If you check the Kellogg Chamber of Commerce website today, you’ll find a sophisticated presentation about their town that includes photos of happy hikers, the gondola, ATV riders, golfers, and skiers. If you type the word “jackass” into their search engine, you get “no results found.” Sad.
Okay, maybe not sad. Certainly, a different approach than they once took, though. The Kellogg Chamber once maintained a sign on the outskirts of town (photo) that was all about the jackass. And it's descendants.
The story goes back to before Kellogg was a town. The town was originally called Milo Creek, but in 1887 it was changed to honor Noah Kellogg, the man who discovered a rich vein of ore near there in 1885.
Kellogg, the prospector, had one jackass and a grubstake of $18.75. His jackass strayed away, and when Noah caught up with it the animal was grazing on an outcropping of galena that seemed promising. Yeah. Something like 30 million tons of lead, silver, and zinc came out of the mines in the valley. So far.
Kellogg is said to have credited the jackass with the discovery so that he didn’t have to share the wealth with the folks who had grubstaked him. Courts didn’t buy that argument, and the partners got their share. In the end, the jackass may have been better off than his owner, who sold the beast. The story goes that the jackass spent his waning years happily grazing away while Kellogg squandered his money and ended up in poverty.
Okay, maybe not sad. Certainly, a different approach than they once took, though. The Kellogg Chamber once maintained a sign on the outskirts of town (photo) that was all about the jackass. And it's descendants.
The story goes back to before Kellogg was a town. The town was originally called Milo Creek, but in 1887 it was changed to honor Noah Kellogg, the man who discovered a rich vein of ore near there in 1885.
Kellogg, the prospector, had one jackass and a grubstake of $18.75. His jackass strayed away, and when Noah caught up with it the animal was grazing on an outcropping of galena that seemed promising. Yeah. Something like 30 million tons of lead, silver, and zinc came out of the mines in the valley. So far.
Kellogg is said to have credited the jackass with the discovery so that he didn’t have to share the wealth with the folks who had grubstaked him. Courts didn’t buy that argument, and the partners got their share. In the end, the jackass may have been better off than his owner, who sold the beast. The story goes that the jackass spent his waning years happily grazing away while Kellogg squandered his money and ended up in poverty.
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