The Sumpter miner. [volume] (Sumpter, Or.) 1899-1905, 1901-04-03
Colonel Donan on Oregon,
Washington and Idaho.

mas issued new book descriptive OF the
resources Of Oregon, Washin gton and
Idaho. II is a handsomely printed pamph.
let OF sixty.four pages, with a large map
OF the three states, In an artiStically de.
signed cover. The book Is illustrated
with excellent haft tones of numbering,
farming, stockraising, horticultural, fish.
ing. shipping and mining interests.
The whole Is pleasing to the eye, but II
you wish to "get on" to its real intrinsic
merits, just read page or two-then you
will surely peruse 1t all. 1t Is a literary
gem Of purest ray serene. English litera.
ture furnishes no better descriptive work.
Then, too, 1t is a great pleasing, interest.
ing mass Of carefully complied statistics,
with not a "dry" line from cover to cover.
Or course, Colonel Conan Is its author
therefore nothing more commendatory
can be said.
There is one chapter on mining, from
which the following Is taken:
None Of the much advertised bonanza.
lands Of the country or the world offers
greater and richer opportunities to enter.
prising prospectors and miners than the
eastern Oregon gold fields, Of which Ba.
ker City Is the center and metropolis.
Stretching from the northeastern part Of
Wallowa county down into the northern
end of Harney and Malheur counties, or
from the Shoshone or Great Snake river
far over on the tributaries Of the John
Day, and including Baker county and
large part Of Grant and Union counties,
this vast mineral belt extends through
two full degrees Of latitude and longitude.
That Is, 1t Is about 100 miles square, and
has an area Of I4,4oo square miles, or
within trifle Of as much as Massachu.
sets, Rhode Island and Connecticut all
combined. 1t Is traversed In every direc.
ton by spurs Of the picturesque Blue
mountains, from 5000 to 900 tee high,
and diversified by innumerable bold tor.
rents like the Wallowa, lmnaha. Grande
Ronde, Burnt and Powder rivers, and the
tributaries of the John Day and Malheur.
There are immense forests Of valuable
timber, the valleys are exhaustless In
their fertility, the pasturage for live stock
Is abundan, all the year, and the climate,
equable and heathtul enough for per.
petual sanitarium.
So far as limited exploration has done,
all its peaks and foothills seem ribbed
with royal ore, and all its grches and
creek beds exhaustless deposits OF golden
sands; while silver, copper, lead and iron
abound, and opals and other precious
stones are found In some localities. 1t has
produced untold millions Of gold, that, In
earlier days, went to San Francisco to
swell the reports of California's yield.
Grant county has turned out over S. ,ooo,'
600 Of placer gold alone, and Baker
county's aggregate production of quartz
and placer gold has certainly not been
less than SEC, 900 900. According to the
report of the United States mint director,
Baker, Union, Grant and Maiheur
counties In 1893, produced N,,77,470, or
about three.fourlhs Of the entire output of
the state at that time. Expert estimates
credit these four counties with producing
S2,443, 900 in 1897, and S2,oso, 900 in ISoS,
Of which Baker county alone was set
down as turning out about 81 ,6oo, ,ooo. land
Union county, t6so,ooo. The product for
1899 ran at least 100000 above that Of
any previous year, or to grand total OF
something near S3,soo.ooo.
An elaborate statement, prepared In
October, 1897, by Fred R. MelIis. Of Ba'
ker City, q we'll known statistical author. |