The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1864-03-04
Information Wanted About the Ia. ho
Expedition

Information Wanted About the Idaho
Expedition. -
We give the following IS a specimen Of
many letters we have received. asking for
information in regard to the contemplated
expedition to Idaho:
DETROIT, Feb. is, 1854.
A have no acquaintance in your State
take the liberty of writing y you for few
words of information.
What want to know is, how can find out
whore the company that is going to the yell
low Stone River in Idaho Territory in the
spring, is going to start from, and the time
starting; or whether there is any man that has
charge of the expedition that can write to
for information. IT you can give me this in
formation you will oblige me very much.
My address is, &C.. =.
The only reply we are able to give to
inquiries like the above, is simply to state
that it is supposed that an expedition, under
command CT Capt. FISK or some other per-
son, will be authorized by the Government
for the protection of emigrants to Idaho
the coming summer, and that it will prob
ably start as soon as the grass will afford
subsistence to the animals. We presume
this is all that can be said at present by
anybody, but We can all see how unsatis-
factory such reply must be to those in
search of exact information upon which to
base their arrangements for the trip.
The truth is, we have had too many
gaseous speeches, resolutions and memo
rails in regard to the Idaho route through
our State, and too little practical common
sense work. 1t needed little more than q
glance at the map to show that this route
was the shortest, and its practicability has
been fully demonstrated by two successful
expeditions. What we most needed after
wards was an immediate recognition
these facts by the Government: its author
ization of another expedition on larger
scale than before; the appointment of a
competent person to take charge of it !;
and the publication in Eastern journals, as
well as in those of our own State, of the
full programme of the expedition, includ-
ing the time and place of its departure, the
outfit of the emigrant, and the measure of
protection that would be extended against
Indians. None of these indispensable pre-
requisites to successful initiation of the
route have yet been accomplished, and
may not be for /. month to come. Capt
FISK has been lionizing through the cOun-
try, interpreting his oratorical exhibitions
with that of "Old ACES Nugget, but has
not yet reported personally to the Wa
Department, and probably will no. SO long
as he can find audiences who will listen
patiently 10 his marvellous adventure,
In the meantime, however, rival route.
are brought prominently before the PUBLIC
In the St. Louis Repudticm we find d
refreshments of no less than eight or ten
steamers bound for the gold mines of
Idaho, Virginia CITY, Bannock City and
the Sinking Water Valley,-tia Council
Bluffs, Sioux City, Fort Union, Yellow
stone and Fort Benton As an exhibition
of the inducements held cut to emigrants,
We quote the following:
1t being generally conceded thai The safest
quickest cheapest and most pleasant way of
reaching the gold mines of Idaho and surround
ing country is by way OF Missouri River to
Fort Benton on light draft passenger steamers.
in view Of this fact. the owners OF The follow
ing nanied boats have been induced To dis
patch them Tor this destination, leaving here at
as early day as will insure their getting
through without delay. These boat, have
been built expressly for This river are light
draught, st2unch, swift and of excellent pas
scnGer accommodations, are ofliCcrl,i and
manned by skilltu and experienced boa men,
thoroughly conversant with the river and is
navigation.
1t may he an unpalatable truth. but it
must be sail, tia, ut present we are not
ia position to ask enigrants 90 to / lado
through, our State We cannot offer them
even safe conduct arros, the country, and
until we can do this, the less We SAY about
Idaho the better it will hc Tor u. We
trust our business men, tl,.i our Repre>en-
tatlves in Congress Will give tilcIi a;ten-
ton to this matter, that something rracti
cally beneficial to the Stare may result
from the vast influx of people into the
gold regions the coming season
California treasure Shipments.
The tCta. amount of Treasure shipped
from San Francisco during 1865 by the
Pacific Mail Steamship Company Was $4l,-
500, 1885,. or this only $l0,390, 229.6 Sc
was sent directly to New York, the re-
mainder, $31, l79, 454.01, having been
sb;nnad tn Panama and England The