The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1864-01-08
The COLD MINES.
THEIR EXTENT AND YIELD.
ANEW ROUTE PROPOSED FOR
EMIGRANTS.
IT'S COMPARATIVE DIRECTNESS
AND FEASIBILITY.
rCompiled by our Reporter from notes of Capt.
Fisks remarks before the Historical Society
Tuesday evening"
THE GOLD FIELDS OF IDAHO.


In the great bend of the Rocky Noun
tains, called by the Indians the Big Hole
of the Mountains, are the sources of the
Missouri River, in countless streams MAX
ing down from the mountains on every side,
which unite in the Wisdom River and Jet
ferson Forks to form the main stream.
To this country the attention OF miners
and many others had long been directed
by reports brought by trappers and occa-
sional explorers. of gold indications along
the various streams and in the mountain
canons. But the hostility of the Indians
and other causes combined to keep the
gold fields of that region undeveloped
until, in 1862, Capt. James L. Fisk OF
Minnesota, under the authority ard by tie
assistance of the General Government,
conducted a party of one hundred per-
sons, by a route corresponding nearly to
the proposed line of the Northern Pacific
railroad, to Fort Benton, and thence across
the mountains, southwest to the Big Hole
country, where they established mining
town nov widely known as Bannock City,
and commenced the exploration Of the
eastern slope sol. fields Of Idaho, which
has resulted in a product Of more than
$4,000, 600 in gold in one year OF work
ing time. We of Minnesota have this to
start our interest in these eastern slope
miners and their grand success, that tilis
party Of adventnrers, who first proved the
richness of the new gold fields, were al
most all Minnes0tians, and the expedition
was plan5ed and conducted by q Mime
soti3n.
PooE MANS MINES.
These nires may be regarded as pecn-
liarly The poor miners fortune, for While
the guch disgings or gold bearlns-earti',
the richest there Of any known in the
world, requires comparatively no capital
beyond industry and ability to work, even
the inexhaustible quartz leads may be pro-
fitably worked without large capital. The
gold-oeasing quartz is the burnt quartz Of
the Rocky Mountains, which may be crush
ed by hand with mortar and pestle, and
thus miners have actually made an aver
age of so, 60 and even $75 dollars a day.
EXTENT OF THE MINES.
The quartz leads are found in the can
ops leading down from the Rocky Noun
tains proper, and also in calons Of the
spurs or district mountain ranges that
bound the Big Hole country on the East
The principal discoveries yet made are at
and near Bannock City in the extreme
Southern bend of the Big Hole. At Ban
mock City the product of the quartz leads
is large and increasing, and at the time of
Captain Fisk IS visit three stamp mills were
about to be put in operation which would,
it was confidently expected, increase the
yield, from gold bearing quartz alone, to
over 100000 per week.
While the gulch diggings have drawn
attention from the quartz leads, the pros
pecting in the mountains has proven, be-
yond doubt, that in nearly every noun
tain canon quartz leads may be opened
which, when machinery shall have been
imported to crush the quartz and separate
the gold, will yield amounts of gold that
would seem entirely fabulous to most rea-
ders if We should undertake to give esti-
mates.
The most valuable gulch or placer dig
gings that are worked are in gulcbes max
ing down from the mountains to the val
ley of the Saltwater, a tributary of JEFF
ferson Fork The mountain range from
the head to the mouth of the Saltwater
forms the arc of circle, and is about 35
miles in length. Except the gulches near
the head of the river, known as the Vir-
ginia City diggings, the Saltwater coun-
try has been but imperfeetly prospected,
yet sufficiently to show their exceeding
richness, pronounced by miners and ex-
plorers to be the richest placer diggings
ever yet discovered. Other rich diggings
besides those of Virginia City and neigh
borhood would have probably been worked
before now, but that these give employ
ment to all the men in the country except
those engaged in quartz mining, holding
valuable claims at different points, or en-
gagged in hunting or other pursuits.
1t is estimated from most reliable
sources that the gold yield Of the Stink
water diggings, up to October last, had
been about $3.50, 900 per week. The min
ing population then was estimated at
1000. On his way south Capt. Fisk met
over four hundred teams, or about 1900
men, Colorado miners, journeying to the
Saltwater country, to winter there and