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 77

Author: Lewis Publishing Company. cn
Publication date: 1899
Publisher: Chicago, The Lewis publishing company
Number of Pages: 1014

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 77

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).

Dispersed over Idaho's immense territory, greater than that of New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire combined, there were in 1870, exclusive of tribal Indians, less than fifteen thousand inhabitants, including about four thousand Chinamen. Her settle- ments were scattered, frequently a hundred miles or more apart. Situated far from the ordinary lines of through travel, only the most daring and hardy adventurers sought her mountain soli- tudes. The only means of communication were by tedious journeys by stage or team, or more frequently on horseback, over rough mountain trails, where natural obstacles were only en- hanced by the oft-recurring presence of prowling bands of Indians, who so long resented the intru- sion of the whites. The nearest railroad at this time was the Central Pacific, through Utah and Nevada.

None of these drawbacks, however, could deter the pioneer and prospector. Great as these ob- stacles were, they shrank into insignificance when confronted by the spirit of the gold-seekers. The discoveries of the past were regarded as but an earnest of the future. It was known that far up among her mountain fastnesses were other store- houses of precious metals that needed only en- terprise and capital to develop their hidden 'treas- ures. From the remote and secluded mountains of "Far Idaho," as from an almost unknown and unseen source, the golden streams continued flowing. For years the placers of Boise basin and Salmon river, and the ledges of Owyhee, . Rocky Bar, and Atlanta, continued yielding their

riches, thus constantly adding to the national wealth.

No discoveries of new fields, and no stampedes of any importance. occurred, however, for several years. In the meantime the great work of pros- pecting the rugged mountains still went on. Far up among the snow-capped hills of northeastern Idaho was an unknown region, still described on some maps as "unexplored country." Along the tributaries of the upper Salmon, in the neighbor- hood of Yankee Fork, Kinni-kinnick and Bay- horse creeks, in what is now Custer county, prior to 1877, solitary prospectors had located a few claims, and placers had been worked to advant- age. Occasional visitors from that far-off land had exhibited among the mining men of Salt Lake City specimens of gold and silver ore, whose assay value could be expressed only in four fig- ures. The Charles Dickens had been located in 1875. A thousand dollars had been crushed out in small hand-mortars in a day. During the first month, two men pounded out about twelve thousand dollars. A few tons of ore were then sacked and shipped to Salt Lake City and to Swansea. The net results were fifteen thousand dollars, the highest grade sampling three thou- sand seven hundred dollars per ton. A lot of twenty-three tons netted over seventeen thousand dollars. In 1878 a two-bed arastra, with pan and settler, was built at a cost of nineteen thou- sand four hundred dollars, and started up late in August. By the first of November, by crushing two tons of quartz per day, the arastra had pro- duced bullion to the amount of thirty-two thou- sand dollars. A well known writer, speaking of the General Custer mine in the same district, says :

It is the only instance on record where a ledge so immense in wealth and size was already opened and developed when the eyes of the prospector first looked upon it. Ore bodies are usually found beneath the surface, and miners consider themselves fortunate if, after long searching by shafts and tunnels, they strike a vein that insures them reasonable dividends over and above the cost of development. The Custer required no outlay of money to make it a paying mine. Its face was good for millions. Nature, in one of her philan- thropic moods, did the prospecting and development. The outer wall of this great treasure-vault, through the wear and tear of ages, crumbled and slipped from the ore body for a distance of several hundred feet, leaving many thousands of tons of the very choicest

426

HISTORY OF IDAHO.

rock lying against the mountain side, to be broken down at little expense.

The Montana mine on Mount Estes has been pronounced by mining men to be the richest vein of quartz ever discovered, taking the whole vein matter from wall to wall. Some of the ledge matter was so rich that it has been worked in a mortar at the mine. A lot of two hundred and fifty pounds yielded one thousand eight hundred dollars.

The completion of the Utah and Northern to Blackfoot, early in the spring of 1879, brought the Bay-horse district within one hundred and fifty miles, and the Yankee Fork within one hun- dred and ninety miles, of railroad communication. In the spring and summer of 1879 people rushed in by the hundreds, and Challis, Custer City, Bo- nanza, Clayton, Crystal City and Ætna became prosperous mining camps. The Sawtooth and Wood river sections in Alturas county now began to attract attention. but were not thoroughly prospected till the following year. To these dis- tricts incidental reference is made on other pages of this volume.

