Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1885-09-01
THE LAVA DISTRICT.
A CURs0RY GLANCE OYER rH,s
PROMISING NEW REGION
'o %. OF the Most Noted Prospects and
M'nes-A Good Opening for 4 Cu..
tom Mtli-The Town Of Era PI.c.
'nat VIII Soon Enjoy a Boom-r,.

10 THE EDITOR OF THE T,xrs.
AS considerable interest is now cen.
tered on this point, and the new min.
ing district on Antelope creek, a few
items In regard to them will perhaps
be OF interest to your readers.
Having laid by the potato match
ana oil necessary work on my Island
ranch, and being desirious of few
weeks respite from the MOSQUITO
nuisance, I saddled my one.eved
Cayuse and started hither, to trv a
few weeks of prospecting aud if DOS.
slole to fall into the tide of the new
BOOM so confidently expected here.
VI the prospects along the Drv
Fork OF Antelope can say that the
reports have not been in the least de.
gree exaggerated. All who have seen
the claims there agree that, consid-
erlng the small amount of work that
has been done on them, the showing
is surprisingly good. All the locations
have been made since the first of Nav
and by men without sufficient means
to DO much in the way of development.
STILL in spite of that, the prospectors
have done exceedingly we'll. A good
wagon road has been completed from
Era to the center of the district and
by all the principal mines, and several
lots OF ore have been shipped, both
to HALEY and to the smelter at Cliff.
Fine specimens Of brittle and horn
silver, with black sulphurets and
ch!orides, of high grade, are becom.
ing so common as to excite no remark
and are found in at least a score of
claims.
The first discoveries in the new
district were made by Hugh McGraw
and young man whose name l can
not recall, who is quite widely known
and readily responds to the soubriquet
of "Whisky Bob" They have several
claims which show ore of the highest
grade and are elated over their pros.
poets. Among the claims which are
being worked and making excellent
showing, may be mentioned the
Snowstorm and Henrietta, owned by
McGee, Seamonds & Co.; the Ajax,
by Green and Cranston; and the Blue
Jacket, Tallapoosa and Monday, by
Armstrong, Selkirk & Co; Buchan,
Sawyer and Thomson have group
of four locations which show exceed
ingly well, native silver and chlorides
being found iii the float and groupings.
The Gertie Vance, owned by Nose
Biddy, is magnificent prospect,
showing, in the groupings, everything
from pure silver down. The Mollie
Darling, Susie Dear and the Lulu
Brown are also deserving of mention,
being considered excellent prospects.
What sentimental lot of old bach
elors the locators of these claims must
be! Think OF an old bald-headed
sinner, to whom The amiable weakness
would be supposed a stranger, delib.
erately recording mining claims UNI
der such names as Mollie Darling,
Susie Dear, etc. Probably he wishes
to perpetuate the memory of the sweet
illusions Of his youthful days; or there
may be still the "anxious heart await
ing" away shack thar in Missouri"
Perhaps it is some Johnny quite re-
Gently arrived, and is smitten with the
Establishments OF the Lost River
girls. But as the rose by any name
would smell as sweet, so doubtless
the Mollio Darlings, ETC., will prove
as true sources of wealth to their
owners as if their nomenclature were
suggestive of the Monte Cristo fable,
or all the richness Of Omus and of
Ind.
Some fine prospects have been
found on Fish creek, and on the head
of Cottonwood creek, but their value
is yet undetermined, though many
fine specimens of gold-bearing quartz
have been found there. A townsite,
known as Gem City, has been laid
out somewhere on Antelope creek,
though but little is known Of its
whereabouts, as not even "whisky
joint" yet marks the spot.
The mineral belt is small, and has
been closely prospected, leaving slight
chances for newcomers 10 "catch on"