An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho, Part 109

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 109
USA > Idaho > Nez Perce County > An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho > Part 109
USA > Idaho > Shoshone County > An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho > Part 109
USA > Idaho > Latah County > An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho > Part 109

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The bars of Salmon river have been a source of revenue to the placer miner since the earliest days. They have probably never yielded immensely large re- turns for labor, but have furnished a grub stake to many a stranded prospector, a good living to miners whose ambitions were not too extravagant and a few dollars of ready money to the farmer and stockman in

the vicinity. Most of the lower bars have been worked. To secure the gold in the higher ones and the old bed of the river now far upon the mountain side is a prob- lem engaging the attention of not a few, but its satis- factory solution has not yet been found. Quite a num- ber of individuals and companies are still at work on the Salmon river placer grounds at least part of the year. One company is putting in a dredge to wash the gravels of Doumecq bar. Robie & Smith are operating on Mrs. Robie's farm. A company composed in part of Spokane mining men is doing some work on the fam- ous Horse Shoe bars and is preparing to install a plant for the more satisfactory handling of its auriferous gravels ; the Slate Creek Mining Company, operating near Samuel Large's place, has a ditch out of Slate creek seven miles long, with a capacity, it is claimed, of 1,600 inches. The Victor Mining Company, in which Senator Wilson, of Spokane, is interested, operates a claim between Slate creek and John Day; P. E. Sher- win has a property above John Day creek. The claims of the Consolidated Hydraulic Mining Company are also above the mouth of that stream, while above the mouth of Little Salmon there is but one hydraulic mine, that of William Short. Several placer miners, besides those mentioned, are operating in a small way at differ- ent points on the stream.

In the immediate vicinity of Salmon river are some very promising copper properties. Four and a half miles northwest of White Bird are the claims of the Idaho Mining & Smelting Company, principal among which are the Indiana, Mineral Point, the Missouri, the Michigan, the Last Chance, the Idaho, the Poco- hontas and the Copper King. The Indiana has been developed by a tunnel 248 feet long cutting almost squarely across the vein and by a tunnel twenty-two feet long following a stringer. Superintendent Fred A. Davis, from whom these data were obtained, informs us that all indications point toward the existence of an immense body of ore of average grade, with numerous high grade shoots and stringers. The values are in copper and gold, and the absence of zinc is an encour- aging circumstances. Reduction works and machinery including an air compressor, are in contemplation.

Another important property of the district is the Rainbow group, six miles northwest of White Bird. It consists of the following claims: Rainbow, Domin- ion, Blue Front, Lone Star and Eddy. Its owners are S. A. Wilson, J. W. Reid and Ed. Fehan. These gen- tlemen have expended most of their efforts on the Rainbow, doing only assessment work on the other claims. This lead is sixty feet wide. An assay of a picked specimen from it gave fifty per cent. copper, $34 per ton gold and 14 ounces of silver, and it is said that even richer specimens might be obtained. The super- intendent of this mine stated to the writer his belief that a fair average assay would give seven per cent. copper.

A district of the Salmon river country, whose im- portance has long been known, but which has necessar- ilv been neglected on account of its isolation, is the Rapid river region. This stream empties into the Little Salmon six miles above the mouth of the latter stream.

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HISTORY OF NORTH IDAHO.

Its bed is in the bottom of a high box canyon, which in one place widens out to form Alliance basin, a bunch- grass valley two and a half miles long by a mile wide, whose only inhabitant, we have been told, is H. F. Johnson, the "Seven Devils poet." Near the mouth of the west fork of Rapid river, and eight miles from the mouth of the main stream, are located the Rapid River mines. It is said that there are a number of good properties here, but only two are being worked, the George Hardwick claim, to develop which a tunnel 600 feet long has been constructed, and the claim of the Irwin Brothers, who have 300 feet of tunneling. Both are copper and gold bearing properties.

Near the head of the east fork of Rapid river is the Black Lake district, in which are a considerable number of claims, but the country is without roads, hence there is little encouragement to claim owners to make ex- tensive developments. Notwithstanding drawbacks, however, Edward Ford & Company have been at work for four years, developing their property and blocking out an immense body of ore. Last summer they in- stalled a steam mill. In the short time it was operated they realized very encouraging returns in gold bullion. The Iron Springs Mining Company are also active in pushing development work, and, it is stated, intend building a mill on their property this summer. The two companies are contemplating the construction, by their united efforts, of a road down Rapid river to the state wagon road.

