The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1865-06-30

OUR MINERAL WEALTH.
MONTANA THREE TUNES VISITED.
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REMARKABLE GOLD DISCOVERIES.
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EXTENT AND YIELD OF THE MINES.
"Just as Good a Thing as Old
Miners Wanted"
Discovery of Deposits of Btu
minOus Coal.
The Great Horseshoe Basin Of the
Rocky Mountains.
Richness Of the Valley Of the
Yellowstone.
r8 -
President Lincoln and the Gold
Miners
PLEASANT REMINiSCENCE.
FOURTH EXPEDITION TO MONTANA,
&c., &C., &c.
President Lincoln and the Gold
Miners
PLEASANT REMINlsCENCE.
FOURTH EXPEDITION TO MONTANA,
&C., &C., &c.

TUUnlH EATEDlIlUN III MUNihNhS
&c., &C., &c.
Captain Fislx's Address to the Ira vcI,cr's
Club OF New York.
Mr. PRESIDENT GrNrLEMES-As IL has never been
my custom appear before select public assemblages
for the purpose OF making speech delivering an ad
dress of any kind have found necessary, in under
taking TO enighen you upon the subject you have named
in your kind invitation to me- to put what may have
to say upon paper and your indulgence making
pretentons to literary excellence or scientific r.
search, can speak only in my plain manner of
matters which have learned from the most au-
thenc Thror ghou all the regions of our great
West may read in big capital letters that
The march of civilization is onward
Westward no Is the course Of empire;
Log cabins, peer cities follow in their wake,
And Territories TO potent States aspire
Previous to the creation of Idaho Territory, that
Immense region Of country embraced within her bounda
ri when organized, almost wholly unknown
and regarded comparatively worthless or untitled for
tho purposes of civilization Contemplating the high al.
ttudc tho many .craggy towering ranges of mountains
dense forests &C., won, to regard 1t waste
place TO BIO forever surrendered to the red sacred
home where should be left rcvcl in solitude
to be seldom, ever disturbed by the footsteps of
intrusive For considerable time. after the
settlement of Washington Territory the region to which
refer attracted little if any attention, and failed to lure
emgrans from distance 10 prospect ITS resources or to
cntcc Of the thousands ally passing its gate
ways to pause for while to what might be wrapped
in her mountain vaults hidden in her bold cahons and
beautiful valleys Gradually, however, after having
reached the limits OF the continent the restless
gold hunter began to penetrate this region from the
West, in search OF fields and better prospects, and
they constantly opened to him In return for his energy
and faith.
The mines Salmon river the first to turn pub
lie attention to this region Tvang California in their
OF those mines. There afterwards opened
Clearwater river north Of the Salmon Doth these streams
being the western slope, and tributaries TO the Column
ba, or Snake river, well yng mines, known as EEK
CITY, and 'Oro Emo diggngs AT the Junction o. the
Clearwater with the Snake river Is situated the town Of
Iewistown until recently the capital of Idaho There
were struck Fort CoviIle the other fork
of the Columbia, simultaneously with those OF the C ar
water and since then record the most extensive
of all the discoveries in Idaho West, at what is known
West Bannock and Bocc tity at which points think
there now near forty thousand inhabitants
Gold and silver quartz have also been
discovered oil atc and are now being worked success
folly In the Deer Lodge valley, the western base
of the Rocky Mountains there had also been small
discoveries made in the fall and winter OF 1891 The
average Weld OF all the mines above mentioned have
carefully estimate, cighe dollars per day to the
man But up that time discoveries had been made
ON tho cast side Of the mountains Excepting Pixies Peak
of coursel and IL my good fortune after serving
some eight months the south against traitors to receive
o,cr from The secretary of War to organize and eauip
an of able bodied young 10 proccd to pioneer
the western border OF Minnesota the
plans and mountains along the forty seventh and forty
TO announce publicly that would protect such cmi.
grants might collect in time at the rendezvous, and
devious for this trip Fort Abcrcrombie, the
Red river of the North and the It'll Of July, 1862,
when the order for a march given my party con-
sisted Of about nifty and mounted guards with
twelve pound mountain hovitzer and drilled squad and
flftcsn women and some children The wagon train,
I'm single ne about one mile In length trackless
country before me- and from the very starting had
take bearings. Our route lay through tho
great hunting grounds Of the sioux, and in looking
out from Abcrcronbe westward there was nothing but
waving obsruct tho vast
OF praric-way into the misty smoky distance
against the horizon. But we soon reached the Wild
Rice and the sheymec both Of which rivers readily
bridgcd and crossed Here found herds of elk.
few miles further 70 buffalo, and for forty
days march herd lined the prairics Then
came antelope and DER grizzly and cinnamon bears
with plenty of wild fowl and line fish in the streams and
Iakcs The roadbed was all that could he desrcdabun
dance of good and grass, and sufficient wood and
boi de L H. for wants In every our journey
del ghtul one, and unattended by accident OF any
serious nature We bore round the Missouri 10 the North
and reached the eastern base of the Rocky Mountains
during the month OF September. Upon approaching the
spurs OF tho main chain sent out prospecting parties
with ten days ations In different directions 10 report 10
me before tn, train would cross the great divide Both
parties the right and left discovered gold There were
practical cach whose Judgment could be relied
upon and reaching tho train notes were compared,
when u was declued 10 haAc nai,, au ,n ny UPON
more general scarch, The man valley oil inc tricky
Pear river a small tributary To tho Missouri, about
seventeen miles south OF our lrail ana In which which
we soon made such discoveries of surface
dlggings warranted removal OF the
entire that locality After spending very Few
hero sufficient 10 assure myself that there was
no occasion those who had out In search gold
go farther 20 advised them, and they decided to es-
tablish themselves there for The winter. Here was
magnificent valley, thirty miles in length and from
one in width, In mild climate, plenty OF wood,
water and grass and for miles along the banks Of the
stream aud the pIare for some distance back from
the banks could pull up ts Of grass and wash clean
particles gold from the earth ciinging TO the roots
The prospect was richer, however tested nearer
the waters edgc and also in the bars Of the stream
few coarSc Jumps were 70 nd This gold evidently
al The very quality In short the old miners who
along declared that twas just good thing ms
they wanted and they wouldn't out another shoe
TOP that fall on the tramp BIT my own journey was
not az an end hero. 20 disciargng the i could
spare and taking about fifteen Of the trusy with
me, continued my march with the expedition property
across TIE mountains to Walla Waa Washington Terri
tory wher, disposed OF The property, as directed, and
commenced my return tp the States via the Column
ba river, to Portland Oregon where | took nm ocean
steamer for san Francisco. Remaining In California
sumo three weeks again took passage aud reached New
York, va the lhnuf On The 3D. day Of January, 1903
having accomplished journey Of III 600 miles in seven
months II was after my arrival IN Washington that
winter that the Territory o Idaho was organized by Con.
prcss simultaneously W In the printing OF my official
port Of the expedition then just closed Idaho as then
organic d, embraced an area OF $50 no square miles.
Aud here IL you please will state for the Sake OF con
ntence ns progress that the great nhounta ranges
Cbac in the limits Of Idaho became such barriers IA
post aud iegi sative communication and
east with the whsttat division OF the Territory being
asked granted little more than one year ago lcav
ng that portion the west under the title and esab
lshed government TO Idaho and creating the now Terri
tory Of Montana Of the country lying cast Of the
OF the Bitter Root range TO longitude 1O3, bounded
the North by the British possessions and on the Soti
by the forty nf,h parallel north latitude She ha
her complement Of Territorial officers her Legislature
and III the of good government in working order
THIS territory embraces the heads Of the north FORK