A Report on Washington TerritoryRuffner, William Henry
History
A Report on Washington Territory
Ruffner, William Henry
Washington (State)
The Colville region is the east end of Stevens County, the part lying
east of the Columbia River and north of Spokane Falls. Its chief town
(500 inhabitants) is called Colville, from the fort of that name which
was situated there. It is ninety-one miles north of Spokane Falls.
Between the two points there is almost a continuous valley of great
productiveness. The mineral region begins at Chewelah, fifty miles north
of Spokane Falls, and continues at least forty miles north of Colville.
Granite, porphyry, and limestone are found here, as in the other
metalliferous regions. In some cases the ores are in slate and quartz;
in others, in granite and porphyry; in still others, limestone. Some of
the ores are iron carbonates, carrying silver, gold, and lead in paying
quantities. In other cases, as at the Old Dominion mines, the ore exists
in the form of a chloride and black sulphate in limestone walls.
Rich mines of argentiferous galena were discovered last summer three or
four miles east of Chewelah, and vigorously developed at numerous
points. Seven miles west of Chewelah shafts were sunk on a rich vein,
three feet wide, of gray copper and silver chloride. The Eagle Mine was
the first discovery, and is the most noted. It is black metal,
containing galena, silver, and gold. Altogether, there are said to be
two hundred mining claims, more or less developed, in the district
around Chewelah.
[Sidenote: The Old Dominion Mine.]
The mines in the Colville district are very numerous. The Old Dominion
Mine is six miles east of the town. It is on an 8-foot fissure vein,
which assays 150 ounces silver, 25 per cent. galena, and $7.00 gold to
the ton of ore. There are ten mines in the Old Dominion group; and Mr.
Slater states that the $80,000 worth of silver reported as the product
of Washington Territory in 1886, all went from the Old Dominion group.
[Sidenote: The Daisy Mine.]
The Daisy Mine is twenty-four miles southward from Colville. The vein
here is 25 feet wide, with a streak of ore in it 18 inches wide, which
widens to 11 feet 8 inches at the bottom of the shaft. This shaft is 127
feet deep. Seventy-five feet from the top of the shaft, a tunnel has
been run off horizontally in five feet of ore. The assay reported for
the Daisy ore gives silver 50 ounces, gold $2.00, lead 30 per cent.,
and iron 25 per cent. It is self-fluxing.
[Sidenote: Young America Company.]
Sixteen miles and a half northward from Colville, near the Columbia
River, a rich discovery of silver-lead ore has been made by the Young
America Consolidated Company. The vein averages five feet, runs
northeast and southwest, and has been shafted through ore to the depth
of 180 feet. A test showed 90 ounces of silver and 40 per cent. of lead.
A number of other openings have been made on the lode.
[Sidenote: The Little Dalles.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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