An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho, Part 235

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 235
USA > Idaho > Nez Perce County > An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho > Part 235
USA > Idaho > Shoshone County > An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho > Part 235
USA > Idaho > Latah County > An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho > Part 235

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But the county organization was not given up in 1881, and fortunate it was, for even before that date, unknown to the residents, forces had been silently at work which were destined to cause the county speedily to become populous and to leap at a single bound to a position of prominence among its sister counties. From the earliest times the existence of gold in the Cœur d'Alenes had been suspected. While Lieutenant Mullan was constructing his well known military road through the region his men observed indications of the precious metals, if they did not actually discover them. His suspicions of the existence of gold in this legion and elsewhere along the road are frankly ex- pressed in the following interesting letter :

WASHINGTON, D. C., JUNE 4. 1884.

Editor Eagle: I have received your very courteous let- ter of May 21. 1884. It is exceedingly gratifying to me to view and read of the developments that are now taking place in your section of the country, which for so many years was my camping ground, and where I became familiar with many of the difficulties of opening up so wild a region of our mountain system, and particularly when they are set forth in a sprightly journal like the Eagle, right in the heart of such development. 1 am not at all surprised at the discovery of

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numerous rich gold deposits in your mountains, because both on the waters of the St. Joseph and Coeur d'Alene, when there many years ago, I frequently noticed vast masses of quartz strewing the ground, particularly on the St. Joseph river, and wide veins of quartz projecting at numerous points along the line of my road along the Coeur d'Alene, all of which indicated the presence of gold. Nay, more, I now recall quite vividly one of my herders and hunters, a man by the name of Moise, a French-Canadian (the son-in- law of Louis Brown, then living at Frenchtown, a little vil- lage about fifteen miles below Missoula) coming into camp one day with a handful of coarse gold which he said he had found on the headwaters of the north fork of the Coeur d'Alene while out hunting for our expedition. This gold was so pure, so heavy and so free from quartz or matrix rock and weighing several ounces that it attracted not only a great deal of attention, but some degree of surprise at the time. And when he said he had found it his statement was scarcely credited by anyone then in our camp, because it was believed that he had traded for this gold with some parties passing up and down from the Frazier river mines. This was in '58-9.

Further on in our journey another gold deposit was dis- covered by a member of my party named Spangler, who was my assistant wagon maker, and who is still living in the state of Virginia. This was finer gold and was found on the south bank of the Bitter Root river, between the summit of the mountains and the present town of Missoula. But Spangler, whether justly or not, it is immaterial now to say, was known in our camp to be a sort of Baron Munchausen, and his statement was not credited, there being then no dis- position to confirm his discovery and because of the distance from the line of our road, where the alleged discovery was said to have been made

Further on in our journey I remember distinctly camp- ing on a certain Sunday on Fline creek, a tributary to Hell Gate river, and while some of my men were engaged in turning the stream in order to catch some of the many trout with which it was known to be supplied, other men went to the hillside and taking up several pans of gravel and dirt washed the same, and in every instance found gold and in some instances considerable. it being, however, very fine scale gold.

Passing still farther eastward some of my party made the discovery of gold on what is now known as the American fork, where I am told extensive placer deposits have been worked. Passing still farther eastward, an old miner in my camp, whose name I cannot now recall, made the discovery of gold on the waters of the Prickly Pear, where since the rich deposits around Helena have been worked.

The members of my expedition were composed very largely of old miners from California, and having had more or less experience in noticing the indications of mineral de- posits, their universal verdict was that the entire country from Coeur d'Alene lake on toward and including the east slope of the Rocky mountains was one vast gold bearing country, and I was always nervous as to the possible dis- covery of gold along the line of my road, and I am now frank to say that I did nothing to encourage its discovery at that time, for I feared that any rich discovery would lead to a general stampede of my men from my own expedition and thus destroy the probable consummation of my work during the time within which I desired to complete the same. I then regarded it as of the first importance to myself and to the public to open a base line from the plains of the Spokane on the west to the plains of the Missouri on the east, from which other lines could be subsequently opened and by means of which the correct geography of the country could be delineated.

