The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1916-05-19

One of the largest industries from
which a revenue is being derived from
natural chemical deposits, in the west
Iand indeed, the largest plant of the
kind in the United States, is in opera.
tion on the outskirts of Oroville, and
has been in operation for months. Ref
erence is made to the extraction and
marketing of EPSON salts from lake
of that ingredient a short distance
from Oroville. Subscribers of the Ga
zette will be surprised that no extern
ded and frequent mention has been
made in these columns of this very
important enterprise, but at the re-
quest of those interested the editor re-
Trained from playing up this story. A
promise given is promise kept, and
we have abstained from mentioning
the project until it secured publicity
In outside papers and hence no longer
feel obliged to remain silent on the
subject.
The Gazette has frequently mentions
ed the, EPSON salts lake, situated on
the high grounds hardly more than a
mile and half west of town as the
crow flies, as great natural curiosity.
That lake is the source of supply for
the finished product that has been
gathered up directly from the lake
and shipped to eastern markets and is
now being turned out in commercial
form in vast quantities by the process
OF evaporation. The presence of this
salts lake has been known for years.
Before the advent of the white man
its contents were used by the Indians
for their medicinal virtues. The lake
was located long ago by E. Mccain
mon, r. ID. Rayburn and Riley Collie.
Those are names that tradition gives
out as the original locators, although
there has been clashes of claims time
and again over the ownership. This is
neither here nor there. The contents
of the lake were never utilized, be-
cause the bulk of the salts of COM
merce was imported from Germany,
there was no adequate protection for
the home product, and the price ruled
so low that it could not be extracted
and marketed at profit Had there
been no European war the Oroville
salts lake would probably have re-
NAMED unwOrked until the crack O.
doom. But war did break out, the
source of supply was cut off and like
many another commodity, for which
Europe was depended upon for sup
ply, the price went up, up, up, until
the local salts had value that justi-
fed extraction and shipment
About this time the existence of the
Oroville salts lake came to the knowl-
edge of an old time miner and pros
pector not averse to taking a chance
In any venture in which minerals OF
any kind cut figure, in the person OF
II. B. Brown, better known as Bull
Dog" Brown. Mr.. Brown came, looked
and was convinced that there was mil
, lions in it. He put men at work ex-
tracing the salts. 1t was a crude pro.
cess at the beginning The surface OF
the lake is as white as snow, except
where spotted by water blotches, a
solid crust of salts, and the deposit Is
OF unknown depth. The salts was
scooped off the surface with shovels
conveyed in wheelbarrows to shallow
vats, sacked and shipped to market
Just as taken in it's natural state from
the surface of the lake. Mr.. Brown
finally disposed of the interest he helt
which was merely working privilege
on royalty basis, to the Stewart
Calvert company of Seattle. These gen
| tlemen had the means to proceed r.