The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1897-02-26
The Olympics Another ''Trail Creek


Captain L. E. Doyle was in Tacoma,
having just come down from plotting
party of prospectors into the Olvm-
pic mountains, starting from point
near the mouth of Hoods canal, and
going up into the mountains to near
the base of Mount Olympus.
Captain Doyle is we'll known in Ia
coma, having run boat on the Sound
for nearly eleven years. Heis at pres
ent living in Port Angeles, and giving
his attention to plotting parties into
the Olympics and surveying mining
and timber claims.
In speaking of the country adjacent
to Hoods canal yesterday he said:
'The Olympic mountains are rich in
mineral, especially iron, which seems
to crop out everywhere. There is
scarcely mountain in the range that
you can run a survey over on account
of the iron affecting the needle on
your instrument. This iron ore seems
to be a sort of Gaping and of late
prospectors have discovered that it o.
verlays body of more precious metal,
that can be reached by hard work in
blasting down thror Sh the iron which
in some places is from 80 to so feet N
| thickness.
At present there is good deal Of
snow in the mountains and very little
work is going on except in the foot
hills near the shores of the canal
Here several prospects have been
struck that look promising, and will
be developed in the near future. The
snow is not so heavy as it has been in
former years, but water and game are
plentiful and there is no need of a
man starving while in the mountains
Several prospects of rich looking ore
have been found on the Elma, and
number of prospectors are going to en-
ter the countay at an early date.
cit would be an easy matter to open
up the country, and make it tributary
to Tacoma, in case the mineral found
there should prove of sufficient value
to make it an object. A ferry could
be put on behind Point Defiance and
Gig HarbOr, then from there is good
road to Clifton. From Clifton road
would not be a difficult matter, and
from Union City to Hoodsport there
is good road; from Hoodsport to
Brennon the road would have to be
built, and from there to Port Discovery
there is road already constructed.
TO get from Port Discovery to Port
Angeles only six miles of road would
have to be built and with this route
opened up, bicycles or teams could
have good road from Tacoma to the
coast through the most beautiful
scenery In the world, A person who
has never been in the Olympics can
not imagine the beauty and grandeur
of some of the spots that are hidden
away in those mountains. I believe
that the day will come when they will
be the Mecca of all looking for an ideal
mountain country to spend the hot
days of summer.
"There are forests Of such extent as
were never before dreamed of; hot and
cold mineral springs; water falls that
rival Niagara, and difficult mountain
climbing that cannot be equalled in
the world. have been over more of
this unexplored region than any one
else, and l know what I am talking
about, but l am going to spend this
summer there and learn more.
"The large steel roller mills that
Pennsylvania parties are preparing to
erect at Port Angeles will attract at
tention to the iron of the mountains
and think that two years more will
see the Olympics as we'll known as the
Cascades are today, and when sthey
commence to take out the iron they
will uncover the other minerals and
would not be surprised to find the
same class of ore there as there is
found at Trail creek, as the condition
and formation are very similar. Trail
creek ores are found under an iron
Gaping the same as prevails all
through the Olympics.-Ledger.
Joseph Meehan says in the Country