Coming to the Clearwater mines we shall give first place to Elk City, an ancient camp, the earliest history of which has already found a place in these pages. During the four decades since its first discovery it has been a gold producer almost uninteruptedly, though at times its product dwindled to insignificance. After the palmy placer mining days, the district passed into the hands of the Chinese. A revival of interest in it took place during the middle 'eighties, when some quartz claims were taken and since that time white men have given considerable attention to its wealth of placer gold also. The first placer mining by improved modern methods was begun about 1889 by C. D. Gavin, of Chi- cago. In 1891, the initial attempt at dredging was made, the machinery for the plant being packed in on the backs of mules. The dredge was utilized for a time in working the banks and bed of Red river, but it proved too light for its purpose and its use had to be discontinued. In 1899, Butters Bros., of Michigan, built another dredge, the use of which, after a couple of seasons' trial, has also been abandoned. The only placer mines in operation in the spring of 1903 were the Gold Hill claims, owned by Cook Brothers & Brownell, who were operating a No. 2 giant. However, it was expected that R. D. Leggat, of Butte, Montana, would operate during the summer his Buffalo Hill claim, upon which is a large hydraulic plant, and that work would also be done on the Little Elk placers by H. Rittenhouse ; on the Ternan hill, by Henry Ternan ; on the Deadwood gulch claims by James Witt, and on a number of other good properties. No doubt much placer gold is yet to be garnered in this famous old camp.

Quartz mining in Elk district dates back to 1884, when S. W. Smith and H. E. Mckinney located what was known as the Buster group of claims. Since that many quartz veins have been located and developed to. a considerable extent. The American Eagle group near the head waters of Ziegle creek, owned by the Ameri- can Eagle Consolidated Mining Company, Limited, consists of eight claims. The vein is twelve feet wide with a paystreak varying in width from two and one- half to ten feet, and carrying values of from $5 to $312 a ton. Its direction is northeast and southwest, dip vertical. It has been developed by 1,100 feet of tunneling on two different levels, a one hundred-foot shaft and 2,500 feet of drifting along the vein. The equipment of the mine consists of a ten-stamp mill, two concentrators, a Blake crusher, and a tramway 3.500 feet long. It was said in April to have produced since January 1, 1903, $27,500, and fifteen tons of con- centrates assaying $105 a ton. A cyanide plane is to be installed in the near future. The Fish Hawk group, owned by the same company, consisting of nine claims adjoining the American Eagle, is now in process of de- velopment.

The Hogan group of claims, situated on Crooked river, twelve and a half miles from Elk City, gives promise of becoming the finest property in the dis- trict and one of the finest in the entire northwest. It consists of about fifty claims located on the wooded hills on either side of the river, and is owned by the Crooked River Mining & Milling Company. The ore is described as pyrites of iron in quartz and por- phyry with granite contact and is said to assay from $5 to $50. The property has been quite extensively developed by tunnels, shafts and chutes, and is equipped with a twenty stamp, water power mill, the water for which is brought from Crooked river by a ditch a mile long. A dynamo, operated by this water power, furnishes electric lighting for the entire plant. Disinterested mining men have spoken very highly of the probable future of this property.

The Boyer and Republic groups have stamp mills, but are being operated at present only on a small scale. Other claims in course of development and making encouraging showings are : the Laurel and West Lat- rel, situated on Laurel hill at the head of French gulch, sulphide ores with pockets of free crystallized gold assaying $16 to $18, ledge six to nine feet wide, developed by a 27-foot shaft, 250 feet of tunneling and 40 feet of drift : the Blue Ribbon group, on a hillside between Red Horse creek and Ziegle creek, owned by Brown, Cook, Brownell and Poyneer, sulphide ores, assaying $12, developed by 520 feet of tunnels, a 00- foot shaft and several cross cuts; the Pacific group, owned by L. Blomberg; the Champion group, owned by S. McGibbons, and recently placed under control of the Thunder Mountain Gold Company, of Philadel- phia ; the Occidental group, owned by Chesbro & Baner ; the Lily May, by J. A. Coverly ; the Buster, by S. W. Smith : the Cleveland, by Smith, Parker and others; the Grangeville, by J. W. Reed, Joe Schoener, Henry Wax and James Edwards, and other properties. Con- servative mining men consider the Elk City district as

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HISTORY OF NORTH IDAHO.

a whole as one of the most promising of the old Idaho county camps.

