An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho, Part 249

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 249
USA > Idaho > Nez Perce County > An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho > Part 249
USA > Idaho > Shoshone County > An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho > Part 249
USA > Idaho > Latah County > An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho > Part 249

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Until 1894 not sufficient was thought of the town- site of Pierce City to warrant any one in claiming

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possession of it. But that year Francis Carle and Augustus Erickson filed mining claims upon the land, and subsequently Frank Gaffney entered a portion as a mining claim. In December, 1901, these claims were platted in a townsite. and in July, 1902, the land was patented and deeds given the claim owners. Of these sixty acres only a few acres have been laid out, al- though all of the land is suitable for building purposes. The three principal streets are Main, Carl and Court, the first named being seventy-eight feet wide.

With an enormous mineral body, carrying ores and placer gold of all degrees of richness, thousands of acres of the finest white pine, red and white fir, cedar an dtamarack in the west surrounding the town, a splendid site and energetic, progressive business men, Pierce City has before it a most promising future, and great developments may be confidently expected within the succeeding few years.

OROFINO.

In opening this sketch of Orofino an explanation is due relative to the inconsistency in the spelling of its name. The two Spanish words, Oro Fino, mean "fine gold," and are correctly used as two separate words. A recent order of the United States postal department refuses to allow the use of double names for postoffices. Hence the people of Orofino were compelled to change the name of their own town or else conform to the decision of the department. They chose the latter alternative.

It is the largest town in southern Shoshone county, situated at the mouth of Oro Fino creek, on the Clear- water Short Line railroad, four miles from the north fork, and forty-four miles from Lewiston. The name, alone, attracts attention, for it was from the auriferous gravel of Oro Fino creek that the first gold was taken that set aflame with excitement the country, synchrone- ous with the attack on Fort Sumter. Fitting it is that this euphonious Spanish name should be signalized by the building of a city and the naming of the angry torrent. To this end nature has contributed by creat- ing a beautiful site at the month of Oro Fino canyon, which widens into a pretty, park-like cove, extending inland for, perhaps, a mile. Toward the Clearwater gently slopes the broad meadow, and the creek and open parks, and alternating clusters of yellow pines and budding copses, in garbs of emerald hue: grass- clad slopes of the canyon, upon whose summits may be seen the outer edges of the great Clearwater for- est : the rushing, tumbling waters of the creek; the majestic sweep of the larger stream, all add to the picturesqueness of the town. Especially is this true in the springtime when the sharp contrast between the Clearwater valley and the high, open prairies on either side is marked. The valley has the superior winter, the prairies the superior summer climate.

At the head of this attractive cove, then, the town of Orofino has grown and prospered ; has become the most important point in the surrounding region. At one time it possessed the dignity of a county-seat ; a short-lived honor, as the county of which it became

the temporary capital was declared an illegitimate cre- ation and was dissolved. Previous to the advent of white man, in 1895, Hale Moody, a wealthy Indian, was the most prominent resident in the valley. Before the opening of the reservation he lived for many years on Oro Fino creek. When the reservation was finally thrown open to the whites Hale Moody sold his stock.

"Folded his tent like the Arabs, And silently stole away.'

Whence he came and whither he went no one ap- pears to know. He was not a Nez Perce Indian ; he had come from some portion of Montana. And the old "Hale Moody" place is now the property of Ben- jamin Hines, whose wife is a Nez Perce woman. This tract embraces about one hundred and forty acres of the best land in the valley and, together with an al- lotment belonging to an Indian woman named Ka- las-poo, or Nancy, as she is known by the whites, in- cludes the major portion of the bottom land, leaving only a comparatively small tract of deeded land, for town-site purposes. The Hines place, being inherited Indian land. the citizens of Orofino are arranging to purchase a portion. if not all, of it that the limits of the town may be extended. The tract is an unusually fine site. the ground lving practically level to the water's edge. Across the Clearwater a precipitous bluff rises several hundred feet from the river, pre- cluding a settlement in that vicinity.

