Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1880-09-03

lsFECIAL CORRESPONDENTS TO oREGoNIAN]
SCoUTs CAMP, SLATE CREEK;
l. T., Aug. 8, 1880.
Lieut.. Farrow's scouting column is
camped tonight on the head of Slate
creek, about 80 miles southeast of
Fort Lapwai. Tomorrow morning
Lieut.. Farrow will send detachment
of six men to Payette Falls to establish
a supply depot, while with his main
command he will scout the unknown
country to the north of Salmon river,
and expects to find some hostiles near
the mouth of the Middle Fork. The
country is very rough, and as soon as
our small stock of bacon and hardtack
is exhausted We expect to live on what
fish and game we can secure. The
water up here is also very nourishing.
We struck band of quail yesterday,
and every one of them were shot in
the head, according to the unwritten
law of this command. We also sur
prised and surrounded patch of wild
Strawberries, and in few minutes not
one was left to tell the tale. We may
be able to say the same thing of band
of Indians inside of a week.
For the next six weeks it may be
impossible for US to have any commu-
nication with the outside world, as we
are going up among the tall timber to
the north, where we can see consider
able snow from the camp.
ScoUT's CAMP, Aug. 8, 1880.
Lieut.. Farrows scouts are -camped
to night at the foot of Buffalo Hump
mountain, and ebout seven miles from
Salmon river. The country traversed
to-day was rather rough, and we had
to lead our horses and scramble
through fallen timber for several miles
Tomorrow we expect to swim Salmon
river and scout the county to The
north of the main stream. Some Of
the Indians in our party say that they
have been in that country before, but
the only way they could get there was
to travel on the ice when the river was
frozen-which fact gives us an idea of
what kind of travelling we will have.
Our camp is only three miles from
Florence, and this afternoon few Of
us went over to see the. place. We
found an old mining camp contaitiine
about 25 buildings, manyof them large
and substantial structures, but now
mostly abandoned and fast going to
decay. About dozen white mer
still stay with the camp, and l5(
Cinnamon are working over the ole
claims formerly mined by the whites
We believe gold was first discovered
here in the Fall of 1861, by Messrs
Bhodes, Gordon and others. In thu
Spring of 1862 a grand rush to th'
camp took place, and during that yea
there were at least $4,000 people here
The ground was very rich, and as higl
as $500 a day was washed out by on
man. Those were flush times, every
body had plenty of "dust," and dozen
: of packtrains were coming in over th
5 trail from Lewiston, ll5 miles away
1t is said that one man packed in o.
, his back large keg of whiskey, an
when the people heard of his comm
, they turned out EN- masse and me
j him on the trail two miles from. ..towr
where he sat his keg on stump an
: disposed of his stock at 81 a drinl
The miners did not care PARTICULAR
for the liquor, but they liked to ell
= courage enterprise, and the man wa
} able to pack his stock in on mules.
7 OF course such a camp as Florenc
, was then, had to have its shootin
4 scrapes and men for midnight lunche
h and an old dresdenter pointed out to l
e holes in the buildings where bullet
S had lodged after going through tn
S bodies of this man and that man
! such and such time. Near the tow
e or what is known as Boot Hill, thel
l. are forty graves, mostly unmarke'
It and an old miner told us that two /
;. these had actually died natural death
k He dwelt upon this fact apparently
d an illustration of the remarkable mo
i ality of the camp. OF the other thirt
h eight, three suicided, and thirty-ti'
rs died with their boots and spurs ON.
k is sad sight to see the graves OF
1t many men who were cut down in the
e. prime and buried far from home al
t. friends in the mountains OF ldah
r They travelled many weary miles
ii search of gold and found only lead.
n Florence is about 1000 feet abo'
the sea level, and 36 feet of snow hi
been known to fall there, while Il
,r average depth is about ~ feet: TV
weeks AGO | 2 inches fell there. There