Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1918-06-28
Discovery of the Bunker Hill and
Sullivan Mine

by the historic donkey, although the
donkey figured conspicuously and
profitably to its owners in subse-
quent litigation, but by the trained
eye of Phil O'Rourke.
Early in the summer of 1885
Cooper & Peck of Murray grub
staked" N. S. Kellogg for prospect
ing trip through the hills. Jacob
Goetz (''Dutch Jake') says Kellogg
showed his samples to Phil O'Rourke
and 1t didn't take Phil minute to
see that they gave promise of Pre-
| ducing some galena or carbonat es
like the ores that made Colorado ia
we'd better join Kellogg in stalking
that ground, so | turned over our
cayuses and provisions to Phil
and Kellogg, and they struck right
off for the South Fork Meantime
Kellogg had notified Cooper G. Peck
that he had quit the grubstake deal
with them"
On Milo creek they lost a pack
| horse, and while old man kellogg
went in search of it, O'Rourke scout
ed up Milo gulch. Near its head he
found float galena and though it
was dreadfully hard work to get
through the brush and fallen timber,
| he climbed up the hill about 500 ieet
and there he stumbled upon the great
Bunker Hill ledge, sticking right up
out OF the ground. There was moth
ing in sight but glistening galena,
| and 0 Rourke knew he had found The
| greatest thing ever discovered in the
Northwest"
O'ROurke told the writer several
years later, that at the sight of that
shining mass of ore, glistening in the
autumn sunlight, his strength fer
| sock him, he turned weak in the
| knees, and he was unable to walk
until he had sat down and rested Tor
| half an hour THAT night" says
Dutch Jake" The wrote out the To-
cation notice and called the mine the
Bunker Hill, after the battle of the
| Revolution. But he decided it woull
be better to have Kellogg sign the
notice as locator.
Next morning they started up the
gulch about two miles to make the
location. but their cayuses had
strayed away. AS luck would have
| it, they found the old white burro
| that Cooper e Peck had turned over
| to Kellogg as a part of his grubstake.
The burro had wandered away when
| Kellogg was there first They caught
| the beast, and loading their picks
and grub on it, went up the gulch to
| the Bunker Hill lode Then Kellogg
| happened to think he had better not
| appear as a locator, for Cooper &
Peck might claim an interest on &C
| count of the first grubstake. so
| they threw away the location notice,
with Kellogg as locator, and wrote a
new one, with O'Rourke as locator
and Kellogg as witness.
They went back to Murray next
morning, and the sight of their sam
pies set the camp crazy. Everybody
| fneN in a general way that the find
was on the South Fork, and although
O'Rourke and Kellogg wouldn't tell
folks exactly where it lay the miners
were getting ready for a stampede.
phil TOOK Inc off to one side and
wanted me to locate the extension of
the Bunker Hill. He thought | had
better take Con Sullivan along with
me. Sullivan was a sort OF side
partner of Pills. That night at 10
o'clock Con and | started out in a
furious rain, without even a pack
horse"
Goetz and Sullivan lost their bear
ings, wandered over into the st. Joe
country, and for two days were with
out food and almost destitute of
water. They rambled in circle and
finally came out on the South Fork
of the Occur d'Alene. Sullivan went
on to the discovery, but Goetz re-
turned to Murray in a rage. thinking
O'Rourke had tried to deceive him
by giving him wrong directions.
But when | reached Murray ! got
word to come back to the strike, so
back | went, and found out that Phil
had made a mistake.
Meanwhile Cooper & Peck had
been over there looking at the strike.
They found the first location notice
that Kellogg had thrown aside, and
they learned through the talk of KEEL
logg and O'Rourke that the two had
used Cooper & Peck S burro in max
ing the location. That was enough
for Cooper & Peck, and they COM
! menced suit against the locators for