Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1909-01-11


rion county is pretty Thoroughly %
.,'"od m To her big grain and vese,
's,,o crops. her vast production Oh
,'". 49, nor splendid showing of timber
nOS IN fact all the varied products
tbo, come from the surface oil 'ne
earth is to be added grea1 y'eiu
or metal and other latent Weay'n
,tot ~ comes from the depths Of min ;
ana tho lower strata where heat ano
ngb, have been stored away count
loss ages ago, for the coming OF CIV
ilization.
For many years prospecting ioe
,no nrecIous metals has gone on ih
a small way in the Cascade moan
,alns. and especially in the region
drained by the santiam river AZ q,
oartzburg fair sized quartz mn
was built quite a number OF years
ago. and though some good 'aiues
vtre found. as a mining venture II
d6a not prove profitable, and ior
yenry the property has laid practic-
al;y ldle. There we're several rea-
sons for this, but there Is one SO
pre-eminent, that It is unnecessary
10 mention others, that Is, the ores
arc not free milling and the values
could not be saved by any milling
process. Later Salem parties, QUO
Hansen, the Freeland brothers. MT
staley and others. began openins
up the copper prospects on the Lit
tie North Fork of the santiam. NO
attention was given them, or their
work until within the past year,
when outside capital suddenly dis
covered that these persistent pros
neetors had uncovered vast bodies
OF ore. that only awaited exploiting
by capital. As a result, ARRANGEMENTS
have been completed by which three
mining companies have contracted
with a smelter company for the work
ing of their ores, and before 1908
has given place to his successor, Ma.
rion county will have within her
borders a iOO-ton-a-day smelter
handling ores whose average yield
OF copper will be at least 10 per
cent; besides giving ap the royal yell
low gold at the rate OF $40 per ton
And Il must be borne In mind tia:
this 10 only "a starter" The mines
mentioned can produce. when prop
erly opened, ten to twenty times the
amount OF ore the smelter can han
die, and In consequence, as the val
ues are there. the furnace capacity |
will be increased until Marion cour-
ty will have the best and blggcst |
mining camp In the state. But these |
are only a few OF the mines, Still
above the smelter, which In at the
mouth OF Gold Creek, is anothei
group OF mines that are fairly well
developed. and which show some lead
along with the copper, and carry
heavy values In gold How big he
district is cannot at present be stated |
but copper, carrying gold with II, Is |
found over = strip on the Little North
Fork at least six boy twenty miles.
To the north a well-dehned district
stretched over TO Ogle mountain. In
Claokamas county and 10 the south
an equally well-dehned mineral bear
Ing zone. that runs far into Linn
county, and indicates a strog ore
zone connecting with Bohemia and
Blue River, and running practically
the full length OF the range through
Oregon, and far into California.
The operating of the smelter in
Marion county next fail viii give an
impetus 10 mining guch as Il has not
had in oregon since the old place,
mining days.
The country formation Is ideal for
mining, the bedrock being porphy,y
phonolite and diorite. and then tho
ledges are strong, perfect-wau,d
assure veins Were the Marion coun-
~ mines In Nevada on some mning
country there would be a rush to
them slch as built mp Go'dheld. Ton
opah and Rawhide, As a matter ID.
tact the writer is free To say that
none Of III places named had 90
good showing at the same depth MS
has the mines on the Little NortL
Fork of the santiam.
Il might be added In this eonac.
uou that there is a vast body o.
magnificent timber In this mining
district, and that its exploitation
winch must soon begin. will, with the
products and needs OF the mines
soon compel the building Of a rail.
road either from Salem, or some 9th.
or railroad point, to the district.
The rratum oil Fields.
Nor are copper, gold. lead ana
o'oer metal the only hidden wealth
'na' lies buried beneath Marion
'ouh'ys surface, For years It has
becn known thai snrin., a.,