An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho, Part 98

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 98
USA > Idaho > Nez Perce County > An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho > Part 98
USA > Idaho > Shoshone County > An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho > Part 98
USA > Idaho > Latah County > An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho > Part 98

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).

Colville reserve, though a few were returned to their Idaho home. It is said that Joseph himself was in favor of the arrangement, knowing that his return to the Nez Perces reservation would not be conserva- tive of the best interests of his people.

By act of the legislature, approved January 21, 1885, the act passed ten years before was amended so that the boundaries should conform to the follow- ing description : "Commencing at the junction of Salmon river with Snake river; thence in a north- casterly direction to a point where the Lewiston and Mount Idaho stage road crosses Willow creek ; thence down the middle of the channel of Willow creek to its junction with Lawyer's canyon ; thence down the mid- clle of the channel of Lawyer's canyon to its junction with the Clearwater river; thence up the channel of the Clearwater river to the mouth of the north fork of the south fork of said Clearwater river ; thence due east to the Lolo fork of the Clearwater ; thence up the Lolo fork to the summit of the Bitter Root mountains ; thence southeastwardly and southerly, following the present defined boundary line between the territories of Idaho and Montana to the northwest corner of Lemhi county; thence south to the present line of Custer county ; thence southwesterly along the pres- ent line between Idaho and Custer counties to the present line of Boise county ; thence due west along the present line between Idaho and Boise counties to the present line of Washington county ; thence fol- lowing the present line between Idaho and Washing- ton counties to Snake river ; thence following the chan- nel of Snake river to the place of beginning."

The year 1886 witnessed the first legal execution in Idaho county. It appears that some time during the latter part of January, a German named Theodore Warlick murdered his mining partner, Henry C. Sav- age, on the south fork of the Salmon river, where the men were at work. During the preceding month the men had begun quarreling and on December 16th they agreed to separate, so Savage built another cabin. Later the quarreling was renewed over the division of provisions, etc. On the fatal day, Savage came af- ter his gun and another article or two of small value. Warlick had thrown the gun into the river and when lie told Savage of this, the latter, so he says, became infuriated and ran at him with an ax. Warlick seized his gun, whereupon Savage turned and fled, but failed to effect his escape. Warlick shot him through the left leg. then through the right side and finally in the neck. He then buried the body. His crime remained concealed until the middle of March, when the re- mains of Savage were discovered, having been parti- ally exhumed by some wild animal. Upon his ar- rest, Warlick confessed to the homicide, but claimed in extenuation that it was done in self defense. An effort was made by his attorneys to show that he was not of sound mind, a fact which seemed evident from lis talk.

Warlick was tried before Judge Buck in April. The jury returned a verdict of murder in the first de- gree, but recommended the defendant to the clemency of the court. Judge Buck, however, sentenced him to

the extreme penalty, designating June 9, 1886, as the date for his execution. On that day the sentence of the court was carried into effect, Sheriff Talkington officiating.

During the summer of 1886 the Alton mining dis- trict came into prominence as a promising quartz camp and elicited no little interest among mining men. The district lies about thirty miles southeast of War- 1en on Logan mountain near the head of Big creek. Citizens of Warren subscribed money to cut a trail from their town to the new camp by way of Elk creek, making it possible to reach the district from that point in a day's travel. A rush was precipitated which for a time left Warren almost without population. The camp had been discovered by Luther M. Johnson in the fall of 1885.

July 16, 1887, a partial organization of the Idaho County Pioneer Association was effected. On the 6th of August following, the society was placed upon a working basis by the adoption of a constitution and by-laws and the election of L. P. Brown as president, JI. H. Truscott, secretary, and J. M. Dorman, treas- urer. The president appointed the following board of directors : D. H. Telcher, J. R. Adkison, B. F. Mor- ris, F. B. King and James Witt. Following were the charter members: J. H. Robinson, C. W. Case, L. P. Brown, M. H. Truscott, A. Shumway, H. C. Brown, J. N. Rice, W. C. Pearson, J. J. Manuel, J. G. Row- ton, M. V. Jarrett, J. M. Domran, H. C. Johnson, Mar- ion Smith, F. M. Hughes, B. F. Morris, T. L. Ward, John Bower, 1. J. Rhodes, K. W. White, T. D. Swarts, .A. I. Watson, C. Overman, J. R. Adkison, J. T. Rig- gins, J. Auchinvole. F. B. King, George Popham, Andrew Maguire, James Witt, D. H. Telcher, Will- iam Coram, Albert Weber, James B. Sloan, Louis Weber, Ernest Smith and John McPherson.

