USA > Idaho > An illustrated history of the state of Idaho, containing a history of the state of Idaho from the earliest period of its discovery to the present time, together with glimpses of its auspicious future; illustrations and biographical mention of many pioneers and prominent citizens of to-day > Part 43
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While all development indicates that the ore bodies in the Cumberland will equal in richness and tonnage those of the adjacent properties, the fact is already proven that in this mine is a strong, perfectly continuous ledge, the ore chute being three hundred feet long and of an average width of twelve inches, which will yield to ordi- nary mill methods a return sufficient to reward the investors heavily and encourage others to in- vestigate, develop and reopen the long neglected veins of War Eagle mountain.
DE LAMAR.
The town of De Lamar is prettily nestled in a cluster of hills, prominent among which is the De Lamar mountain, distant sixty miles from the capital, Boise City, and nine miles from the coun- ty seat, Silver City. It is lighted electrically, and supplied with telegraphic and telephonic com- munications with the outer world. The town is located on the banks of Jordan creek, famous in the early history of Owyhee county, the ap- proaches of the town being lined with well built residences. In the center of the town is located the plant of the De Lamar Mining Company, Limited, consisting of mill buildings, department shops, offices, hotel and bunk houses, and sur- rounded by the principal mercantile houses. A
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little farther on, still within the hearing of the hum of industry, is another branch of the town, called by the residents "Tough Town," which it mercantile activity fully equals that of the town proper. From there the road to Oregon is skirted by the residences of ranchers, teamsters, milk dealers and woodmen, with here and there an occasional evidence of mining industry, such as the Henrietta mill, Jones' mill, and John Scales' mill, at Wagontown.
The earliest settlement was at old Wagon- town, located about two miles below the center of the town of De Lamar, which was a road station on the stage line running from Silver City to Winnemucca, Nevada. The first mine was lo- cated by J. W. Stoddard, which was afterwards patented, and is now a portion of the De Lamar group. John A. Wilson was the discoverer of the Wilson mine, which forms the nucleus of the De Lamar group. He disposed of his properties in September, 1888, to Captain De Lamar, who subsequently purchased the Sommercamp and Lepley claims. Captain De Lamar vigorously developed his properties, erecting mill, hotel, and other necessary buildings. Peter Adams opened a boarding house, and Tom Jones, John Arvid - son, Lewis Walker and others erected buildings, and 1890 found the town in a booming condition, and with a good-sized future. Montie B. Gwinn, of Caldwell, and others, opened a general mer- chandise store, under the name of the De Lamar Mercantile Company, which is now being carried on by Isay & Gombrig.
In the early part of 1891, Captain De Lamar disposed of his entire interests to the De Lamar Mining Company, Limited, an incorporated com- pany of London, England, who have since their inception made many substantial improvements, besides erecting a substantial hotel, with first- class appointments, taking the place of the one erected by Captain De Lamar, which was de- stroyed by fire; and it is largely due to the un- ceasing application of the resident managers that the company possesses a plant whose standard of excellence is unexcelled by that of any mining company in this portion of the west. The claims of the De Lamar Company number- ing about forty, are located on De Lamar moun- tain, and in the vicinity are located the Big I, Silver Vault, Garfield, Lepley, and many other
promising mining properties, which are being ex- ploited with excellent results. The De Lamar hotel, owned by the mining company, is ably managed.
The public schools are in a flourishing condi- tion, under excellent supervision, with a member- ship of about one hundred and fifty pupils.
A flourishing miners' union, a lodge of Odd Fellows, with a Rebekah lodge, comprise the se- cret organizations, and the welfare of the town is generally looked after by the De Lamar Nug- get, a spicy and entertaining newspaper men- tioned in the chapter concerning the press of the state.
The De Lamar Mining Company, Limited, was incorporated in March, 1891, under the laws of Great Britain, with a nominal capital of 400,- 000 shares of one pound sterling each. The prin- cipal officers of the company in 1898 were: Francis Muir, Esq., of London, chairman board of directors; Charles Pakeman, Esq., of London. secretary board of directors; D. B. Huntley, resi- dent manager ; E. V. Orford, accountant and resi- dent assistant manager ; and Thomas Davey, mine foreman. The company are the owners of about forty mining claims and mill-sites, mostly pat- ented, and situated at the town of De Lamar. These several groups of mines were located in the eighties, and in 1887 were purchased of the original owners by Captain J. R. De Lamar, who in the early part of 1891 disposed of them to the De Lamar Mining Company, Limited, the pur- chase price, it is said, being about two millions of dollars.