One of the most remarkable mining excite- ments in history was the great Coeur d'Alene stampede of 1884. Gold had been discovered in that country in former years, but no develop- ments had ever been made, owing to the remote- ness of the locality. In 1883 a man named Pritchard discovered and located the "Widow's Claim," which proved of more than average rich- ness. Further discoveries were made, which were rapidly noised abroad. From the heart of the Coeur d'Alene mountains, though distant only forty miles from the Northern Pacific, came the most exaggerated accounts. The whole re- gion was subjected to an artificial "boom," at a most inopportune time. In February of 1884, over the snows came trudging an eager multi- tude, who would harken neither to the voice of reason nor the warnings of experience. The mails were flooded with fantastic descriptions of this latest El Dorado. Newspaper correspond- ents from all over the land came flocking hither, and contributed to give further publicity to a region already overadvertised. Circulars were sent broadcast all over the land, giving the most glowing accounts of nuggets of fabulous wealth,

that could be had almost for the seeking. It was declared that old prospectors and miners, con- versant with the history of the banner districts of California, Montana, and Colorado, would stand amazed at the new fields so unequaled in richness and extent; that twenty-five dollars to forty dol- lars per man per day were being panned out in the gulches; that the fields being practically in- exhaustible, rendered impossible any overcrowd- ing of the district; that wherever the bed-rock had been uncovered, beautiful rich dust was be- ing "scooped up" by the lucky owners; that no machinery or capital was required; that limitless quartz ledges were being struck "fairly glistening with free gold." The result was that in a few weeks, early in the spring of 1884, the forest land at the junction of Eagle and Pritchard creeks became metamorphosed into a city of five thou- sand restless inhabitants, all waiting for the snow to disappear. The effect of overadvertising soon became manifest in the reaction that took place after the summer had fairly set in. A hasty exodus followed, and hundreds left on foot, "packing their blankets" and cursing the coun- try. The region was even more misrepresented by the unsuccessful adventurers, who, in spite of incontestable facts, declared there "was no gold in the country." Many of the claims got into litigation, which retarded their development. The July term of court at Eagle City settled the dis- puted titles, when the work of development was fairly begun, and since which time the region has been keeping up a steady output. Business has settled down to a legitimate basis, and the coun- try is being systematically opened up.

Major N. H. Camp, an early superintendent of the United States assay office at Boise, fur- nished the following description of the Snake river gold-fields, and the record, though written a number of years ago, is well worthy of perpetu- ation in this work:

It is popularly supposed that the occupation of a gold-miner is most favorably adapted to the develop- ment of those qualities called for by a bold and ad- venturous life, uncheered by the amenities of social civilization, untrammeled by its laws and intercourse between its members, unlubricated by the presence of fair woman. What wonder, then, that gold-seeking should be the chief interest of this lonely region! The character of its banks forbids the construction of towns, while the lack of navigation facilities prevents this

427

HISTORY OF IDAHO.

great water-way from ministering to the transporta- tion needs of the neighboring stock-farms, sage prai- ries, or the supplying of the isolated mining camps. It is in such localities that gold delights to reward the pains taken by the lonesome prospector, and here does he find, not only the coveted treasure, but in such quantities as will reward his patient search at a minimum of expense. The only drawback is the ex- tremely small size of the particles of gold; coarse gold is unknown on Snake river, but from Eagle Rock, in Oneida county, to the mouth of the river, gold can be found of such exactly similar metallurgical conditions, both as to fineness in grade (shape of grains being scale-like in form) and fineness in character of grains, that it might have come from either end of the river. On the affluents of this river gold is also found; but even within half a mile of its mouth, "Boise" gold sinks to an assay fineness of from 720 to 780, while that from the river under review will assay over 900 and even 990. The shape of the grains is noticeably a feature of Snake river gold, being so flat and scale-like that the precious metal is often seen floating on the surface of the water! while gold from any of the feeder streams assumes more the character of shot gold, is coarser, and much more easily harnessed to the service of man. Its extremely small size is also a distinguishing mark of this gold. The writer has seen a gold-pan full of the gold-bearing sands, which, in the hands of an ex- perienced prospector, soon showed its bottom as if gilt by a practiced workman. Out of curiosity, an attempt was made to count the "colors," but when the sum of fourteen hundred was reached, the business was given up in disgust-there were so many left to count!