Following a road leading in an easterly direction from Elk City across American river and Red Horse creek, thence southerly, one arrives, after a journey of twenty-six miles, in the ancient mining district of Dixie. The first mineral discoveries were made here in the early 'sixties, but only a small amount of placer mining was done and by primitive methods. When Samuel Dillinger arrived in 1865, he found only three men at work. But like many of the old placer camps there has been a revival of interest in the district in later years. It is, nevertheless, a quiet place at pre- sent and has been since the closing down of the Com- stock mine, though many good quartz properties are being slowly developed.

One of the earliest placer camps, the Dixie district is still a producer of gold dust. The Olive Gulch placers, owned by a man named Hasslett, are a good paying property. The Crooked Creek placers, owned by P. S. Prichard and George Blaine, consist of 153 acres of patented ground along the stream. They are being operated by a No. 2 giant, with water from a ditch three and a half miles iong, conveyed to the giant by 1,600 feet of pipe.

Among the quartz claims of the district, the Ajax, the Mckinley and Roosevelt and the Comstock are perhaps the best known. The first mentioned was purchased by Finch & Campbell about two years ago from James Turner, who had been developing it dur- ing the preceding six years. It is located about half a mile northwest of the town of Dixie. Finch & Camp- bell built a ten-stamp mill on it and operated the mine for six or seven months. The results were not satis- factory, so they sold their mill to the American Eagle Company, of Elk City district, and abandoned the pro- perty.

It is understood that the Comstock mine is to be reopened this summer and the ore from it reduced in a four-stamp water power mill, now in contemplation. The property is situated on Rhett creek, four miles southwest of Dixie, and is owned by the Poole Brothers.

The Mckinley and Roosevelt, owned by Sam Dil- linger, is likewise situated on Rhett creek. The ore is galena. assaying about $18. The developments con- sist of two hundred feet of tunneling, striking the ledge at a depth of fifty feet, also considerable drift work along the vein.

To the northwest of Elk City, on the road leading from that point to Camas prairie, is the Newsome min- ing district, another ancient camp, the discovery of which dates back to the 'sixties. Rich placers have been worked there since by white men and Chinese, but always on a small scale. At the present time, the Newsome-Leggat Hydraulic Mining Company, Lim- ited, is operating the Leggat High Bar placers, sit- uated on the divide between Newsome and Leggat creeks at an elevation of 700 feet above the latter. The company owns three and a half miles of ditch and flume and intends to utilize two No. 2 giants during

the present season. Besides the property mentioned, which includes 1,600 acres of ground, this company owns the ground and bed of Newsome creek from its confluence with the Clearwater to a point within a mile of Newsome station. G. W. Thompson, of Lew- iston, is president of the firm and James Surridge, of Harpster, vice president. The Buckeye placers, below Newsome station, are being worked under the manage- ment of C. P. Richardson.

Twelve miles up the south fork of the Clearwater from Stites is an unorganized mining camp, popularly known as the Dewey district. It lies on the survey for an np river extension of the railroad, but even with the road no nearer than Stites, it is easily accessible, being only about eight miles from Grangeville. Its warm climate incident to its slight elevation gives it an incalculable advantage over most of the other min- ing districts of the county.

The mining claims of the belt are in a porphyry dyke ranging in width from 1,000 to 1,500 feet, with a strike of north fifteen degrees east. The east wall of the dyke is granite and lime and the west wall gran- ite and clackite. Through this dyke run six or more ledges ranging in width from 15 feet to 35 feet, and of these five are being extensively developed. They carry values above water level of $4 to $10 in gold and below water level where the quartz is replaced by sul- phide, the values are in gold and copper and increase perceptibly.

Years ago, claims in this district were taken and abandoned, among them the Evergreen, but it was not until 1898 that the development of the mines began in earnest. During that year the Admiral Dewey and St. Patrick mines were located by J. L. Bishop and others. In August, 1898, Matthew Jacobs, Otto Ab- ling. J. J. Marasack and A. A. Kincaid purchased the property and began developing it by sinking a shaft and running tunnels. In the spring of 1899 the mine passed into the hands of the Dewey Consolidated Min- ing and Milling Company, which has pushed develop- ment work with considerable vigor, shipping, so report has it, $35,000 worth of ore from small space. It is also said that arrangements have been made for the disbursement of $100,000 during the current summer in pushing development.

