The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1917-01-19
LOOKING BACKWARD.
happenings When the Land Was
Young and Spsrsely Settled.

(From the Loomis Prospector, jan
uary 81, 1881
In the throes of anticipation that
LOomis was to be another Butte, and
northern Okanogan county the richest
mineral producer on Garth, the Pros
pector tears loose the following lurid
headlines over a strike made in the
Palmer Mountain tunnel, an enter
prise from which much was expected
and little realized: THE Worlds Our
Oyster-No Longer Question o.
Doubt Regarding Okanogan Ledges--
They go to Depth and Garry Values
Clear Down to the Bottomless Pit-A
Strike in the Tunnel Makes tLis Camp
After many Years of Weary Waiting
Mining Conditions on Systematic
Principles Proves to the World this
District Is to Be One Among the Great
est Mining Centers on the Contin,
| Oh dear. or dear; how flat that sounds
after twenty years. although at the
time 1t was written we were buoyed
/ up WIFI d COuuucuCe IuuC nO llIIlll
for length, breadth and thickness.
At the regular meeting of the county
commissioners in January the full
number of bills allowed was "a and
the total amount thereof was $8G7.34.
The full amount of moneys chargeable
to the treasurer was $8,485.51, and he
had 1t on hand to the satisfaction of
Al tot hot La
skating around with white chip as
compared with the enormous amounts
allowed at every regular meeting Of the
commissioners nowadays and the funds
running up to the hundreds of thous-
ands or more that the treasurer must
account for. And yet for all its cheap
ness so far as noticeable the peop
got about as much for their little
money in those days IS they do for the
big money in this day and age.
The only transaction that referred
to Oroville was the approval Of the
bond of 8. Sogle for a ferry over the
Okanogan river at Oro.
Tuesday Jas. Black, in the employ
OF J. M. Judd met with a painful and
ScNcIc dC1CucAt. DIAM " 90 OAC
of the teams that has been hauling
ice from Palmer lake to town, and
Tuesday fell from the sled when In
the vicinity of Mrs. Underwood's resi-
dence, couple of miles north Of
s.-tewn In the fall he sustained a frac--
ture of the collar bone. DR.. Webb re-
duced the fracture, and the patient Is
doing as we'll as could be expected.
(Mr. Black Is still resident OF Loo
mis)
The workmen now have six feet of
a ledge and ore in sight on the Col
den Zone, between good walls. The
crosscut on this property has shown
such an improvement that Mr.. Kings
bury feels satisfied a plant will be
installed at an early date to handle
the output. (And the plant was in
stalled, and is still In existence. al
though it never paid to operate. But
what has become of that six foot ledge? !?
1t must be in the Zone, for Kingsbury
would hardly make such claim II 1t
was not there. But big strikes In other
properties have fizzled and Kingsbury
may have been mistakenly
The Prospector contains the follow
ing apologetic item: IF we have met
any acquaintances on the street re-
Gently and failed to recognize them 1t
is hoped they will not conisder the
rudeness a studied discourtesy. A man
thoughlessly offered us $50 gold
piece to change when buying ten cents
worth of mining location notices, last
Tuesday, and we have not as yet full
ly recovered our eyesight."
Frank Keck was a passenger out t,
Bridgeport last Wednesday, and m"
extend his trip to Spokane. (Mr. Keck
was chief engineer of thirst empor-
ium. He chased swiftly after the Re.
public boom, when it first came into
blossom, and has resided in that city
ever since)
Jack Barman, the expert black
smith at the tunnel, went OF Spokane
Monday (Mr. Barman is still a resi-
dent of the county, living at Concon-
ully.)
Henry Wellington the old time Okla
hogan valley stock raiser, was in town
Wednesday. (Henry Wellington was
one of the enigmas Of the north coun-
try, which caught so much OF the
human folsom and jetsom of early
days. OF his early life little was ever
known. He was Harvard graduate, a
bright, highly intelligent gentleman
Even at the time mentioned he was
far advanced in years. yet he lived
lonely life by himself on the place
that still bears his name, although now
owned by H. H. Granger, few miles
south Of Oroville. He lost the sight OF
an eye through some affliction and
always wore a cloth about his head
which was Immediately clean, as he
was In mind and In person. He was
figure that always attracted attention
when coming to town, generally rid
ing on a runt of a horse. He was very
spare and unhealthy looking, although
invariably cheerful and pleasant
There must have been some mystery
in his life, or why did he fly to the
frontier and bury himself In the will
derness. He never talked of his earl!
life. He was scrupuously honest ant
upright, hospitable, and pieasan
conversationalist When at last he be
came enfeebled from age and declining
health he was taken in by Mr.. ant
Mrs. VIM. Mcdaniel, and after linger
ing many months passed away, making
the McDaniels family his heirs
Among the old pioneers there was no
more likeable man than Henry Well
inpton and his memory still live