Major Silver Strike in the Cascades
A new mining discovery near Snoqualmie Pass promises wealth and excitement for the region.
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 rich silver-lead mine has been discovered in the Cascade Mountains, which for richness and extent may be said to outdo anything that has been discovered for years. The lode is situated in the basin where the main line of the Northern Pacific Railroad crosses Snoqualmie Pass. The lucky discoverer is H. D. Smart, a sub-contractor, real estate of Colfax, Washington Territory. The first assay was made on float rock which yielded the top of native silver and sulphurets. He has found a lode (which has a defined width of 7 feet), assaying $85.50 to the ton, with 40 ounces of silver. Rumor has it that he has refused $10,000 for a half interest in his claims. Excitement is at its highest pitch, and numbers of claims are being located.
“Excitement is at its highest pitch, and numbers of claims are being located.”
This 1886 excitement over mountain silver strikes captures the frantic pace of resource extraction in early Washington. While the 'Northern Pacific' boom town ambitions near Snoqualmie Pass faded, the region continues to grapple with the tension between industrial development and the preservation of mountain landscapes.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.