My ohiect at that time and the object of those whose views I was in the field to execute was not so much to discover gold as it was for the purpose of ascertaining whether there was a practical railroad route through the valleys and if there existed any practicable pass in the main range of the Rocky mountains through which. in connection with proper ap- proaches thereto, we could carry a wagon road, to be followed by a railroad line and I did not hesitate to make all other

considerations secondary or st'ordinate thereto, believing then, and knowing now, that if a railroad line was projected and completed through the valleys and the passes of the Rocky mountains, between the 45th and the 48th parallels of latitude, that all other developments would necessarily and naturally soon followd.

I am, therefore, not surprised to-day to see, as I saw last September, when going out to assist in driving the last spike on the N. P. railway, countless herds of stock grazing in perfect security from Indians upon the broad plains of the upper Missouri and Yellowstone and the entire road dotted with towns and villages, and being peopled by a hardy pop- ulation ; not surprised to find my old camp on the Hell Gate, the site of the beautiful town of Missoula, or to see the broad plains of the Spokane fenced in and reduced to cultivation, or the waste waters of the Spokane at Spokane falls, harnessed to busy the wheels of industry nor to know that the great waters of the Coeur d'Alene river and lake are being ploughed hy steamers, right in the heart of the Coeur d'Alene moun- tains; and the Hell Gate Ronde in Montana and the Coeur d'Alene lake in Idaho, becoming the sites of two of the most important military posts along our exterme northwestern borders, because all these were foreseen and officially reported by me thirty years ago, and stated as likely to take place. To me it is peculiarly gratifying to know that I have been enabled to live sufficiently long to see these various matters fully real- ized, and I have no envy whatsoever against any of those per- sons who are now enjoying the partial development of the re- sults of our early labors.

Your mines, if as rich and extensive as reported, are destined to build up many important interior centers of trade and promise to make the city of Portland, Oregon, a great and busy mart of commerce and an important center of pop- ulation and industrial development. Fort Benton and Helena on your east are destined, too, to be large cities of the plains. Should your mining camps become even one-half what is expected of them, I would not be surprised to see the entire mountain system from Eagle City on the north to Pierce City on the south. becoming the sites of numerous mining camps and towns, connected by a system of narrow gauge railroads, with telegraphs and telephones extending as a network over a bed of mountains, where for so many ages silence has reigned supreme, and whose industrious residents, I hope, may be richly compensated for their arduous occupations, trials and exposures necessarily incident to so rugged a country and so severe a winter climate.

Very truly yours, etc., JOHN MULLAN.

There was a newspaper dispute shortly after the first rush of gold-seekers into the Cœur d'Alenes and while some of the earliest discoveries were in litiga- tion as to who should be credited with the distinction of having first prospected in this region. Adam Aul- bach, the editor of the Sun and the champion of those opposed to A. J. Prichard and his friends, made this statement : "The first prospector in the Cœur d'Alene was Tom Irwin, who came to these mountains fully six months before Mr. Prichard did. Irwin worked a quartz claim on the Mullan road at a place called Miners' Cabin as early as the spring of '79. Prichard made his appearance in that neighborhood in the fall from Montana, accompanied by William Gerrard, and went to Fort Cœur d'Alene. Prichard had no idea of prospecting, but came into the country to secure a lumber contract from Cannon, Warner & Company. of Spokane Falls, to which he gave his attention. Irwin in the meantime continued to prospect, going into the mountains north of Nigger prairie on the southi fork of the Cœur d'Alene. He formed a favorable opinion of the country and thought that placers ex-

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isted, but could not find any that would pay in his immediate line of search. He, however, repaired to Fort Cœur d'Alene, where Prichard was logging, and called the latter's attention to the mineral bearing nature of the region he had prospected and made an effort to induce Prichard and Jolin Dason, a man working for him, to accompany him on an expedition. Both declared their willingness to go, but were not ready at the time. Irwin went back to his cabin on the Mullan road, accompanied by William Dobson, and resumed work on his quartz claim. Some time afterward Prichard came along and signified his will- ingness to accompany the party, and some prospecting was done, but nothing of value was discovered. This was in 1880."

