, 1863-07-25
FROM IDAHO,
Astonishing Discoveries Of Gold.
TWO WEEKS At THE BAStoeK MINES,

cehtre Of the present Territory Of Idaho.
about 400 miles north Of this city, and derive
their name, not from the Bannack Mountains
which Is ESQ miles this side Of the mines, but
from the Bannock tribe Of Indians, who roam
oyer that portion Of the country. These
mines are on Grasshopper Greek, tributary
Of Jefferson's Fork Of the Missouri River,
and are in latitude Is deg. 40 or 50 min, and
in longitude about LIS deg. west from Green.
wich, or Sc from Washington. ''
BAnnock City is dourishing town at the
mines, and whtn I Vas there, about month
ago, contained about two thousand inhabI-
tants. It has probably tour thousand by this
time, as an immense emigration was at that
time pouring in- Duriug five days, whilst We
were returning, VIC met nlncty-cight wagons
on the woy, they all having left tie Ca1ifornfa
route at Fort Bridger, and having. crossed
Snake River at the ferry near Fort Hail.
There was the due proportion Of horsemen
ind footmen, with some packers and 1ooso
animals. It was estimated ti1nt at least so
pcreons accompanied these wnggons. Most Of
them were from Colorado-the eastern emil
g1ation being mostly Jet on the road cast Of
Snake River. The advance Of this enigra.
tion, some fifteen or twenty wagons, were.
among those referred to. They were from
Iowa and Missouri.
From this city to the mines there is one OF
the best natural roads In the world. There is
no section Of road of equal length between
this place and tho Missouri River that can
compare with it-so few bad places, and SO
few difficult crossings Of streams. Wood,
water and grass arc abundant at the camping
II nil \ 1~41to avn Ns4 $&tr
The route lies for the mort part through
mountalnous country. The only exception is
Stake River valley or plain, nlong which the
road runs for about sixty miles, and the divide
thence to the mountains, some thirty or forty
| more, about ono hundred miles in all. This
whole valley is covered with volcanic rock,
exhibiting the appearance Of having been one
va&t lava plain
In going from this city you cross two nosa-
| bic divides; one between the head waters of
the Post Eeuf and other tributaries Of Snake
River, or Lewis Fork Of the Columbia, and
the head waters Of streams flowing into Salt
Lake; the other between the head waters Of
The Missouri, and of tributaries Of Snake
River.
Is fully established, bu: not their extent. So
Jar as known, their area was quite limited, cx-
tending about five miles only on the creek
New mines we're being discoyered, however.
The best Of the new discoveries was on the
Sinking Water, another tributary Of Jefftr-
son Fork. ahout seventy five miles east of
Bannock City, sud some thirty or forty miles
westerly from the Three Forks Of tie Missouri
| river.
By the way, town has been laid out at the
| Three Forks, and that locality Is attracting
considerable attention. Besides being in close
proximity 10 the new mines on the Sinking
Water aud at other pisces, 1t is said 10 be a
| COED farming country. and to have climate
equal to that Ct California. Gallatln, the new
| city, promises soon to become known to fame
The mines at Ban1ock City were first dis.
was taken ont during Last fall and winter, but
the mines worked at great disadvantage, and
| 1t wbs not until Tie present season that much
regular mining was done. The operations Of
: this season we're also much Delayed for want
| Of water with which to do the sluiclnt.. There
| IL now m abundant supply Of water, brought
in 1l1ee ditchet, which run along tie noun
| tain side, aud have been constructed at con
siderable expense. One OF them is about ten
1.i!es I >ong, and d. cost nearly thirty % thousand
completion Of this enterprise. the people Of
Baunock are Indebted principa1l. to The Saga
| city, CLERGY and perseverance, Of George Cop.
| ley, Esq, Who commenced and continued 10
| ITosecuic the work under many discouraging
circumstances, but has finally brought it 10 i
| succefEfn1 result Tie water IVES let iuto 1t
about tie Lit of June.
| Many months labor bad been expended by
tLt miners, taking out and pillng up "p4y
| Dirt" which upR awaiting the completion Of
| piles are yielding up tltis shining deposits
very freely, aid the 1niocs5 are nov quickly
! .eraid for thsir weeks and months Of toll.
| The statistics Of these mtues did not uu-
| dertake TO get. ms they arc like all others
some pros, others mladIing. some very rich.
could tell you big st.rics of the gold taken
| cut, but 1t wopld be tic old story, after all,
as &ye1ybody knows that wherever the earth
5iclds Ibis meal at all, it is liable to be, and
| geEe,ally If, very plentiful in some places.
| The difficulty ia, to find those places, or to
purchase access to them after they hare been
fund by others
1was present at the tclcaning mp Of one
days s.pfcirg at one Of the miees-somethingg
btrer than the average It was owned by two
yorng men, who, strange to say, were ln this
Ior:1, n of the hines called "Nugget Hiu.''
