The Sumpter miner. [volume] (Sumpter, Or.) 1899-1905, 1900-11-14
SUMPTER DISTRICT.
Mining Engineer Gives Con-
else Facts to Enquirers.

w. II. w. 1lmlItOn receives OalIy en-
Quiries from parties at a distance abou
the mines Of this district. He has pre-
pared the following concise statement ir
answer to these questions:
The now world famous Sumpter mining
district Is situated In the northeast cornel
Of the state Of Oregon, and comprises thu
entire northwest portion Of Baker and ths
northeast portion Of Grant counties, GOV
ering an area Of about twenty.six mile:
square.
Access to the district Is by the Oregon
Railway and Navigation company'S lin,
to Baker City, thence by the SumpteI
Valley railway, thirty.two miles in length
10 Sumpter.
The town of Sumpter has an altitude o.
AGO feet, and Is SO situated that 1t is tn.
distributing point not only for this vas
area, but for the Prairie City district also
every pound Of machinery and provision.
must pass through Sumpter's principa
streets to Get to the mines.
between 47oo and 5000 feet above sea
level, situated on mountains Of moderate
SteepnesS, covered with timber Of gooc
quality and convenient size for all mining
purposes.
The main rock masses of the dstric
are argilIte (caIled slate by miners), gran
tie and various greenstones. In genera
the district shows very little intrusion o
dyke rocks, although in a few instance.
have come across dykes Of telSite. This !.
probably the reason that there has beer
80 little faulling OF ore bodies In this dis
tritt.
The widest veins appear to be In tn.
argillite, bonanza mine for example)
and are filled with brecca Of slate anl
silica, varying IN width from few feet L
= hundred, the ore being from 80 to IS pei
cent tree milling, the balance OF value.
usually being In an auriferous pyrite, al
though in a few parts OF the district hav,
found telIurided ore carrying very higt
gold values.
Among the principal mines of this for
nation are the Bald Mountain, Mammoth
GoIconda, Columbia, North Pole, Noun
tain Belle, Bunker Hill, lbex, Cougar
Magnolia, Red Boy and Bonanza, not I,
mention scores OF others that are devel
Uped far enough to justify the erection o
mills and that viii be among the dividenl
payers in the very near future.
Until quite recently, tor some reason o
other, the people Of this vicinity hav,
been under the illusion that II a vein wa.
not in slate formation, that II wOull
never make mine, the reason no doub
being that the above list OF dividend pay
ing mines are all In the so called slate
But this illusion IS now fast being dis
PEELED, as evinced by the great activit,
and splendid showing now being made I
granite and gnelss in the Gable Gov,
district.
Ibis district begins about nine miles IL
= norlheasteriy direction from Sumpter
being connected with good wagon roads
Among the best known mines of thi.
district are the California, Baby Mckee
La Bellevue, Last Chance, Imperial
Crown Point, Golden Rule, Lucky Boy
Morning Star, Evening Star. Lucky KID
Gipsy King and Gypsy Queen. All OF
these properties are being Systematically
developed, and 1t is my opinion that more
paying mines viii be found closer to.
gether in the Gable Cove district than
any OF the other districts tributary to
Sumpter, consequently this district alone
should double the pOpulatiOn Of SumpteT