Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1892-11-19
MEAL MINING DISTRICT.
A Gold Camp that Gives Promise
OF Great Wealth.

so far as prospected, comprises an :
area Of four or five square miles. |
1t is on a direct line about five OF
six miles from the mouth of Moore
creek where corner Ada, Boise and
Gilmore counties. The distance from
Boise to Plowman's mill is p miles,
and about the same distance from
Mountain Home, the county seat Of
Elmorel. The principal locations
are just east of the three peaks in
north and south line which mark
the boundary between Ada and FL
more counties and which are so
nearly alike as to be easily distin-
guished by the traveller along the
old overland stage road. Most Of
the lodges opened up are on Wood
and Bender creeks, but some few
have been discovered on Black /
creek on the western slope.
1t was only three years ago that
Arthur Neal entered that country
on prospecting trip and discovered
the Homestake mine. He had
climbed almost to the summit Of
gravel covered granite peak marked
only by the sheep trails among the
brush Of the many flocks that am
nually feed in that region. when his
attention was arrested by large
| iron-stained quartz boulder on the
side of little gulch. This boulder
is still pointed out to the visitor as
the landmark of the great discov-
cry. Two hundred feet or so above
crops out the ledge by which still
stands the location stake of Arthur
Neal. 1t is not n large cropping,
and required a keen eye to discover
it, but small portion of it reduced
by mortar and pan reveals many
colors of pure gold A little work
by Neal soon exposed a wide honey
combed quartz SO welcome m indi-
cation to the anxious prospector.
This ledge was traced in north
easterly direction for more than a
thousand feet, and opened up in
many places till it has the appear
ance Of huge blowout.
Hundreds Of prospectors soon fol-
lowed the advent of Neal and the
country was staked for miles around.
There are stakes enough" as one
man expressed it, ito enclose the
place with a barbed wire fence. !"
The excitement for a time was well
worthy the discovery. Experts and
would-be capitalists visited the
camp and packed off hundreds of
samples to have them assayed. The
returns, showing that the rock was
worth from $40 to $400 in gold, pro-
duced the belief that fabulous
wealth lay buried in the depths Of
the mountain. Properties were
bonded and new locations made and
all expected to make fortune in a
few days. This was simply mining
on paper and the claims lay unde-
veloped, aud were relocated by the
? owners the following year. No sales
: were made and the few prospectors
r that returned To do assessment work
proved up little beyond the surface
: 1t was not until X. =. Plowman
l the veteran mining man of fl years
9 experience, became interested in the
district, last May, that the place
E took on an appearance of life. Now
! ten stamps, going day and night
/, awake the slumbering echoes of the
!. mountains, and the ore teams OF
!. the road from the mines give TIN
O scene an air of activity. Claim
Q owners are busy doing assessment
/. work before the winter closes in
and as they pan each new discoy
J cry and behold the free gold, conf
dence in the camp is again renewed
J and dreams of hidden treasure G
, far beyond the calm, conservative
Judgment. Just think said MI
d Corder as he WAS packing up to re
Ie turn home from doing assessment
n work on the Shutdown, here | hay
II lived 2S years on my ranch in sigh
of the Neal district and didn't kno'
d there were any gold lodges here
ie See this stuff? There is four fec
|. of that that will run n thousan,
Y. dollars to the ton, and ! only as
G. $4,000 for the claim. There
i that much ore in sight, but am
Il ranchman and do not want to min'
- The Homestake and the Mour
taincer, the two claims located b
il Neal, were at one time bonded f.
Of $4,000. This was rather large f.
" only surface indications and no sal
was effected. Mr.. Plowman ha
m inspected tie property soon after il
I'd discovery with view of purchasin
II. but could do nothing until man
! others had tried and failed to maR
- a sale. At last reasonable tigul
70 of $4,000 was agreed upon and II
property passed into his hand
But an equal sum had TO be e.
pended in building roads, puttir
&c in a sawmill, and a quartz mill, al
~ opening up the mine before the
could be any returns upon the i
n vestment.