As giving a concise account of the mining condi- tions of this period and as nearly accurate a one as is obtainable, we quote here a report by N. B. Willey, then a mining man at Warren, who later became the first lieutenant governor and second governor of the state of Idaho. The report was made in the winter of 1886-7 and reads as follows :

"In the Florence district mining is principally car- ried on by Chinamen and the production has not dif- fered materially from that of preceding years and may be estimated at $45,000. The Harpster and Liddle, a silver ledge four miles south of the town, which was first opened twenty years ago and abandoned, is be- ing retimbered and worked. An average, lot of ore sent to San Francisco sampled 140 ounces. Several gold bearing veins have been opened near town, two or three arastres built, and the production from the extremely rich surface has aggregated several thous- and dollars.

"The Salmon river district includes gravel bars scattered here and there for sixty miles above its mouth. The leading mine is near Slate creek and is owned by Small Brothers & Company of Walla Wal- la. It comprises 100 acres with a depth of 30 to 100 feet. A new ditch bringing waters from Slate creek has recently been completed at a cost of $25,000. Total

400

HISTORY OF NORTH IDAHO.

yield of this district may be estimated at $50,000, one- third of which is produced by one claim.

"The Elk City district produced more gold in 1886 than for several years previously. Old claims have been worked with greater vigor and improved appli- ances, and much new ground has been opened and worked by both white men and Chinamen. The gold production may be estimated at $75,000.

"The Warren district is situated on the south side of Salmon river and comprises the area drained by Warren creek and its tributaries. Situated at an ele- vation of 6,200 to 7,000 feet above sea level, the win- ters are severe and much snow falls, but the district is well watered during the mining season. As usual, the placer mining is in the hands of the Chinese. Nine companies have acquired by purchase about two miles of the bed of the principal creek and keep 300 men employed for seven months each year. The pro- duction is reported as $96.700. In addition to this sum small companies and single Chinamen have pro- duced $12,500. The white placer miners produced about $26,800. The following quartz mines have pro- duced these amounts, partly estimated and partly re- ported : Little Giant, $3.300; Knott, $2,000 ; Bulldog ( silver), $523; Greenhorn, $1,250; Keystone, $1,570; Miscellaneous, $1,000 : total, $9,643.

"The production of the county may therefore be recapitulated by districts as follows: Florence dis- trict, $45,000; Salmon river district, $50,000; Elk City district, $75,000; Warren district, Chinese plac- ers, $95.700 : Warren district, white miners' produc- tion, $26,800; Warren district, deep mines (quartz), $9,643 ; total production, $303,183.

"The principal feature of interest is the discovery of extensive ledges of argentiferous ore in the Alton district, thirty miles southeast of Warren, in the heart of the Salmon river mountains. The two principal ore veins yet discovered are named 'Cleveland' and 'Senator Beck.' A shipment of ore to Salt Lake was made from the former late in the autumn, but the re- sult is not known. Assays of several samples have been numerous and large, and some very fine speci- mens of native silver have been found. Altogether the prospects of this new district are most encouraging."

Agriculturally, the year 1887 was a very prosper- ous one for both the farmer and the stock raiser. Crops were excellent, more grain, hay, fruit, etc. be- ing harvested than ever before. The stock shipments were also large, aggregating $32,000 for two months in the summer. Cyrus Overman, stock inspector of the county, reported officially that the number of cat- tle and horses inspected by him between April 1, 1887, and January 1. 1888, and their average value were as follows: 900 cattle at $30, $27,000; 612 horses at $30, $18.360 ; total. $45.360. The following statistics concerning the county are from Governor Stevenson's report for the year 1887, doubtless having been com- piled in part from the assessor's returns : population, 4,250 ; value of property, real and personal, $753.403 ; production, wheat, 200.000 bushels ; oats, 50,000 bush- els ; barley. 41,000 bushels : flax seed, 5.000 bushels ; potatoes, 10,000; hay, 30,000 tons ; gold, $475,000 ;

silver, $5,000 ; stock in the county : cattle, 15,430 head ; horses, 12,000; hogs, 4,124; sheep, 9,000.