The strip of land along the Oro Fino and Clear- water, still unallotted when the reservation was opened on November 18, 1895, was homesteaded by Clifford C. Fuller, on November 19, and it is on this ground that the town has been built. Mr. Fuller commuted his filing in February, 1896, and in 1898 the Clear- water Improvement Company was organized with Mr. Fuller at its head for the purpose of laying out a town- site at the mouth of the creek, building a ferry and otherwise fostering a settlement at this point. The extreme northwestern forty of the claim, lying in sec- tion 7, township 36, north range 2. east of the Boise meridian, was platted in June, 1898. During the sum- mer a ferry was built which was placed in charge of William M. Chandler, and a rough wagon road was constructed to the top of the western side of the can- yon. On his homestead Mr. Fuller had established a small trading post, a few rods from the bank of the river. above the creek. His successor, Dr. C. S. Moody. removed the goods to a building near the de- pot site, and there, assisted by his father, conducted a drug and general merchandise store. The story of the establishment of Orofino depends upon the build- ing of the steamer Hannaford in the spring of 1898 hy the Idaho & Washington Transportation Company. It was proposed by this organization to run a steamer line between the mouth of Potlatch creek and some point on the upper Clearwater, connecting that sec- tion with the railroad. In order to control this trade Orofino was founded. But before the Hannaford was completed the Northern Pacific Railway Company purchased the boat and began construction of the

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greatly desired railroad up the Clearwater. The Han- naford made four trips and was then taken to the Snake river.

To the little hamlet the railroad proved a boon. Orofino was made division headquarters during the en- tire period. There were one thousand men on the pay- roll : payment of so much money could not fail to at- tract merchants to the town. First of these, after the Moodys, was John G. Buescher. He opened his stock of goods October 1, 1898, in a little building near Moody's store. Ben Rowland had built a little cabin for residence purposes, and these three buildings, to- gether with C. C. Fuller's home, a warehouse, the ferry and the postoffice, which had been removed from Gilbert, at the mouth of the north fork, to Orofino May 1, 1897, and Mrs. Lois J. Anderson appointed postmistress, constituted the town until the spring of 1899. During the following spring and summer stores were established by Langdon & Downing, Mor- rill & Woods, Means & McKee, Carlson Brothers, Horace Noble, William A. Curry, Jacob Moritz, R. F. Woelk and Anderson & Company, most of whom are still engaged in business in the town. The same spring another important project was exploited, the Orofino Courier, the initial number being issued May 19, 1899. Its publishers were Horace E. and James R. Greer. From that time on the outside world was advised of the existence of Orofino. The pioneer ho- tel was the Buckhorn, near the Courier office, on the bank of the Clearwater, E. R. Reed proprietor. It was abandoned in 1900. Another hotel was opened in July, 1890, the Noble House; proprietor, Horace Noble. At present it is owned by Mark Means. To Orofino the railroad was completed September 22, 1899, and a station opened in November, the site being on a twenty-four-acre tract of condemned Indian land. The spring of 1899 witnessed the submergence of the streets of Orofino by the waters of the Clearwater and the creek.

Never since has Orofino been as populous as it was in 1899. This is owing to the immense number of railroad men there at that period, but its permanent population steadily increased from the time of its es- tablishment, and is still increasing. A census of the town, taken in 1901, revealed 375 people, and this number has since been perceptibly augmented. In 1902 the commissioners of Shoshone county appropriated $1,000 and the citizens of Orofino $1,500 to build a road between Pierce City and Orofino. The road was built and will be materially improved during the com- ing year. Money has also been expended improving the grade up the canyon on the opposite side of the Clearwater.

The business interests of the town are looked after particularly by the Orofino Commercial Club, or- ganized in the spring of 1900. The first officers were : P. H. Blake, president : E. H. Fuller, secretary ; J. W. Merrill, treasurer. This creditable association is at present officered and managed by James A. Parker, president : Dr. H. M. Cochran, secretary, and J. W. Merrill, treasurer. Monthly meetings are held by the club.

Realizing that Orofino could not expand on Indian land, Ellis Small and J. G. Wright platted Small & Wright's addition in 1899. At present there are prob- ably one hundred people living in this portion of Oro- fino. The two sections of the town are separated by a strip of Indian land half a mile wide, but the walk is a delightful one; over a new sidewalk recently laid between the two divisions. There are no business houses in the new addition, though a saw mill is op- erated there by Hunsperger & Boelil.

