, 1863-04-04


water aud grass very good) ;...-.... ..... II
From thisstIeam to " eser er (Ihe road crosses
this stream where it is divided by an bland
bot parts being very wide, 50 II Will hardly ever
be past IOrdng) .........-.. .... .-..... .,. II
FRI m Nelser rver to a b. auiiul stream, (PIenty
OF large TIMBER good grass, aud the road good
wagon road, ................... ID
Form tuele TO small stream near Snake liver,
(Plenty OF good grass, wood and water. This
ten miles is il bad wagon rOal at present but is
an excellent pack trail
From there 70 Snake rivef-Brownlec's Ferry "a
good Ferry aud good road NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 3
From BrUwnlees Ferry to SulmOn Greek, "a goOd
road, and plenty Of grass and wood l.......... 10
From Salmon creek to Eagle creek, fIhs stream
has to lie crossed twice. but has good crOssings) IL
From Eagle Creek to Powder riv,r, (wagon rOad) s
From there to small stream, good road tor wagons) IL
From there to the old enlgIant crossing, OF
Powder Iiver) ................... 8
Making the distance from tile crossing Of the Pay
cite 10 Powder Iiver-od emigrant crossing, l22
BY the Burnt river route you will see it is 130
miles, making difference of eight miles in favor
of the other trail. But the route on this new
trail can and will be M -ch shortened by keeping
to the left at the head of the Grand konde Val
ley and going over direct to Eagle creek before
spoken of, cutting off some forty miles, The
whole of this road is entirely clear of swampy
lands, and is well supplied with grass, wood and
water ANt r .s'Hr.
When we arrived here, March 3D. we found
the snow four feet deep all over the mines, so
that prospecting was thing almost played out.
Still l nave been trying it some, but have not vet
been successful; though | shall not despair for
think this is one of the best mining countries
have ever seen. The only difficulty is. that the
whole country is claimed for speculative purposes
some persons owning as high as twenty claims;
but that will soon be played out" as the snow is
fast melting away, and some have commenced
work upon their claims. Some miners have been
b. 4 i l. / / /. g 4
making from Sjto $50 per hand per day Gran
ite, Grimes and Moore's creeks are all good min
ing streams, with their tributaries. have seen
as high as 81 per pan washed out. but have not
seen any thing much larger. 1t is my opihion
that what they call the dry gulches are the best,
as they are very easily worked. In dry gulch
on Moore's creek Mr. Browalle is making an
average of $l75 per day, washing in rocker,
two men at work, as | am informed by credible
eye witness.
Business as yet is dull. Carpenters get about
$40 per day All kinds of labor is high but
grub is higher still Beef is worth at present %
cents per pound, Bacon s., Flour %, coffee So,
sugar 50, salt 70, and everything else in proper
ton. Flour being the lowest, and in fact lower
than the cost of freight. ~.~-
There has been little building done here yet
save log cabins, there not being over four or five
buildings Of any size completed as yet. The snow
has been so deep that men could not work but
the last few days have hegan to make the sound
ofthe aye and hammer pretty prevalent all over
town. This summer this will be one of the live
liest places that has evei been seen in the mines
north of California, since 1850.
Yours, w. P. HORTON.
MARCH 18TH, 1S63.-This morning man by
the name of Reed was shot and mortally wounded
by one Warwick. The difficulty grew out of
Reeds jumping Warwick's claim. 1t is said that
Warwick was justfable, he has left and has gone
with he Indian ll11ntars- -