The people of Idaho county were encouraged not alone by the abundant crops and the increased volume of money in circulation, arising from large sales of cattle and horses, but by the signs of the times, which indicated that the day of railway construction in Cen- tral Idaho was soon to dawn, bringing its stimulus to industry of all kinds. In July a party of men, sent out by the Union Pacific Railway Company to exam- ine into the resources of the country between Weiser and Lewiston, made such a favorable report that the company forthwith ordered a survey, pushing it with much energy and vigor. Hopes, however, were dashed to the ground later by the fact that the Union Pacific succeeded in effecting an amicable arrangement with the O. R. & N. Company, by which it secured a satisfactory outlet to the coast.

The summer of 1888 was a very smoky one on Camas prairie owing to the prevalence of forest fires to the southward. Much timber was destroyed by them, but the bad effect of the fires immediately felt and of most direct moment to the stockman was the destruction of the winter range. But despite this disaster the year was a prosperous one as the price of cattle was higher than it had been formerly and there was considerable activity in the Warren, Elk and Al- ton mining districts. The presence of O. R. & N. sur- veyors running lines from the Clearwater to Camas prairie was also an encouraging circumstance, giving promise that the isolation of the prairie and the coun- ty was not to last always. Stock shipments this year were officially reported to have aggregated $70,140.

In the counsels of the territorial legislation of 1888- 9, Idaho county received not a little attention. By an act approved February 7th, the northwestern boun- dary line was changed to conform to the following description :- "Commencing at the junction of Salmon river with Snake river, thence up the center of the channel of Salmon river to the mouth of Deep creek ; thence up the center of the channel of Deep creek to the mouth of the right fork of Deep creek ; thence up the center of the channel of the right fork of Deep creek to the point where the township line between ranges one and two west of the Boise meridian crosses Deep creek; thence due north along said township line to a point where the said line crosses Willow creek ; thence down the middle of the channel of Wil- low creek to its junction with Lawyer's canyon ; thence down the middle of the channel of Lawyer's canyon," etc., the remainder of the boundary being the same as before.

Of more vital moment to the county was a legis- lative enactment providing for the construction of a road between Mount Idaho and Little Salmon mead- ows, and the appropriation of $50,000 therefor, but as this measure came under the head of specific legisla- tion, the territorial bill had to be submitted to congress before it could become a law. Owing to the brevity of the time intervening between its passage in the ter- ritory and the adjournment of the national law mak- ing body, it was impossible to secure the necessary

40I

HISTORY OF NORTH IDAHO.

ratification at that session, but the measure was rati- fied in May. 1890, and the contract for the construct- ion of the road let the ensuing September. The work was divided into four sections, the first extending from Mount Idaho to Florence: the second from Florence to Salmon river ; the third from Salmon river to Warm Springs ; and the fourth from there to Salmon mead- ows. The entire contract price was $32,240 or $7.760 less than the estimate of Captain Forse and the sum appropriated. After some long, tedious delays, the road was eventually completed, and is proving of un- doubted advantage.

The year 1889 was. however, a rather gloomy one to the citizens of Idaho county. It was the second dry year and the result was great depression among the white and Chinese miners. Many of the latter were so hopelessly involved that they were compelled to quit the business entirely and seek to retrieve their fortunes in other lines of endeavor. The drouth was doubly severe upon the farmer and the stockman, di- minishing crops, injuring the range and at the same time, by its effect upon the mining classes, reducing demand for such produce as could be raised. Another effect was forest fires which again raged in the sur- rounding mountains, sometimes threatening serious damage. especially to the range.

