Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1899-11-09
city that never sleeps, beat back the
magic music of sleeping pine forest
coming down from the edge of the stars.

magic music of q sleeping pine forest
coming down from the edge of the stars.
Sumpter, unloveIy Sumpter, is the
center and distributing point for q
wonderfully rich country, the overplus
OF gold from whose mines flows into
town to keep alive the blaze of its pros
perity Out among the heaven-climbing
hills fortunes are being made. Gold is
being dug from the earth. Hundreds
OF mines, from John Day to Baker City,
are paying big. Into all the districts
capital is coming. Gold is going out.
Sumpter, despite it's unloveliness, Is the
terminus OF one the starting point of the
other. Mining men make it headquar~
ters. Prospectors make it rendezvous.
Hundreds of buildings are gong up
banks, business blocks, hotels, restaur-
ants and residences. Yes; it ls boom.
But 1t has immense things back of 1t.
Gold-the mountains are full of it. The
creek bottoms are sprinkled with it. It
is hard to rob old mother earth OF her
hidden treasures. Tunnels must be
driven, mills erected, and workmen PAID.
From the ends Of the earth men are
coming to this little dot on the map to
furnish the needed capital. These men
are wise. Others coming before have
proved thoir wisdom. The BariDgs of
London paid $4,000 for the North Pole
mine. With lotion cyanide plant it
pays for itself every 30 days. few
years ago the Columbia mine went
begging at $1,000. Mining men came
later and paid hundred times that
figure. With 10 stamp mill it pays
dividends of 100000 per annum. Sever
years ago q half interest in the famous
Bonanza was offered for $3.50. In 1897
it sold for $750,O00 to the Standard Gil
syndicate. To-day the mine cleans up
S2O,OG0 month. There are hundreds OF
others.
Where does Sumpter come IN on thiss
Take nap Of eastern Oregon. Trace
the railways, the arteries Of trade. with
out whick as means Of transportation
nothing in the way of mining develop
uent is possible. The O. r. & n. rail
way passes through Baker City. The
Sumpter Valley railway leaves Baker
City and stops at Sumpter. This, then,
is the centre and distributing poant-
the center geographically and the dis.
tribu t,eg point economlcslly-of all that
lies south and west. Cracker Creek,
Bonanza, Bed Boy =, Granite, Greenhorn,
Robinsooville, John Day. Qasrtzburg
and Sussnville-these are the rich die
tricts behind Sumpter, with their sRgce.
gate annual output reaching q fabulous
Klondlke figure.
Sumpter, tie town itself, is uniovely.
II you bland your eyes to the big school
house on the hill. to the groups OF hand
some residences and cosy cottages; to
the brick blocks going up, and to the
evidences OF modern municipal progress
and prosperity. you will behold the pros
peot vile of frontier mining camp OF
olden golden days. But Il you speak as
q brother to those corduroyed lace
booted minang experts who have viewed
the country in knowing way; it you
kow-tow with the gang Of eating
Cinnamon who pay (and willingly a
rental OF 1920 per week for creek bed
placer within a stones throw Of Sumpter'e
center; il you im bibe the enthusiasm OF
9 rank teuderfoot who located a l2-foot
ledge of free-milling ore running $675
per ton; il you watch the Galconda
miners shipping ore IN so pound sacks at
$1,000 per sack-you will somehow come
to understand what Providence has in
store for unlovely Sunpter.
And probably before another year, on
the very spot where the lone coyote
howled plalntively at the moon, may be
built stamp mill, pounding out the
yellow gold which men fight for and lie
for and sometimes die for.
One can never tell