Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1882-06-01
WOOD RIVER.
A Correspondent Who TaRks About II
Plainly Yet Truthfully.

(Nev.) Leader recently sent that pa
per letter that so plainly and accu-
rately depicts the situation here, that
we reproduce it. He wrote on the
2lst Of May, as follows:
Wood River is probably in the
mouths of half the population of the
many mining camps on this Coast,
and if such is not the case we Wood
Riverites have been greatly misled
and imposed upon. All last winter
did we live in the hopes of having
our patience rewarded this spfing
and summer by a rush never before
equaledss on this Coast, and we as
willingly believed it, We have wait
ell, and are still waiting, and proba.
bly, will wait for quite time to come
two years, at any rate.
After reading the above paragraph
some of your readers will say Wood
River has gone; her bottom has fall
len out; she is another White Pine
mostly all talk and on paper. But,
nay, gentle reader; you are mistaken.
Wood River will-maybe next year,
but surely two years hence-turn
out more bullion, ore, rich poor men.
and such likes of all mining camps,
than has been even yet anticipated
by our own prejudiced (?) selves. /
don't speak for all of Wood River,
but l guess the majority is with me-
Wood River is not gone in by good
deal. She is just what any cool
headed mining man or old-timer has
said she would be at this time, and
the sole trouble lies in our inhabi-
tants expecting so much for so Young
country.
FOR A NEW COUNTRY
this is too far from civilization to de-
velop itself in a single year, or even
two, because what was known Of this
country previous to last year at this
time is simply nothing. What is
known now? Well, just now it is
known that our mines go down to a
considerable depth, fact we did not
know one year ago We also know
that some of our poorest prospects
on top have turned out to be our
best. mines. We also know our win
ters,.on an average, are not as hard
as their reputation would have them
be. We also know. and by expert
ence at that, that a new mining coun-
try as far from the outside world as
this is cannot be of as much account
as greenhorn imagines.
Nevada took the Wood River ex-
citement
AS AN EMErIC,
just from the fact that it was some
distance from them, and they could
possibly get a chance to walk here,
but we all know that the Eureka
mines, which have proven the best
on the Coast, created no rush in Ne
vada, which was because it was too
close to get to.
Another instance: Wood River
ties just from San Francisco say the
mining part ofthat metropolis is act
ually crazy over Sawtooth's mines;
but such is not the case on Wood
River, and we know at the same time
that Sawtooth is wonderfully rich
district, but it is not far enough
away from us to go wild about. If the
Sawtooth or Muldoon Little Wood
River) countries were away down in
Arizona, away up in Washington
Territory, or Alaska, Wood River
proper would be desolated inside of
two months.
Next year may find furnaces,
smelters. sawmills, ETC., enough in
this country to make it really
lively district, but until such time
would warn all poor people to
LET WOOD RIVER ALONE.
There are to-day $50 men here on
one job, and before another month
200 men will be out of work, and
money also, to one man working.
Such is the outlook.
Our merchants and business men
all wonder what the trouble is, but
they don't take the time and trouble
to think a few moments in sensi-
BILE way. Business is not what we
desire it should be, nor what we ex-
pected it to be- Many people are
coming in daily, but they all come
broke, and this is what's the matter
with Wood River. l may be slightly
censured by some of our flighty"
business men, but it is true, land
don't you forget it,
We have enough business houses
in Bellevue and HALEY to supply a
city of fifty thousand people and
still they all kick because they don't
make anything.