Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1911-06-02
ADVISES MINERS To GO
SOUTHERN OREGON

(From the Albany Evening Herald
The Grants Pass Daily Courier Of
Tuesday OF this week issued five
thousand copies of sixteen-page ed
ition, eight pages Of which were de-
voted almost exclusively to resume
OF the gold mining industry of
southern Oregon since the discovery
of the precious metal in that section
OF the state. The edition contains
Interesting stories of the mines OF
Josephine county, many of them well
Illustrated with half-tones. These
rticles are Of great interest to both
miner and investor, and the 5000 ed
tion should have a great influence
Ii the development Of the mining in
iustry of southern Oregon.
One Of the contributors to the edi-
ton who has lived In that section Of
Oregon for many years and has been
more or less interested In mining
during his residence there, estimates
that the output of gold for Josephine
county alone, from the time the yel-
low metal was discovered In that
section, has been not less than $135,-
100000 This Is large sum, but
in the light of common knowledge
easily attainable anywhere in south
ern Oregon, these figures do not
seem at all exaggerated. OF course,
there is no way Of telling just how
much gold has been taken out for
the reason that the section was pros
pected and sluiced many years be-
fore there was bank In the Rogue
River valley, or any of the other
conveniences of modern commerce.
Then every miner was his own bank
er, his own secret service man and
private detective, to use The Cour-
ier's expression.
In spite of the great quantities of
gold that have been taken out in
Josephine and Jackson counties, 1t
is singular that most of 1t has been
taken out in pockets and from the
placer diggings, and that as a matter
of fact, there has been very little
practical or systematic mining In the
This has perhaps been due
to the benevolence of ma
ture in the matter Of climatic con-
d!tions. A living was easily obtained
and there has not been the same i'm
petus for exploitation which has
some of the other min
ing districts of the country.
It Is singular fact that many of
the gold discoveries made in Jose
phine county from time to time for
many years past which have caused
little or no excitement whatever,
would have resulted in q stampede
ir Colorado, Nevada or Alaska.
Many Of these discoveries have been
prosecuted little beyond the cleaning
out Of the pocket, containing all the
way from thousand to five thons-
and dollars worth of the precious
metal, when the lucky prospector left
to spend his pile and the excitement
died out without further investiga-
tlon.
There is little question but that
southern Oregon, and particularly
Josephine county, will eventually be-
come one Of the most active and inn
portant gold mining districts on the
Pacific coast, There is little doubt
rs to the fact that there are great
quantities Of the metal there; It is
simply matter OF securing the nee
essary capital and the application Of
practical knowledge in mining. To
be sure there are some few quartz
mines in the vicinity which have been
developed to limited extent along
practical lines. But for the most
part the gold-hunter OF southern
Oregon has confined himself to the
placer dlggings and pocket hunting.
The Courier is to be congratulated
upon It's enterprise in presenting the
spl ndid mining number Of last
Tuesday, and the people Of Grants
Pass and Josephine county. as we'll
as all southern oregon for that mat
ter are greatly Indebted to The
Courier for this service. II will
doubtless do more to attract the
practical miner and the necessary
money for the development OF the
mining Industry Of that section than
anything else which might have been
done II Is In this way that the live
newspaper does more for the deyel-
Opmcnt OF a community than any