Just rocks, thank God
One of the duties of the expedition was to keep a look out for any kind of mineral resources. There were many different business interests that were closely monitoring the expedition, quietly, for a variety of reasons. If some kind of mining opportunity existed out there, the expedition would have been hailed not only as a wonderful adventure, but also as an economic success. A rich vein of iron or tungsten, maybe copper or gold: mining speculators watched and listened for any news of wealth in them thar hills.
“… on several occasions Christie had tried panning in the Elwha. He tried again at the new camp, but had the same experience – there was nocolor. Evidently gold was not to be found in the Olympic Mountains.”
Can you imagine how different things would be if Mr. Christie had turned up a nugget or two? The ensuing gold rush would have swelled the populations of Aberdeen, Port Angeles and Olympia. Gold fever would have swept the peninsula, with all of the good, bad and ugly that a gold economy brings with it. Mountain encampments would grow into towns, and then cities, all bustle and life, until the day the gold played out. As in other places where boom had turned to bust, the exodus would be quick. Changes in population would be drastic and final, and the human landscape would have been unrecognizable one year to the next. The skeletons of ghost towns, dead towns, like Bodie in the Sierra and Monte Cristo in the Cascades, would be found today, scattered reminders of a lost civilization.