Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1891-12-01
AN INTERESTING LETTER FROM
NORTH IDAHO.
WALLACE, Nov. 20, 1S9

take your readers over the divide
fourteen miles above here. known as
the Mullen Pass, which is the divid-
ing line between Idaho and Montana.
When We get to the foot OF the hill,
about eleven miles from here, the
road leaves the main canyon and
climbs the hill, three miles, and much
sleeper than the old grade coming
out OF More creek toward Boise. 1t
il not quite so steep going down the
other side, but very rough and
through dense forest OF about five
or six miles when you strike the St.
Regis river, where new mining dis
trict is opening up from the summit
down the St. Regis thirty-fve miles
to where it empties into tho Missoula
river, and up the Missoula river the
whole length Of it to Butte Oity is q
continuous mineral belt. All along
the St. Regis and Missoula arc can
yons and gulches coming in which are
being prospsctsd and considerable
ore coming out. II is predicted that
the St. Regis will some day rival the
Occur d'Alens.
About thirty miles from here is Sal
tese, q station on the Missoula &
Ceur d'Aleno railroad, which runs
down the Missoula river to the mouth
Of the St. Regis and up that stream
over the Mullen Pass to the Occur
d'Alsne.
At Salteso / found ex-United
States Marshal Baird keeping hotel,
whisky mill aad store, furnishing mi
Aers' supplies, principally whisky.
He is looking we'll and says he is hap
py. The morning passed there he
was loading pack train with grub
for some now mines up the gulch a
short distance where he has q few
prospects that are looking fne. He
showed me several samples of ore that
look remarkably well, and said that
in tho near future there would be
1000 mon employed in tho district, as
ore was found in large quantities in
nearly every gulch. The district il
now, the railroad only having been
finished this season, and there has
been no way Of transportation, and
consequently but little prospecting
has been done until the past year.
The beauty Of prospecting along the
route OF this road is that the mineral
belt is on each side OF the stream and
from one to five miles distant, easy Of
access, and any man, although poor,
can dig out car load aud ship it to
the smeltsrs at Anaconda, Helena, or
anywhere he chooses, and where he
oan get the largest returns. Mr..
Baird says he intends to make his
"eternal jack right there.
About thirty miles beyond Saltese
on the railroad is Spring gulch, on the
Missoula river, and across the river
up the gulch four miles is Carter, a
flourishing mining camp only about
one year old, and about $50 men are
employed. Phil O'Rourke, who
spent the last winter IN Boise, is OPP
Grating there. l am told that he has
a bonanza and is taking out ore that
goes up in the hundreds in silver and
lead and is shipping il just as it comes
out Of tho mine without ooncentrat-
ing. There are other mines and
plenty of them within radius of two
miles. A large tunnel is about to DO
commenced to run through Bald
Mountain, which will start within two
hundred yards of the center of the
town. Carter is situated IN the aulch
on little fat q half milo long by
ons-fourth wide on Moore creek, and
i killed one dozen grouse in the
streets, they having como down to the
stream for water. There are two no.
tells and saloon and store combined,
O'Roerke & Bryan proprietors.
Across the divide two and half
miles is little camp called Iron
Mountain, with three or four hundred
inhabitants, situated in gulch that
parallels Spring gulch and about FIVE
miles from the river and railroad.
AT the mouth of the gulch is Supe.
rior, nice little town OF two or three
hundred inhabitants, two large stores,
two hotels and several gin mills.
We're to explain in detail the in
terest of this mineral belt you would
not have room for any other news.
Don't forget the following facts: That
the mineral belt is continuous for sew
eral miles on both sides OF the river
and tapped by gulches running up
about four OF five miles to the miner