Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XII.djvu/693

state. John Day's river rises in the Blue mountains, and has a N. course of 250 m., emptying into the Columbia a short distance above the mouth of the Des Chutes. The Umatilla and Walla Walla rivers rise in the Blue mountains, and empty into the Columbia (the latter in Washington territory) after a N. W. course of 75 m. The Snake river forms the E. boundary of the state for more than 150 m., and is navigable above the mouth of the Powder river. Its chief tributaries from Oregon are the Grande Ronde, Powder, Burnt, Malheur, and Owyhee rivers. The Grande Ronde rises in the Blue mountains, and drains the N. E. corner of the state, joining the Snake in Washington territory after a N. E. course of about 100 m. The Powder (200 m. long), Burnt (100 m.), and Malheur (140 m.) also rise in the Blue mountains, and have a general E. course. The Owyhee enters the S. E. corner of the state from Idaho, flows N. W. and N. E. in a curve, and joins the Snake, after a total course of 200 m., at the point where that river first strikes the boundary. The principal streams that flow into the Pacific from this state are the Rogue and Umpqua rivers, each about 200 m. long, which rise in the Cascade mountains and flow W., breaking through the Coast range. The Umpqua is navigable by steamers of light draught to Roseburg, about 90 m. above its mouth, though more than half this distance is obstructed by rapids. Numerous streams rise in the Coast mountains and flow W. to the Pacific, the largest of which do not exceed 50 or 60 m. in length. Among these are the Nehalem, Tillamook, Coös, and Coquille. The Nehalem alone is navigable, and but for a few miles. The head waters of Klamath river, which empties into the Pacific in California, are in the S. W. corner of eastern Oregon, just E. of the Cascade range. The Klamath marsh, 5 by 20 m. in extent, is often submerged in winter, and discharges through Williamson river into Upper Klamath lake (6 by 20 m.), which empties through Link river into Lower Klamath lake on the California border. The latter lake is the immediate source of the Klamath river. Lost river rises in California, flows N. into Oregon, and then curving W. and S. empties into Rhett or Tule lake on the California border, a few miles E. of Lower Klamath lake. E. of Tule lake is Goose lake, lying chiefly in California. Its waters find their way through Pitt river into the Sacramento. Other important lakes are Silver, Summer, and Abert, N. and N. E. of those named, and Harney and Malheur, near the head waters of the Malheur river.—The principal geological formations in Oregon are the eozoic, the volcanic, the tertiary, and the cretaceous. The eozoic occupies the Coast range and the Blue mountains, while the Cascade range and the E. and E. central portions of the state are volcanic. The tertiary forms a narrow strip along the Pacific, and occupies the Willamette valley, the upper portion of the Umpqua val- ley, the valley of the Grande Ronde, and a considerable tract E. of the Cascade mountains and S. of the 44th parallel. The cretaceous chiefly occurs along the upper Des Chutes and John Day's rivers and their tributaries.—Oregon is rich in minerals. Gold is found at various points in the southwest along the streams and in the sands of the seashore. It was first discovered in 1852 in Jackson co., and mining is still carried on in Jackson, Josephine, and Douglas cos.; but the chief mining region is E. of the Cascade mountains (where the metal was discovered in 1861), on the head waters of John Day's river and on Burnt and Powder rivers. The most productive mines are in Baker and Grant cos. The mines are chiefly placer, but attention has recently been directed also to the quartz lodes. Silver occurs in all the quartz ledges of the state, and is found mingled with galena and other minerals, but mining operations have not been carried on. In Baker co. a deposit has been found yielding from $150 to $300 per ton of ore. Copper has been found not only in the form of oxides and carbonates, but also in solid ledges. It occurs in all the counties E. of the Blue mountains, in those W. of the Coast range, and in Douglas, Jackson, and Josephine cos. The only mine in operation is in Union co. in the N. E. part of the state. Iron ore underlies a great portion of the surface, and in some parts forms low hills. It has been found in the Willamette valley, along the coast, and in the S. and E. parts of the state. Coal of a lignitic character, and apparently of a miocene formation, is widely diffused. It is found along the Coast range and the region W. of this, in the Umpqua and Willamette valleys, E. of the Blue mountains, and elsewhere. The principal mine is on Coös bay, whence large quantities are shipped. Limestone is most abundant in the south and in the coast region. Marble of good quality occurs in Jackson and Josephine cos. Granite, sandstone, slate, syenite, &c., suitable for building, are comparatively abundant in western Oregon. In this region also occur salt springs, which yield large quantities of good salt. Steatite or soapstone is found in the Klamath basin and elsewhere. Clays for brick making and pottery occur, and the sand dunes of the coast furnish an excellent material for the manufacture of glass. The number of gold mines returned by the United States census of 1870 was 168 (139 placer, 26 hydraulic, and 3 quartz), employing 880 hands and a capital of $321,520; wages paid during the year, $79,022; value of materials used, $29,930; of product, $417,797; 3ut these returns are admitted to be imperfect. The number of quartz mills in 1870 (including those not in operation), according to the report of the United States commissioner of mining statistics, was 15 (1 for the production of silver and 14 of gold), with 62 stamps and 19 arrastras. The bullion product of the state to the close of 1867, according to J. Ross Browne,