Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1889-02-21
AON. Aaso TERRITORY zass
LONG oST pATTTpr.
The Romance ofthe life OF RIA idaho
!Girer


iwfntv~sf Won -ters. a.o Ee~t spring,
in SG2, MY George ". Miller, then a
resident Of Falls City, Richardson county
Nrh., bado farewell to his family ard
s'ertcd ior the gold mines of ldsho,
being attracted by the stories Of fabulous
wealth which he'd been discovered il
Boise Basin. Our reader. are well
aware Of the tor'unes which were made
in that mioine camp during the sixties
nnd how Tie lit,le trading post and out
fitting station at the base Of the noun
tans grew and rrospercd and afterwards
became the capital city of tho territory.
In those days the traveller left the rail-
road far behind him when he reached
the Missouri river, and the Journey over
land was by n,uic or OK teams through
an almost continuous Indian country.
The old pioneer history of the adventure
some spirits who settled Idaho, was
similar to that Of all others who came to
The mountains in advance of its perma
nent settlement. Boise Basin was filed
with miners, spectators, and a mixed
multitude Of fortune seekers and for
some years gold was as plenty and free
rs pump kins on Nebraska farm. The
cost Of living was high and the freight
alone on merchandise and machinery
sometimes reached s25 per huadred
pounds, and digaings that did not pay
over eight or ten dollars per day to the
man we've not considered of much ac
connt. Mr.. Miller was more or less sue.
ceFstui and at ore time possessed several
thousand dollars in dust. But in later
years this was expended in various
mining camps prospecting. When Wood
River opened up in 1880 there was quite
rush from other camps to the new
gacna mines aud soon after the sphicct
Of this sketch followed the crowd aud
began prospecting here. For the past
seven years he has been engaged ia var.
ions ways in making living, the most of
the time working on his own claim abou.
four or five miles from Ketchum on
Elkhorn mountain. During the pas,
twenty years Miller hes been as one dead
to bis family, and no ti1ings except that
he had died in the mountains of Idaho
had reached his friends after the first
seven years of his absence. Among his
children was bright little girl, four
years cid, whom he named Arizona.
She grew to womanhood and being
married came to the Northwest with her
husband and settled 10 Nez Perez county
ldabo. Her husband was elected to the
legislature and went to Boise, the capital,
as member of the House. There he
enquired, at his wife's request, for tidipgs
of her long absent father and soon found
several citizens who knew Geo. Miller.
and his present place was traced to
kctchum. A letter was sent asking his
full name and former home. The an
swer proved that the missing man had
been found, and the writer of the en-
quiry, Hon. j. |. Mitcham, took the
next train to WRIT his wife's father at his
cabin near Ketchum, where he found
him last Monday and enjoyed pleasant
visit, MIR. Miller went to town at once
and when shown the photograph of his
former little girl, now a woman grown,
he was much affected. Hon. Mr..
Miteham, in making social call ut the
Journal Office, gave brief explanation
of the object Of his visit, and said that il
the spring Mr.. Miller would become enc
of his own household, where daughter
was awaiting to welcome a long lost
father and surround his declining years
with comfort aud love. - Shoshone
Journal.