Searching for Black Gold Between the Rivers
Local boosters organize a syndicate to drill for coal in the promising fields between the Naches and Wenas rivers.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
A company is being organized in this city for the purpose of boring for coal on the land between the Naches and the Wenas. Several sections have been secured by a local syndicate, and coal experts in the employ of railroad companies have made examinations and favor the belief that coal will be found in paying quantity. There are coal croppings in plenty and the formation of the land shows the required slate and sandstone. Dr. W. F. Morrison, who is an enthusiast on this subject, is of the belief that this entire Yakima country is underlaid with coal.
“Dr. W. F. Morrison, who is an enthusiast on this subject, is of the belief that this entire Yakima country is underlaid with coal.”
The late 19th-century fever to locate minerals often ignored the reality of the land, driven by the desire to link Yakima to the booming railroad economy. Like many 'boom' stories of the era, it represents the speculative fervor that defined early Yakima's relationship with its geology and resources.
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