, 1884-04-05
New Find.

For several days mysterious ru-
mOrs were in circulation in regard to
"find" Of placer deposits of great
richness on a tributary of the Sineoc-
quoteen river, but it was almost i'm
possible to learn the exact location
of the new gold region. However,
on Saturday, a party consisting of
Chas. Benson, Tim Wadsworth,
Capt. Fisher, Ben. johnson, Joe
Thompson, and a representative Of
the KOOteHdi Courier newspaper,
started for that section to test the re-
pUfts " THEN richness. At Said
Point we took two boats, and quietly
tlOated down Lake Pend d'Oreillc,
thence down the Sineocquoteen to
the mouth Of the COcOlalIa, which
heads in the lake of that name, as
we found later. Lake Pend dOrei.le
is about sixty miles long, and from
five to fifteen miles wide. 1t is Il
beautiful sheet Of water, and on its
banks as well rs at the mouths of its
various tributaries not only placer
deposits have been found, but quartz
lOdcs, both galena and free milling
ore, have been struck. Thus it will
be seen that when the report got out
that placers had been opened up on
the COcOlalla, it did not surprise the
newcomers, and the Old-timers said
there was nothing new about it,"
for gold has been found on almost
every stream which empties into the
Pend dOreille lake and river-pros-
poets having been struck as early as
fifteen years ago. Louis Lee, of
Rathdrum, was particularly conf
dent, for he said that he had fire.
quently obtained from five to ten
cents to the pan while trapping on
the COcOlalla, years ago, and that he
had also found good pay dirt near the
mouth Of the NcrmilliOn and some
other small brooks flowing into the
Pend dOreille river. With all this
to start with, it was very easy to
convince our people that COcolalla
creek did carry the precious metal
in paying quantities, and when we
landed our boats about two miles
from its mouth, we were prepared to
pan out the glistening treasure. Our
first pan showed about ten cOlors,
and we then divided up, in order the
more thoroughly to prospect the
creek for several miles. Within an
hour dirt had been plnncd which
carried from five to fifty colors, and
even the high bars we found to con-
tain gold in sufficient amounts to
justify the expenditure necessary to
open up the wonderful deposits.
Some Of Us went up one side of the
stream and some took the other, and
not single pan was washed which
did not carry gold-probably aver
aging from 10 to 25 cOlors to the pan.
This too, at the grass roots, for it APP
peared to be deep to the bed rock
from six to ten feet.
As you ADVANCE up this stream il
becomes more RAPID until its head is
reached at Lake C6colalld. No signs
whatever were found that any pros
pccting had been done higher up
than two miles from its mouth,
where one shaft had been sunk eight
feet by Schuck and Markham during
the past winter, and near this shaft,
in the loose ground, Immediately in
the water, one Of our party secured
~ cOlors to the pan-this too in loose
dirt which we thought impossible to
hold gold-yet such was the case be-
yOnd a shadow Of doubt.
From the amount Of prospecting
done by the party, for distance of
not less than six or seven miles ON
this stream, it is conclusively proved
that there is an immense deposit J6f.
gold underlying the soil, and when,
1t Is remembered that bed rock has
not yet been reached, great hopes
may. be entertained Of opening up
another gold region near Rathdrum.
1t is well known that the best pay is
always obtained on the bed rock, and
large drain ditch run through this
section would no doubt open up an
other great deposit of gold, perhaps
even richer and Of greater extent
tbaH the celebrated Ceur dAlene
gold region.
There is an opening here for the
investment of several thousand dol
lars that will pay many hundred per
cent, and we believe that the golden
opportunity will be Immediately
seized.-ROOieUdi Courier.
Tvg