Document text
WPI L. C. PROJE'CT UNIT
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Accession n3.
W 9.0
Date received
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Consignment no.
Shipped from
Label
Amount
AA.
Form -3
0.%Lee(7,e. Collection (or Type)
Title..
Place of origin Date atel
Project worker e
Project editor
Remarks
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Form A.
Circumstances of Interview Works Progress Administration
OREGON FOLKLORE STUDIES
Name of worker Andrew C. Sherbert
Federal Writers' Project
Address Project Office.
Subject Mining Lore of Waldo District.
Date May 8, 1938
Name and address of informant J. Thorburn Ross,
=le
1405 American Bank Bldg., Portland, Ore.
Date and time of interview May 3., 1938
Place of interview American Bank Bldg., Room 1405.
Name and address of person, if any, who put you in touch with informant
WPA office files
Name and address of person, if any, accompanying you none.
Description of room, house, surroundings, etc. Typioal business office.
(Use as many additional sheets as necessary, each bearing the proper heading
and the number to which the material refers)d
13901
Form B
Personal History of Informant
OREGON FOLKLORE STUDIES
Name of worker Andrew C. Sherbert
Federal Writers' Project
Works Progress Adninistration
Address Project Office.
Subject Mining lore of "Waldo District".
Date May 3, 1938
Name and address of informant J. Thorburn Ross,
1405 American Bank Building, Portland, Oregon.
Information obtained should supply
1. Ancestry 6.
2. Place and date of birth 7.
3. Family 8.
4. Places lived in, with dates 9.
5. Education, with dates 10.
the following facts:
Occupations and accomplishments with dates
Special skills and interests
Communty and religious activities
Description of informant
Other points gained in interview
1. Unknown.
2. New York City, 1859.
3. Unknown.
4. New York City until 1884. Devils Lake, North Dakota, 1884. Portland, Oregon,
1884 until present.
5. Limited formal education and self taught. (Dates unknown).
6. Office management accountancy law, specializing in the legal aspects of
mining and paper -making.
7. Unknown.
8. Unknown.
9. Tall, urbane, professional. Well informed and elequent.
10. Informant has analytical mind and is well grounded in the engineering phases
of large-scale mining operations. Also seems an authority on engineering
phases of paper -making, though interviewer touched only on mining.
(Use as many additional sheets as necessary, each bearing the proper heading
and the number to which the material refers).
Form C Federal Writers' Project
Text of Interview (Unedited) Works Progress Administration
OREGON FOLKLORE STUDIES
Name of worker A. C. Sherbert
Address Project Office.
Date May 3, 1938
Subject Mining Legend of Waldo District.
Name and address of informant J Tbornburn Ross
1405 Anerican Beak Building.
Text:
(Use as many additional sheets as necessary, each bearing the heading given
above).
I was born in New York City in 1859. After a fair amount
of formal education, interlarded with hurriedly assimilated portions
of the world's great literature, I found employment in the offices
of the Art Interchange Publishing Company, of New York. Believing
myself possessed of more than average ability in the art of writing,
I had high hopes, at the outset, of becoming a great author, a great
historian, or perhaps a great editor with a blue pencil tucked over
my ear.
However, it was soon discovered that any talent I may have
had in a literary direction, was over -shadowed by my native business
judgment and facility with figures accounting, etc. Commencing as
a minor clerk, by easy though regular and surprisingly frequent steps,
I was entrusted with more and more responsibility, until at the age
of 24 I TOW made business manager of the publishing house.
Despite my youth, I held this responsible position remarkably
well, and many of my closest friends were of the opinion that I was a
very foolish young man even momentarily to entertain thoughts of "going
west", for what had the vest to offer that could promise a brighter
future than I seemed to have before me right there at home in the nation's
metropolis?
But I was young there was much talk on all sides concerning
the glamorous vest and there had been little of glamor in my life up
to that point. Beginning as a small, faint urge which I might have
dispelled easily enough had I been the least inclined to do so the
desire to go west subsequently became so strong within me that it resisted
all counter argument and persuasion.
Finally, capitulating to the urge, in the summer of 1884,
at the age of 25, I quit my position at the publishing house. My
brother, who shared my enthusiasm regarding the west, had found a
backer for us. Upon presentation of simple credentials as to our
honesty, and with references concerning our collaborate business
ability, we were given a stock of hardware which was to be paid for
when sold. The only restriction placed upon us was the fact that we
had little choice in the selection of the town in which we were to open
our establishment. We were instructed to operate our store in the new
town of Devils Lake, Dakota. (Now North Dakota).
