Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1864-03-17

WIZ HdMCu my PA'NHoSS 49, 1'1Ns -@,r-3 r.
of creation, did not hit very wide the
mark. We saw many men here from
Florence, (this at least was the name OF
the Salmon River mines and they in
variably reported that all the stories we
had heard Of the unparalleled richness OF
those mines, we're literally true,a but
they also added, the camp4is little
basin in the top Of high mountain,} and
only three miles in extent. outside Of
this could not be found the color THAT
thirty thousand men had over run the
, country before we ever started from
Wisconsin, that the winter previous
the snow had covered the basintenI feet
deep, and the cold was 50 Intense that
quicksilver became CONCEALED, and wou Id
crumble at the touch, and further, that
owing to the altitude Of the locality, bad
water and limited provisions, everybody
who spent the winter there suffered from
Scurvy, or general exhaustion, These
perhaps will serve in place, Of the great
dragons that guarded the golden fleece
We never regretted that we did not at
tempt passage down the Salmon.
During the fall reports continued to
come more or less favorable Of a new
discovery on on Boise River. AS Powder
River presented but few inducements
for winter quarters, [ concluded at
length, to give the new mines a trial,
! and set out in search Of them on the 9th
of November lS62.9G reached the
place where PlaceYvile now stands,
about the middle of December, more
than a year ago, and pitched my tent
in tolerably high hopes, as everybody
told of '.big. prospects, in this new
camp. The mines were discovered in
August preceding, by a party oftwelye
men, prospectors. from Florence, one of
whom was killed by Indians and now
rests near the first discovery on the
banks Of the creek which, bears his
name. The mines are situated on the
northern tributaries Of Boise River,
about 800 miles little to the east of
south from Walla NValla, and about
| 400 miles north Of Salt Lake City
The location is a valley or basin on the
top of the mountains, some thousand
feet or more above the Payette River.
which flows some twelve miles to the
north of u.s. The basin is from twelve
to fifteen miles in diameter, and is di-
yidcd into three parts by two ridges Of
low hills, covered with pine. The climate
lis mild. Hardly a day passed last win
ter, when it did not thaw some during
the twenty-four hours, and seven de-
.grees below zero was the greatest cold
Indicated by the thermometer, The
snow covered the ground to the depth Of
from four to FIVE feet, although on the
valleys of Payette and Boise river, TWEEN
ty to thirty miles distant grass was green
all winter. There we're perhaps 100
men in the basin when I arrived, and it
was evident they had not been idle, for
their prospect holes and notices were
visible on every side I spent most Of
the winter in prospecting, taking onmy
back, my tools and blankets and week 5
provisions, and tranping off through
snow to various parts Of the mines, but
when Spring opened, I had only discov-
cred that packing and camping in
| four feet of snow was not very pleasant,
and that prospecting was not very profit
able. 1t is general rule that green
horn, has the best. luck in prospecting
| for gold, but the rule seems to have
been afailure in my case. -StiilI believe
there is some truth in it, nevertheless.
Old miners invariably acquire some rule
or theory to guide them whence to look
for gold, while | believe there is no
amount of skill or experience or science
that can point out where it lies. It is
generally admitted, that these mines
here, are altogether dissimilar to those in
California, and at all erents, It's an IN
doubted fact, that California miners have
been, as class, the least successful Of
Iany in the mines Of this upper country.
If remember rightly the french Com
missioners. who were sent to- California,
to examine into thecauses that had acted
in the distribution of gold there, reported
the following FIVE causes, to WITT
1st. Volcanic action previous to the
Dileuvial period. saTdt iass 9d %
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