Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1862-06-21
The Salmon River Country.

The Salmon River Country.
Edward Giddirgs. Esq. of the Surveyor
Generate Office, who has recently been on a
tour Of inspection east Of the Cascade noun
tains, hes kindly furnished ~ the following
islbsnatiou relative to portion Of the I'll
ai3r3et. - e
;. The Salmon River qhessin "a 1bou1
the City of Florence co1RiuS abe8 u.0Oe
pessnas. 1000 claims Ike beenS ~ dad
which average four perso0 tS4 clam there
fore snms 1850 persons have claims which
pay from two ounces TO one hundred ounces
pa day to the man. Four or Eve thousand
are on prospecting tours. or making prrpara.
lions for SO doing. in that vicinity. Most of
the miners arrived too early, the snow being
too deep TO make it possible even to prospect
and select claims. The srp3 aSt%2Oi6 Gay
was l I or IL feet deep batM Is DOW fast dis
guine Of success. Some have ,tsrusar back It
Is true, but they are generally those who ex-
pccied 10 reap rich harvest without labor.
Others turn back even before arriving at the
mines, ard others get out Of money and food
and prefer returning to goirg TO work with or
for those who have claims, at the rate Of SrO
per day.
The discovery Of rich di.gings h:ve been
reported some $50 miles up The Salmon from
Florence. 1t is my humble opinion tia. the
Salmon river mines GIe the richest ever vet
discovered.
Lewiston IS bound to b. permanent city.
I. being the head of navigation, aud the depot
for all ihr mining gions east of the Snake
river including the Neg Perccs and Salmon
river mines.
The land between Lewiston and Florence
city is the very best We have in the Territory
Cammas prairie contains about 100000 acres
Of The best arabic land in the country, and is
well watrrrd by several small lakes, Cotton
wood Greek, Camas Creek and several small
streams tributary to the same. Some twenty
or thirty settlers have already taken claims on
Canas prairie, who say publicly they are
merely stopping by permission Of the Indians
for himself privately says: III be id if l
don't hold it; it is the best land have struck
in the country, and the Government must set
tie with the Nee P"rccs tribe or wcare bound
TO have muss." The head chief Sawyer,
appears to be perfectly willing TO dispose, at
fair remuneration, of large portion Of the
reservation, knowing full well it would be bet
ter to settle the matter Mt once, than to have
it taken for nothing, which the people are
bounI to do-and he sees it. But many OF
the Indians and sub-chieis threaten Sawyer
for being too intimate with the whites, and say
they would fight, bu. knowing their weakness
compared with The great numbers they daily
scc passing over their country. they very SEN
sihly conclude to let hcwhitcs proceed with
out an audible mnrnur. The Nez Pcrces
ere the most Intelligent and exemplary Indians
on the North Pacific coast, and they boast of
never having murdered n white man. Truly
our people should use them with respect and
honor while we occupy their lard but how
different has been the case! already have three
Indians Of said tribe, without just cause, been
murdered in cold blood, by men calling them
solves Americans, and whisky BY the boat
bod i, constantly arriving, Il great portion
Of which fluids it way into the Indian lodges.
Trading hu;s are established al! over the res
crvaiion. where the Indians, ut cxorbitant
prices. are furnished with soi,gut. 1t is hoped
that Government will attend 10 this matter
Immediately. and make some arrangement
with the tribe, whereby the American can
have the legal right Of settlement and save
IN expensive Indian war, and perhaps much
bloodshcd.
There was large quantity Of gold dust at
Florence city awaiting an escort to take it
down to Portland" The average yield Of gold
per day in. this one locality about Florence
Is about SlO0,00O."