Nor has nature herself been niggardly in furnishing facilities to man for mining these rich deposits. From many a fissure in the canyon walls along the banks of this wonderful river fall "springs"-some of which are the size of young rivers-as they are called. Issuing from one to two hundred feet above the level of the river, they only require to be conducted to the gravel bars to assume the duties of washing out gold. At other points rivers fall into the Snake, along whose banks it is only necessary to dig the necessary ditches, to convert the streams into the obedient and useful servants of mankind. In many cases, however, these ditches have to be blasted out of the lava rock, and the dams across the smaller streams are costly and tedious structures, making the enterprise, when completed, as dear to the heart as something attained only at great cost of time, labor and capital, as in one instance where a miner for two years contented himself with the priva- tions and solitude of his cabin, mining in a small way, but devoting all his savings and leisure to the con- struction of a ditch, despite the sneers and ridicule of his neighbors. The ditch was completed in the spring of 1884, and now he harvests three thousand dollars per month in virgin gold.

Where springs gush from the canyon walls in suffi- cient volume to wash gravel for gold, the expense of a moderately profitable mining outfit, comprising say

four hundred yards of ditching, seventy-two feet of fluming, thirty-six feet of sluice boxes, twelve feet of grizzlies (sheets of perforated iron), two amalgamating plates, a concentrating tank three by six, and twenty- four feet of burlap tables-ought to be not less than $550 to $600; add the cost of one month's subsistence, $40, for two men, and the services of a laborer, and about the cost of a small mining establishment on this river is told. This outfit ought to pay for itself in three months, and yield a moderate profit-twelve to fifteen per cent. per annum in excess of working expenses. "High bars" there are, too, prospecting rich, but until some inexpensive method is discovered of raising, and utilizing for mining purposes, the water of Snake river, these spots must remain closed to the avarice of man. A patent motor has been devised for raising water by using the force of the river current, but experiment has failed to demonstrate its economy, or to bring its price within the means of the moderately wealthy.

But it is not only the production of fruits, and the golden results of placer mining, that the broadway >f Idaho relies on to attract to her borders those energies necessary in the development of a hitherto terra incog- nita. In the range of mountains through which our river cuts her way, forming here the western boundary of Washington county, are rich deposits of copper and silver, assays of which show from twenty-six to sixty- eight per cent. of copper, and from nine to one hundred and sixty-three ounces of silver per ton. This region is now brought into communication with the rest of the United States by the railroad system rendered available by the meeting of the Oregon Short Line and the Oregon Railway & Navigation Company's lines. The Wood river country has proved an immense silver success; but it is predicted that the copper region of western Idaho will largely exceed it in bringing ma- terial prosperity to those of limited means coming in to work the bowels of the earth for the riches to be ex- tracted therefrom. To such, Idaho must look in large measure for the permanence of her prosperity, and it is with a view of attracting their attention to our terri- tory that this is written.

In view of the developments which later years have brought forth, this retrospect is doubly in- teresting.

THE MINING FIELDS OF IDAHO.

The following excellent monograph by W. C. Austin was issued in pamphlet form early in the present year (1899) by authority of C. J. Bassett, state commissioner of immigration, labor and statistics, and as a valuable contribution to the history of the great mining industry of Idaho is held to be worthy of reproduction in this work:

There is no other country on God's green earth that has encompassed within her borders such vast and varied mineral wealth as Idaho. The position that

428

HISTORY OF IDAHO.

Idaho occupies in the western mineral world is like a wagon wheel, of which Idaho is the hub, while her great mineral belts, radiating out from her mountain fastnesses, penetrating her sister states and enriching them, represent the spokes. Place yourself before a map and trace out several of these great mineral belts. Be- ginning in the southern part of California, the belt runs through Eldorado, Mariposa and Calaveras counties, thence to Bodie, across into Nevada in a northeasterly course, giving birth to the great Comstock lode and other camps, through by Winnemucca, and in Idaho makes its grand entry at Silver City and De Lamar, in Owyhee county; thence on in through Rocky Bar and Atlanta, Custer and Bonanza; thence on to central Idaho, at Gibbonsville. Here the oppo- site spoke to the great mineral wheel comes in and penetrates the Rocky mountains on into Montana, where it makes its debut at Butte.