The working openings of the mines embrace about six miles, and the main workings of the property extend seven hundred feet in vertical depth; and beyond this an incline shaft is now being sunk for prospecting purposes. A three- rail gravity tramway, about two thousand and three hundred feet in length, connects the mines with the mill, which is a pan-amalgamation plant, equipped with forty stamps, twenty-eight pans, etc., and has a capacity of treating one hun- dred and fifty tons of ore daily. Connected with this mill is a fifty-ton plant of the Pelaton-Clerici cyanide process. These mills are run by a Corliss engine of two hundred and fifty horse power, and for about three months in the spring of the year the water power is utilized by means of a
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six-foot Pelton water wheel. The plant owned by the company is the most complete one in this sec- tion of the country, consisting of hotel and office buildings, store houses, department shops, mill, assay buildings, bunk and boarding houses, tram- ways, etc., and is covered by an insurance of fully one hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars. The company also carries a large stock of wood and other material, and duplicates of machinery, in which there is a large amount invested. The mills and mines give employment to about two hundred men, there being no interruption to the work, except on prominent holidays.
The energy and perseverance of the local man- agers, together with the liberal support of the home management, has placed this company in the foremost rank of the best mining properties of the west, and the gross output since the or- ganization of the company to date amounts to over five million dollars.
The Miners' Union of De Lamar is the oldest existing branch of the W. F. of M. in Owyhee county, and was organized on April 18, 1896, the first officers installed being: President, J. J. Bennett; vice-president, Thomas Duncalf; re- cording secretary, Samuel Honey ; financial secre- tary, Ed. Wood; treasurer, William Cayzer; con- ductor, Charles Morris; warden, William Brash- er; trustees, James H. Rodda, Fred Tyacke, John Pascoe, Richard Temby and Henry Warren.
Since its organization the Miners' Union of De Lamar has paid ont in benefits to members and their families some four thousand dollars, and, aside from its social features, has been ever the means of maintaining the harmonious feeling which exists between the De Lamar company and its employes. Its present membership amounts to one hundred and fifty, all in good standing. Its financial affairs are in a flourishing condition, and the great good it has accomplished in De Lamar is acknowledged by all.
DEWEY.
The town of Booneville was first settled in the summer of 1863, the first inhabitant being Cap- tain Boone, from whom the town was named. For a time the town enjoyed a large population, and was in a very prosperous condition ; but sub- sequently fell into decay, and for a good many years was simply a stopping place for wayfarers,
stages and teamsters, the only building of pront- inence being the old Booneville hotel. In the spring of 1896, the hotel and surrounding prop- erty was purchased by Colonel W. H. Dewey, and operations were at once set on foot for the improvement of the town. During the summer of 1896, the Florida M. & M. Company erected a twenty-stamp mill, which is by far one of the largest and best equipped in the west. The Hotel Dewey was also erected, a large and commodious building, whose appointments and architectural structure are unequaled by any hotel in the state. The building is of the southern hotel order, three stories in height, surmounted by a large cupola, and fronted with a double portico. The building is thirty by sixty feet, with an L of thirty by sev- enty-eight feet. To the left of the hall are the bar-rooms, card-rooms and the store-rooms, the bar fittings being very elaborate, and unexcelled in this section of the country. To the right of the hall are the offices, reading-room, billiard-roon and wash-room. The hall terminates with the dining-room and kitchen, and the upper stories are devoted to parlors and rooms, single and en suite, elegantly furnished with modern-style fur- niture, equal to that of any caravansary on the coast. In the third story is a large hall, com- pletely fitted up for theatricals, dances and other amusements. The hotel is heated by steam-heat- ing apparatus of the latest pattern, and lighted by an electrical plant supplied by the mill, and the sanitary and sewerage conditions are as per- fect as can be made by labor and science.
