Weekly Trinity journal., 1862-10-18
Saturday, October Is, 1862
Letter from Lewiston, w. II. Its Future -
Old Trinitnrians, Scc.

week received the first copy of the JOURNAL di-
rectly from the office of publication. Before that
l had received two or three copies through the
kindness of friendly immigrants bringing them
with them from the old home, but had received
none directly from Weaverville or none that had
been addressed to me.
am now resident of Lewiston, Washington
Territory. 1t is town of five or six hundred
Inhabitants and twice as many dogs. No Indians
live Immediately in the town except few of the
female pursuasion, who appear to be tolerably
we'll clad, which shows that begging Is not their
means of livelihood. Outside Indians, bucks
and squaws come into town almost every day,
aud these appear almost invariably on horseback,
the buck generally mounted on fine, spirited
chargers, while the squaw with her two or three
little ones, follows on the steady old family nag,
in disposition and build not unlike one of our
old plough horses All are we'll dressed, accord
ing to their notion of dress, and all appear to
follow the same style, but the steady old stager,
the fop and the sOven are about as plainly
marked as in civilized life. One old fellow,
Reuben, who had enclosed most of the ground
where Lewiston now stands, farms, trades and
carries on business as steadily as almost any
white man. He seems to be prudent and ener-
getic, and has his ups and downs like any other
business man. He can set down and tell you
where he has made his tens of thousands here
and lost it there and where he expects to make
it again, with as much Intelligence as any other
man"
The town is built in the forks of the Snake and
Clear Water rivers, The former, at this place,
runs almost due north, and the latter due west
meeting at right angles and then pursuing the
direction of the latter river. The town Is laid
out in regular squares, and has ten plainly
marked streets, not built very compactly, but
still improved sufficiently for you to stand on the
high table Immediately south of the town and
plainly trace each street by the eye. Five run
parallel with Clear Water, and five cross these
parallel with Snake river. The steamboat land
ing is Immediately at the point in the Clear
Water, and this portion OF the town was the one
originally sought after by lot speculators, but
the continued food which last Spring covered
all this portion Of the town for two or three
drove the business, and consequently the i'm
provement in the town, to the two streets next
to the bluff which are at least ten feet higher
than the water stood at that time, and are at
this time pretty compNctly built. This is the
town, now to the country back.
Bounded on the one side by Snake river and
on the other by Clear Water is high table land
for miles back afrordng good pasturagc, and
capable of producing good small grain. On the
north side from the town the great bare, grassy
mountain slopes Immediately from the river but
beyond it, some five or six miles from town, am
told, the ground assumes level or rolling char
acter and is valuable for agricultural purposes,
or would be so if improved. AT present our
people cut hay there and look upon it as their
late grange" aud this latter is about the char
acter of all the land between this and Wala
Walla, though the table seems to predominate.-
A tree is no where visible from any portion of
the town.
In years to come the river navigation to this
place will only be Interrupted by the Winter
frosts. The water is now at its lowest stage, and
last week we had steamer up here with forty or
fifty tons Of freight, and she is by no means 30
suitable a boat for the trade as can be built
The Snake river is said to be navlgabIe for u
hundred miles above here at any time it is navi-
gable to this place. II that be so and there is
now a boat building to test the fact she trade OF
the Boise, Powder and Burnt rivers will be at.
tracted this way, which otherwise would go to
Walla Walla or Dalles. This added 10 what we
now possess, towit the Florence, Elk City, Orc
Fino, and "New Digglngs" trade, and to our
connection with Bitter Root Valley, (where good
mines are Just discovered), as thoroughfare
through there to Fort Benton, cannot but build
up very considerable town at this place. And
to increase our importance aud certainly OF ad'
vancement, we are daily hearing OF the discovery
Of silver odes quartz odes, ETC., when our
local assayer values at from $500 TO S4,OO0 per
ton.
We have country around aud back of us that
ton thousand men in ten years cannot thoroughly
nrospect 1t is a thousand miles square, Is IN
babited i'm part by hostile Indians aud Is locked
m in Winter by ice and snow. The experience
Of the past season only deyelopes the fact that 1t
is worthy Of attention, that gold IN small guam
titles exists in almost any portion tested, and
that here aad there it has been found to be un-
usually rich in the precious metal. Rocks have
been found, far inland, aud in fact TO US more
near at hand, that lead the discoverers to dream
of the Washoe fortunes to be made through them
But to the general world every thug stands be-
tween expectancy and doubt.
Now for intelligence about "our " people
Tim Coggshal left here day before yesterday for
the Bitter Root mines, employed as packer.-
He looks healthy aud wears more flesh than
ever saw him. The day before Tim left he sold
some gold dust to this Office, (Wells, Fargo Il
Coz Red sand is prevalent 10 some Of the new
mines hereabouts. Tim showed us two ounces
Of gold dust into which he bad weighed SS in
sand. Says he that is good enough to buy
blankets With. That evening Jew made sale