An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho, Part 108

Author:
Publication date: 1903
Publisher: [S.l.] : Western Historical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1524

USA > Idaho > Kootenai County > An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho > Part 108
USA > Idaho > Nez Perce County > An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho > Part 108
USA > Idaho > Shoshone County > An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho > Part 108
USA > Idaho > Latah County > An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho > Part 108

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erty in 1900, but it is idle now as the vein has become involved in litigation. Its present owners are the Idaho Little Giant Mining Company of Grangeville.

The Rescue is said to be the oldest quartz mine in north Idaho. Its vein extends at least half a mile, and upon it are located the Idaho, Goodenough and West Goodenough. Lindgren's report credits it with a production, in all the years during which it has been worked since 1868, of between $100,000 and $150,000. It was idle in 1897, owing to its having become sub- ject of litigation, and it is idle at present. "Where examined," says the government report, "the vein forms a belt of crushed granite one and one-half to two feet wide, schistose in places and containing small veinlets of quartz inclosing minute foils of free gold, together with a little zinc blende, galena and probably also tetrahedrite. The average width of the vein is said to be three feet, of which about eighteen inches constitutes the pay streak. In thin sections the quartz proves to be entirely normal, well crystallized vein quartz. The yield of ore is from $20 to $50 per ton. The vein is (1897) opened near the creek by a cross- cut 475 feet long. Drifts extend 300 feet east and 600 feet west on the vein. East of the crosscut the vein has been stopped to surface and also for fifty feet below the drift, while on the west side but little stopping has been done." On the property is a ten- stamp mill, operated by steam .. The mine is inactive at present.

The Goodenough vein is said to consist of solid quartz, two to eight inches wide, with well defined walls. It is a high grade property, with zinc blende, pyrite and ruby silver present. Like the other prop- erties of the company, it is inoperative at present. Other veins are the Charity, developed by two tun- nels, the Knott, one of the earliest discoveries, de- veloped by three tunnels, the Tramp, Hic Jacet, Dela- ware, Blue Bird, Bull Dog, some of which have been somewhat developed, the Martinez, Keystone and Hunt ; the Hawkeye and Washington, the Arlise, the Lucky Ben and the Scott; the Iola, on which a ten- stamp mill was erected in 1898, and the Beamish. The Silver King is the only mine in the district in operation, all the others, for some reason, being in a state of suspended animation at this time. It is being worked by the Silver King Mining and Milling Com- pany, of which Amber Stewart is manager. A ten- stamp Frasier & Chalmer mill treats its ore and it has two Wilfley concentrators. Its deepest tunnel taps the vein at a depth of 300 feet.

While Warren is, perhaps, one of the steadiest of the old camps, it is experiencing a period of industrial quiet at present, no doubt owing in part at least to the Buffalo Hump and Thunder Mountain excite- ments. It is said that the district is characterized by the fact that rich float is frequently found and rich surface showings which show a tendency to "pinch out" as greater depth is attained.

The Marshall Lake mining district, northwest of Warren and south-east of Florence, is the new- est and one of the most promising in Idaho county. As yet but litle development work has been done and

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owing to the character of the region and the compo- sition of the ores, this district must be slow in coming forward, although its future appears to be a very bright one. Since the discovery of the first mines here over four hundred claus have been located and more than twenty different veins have been uncovered, all of which prospect well.

The topography of this region is that character- istic of the upper Salmon river, high, timbered ranges or divides separated by narrow, abyssmal canyons thousands of feet in depth. With the exception of the state wagon road which crosses the Salmon at the mouth of French creek, follows this creek for several miles and then crosses the divide onto Lake and Secesh creeks, thence to the Salmon meadows, the country can be traveled over only by tortuous trails which climb precipitous slopes and dip down into deep canyons across the roughest of ground. At French creek the Salmon is about 2,700 feet in altitude. Six miles from the river on either side, on the north and the south, the divides rise to a height of 8,000 feet, while numerous raging mountain torrents leap down from these lofty ridges through short, dark and deep canyons to the mighty stream below. The northern slopes of these divides are heavily timbered with fir and tamarack large enough in size for mining and building uses, while a sparser growth covers the can- yons to the water's edge. Beneath the roots of this wild forest lies tlie mineral wealth which some day will be taken from nature's hidden storehouse and dis- tributed among men.

