The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1923-04-13
A SCRAP OF
ANCIENT HISTORY
Digging Riches in Okanogan County
In the Days When this Part of
the World Was Young.


hogan Independent, the title to the
old Pinnacle group of mining claims,
situated on the west slope of Palmer
mountain, few miles north Of Loo
mis-. was threshed out in the superior
court. The property is largely owned
by A. E. Williams. of Seattle, who has
spent much money from time to time
developing the same, although in
rather a perfunctory manner One
Lorenzo Deidert jumped the claims
and relocated them year ago on the
ground that the assessment work for
1921 had not been done. Whether the
matter was adjusted by the court the
Independent does not state. But read
ing of the controversy carries memory
back just 35 years ago. and while
that may be accient history we can
not refrain from mentioning the first
time We heard of the Pinnacle mine
In May, 1883. we made our first trip
into this country by horseback. 1t is
not necessary to dwell upon that gall
ing experience, during which much
of the time we rode standing up in
the stirrups to relieve the tension on
our hip pocket, as that is another
story. 1t was the days of real sport,
when this country gas somewhat
of the wild and woody order, Ruby
was seething and Conconully was not
so slow. 1t was while at Conconully
that we first learned that such mine
as the Pinnacle was in existence.
The outcroppings had but recently
been discovered then. and on the very
surface some of the richest gold bear
ing quartz ever found In northern
Okanogan county had been uncovered
Three prospectors had located the
ground While sitting in the lobby of
the log hotel at Conconully. which
was also the bar room, for no well Or
dered hotel having any possible
chance of attracting custom could be
conducted without tbs side line at
traction of a basSss ssss-se rough and
ready individuals came boiling in, al
ready well Saturated with potations
accumulated at other life saving sta
tiOns along the way. They were noisy,
garrulous and very much in evidence.
They talked eXcitedly of their new
find and the smallest figures that they
INDUCED in were millions. On the wall
was large map of the world, and
with pins, the heads of which had
| been dipped in red and blue sealing
wax, they laid out an itinerary across
| the wide, wide world, a route they
pNinp a thpV
had sold their claim, or had dug few
millions out of the earth. One would
stick pin at London, and with a
woop invite the crowd to hist" An
| other would select Paris, and more
| "histing." The third would punch Ber-
| lin and more vociferous invitations.
| And so the game was carried on un-
| til the map was as full of pins as the
| hide of a porcupine aud the travellers
were in a condition that they could
no longer see the map, let alone pick
ing out points of interest.
| Naturally the hilarious outbreak
aroused our curiosity and upon in
| quiry learned that the triumvirate
| were the discoverers of the Pinnacle
| lOup, lhul oNiaH6t W say buCy Ieiu
found free gold ore almost at the
grass roots; that they had picked out
a considerable quantity of this quartz
fairly lousy with gold, some saying
two or three ore sacks full, and the
number increased with every old pros
pector interviewed. But those three
optimistic rainbow cnasers never
/ \, nd
fit did they drive from their find.
Subsequently we were told that the
three castle builders decided that the
gold already recovered should be TAX
en- outside. milled and deposited in
the United States mint at San Fran
cisco. But the question arose who
would take it out 1t appears that they
could not decide which of the three to
to trust with all this wealth. AL
though partners a suspicion lurked in
the breasts of all OF them that the
other fellow might get away with the
loot. as San Francisco was long
way off. and as no Volsted law was
at that time in operation any one of
them might fall by the waysde, and II
he did not actually prove dishonest
the chances were that the bearer
of the rich plunder would be relieved
of his possessions wlile in a state OF
coma superinduced by looking upon
the wine when it was red. The prob
lem was at last solved by all three GO
ing out with the gold, and Okanogan
county knew the trio no more forever
The mining claims were afterward To-
Gated by Pinnacle Jimmie O'Conneli
who bonded them for considerable
sum at one time after tasting the the
dregs of poverty while waiting for g
buyer. Jimmie lived on the fat of the
land for a time. Finally the Pinnacle
. reverted to him, the operators throw
, ing up the bond, and shortly after
, ward O'Connell cashed in at Loomi!
on the strength of the contents of F.;
six shooter.
The Pinnacle has remained unde
veloped from the days of discovery
: ages ago. True, much underground
work has been done, but the min
d has never been worked systematicall.
and with determination to thorough
lily prospect the lodges one of whicl