The first school in Orofino convened in a small frame building on the present depot grounds in the spring of 1898. The teacher was Mrs. Charles Moody and the succeeding term was taught by Miss Anna Tierney. Last fall a new schoolhouse, a handsome frame structure, was opened in the main town. To pay for this building the district issued bonds in the sum of $1,850. The school is now under the supervision of Professor I. F. Couch and Miss Jessie Haever- nick. The enrollment is 113, of whom fifty-seven are boys. The Methodist church is on the hill above the main portion of the town. Rev. T. C. Craig is pastor and this is the only church denomination represented. There are three fraternal societies-Orofino Lodge, No. 31, Knights of Pythias; Orofino Lodge, No. 64. I. O. O. F., and Orofino Camp, No. 7810, Modern Woodmen of America. On the hill above town are a number of fine springs, and a company is now being formed for the purpose of putting in a complete water system. The Cascade Lumber, Light and Power Com- pany was recently 'organized with a capital of $300,- 000. It has purchased a tract of land lying below the falls on Oro Fino creek, four miles east of the city, and here will be established a large saw mill and power plant. The main thoroughfare of Orofino is Jackson street, a broad avenue along the entire length of the town, and here are located a majority of the business houses. On every hand may be seen well built homes, and the people within them possess those qualities of generosity, hospitality and progressiveness characteristic of the new West.

The business houses and professional men of Oro- fino may be listed as follows: General mercantile stores-J. G. Buescher, J. W. Merrill, Oro Fino Trad- ing Company, Ltd. ; Mark Means, Oro Fino Mercan- tile Company, Ltd. : Jacob .Moritz. Private banks- Mark Means, Oro Fino Trading Company. Ltd. Newspapers-The Orofino Courier, Greer Brothers ; Optimist, Charles Hoffstetter, editor and manager. is- sted by the Optimist Publishing Company. Hotels- Noble House, A. J. Payne, proprietor ; Reynolds House, conducted by Mrs. M. L. Reynolds. Hard- ware-L. Stannus, successor to Stannus & Olcott. Drug store -Dr. J. E. Beck. Meat market-O. F. Woelk. Bakeries-Mrs. W. P. Greer, John Taylor. Livery barn -- Clearwater Livery and Feed Stables, Demarest & Edmonson, proprietors. Feed stable- Hanks & Phelps. Millinery-Miss Maggie Smith, Miss Mary Finney. Harness and saddlery-George W. Moody. Notions-James A. Parker. Cigars and confectionery-W. A. Curry, F. J. Sisk. Blacksmiths -Olsen Brothers. Barbers-W. A. Curry. Real es-

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tate-Clearwater Real Estate and Loan Agency, Al- bert L. Morgan and Harry Caufield, proprietors. At- torneys at law-William M. Chandler, Albert L. Mor- gan, Frank H. Greenman. Physicians-Dr. J. E. Beck, Dr. Henry E. Fry. Dentist-H. Miles Cochran. Postmaster-James A. Parker. A brass band of ten pieces is being trained under the leadership of a skilled and painstaking musician.

MULLAN.

In his annual report for 1889 the Governor of Idaho said :

"Mullan, seven miles east of Wallace, has a natural location of great beauty, and is one of the coming towns of Cœur d'Alene. It is well built, has two fine hotels, a public school and a weekly newspaper, the Mullan Tribune. The population is 800, and it is the center of a large mining district."

As early as 1885 a town-site company was incor- porated, comprising Charles J. Best, president, and John W. Marr, C. A. Earle, Enos G. Good and A. J. Betaque, directors, for the purpose of laying out and platting the town of Mullan. August 4, 1888, in the Shoshone county auditor's office was filed the original plat. The field notes were filed one month later, de- scribing the location as Hunter's Mining District, bounded by Mill creek on the west, the Cœur d'Alene railway, later the O., R. & N., on the south ; govern- ment town-site. The original area was 19.045 acres, on the Mullan road, west of the Idaho and Montana line, on land once known as "Nigger prairie," eighteen miles east of Evolution, and seven miles from the confluence of Canyon creek and the south fork of the Cœur d'Alene river. In 1888 Mullan contained twenty log and fifteen frame houses, one saw mill, one two-story log and one two-story frame hotel and 150 inhabitants. The estimated value of improvements was $10,000. The same year Mullan was surveyed by George R. Trask, assisted by Probate Judge Cone, for patent purposes under the incorporation law of Idaho. For a short period the Northern Pacific Rail- way Company ignored the name of Mullan and at- tempted to rechristen the town Ryan, but this effort proved futile, although. the citizens acknowledged themselves deeply indebted to Mr. Ryan for his val- uable assistance in building up the town. It was Ryan who purchased the Hunter mine in the infancy of the camp.

