Boise news. (Bannock City, I.T. [Idaho City, Idaho]) 1863-1864, 1863-12-19


kdrink with the North Fork, Middle Fork an
South Fork The banks for two miles belo,
are walls of bagalt. In one place on tn
north side it presents a singular appearance
the formation from the waters edge rises lik
futed columns until within ten or fifteen fee
Of the top, and disappears in the overhanging
rocks. Nothing that have ever seen before
bears any resemblance to it but the old-fash
toned pictures of the Giants Causeway in Ire
lard, in " Walter Brun."
On the sunny side of Boise and above tbs
mouth of Grimes Greek, is an extensive scope
Of country known among miners as a "wa8E
country" Good prospects have been found
and | was assured by an experienced miner
who went to the trouble of prospecting there
that it would pay from ten to twelve dollars
a day to the hand. After leaving this 'coun-
try" we crossed a granite, then basaltic then
granite, then a basaltic belt of country, before
reaching Little Camas Prairie The whole
of it is an excellent grazing country, abund-
antly supplied with water, but a great scarcity
Of wood. Stock can be ranched all the year
round on any of the small streams with very
little care and attention.
Little Camas is sixty-fve miles from Boise
City and is a beautiful, fertile valley about
four miles long and one mile wide, with an
abundance of timber handy. The stream
flowing through 1t abounds in mountain trout.
Here we left the Hudson Bay trail, and TAX
lug a northerly course six miles found us ia
the South Boise valley. Near here quite a
stream of water empties into South Boise,
and is known as Line Creek, being, as | was
informed the boundary between the Snake
Indians and the Bitter Root-ers A short
farther on is the Indians Salmon
fishery. The river divides itselfint number
of channels that necessarily are shallow. In
high water the salmon find no difficulty in 60
ing up stream, but when returning down after
the water has fallen, they founder around
among the rocks and stones and fall an easy
prey to the merciess sayages.
This valley is an excellent stock range, and
very many patches of fine, arabic land can
De found on the bottom and along the numer- |
us small streams that put into the river.
Plenty of timber at all points. Warm springs
IRE numerous. .
When within SIX or eight miles of the
Iuartz lodges on Bear creek, we turned our
lnimals out and struck out on foot. Crossing |
he river on the trunk of pine |
hat had lowered in mid-air for ages, but
which had been felled by the sturdy blows of
ONE woodman, we started up Feather river.
)f all the roads or routes l ever heard Of or
aw, for rough, jagged, precipitous, slippery
ocks, five miles out of the six to R;dgeville, l.
hould take the rag. Jumping, vaulting,
and flying were in requisiton.
ometimes we travelled upright, at other times
9ngthWise would reach certain point on :
Il tours by following zigzag course to let
urselves down q pOSteriOr1 seventy or eighty f
'et. It was no good way of travelling. Got '
} Ridgeville get supper and forgot ourselves
dreams-rich dreams too. Ridgeville is i
appropriately. named. 1t is situated on /
dge about as wide as mules back, contains e
70 stores, one butcher-shop, one dwelling h
1use, and would contain a saloon if they "
Duld find ground enough in horizontal po- A
ton to build upon. e
Next morning commenced another hard s.
ly's travel. Reached Red Warrior bar, and o
ID very good trail from there to the lodges b
Bear Greek. The first ledge l visited was a
e Ida Elmore. An arastra had been con-
,ucted sometime during the Summer, which in
Is propelled by water power and crushed OIL
t several tons of the quartz, which yielded hi
10 on an average. The rock is rich in sill lie
r, none of which can be saved by the pres W
t arrangement. The lead is situated at the hi
IT of the hill on Bear Creek and runs par
ell with that stream in W. N. w. and E
E. course. It is held there at $50 foot, ca
the hill north of the Ida Elmore lead the ne
lowing leads have been discovered, and tn
: one above the other like the steps of an
irWay, and run parallel with the Ida Ell TIL
re, and with each other: Gen. Lane, Es- nu
ralda, Western Star or Sierra, Golden Star, fit
.ndicino, Abe Lincoln and Idaho. The me-
n. Lane, Fsmeralda and Idaho are rich in ed
h gold and silver; the others prospect rich
gold with traces of silver. The Esmeral-
IS the largest ledge, measuring at where it Tn
pen IS "a inches in WITH and contains in ele
ition to the gold and silver ore quite pet
portion of the sulphate of copper and is COT
,ngly impregnated with arsenic. These |
assured by practical quartz miners from
shoe and California, are the best possible
cations Of silver in metallic state at no
at depth. Some of the lodges measure
more than inches in width, but all are -
IN Elk Creek another series of quartz .
res occur, that are very rich. Some of BIT
n have been tested by the ton in arastras Pui
yield from $210 to 1886 per ton. The VIII
lir is probably the richest lead in that To-
- Rafwaen Rear craak and tho Sui twi
50. and about mile from the fornoar have sha
n discovered the Golden Courier, Golden its
lie, Silver Star, New York, Wide West. del