The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-05-02
STILL SEARCH FOR
A WONDERFUL Mine
More People Have Hunted
for This Oregon Bonanza
Than Holy Grail.
palladium Specially

Portland. Ore. May Twin the IA.
bled Blue Bucket mine ever become
more than a legend of Eastern Ore
gon? Will the fabulous wealth 1t Is
said to hold ever be unearthed!
This question is half a century old
and more, yet prospectors are still try
ing to answer II. The Blue Bucket
mine. was one never found. never 10
Gated, and yet more people are said
to have hunted for It than went in
quest Of the Holy Grail.
Railroads are building into Central
Oregon. taking thousands of settlers
into the new territory, adding to the
number Of visionary prospectors who
hope to find It. They will chase this
will to the wisp as long as the story
Is told of the wealth of the Blue
Bucket. the mine that never was.
Briefly, this is what the newcomer
heard around the campfires and at the
farm house tables of Grant county.
In the late 40's or early SOS, when
people were going through Central
Oregon to California and Southern
OhG6Ous ~ 10 ouIu tu0t ouC OutAlS Puoo-
ed that had blue bucket tied to the
rear axle OF the wagon. It was used
by the party to dip up water and the
children took 1t to gather pebbles in
their play along the way.
When the outfit reached its destina.
ton In California and united the
bucket, II was partly filled with mug
gets that were nearly pure gold.
Where had they been picked up? 1t
was finally decided that the children
had last used the bucket in the Grant
county section and that the nuggets
had been gathered on Canyon or Dixie
Creek or some nearby stream, or per-
That party and other parties and in
dividual prospectors without END have
ever since been trying to locate the
Blue Bucket mine.
Fortunes have been lost, murders
committed, regulations shattered,
families separated, hopes biighted.
death has taken heavy toll OF the
thousands who have gone in search of
this phantom-this will to the wisp,
this something that never was and
may never be.
And the search still goes on. Many
persons maintain they are absolutely
sure they know where to find the
mother lode from which came these
tabled nuggets. More than one has
lost a fortune In QUILTING and hunt.
ing. Another. woman, has gone
crazy over the same subject, and in
the prisons. poorhouses and asylums
are those who joined at one time or
another the horde of seekers for the
treasure.
Will II ever be found? Did 1t ever
exist? Who knows?.
The placers of the Canyon Greek
section have turned out over $4,000.
900 since the early gold discoveries in
that section. The John Day valley
was first settled by people brought
there by the lure of gold and many
acres of land are covered with boul
ders. remnants of the old placer days
her every foot of earth was washed
away down to bed rock to CLEAN the
yellow particles from the soil and
gravel holding It.
The mother lode. where supposed
ly ali this placer gold came from orig
inally. has never been found. Is the
placer ground Of Canyon Creek ant
other creeks the outcropping Of the
phantom Blue Bucket and did thess
children at play really stumble upor
IN Ell Dorado. since lost. that was thu
richest gold deposit OF the Northwes,
country?
Thousands ef people are sure THU
70 true and that they win find It to
l nN0eroW nYnR f0morfuR