During the year 1889 Judge Potts, at present a resident of Mullan, attempted to establish a rival town three miles east of the latter place. As he himself expresses his opinion of prevailing conditions at that period, "There was a wild time in Mullan." Concern- ing this project a writer in the Mullan Tribune of September 5, 1889, says :

"Visitors to the Summit on Sunday afternoon, September I, were surprised to find a force of men busily engaged in laying out a town-site on the small clearing just this side of the south fork, where the Northern Pacific engineer corps is camped. On Sun- day morning the engineers surveyed the plat, named

it Tunnel City and began fencing it in at once and by evening had about thirty acres inclosed. Some Mul- lanites hearing of these proceedings, early on Monday morning rode out and each staked off a lot, beginning at the boundary line of Tunnel City and following the Mullan road toward town. There are now probably a hundred lots fenced or located. The railroad boys are in favor of namning the place Tunnel City, but as it has been previously christened "Pottsville" by some ladies, it is thought that the latter name will prevail. The future for the little town looks quite encouraging. Messrs. Potts & White are already running a hotel and general store. Messrs. Lardis & Perkins are fitting up a restaurant. A blacksmith shop and meat market are scheduled."

This attempt to establish a rival to Mullan came to naught, as did the "McFarland" enterprise in 1885. The latter was an attempt to convert into a town-site a mining camp about a mile west of the town-site of Mullan. In October, 1892, Probate Judge Gregory received a United States patent for 18.874 acres of the town-site of Mullan. This included the main business portion of the town, but did not take in the entire settlement. Several years previous the patent had been applied for, but owing to differences of opin- ion among the residents, more land was not included in the patent. In December,. 1888, Mullan was en- joying a lively boom, accelerated mainly by prospects of an early completion of a railroad to this place. The Hunter concentrator, capacity 300 tons a day, was under construction, there were many strangers in town, and building operations were in full swing.

Saturday evening, July 24, 1897, occurred the first serious loss by fire. At 10 o'clock p. m. the watchman of the Gold-Hunter mill discovered the roof of the boiler room in flames. There being sufficient steanı left, he immediately sounded the whistle. This sum- moned Superintendent Curran and a number of em- ployes, who attempted to connect the hose in the boiler room. They were driven away by heat. Although subsequent connection was made with the fireplug, this proved useless and the entire structure was soon in flames. From Wallace the Northern Pacific Rail- way Company sent out an engine to release a number of cars on the mill sidetrack, which, with the excep- tion of two, were saved from destruction. . The mill was burned to the ground. The fire was caused by sparks from the smokestack and is supposed to have been smoldering some time previous to its discovery. The loss was estimated at $50,000, with insurance of $30,000. By this disaster between fifty and sixty men were deprived of employment.

Monday, April 18, 1898, the Morning mill was de- stroyed by fire, involving a loss of $100,000, covered by insurance of $60,00. From a heating stove, the only one in the building, the fire originated, spreading so rapidly that employes had barely time to escape with their lives. Three hundred men were temporarily thrown out of work, but the owners of the plant, who were on the ground, announced their intention of re- building so soon as the insurance could be adjusted. At that period the daily output of the concentrator was

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100 tons, and the pay-roll amounted to $35,000 a month.

Conditions in Mullan during the year 1900 are concisely described in the Coeur d'Alene Mining Jour- nal, of September 1, 1901 :

The town of Mullan is located in a stretch of mountain valley, or canyon, oasis, on the banks of the south fork of the Coeur d'Alene river, a spacious, beautiful 'spot for a thrifty mining town. In other words, Mullan has room to grow, and is expanding along desirable lines. Her population is increas- ing and the trade of her merchants keeping pace with the renewed activity in adjacent mining camps. The town has good water service, an electric light plant, a nine-grade public school, with over two hundred children attending, in charge of Prof. Conklin, the usual number of religious societies and fra- ternal organizations, all necessary equipments for a thoroughly civilized and progressive class of people. The year just closed gave to Mullan many new residences, besides a three-story block, 43 by 65 feet, erected by Townsmen Frank Edwards and Gus Glome. The demand for residences has not been supplicd, necessitating the erection of many dwellings during the present year. Real estate is rapidly advancing in price. Thomas Henry, representative-elect, is a large owner of town realty. Railroad traffic increased fifty per cent in 1900, and the volume of postoffice business in proportion.