The principal portion of the Marshall Lake dis- trict lies on the precipitous northern slope of the high Salmon river-Lake creek divide, between French creek on the west and California creek on the east, al- though many good prospects have been found and several placers are in operation across this divide on Lake creek and Marshall lake. The official southern boundary of the district is described as a line running from the western prong of California creek near Burg- dorf's warm springs westward to French creek. The mineral zone is perhaps twelve miles wide and, so far as known, about eighteen miles long, the veins run- ning parallel with the Salmon and at right angles with the smaller breaks or canyons. However, it would be erroneous to assume that the district thus described embraces the entire mineralized section, for every veteran prospector knows that the whole interior re- gion is mineralized and that color can be found any- where in central Idaho. French creek is a stream carrying fully 2,500 miner's inches of water in mid- summer and possesses a tremendous fall. This creek is well favored, at its lower end, with excellent mili sites and is said to be the best stream in that region for power purposes. California creek heads on the Lake creek divide and empties into the Salmon eight- een miles above French creek, which is the larger stream. Between these flow Maxwell, Carey, Long Tom, Fall and Bear creeks, on the last of which are a majority of the claims in the district including the developed properties. Bear creek is a very small stream not more than large enough to run a ten-

stamp mill. Its source is in Twin lakes, two small bodies of water covering perhaps ten acres each. They lie, one below the other, just across the summit of the Lake creek divide and on the Salmon river slope at an altitude of about 8,000 feet. There are no fish in their waters and except for a short time dur- ing the summer, their surfaces are frozen and cover- ed with snow. Each has an outlet and the two streams draining the lakes form a junction two miles lower down, creating Bear creek. Two miles west of Twin lakes and across the divide at an altitude nearly two thousand feet lower, is Marshall lake, from which this district receives its name. This body of water is a mile long and a quarter of a mile wide and heads in a deep basin directly under the crest of the divide. This body of water is the source of Lake creek, which courses through a beautiful stretch of meadows ex- tending many miles along Secesh creek, into which the former stream flows. George H. Connor, who is our principal authority on the Marshall Lake district, es- timates that fully 40,000 acres are embraced in this fertile, natural meadow and says that, besides Fred Burgdorf, many others have already turned their stock in upon its luxurious grasses. The waters of the lake and streams are of crystal clearness. They are the delight of millions of trout which every year come into the mountains from the south fork of the Salmon river into which Secesh creek flows.

The snows are almost perpetual on the summit of the Lake creek divide, where the altitude is close to 8,300 feet, so naturally these higher regions are ac- cessible to the prospector for only a short portion of the year. Lower down, near the Salmon, it is possi- ble to carry on work for several months each sea- son if not all winter. Florence is the nearest post- office to the mines on the Salmon river slope and War- ren is the trading point and postoffice of those who live near the top of or across the divide.

As heretofore stated, the principal mines lie on Bear creek. Here it was that the first discoveries were made during the summer of 1898 by two pros- pectors, Isaac Maxwell and a man named Mckibbon. Late in the season these two men opened a rich vein between Twin lakes and the top of the divide. Speci- mens from it assayed as high as $19,000, though the general average was in the neighborhood of $100. The gold was free milling and was found between alter-

nating walls of schist and granite. Maxwell and Mc- Kibbon did the necessary assessment work on the four claims taken, which they named the Mountain Chief group, then sold the property forthwith to Charles Sweeney, of Spokane, its present owner. Sweeney kept up the assessment work and that is all. The dis- covery was not heralded abroad and elicited little gen- eral interest. During the summer of 1900. however, A. A. Easton and D. L. Roy went into the region and located the Kimberley group of four claims. They sank a fifty

foot shaft on the Kimberley and struck

a rich lead, sixteen inches wide, assaying $125.00. This was in September. The following May they located four more claims three miles down the canyon, at an altitude of about

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HISTORY OF NORTH IDAHO.

