Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1864-02-18
The Idaho Route.

Al Lne request OF the CnamDeP OF COM
merce, Capt. Fiske, of Minnesota, addressed
that body for few minutes yesterday, upon
the resources of the Territory of Idaho and
the necessity and feasibility of Government
Road from some practicable point in Minneso-
ia to the gold region of Idaho.
The Importance ofsuch a route to the cOun-
try at large, and to our city, cannot be over
estimated. 1t has ceas- d to be a matter of
doubt that the mineral resources OF the re-
gion known as Idaho" are immense Ac-
cordlng to the statement of Capt. Fislle, no
less than S25, 100000 has been mined within
the past twelve months, and this with the
most imperfect machinery, and in Il region
which has been rendered almost utterly mac
cessible by its great distance from the Dor
ders Of civilization and the dangerwhich have
beset travellers from the Indians on both sides
of the Rocky Mountains. Yet, notwithstand-
ing, all these difficulties, the few daring mi
nerS who have ventured to encounter the
dangers and privations of that Wild region,
have realized sum nearly One-half as great
as the annual product of California, with all
its hundreds of thousands of Adventures
from all parts of the world. AS we stated
yesterday, u large portion Of this yet remains
at Virginia City and at other points III Idaho,
owing to the unprotected condition of the
route from there to the States.
The gold is found in large quantities in the
shape of nuggets, lying loose upon Oh near the
surface in gulches, &C.. but it is also found
deposited in quartz, as in Colorado and Neya-
da. Capt. Fiske has in his possession large,
rough-looking nugget, sent by a rough-look-
ing miner to our rough-looking President,
Abraham Lincoln. 1t weighs about $40 AS
the Captain about leaving the mines an
old fellow drew this nugget from his pocket,
exclaiming, ''Here, Captain; I've heern tell
that Old Abe is the humliest man in the hull
country, and I'll be goll darned if this amt the
humliest nugget Give this to Old Abe for
me-" The Captain had attached to it small
plate on which is engraved the last sentence
OF the miners speech, and on his arrival at
Washington will present it to the president.
The chief part of the travel to Idaho from
any State except Minnesota has heretofore
been by way of the Overland Route to Cali.
fornia, through Kansas, Colorado, &c, until
after the west side of the mountains was reach.
ed, and thence north to the gold mines. This
makes very long distance after leaving the
limits of civilization, the distance from the
Missouri River to Virginia City by this route
being some 100 miles, whereas by the north.
ern route it is only about 900 miles from Saint
Paul, on the Mississippi. The fact makes the
northern route much preferable, not only to
the people of the Northwest, but to emigrants
from all parts of the Union. Hence the open
ing Of a route through Minnesota would turn
Tremendous tide of travel through our city,
especially as Milwaukee, being more norther-
ly than Chicago, would naturally be the thor
oughfare for the emf grafton that came by the
lakes from Canada and the East. Here no
small portion of the hundred thousand emf
grants who would seek this new Ell Dorado
during the first year, after the opening of d
protracted emigrant route, would naturally
procure their OutftS-a trade by no means
small.
As to the feasibility of the proposed route
Captain Fiske, states that it passes through a
we'll watered country with undulating surface
and the usual succession of timber BELTS lakes
rivers, &c. The desert plains through which
the Southern route passes, are well known to
the public Gen. Pope promises to cooper
ate with the enterprise as far as possible, in
his campaign against the Indians and to make
the route his line of communication whenev-
er at all consistent with his instructions and
plans.
The route proposed by Capt. Fiske is to
leave the Mississippi at some point, say La
Crosse, proceed west to Mankato, thence
northwest to near where the Little Missouri
empties into the Missouri, thence nearly west
up the Valley of the Yellow Stone to the gold
fields. This route he hopes to induce the
Government to establish, both as measure
of developing the resources Of the country
and as war measure.--nIara,lkeeS Sentinel.
ID III