Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1909-01-11
MARION COUNTYS
MINERAL WEALTH

sod efruck oil" variety lh0'
auS eabed and hunted, took lie e''''
snoonoo sno Nature did so much for then
moro in oregon that they dian 'na,S ,,',
70 hustle, and so sat quietly by wn,,o ,so
postornere came in nd acquir'u -
.-'arn,econt forests that were SO "a,
millar to them, that they
valueless. nou men"
made the farmers around ratum s,'
an ond take notice, at least enousn
W w double @ the price they held Their
,ord At and to lend hand IN aus
covering what lay beneath 'he,I
fsrms. No gushers have been sIru'N
vet for u they had it wonld Dc :
soomIne "oll country" but wells are
he3ng drilled. andy so fer, those VINO
are in chnrea OF Or back Of the work
are we'll pleased with the OUTLOOK
and confident that before the year IS
over they wiilJhave demonstrate"
that Oregon has both oil and gas 70
SAMMY herself indefinitely, AMI also
some for he. neighbors.
Marion County Coal.
What has been Said OF the oil hela
applies equally well to coal. 1t has
been known for years that there was
coal in the county. There were strong
outcropings Of it on the North fork OF
the santiam, at Scots Mills, on the
head of Mil creek and in fact ct
dozens OF placeA The coal is bita-
mInous, and the outcrop. while wei
defined small. It was. however, not
developed, and 80 for years, from
very familiarity with II, II was
looked upon with contempt.
Last year, however, parties beg1u
investigating the coal vein at scotts
Mills. and have made very satislac-
tory showing. The coal is Of good
quality. and the vein grows larger
end stronger as II is followed. Those
interested in the scheme are well
pleased with the showing made, md
arc confident II is only a question OF
tlmo. and q short time at that until
Marion county will b. classed rs
coal producer. A close watch is being
kept on the SCOTS Mills plant by
others owning coal groupings, aud
the success OF that undertaking will
mean the opening Of dozens OF other
coal mines.
IAmonite, Bng Iron Plentiful.
TIE striking OF coal and the OPEN
ing up OF a good coal mine In Ma
ron county would mean much more
than would be at first thought. While
II would be OF great value as fuel
supply for every day use, It's great
est value would lie in It's availability
as a fuel for smelling the copper AMI
other ores heretofore mentioned, and
for putting Oregon on the map as an
iron producer. No big bodies OF iron
ore have been opened in Marion
connty, for the reason. perhaps, that
none have ever been looked for, bu,
II is a fact just the same that IN r.
Is an abun lance OF the very finest bog
iron, running from 90 to 65 per cent
iron, While near Stayton few
months ago the writer, on walking
over field belonging to J. p. Merta.
necr Kingston, noticed bouldrrs of
II that would weigh 10 or 90 poun 30.
and the stubblo field was literally
sprinkled with it, The red hills
through that section get their color
Ing from the decomnoaed bog irla.
and undoubtedly vast bodies of "a
could be found II searched for. n
might be added that this same bog
iron is the ba Is of most mineral
paints.
Who Is there, then, can doubt. bu,
that In the near future Marion com
Y 'and perhaps others) Is 10 be-
come as famous for the products Of
her mines as she now is for tho .a o..
her soil; aud that beneath the fell.
of hlllowing grain, her emerald
meadows and her uululating sI3ns.
'nai rise TO lose themselves in th.
"i'hiy forest of the Cascades. =,
buried unlimited wealth. that VII
generously reward those who dare q.
arch { out