4,000 feet. This group they named the Jewel. Three ledges were uncovered, the Jewel, the Mult- nomah and the Bellorr. The Jewel vein is eighteen inches wide and assays $75; the Multnomah, a three foot lead, assays perhaps $40; while the Bellorr vein is about twenty inches wide and carries values lower than the Multnomah. At present a one hundred and twenty foot tunnel taps the Jewel ledge; the Multno- mah is opened by several surface cuts and on the Bellorr thirty feet of tunneling has been constructed. In 1901 a small sampling mill was erected on the Jewel group and the ores of these veins and those at the lakes were thoroughly tested by the owners. James L. Hill, of New York city, purchased both the Kim- berley and Jewel groups in February, 1903, for $65,- 000. Besides Easton and Roy, the original locators of the properties, three others, George H. Connor, J. G. Wright and William A. Scott, as equal partners with the locators, received shares of this money, they having furnished the grubstake. Mr. Hill expects to install a ten-stamp mill on the Jewel ledge as soon as roads can be built into the district.

Besides these properties several other excellent prospects have been opened. all of which promise well. Most of them lie on Bear creek and the high ridges on each side, and as before stated, the veins run at right angles to the canyons of these creeks. Generally speaking the veins dip about eighty degrees. They carry sulphides of iron. galena, zinc and gold. and from forty per cent. to eighty per cent. of the values may be secured by milling. The remaining concentrates are rich, but will require smelting.

Other slightly developed claims of the district are the Mineral King and Richmond, owned by Rufus A. Hendricks, which lie three-quarters of a mile south of the Jewel group and on which a two foot vein has been opened, and the Crescus, owned by J. W. Turnbull, which lies a little farther up the creek and has an eighteen inch vein. The western slope of Bear creek canyon is known as Treasure Hill and the most prom- inent property in this locality is the Treasure Hill group, owned by Turnbull, Penny and O'Kane, of Grangeville. This vein is fully three feet wide and assays close to a hundred dollars. The owners are now busily engaged in further developing their prop- erty. There are numerous other properties in the dis- trict, most of them but little developed as yet.

Inasmuch as the Thunder Mountain mining dis- trict is not yet out of the "boom" period it is difficult to get accurate information concerning it. No geo- logical reports upon it are as yet available and many of the newspapers notices of the country fail to elicit confidence in their authenticity from the fact that their representations-though they may be true-seem not conservative enough for full credence. At this sea- son of the year it is impossible to visit the district in person, but from the accounts of reliable mining men, we are convinced that it is one of great merit and must win a place among the leading mineral producing re- gions of the United States. It is situated in south- eastern Idaho county, and consists of a territory said to be about forty miles in length by thirty-five in

width and embraced within the following boundaries, namely, the Middle Fork of the Salmon river on the east ; the Big creek, Elk creek divide on the west, the Big creek-Salmon river divide on the north and a cer- tain broken line running through a yellow pine basin on the south. Heavy bull pine, black pine and red fir forests cover most of the region. The western side is quite open, but from Marble creek to the Middle Fork heavy forests obtain, increasing in density as one proceeds east. High, bald hills, timber covered peaks, and box canyons characterize the country, which, in general, is of a very rugged topography. The Middle Fork for some distance traverses a deep gorge, marked "Impassable Canyon" on Rand, Mc- Nally & Company's map. Little is known of its character, although it is possible to get down to the water's edge in places from either side, the difficulty being that the passes on the east and west do not meet each other. It is stated that a number have lost their lives in attempting to go through the canyon in float- ing craft.

In the Thunder Mountain region the highest moun- tains are clothed perennially on their north sides with snow. The district is named from Thunder mountain, the high timbered divide separating the waters of Marble from those of Monumental creek. It is about thirty-five miles long and the summit of its upper platea11 is covered with a dense forest. It has been so-called because of meteorological conditions ob- seved there. Prospectors tell us that in thunder storms, the heavy detonations are echoed and re-echoed until the effect is terrific, cansing the earth to tremble 11n- der one's feet as if disturbed by seismic forces.

Those going into the district must approach by one of the three principal routes, first. the Boise trail, entering Idaho county through Bear valley, crossing the divide to Monumental creek and thence to Roose- velt : second, the Warren trail, leading from Warren eastward to Shaver's ranch, thence across the South Fork, thence up the river to the month of Elk creek, thence up that stream to the summit, thence via Smith, Big and Monumental creeks to Roosevelt, total dis- tance from Warren, eighty miles ; third, the trail from Salmon City, which crosses the Middle Fork eight miles above the ranch of Newton Hibbs, thence over the divide westward to Marble creek, up that fifteen iniles to Marble City, thence due west over the divide to Roosevelt : total distance from Salmon City, one hundred and twenty miles.

