The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1880-08-24
FROM WOOD RIVER, IDAHO.
A'o"9h Country to I'rospect .in-Steep
Mo"niains and Deel, snow-No Roads
anu Pocket LOdes-MOntanians Ad-
Vised TO Stay Mt Home.

As~
vised 10 Stay at Home.
Mr. A. w. Pike, a well known miner of
suite, who recently left this place for Wood
River, Idaho, writes in the following terms to
a friend OF this city of the mines and mining
prospects of that district
III IS true there are some fine prospects
mere on top of the ground, but no shaft has
YET oeen SINK to a greater depth than Is feet.
All want to sell, and any prospect that shows
gaiena on the surface will sell readily; but,
h'ihd you, it is a pretty tough job to find the
galena. Bellevue is the first place where vol,
reach mines on Wood River. The river rises
near the Saw Tooth, and running almost due
south empties into the Malad, and the latter
again lnto the Snake. From Bellevue to the
saw Tooth the distance is IS miles, with
mines encountered here and there for the en-
Tire distance. Jacob City, directly across the
river from Bellevue, is a "town" of a half
dozen cottonwood cabins. bellevue has
about 70 houses. Ten miles northwest of
Bellevue, in Croy's Gnlch, is Bullion City, a
place of three tents. LII this district we find
the Bullion, May Flower, Gould. Idahoan and
a few other promising claims in fact il is the
best looking mineral district | have vet seen.
The May Flower, Gould and one other mine
We're lat'ly bonded to a Salt Lake company
for $4,000. They sunk on the May Flower,
but two days before the bond expired the
lead pinched out. The time was then ex-
tended one month, and the bond raised to
$4,000. The development is actively going
on, but can't say how it will terminate.
"The leads all occur in black lime and, so
far as yet developed, occur only in pockets or
irregular deposits. To-day you may be rich
and respectable; tomorrow, something else.
Whether you will be respectable oftener than
the other way is hard to guess. The noun
tains are high and steep, closely resembling
the Highland range south of Butte. All the
lodes yet found are outcrops. Not a single
blind lead has yet been discovered. Only a
few show as much as 100 feet of groupings.
From Bellevue to Ketchum is Is miles from
Ketchum to Galena % miles, and from the
latter place to the Saw Tooth 20 miles. Only
two good mines have as yet been found in
che Saw Tooth range. 1t is a rough country
to prospect in, nearly every gulch showing
The evidences of snow slides. The noun
tains are covered with the finest of wild
grapes, but they are so steep that a mountain
sheep would be puzzled to make his way over
them. Deer, bear and grouse are plentiful.
The finest trout | ever saw are taken from
Wood river, but just now they are 10th to
bite, so bacon straight constitutes the bill OF
fare. Wood river has more water than the
Deer Lodge. The bottoms are wide and
thickly studded with cottonwood, which is
used in building, the mountains being SO
steep that it is almost impossible to procure
fir. There is a sawmiil on Warm Spring
creek, where a poor quality of lumber is 10
be had at S65 per NJ. |. l. Lewis has a road
graded to his mine and has shipped about lO
tons of ore ITO KeltOn. IL is 150 miles from
this place (Ketchum) to kelton; $50 to Boise
or any other, Montanian to come here. On
the contrary, stay where you are. One thou
sand men are here, all busy pr respecting ;'still
| have heard of but one lead being struck
since my arrival. | have been out near the
Smoky, out found footprints everywhe re
Wherever l go the busy prospector has been
there before me. Every iron lode or streak
of stained rock is staked and duly located.
and prospecting becomes monotonous when
things are thus. Wages are 81 FER day, eX-
cept at this place, where s. % is paid. Mon
tanians can lily afford to tramp go miles tc
get a chance to work for So p per day. Snow
last winter was four feet deep IS iA:!es below
this place. Gu boys are all we'll, as indeed
are all from Butte. We are thinking OF re-
turning to Montana via Bonanza City and
ChaIlis. If nothing more encouraging tina.
we have yet encountered presents itself, then
look out for us at Butte before snow flies,
Robert Yeldell got in from Butte about two
DAYS ago, and is already thinking about taking
the back track. Regards to the boys etc.