They had about $3.50 cf gold, so Of which
Was in IL ur nuggets. Tho gold is very pure,
asd Is said to assay from niIeteen to t1cnty
there Il $ta- These young n,cn Ind u pile of
tiIt estimated to contain 81 600, aud which
they would wath out in abont eight days.
| They lad gpeht two mouthE taking ont the
dirt. 1t fetuit ed four men to do thbsluiciag,
src the ~ater c0Et thGm s. so per day. TIE
lei result cf This mine would bc about s., 900
ftr the Eages Of onc mai for five months
! Tot in grgertacks.
ninee is, but it must be more than IS per day
| 10 each n,an employed, as that Il the current
wegea Of: y-laborers. Carpenters get &c.
Srme. were complaining that they could
nsale 1othing, but iucl1 had pour claims, aud
~c.e nlwilliEg to work By the day. It Ii use
| ut days wages, to come 10 such places But
| TT fur As Iny observation extended, eye7Y one
| who waB willing to work to tile best advan-
,age, and who was steaay, temperate a1d In
I A,-r< I'm $c hna1f fh|
| Us are all Of these mountainous regions. A
n3p without nt ans, coming to these mines,
| should expect to stay two OF three years, as
| 1t will take MI of his net earnings the first
!ear TO buy a good mine. After that with
| So much for the bar mtnes and surface dig
| g:uge. a word as to tho quartz @odcs, Or
lode, as there WAS but ole which had been de.
l'Selnped to apy extent. out Of forty or flfty
| cisi1.t d to have been discovered.
I Tie t.UaLotuh L:,de,'' 5ocaIied, is fully e.
tuLl:eEcd as quartz gold lode Of cxtraoidi
1ary richness. It wns first difcpvercd On the
10Th Ct November, hy four men, aho were
prospecting Oh the side # u I'LL They found
the surface, HhIch appeared to he rich IN 6 ID.
They washed some OF the dirt lying about the
qusrtZ, ar d found 1t to yield Is cent to 81 GO
tie IN. They then sunk 8 shaft, ia which
t1ey fund, from the su,face downward, de
be washed BY land. The four discoycrera,
ofding to mining custom, were allowed to
pre- en-. ut 100. feet each, on this lode,
bte}des the original discovery, making
FIVE Eurdrcd. feet in all. Their claims
| we1e designated as The Original Discovery,
ard No. l and east, and and vest Of the
| e1me. In a few weeks these claims changed
hands, and The new owners commenced regu-
Jar mining operations. First, US the weather
was cold, by drawing the Quartz dirt to the
o,ferent cabins md Washing it by psns. In
| this way the different owners, In short time,
! re.lizf q scu,e~ 81 Geo; soEe men Averaging $50
Ecr dag for several Days in succession. They
then set up fonr sMn1l rockers, and heated
! wafer in tank to prevent it from freezing.
With tLesa rockers they washed ont s, 100 10
two weeks. This was afterwards increased to
sou.e $1,000 or $500. The supply Of dirt
harder az they proceeded in depth. All this
was en- the original 3iscoyery claim Of 100
fret In the meantime the gold had been
struck at another opening III claim No. ]
west The quartz creyice seemed to run
southeast and northwest, or rsther south of
cast ard north Of west. This being tho revere
ef tic usual course. many old miners conten-
5ed that tile lead ran the other way, and much
prospecting was done in q cross direction, and
lew leads q at c1oss purposes's were recorded.
This was continued cyen after the gold bear
Jig quartz had been struck in claim No. S
west, and Claims we're recorded intersecting
No. S at right angles. This controversy was
confirmed until some time in January, when
tie quartz was found exceedingly rich In
claim No. 6 west, on the Dakotah Lode. This
WIS boHlb-the2l in the camp of the cross.
miners, and they all surrendered, when few
weeks ago the gold was found in No. . west,
lion Of the Dakotah Lode, with Slight turn,
| in NEARLY q wcsfprly rnrrsn. The linda HI