The northern belt or zone was first discovered in northern California; gave life to such camps as Wea- verville, Scotts, and Yreka; thence on through into Oregon, via Canyon City, Granite, Old Auburn, Baker City and Sparta. It crosses with a grand flourish into Idaho at the Seven Devils; thence on into Warrens. Florence, Buffalo Hump, Dixie and Elk City, where it loses itself to appear in its opposite spoke in the Missoula country in Montana. The belts penetrating Utah can be easily traced through Cassia county, Idaho, northward to the interior of Idaho.

The great northwestern belt begins in British Col- umbia, runs down through Washington, from the Trail Creek country, beginning at Rossland, thence on through the Great Republic camp and on into Idaho, and here it gives to the world the great Coeur d'Alene country, with such mines as the Bunker Hill, Sullivan and Gem. As these great mineral zones draw nearer to the hub the intervening country becomes more and more mineralized, until, when Idaho is reached, bands of mineral reach out from one zone to another, play- ing "hide and seek" in the rock-ribbed mountains that stand like grim sentinels guarding the treasure within. The whole country becomes a network of veins. There is not a hill or mountain from east to west, north or south, in the whole state, but what is mineral-bearing. There is no other country in the United States that is so little prospected, unknown and unexplored as Idaho. No other country in the world can compare with it in richness. Its grand and beautiful scenery, the poverty of language makes it impossible to describe. Words cannot paint it. The poet is unborn who is capable of singing the sweet song of Idaho.

From Boise City northward is one unbroken line of forest, valley, stream and lake, and mountain upon mountain, some craggy, grim and terrible, walled and turreted, raising sheer walls of granite, white and glistening in the sun, thousands of feet in the air; here and there great domes, minarets and towers- grand, majestic, awful. You feel, as you gaze for the first time upon God's grand cathedral, as if you stood in His very presence; and as you catch the

smile of the beautiful valley, with its limpid lake and peaceful river nestling in security at its feet, you can appreciate the words of Joaquin Miller, the poet of the Sierras, when he says:

" "Tis not the place of mirthfulness, But meditation deep, and prayer; And kneeling on the salted sod, Where man must own his littleness, And know the mightiness of God."

'Tis the ideal country for the prospector. Wher- ever he may go, water, timber and grass everywhere. Every stream alive with salmon and trout of every species; while bear, deer, elk, moose and sheep are plentiful. Is he interested in some particular forma- tion,-say, in porphyry and granite, slate or lime, or any of the sub-families of these formations? If it is not in this particular mountain he has it in the next. There is not a mineral known to the miner- alogist, nor a gem to the lapidary, that is not found within her borders. Does he want new fields to ex- . plore? There are belts of country a' hundred miles square, that have never known the step of a white man. The whole western slope of the Bitter Root range, the headwaters of the Clearwater, is an unex- plored field; and yet, it is known to be rich in gold and other precious metals; for every mountain stream is laden with golden sand that has its birth in their rocky fastnesses. Stories of fabulous finds in the early days, on the outskirts of these unexplored fields. of · lost diggings, mountains of rich quartz, will be told by old, gray, grizzled miners who were in their prime in the rush and excitement of Pierce City, Flor- ence, Warrens and the Idaho basin. The stories told will be like a chapter from the Arabian Nights; but. wild as you may imagine them to be, upon investi- gation you will find them to be essentially true. For years some of the Indians of the Nez Perce reserva- tion would steal away and go to the mountains, bring- ing back gold by the sack-full. One of them had a short time ago in the bank at Moscow, thirty thous- and dollars in nuggets of gold. The gold was ob- tained by picking it up from off the surface of the ground, as they knew nothing about panning. The secret of these diggings will one of these days belong to some hardy prospector.

The Buffalo Hump, six months ago, was known only as a landmark. To-day it marks the center of probably the greatest and richest mining camp ever discovered. Yet hundreds of prospectors have walked and camped right on the great mother lode of the district. Big ledges? Yes; but they never examined them, for they said they were so big they could not carry any value. But how about the hundreds of smaller ones that have been found there? Six months ago two prospectors happened to camp there. Near a large reef of rock, one evening, one of them hap- pened to pick up a piece of the rock and found ore. It was rich beyond his wildest dreaming. Think of it! a vein from forty to sixty feet wide, cropping out

View of Wallace, Shoshone County.

