Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1888-02-10
SALMON RIVER LETTER.
A Lot of Information About the Rapid River
Mining District and Other Matters.

EDITOR Press l do not remember
having noticed any items in the f. P.
from the Rapid River mining district.
Perhaps the reason is there are no items
of interest, or if any. no one who is will.
ing to furnish them.
This district was organized last July.
Mr.. Thomas Pollock, the oldest citizen
of this part of the country, was appoint
ed and duly qualified sub-recorder.
Quite number Of claims have b~en To-
Gated and recorded, and number located
but not recorded. The question is, Is
there anything in that section, so near
the trails over which packers and pros.
pectors have been passing for the last
twenty years? To some extent we
must rely upon assayers, some of
whom are not reliable. But when we
see the gold in the quartz it is evidence
prfnaa fdcie of mineral wealth Several
assays have been made from different
lodges, and they range from Sl2O in
gold to Sl32 81; the silver from 9 to 40
ounces. In most Of the rock which has
been assayed there is both gold and sill
yer. The Cayuse, which is sulpburet of
silver, carries no gold The gold seems
very fine, going to $3.50 per ounce.
The silver is equally fine, going 81 90 per
ounce. Therefore. we have very fine
quality of the most precious metals, if
not large quantity. The assays which
have been made were made by the Bos-
ton & Colorado smelling company, Argo.
Colorado; John McVicker, Salt LAX @
city; II. +. Wild. government assayer
of Idaho, and Norman ii. Camp, Coun-
Gil valley.
We are truly glad, Mr. Editor, that
you are so jealous for wagon road
through this part of the territory. We
trust that your zeal will be unabating
until the road is done. When done, we
can then hope to realize something
from the vast amount of low grade ores
with which our country abounds.
There has been little or no work done
on the lodges rs yet. Work will begin
in the spring.
That Camas- prairie Lewiston annexa.
ZIONIST perhaps never has paid as much
money for the purposes of education as
one of the stock men of this county has
paid in two years Cannot Idaho, with
her mineral wealth, her vast amount of
good grazing lands. and her fine agri-
cultural lands, take care of herself? If
not, congress had better make an appro-
pration for building a pc r house for
her.
we are not wei pleaSeu with the con-
duct of the Nez Perez Indians while
here last fall. Some of the more thiev-
ish ones took advantage of the absence
of Messrs. Mcneil & Scott. went into
their house and stole Il very fine butcher
knife and some other little things.
When Scott returned and missed the
knife, he went direct to the Indian
camp and found the knife in the hand of
sqnaw, from whom he quickly
wrenched it. They ordered some white
men off the White Bird trail White
men, especially when not on the Nez
Perez reservation, don't want to he or
dered around by Indians. We think
they killed Il very valuable dog belong
ing to man on Salmon river. We
simply ask the agent To be Il little more
cautious with his Indians.
Last winter there were hundreds of deer
on the breaks and tributaries of Salmon
river this winter hardly one can be
found.
The private school at Mr.. Berg's on
Big Simon will soon be out. Perhaps
no better advancement could be made
than was made by two of the pupils of
that school, considering the disadvanta-
ges under which they Misunderstanding
German and studying English. What
man is doing more for step-children
than Mr.. A. Berg? He furnishes every
comfort and hires teacher for them.
This speaks well for one of Idaho's old.
est and. most prosperous citizens.
Box AMI.