The Idaho world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1864-1918, 1869-06-17
MOOSE CREEK AND NORTHERN IDAHO.

MIR. L. w. Bacon, who was o pioneer to the
Florence and Northern Idaho mining region,
arrived in this city about noon OF last sunday
in inst four days from Warren's-the present
chief camp of the upper tier of counties. He
came on horseback, by way of the Big Lakes
and North Payette, and made an unusually
quick trip-all alone by himself. Although 1t
is comparatively in the height of the season OF
abundant water, Mr. Bacon had no difficulty
in fording any of the numerous creeks, branch
es, and sloughs on the route, and this tOrclbly
bespeaks the general scarcity of water through
out tile whole of Idaho. this year, as, last year,
during late July and early August, in travelling
the same route which Mr.. Bacon has lately
Travelled, we found the regular fording places
at some of the sloughs and at one of the creeks
to be quite difficult and hazardous to cross by
reason of deep water.
Mr.. Bacon reports mining at Warrens to be
generally prosperous in placer mines, with n
fair supply of free water for this dry season !;
be much shortened because of the prevalent
low stage of water in the mountain streams.
In quartz mining good deal is done The
Pioneer quartz mill, put up near Warrens
nearly two years ago, is kept quite steadily
employed in crushing custom ores, and the
water-mil which Capt. Williams is running
has full employment all the time ON ores from
the ledge owned by the mill company, or from
neighboring lodges. 4 lot of ttty-three tons oil
ore, crushed just as it was taken from the nine
and dumped, out of the Rescue ledge, gave a
product of nearly fifty dollars per ton all
through, and some of the ore, culled and sub
sequently crushed, paid above $50 per ton.
The Rescue is new ledge. The dlscoverer
owns one-halt of it, and the other halt IS held
in equal shares BY Messrs. Leland and Poe,
attorneys. 1t is new mine. and all the way
SO far as worked prospects better aud better
The mines about the pioneer old camp OF
Florence, Mr.. Bacon says, are paying better
this season than they have paid for two or three
years past But, because OF the shortness OF
the working season, through lack of water,
mining will soon be over for this year.
The Moose creek mines have already conf
menced to fail Mr.. Bacon says that for few
weeks before he left Warrens, miners were
daily coming in from the Moose creek dlgglngs,
disguised, flat broke, and anxious 10 obtain
employment. Ony few had gone there from
Warrens, but nearly all who had were back
again, and with them came numbers who had
rushed To Moose creek from British Columbia
dggngs, from Elk City and Orc Elmo, and
from the California, Nevada and Eastern ore
gon mining districts. All of thom pronounced
the Moose creek diggings comparatively a hum
bug The area of mining ground is limited,
aud the richness of the best claims there has
been greatly oycrratcd \ few men who had
gone there early and had the pick of all the
ground, had succeeded pretty well in the mines,
and the fcw traders who got in first with goods
and provisions. had made money; but the dig
gings were no longer paying, except in rare
instances; the camp was ovcrst"ckcd with
goods of all kinds, and the rush from there du-
ring May was far beyond the rush to Moose
creek. The excitement was over, the camp
was fast simmering down to bed rock grade.
and the rich and extensive Moose creek gold
fields" told of in the papers, will sustain no
more than half the number who remained there
in early May, if so many.