Amador ledger., 1909-05-07
AmadOr County
Descriptive Article

'and embraces within its erritory all
the diversity of valley ioothill, and
high mountainous lands.
Climate. climate Of the popu-
lous portions of The county is as genial
Rnd healthful as can be found anywhere
'in California. AS climate is one of the
most valuable assets OF this favored
state in attracting population, Amador
stands second to no county in this re-
gard. 1t should, and no doubt will in
time, when its climatic advantages are
more thoroughly understood and APP
|preciated, become a health resort not
only for those in less favored states,
but for the residents of other parts of
california. The temperature alone the
central portion rarely falls below 30
'degrees above zero in winter, and as
rarely rises to 100 degrees in the sum-
mer. Snow seldom falls in the settled
districts, and never remains on the
ground for more than few hours. or
.course, in the high mountain regions
of eastern Amador the snowfall Is very
heavy-which is characteristic of the
entire Sierra Nevada range. The sum-
mer season is Away accompanied with
cool nights; permitting of sound, re-
freshing slumber. Fogs are rare, cy-
clones are unknown, thunderstorms are
nfrequent.
Gold Mining The county, although
l'ich in other sources OF wealth, COM
paratively untouched, is noted prin-
cipally for her quartz mines. The
deepest gold mines in America are To-
cated here. The Kennedy mine is now
baking gold in liberal quantities from
.buartz extracted from a depth OF over
SB000 feet below the surface, with every
Indication that tho pay-ore extends to
b much greater depth. Since the dis
covery of gold, the county has contrib
/ lted fully 800, 100000 to the worlds
supply of the precious metal. The
mines are still yielding at the rate of
|hbout two million dollars annually.
Nearly all of this wealth is produced by
blight or ten mines operating on what
! s called the "mother lode," stretching
clear across the county in northeast
. brly direction a distance of twenty
miles, The mines aggregate between
MOO and 500 stamps, and furnish en-
. ployment for over 1000 miners. This
. Industry is still in it's infancy. The
lnexplored territory, even along the
main gold belt, is far in excess of the
+ ground that has actually been worked
lbr prospected. The county offers to-
. hay one of the most inviting fields to
4 be found anywhere in the world for the
Investment of capital in the fascinating
business of gold mining, not alone along
. the mother lode, but also in the almost
Untouched mlneralized country OF the
EAST belt, some ten or twelve miles from
The main lode.
Besides gold, we have copper, de
posits of pottery, coal, imarbe, slate,
limestone, granite, and soapstone or
talc-all undeveloped.
Agricultural Capabilities The agri-
cultural possibilities equal, if not excel;
he mineral riches. The valley lands
+ will produce anything that can be
grown in the most favored sections.
n the foothill lands all kinds of decid-
nous fruits thrive: also all kinds Of
vegetable are raised where irrigation
f { practicable along the numerous water
courses. Further up in the mountains,
ht an altitude of 1000 to $500 feet, the
{ soil is admirably adapted for apples
Ind potatoes. A ready market for
many times the quantity now raised of
hese commodities can be found lin the
Farious mining towns.
Grape culture and wlnemaklng are
becoming important industries, both
4 he grapes and wine commanding
better price than the product of the
owland.
Lands cheap compared with other
california lands. Improved farms may
be secured for one-fourth the price
current IN some places. Unimproved
ands can be had from So to $40 per
here. 1t does not require a fortune to
buy small ranch. There is room for
large addition to our agricultural pop
llation. Vast tracts now devoted to
cattle ranges might be made the homes
Df hundreds of prosperous farmers.
Amador has populasion of less than
2OOO. Three fourths of this is concen-
rated in strip of three miles above
md below the mineral belt
Jackson, the county seat, has about