129

HISTORY OF IDAHO.

for three miles, all carrying good value, and some of the ore running into the thousands of dollars per ton! And thus the great mine was found.

Hundreds of other mines were found and located. The camp is not six months old, and the deepest prospect hole not forty feet deep; yet the original discovery sold for $550,000, then for $650,000. Over $2,500,000 have already been negotiated for property in this canıp. This belt was followed south to where the Salmon river cut it, and here a new camp, called Mallack, was formed during the winter. The veins here are from ten to fifty feet wide, and run from five dollars to one hundred dollars per ton; $250,000 has been refused for one group of claims. Twenty thousand people will go into the country during the coming year.

Thunder Mountain is another new camp, struck last year, lying about seventy miles east from Warrens. The mountain is a soft porphyry and the whole mass, for three hundred feet wide, will pay to mill. The discoverers, the Caswell boys, sluiced and rocked out $3,500 in a month after their find. Last fall copper ledges were found about twenty-five miles from Thun- der Mountain,-great veins, from ten to twenty feet wide, running up one side of the mountain and down the other and carrying values of copper of from twen- ty-five to sixty per cent. and from eight to thirty-five dollars gold per ton.

The greatest copper mines not worked in the world lie in Washington county, in what is known as the Seven Devils. The Peacock shows an outcrop of over two hundred feet in width in one place, and gave an average sample of nineteen per cent. copper and eight dollars gold, while contracts have been let to smelters, agreeing to furnish ore by the thousand tons to go not less than twenty-five per cent. Lots of the ore shipped run above fifty per cent. copper. The White Monument, Hecla, Bodie, Standard, South Peacock and other mines in the district show up vast bodies of ore. Two railroads are now being built into the district; one from Weiser City, on the Ore- gon Short Line, which will not only open up the great copper mines that show up for a distance of forty miles north and south, and fifteen miles east and west, but also a rich agricultural country. The whole length the route will be through a country of ever changing beauty,-up the Weiser river, around one jutting spur of the mountain, whirled in an in- stant from one beautiful valley to another, rich in fruits and grain that no other country can equal, while great forests of pine, fir and hemlock cover the mountains.

The other line of railroad begins at Huntington and follows down the Snake river on the Oregon side, and crosses into Idaho below Mineral, and thence on into the Seven Devils. Work is being pushed rapidly. The Devils was a name given by the Hud- son's Bay Company to seven high mountain peaks nine thousand feet above Box canyon on Snake river. The west slope of these hills along Snake river is

very steep and precipitous and only accessible in two or three places. The district also has running parallel with it, at a distance of about eight miles, a gold belt that is proving of wonderful richness. Colorado capital is investing heavily in the gold district.

Over in old Owyhee county they say but little, but the shipments of ore speak for them. Car-loads have been shipped of raw ore running as high as eighty-seven thousand dollars to the car-load, from the Trade Dollar mine. This was acknowledged by the smelters in Colorado to be the richest car-load of ore ever shipped from any mine. The mines of Florida Mountain and War Eagle, at Silver City, have yielded upwards of fifty million dollars. Eight miles west from Silver City is situated the De Lamar mines. which made Captain De Lamar rise from a miner to be the Monte Cristo of the west. Ten years ago he went there poor. In five years he was worth five mil- lion dollars, and he is now estimated to be worth ten million dollars. Such is fortune in Idaho.

Boise basin, of which Idaho City is the center, is by careful investigation supposed to have yielded from her placers, a strip of country fifteen miles wide by twenty-five in length, over two hundred and fifty mil- lion dollars, while her quartz veins have yielded ten million dollars. Now great attention is being paid to her quartz veins, which have furnished the placer gold. The yield of some of her quartz veins has been wonderful. The Ebenezer yielded upward of $300,000 in seventy-five feet of ground; the Gambrinus $325.000; Sub Rosa $260,000, etc. This is an old camp, yet new ledges are found every day. The country is not half prospected, nor the hundredth part developed.

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 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 77

Author: Lewis Publishing Company. cn Publication date: 1899 Publisher: Chicago, The Lewis publishing company Number of Pages: 1014

Author: Lewis Publishing Company. cn
Publication date: 1899
Publisher: Chicago, The Lewis publishing company
Number of Pages: 1014