ftrKKL.l OKLAHOMA, OREGON. 277 
Bvitti building stone for generations. Geologically this stone is much older than that 
1 have just discussed. In general, it belongs to the Ordovician, or even the upper 
■ ■ainbrian, and is thus classed among the oldest of the stratified rocks. In this 
Ifegion the limestone occurs as outlying hills, flanking the Wichita Mountains on the 
Iiortheast and southeast. 
I The Wichita Mountains are nothing but the tops of buried mountain ranges stick- 
ing up out of a sea of plain. They are composed of igneous rocks, chiefly granite, 
Jabbro, and porphyry. These, of themselves, are of course excellent building stone. 
it the present time these mountains are full of prospectors and miners. For seventy 
ears reports of gold and silver have been coming from these mountains. Whether 
>r not anything more tangible than reports will ever be obtained remains to be 
►roven. 
The Ordovician outliers trend northwest and southeast, parallel to the main range, 
rrom Fort Sill these hills extend for nearly 40 miles to the northwest, and in places 
re 15 miles across. Southwest of the fort the hills extend for 12 miles or more. The 
tone is, in general, rather coarse grained, and in places is almost marbleized. It is 
isually much- faulted and folded, often standing on edge, showing that the region has 
>een subjected to great pressure. 
The Government buildings — barracks, officers' quarters, and stables — at Fort Sill 
lave been constructed of limestone taken from a quarry on the reservation a mile 
outheast of the post. It makes a splendid building stone. The prevailing colors 
,s seen in the building are light gray and brownish or yellowish gray. This fort, 
>erhaps as much on account of the material composing the buildings as upon its loca- 
ion, seems destined to be occupied by Government troops long after all other posts 
n Oklahoma and the Indian Territory have been abandoned. Forts Gibson, Washita, 
^.rbuckle, and Supply, where the buildings were principally of wood, have all been 
acated by the Government, and it is unlikely that Fort Reno will long remain occu- 
)ied. Fort Sill, on the contrary, will probably long remain a monument, in part — at 
east — to the character of the rock composing the buildings. 
A word with regard to market and transportation facilities. The Flint Hills 
■egion is cut by the Santa Fe Railroad, and, for the present at least, the products of 
hese quarries must be shipped over this road. It is the logical source of supply for 
uch cities as Guthrie and Oklahoma City, in which at the present time there is 
nuch building being done. Unfortunately for the Oklahoma stone industry, how- 
ever, there are as yet no spurs to any of the quarries in this locality. It thus hap- 
>ens that the stone from many of the buildings in these cities is obtained from south- 
ern Kansas, at a considerably higher cost than natural conditions warrant. Newkirk 
stone, however, is already on the market and the demand is steadily increasing. 
In the Wichita region the Rock Island Railroad runs within less than a mile of 
he limestone hills. The resources of the region are as yet practically undeveloped. 
n time, however, this stone promises to become one of the important factors in the 
levelopment of this wonderfully rich and fertile region. 
PORTLAND-CEMENT RESOURCES OF OREGON.' 
Little attention has been paid b}- prospectors to any of the nonmetal- 
iferoas mineral resources of Oregon except coal. In consequence, 
the data presented below on the distribution and composition of Ore- 
gon limestones are too scanty to be satisfactory for the purposes of 
a For much of the data here given in regard to Oregon limestones the writer is indebted to a report 
by Mr. Herbert Lang, published in The Resources of the State of Oregon, a handbook issued in 1832 
by the State board of agriculture. Dr. J. s. Diller has also aided him greatly by contributing data on 
ithe character and distribution of the limestones of southwestern Oregon, based on his work in that 
region. 