At this point I should like to interpolate a thought which
has often come to ma: In the building of this great west Oregon,
Washington, California, Montana, Idaho, and the rest of the states on
the Pacific side of the Mississippi not any historian, at least none
that has came to my attention, ever gave an iota of credit to the east-
erners (many of whom never set foot in the great west) who staked so
many adventurous young merchants to stocks of goods with which to set
up businesses in the new, young country. True, these backers had profit
in mind while engaging in such transactions, but none -the -less, I still
think that a great deal of the building up of the west resulted from the
sporting chances these baokers took. Many of Portland's present-day
substantial families awe their fortunes to the fact that some easterner
in pioneer times had sufficient faith in the integrity and enterprise
of their families' antecedents, as well as faith inthe future of the
west, to give them the initial start which meant the founding of their
fortunes.
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Accompanied by huge packing oases filled with frying -pans,
stove pokers, horse -weights, bread tins, nails, screws, door latches,
and all sorts of miscellaneous hardware, my brother and I entrained
for Devils Lake in far-off Dakota. Devils Lake is a long way east of
Portland, but to a "York Stater", Dakota was definitely "out west" in
those times. For that matter, so was Ohio, Indiana aad Michigan. We
arrived in Devils Lake early in October. The little town, with its
shabby array of improvised shacks and buildings, was vastly disappointing
to us. The to was a "boom" town the boom resulting from the fact
that a transcontinental railroad had thrust its rails through that part
of bleak Dakota. With heavy hearts, and a touch of nostalgia, we began
opening the packing cases, one by one. Before we had finished unpacking
the boxes, or had opened our establishment for business, a terrific
blizzard sprung up. The temperature dropped to an uncomfortably low
degree. Though mid -day, it became as dark as night. The wind blew a
veritable hurricane. Snow and sleet swirled in cutting sheets, piling
up in doorways and sifting through cracks in the improvised board
buildings. We had seen no storm in New York approaching this one in
severity except in mid -minter.
When the storm had abated, my brother and I concluded that
we had had enough of Devils Lake, Dakota. Without bothering to consult
meteoroligical data, we decided that if the weather in Dakota could be
so severe with September scarcely torn fram the calendar, two sheltered
New York -reared young men could never survive the rigors of a winter
in such a place. So we nailed the covers back on the packing oases and
consigned them to our backers in New York. Then to my brother fell the
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distasteful task of returning to New York and reporting our failure and
the reasons for it to our kindly backers. I myself dreaded returning
so soon. I had so recently bade so many good-byes and had so generally
boasted of the riches that lay ahead of me in the west, that I could
not bring myself to return in so short a time. I mould have been a
laughing stock.
I had heard a great deal of Oregon. It seemed, however, in
1884, an unbelievably long way off like the moon, or Mars, or Venus.
After considerable self -debating, I decided to go "whole hog", as the
saying had it, so Oregon it was. I arrived in Portland, October 28.
The day was a glorious one sunny, bright, warm. Flowers were bloom-
ing and green trees were everywhere. No blizzards in sight and none
expected. Portland was fresh, clean, thriving. The contrast between
my first glimpse of Oregon and what I had seen of Dakota was so pro-
nounced in favor of Oregon that I intuitively knew that I mould remain.
The state of my finances, however, made it imperative that I obtain
employment immediately were I to remain in Portland.
As might be supposed, I know the printing and publishing
business quite thoroughly. I was not long in learning that "Hines,
the Printer" VAS the largest and leading printing and publishing house
in Oregon. I asked Mr. Hines for a situation and was engaged immediately.
I worked for Hines for three years in the capacity of accountant, and
then, having saved some money, decided to strike out for myself not
in the publishing business, however and organized aa accounting
service known as the American Audit Company. I later organized the
Real Estate Title and Trust Company, which company grew to such pro-
portions that I subsequently found it necessary to retain as many as
six or eight attorneys at all times in the prosecution of the legal
affair of the business. At this time I myself felt the need of legal
training so took up the study of law in Portland with Judge A. L.
Frazier my preceptor. (Judge Frazier was the father of Kenneth Frazier,
U. S. Commissioner). I later disposed of my interests in the Real
Estate Title and Trust Company, and, having passed the bar, engaged
in the practice of law, making Mining Law, Corporation Law, and the
management of investments, my specialties.
At one time or another I have had occasion to visit most
of the gold -bearing areas of Oregon. I am particularly well acquainted
with the Waldo district, in Josephine County. I am not so familiar,
however, with its history as I am with its physical and geological
characteristics. Such history as I an able to give is mostly common
knowledge:
In the year a ship was wrecked off the coast near
Crescent City, California. The surviving sailors worked their may
inland and northward eventually arriving at a point between the east
and vest forks of the Illinois river about three miles above the Oregon.
