The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1883-11-28
CCEUR D'ALENE.
It is SAID to be a Job of the Northern Pa
cifc.

The Cmur d'Alene gold excitement
does not seem to inspire quite as much
confidence near home as it does abroad.
Frank Mccarthy, an old time mountain
eer from Missoula, being interviewed by
the Salt Lake Tribune said:
II think the Northern Pacific railroad
company are largely interested in get
ting up a stampede to the Occur d'Alene.
from their standpoint probably justifia-
BILE, to fill up the great northwest rapid
ly with a population, and probably they
know as we'll as anybody also how to do
it.u
"Have you ever been in that coun-
try?"
II first went there in 1865, although
as early as 1868 there had been an tx
element raised concerning that country,
and many a poor fellow from Oregon
and California on that occasion was
picked up by the Indians. When I
went there it Was on a night stampede,
which was a common thing in the early
Montana towns. / was accompanied by
eight or ten other prospectors. We
crossed the mountains from a point west
of Missoula and struck the head of
Prichard Gulch. It was a very difficult
journey on account of the dense growth
of timber which ia many places was fall
en- and piled upso that it was next to
impossible fer us to get through at all.
However, when we struck the head of
Prichard Gulch we found colors, and oc-
%casionally a small piece of coarse gold,
together with small pieces of gol. bear
ing quartz, some Of which showed free
gold. We sunk quite a number of holes
along the bed of the creek, but found
nothing which in those days was consid-
cred pay dirt. Everywhere we found
fine gold such as is found all down the
Columbia river, but not in paying guam
titles. After ten weeks of prospecting,
we made u way out of the mountains
down to Spokane Falls, where we win
tered. [ was satisfied then, as I am
now, that the Occur d'Alene is not a
placer country and / believe the scores
of ~prospectors who have been in there
since then, if they had found anything
worth their while, would not have re-
turned. I don't think old prospectors
ever desert a good thing in the shape OF
placer mines"
HAS the country ever been prospected
for gold lodges that you know OFF,"
mo, L don't think it has. People in
Montana have always looked for and ex-
pected to find placers. The expense
and difficulty attending the develop
ment of quartz lodges situated in the re-
mote interior shut off from the advan.
tages of cheap and rapid transportation,
have always caused Lodges to be regard
ed as valueless, unless they were known
to be extremely rich, and their develop
ment has ever been regarded as only re-
motely probable. My trip into the
Ceur d'Alene convinced me that some
good lodges exist there, and the present
stampede will result in their discovery
and development"
"Then you think there is more smoke
than fire in this hurrah?"
Decidedly; and railroad smoke at
that
"How will your friends treat you
when you go home for blacking Occur
d. Alene's eyer"
II am not in the business of outftting
miners. I'll sell my butter, eggs, grain
and beetle the boys at as high a figure
as I can, andthey can buy mine or stock
up with these articles from Minnesota
or Oregon, just as they please. / have
no i'll to say of Occur d'Alene. / have
no doubt that some sort c. a mining
country will develop there, but I ar
not going to bind myself to this rail
road racket to disappoint an army o!
prospectors and Miners
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