Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1910-02-04
is DARING BUT FEASIBLE
Scheme Could be Executed at Cost of
Ten Thousand, Thinks It's
Author.
(Gold Hill News.)

distance from Gold Hill, and clean
up the river bed of the gold that
has been depositing there for ages,
IS the daring project proposed by
H. w. Dikeman, formerly a leading
Chicago attorney, who now sojourns
in Southern Oregon for the benefit
of his health. Mines and mining,
and the geology that pertains there
to, have claimed good share of
his attention for several years.
The Rogue river between Gold
Hill and Gold Ray, in its course
around the mountain known as
"the old Gold HILL" furnishing a
name for the town, describes a
great bend or semicircle. Mr.. Dixie
man, after close and careful observa-
tion covering some years, has decided
that a portion of the river bed one
mile IN extent, Is susceptible to drain
age SO that 1t may be laid bare for
easy placer mining. "It is one of
the most tempting propositions in
Southern Oregon, and can be carried
through with an expense of not to
exceed ten thousand dollars" Said
Mr.. Dikeman.
Here is the way the old Rogue
may be made to fork over a few of
the millions that he has been clutch
ing for so many centuries" he con-
tinued as he produced a notebook
and displayed a neatly drawn map.
"a natural swale or depression ex-
tends across section IL in township
SO south, range 3 west, from south
to north. All that would be neces-
sary to lay bare a whole mile of the
present river channel would be to ex-
tend the southern end of the swale
a few feet, so as to intersect the river
at a point opposite the lower end of
a small island, which in itself forms
almost natural dam and may be
utilized to divert the waters of Rogue
river into the swale.
"The gravel in the river bed Is
shallow and could be worked at little
expense. In ages gone by Rogue
river flowed through the channel
now represented by the swale, or de-
preston, and gradually worked its
way easterlv to the location Of the
present channel. The bedrock be-
tween the present channel on the
east and the scale on the west is
deeply covered with river gravel The
bedrock itself IS n hard, rough forma-
tion with many crevces and potholes
wherein the gold may have lodged or
been deposited from solution in the
water.
"The gulch or ravIne which ex.
tends from the famous Gold Hill
nocket' empties into the river at a
point few yards above the upper
end OF the swale. From this great
pocket Il Is claimed that gold TO the
amount OF five hundred thousand
dollars and upwards was extracted
The natural wash or flow from that
pocket down the gulch would natur.
ally enrich the bed OF the river.
Another place where the same
logic should apply to indicate that
gold may be found in the river bed,
went on Mr.. Dikeman, again bringing
his notebook map into play, "Is
point In the immediate vicinity oI
Gold Ray, where an ancient river
channel emptied into the present
Rogue river. Traces OF that ancient
channel are visible on the lands o'
Thomas Hagan. This channel anci
emily received the flow OF Jackson
and Willow creeks, both OF which ar'
noted for the large amounts Of golt
that were taken from their ricl
placers in the early mining historl
~ Oregon.
IAN examination OF all that trac
OF land lying between the railroad
on the west and the Rogue river OF
the east in section IL, before describ
ed, and constituting parts Of lots 5
6, 7 and 9 in that section, Is wei
worthy Of investigation by miner
and capitalists.
"That part OF the Rogue river chan
mel located in section 10, TOWNSHIP
&c. below the dam at Cold Ray, !
undoubtedly rich in gold. The be,
Of the channel at that point ls fre
from cement, but Is encumbered will