, 1884-01-30

A DESCRIPTION OF THE RI
GIoN.
Although the Ceur d'Alene mine
have been much talked about of late
there has been a great lack of definit
Information concerning them. The tall
is, for the most part, of a loose, unreli
able sort, all the way from third o
fourth to fortieth hand. The Kootena
Courier, of Rathdrum, northern Idaho
has just issued a special number de
voted to the new mines, and gives a
length the personal observations of ,
writer who announces himself as tn,
most skeptical man in north Idaho
From this special number we brief and
extract as follows:
The diggings are situated southeast
of Rathdrum, the principal railroad
point in northern Idaho, a distance oil
about seventy-ive miles. 1t is a very
mountainous and
BADLY BROKEN COUNTRY,
and is now reached by a good wagon
road from Spokane to Fort C9ur
d, Alene, thence by the Mullen road to
what is known as Evolution, thence
over the mountain trail to Beaver,
Eagle and Pritchard creeks. William
Martin will next month commence
work on his toll road direct from Rath-
drum to the gold fields, which road will
bring the mines within forty miles of
this place. The Evolution Toll Road
company will also build a road from
Evolution, on the Mullen road, to the
mines. The Northwestern Telegraph
company are extending their line from
Fort C9ur d'Alene to the mines, and
the line will be completed in about
ninety days. The Rathdrum s. Ceur
d'Alene Stage company have extended
their line TO accommodate the travelling
public to the mining district, and will
run twenty-four-passenger Concord
coaches and six-horse stock. This line
carries Wells, Fargo Sc Co.'s express
and the United States mail.
AT THE MINES.
Pritchard creek is about fifteen miles
long and has been located from its
ource to its mouth. This creek, at its
lowest stage, probably carries 1000
inches, and the gulch through which it
runs is about eighty rods wide. 1t
very much resembles the celebrated
Alder gulch at Virginia City, though
it is considerably flatter than the latter;
yet there is enough water fall for all
purposes. Not only on the fiat, but
high up on the mountain, perhaps two
hundred feet above the level of the
creek, diggings have been discovered in
the gravel which yield from Sc to So
per day to the man. Again, it is
proper to say that the largest nuggets
and the coarsest gold dust is found
under and around the roots of immense
cedar trees from four to twelve feet
through-evldently having been depos-
tied there ages since, probably when
Clark's fork of the Columbia, as some
believe, ran through this region. But
facts and not theories is what the pub
lie want, and that gold does exist in
large quantities cannot be doubted.
The bed rock stands nearly vertical,
dipping down stream and running at
right angles across the creek. So far
as it is opened it is not over three feet
to-bed rock, though the main channel
has not been found. When the latter
is discovered it is confidently believed
hat almost fabulous wealth will be I'M
covered.
Strikes and rumors of strikes are
rife, and the most skeptical are COM
PEELED to say sit must be So" For
miles and miles up these beautiful
streams thu precious metal is found,
and in many instances by turning over
a boulder great globules of the precious
metal is bound to the rock by wires of
gold.
THE DIGGINGs.
Rich placer deposits have already
been discovered for a distance of ten
miles on Pritchard creek and the
same distance on Eagle creek, the
creeks being known by the latter
name from the point where they come
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