The Delta independent., 1891-02-10
GOLD IN IDAHO.
Homo Interesting RrmIniscences OF the
Discovery of the Precious Metal.

Now that the President has signed
the bill admitting 1dado into the
Union, the forty-fourth star in our
glorious constellation of States, it NAV
not be out of place foIrone who. if he
did not really give the name to this now
State. first put that name in print, to
record a page or two of its early
history, and recall an incident that
still makes his nerves tinglc as he tells
it.
Gold was first found. in that vast and
trackless region now forming the new
States of Washington, Idaho, and
Montana, in the spring OF 1860, by Il
small party of prospectors led by Cap
tain Pierce on the spot where Pierce
City now stands.
The writer. although not then of age,
had read law and been admitted to
practice under Judge Geo. II. Williams,
afterwards President Grants Attorney
General. And when news of the dis
covery of gold reached Oregon. l
gathered up one law-book and two
''siX-shooters, and set out on Il ride
of many hundred miles through the
mountains for the new placers.
But as gold was not plenty. and there
was no use for the law-book, because
there was no law; and as there was an
opening for good and handy horse
man to carry letters and money to and
from the new mines, the writer and a
young man by the name of Mos,man
soon had nailed up over the door of the
only store MS yet in all that wild region,
sign which read: "Mossman and
Miller's Express"
1t was two hundred miles to the
nearest post-office at Walla Walla.
The lover of pretty names will easily
trace this Wulla Walla buck to its
French settlers FoiLd! Voilah
No man cnn LOOK down from the en-
vironment of mountains on this sweet
valley. with its beautiful city IN the
center. whose many flashing little
rivers run together and make it for
ever green and glorious to see, without
instinctively crying out Hoiia! Hoiia !!
1t is another Damascus, only it is
broader of girth aud far, far more
beautiful. In this ride of two hundred
miles there was but one town Lewiston.
Get your map now, and rs you follow
the story of the ride, fix the geography
OF this new empire in your minds. for
Ii will be grand land.
Lewiston, you observe, is at the head
OF navigation Oh the "Shoshonee" or
Snake River. by way of the Columbia
River. This word Shoshonee means
snake. l fancy you can almost hear
the rattle of the venomous reptile as
you speak this Indian word. The ac-
cent. as in nearly all Indian names,
such rs DAKOTA. Iowa, and SO on, is on
the middle syllable. In reading Long
fellows poems you will find he has
preserved the proper pronunciation of
Omaha by putting the accent where it
belongs. And more than once this
learned man reminded me that Idaho
must be pronounced in the same soft
and liquid fashion,: l da ho.
In these long, long rides we changed
horses from five to ten times daily, and
we rode mt desperate speed. We
used Indian ponies only. and Usually
rode without escort, with pistols ready
at hand. Indians were numerous, but
our fear was not of them, but OF white
men. In fact, the Indians were by far
the most peaceable people we had to
deal with. They always kept our
stations" that is the places where
we changed horses and drank cup of
coffee. These Indians were OF the
Nez Percc tribe. 1t may not be gener-
ally known that these noblc Indians
were nearly civilized long before the
renowned Chief Joseph (who fought
the whole United States Tor half wear
not long ago) was ever. heard of.
These Indians, under the direction of
good old Father Spaulding, published
the first newspaper that was issued west
of the Rocky Mountains. They also
nrintQl Coma nnrt;pno Nf tho P;l,Ia ,,
their own tongue, including many
Psalms. Keep these facts of history as
well as the geography of this great
region in mind.
As before stated.we did not find gold
plenty at first. and the Express did not
pay. We two boys worked had. took
many desperate risks, and lived almost
literally on horseback, with little food
and with less sleep for the first few
months. But suddenly gold was found,
as thick as wheat on threshing floor,
far away to the east of big black
mountain which the Indians called
'I-dah-ho." which literally means
'mountain where light comes" I
happened to be in Lewiston on my way
to Pierce City with the Express. when
the ragged and sunburnt leader of the
party that had made the discovery be-
yond the Black Mountain came in. He
took me into his confidence. sent an
Indian on with my Express; and
branching off hundred miles to the
southeast reached the new mines, took
up .'claims." " and opened an Express
Office before dozen people knew of
he discovery which was to give State
after State to the Union. You will find
the place on the old maps. and some
of the new ones. marked "Millcrs-
burgh." But there is no town there
now.
The gold lay almost in the grass
roots, in the shallow surface, like
grains of wheat. 1t was high bleak
place densely wooded and Intensely
cold rs winter came on. Greater dis
coverics lay further ON and in kindlier
climes, and broad valleys and rich
cities receive you there now. But our
story is of the snow and the stony
sleeps of Mount I-dah-ho.
Returning to Lewiston with saddle
bags nearly fully of gold, l wrote the
first published account of the discov-
cry; and the new mines were naturally
called in that publication. az they were
called by all that excited mass of peo-
pie from Lewiston ontheir way to the