St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1890-04-12
eoLD.AAiNe AoveNTURE.

| eoL0-MiNe AoveNTURg.
3Ares Men Wke Nearly discovered ~
Pine Creek Mines IN 1859.
The Umatella Indians during one oi
their annual hunting and fishing pill
grimagcs in the Eagle mountains
brought several ounces Of gold to .
trader at Walla Walla, which indicated
that it had been extracted from quarts
by the crudest and most imperfect
| means. This trsder and two compan-
ions became wild with envy ss each re-
turning party Of Indians displayed
quantities Of the same character of gold,
and determining upon finding the local.
ity of their treasure . secret audience
with one of the chiefs was arranged.
BY means Of liberal offers of fire wa
ter" the chief was finally persuaded to
divulge the secret, and lead the three
traders to the place from whence his
long and handsomely-beaded purse had
80 often been replenishcd. When every
thing was in readiness for the start one
Of the prospectors was taken suddenly
ill, and, as the expedition could not
we'll be delayed At that time, two
adventurers, with the chief and two
braves, pushed through the Blue mount.
aims. and camped at the mouth Of tho
Big Minnuc river, to await the coming
Of the prospectOr left behind. This was
in June, 1852, and, as the two whites and
three Indians were known to have been
in camp together, party Of cavalry was
detached from q command then sta.
toned in Grande Round valley to in.
spect the camp Of these Indians, as it
was feared that the prospectors had been
inveigled into the mountains and mur.
dered by the savages Riding into the
camp, the soldiers inquired for the white
men but meeting with no satisfactory an
swer to their interrogatorics, they
killed the three innocent Indi-
ans within hearing Of the men
whose supposed death they had 50 cruel
ly avenged; after rifiing the camp they
returned to their command, where they
were applauded as heroes As the tro-
phies of their victory were displayed.
Enough had been learned Of the gen.
eral direction Of the locality Of the
push on toward the towering mountain
peaks of the Eagle range; and, rs it was
not deemed prudent for them to remain
longer in the neighborhood where their
companions had been murdered, they
accordingly pressed forward into the
very heart Of the mountains, where,
twenty years later, the Northwest was
startled by the discovery of quartz
fabulously rich in gold. The gOld-bear-
ing region was within . few miles Of
where our weary prOspectOrs gave up the
search.
The streams of these mountains were
alive with brook trout; and in the
mountains deer, elk, and mountain
shesp were to be found on every hand;
while bear and panther often made
themselves far too familiar with camp
life. For many weeks the party wan
dered among the almost impenetrable
forests Of this mountainous country.
Placer prospects were found in many
places, but like Ponce de Leon, they
sought a fountain which they never
found. At last, however, they espied
the beautiful Wallowa Valley, then the
home of Chief Joseph and his braves,
and Immediately repaired to the bank
of the lake, where they pitched their
tents. resolved to rest their
weary horses as we'll as them.
selves before pursuing their journey.
The Indians, however, were not dis.
posed to give them peaceful possession
Of their territory, and ordered them to
move on. This they did reluctantly,
but without ceremony, leaving Chief
Joseph and his band in peaceful possess
sion of lake and valley. Going down
the Wallowa river, they found their
way into Grande Round valley, where
they heard for the first time the news Of
discovery Of gold in Boise basin, whittier
they arrived late in tho fall.
There is little doubt that the gold for
which this thorough, but unsuccessful,
search was made in 1862 was found in
1884 with the discovery Of the Pine
Creek mines. The RED Jacket" and
other locations there show unmis-
taxable signs of having been
worked by the primitive methods
used by the Indians. Pestles
Of flint and concave granite bowlders
used as hand mortars have been found
near these lodges; while corroded iron
bars, used, no doubt, as picks and lew
ers, have been unearthed. There is .
tradition even now among the few sur
viving red men who annually visit the
mines of Cornucopia that the Great
Spirit was very much displeased at the
chief and his companions who attempt
cd to reveal the secret Of their gold mine
to the whites, and that He sent an evil
spirit to destroy them for their perfidy;
that q mighty earthquake swallowed
them up. and with them the gold lodges
were also destroyed. City (Ore.l
Cor. st. Louis Globe Democrat