Speaking of the fires in one particular direction, the Idaho County Free Press, of October 4, 1889, says :

"The fire in the timber south of town has been gradually spreading and drawing near to the settle- ments on the foothills for the past month. On Friday last, September 27th, a stiff wind was blowing from the southwest and the settlers all day long, with the as- sistance of parties from Grangeville and Mount Idaho, fought the fire, which was threatening the properties of Joseph Cash and Mrs. Eastman. The fires in this neighborhood were gotten under control ahout night- fall Friday evening, and then commenced a fight to save the mill property of W. W. Bowman. About a dozen men from Grangeville and Mount Idaho were on the ground to assist the local settlers and all night long the war against the devouring flames was kept up. It was thought that the best way to fight fire was with fire, so hack fires were started, which materially aided in checking the flames. At one time, about three o'clock Saturday morning, it looked as though the mill property was doomed. On the west side of Three Mile creek was a solid mile of fire, with the flames ris- ing forty and fifty feet high, while the air was filled with flying cinders and blazing brands. At one time the old shop at the mill took fire from flying sparks, but one or two buckets of water extinguished the flame. Just as the morning began to dawn the advance of the fire at this point was checked and the only point in immediate danger was the property of Green Dal- las. The fire was gotten under control at this point Saturday morning. The work of fighting the fire was rendered doubly hard by the stiff wind, which car- ried sparks distances of from one quarter to a half a mile, where they would ignite and spread. Sunday the welcome rain came and extinguished the fires.

"No houses were burned, but the timber that was destroyed will be a severe loss to the next generation if not to this."

Though mining excitements in north Idaho have never been an uncommon thing, yet that of July, 1889, was of sufficient magnitude to merit some mention in our summary of the year. The site of the reported placer find was a small creek beyond the Alton quartz district. The discoverers were McLeod, McDonald and Three-fingered Smith. Warren was depopulated as soon as the news became known there and several parties left Camas prairie for the diggings. The scene in Warren must have been very similar to those witnessed the golden days of the early 'sixties, as appears from the following description from the pen of one who was there at the time:

"Our camp is deserted : everybody is gone. Rie- bold's men left en masse. It looked like the excite- ment of war times; the streets, from end to end, oc- cupied by horses, some being saddled ; some being shod by improvised smiths all along the streets ; some be- ing loaded : then the mounting in hot haste, the brand- ishing of arms and loud call to start, quickly obeyed, and in double quick time, with John Crooks to the front on a charger : the ever restless pack animals jost- ling and moving hither and thither." The excitment proved to be "much ado about nothing," for on the 19th parties returned, reporting that scarcely a color could be found in the new diggings.

January 2, 1890, Company C, First Regiment, Ida- ho National Guards was organized at Grangeville with a membership of forty-seven. E. Beck was elected captain ; C. M. Day. first lieutenant ; S. E. Bibby, sec- ond lieutenant. Its civil officers were: president, R. F. Fulton : vice-president, T. J. Aram : recording sec- retary, T. M. Pearson : financial secretary, S. G. Bene- dict ; treasurer, A. F. Parker.

The year witnessed the survey of the road be- tween Mount Idaho and Little Salmon meadows be- fore mentioned, the letting of the contracts for its con- struction and the inception of work upon it. It was also a year of great activity in railway circles. The expectation that the Northern Pacific would begin at once constructing a branch line to Lewiston caused a considerable business revival in this as well as Nez Perces county. It is stated that farm property showed a decidedly upward tendency, and that city and town lots almost doubled during the twelvemonth.

As the time approached for the convening of the first state legislature, Idaho county got its forces in battle array to contend for the location within its bord- ers of the agricultural college and experiment sta- tion. This institution was entitled to an annuity of $25.000 from the government and an appropriation of the state's public lands. Meetings were held at Grangeville. Cottonwood, White Bird, Mount Idaho, Clearwater. Keuterville and other points to consider ways and means of securing the boon. A memorial was prepared, signed by more than five hundred per- sons, and forwarded to the legislature. It set forth among other things the advantages of Camas prairie as an agricultural tract, claiming that it was the larg-

402

HISTORY OF NORTH IDAHO.

est and best body of farming land in the state. Grange- ville, naturally, was a leading competitor for the in- stitution, though several other points on the prairie held out inducements in the hope that they might se- cure the prize. Grangeville offered a subsidy of cash, land and other property, amounting in value to fully $12,500 in all, including the building and grounds of the Columbia River Conference Academy, which the trustees of that institution agreed to donate. But all these overtures were unavailing. The agricultural college was eventually combined with the state uni- versity, located at Moscow.

