The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1915-04-02
THE GNOME OF WHISKY HILL

cfuclanS TO lnhaDlt the inner parts or
the earth, and to be the guardians OF
mines, Quarries, etc. That name
might be applied without offense to
that ancient miner and prospector,
Horace Brown, who is back on his
mining claims, on the east slope of
WHISKY Hill, after an absence of sew
eral months visiting with a son and
married daughter at Walla Walla.
Among all the old time miners who
have searched the hills and handled
the hammer and drill in northern Okla
hogan county none have shown the
abidiGg faith and tenacity of purpose
of Horace Brown, and none are ripper
in years or mining experience, for
Mr.. Brown is far past his allotted
years of three score and ten, and has
sought the elusive ledge of value for
many, many years. His research has
covered much of the mineral bearing
Gectiods of the west. Within a few
more weeks Mr.. Brown will have
rounded out SO years, and until a year
ago he was as hale and hearty as any
man Of so. Grip took a fall out of the
old timer at that time, and the en-
ervating effects of grip are lasting.
Mr.. Brown came to this part of the
county in 1892, and most of the 23
Y CT Into
on Whisky Hill, locality to which
he has pinned his faith with a consis-
tcncy that entities him to a liberal
reward. Something like II years ago
the writer visited that hill of bolster
GUS name in company with VIM. Lewis,
who was satisfied that he had a world
beater in the way of mining claim,
and on Mr.. Lewis property we found
Horace Brown and Ed. Hosford, an
other antique mineral chaser, sink
ing shaft. There were four of us to-
gether in that crowd, all on the seamy
side of life, with hopes as bright and
bouy3,.. as youths just budding into
manhood. Lewis and Hosford finally
gave way to hope deferred and scat
tered elsewhere, while the other two
still rivit their faith to Okanogan and
are waiting for their ships to come in.
That is retrospective reminiscence,
however, and has nothing to do with
the subject matter. AS we were about
to state Mr.. Lewis had showing that
would have been considered bright
promise in any other mining district
in the west, fOurfoot perpendicular
ledge, between as pretty walls as ever
embraced a mineral bearing quartz
lead, averaging better than 81 to the
ten. The hole in the ground, the
ledge, the values are still there where
old Bill Lewis finally left them, for
the distance from transportation pro-
hibited the handling of ores of such
low grade. With a smelter near at
hand there is no reason why that old
claim could not be made to pay, and
pay we'll.
But Horace Brown never deserted
the hill. Perched up on the hill side
above and west of the Granger ranch,
or the road between Oroville and To-
nasket, is small cabin, and there is
where Mr.. Brown has spent number
Of years, sustained by an unfaltering
trust that some day a fairy in the
shape of a capitalist looking for safe
investment would drift along and take
off his hands this property that he has
spent so many hours, and days, and
weeks, and months opening up. 1t
might be added in passing that should
that fairy ever appear, and go at de-
velopment right, said fairy would new
er have cause for regretting the in
vestment. There is big dump near
the cabin and that dump represents
the labor required in driving a tunnel
some 300 feet into the hill. Most Of
that work has been done by the man
whose accumulated years generally
marks decrepitude in the average
mortal. Mr.. Brown has followed a
ledge all the way in from the portal,
ledge that crops and can be readily
followed for several thousand feet.
That ledge is nine feet wide at the
present face, between a granite and
diorite contact, and carries good val
ues, principally in gold. With ma
chinery to drive on into the hill this
tunnel would intersect other large
mineralized Lodges, for on the surface
are strong groupings extending south
westerly and northeasterly, and the
tunnel is heading westerly. AS pros
pect it is one of the most inviting to
be found in this vicinity, and few
properties give better promise of max.
ing a mine of large producing capacity
Mr.. Brown did not come to thi:
country as tenderfoot, as was init
mated at the beginning of this item
with everything to learn in connec-
ton with minerals and mining. He