The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1915-09-24
Development was Begun in This
Camp in 1874
HAS YIELDED OVER S2,OOO,OOO
Much Work is Being Done There One
Immensely Rich Strike Recently
Made on Niger Creek

The recent talk about rich strikes at
this Oldest mining camp in the state is
not wholly without foundation. With
view to an outing as much as to inves-
tigate the development work recently
going on there the writer, in company
with Mr.. VIM. Mcintosh and wife, made
a trip to Blewett last Sunday.
Perhaps little history of the camp
would not be wholly uninteresting at
this time. According to some old
records still in existence, gold was dis
covered at Blewett in 1874 in what is
known as the Culver claim, probably
named after the man who made the
discovery, some ten miles from the
summit of what is called the Ellens-
burg range of mountains, in one OF the
gulches that lead out from Peshastin
creek. Other claims were located, such
as the Black Jack, Peshastin, Keynote,
Badger State, Bobtail, Humming Bird
and Sandal In the later seventies
VIM. Blewett and VIM. Shafer organized
the La Rica Mining Co., which trans
lated into English would be The Rich
Mining Co. Mining adventures have
always had penchant for giving their
mining companies high sounding names.
Well, these two men organized the
company. Whether they put in their
own hard earned money or sold stock
to raise funds, as some thimble-riggers
did who came along later, we could not
learn. Anyway the company spent
$o8, 900 in erecting large 20-stamp
mill and installed expensive machinery,
most of which is still there to show the
faith they had in the venture. There
are two large boilers, 40-horse power
steam engine, twenty stamps, five large
tanks, two amalgamating machines,
great iron cables that weigh tons and
tons. A fly wheel that weighs three or
four thousand pounds, and enormous
amounts of machinery and tools, not to
mention large quantities that have been
taken away. The mill itself could not
have cost less than $4,000. Stone
retaining walls were built. Stone foun-
dations and heavy timberS. One won
ders how on earth all the stuff was hauled
across the mountains from Ellensourg
in that early day when there were no
roads. Even now with fairly good
roads it would cost ten or fifteen thou
sand dollars simply to pay hauling
charges from Ellensburg. And the re-
markable thing is that the machinery is
in fairly good state of preservation
and could be used. The old mill is
somewhat dilapidated but could be re-
paired without much cost.
Mr.. R. B. Ridgely is in charge of
the mill and mining claims that form
part Of the property. With him are A.
A. Natwick, E. N. Pearce and T. J.
Herring of Centralia, Wash, and Joe
Walters of Tacoma.
Mr.. Ridgley told US that his com
pany had under consideration the in
stallation of about $4,000 worth OF
new and modern mining machinery
Of the newest and most modern kind.
There has been great improvement
made since the old mill was installed
for saving precious metals from low
Grade ores, running from five to ten
dollars per ton, that were then passed
up as Improbable, but can now be
handled at a profit
To go back again. The La Nca 20.
onerated the mill in the eighties ana
rineties in the last century, and the
records show that concentrates were