Writers upon the Thunder Mountain mining dis- trict have almost universally avoided a discussion of its geology. stating that it is too complex to be described except after exhaustive and careful research. It is known, however, that basalt and granite abound. The formation was not such as to lead prospectors to expect mineral in paying quantities and for this reason the region was long neglected. It is stated that the ores appear to have been scorched, showing the effect of volcanic action.

"In Thunder Mountain," wrote E. M. Reed in the Spokesman Review, "the formation is volcanic and the. predominating rock is ryolite of a light color. The

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dyke or reef on which the Dewey and other claims have been located has been compared with the wonderful Rand reef in the Transvaal and is strongly suggestive of Colorado. The ryolite reef is well marked on either side by walls of birdseye porphyry and an occasional cropping of harrolt. The reef extends northeast and southwest and the gold pan test will show color any- where, while sample pans have produced as high as ten dollars. Five hundred dollars have been taken out in four days with one of the old fashioned rockers, but the average yield is very much less."

In an article published by the Boise Statesman, Zenas N. Vaughn, C. E., had this to say about the Thunder Mountain country :

"First I will say a word about the geology. Were I disposed to verify the adage that 'Fools rush in where angels fear to tread' I might enter into a lengthy scien- tific discussion of this phase of the subject. I shall be brief but I hope to dispel one illusion. Thunder Mountain is not all porphyry. It has a goodly sprink- ling of it, to be sure, but there is room there for almost everything and almost everything is there.

"I entered the district from the Sea Foam side. Up to a certain point everything had been granite. The Sea Foam country is granite, though it has immense upheavels of eruptive rock. A short distance north of the Middle Fork of Salmon river the granite is replaced by porphyry formations. Notwithstanding this, within ten miles of the Dewey mine there are large areas of granite which carry huge ledges of quartz. This is pre-eminently true of the rock along the southwest fork of the Monumental. In some places the formations are very complicated. There are areas of granite, bird's- eye porphyry, quartz porphyry, quartzite, diorite, phono- iite, and serpentine mixed up in bewildering confusion. Perhaps the most common rock in Thunder Mountain is a sort of phonolite that splits up into characteristic slabs.

Close to Roosevelt the structures are either por- phyry, phonolite or some allied eruptive rock. Ten miles to the northward the geology changes and the country is granite, quartzite, serpentine or quartz-por- phvry. To the southward of Indian creek the por- phyry is replaced by a very beautiful white granite, or in some places gneiss, which holds its own for many miles. To the eastward, as above explained, the erup- tions extend well nigh to the Middle Fork of the Sal- mon.

"Dangerous as it to do so, it is difficult to refrain from theorizing on the above conditions. There is reason to believe, however, that Thunder Mountain and the contiguous mountains are an intrusion of volcanic rocks into an area of prehistoric granite. Beyond this it is not safe to draw conclusions.

"The mineralization of this district is peculiar. The ores, though so widely different in appearance may be grouped under two general heads. The first one is the most puzzling and the one which has awakened such widespread interest in the district. It is generally called a porphyry or a talc in some places. While there un- doubtedly are talcose deposits, these ores do not gener- ally seem, at least to the writer, to be either porphyry

or talc, but a sort of pulverized quartz, which has been cemented into a coherent mass by infiltration of waters holding in solution oxide of iron and carbonates of lime, magnesia, etc. These ores vary in color from snow white to yellowish, brownish and bluish,

"The second class is quartz, occurring in regular ledges, generally carrying an abundance of iron, also carbonate of lime and magnesia, with flarite and other minerals. Pyrites of iron and copper, with carbonate and silicate of the latter metal, are very common. Gen- erally speaking, the quartz ores are more likely to be base and the conglomerate ores free, though there are many exceptions on both sides to this rule. Some of the richest among the conglomerate ores show no colors in panning.

"Probably one of the most unique discoveries made in Thunder mountain is a nickel ledge, carrying $2,000 values of nickel, copper and gold, controlled by Mr. Stonebreaker. This is some distance below Taylor's cabin and at the side of the Monumental creek trail."

