Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1913-07-24
WATSON TELLS
OF THEIR TRIP
ASHLAND MAN OUT WITH STATE
MINERAL EXPERTS.
The WORK NOT YET COMPLETED
DIR. Winchell and Party Have Been
Out in Woods Most of Time Since
Early in July-Their Work is Not
Yet Done.

Judge Watson came in Friday
from two weeks hike over the hills
of Southern Oregon with the geologi-
cal survey party of which he is
member. The Judge left here on
the fifth, meeting the other members
DR.. Winchell and Messrs. Reber
and French at Jacksonville.
The first day out they examined
mines west of Jacksonville near the
summit-owned by parties residing
at Medford. The mines seem to be
quite promising and have been
opened out perhaps better than any
other mines in that vicinity except
the Opp mine.
On the second day they examined
the Opp mine about a mile and a half
west of Jacksonville. 1t has a great
many openings-some tunnels eX-
tending eight or nine hundred feet.
The surface formation seems to be a
shale and the same to the south for
mile or two. The Opp mine has
produced a great deal of money and
has much good ore in sight. Tun-
nels are in good condition and mill
ready for operation.
On the eighth they started with
camping outfits for the Blue Ledge
mine thirty-four miles south of Jack
sonville across the line in California
-inasmuch as examining it would
give an insight into the formation of
large portion of Southern Oregon.
Supt. Carnahan showed the party
through the mine. 1t is claimed
there are two miles of tunneling ex-
tending from the upper workings for
distance of about 500 feet vertical
ly.. There is great deal of very fine
copper ore. There has been an i'm
mense amount spent in development.
The st. Adams mine Immediately
adjoining the Blue Ledge was also
examined and the Copper King lit
tie lower down. This immediate vi
cinity seems to be heavily charged
with copper and is in schist of very
old formation. After two days spent
in examination the party returned to
camp at 10 Bar and, packing their
outfit on horses, started up Elliott
creek. 1t was a very strenuous hike
ON the south slope, the trail rough
and the day hot.
Elliott creek is an important trib-
utary to the Big Applegate and has
seen a great deal of placer mining.
Some openings into quartz have been
made and some good prospects re-
ported. The country is very interest
ing in character formation be-
Ing entireI.' different from that above
Jacksonville or about the headwaters
Nc Ach1 t.
ite in that section.
On the second day OF this jaunt
the party crossed the summit of
Dutchman's Peak about 7400 feet
high, turned to the left and crossed
the headwaters of Blade Fork, their
trail leading for Red Mountain They
camped on Red Mountain three days
and made quite an examination of it,
| The formation is entirely different
from anything they had found else
where and presented greater va
riety of rock and conditions.
Red Mountain is 1900 feet high, is
situated near the state line and twen-
ty miles southwest from Ashland
exactly on the summit of the Siski-
yous. The contact on the east is
granite and there seems to be mar
row belt of granite to the west, while
west of that so far as our eXamina-
tion has gone is largely of schistose
formation. Leaving Red Mountain
on Monday at noon the party trav,
eled northwesterly down what il
known as Seven Mile Ridge, crossing
number of cinnebar prospects. In
some places the tunnels have been
pushed into the mountain about 200
feet. They reached Little Applegate
below the mouth of Jade creek and
at the head of wagon navigation on
that stream, late in the evening, tired
and hungry.
At this camp they spent two days
and made extensive examination of
the surrounding country. There is
no granite apparently in that section
| but there has been great deal of
mining in the creeks and gulches
some of it in the early days of min
ing in Southern Oregon. One expert
ence in reaching that camp was in
crossing Applegate river ten times in
side of four miles-which made it
necessary for footmen to hunt foot
logs or wade. They left that camp
Thursday morning at seven o'clock,
the balance of the party turning to
the left up trail for Squaw Lake,
while the Judge came to Jackson
vile, walking twelve miles to strike
stage line.
The rest of the party was calculat-
ing to leave Squaw Lake Friday for
Watkins on Applegate river and
there send the packer for his wagon
while the three examiners went to
Steamboat mine seven miles west.
This mine has produced some very
heavy pockets of gold. In fact all
of that region is gold bearing and
the stream beds almost everywhere