Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1890-07-25

over the mountain trails at a cost Of f,e
cents per pound. Provisions, machine.
ry and every necessary of life have had
TO pay this high freight tariff. but the
quartz Is SO rich that mining is very
profitable industry. Two mule loads of
bullion were shipped out as the proceeds
OF one mill run last summer. There are
now three quartz mills in Warrens, and
the future Of the camp is bright indeed.
The territorial legislature has appropri-
ated $50, 200 for the purpose of building
WAGON road through Idaho County,
and the survey for the same is now pro-
crossing; with the cheaper transportation
which this road will give. Warrens
promises speedy development into a
prosperous, wealthy and productive
camp, afordng employ ment to several
| Thousand men.
| Beyond Warrens. in the heart of the
Salmon river mountains. is Alton dis
trict, in which ore was first discovered
in 1885. The Cleveland mine is owned
by u company. incorporated at Butte,
Montana, with So 600 600 capital The
mine has been fully developed, and il
noted for its rich ore, which makes it
easily the best mine ever discovered in
Idaho. A twenty stamp mill is now be-
ing shipped n,and " Ill be erected at the
mines at once. when the thousands Of
tons of rich ore taken out during the de
velopment OF The mine will be worked
into bullion. The others mines in
this district which have been developed
are the Senator Beck and the Mountain
View. Alton district is famous for it,
great lodges of rich ores, and when agon
roads are built to il, it will take PROM
inent place in mining history.
The Elk City district is an old placer
district in the foothills of the Bitter Root
mountains, in which quartz mining has
only recently come to the front. The
rich to make their working extremel,
profitable. This district is regarded by
quartz experts rs being one of the won
ders of the Pacific Coast in its surface
display Of mineral wealth, bnt like the
other districts it can only be reached b.,
mountain trail and its isolation keeps it
in the background. With wagon road
communication Elk City will easily pro-
duce millions and millions of gold, and
II has quartz in sight to Justify the pre-
diction that it will employ ten thousand
men when the camp is accessible. The
Buster is the best developed mine in
Elk City. 1t is opened by tunnels shaft.
and slopes, and shows fourteen foot
vein of gold and silver bearing qnariz
with ore enough in sight to run Il
twenty.slamp mill for two years. The
Cleveland mine, on Relief creek, seven
miles from Elk. Is gold bearing quart,
vein from which money has been made
grinding the quartz in a rude arastra
These mines are the property of indi.
viduals who have not the means to work
them on the scale commensurate will
the size of the lodges.
An incorporation called the Idaho
Consolidated Mining Company are de.
yeloping group OF the quartz ledge
in the neighborhood of Elk, and are 81
we'll pleased with the showing already
made that they have ordered compete
milling outfit 10 be erected this summer
near their mines. They own the Harr
son, Myrtle. Redstone and other veins
The Blue Dragon, on American River
and the Blanco, on Red River, are othel
standard mining properties in the Ell
District. A wagon road will probahl,
he built from Camas Prairie to Elk Git,
sections.
For prospectors Idaho County Offer
special Inducements, as there are vas
mineral regions in its boundaries wher,
the footprints of white men have neve
been. The entire western slope of tn.
great Bitter Root divide il II terra in
cognitd, and to less extent the sam,
may be said of the Salmon river noun
tains. The mines of the districts ou'
lined above need the aid of associated
capital to be exploited most profitably
1t is the opinion of experts, borne gu
by such tests as have been made, tina
the quartz veins will yield highel
grade OF ore below the level at which
the desutory mining already attempted
has been carried on. All the mini {
yet done here has been OF the most un.
scientific, make.hift order. These
mines are yet only in their infancy. and
promise rich returns to labor and capita
for many years to come. These vein,
carry generally both gold and silver, bu
are worked at present for the gold the,
contain. The silver is allowed to go t
waste. There are in Idaho County also
great veins of red, brown and macneti,
iron ores, and also vast deposits of hem
attic. mica. asbestos. alum, gypsum lime.
stone, marble, tale, kaolin, elastic sand
stone. soapstone and alum shale. Thi
latter we have in such quantities tina
alum can be manufactured on the spo
at very nominal cost. There is on,
deposit which covers acres of ground.
TIMBER RESOURCES.
AS to our timber resources this i.
simply forest in which the axe has moi
vet been piled. Taking the western
slope of the Bitter II DOT mountains alone