The Thunder Mountain country is usually consid- ered as made up of two districts, the eastern and the western. The latter, embracing Big, Smith and Pro- file creeks, produces gold, silver, copper and lead. On the northern portion of the basin of Big creek, silver is the principal metal, while on Logan creek, a tribu- tary of the stream just mentioned, silver predominates. On Profile creek lead is found in large quantities. Gold is quite widely distributed over the entire district. The values in the eastern district, embracing Monu- mental, Marble and Indian creeks, are found in a por- phyritic quartz, covered with a basalt capping, and con- sist of free gold entirely. It is here that the principal developments have been made. The oldest group of claims in the district is the Dewey, discovered by Will- iam, Louis and Daniel Caswell in the early 'nineties, and worked constantly since. The Caswells were in the habit of sluicing the decomposed porphyry, then allow- ing the solider formation beneath to weather until the following summer, when it would be found to have decomposed to a considerable depth and to be ready for sluicing. Their property was bonded to Colonel E. H. Dewey in August, 1001, for a reputed sum of $100,000. It is worked at present by a ten-stamp mill. The entire property consists of fourteen claims, the Gold Reef, Goldie, Coal Pit Fraction, Gravel Point, Dollar, Poorman's Treasure, Fraction, Golden Treasure, Gold Dust, Golden Wedge, Equinox, Gold Bug, Wonderful and Buffalo. Most of the development work is done on the Poorman's Treasure, but as no person, other than employees or owners, is allowed in the mine, the extent of the workings and the size of the vein are not known. It is stated that the company expects to install and be- gin operating one hundred stamps in the near future.

Another noted mine of the district is the Sunnyside, purchased from the Caswell brothers for a reputed sum of $125,000. It is said that this price was paid for the property before it had been developed any to speak of and while it was still a prospect. It is located on the Marble creek slope east of Dewey. It belongs to the Belle Thunder Mountain Company, who last summer utilized the labor of some fifteen or twenty men in its

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HISTORY OF NORTH IDAHO.

development. The excavations are said to aggregate about 1,400 feet.

A third property of note in the Thunder Mountain district is the Fairview group on Monumental creek near Roosevelt, owned by the Gold Ridge Mining Com- pany, a Pittsburg concern. It is developed by two tunnels. The ledge formation is similar to that of most of the ledges of the district,-porphyritic quartz. Values are said to average high, and we are informed that assays of $100 per ton are not uncommon.

The Tiger group on Marble creek was sold last year for a reputed sum of $200,000. It is only partially de- veloped at present, but is a promising property. The same is true of the Rainbow group west of Roosevelt and the Grangeville, which joins the Sunnyside on the north and which was located in 1901 by W. H. V. Rickards and Albert Tuttle.

Considerable development work in the western dis- trict has been done on what is known as the Werden- hoff group Smith creek, about six miles from its mouth. The ledge, which is about sixteen feet wide. consists of free milling quartz averaging $16 in gold per ton. It is developed by about 400 feet of tunneling and shafts. It is said to have been sold recently to a Colorado syndicate for $280,000. The Crown property, owned by the same company, is located on Big creek between Logan and Smith creeks. The ledge is said to be sixty feet wide and to consist of low grade, free milling ore.

The Hogback owned by A. A. Lydon, B. F. Gold- man, I. C. Hattabaugh, Frank Gardner and other Grangeville parties, is also on Big creek. It carried gold, silver, copper and lead, but its values cannot be secured without smelting. The vein is twelve feet wide and averages $14.80 per ton in assay values, though numerous kidneys have been found assaying from $70 to $380.

Besides the above there are numerous other proper- ties in course of development in both the eastern and western districts and it is claimed by conservative min- ing men that the showings in most of them are such as to encourage the belief that the camp has a brilliant future before it. It has been overadvertised, no doubt. Stampedes into the country at the wrong season of the year have been precipitated with the natural result that disappointed gold hunters have started a reactionary movement. Booms and their reactions are seemingly necessary incidents in the development of new mining camps. Both are temporary in their effects. Both will soon be of the past in Thunder Mountain and the camp will settle down to a steady development of its resour- ces. That these are numerous and extensive there can be little doubt, and the man who describes the Idaho county of a decade hence will surely have occasion to speak of not a few producers in this isolated region.

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An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho, Part 108

Author: Publication date: 1903 Publisher: [S.l.] : Western Historical Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1524

Author:
Publication date: 1903
Publisher: [S.l.] : Western Historical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1524