Adjoining the hotel are the offices of the Flori- da M. & M. Company, and the residence of the superintendent, both of which are of modern de- sign, artistic structure and substantial erection. Facing the hotel, several substantial buildings have been erected, viz., general store, butcher shop, steam laundry, barber shop, variety store, postoffice, livery stable and barn, etc., and in the upper part of the store building is a large hall, fitted up for lodge rooms, assemblages, etc.
The water facilities and fire system of the town are the best to be found in any mining camp this side of the Rocky mountains, the water being piped from natural springs located nearly two miles from the town, and conveyed to tanks hav- ing a capacity of 1,500 barrels, situated at an ele- vation of about three hundred and fifty feet on
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the hill east of the hotel, giving a pressure of about two hundred and forty pounds to the square inch through a four-inch main, to twelve fire-plugs located in different parts of the town; and thereby securing for the town an almost com- plete immunity from fire. There has also been constructed an ice house and slaughter house, and, in fact, nothing has been neglected in the way of making the town complete as to conven- iences for its inhabitants, as well as an illustration of what can be done by applied energy and in- dustry.
In the spring of 1897, through the efforts of Colonel Dewey, a postoffice was established, and the name of the town changed to Dewey, in com- pliment to its founder; and James Gartland, the genial accountant of the F. M. & M. Company, and affable manager of the Hotel Dewey, re- ceived the appointment of postmaster.
The town of Dewey is located at the base of Florida mountain, and in easy distance of all the principal mining properties located on that mountain, and is also the terminal point of the B. N. & O. R. R. Company, now in course of construction.
REYNOLDS CREEK.
Reynolds Creek valley is sixteen miles from Silver City and fifteen from Snake river. The earliest settlers here were Thomas Carson, Joseph Babbington and James C. Bernard, who came in the spring of 1864. Since then the valley has been settled rapidly, the population now number- ing over two hundred. The chief productions of the valley are hay, grain and fruit, which find a ready market at the mining camps, and consid- erable attention is given also to the rearing of live stock.
The village itself is characterized principally by J. M. Brunzell's hotel and Share's stage-house. The latter well known resort, familiar to the pa- trons of the California, Oregon & Idaho Stage Company, as well as to the wayfaring public in general, was opened in April, 1877, by Charles E. Share, as a stage station and teamsters' headquar- ters, and has been continued by him ever since without interruption.
GUFFEY.
This village is the present terminal point of the Boise, Nampa & Owyhee Railroad, located
at the Snake river, thirty miles from Silver City and one mile below the railroad bridge of the B., N. & O. Railroad. The first building was erected May 27, 1897, by Fred Brunzell, and the town now comprises a general store, express and post offices, hotel, blacksmith shop, livery stables, stage barns, boarding-houses, etc., and enjoys a population of over a hundred, with indications of a steady increase.
The railroad bridge at Guffey was completed by the Boise, Nampa & Owyhee Railroad Com- pany during the summer of 1897. The height from low water to the track is fifty feet. The bridge consists of two spans, each two hundred and fifty feet in length.
GRAND VIEW.
This post office is located on the south side of the Snake river, forty-five miles from Silver City and twenty-two miles from Mountain Home. It is an outlet for a large scope of agricultural coun- try, there being several fine ranches in the back country and vicinity. It is also the headquar- ters of the Owyhee Land & Irrigation Company, who are the owners of a fine, substantial hotel and store, besides the ferry.
The chief productions of the valleys and ranches bordering on the canal are hay, grain and fruits, which are raised in large quantities, and considerable attention is given to placer-min- ing along the banks of the Snake river.
The earliest settlers here were Captain White, John McVann, Wenzel Turmes and Henry Dorsey.
BRUNEAU DAM.
This dam, located on Bruneau river, a mile and a half above its mouth, was constructed by the Owyhee Land & Irrigation Company, is twenty - five feet high and one hundred and ninety feet wide at the bottom, and a hundred and eighty feet long at the top. Upon this foundation is a crib dam, made of iron and timber, one hundred and seventy-six feet long on the crest, terminat- ing at each end in vertical masonry abutments.
At the south side are the headgates of the canal, having an opening of forty feet in width, and from this point the canal follows the contours about ten miles in a westerly direction and at a distance of one to two miles south of Snake river.