The Evergreen Eureka Gold Mining Company is the owner of three claims, the Evergreen, the Eureka and the General Arthur, situated west and north of the Dewey group. These claims were likewise discovered in 1898, the fortunate prospectors being Joseph Pfeu- fer, John L. Bishop and Nelson Clauser. These gen- tlemen did some work on the property, then sold to A. A. Kincaid, C. G. Betts, George F. Mckinney and S. W. Cope, who held it until September, when the present company was organized. This mine has a greater depth than any other in the county and is the most extensively developed, the tunnels, drifts, etc. ag- gregating five thousand feet. Its shipments of ore have been relatively small and confined to the high grade product, owing to the fact that at present the ore has to be transported three miles up a mountain side

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HISTORY OF NORTH IDAHO.

on horses, then hauled in wagons to the railroad. Sev- eral car loads, however, have been transported to Stites in this manner and shipped.

Adjoining the Evergreen group on the north are the claims of the Mount Idaho Gold Mining Company, Limited, consisting of the St. John, the Pride of the Clearwater, the Clearwater, the Leroi and the River Wedge. They were located about the same time as the two groups last described, by R. L. Smith, Joseph Baker and others. Recently it has passed into the hands of the Mount Idaho Gold Mining Company, just men- tioned, which is pushing developments with four shifts of men. Several hundred feet of tunnels have been already constructed. While the mine has done no shipping, it is claimed that the showings are ex- cellent. Besides those mentioned, several other pro- perties are being developed in the district, among them the Atlanta group.

Near the confluence of the south and Lolo forks of the Clearwater is what is known as the Lolo or Pardee mining district. The mines in this vicinity were dis- covered some four years ago, William Price, Judge Stearns and the Lafferty brothers being the pioneers of the region. The presence of mineral in the locality had long been suspected and the showings exposed by workmen in constructing a road bed for the Clearwater Short Line confirmed the suspicion and led to the pros- pecting which eventuated in the discoveries. The ore Is base in character, carrying more copper than any other metal. Considerable development work has been in progress during the past three years, especially in 1902, and it is thought that this year some ore will be shipped to smelters.

The property of the Pittsburg-Idaho Mining and Smelting Company, situated half a mile above the town of Pardee, has been most extensively developed. Fully $10,000 has been expended in opening the group and at present a tunnel is being driven to tap the main ore body. It is now 250 feet long.

Farther down the river, the Pardee Company is engaged in opening its property, the Idaho-Empire group, which is said to give promise of great things to be garnered in the future. Jack & Macbeth are also opening a group between the Pardee and the Pittsburg- Idaho properties.

Some very good placer dirt has been found and worked on the Clearwater river in the vicinity of the present Dewey camp, and at the Wihot and Johns places. Claims are held at present by Herman and Al- bert Brown and by a company of which a man named Fisher is the leading spirit, but though these an.l other claims promise well, placer mining on the Clearwater is not being pushed with great enthusiasm at present.

Not far from the summit of the divide between the Salmon and Clearwater basins is one of the most famous, though one of the youngest, mining districts of the county and the Northwest. The story of its discovery has been told on other pages. After giving an account of the Buffalo Hump discovery substan- tially as it occurs in a former chapter of this work, the Idaho Free Press, continuing says :

"A hundred locations were speedily staked and

work commenced. With every foot of development on the Big Buffalo the ledge got stronger and richer. On the 24th of August a district was organized ; a band of determined prospectors met on the south shore of Buffalo lake; there had been some jumping of claims, and many matters of interest were up for discussion- these men who were gathered around the camp fire that August night were makers of history. It reminded one of the old councils during the French and Indian wars, when matters of deep importance were discussed around a camp fire under the old council trees.

"R. F. Carney was elected chairman and J. C. Moore secretary. Charles H. Scott was elected recorder and the district named Robbins mining district in honor of Charlie Robbins, the discoverer. The limits of the camp were defined as follows : Commencing at the con- fluence of Newsome creek and the South Fork of the Clearwater river ; thence southerly to Fish lake ; thence down Lake creek, the outlet of Fish lake, to its con- fluence with Crooked creek, thence down Crooked creek to its junction with the Salmon river; thence westerly down the Salmon river to the mouth of ileadow creek : thence up Meadow creek to Wind river ; thence up Wind river to head of the East fork ; thence northerly to head of John's creek ; thence down John's creek to South Fork of Clearwater river ; thence casterly up said river to the mouth of Newsome creek, the place of begining."