In answer Mr. Prichard said :

"I came to the Cœur d'Alene country by way of Montana from New Mexico to Colorado in the fall of 1878, and had never heard of Cannon, Warner & Company before my arrival at the post. I found the quartz lead, known as the Evolution lead, on my way in in the month of November, 1878. On my way I left the road and followed the ridges, crossing small tributaries looking for quartz, and one night did not get into camp until midnight. It being late in the fall, I went to Post Cœur d'Alene, thence over to Heyden's lake, where I did some work for Heyden, and remained until January. While there, hearing that Cannon, Warner & Company wanted some logs, I went to Spokane Falls to see them and took a con- tract which was to have been completed by July I, ',9, that being about the time the water runs down so as to enable one to prospect, but early in the spring the unusual high water swept away Cannon & Com- pany's boom, consequently they could not receive the logs. The money I brought to the country being invested in the contract, Cannon & Company sent for me and I went to the Falls, where they made further arrangements with me, increasing the contract so as to give me employment until they could replace the boom, which they failed to complete until late in the fall. My first acquaintance with Tom Irwin was in January, '79, while at the Falls. Finding him gentle- manly and an old prospector, we talked over the pros- pects of the country, in which I spoke of my finding what is now known as the Evolution lead. In the spring while I was at work Mr. Irwin came up on a prospecting trip on the South Cœur d'Alene! The water being high, he left some of his packs at the mission and went as far as Nigger prairie with some men going to Montana, one of whom had been work- ing for me. They had to take the high water trail. and it's being blocked with fallen timber and brush, caused much delay. The men going to Montana being short of provisions, ate Irwin out, so he had to return, doing very little prospecting. On his return he found the lead near Miners' camp, to which he afterward returned and put up his cabin in the summer of '79. As the editor claims, with much emphasis, that I did not come until the fall of '80, I will add that I have a bill of goods bought of C. F. Yeaton, post trader ot

the Cœur d'Alene, lying before me dated July 7, 1879. and one of August 1, 1879, amounting up to that date to $610.26. I came in the fall before I put up my cabin at Evolution, the fall of '79, above Miner's camp and worked my lead through the winter, doing very little execution, having no tools to work with and no money to buy, having only a silver dollar left on arriving, and in February I commenced prospecting on a small gulch called Prospect gulch, putting in sluice boxes in March, and, to my knowledge, taking out the first placer gold on the Cœur d'Alene. It being a small gulch, the water did not last long, but I got some very nice specimens of coarse gold."

No means are available for determining whether the account of Mr. Prichard is or is not correct. John F. Vollmer, of Lewiston, stated to the writer that he and other merchants of that town outfitted a party of prospectors and sent them into the Cœur d'Alenes be- fore either Prichard or Irwin had entered; that the party returned with some excellent specimens of gold- bearing quartz, was outfitted again the next season and sent back to develop further its first discovery ; and that it failed to find either the ledge it had left the year before or any other prospects rich enough to justify its return. He asserts that he and his associates were the first to prospect systematically in the present Cœur d'Alene mining region.

In answer to a request by mail for further informa- tion, Mr. Vollmer sent along with a copy of the mining laws of the Agawam mining district the following let- ter, bearing date June 14, 1903 :

Dear Sir: Answering yours of the Ioth in regard to priority of prospecting the Coeur d'Alene, we can ante- date Prichard five years. In June, 1873, Frank E. Peck, of Boston, Massachusetts, and myself fitted out a prospecting party at Lewiston, Idaho, for the purpose of prospecting the Coeur d'Alenes for gold. The party was made up of the following members: Frank E. Peck, of Boston, Massachu- setts ; John O. Barbour, George A. Frost, John Desmukes and - Delaney, all of Lewiston. On the 13th of June all prepa- rations were completed and the party started. Arriving at St. Joe in due time they proceeded thence to the Mission, thence to a point where the town of Kingston now stands, thence along the Mullan road to Mud prairie, thence over the high water trail of the south fork of the Coeur d'Alene river to the St. Regis, thence down that river to the old Mullan camp near which they remained for a number of days. They then proceeded down the Missoula river and to the east side of Moose creek, thence up Fish creek to Fish lake. They then began a thorough system of prospecting between the St. Joe on the north and the Clearwater on the south, including nearly all those parts of the Coeur d'Alene that had until then not yet been prospected. The party in its search found numerous prospects and some rock assaying as high as $1,523 in gold to the ton. By this time winter was coming on and the party decided to return to Lewiston, where they arrived some time between the 14th and 20th of November, 1873.