At present the population of Mullan is 1,200. Re- ligious societies are represented by the Congregation- alists, Episcopalians and Roman Catholics, all of which have church organizations and buildings for worship. Fraternal societies include Odd Fellows, Improved Order of Red Men, Ancient Order United Workmen, Woodmen of the World, Foresters, Scandinavian Brotherhood, Women of Woodcraft and Degree of Honor. An excellent system of water works is sup- plied from Boulder and Silver Creeks. The principal mines adjacent to the town are the Morning, on the ' west, and the Hunter, on the east. Aside from these the Snowstorm, a copper discovery, two miles east of Mullan, is in a flattering stage of development, a 1000- foot tunnel now being completed on a level of 1,072 feet. Should sulphite ore be struck in the ledge the company, represented by Mr. Thomas Donnelly, an experienced mining man, will erect a smelter. There are, also, numerous other prospects in the vicinity of Mullan, including the You Like, Just As, Reindeer, Silver Cliff, Missoula, Copper King and Copper Plate. The Evening mine was the first discovery on Chloride Hill.

Of the school of Mullan, District No. 12, the county superintendent's report gives the following figures : Number of boys enrolled, 38; number of girls, 26, to- tal, 64. Average attendance, 44.II. The teacher is Beth Moran. There are two school terms of 1711/2 days each, during the year, and the salary paid the teacher is $80 a month.

MURRAY.

To chronicle the history of the oldest existing, and, for years the most important town in the Coeur d'A- lenes, involves a judicious condensation of much val- vable information. Were the story exhaustively re- lated it would occupy a score of pages, or more, in a work like this, for around and within the limits of

Murray were grouped important and impressive events ; portrayals of early struggles and uplifting of this region. In earlier years Murray was the abode of the camp's most notable pioneers. Her earlier history is woven into the warp and woof of the main narra- tive of the Coeur d'Alenes, and patiently must these threads be untangled in one's efforts to present an ac- curate, yet satisfactory history of the town. It was named in honor of George Murray, a part owner of one of the claims on which the town was built.

A typical Coeur d'Alene town, Murray, originally Murraysville, is situated in a canyon on Pritchard Creek, main tributary of the north fork of the Coeur d'Alene river, about twelve miles due north from Wal- lace, with which city it is connected by one of the fin- est mountain roads in the district. Concerning its earlier history the Coeur d'Alene Eagle, of April 12, 1884, said :

"Murraysville is the name of a town on Prichard Creek, laid out January 22, last. The townsite is lo- cated on three creek claims, and next to Eagle it is the best location in the camp for a town. There is a surprising activity in building at the present time, and those who have located there are enthusiastic over the prospect of its future growth. Every branch of busi- ness is represented and all are making money. The fa- mous Widow clain lies immediately above the town and one mile above the creek is the Mother Lode. The Murraysville people are active and enterprising and talk of making the town a lively rival of Eagle. The camp, however, is rich enough and extensive enough to support two or three towns the size of Eagle without their interests conflicting. Murraysville is headquart- ters for Summit mining district, which was organized February 7, and in which the best quartz and richest placer claims have been found."

In May, 1885, it is noted in the Murray Sun that "a year ago a dense forest occupied the townsite of Murray, so dense that it was with extreme difficulty that even a woodsman could make his way through it." Yet in 1885 so industriously had Murray spun the web of her municipal destiny that she secured the county seat from Pierce City, and as early as July 10, 1884, her business houses comprised the following :

J. R. Marks & Co., hardware; C. D. Beckwith, pho- tographer : Bass & Ingalls, drugs; C. A. Hoyt, as- sayer ; F. W. Brown, fruits, nuts, etc. ; J. L. Benning- ton, Barrett & Zeigers, G. M. McCowen, restaurants ; A. Erwin, boots and shoes: Brown Brothers, lodging house : Idaho Sun, Pioneer, newspapers ; Benjamin Eggleston, feed stable: Eugene Kline, successor to Sinclair & Lockwood, Roderick MeKenzie, Wardner & Co., and Dennell & Co., general merchandise : J. F. Stevens. J. T. Roberts, contractors ; "Dave's Place," saloon : Ainsworth, Hawkins & Co., bankers ; Lafferty Bros. & Glick, bakery. J. A. Mattis was postmaster.

Sunday morning, November 2, 1884, the first Cathi- olic mass held in Murray was celebrated, Rev. Louis Jacquet, a Jesuit attached to the Spokane Mission on Peone prairie, and known by the Indians as "Broken Arm," leading the services. The first Episcopalian service was held Sunday, October 25, 1885, in the old

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court room, at which Right Reverend Dr. Tuttle, Bishop of Idaho, presided. The first M. E. church was built in 1896. The initial bank in the town was known as the Bank of Murray, established in 1884, C. L. Dahler, president; Charles Hussly, secretary, and W. Hussly, cashier. During May, 1884, the department at Washington, D. C., adopted the name of Curry as the designation of the postoffice, but this was changed to Murray within a very short time.

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An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho, Part 249

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