Gold Under the Lawns: A Sewer Dig Strikes It Rich in Spokane
City workmen excavating a sewer in a fashionable Spokane neighborhood turn up ore assaying over $2,000 a ton — and neighbors start talking about sinking shafts in their front yards.
SPOKANE—Discovery of gold bearing ore by city workmen while excavating for a sewer has caused a great sensation in the fashionable residence district. An assay made of the ore shows over $2,000 in gold to the ton and nearly $200 in silver. Talk of sinking shafts in the lawns of adjacent residence lots is rife. A stock company is being formed to work whatever ground can be leased.
“Talk of sinking shafts in the lawns of adjacent residence lots is rife.”
A routine sewer project becomes a gold rush in the middle of a residential block. It's a reminder that the ground under a growing city is never just real estate — it's a resource, and the discovery of value beneath it can turn neighbors into speculators overnight.
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