, 1884-02-23
FOOTING FOR TIN!
A Jealous Boomer Mixes Things
Trasmogrifying the New
X Mining District.
The CguT d AIsne Mines
How Not to Get There.
And Also how the Trip can be
Made with the Least Trouble
and Expense 10 Travellers.

and Expense TO Travellers.
Perhaps there is no subject before
the people of the far west to-day
that is attracting so much public at
tention as the CGur dAlene gold
fields, and we doubt il discovery
Of the same precious metal ever be-
fore created such an extraordinary
excitement. One Of the results
growing out of the existence Of the
mines is the sudden springing into
prominence of certain points on the
Northern Pacific railroad, that hap
pens to traverse country lying but
a short distance from the mineral
producing section, which are brought
to notice through systematic course
of newspaper nOtOriety, generally
effected by a lavish expenditure Of
coin on the part Of those who hap
pen to own the lions share Of the
town sites, and who very shrewdly
calculate that for every dollar judi
ciously spent in printers ink the re-
turns in the sale Of eligible lots will
respond a thousand fold. In most
cases town lot spectators secure the
services Of some individual cOnvers-
ant with the use Of the pen to write
up glowing descriptions Of the place
that the owners are DESTROYS Of put
ting on the market for so many dol
liars the front foot, and the literary
artist, bent merely upon doing his
masters bidding, allows fancies to
usurp the place Of facts and produces
a document satisfactory to the en-
plOyers, but when placed under the
rays Of the headlight Of truth shrinks
into a pure fiction Of the most unrc-
liable nature. In this endeavOr to
mislead people remote from the
scene Of the new find no limit is set
to eXaggeration, miles melt to rods,
rugged mountains are level as the
plains, the typographical conditions
undergo transformation, and geo.
graphical outlines are ignored COM
pletely. In the crazy, feverish en-
deavor to attract immigration in or
der to unload real estate, utterly
worthless without the backing of the
talismanic cry Of gold, these boom
ers endeavor to draw attention from
more favored localities by represen-
tations as devoid of truth as their
own paper towns are Of stability,
knowing full well that personal in
spection would forever wreck every
hope they entertain Of feathering
their nests from the pockets Of the
too easily beguiled public. These
remarks are occasioned by read
ing one OF the most absurd articles
on the CGur dAlene mines Of the
many absurdities written on the
same fruitful subject. The article
appears in the Brainerd, MINI,
Tribune, and judging from the cali.
brc of the balance Of the contents Of
that sheet, must have emanated
from the sanctum Of that office, as it
is one mass Of the most egregiOus
falsehoods ever strung together in
print. We will take hold Of the
production in detail, giving Uer6atim
quotations just to show the people
cquainted with the region what a
dashed fool Il man can make Of him
self when he tries:
"The aim in this article is to present
simple facts touching the new gold dis
cOveries IN the Rocky mountains, on the
line between Idaho and Montana, which
have come to be called the Cnur d'Alene
mines, but which, as will be seen, are mis-
named. The facts are based on infOrma-
ton gathered with care, and the especial
aim is to mslead no one"
We call attention to the announce
ment that the writer is to indulge in
some "simple facts" II he makes
such awkward breaks on simple
facts, just for curiosity we would
like to see him try his hand at few
profound truths. The discoveries
are not in the Rocky mountains, but
in a spur of the Bitter Root noun
taiT known as the Ceur d'Alenes,
neither are the diggings on the line
between Montana and Idaho but in
Shoshone county, that includes a
portion Of the panhandle Of the lat
ter Territory. There is no misno-
mer ,in the name given the mines,
as 1t is derived from the location.
Facts and fancies must have been
gathered at one gather, and in his
blind zeal the fellow who sorted over
the pile must have escaped the facts
entirely. The statements will not
"mislead'' any one with sense
enough to read and study a map of
the territories.
1.-THE point OF excitement is Eagle City,
on the Montana side Of the idaho and
Montana line which there lies along the
summit Of the Rockies. Eagle City was
an old camp, located a few miles south
and east Of the CUur d'Alene mountain,
which is a spur or point Of the Rockies.
Tho old touen Or fsamp n Cfpur n lnnp