The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1906-02-02
RICHES OF THE SHOSHONE
Or. MAcKAY WRITES OF MINERAL
WEALTH THERE.
HE FOUND A NORFOLK COLONY
For Forty Years Wyoming's Progress
Was Retarded" He Says, because
a Railroad Was Built; Now II viii
be Promoted by a Railroad"

be Promoted by Railroad"
The following letter has been re-.
ccivcd by Asa X. Leonard from Dr j.
II. Mackay:
Casper, Wyo.. Jan %. For forty
years, while states around were nlliug
up with a vast multitude, Wyoming
remained a sheep pasture and because
of the building of n railroad The I'm
ion Pacific traversCd the state in II
belt of sage brush and alkali dust and
tourists looked out from the Windows
of n train and returned east or passed
ON to the mines of Nevada and Colo
RADIO. the vineyards of California or
the forests of Washington and Ore
gOn. Tourists could not behold beyond
the perspective of the right of way of
the u. u. railroad the vast, fertile ta-
ble-lands and rich valleys. the oil
fields. the mountains of coal and cop.
per. the latter everywhere carrying
more gold and silver in combination
than is found in the gold ore of the
famous Homcstalle mine. But as the
building of a railroad retarded the
states development forty years, the
building of another road is awaken.
ing the most wonderful activity ever
Northwestern under the efficient su-
pCrintCndoncy of our friend O. b.
Walker is etching its way in midwin-
ter mile after mile into the heart of
the state, opening up to the world the
vast resources, possibilities and OppOr-
tunitics that abound everywhere. The
atmosphere is charged with the spirit
of couqucst-thc triumph and dOmin-
ion of the forces of civilization over
the wilderness and its hidden rCsOurC-
cs. What imprcsscs the visitor is the
vastnoss of the country, the seeming
ly mCasurelCsS distances. the brilliant
sunshine, the pure air and transpar-
enCy of the atmosphere. Wyoming is
usty youth with the vigor of early
manhood. Rich in promise, country
without a past and with "A future great
beyond the dreams of optimism.
There are no cemeteries here, no stag
nation nor decay, no wreckage, only
the enchantment of the present and
the alluring promise of the future.
There are bad spots in the state
judged from an agricultural view
point, but consider the magnitude of
the state-eight and one-half times
larger than the kingdom of Belgium,
the state contains one thousand square
miles more land than the combined
areas of Maine, Massachusetts, New
Hampshire, Connecticut, Vermont,
Rhode Island, New Jersey, Delaware
Maryland and the Kingdoms of Den.
mark and Holland and the population
is only 100000. There are poor spots
spots in Wyoming cover unbounded
mineral deposits. Coal undeTlies prac
tically the entire state, the ShOshone
mountains, extending 200 miles
through the state, are one vast body
of copper ore The Owl Creek noun
tains for forty miles in the Wind River
reservation, to be opened in June, is
one continuous body of copper aver
aging 62R percent, the richest ore
in the world except the lake ore. This
copper carries more gold than will be
required to pay all the expense of min
ing and smelling the ore. The largest
deposit of pure sulphur in the world
is in Wyoming. There is an asbestos
deposit within few miles of Casper.
Teams were in today with ore from
the copper deposits twelve miles south
of Casper. 1t is shipped to Denver
to be smelted and | am told nets the
owners 800 per car. Within ten
years, when the railroads come in
touch with the resources of the state,
Wyoming will doubtless be producing
union and will have population of
several millions. The yearly increase
of population in the United States
would place six persons on every quar-
ter section in Nebraska and Wyoming
can be filled in two years without rob
bing any other state of it's inhabitants.
The country needs the timely awaken.
ing of this state into which 1t will
pour its surplus thousands who are
looking for an opening, for work, for
room where they will not be tramp
ling on their fellows. There are thou,
sands of square miles of territory that
have never been prospected or trav-
ersed except by cattle and sheep men
and frequently these have brought into
town samples of mineralpoints OF
aluminium earth, porcelain clay, gems
and other valuable assets of the coun'
try Immense deposits of cement have
been found in the Laramie mountains
south of Douglas, and vast stores OF
the purest gypsum are abundant. Sc
far only the outer edges of the states
vast resources have been touched and
the future is bound to bring a marvel
Gus development that will compensate
for forty years of inactivity Sho
shOni scarcely six weeks old, has a