California line. Here was gold. The ground was fairly rich and the
sailors worked into the slopes as far as their crude equipment would
permit. The location of these first diggings was named Sailors Gulch.
The Waldo diggings followed shortly after. *ado was adjacent to Sailors
Gulch-- the two being not more than a few hundred yards apart and sep-
arated only by a ridge. The two towns sprung up around the diggings
-6
and flourished as long as paying quantities of gold was to be had by
simple digging. At about the time the cream of the diggings had been
taken, the Oro Fino gold rush commenced and most of the miners of the
Waldo area deserted their claim to participate in that strike. Having
exhausted the supply of easy -to -be -had gold, the towns of Sailors Gulch
and Waldo struggled along fitfully until the advent of hydraulic mining.
Hydraulic mining revived the flagging towns and they again found promi-
nence on state maps.
Hydraulic mining requires an abundant and unfailing supply
of water, with sufficient fall, or 'head', to enable the stream to tear
down or disintegrate the gravel bank against which it is directed.
This requirement brought about the establishment of two water projects
of major importance: the Osgood Ditch, and the Wimer Ditch. The water
for the Osgood Ditch is diverted from the Illinois river at a point
about three miles below the Oregon -California line in California, and
is about nine and a half miles in length. The Wimer Ditch diversion
point is in Oregon near the state line on the east fork of the Illinois
river and is also about nine or ten miles in length. The gold -bearing
gravel is situated an and forms a high ridge between the east and vest
forks of the Illinois river. The gravel bank is from 40 to over 200
feet in depth. There is but little top -soil, or 'over -burden', as
miners call it, the gravel in most places extending right up to the
grass roots. Geologists claim the deposit is extremely ancient, doubt-
less belonging to the Pliocene Age. The area is supposed to have been
a part of a prehistoric river system which extended through Josephine
County into California, and which produced the diggings of Sailors Gulch,
Waldo, Happy Camp, Poker Flat, Esterly, and the Old Channel mines on the
Rogue River. The character, geological conditions, and apparent geologic
age at all these points are nearly identical.
The situation is ideal for hydraulic operation. The erosion
of the east and vest forks of the Illinois river has cut wide and deep
channels of from 150 to 175 feet below bedrock of the deposit, giving
practically an unlimited dump for tailings. All the gulches and rims
of the main ridge were mined by the early miners and from all accounts
were highly productive. Mining in the area at present, however, has
settled down to a very modest, but dependable return per yard of material.
Recent work at a place known as Allan Gulch, -where 71,111 yards of
material were handled, brought a net recovery of $13,106, or 18i cents
a yard. The recovery values would now be almost double the above
figures since inauguration of the new gold standard. A fair survey
of the entire area places the net recovery to be expected, at approx-
imately 20X a yard under the new standard, the gold from the area having
a mint value of better than $34.00 an ounce. The water available for
hydraulicking in the Waldo area has a flaw varying from 3000 'miners inches'
minimum to 10,000 miners inohes during flood season. This amount is
adequate for all the hydraulic mining that ever will be done in the
vicinity of Waldo. If the term "miners inch" is unfamiliar a miners
inch is: the number of cubic inches of water that would flow through
an orifioe 1 inch in diameter in one second under a pressure of six
inches (fall).
The Oregon directory for 1881 lists the following businesses
of the town of Waldo:
-8..
Bennett, John, saw -mill.
Bryhan, F., saloon.
Bybee and Newman, hydraulic strong.
China Jim, blacksmith.
Decker, G., boarding house and store.
Dessel and Co., hydraulic mining.
Simmons, George, blackamith4
lamer and Simmons, hydraulic mining.
lamer mad Sons, general merchandise.
lamer, I. J., postmaster and hotel keeper.
On my early trips to Waldo I became acquainted with a number of
the above named persons. I was quite well acquainted with several members
of the lamer family. On my last trip to Waldo, which was in 1929, the town
was virtually deserted, the only remaining resident being Mr. Decker, who
was postmaster.
Form D
ED7Jyra Comment Works Progress Administration
Federal Writers Projr,ct
OREGON FOLKLORE STUDIES
Name of worker A. C. Sherbert, ,Date May 30 1938.
Address PtatIStAllTios+
Subject Mining lore Waldo District.
Name and address of informant J. Thorburn Ross
1405 American Bank Building, Portland* Oregon.
Comment:
Informant curtured and intelligent. Imposing appearance. Has small
goatee and wears boutonniere in lapel. Well dressed. Instance of
pioneer who has attained metropolitan polish.
(Use as many additional sheets as necessary, each bearing the heading given
above).