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HISTORY OF IDAHO.
Bruneau valley is situated in the northeastern part of Owyhee county, is fourteen miles in length and one to two miles wide. The Bruneau river flows through the center of the valley and empties into the Snake river.
The earliest settlers in this valley were John Turner, "Uncle Abe" Roberson, James H. Whit - son and B. F. Hawes, who located here in the sixties.
Fruit, grain and hay, especially the latter, are the chief products of the soil. Some live stock, including sheep, is raised. The horses bred and reared here are as good as the average in the best of localities. The temperature rarely falls to zero.
The town of Bruneau has a general store, hotel, postoffice, blacksmith shop, etc.
HOT SPRINGS.
Hot Springs district comprises the upper half of the beautiful valley of the Bruneau, and takes its name from the innumerable hot springs which are located mainly on the ranches of the Rober- sons, Arthur Pence and Lewis & Olsen. The
soil is extremely fertile and abundantly watered by the Bruneau river, and the ranches are noted not alone for their picturesque beauty but also for their large productions of hav, cereals, fruit, etc.
THE OREANA VALLEY
embraces Picket, Hart's and Catherine creeks, and is about fifteen miles long, one to three miles wide and has many creeks. Grain, hay and fruit are the principal productions.
The town of Oreana has a general store, black - smith shop and school, besides the postoffice, which was established here in 1884.
The earliest settlers here were James and John Driscoll and Tim Shea, who located here early in the sixties.
CASTLE CREEK VALLEY
is about fifteen miles long and one to two miles wide, through which flows the beautiful creek. Farming and stock-raising are the chief indus- tries, the valley being good for hay.
The earliest settlers in this valley were Captain G. W. Paul, M. H. Presby, P. S. Cooper and W. H. Barnes.
Dwman
CHAPTER XXII.
INDIVIDUAL RECORDS.
CHRISTOPHER W. MOORE.
O NE of the honored pioneers and distin- guished citizen of Boise is the well known president of the First National Bank of Idaho, Christopher Wilkinson Moore. To him there has come the attainment of a dis- tinguished position in connection with the great material industries of the state, and his efforts have been so discerningly directed along well defined lines that he seems to have realized at any one point of progress the full measure of his possibilities for accomplishment at that point. A man of distinct and forceful individuality, of broad mentality and most mature judgment, he has left and is leaving his impress upon the in- dustrial world. For years he has been an im- portant factor in the development of the natural resources of the state, in the upbuilding of the capital city and in the promotion of the enter- prises which add not alone to his individual pros- perity, but also advance the general welfare and prosperity of the city in which he makes his home.
Mr. Moore was born in Toronto, Canada, No- vember 30, 1835, and is of Scotch-Irish descent. His parents, Christopher and Eliza (Crawford) Moore, spent the greater part of their lives in and near Toronto, Canada, where the father en- gaged in farming and merchandising. They were both members of the Methodist church, and their well spent lives won them the deserved es- teem of their fellow men. The father departed this life in his seventieth year, and the mother in the sixty-sixth year of her age. They were the parents of six children, four of whom are now living.
Mr. Moore of this review acquired his educa- tion in the schools of Toronto, Canada, and of Wisconsin, and on the 5th of May, 1852, started with his parents and family, in company with a party, for the Pacific coast. He was then only in his seventeenth year. The journey was made
across the plains to Oregon with teams, and they experienced many hardships and trials before their destination was reached. They had in their train about three hundred head of cattle and horses, and Mr. Moore was one of the drivers. The stock of advance emigrants had eaten all the grass near the trail at watering places, and taking a buffalo robe with him, he frequently, with one other person, would drive the stock sev- eral miles from the trail to a point where they could find feed. There, wrapping themselves in the robes, they would lie down and sleep, while the stock grazed. At daybreak they would peer cautiously from their hiding places, and if there were no Indians in sight, would catch their horses and drive the stock back to camp.