On the 28th of February, 1891, a snow storm set in on Camas prairie, which, it is claimed, eclipsed all others that have been experienced by white men in the length of time it continued without cessation. All that afternoon, all the next day and until daylight of the day following it continued to snow and snow, until the old snow was buried twenty-six inches deep under the large, feathery flakes. There was no wind. When the downfall at last ceased and the sky cleared, the temperature fell almost to zero, but stock were in ex- cellent condition to stand the cold snap, the supply of feed for them was abundant and no damage resulted to the cattle man, while the storm was a blessing to the miner and agriculturist.

At the 1890-91 session of the legislature, the boundaries of Idaho county were again changed somewhat. The line is the same as that defined in the act of 1885 from the place of beginning at the junc- tion of the Salmon and Snake rivers to the Lolo fork of the Clearwater, when the description is made to read: "thence up the middle of the channel of Lolo creek to the head of Lolo creek, and thence in a direct I'ne to the Lolo pass at the summit of the Bitter Root mountains : thence southeasterly and sontherly fol- lowing the present lines to the east line of Washington county ; thence along said line between Idaho and Washington counties to the head of the falls at the lower end of Round valley; thence due west to Snake river : thence following the middle of the channel of Snake river to the place of beginning."

Considerable attention was paid this year to the copper prospects on Rapid river. A new townsite, known as Sherman, was laid out and some other steps taken toward establishing a great copper camp and developing the rich ore. It was believed that as a cop- per district the Rapid river belt would some day rival or surpass the great Seven Devils country, though its inaccessability was against its speedy development.

The year 1891 was the year of the cricket scare in the farming districts of Idaho county, which is here mentioned, not because of its importance, but because it has somehow come to be an event from which dates are frequently reckoned. The crickets were present in great numbers, but they damaged the crops only in spots, failing entirely to produce the wide-spread destruction it was feared they would. The year was one of good crops, no stock losses, and much activity in the mines, especially in the Elk City district, where substantial developments were made in the opening of quartz claims.

The assessment roll of the year shows a total val- nation of property of $976,610; that there were four quartz mills in the county, two flour mills, five saw mills and twenty-two mining ditches; that the num- ber of head of stock cattle was 13.337, of beef cattle, 222, of cows, 974, 39 of which were thoroughbreds, of thoroughbred bulls, 17 : of horses, 8,016, of thorough- bred stallions, 60; of hogs, 3.121 ; of sheep, 6,555.

Prior to this time Idaho county had never experi- enced the excitement of a hard fought county seat contest, but in the spring of 1892 a battle of this ex- citing and sometimes demoralizing kind commenced. For a number of years Mount Idaho had been declin- ing in about inverse ratio to the growth of its sister town of Grangeville, and the citizens of the latter place at length decided that on the principle of the greatest good to the greatest number the seat of gov- ernment should be changed. The first gun of the con- test was fired February 26th, when the citizens of Grangeville met at Grange hall to take formal action looking toward the removal of the county seat. A com- mittee was appointed to take charge of the matter, the personnel of which was Henry Wax, chairman; A. F. Parker, secretary; W. A. Hall, Evan Evans and R. F. Fulton. Later this committee prepared an address to the people setting forth the reasons for the removal in the following language :

"One-third of the total vote of Idaho county is cast in Grangeville precinct, and a very large propor- tion of the remainder find Grangeville the most con- venient point for the transaction of business. Under present conditions, more than three-fourths of the population have to pass through Grangeville to get to the county seat, thus greatly and unnecessarily in- creasing taxation by adding to the cost of jurors' and witnesses' fees.

"Grangeville is the largest town of the county, having the largest and most permanent buildings, is the center of commercial and mining business and has more extensive hotel and restaurant accommo- * dations than any other town in the county. *

"The people of Grangeville will donate to Idaho county suitable and ample grounds for all county purposes, with a better court house than the one now owned by the county, together with a brick jail and a fire-proof brick vault for proper preservation of the county records. The money for this purpose is already pledged by private subscription, and bonds will be given in due time to secure the county against expense.

"Acting on the principle of the greatest good to the number, the county seat should be removed to Grange- ville."

According to the provisions of the constitution, a vote on the question of county seat removal could only be had upon petition signed by a majority of the electors of the county. To succeed the proposal had to be favored by two-thirds of the electors voting at a general election and a vote on the subject could only be had once in six years.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho, Part 98

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