Page:History of Oregon volume 1.djvu/837

786  ground, and work the mine by hydraulic apparatus; have a 7-mile ditch, including one mile of flume, which carries 1,000 inches of water. The quality of the gold is $18.40 to the ounce, or .909 fine. A clean-up of $2,500 to $3,000 is made every 5 or 6 weeks. The 6 stockholders and 6 Chinese are employed in working. Sloan also secured a hay rancho of 100 acres, which he stocked with line brood mares.

John Laurence, born in N. C., came to the Pacific coast in 1857, and located himself at Yreka, Cal., engaging in mining and farming. In 1865 he removed to Grant co., Oregon, settling in John Day Valley. In 1877 he began merchandising at Prairie City, and also purchased the Strawberry flouring mill, built in 1872 by Morehead & Cleaver, which made from 25 to 30 barrels of flour per day of 12 hours, and a chop mill, both run by water-power from Waldon Warm Springs. He became owner with his brother, Isham Laurence, of 320 acres of grain land, and raised wheat, oats, and barley. He also owned an interest in the Keystone gold mine with Starr, Carpenter, and Shearer. It was situated 7 miles from Prairie City, and had a 5-stamp mill upon it. Considerable tunnelling was done on two levels. The ore ran 3½ ounces of gold and 5½ ounces of silver to the ton. The mine cost $25,000, and yielded up to 1886 $31,000.

M. V. Thompson, of the firm of Groth & Thompson of Cañon City, secured with his partner the Eureka Hot Springs, a fine place of resort; also a large stock rancho for raising horses.

George D. McHaley, a farmer and stock-raiser near Prairie City, came to Oregon in 1843 with his parents, who settled at Oregon City. In 1850 he went to the Cal. gold mines near Redding, where he remained over two years. He subsequently located himself in the John Day country as a farmer, removing from the North Fork to Prairie City in 1881, where he secured 160 acres of hay land, his cattle feeding on the public lands in summer. He was elected in 1884 a member of the lower house of the legislature.

Quincy A. Brooks was born in Pa in 1828, and educated at Duquesne college, Pittsburg, graduating in 1846. He studied law, and came to Oregon in 1851, locating himself soon after at Olympia on Puget Sound, then a portion of Oregon. He was appointed inspector of customs, and afterward deputy collector of that port. Gov. Gaines appointed him prosecuting attorney in 1852 for the northern district of Oregon, which office he held until the organization of Washington territory. He took part in its early politics, and was appointed by Gov. Stevens clerk of the supt of Indian affairs, holding that position under Stevens, Nesmith, and Geary. In 1857 he removed to Salem, where he married Lizzie Cranston in 1858; and thence went to Portland, where he remained until 1861, when he went into mercantile business in Walla Walla, and afterwards at Auburn. In 1865 he received the appointment of postal agent for the Pacific coast, holding that office through Johnson's administration. On the breaking-out of the Modoc war in 1872, he was commissioned quartermaster-general of the state troops, with the rank of major, and served during the war. After the removal of the Indians he located himself near Linkville, where he secured 1,000 acres of land, and some valuable solfatara hot springs. His son, Edward C. Brooks, was appointed to the military academy at West Point, graduating in 1886.

David Feree, a native of Ind., born in 1836, of Ky parentage, enlisted as a private on the breaking-out of the civil war, remaining in the service to the close, and fighting in 37 battles, under Sherman, Sheridan, Rosecrans, and Grant. He rose to be captain during his service. In 1869 he migrated to eastern Oregon, settling in 1870 in what is now Klamath co., at the south end of upper Klamath Lake, where he made a farm, and engaged in raising stock cattle and horses. For 2½ years he was supt of farming on the Klamath Indian reservation. He married May E. Johnson of Brightborough, Iowa, in 1858.

John S. Shook, born in Ind. in 1843, came to Oregon about 1862. He was the son of Amon Shook, who also was born in Ind., but removed to Iowa in 1847. The family being large with little wealth, John migrated to Oregon