The finds of 1873 being satisfactory, I decided, with Mr Peck to have the party return to the Coeur d'Alenes in 1874 and organize a mining district to be called the "Agawam Mining District." (I enclose you a copy of the laws there adopted. )

On June 9. 1874, the party set out again from Lewiston. but though they traveled and prospected about for several months among the Coeur d'Alene mountains and streams. they failed to again locate the rich find of the year before and not deeming the other discoveries sufficiently rich to war-

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rant their being worked under the conditions obtaining in those days, we decided to abandon further search. The party again reached Lewiston about October Ist, 1874. The fore- going is a brief narrative of that enterprise and is true.

Yours truly,

JOHN P. VOLLMER.

P. S .- I will state that our Mr. George A. Frost was in the Coeur d'Alenes in 1872. J. P. V.

But it is almost universally conceded that to A. J. Prichard rightfully belongs the honor of having made the discovery that first introduced the region to the notice of the world. Even Mr. Aulbach, who was an opponent of Mr. Prichard in the early disputes, has conceded this. as appears from the following extract from an article written by him and published in the Oregonian during the year 1896:

"Gold was discovered in the Cœur d'Alenes in 1882 by A. J. Prichard on what is now known as Prichard creek, one of the tributaries of the north fork of the Coeur d'Alene river. In early days, or. to be more definite, in 1884, some controversy arose as to whether Prichard should have the credit of the discovery or his companions. The writer, however, who came into the Cœur d'Alenes early in 1884, after considerable research and interviewing, concluded that Prichard deserved the honor. Prichard was preceded though by prospectors who left the country shortly before the discovery of gold. *

* * Near the site of the present Murray the actual discovery of placer gold is said to have been made, but as the party be- came separated, it is doubtful who made it, Gelatt or Prichard. It is, however, certain that the party was under the direction of Prichard and that if he did not dig the first prospect hole and wash the first pan of pay dirt, he was entitled to be considered the discov- erer of the creek."

Unfortunately, the few extant accounts of the pre- liminary prospecting which resulted in the discovery of the Cœur d'Alene placers can not be harmonized. Mr. Prichard and the men who were with him have either died or left the country, so that it is impossible to interview them, and as far as known, they have left no complete accounts of their doings. Mr. Prichard prepared a history of his adventures and experiences, but it was destroyed by fire while yet in manuscript form. According to the account of Adam Anlbach, who claims that his article in the Oregonian was the result of careful and exhaustive research, made in 1884, when all the original discoverers could be seen and interviewed, Irwin traded his stock of provisions in 1881 to WV. Edson and Bob Fanning for a horse and departed for Colorado. Fanning and Edson met Prichard and arranged with him for an expedition into the mountains to the north. Proceeding to Beaver creek, they prospected it for several days with- out finding anything, then returned to Miner's cabin, about twelve miles distant. They then made a trip to Canyon ereek, at that time named Miller ereek, which they also prospected without success. Dis- gusted, Fanning and Edson set out for civilization, while Prichard again returned to the "cabin."

Some letters Mr. Prichard had written to outside

parties either having been too enthusiastie or having been misconstrued, a crowd of gold-seekers was in- cited to rush into the "cabin" and Evolution. When Prichard could not show them any placer ground they threatened to lynch him and came near carrying their threat into execution, but wiser counsels eventually prevailed.

