
gold to the ton. The old Sonoma. on the
same lead. has 800 tons Of ore ready for
shipment averag fng 800 ounces silver per
ton. The True Fissure. also on the same
lead and bonded by a Montana company.
has 80 tons Of high-grade ore ready for
shipment. The Silver Cup. bonded by
Dan McGillivray and ]. Farrell. OF Van
couver Is shipping this winter 100 tons
OF ore that averages 600 ounces silver and
sis In gold per ton. The Bad Shot at the
head Of Gaynor creek owned By Comp
bell & Johnson, Is operated by tunnel.
which taps the lead AT a depth OF 125 feet
exposing a good body OF gray copper ore
running so ounces silver and 81 gold This
claim was staked In 1888 and the owners
stayed right with their property through
thick and thin. washing gold from the
creek for grab stake and driving a tIn-
rel in the summer. Their abiding faith
in their property is now about 70 be re-
warded. They have SO 90 worth Of ore
sacked and ready for shipment and have
refused an offer OF $500 for their prop
crty.
The Wagner Kennedy group. az the
head % Heaiy creek. was located in iss2
and was bonded in the spring Of 1895 by
.. r. Porter and associates Of Spokane
for - 0l0 THIS is an immense showing
% ora. The lead IS twenty-five feet be-
tween walls with five feet Of solid Caieua.
carrying 10 ounces silver and 81 sold per
ton. besides two and had feet Of gray
copper carrying * ounces 81 silver per
ton. This is another instance o. what
pluck and perseverance veiil do. The To-
Gators ~ this ground stayed with q four
wears. going into their ground every sum-
mer 70 DO their annual assessment work.
carrying everything neeafui on their
backs for twenty-five miles over mountain
tors and without a tran. ana coming out
every winter Ia seek work. doing what
ever they could End 20 DO 20 make a dol
lar waiting for the turn % the tide The
tide has AZ last turned and left them com
rsratfvelv rich men. Adjoining the WaE-
nsr- Kennedy group and on the same lead
s. 1ae Abbott group OF SIX claims. owned
~ AEerr~ erftaG~tr 81 tHa Cana