The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1908-05-07

Forty miles to the southwest are
the great oil fields ct Nowata, and one
county west the deep oil pools IN ara
around Bartlesviile. Between an these
places are fields of agricultural prod
ucts, never failing and as beautiful as
cha Dc found anywhere. There is
gradual rise and lall all of the way.
making f. one of the picturesque
places OF the state And in these
places for ages were the best blood
Of the civilized Indians and lands
have beeu in cultivation for seventy
years. always, of course, in small
manner. tens of thousands OF cattle
being gra6ed by both the red and
white races.
The Mines and Their Beginning.
As in most instances The history OF
the first year of mining in and around
Miami Is largely history of the skep-
t.T and the pessimist trying TO hold
back those who are of the material 90
do things first and shout about them
afterwards. There was ever al hand
the "old timer who, in many in
stances. was really a new settler but
who had heard there Was no chance
to make shese mines paving ones II
is an actual fact that In Ottawa and
one other county of this great state.
coal cropped out Of the side of a lime
stone bluff. la plain view of the passer-
by for thirty years before one Of ordi.
mary knowledge was ,isked TO test The
carmercial qualities Of Tie mineral;
in both Instances the product being
fouDd to be as good as can be found
anywhere.
J In passing. however. ia might be
well TO add that the greatest oil pro
ducer in the United States. at least
4 the greatest az that time. declared
when he saw the oozing oil AT Sour
Lake, Texas, that a man who borel
for oil at that point was a candidate
for the insane asylum. rather than 20
own mansion on Fifth avenue New
/ York Five years later he paid to a
cowboy corporation a half million dol
liars for a nalf interest in the hole
ithey had punched through the Texas
l lquicksand through means OF a con.
ltrivance the most splendid imagination
could not designate as a drilling rig
Small investment Richly Rewarded.
| A small ttvestment was made At
/ Quawpaw at first save the one at Pc
oria, and IL was only a few months
lniittt Ai1 Ah'll iltlAl az NlAullli Was uldNR
a part of the field in fact. Then com
lmenced the story of rapid improve
lment which is now, although seeming
Ily important. but Just begun The re-
turns in each case where the progress
has been sufficient TO get out the min
lerals have been so large as to seem
almost beyond credence to the nm
/ Learned IN the mining world, and for
that reason former correspondent,
here months ago. is copied TO show tho
beginning in a milder tone than could
now he used by one first seeing all the
great work now being done and pre-.
lpared for
The correspondent was not word
lpainier and told his story succinctly
Jas follows:
In Ottawa county there are three
Separate centers of mining activity,
or camps. the oldest OF which is Pc
oria. in the northeast part of the
lcOunty, and where mining has been
lcarried on with more or less force for
many years. The one difficulty with
| Peoria az a mining camp was its re-
lmoteness from railway facilities which
rendered difficult aud expensive the
mattor of getting fuel IN and the prod
uct out Some OF the richest zinc ore
ever mined WAS produced al Peoria,
showing G6 per cent zinc on ASSAY
When railway facilities are enlarged
| Peoria will come to the front and it's
AREA of rich mining ledge is enormous.
Some six or seven years ago IN
drilling for stock water a prominent
farmer in the north part ct the coun
/ ~ struck q fine zinc prospect which
lhe proceeded TO develop and made
other drill tests which showed equally
well or bethr 'ihis lead 20 the deyel-
lopment of he well known Quapaw
field, which IS at present the most
Extensively developed field in the
lcounty The mines of this field are on
an equality with the bulk of mines of
the district and mining operations
there are carried on the same rs else
lwhere. There is none of what is called
sheet ground but the formation
yields ore of much the same quality
land In about the same quantity as the
lshaet ground mines.
Miami IS The Youngest camp of the
lCounty, aud by far he most promising.
when it first began 20 be whispered
labout that there we're rich mineral
prospects I'm The vicinity of Miami Tho
lwiseacres. as usual IN such cases,
]
leyes as much as 10 say that sounds
lwell. but you are too far away The
ldiscoNcries here were made IN the
lsama way as az Quapaw. m d'ggine
wells ore was found huf nothing was
ISaid about "a at the time for good and
lsufficient reasons. When q % tim1
came 10 make the matter public there
Iwas no lack of men OF pluck and
lmeans TO take hold cf the matter and
briHe abont ihe present Developments
.lt has pracucailv all been done by
ll0oal capital With the assistance ol
men who afe not afraid 10 leek fol
whei ever is proftabie whlthersoevel
81 MAS he found This eampais oni'
+ iobOut one year old. scarcely that bn'
J Iin that short space Of time some o'
1.-The righest PROSPECTS ever seen in ih'
famous Joplin district have beer
lfonrd Two large concentraiing mills
lare approaching completion, besides :
lsnmlier one which Is already complete
Practically The same conditions
, prevail In he Miami camp as are q
. be encountered anywhere zinc p
. imlnod and n takes about the same
hot D..