In June, 1882, Prichard again went to Beaver creek, accompanied this time by - Gelatt and Philip Markson. In a little gulch near the site of the present Delta they found an old prospect hole, dug, as was learned later, by Dawson, Kirby, Dempsey and Perry. No pay dirt was discovered. The party then cut its way through the forest to the north fork of the Cœur d'Alene, losing Gelatt en route. The old man, though sixty-five years of age, was active, robust and inde- pendent, and it was his enstom to separate himself from his companions whenever he chose. This time his absence was protracted through several days. The other members of the party gave up hope of ever seeing him again and pushed on up the north fork through the forest to the mouth of what is now named Prichard ereek, which they resolved to explore, notwithstanding the fact that their supply of provi- sions was getting low. At the site of old Eagle City they stopped to rest and prospect. Here they were rejoined, to their great joy, by Gelatt, who had been doing a little prospecting on his own account, but had found nothing. William Gerrard came into eamp next day with a small supply of provisions, having been true to his promise to follow up the other prospectors. This party discovered, it is elaimed. some gold near their camp and one of its members made the discovery near Murray which caused the great influx of miners.

The same story is told by Mrs. Prichard, who is simply rehearsing what her husband told her, in sub- stance as follows . Prichard remained at Evolution on the south fork during 1880, developing and prospeet- peeting, but in 1881 he started alone for the north fork of the Cœur d'Alene on his regular annual pros- pecting trip. He crossed Evolution mountain north of Beaver creek, having to cut his way through the heavy timber and undergrowth that then covered the country. From Beaver creek he crossed the low range on to what is now Prichard creek, then turned up Eagle creek and ascended that stream nine or ten miles, or about to the mouth of what later became known as Tributary gulch. Here he found some excellent prospects, so good indeed that he remained until the first heavy snow fell, when he turned his face toward home. Upon reaching Prichard creek he found that rain had been falling there instead of snow, so he determined to prospect in that vieinity awhile. He worked the site of the present Murray on one corner of what afterward became known as Widow's claim, obtaining excellent results. After six weeks of toil he was driven back to Evolution by the heavy snowfalls. From one pan of Prichard creek dirt he washed $42.

In 1882 he returned to the north fork, accom- panied by William Dempsey, - Fanning. Gelatt

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HISTORY OF NORTH IDAHO.

and Phil Markson. They found some diggings near the mouth of Eagle creek and spent most of the summer building and preparing to work the ground. Prichard for some reason umknown did not lead the party to his discovery of the year before on Prichard creek.

In March, 1883, Mr. Prichard located, in the vicin- ity of the present Murray, the Discovery group, con- sisting of four claims, one of which was for his son Jesse, one, the Pacific, later known as the Murray, for Mrs. C. A. Schultz, of Michigan ; one, the Lane, for Mrs. Mary H. Lane, of Illinois ( this is the claim which subsequently became known as the "Widow's claim"), and one for Willard O. Endicott, a son of Mr. Prichard's old lieutenant. In each of these Prichard was to have a half interest for working and management. Besides the Discovery group he took a great many other claims on the creek bank for differ- ent friends by power of attorney. Gelatt took a claim which developed into one of the leading producers in the camp. Dempsey located placer ground about a mile above Eagle.

Mrs. Prichard gives it as her belief that there is no truth in the assertion that the man who afterward became her husband was threatened with lynching in 1882, or at any other time. Robert T. Horn, who came to the country in August of that year, believes the story, however, and William Osburn says he was with the party who threatened to inflict this summary punishment for an imaginary wrong, but he fixes the date as May. 1883. He says the gold-hunters came to Prichard and urged that he show them the place where he had made his discoveries. The latter expos- tulated with them that a trip to the place was useless at that season of the year and very arduous. They said the journey could not be worse than the one they had taken and still urged him to become their guide. At length he yielded. He led them to the spot where gold had been discovered, but the ground, was covered so deep with snow that no prospecting could be done. The gold-hunters then became angry and talked of lynching their guide, whereupou William Osburn, who was with the party, called their attention to the fact that they came to the country against Prichard's wishes ( for he desired to keep his discovery a secret from all except the members of a certain order of lib- eralists to which he belonged), that they had been accommodated by him and that they were utterly with- out excuse for a display of anger or violence. Appar- ently they saw the injustice of their position, for they desisted from further threats against Prichard's life.

As just intimated, Mr. Prichard wished very much to save the best locations, and indeed all locations, for his friends of the Liberal League. In 1888 the Spo- kane Review published what it claimed to be a copy of one of these letters. Though the writer can not be absolutely sure of its authenticity, it is here repro- duced and given for what it is worth :

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An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho, Part 235

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