Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1906-03-23
A PROMISING MINE
ON UPPER ILLINOIS
The Webb Copper Property Being
Developed With Rich VAL
ues Showing Up.

ing ever been made OF the mines about
Deering I will briefly describe one of
the most promising and one that is
certain to be one of the big copper
producers of Southern Oregon.
will begin by starting from the
time l left Sioux City, Iowa. also the
state Of my health at that time and all
about what Oregon has done for me
both physically and financially and
think the subject good one" health
and Wealth in Oregon" left Sioux
City, Iowa, where had suffered for q
long time with chronic catarrh, two
years ago, on January Sd, and on the
morning Of January Sth. landed in
Grants Pass, worn out and broke,
physically and financially. We had
n unusually hard Winter that year.
Rain and snow nearly all the time. /
managed to get to Waldo where my
folks lived. calculating to make them
short visit and get out of the
country as quickly as possible. Well,
everyone who knows me. knows the
condition / was in and all the expo
sures | underwent and how in spite
+ Of all, | rapidly gained in health
l had never seen or been in the
/ mountains and was wild to find out
all about them. l did not have any
rain clothes, but nevertheless l went
into the hills nearly every day, RAIN,
snow or what not Once l was car
ried in by a neighbor, Fred Alberg,
and think l would have perished
had it not been for him, and it was a
mere chance he found me. Another
time managed to get in by using a
gun as c.utch along with a greese.
wood cane / cut. But that is all gone
now and am as robust as an OK and
don't know what fatigue is any
more. My catarrh is nearly gone and
l have never taken drop of medi-
'ine in Oregon.
So much for Oregon climate, now
for the mine. We found this property
on September 18th, 1904. 1t is located
between the two forks of the Illinois
river on Blue creek, a tributary of
Elk creek, and joins the Mammoth
mine, owned by Albright & Turner,
on the north. 1t is one mile or less
from the prospective railroad route
that your last issue gives an article
on. This property has been run
over by prospectors for years. The
old trail to Crescent City passes right
over where we are now getting our
best copper ore. 1t is what mines
call "blind ledge ard you would
not wonder at its never being found
if you could see our gossan, which
we have to dig out and which soon
crumbles away into the soil. My
brother insisted that a ledge existed
along this contact and said some time
we would go to digging ard find it.
One day we both had a crippled hand
each, he having a felon ON bis right
hand and had my left hand smashed
over at the Monumental, so we took
pick and shovel and commenced to
dig and in one hour from the time we
arrived on the ground we were taking
out bronze ore. Pretty good for two
cripples, aud in less than two weeks
my brother had traced the whole
thing for 5000 feet and we had our
:" John Henry" up on three claims.
The mineral bearing lode is some
where from 80 to 100 feet wide and
the copper ore seems to lay in lenses
that run every which way through it.
We have opened up five large bodies
of ore that show copper, one body
on No. 4, two bodies on No. and |
also two bodies on No. @ The best
surface showing is on No. 3, and so
far we have never taken out a rock on |
the lead that did not carry more or
less gold. The whole has a good |
average with only a very little low
grade COPPER ore. six mining experts
have looked over our property and |
they all pronounce it a true fssure
vein. 1t has two well defined walls /
and lays in diorite and the ledge it.
self is called quartz diorite.
We nave refused all offers for this
operty and have been called a fool J
for not selling until l am used to it.
We have succeeded in interesting
Eastern capital. a close company has I
been formed and development has /
been pushed since the first of last /
August with the best of results. II. /
NJ. Webb is now in the East in the
interest Of this mine and | will sub.
NIT our plans to you on his return.
But it is safe to say there will be
something doing this Summer.
Every mining man who has seen our
property says it is the biggest show.
ing they ever saw. The most perfect
location for mine with the best