The country rock, according to experts, is gneiss, a species of granite, one of the oldest and best known formations for mineral bearing veins. The principal vein of the district is a fissure running in a northerly and southerly course, having a width of from twenty to forty feet. The vein filling is a hard, white, brittle quartz, carrying about one and one-half per cent. of pyrites of iron, one per cent. of lead, one half per cent. of antimony, one half per cent. manganese and a trace of copper besides the precious metals.

"Samples taken from the surface croppings and the open cuts over the entire length and width of the ore body give the following results: The croppings, $12 in gold and one ounce of silver, the cuts, the thirty feet across the Big Buffalo averages one ounce in gold, one and a quarter ounces in silver, about $21.50 per ton. Cut No. 2, ten feet in depth on the Merrimac, averages four-fifths of an ounce of gold and one ounce silver, in values about $17 for the entire forty feet in width."

"During the past ten years," says the expert above quoted, who was writing in 1899. "I have visited nearly all of the mining camps of prominence west of the Rockies, as well as those throughout Montana and Dakota, and I have never seen anywhere a surface showing equalling the showing made on the Big Buffa- lo and Merrimac claims .* * * Nearly all mining engi- neers who have visited this district are of the same opinion, that this is one of the greatest discoveries of the age. The streams heading at this Buffalo Hump district and flowing into the Salmon and Clearwater rivers were placer mined in the early 'sixties and one express company-Wells, Fargo & Company-alone handled over $40,000,000 that was produced out of the placer mines within a radius of twenty miles

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HISTORY OF NORTH IDAHO.

from this Eldorado. Competent and able mining en- gineers are of the opinion that this placer gold came from the ledges traversing the Buffalo Hump region."

The Big Buffalo was sold to the Buffalo Hump syn- dicate less than a year after its discovery. It has been developed by a two hundred foot shaft and 1,000 feet of drifting. The vein is said to be fifty or sixty feet wide and to carry $II a ton values of gold and silver. It is stated that the ore shipments to date have returned in the vicinity of $200,000.

The Jumbo has the most work done on it of all mines in the camp. Tunnel No. I is 141 feet long ; No. 2, 540 feet ; No. 3, 860 feet, and there are 600 feet of cross cuts. The vein averages eight feet in width on the upper level and 12 on the lower. A four-stamp mill is already installed on the property and a twenty- four stamp mill is in course of erection, all the machin- ery being on the ground. It is said that over $80,000 worth of ore were worked in the four-stamp mill, in- side of twenty months.

The Cracker Jack is located on a ledge eight to fourteen feet wide, carrying $10 to $30 in gold and sil- ver. Over 1,000 feet of excavations have been made in the development of this property. The equipment consists of a fine stamp mill, producing from $3,000 to $6,000 a month, soon to be enlarged by the addition of ten stamps. The company is also arranging to in- stall a complete electric light plant. Past shipments of bullion are claimed to aggregate between forty and fifty thousand dollars.

On the Atlas mine, six or seven hundred feet of development work have been done, all on the ore vein, which is six or seven feet wide, and carries values vary- ing from $15 to $20. It is expected that a ten-stamp mill will be installed this year. No shipments have been made from this mine as yet, but the showing is excellent.

The Wise Boy has been developed by between a thousand and fifteen hundred feet of excavation. Its vein varies in width from 5 to 12 feet and carries good values. The product of the mine is being handled in a ten-stamp mill.

Developments on the Mother Lode No. 2, belong- ing to the Concord Company, expose a vein varying in width from 18 to 20 feet. The St. Louis, in the same group, has had over six hundred feet of development work done on it, and arrangements have been made to develop it much more extensively during the current summer. Its ore body is five to eight feet wide.

Besides the properties mentioned above there are hundreds of prospects in the district, many of which give good surface indications. It is said that the leads all run due north and south and ali dip to the east ex- cept the Big Buffalo, which dips west. No loss in value with depth has been experienced and no faults or breaks in the veins have so far been found. The camp certainly promises well, and there are conservative min- ing men who expect it to prove a permanent and ex- tensive producer.

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An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho, Part 109

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