On one occasion they made a drive of forty miles, during which time they had no feed or water, to Snake river, where they found no feed could be secured on that side of the stream, and consequently it became necessary to swim across to where they could see an abundance of good grass. Mr. Moore and another boy undertook this, and after getting the stock in the river they followed on their horses. After a time it became evident that they were making but little head- way. His companion and his horse sank in a whirlpool. After a few seconds they came up at different points, and Mr. Moore called to the young man to catch the horse by the tail and let him troll him out. He answered that he could swim out alone, but as he was hampered by his. boots and clothing, made little progress and after - ward was engulfed in another whirlpool. Several days later the body was seen on the rocks in Salmon Falls, some distance down the river. A number of years later, when Mr. Moore was one evening in the company of a number of travelers, at a wayside inn between the Columbia river and Puget Sound, one of them told how his son was drowned in the Snake river while he and another boy were driving stock across Mr. Moore at
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once said: "I was the other boy!" The old gentleman was greatly affected and asked many questions about his lost son.
On another occasion, only a few days later, Mr. Moore was connected with a typical experi- ence of the pioneer emigrant. A white man was found shot, not far from camp,-the deed of an Indian, it was thought. The murderer was tracked in the sand until finally the footprints led to the river where the sand was wet. There the impressions were those of a man's boots, with heels on ; so it was known that the murderer was a white man and not an Indian. The track was followed until they succeeded in arresting the criminal, who, it seems, in company with the murdered man, had found a stray cow on the Sweetwater river, which the other man insisted on retaining. Several weeks later the murderer, finding this man lying on the sand one day, guarding the stock while grazing, came up to him with the remark, "Now I will get even on you!" He then drew a revolver and shot him in the head. After the arrest of the criminal a jury ·of six men was chosen from a neutral train, and, the verdict of guilty being rendered, the mur- derer was blindfolded and shot, and both buried in the same grave!
Such are some of the experiences which at- tended the early crossing of the great plains. The men who came to found homes in the west had to endure many hardships. There was constant danger of Indian attacks. The efforts of such men as Mr. Moore, however, have wrought a great transformation, and the law-abiding settle- ments, the flourishing towns and enterprising cities of Idaho form a state which occupies a creditable place in the Union. Rich in natural resources, its future history will be still more creditable than its past, and on its annals will be found the name of Christopher W. Moore as one who aided in its splendid development.
On coming to the west he first engaged in raising, buying and selling live stock, and ship- ping to Puget Sound and Victoria, British Co- lumbia. His efforts in that direction were at- tended with success, and thus he gained a good start in business life. In 1862 he went to north- ern Idaho, and the following year came to where Boise now is, with the expectation of remaining only a few months: but the city has since been
his home, and through the intervening years he has been prominently connected with the growth and development of its business interests. He was first actively engaged in merchandising, sell- ing goods in Booneville. Ruby City and Silver City. He was the first merchant of Owyhee county. He continued his mercantile operations, with excellent success, until 1867, when, in con- nection with Messrs. B. M. DuRell, William Roberts and D. W. Ballard, the last named the governor of Idaho, they organized the First Na- tional Bank of Idaho, at Boise. Mr. DuRell was the first president and Mr. Moore the first cash- ier. He is now the only survivor among the gen- tlemen who organized the institution. He con- tinued to serve as cashier for nine years, or until 1876, after which he was a member of the direc- torate until 1890, and in that year was elected president, in which capacity he has since served with marked fidelity and ability. Not a little of the success of the bank is due to his progres- sive efforts, wise policy and sound judgment. The bank is capitalized for one hundred thousand dol- lars and has rendered dividends to the amount of eight hundred thousand dollars. It was the second national bank organized west of the Rocky mountains, its predecessor being the First National Bank of Portland, Oregon. It has been a credit to the city and its history has been one of eminent success.
Mr. Moore is a man of resourceful business ability, whose efforts have been by no means con- fined to one line of endeavor. In various other ways he has promoted the material welfare of Boise. He is president of the Artesian Hot and Cold Water Company, which furnishes hot and cold water to most of the best residences and buildings of the city, obtaining its supplies of hot water from artesian wells two and one-half miles distant. He first introduced hot-water heating into his own home and the system was gradually extended until the business has become an im- portant enterprise of the city. In connection, they also conduct a splendid natatorium, with one exception the largest and finest bathing es- tablishment in the west. He is also one of the directors of the Capital Electric Light & Power Company, who furnish an ample supply of light and power for the needs of the city. Mr. Moore is interested in several other lines of business, and
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