The Sumpter miner. [volume] (Sumpter, Or.) 1899-1905, 1903-01-28
veins, lodes and shoot. has largely ,iisapl!

place of quizzical doubt.
There is not a county in Oregon tha
does not possess minerals in tn,
native state. Gold, silver, copper, Goa
and iron are the most common and
most important of these. No iron ha.
been mined in the State in the pas,
year. In some Of the mines the copper
IL the primary product; in more Of them
gold is chief.
II il in eastern Oregon, Of which Sump-
ter and Baker City are the centers,
that the most striking developments ts
have been seen. improvements have
mostly consisted Of deep sinking, and
extension Of tunnels, the building Of
better roads and the installation Of new
machinery in suitable buildings. \
large number Of well-workcd prospects
have been brought to a better state Of
development and placed on the list Of
producing mines. Among these new
properties are the Phoenix, Gem, Don
Juan, Black Hawk and Blue Bird. the
Red Boy, Bonanza, North Pole,
Columbia, and others have worked
activity with better results than ever be-
fore.
The Baisley. Elkhorn mine which has
been steady producer for several years,
has been shut down for the past year on
account Of litigation. but IL has now
been sold, and, together with the Rob.
bins. Elkhorn, which adjoins it, is being
made ready for extensive development
work in the near future. When these
two properties are opened by the long
tunnel now proposed it will he the larry.
est and most extensive gold mine in the
State. The Golcon,ia mine, in Cracker
Creek district, which was shut down
last year pending II settlement with the
owners and lessees, has been sold and IL
now being worked with larger force Of
men and On larger scale than ever be.
fore. The Golconda adjoins the Colum.
bia, which is one Of the reliable pro.
duccrs Of the camp, and bids fair, by
reason of the rich strikes made in the
past year, To come near being the best |
mine in the State.
The past year has witnessed great
in the mineral industry Of
southern Oregon. From "pocket and
blanket era the mines Of this section Of
the State have entered u permanent and
business epoch. Though the
pioneer mining section Of the State,
southern Oregon has been the slowest in /
owing to its reputation for
heing "pocket" country. But capital
lists have begun to see and find some.
thing more than surface mines in
J Josephine and jackson counties, and
have invested more heavily in the sec.
lion in the last year than ever before. 4
The succ, ~ Of those who have fearlessly
sunk their shafts deep has led others
To follow suit, and as result the south
,rn Oregon districts have u number Of
we'll developed and paying quartz mines.
The future success Of Josephine county
mining is bound up in its quartz lodges,
Ior there must come u time when the
placer mines now being worked will be
washed of. This in turn will depend
apon the attitude Of capital toward the
district, Tor, as u matter Of fact, few Of
The southern Oregon miners who have
good quartz elaine have the means
to develop and equip them.
There are three times ss many paying
mines in Josephine county at this time
~ there were one year ago, fact that
proves that the quartz lodges of the dis.
lrict arc receiving much attention from
men Of means. Eastern capital has
ione this work.
In Josephine county the Eureka mine
AZ. N f..ll 1