New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-08-23
MINING IN IDAHO.

RECT MAPs-RAPID GROWTH OF TOWNS ON
WOOD RIvER-oUrLoOK FOR THE DEVELOPMENT
OF RICH MINING REGION. "a,
IrRoM AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRiBuNEI
KETcHUM F. o. Idaho. Aug. l4.-ln the centre OF
The Territory Idaho north of the vast lava desert
that occupies "a strip of country from thirty to
eighty miles in width north of Snake River tho
Wood River flows southwark out of the snow
capped mountains called the Saw-tooth, or Salmon
River Mountains to the lava belt and through it
to the Snake River. The old emigrant road to
Oregon winds with tortuous course along the ragged
edge of the lava where it flowed against the foot
hills and crosses Wood River where tue lava forced
At 80 form delta. One reaches the silver
fields from the east by taking the Utah and North
Narrow gauge Railway, from Ogden north 60
miles TO Blackfoot. Sc far can luxnriate in
Pullman sleepers and hear the lively calls in Nor
mon villages of apricots at 10 cents dozen. lus-
cious peaches cheap Delaware: and men,
women and children swarmng from cheerful fixed
homes. At Blackfoot all changes. The railway has
Brought INTO existence this village of the desert
Railway sheds filed with merchandise that one
wonders can be wanted beyond this outpost of civ
ization a railway hotel stores saloons, stables
and few dozen wooden shell houses ranged on
street lines, break the monotony of glaring sage
brush desert plain. 1t is like the Cheyenne of ten
years ago. Here the traveller for the Wood River
country takes one of the Gilmcr and Salisbury
stages, advertised as splendid Concord coaches"
to find wagons skeleton coaches composed of
wood. iron dirt, ricketts, and old age. They are all
like Dr. Holiness one horse shay in this that they
are likely to go into instant dissolution and dust
when the whistle of the locomotive sounds for the
first train to Wood River. If they not hun
dred years old to a day." appearances deceiving
For thirty-two hours including night, the trav-
eller submits with without cheerfulness to the
Concord coach" torture 1873 miles of the
ragged edges of the lava, to reach the mushroom log
village of Bellevue, upon Wood River. Here the
valley opens nOrthward into the mountains from
plain of considerable extent. The river is n rapid
permanent stream about the size of the Mohawk.
All the maps extant of this part of Idaho Territory
incorrect, blank, that derive no
true ideas from them and can only be mised by their
examination. Wood River is shown on the Govern
ment map q small creek coming down to Camus
prairie from the northeast while its source is in
fact fifty miles northwest of where the map shows
IT. The upper 100 miles of the Salmon River,
which Is fed by streams flowing north from the
same mountains that feed the southerly flow of the
Wood and Boise rivers, is entirely unrepresented on
the same Government land Office map of Idaho
Yankee Fork. short tributary of The Salmon, and
the of great mining works for four years past
has not yet been discovered by Government geOgra-
piers being portion of the upper 100 miles above
alluded to. Twenty tributaries of this part of the
Salmon, many of which dotted with silver and
gold mines, proved great, promising to be great,
are not yet ind icated most maps of Idaho; so
that persons who hear of new mining districts in
this extensive region and search maps for the loca-
tion of Mines might just well construct maps out
of their own imagination. This lack of a toleraby
correct map will probably be supplied before an
other year. While Colorado and New Mexico and
even Arizona have been the scene of exhaustive
Government surveys Central Idaho up to this
year has been neglected the glacier mountains
OF Alaska. 1t is only just out of the hands of the
Indians, and not yet conquered from the snow.
The value of the discoveries of silver mines made
IN 1879 and 1880, on the tributaries of the Wood
hrmation. Miners and settlers are pouring in, i'll
spite of the difficulty ana cost OF reaching the
country. The "Oregon Short Line" being
pushed with great energy from Granger on the
cross Wood River only forty miles below the
nearest mines. From that point they now
making working surveys for narrow gauge rail-
way To the head OF Wood River, through a valley
admirably adapted to railway construction. Upon
mines of assured value have been and are being
discovered; aud upon most of them wood and water
are unusually abundant
spent the and early fall of 1850 in ox-
amInlng this new mining region; and while salts
fed that its extent. and the value of considerable
number OF It's young mines. would before many
years make It very PROSPEROUS was on the whole
discouraged by its difficulty Of access, and the tide
OF attention turned to Colorado and New-Mexco by
The railroad enterprises there; which seemed likely
weeks since was astonished to see the change.
inns Bellevue had grown since spring from village
OF 800 to 1900. On the 9Th OF October last year
j rode down the valley from Ketchum, sixteen
HlieS ABOVE bellevue, ana saw only one little log
cabin on the way. Now, four miles above Bellevue
q lively village of 800 people, called Haley, has
sprung up; with we'll ordered street lined with
busy dealers, two express offices, one bank daily
paper, aud big street,sprnking wagon keeping
the dust down. Sawmills, last year only hoped for
are now bnzzing in the shadows of forests that
afford abundant timber, and upon swift streams
that furnish cheap and unfalllng water power.
Two smelters are in operation and two will be
before snow falls; and twcnty-stamp mill for
working the free of the Upper Salmon is no w
beng freghted up the Wood River valley and over
the high mountain pass between it and the Salmon,
upon turnpike road constructed by the Columbia,
Beaver and Lucky Boy Mining Companies since
the SHOWS melted. The mill is being put up by
these companies for their use. At Ketchum,
NJ. +. Green. of San Francisco. who has been of
tile bodest, shrewdest and most successful buyers
OF mines at first hands in the Territory bought his
last group this spring-mines discovered only last
fall within eight miles of the vlage-organzed.
incorporated and secured ample working capital
from company in Philadel pha, and as back to
the valley within twenty days after buying the
mines with q iorty-ton Smelter purchased and now
gong up,and site for his offices and works
Tenent and beautiful would desire for a
pleasure resort. The pleasantness of the valley
a larger mining population than has ever before
gathered III Que district-Leadville not excepted.
While 1T is likely that no such sudden and immense
output OF ore will be made from this region, tile
great number of camps dozen or more
streams that empty into the Wood River, the mode
rate elevation of the yalley-from 700 at Belevue
70 $3.50 at Ketchum and 1920 at Galer a--and the
facilities that a railway in the valley will give TO
make pleasant homes for liners, altogether present
q combination of advantages for a large mining
population that has not yet been found else where.
The winters in the valley below Ketchum not
more severe or prolonged than in Northern Yer
mont, and no trouble will be experienced in keeping
roads open when the population becomes dense
as there There are now about 10 900 people i'm
what is known as the Wood River country, where
last year there 900. About one fourth of
These are IN the log villages the remainder at