The silver state. [volume] (Unionville, Nev.) 1870-1903, 1880-09-28
EASTERN IDAHO.
The Yankee Fork and Wood River
Country and How to Get There.
Correspondence of the Silver STATED

BLAcKFooT, Sept. 20, so.
EDITOR SILVER STATE: This place
is located ON the Utah & Northern Rail-
way, l7S miles north of Ogden City,
Utah, and is the point from which per-
sons take stages for Challis, Bonanza
and the Wood River countries, and as
those mining districts are justly excl
ting, much attention among mining
men, few items will be of interest to
the readers of the SILVER STATE. Hav-
ing lately returned from an extended
trip through those districts, / am pre-
pared to speak from actual observation
of the resources and prospects. The
Blackfoot, Bonanza aud Wood River
stages leave here every day except Sun
day, and carry passengers directly
through to the mining towns, reached
via Challis, while to
THE WOOD RIVER COUNTRY
The route is triweekly, leaving here
every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Good coaches are run on the line, and
all connected Herewith are gentlemanly
towards passengers, and the trip can be
made with as much comfort as is usual
on stage routes. Taking the route to
Challis first, we reach there after ride
of 80 hours and stop over night. Challis
is new town of something near 400
inhabitants, has good buildings, and
her merchants do heavy business in
furnishing supplies. The nearest mines
now being worked are some six or eight
miles distant in what is called the
BAY HORSE DISTRICT,
Then a small town, has sprung UP in
the past few weeks, as the result of the
Omaha Smelling and Refining Com
pany, having located branch smelling
and reduction works there, which has
been put in operation during the past
two weeks, and is now turning out very
fine bullion. Within half mile of the
smelter is located the Beardsley mine,
which was discovered about two years
ago. and has been worked much OF the
time since. This is q silver nine, IN
limestone formation, with a hanging
wall OF slate tale, the ledge dipping at
an angle of about 40 degrees, and the
vein being from three to twelve feet IN
thickness. The ore runs high in silver
and good per cent in lead, and is
superior for smelling. This mine has
been paying one, even while the own
ers were compelled to ship ore by means
of pack animals and teams to the rail
way here and then to Utah smelters.
Now that the ore has only to be hauled
down hill half mile to the smelter to
find a good market, the Beardsley will
become very profitable to its fortunate
owners. Some two miles from the town
is the Rams Horn mine, which has be-
come somewhat famous rs an ore pro-
Queer. The lode lies in slate, at an
angle of 30 degrees, dipping west, and
has been tunaeed on its length by one
OF $50 feet and another of $50 feet, and
the two have been connected by stopping
q drift from the lower to the upper one.
The vein varies in thickness from three
to twelve feet, and carries an average
of l40 ounces silver with l6 per cent
lead The RAMS Horn is in slate and
easily worked, anu the ram ledge has
some spurs of smaller lodges intersect-
ing The workings are at an elevation
of $500 feet above sea level, the crop
pings coming out in very abrupt and
precipitous hill, and the ore is sent down
on 700 foot tramway. Heretofore
none but the richest ore has been ship
ped, but now the entire vein will pay
for working. The same ledge upon
which the RAMS Horn is located has
been traced Tor several miles south, and
numerous extensions have been located
and are now good properties.
West of the Rams Horn NE find the
Bull of the Woods, very similar in form,
and with very rich ore, the general
average supposed TO be nearly 500
OUNCES silver. All the ores in this dig