The Colville examiner. [volume] (Colville, Wash.) 1907-1948, 1920-10-23

srnelter employing 500 men. Che
welahf is putting out large quantities
of gold, silver and lead. In the last
three or four years the magnesite
mines near Chewelah have been de-
veloped and this promises well for
the future. Another industry that
promises rapid development is the
mining of dolomite east of Colville
and is expected TO give employment
to 100 men. This mineral is used in
the manufacture of paper.
Old Dominion mine near Colville is
now being placed in operation again.
This mine in the past produced
$1,500,000 of silver and lead. Copper.
silver, antimony and tungsten are
found at Springdale and Valley.
The county is meeting the demand
for better stock and the tendency is
toward smaller and better herds. The
Stevens County Live Stock Associa
tion formed seven years ago is aid
ing in this better stock movement
by its annual live stock shows.
Some of the other projects that will
benefit the farming and dairying in
terests of the county are the newly
organized COW testing association and
the potato growers association. There
are in the county about rs members
of the Inland Empire Dairy Produ-
GERS association which aims to CEN
tralize the dairy producers whose
produce find market in Spokane.
In the county there are 1,096,474
acres of land exclusive of town and
city lots, 1864 acres of timber
land and 802,740 acres of other UNI
improved land. There are 107,870
acres of improved land with total
assessed value, exclusive of railroad
property, of $10,331 1856. According
to the county records, there are IT,
448 head of cattle and 8747 head Of
sheep in the county.
The average yield of potatoes is
about 200 bushels to the acre. Wheat
and oats are grown principally on the
loggedoff lands and yield on the aver
age 30 bushels of wheat and 60
bushels of oats. Three crops of al
falfa have been harvested in some.
districts.
Colville, the county seat, is pros
porous town of 1000 and some idea
of its progress may be gained when
it's business of today is compared
with that of 20 years ago. In 1900
it was estimated that for the 10
preceding years the annual volume of
business reached 100000. Today it
is estimated that the business of Col
vile exclusive of the banking insti-
buttons will reach a total of $6,000,-
900. Within radius of 10 miles
there are approximately 10000 acres
of hay land which have an. annual
yield of three tons to the acre or
total of 10000 tons Of hay.
Little thought was given to what
wealth would be given to the world
by Stevens county sixty years ago
when Colonel Steptoe deemed ad-
visable the stationing of troops some
where between the Spokane and Okla
hogan rivers, thus establishing in
1859 United States Fort COlville. Nor
was the prospect fully realized when
the war of 1872 forced the Aston
party to sell to the Northwest Fur
company in 1913 and the latter aban-
doned one of the posts at the mouth
of the Little Spokane and located it
in the Colville valley about 1915.
Five years later, history tells us,
Hudson Bay company absorbed the
Northwest Fur company and built a
stockade fort at the post near Kettle
falls, calling this Fort Colville.
Years afterward when the U. S. gov
eminent wished to place troops in
the north country, the name Colville
was given to the stronghold, which
was placed near the present site of
the town of Colville.
Since these early days every phase
of this rich territory has developed.
Fortunes have come from its mines
and it's lumber. It's farming land is
highly productive; its $4,000 people
progressive and enterprising. Atten-
ton was given to the wealth of the
county in 1910 when an exhibit was
sent to the Alaska Yukon-P Pacific ex-
position of the products of the county.
In the last few years still further
progress has been made and today
it is counted as one of the richest
oo,,ut;a. IN tho uyact