The DeLamar nugget. [volume] (DeLamar, Idaho) 1891-1900, 1893-06-24
IDAHO WINTER.
PERILS Of the MOUNTAINS.
Thrilling Experience of an Ida
no Man While in Search of
His Lost Partners.


The story Of the friendship of Damon
and Pythias will be read and admired
az long as the world goes around. The
only thought of regret that telling thi.
story suggests is that cynics will ALWAYS
declare that such instances of the deyo.
ton of friendship and the sacrifices
which have been made, the perils q
friend has been willing to face for a
friend, are 80 rare that one has to 90
back to the reign of Dionycious and TO
ancient history. of doubtful authentic
1ty, for an example.
Ifall'such stories could be told which
have actually been enacted by rough
men,who have builtthe first Camp fres.
and helped to wrest the wild regions of
the Rocky mountains from the reign of
savage beasts and more savage men, the
story of the friendship of the two Young
men, which has been handed down
through 30 many years, would lose the
iuster and halo of the unique.
The history of Idaho would never he
complete without the record oftbe story
IL Is my pleasant task to put in print for
the first time. This task is all the more
pleasant for being undertaken W hen tho
principal actor in it is still living. and
while every state ~ ant therein made can
yet be verified by many living wit
nesses
In the summer of 1859 Dave Adams
and Henry Knapp, then young men.
equipped with saddle horses, pack ami
mails and complete prospectors' outfits.
started out from Idaho City on a pros
pscting tour in the Saw Tooth range of
mountains. The country through which
they took their course had then been
out little explored, and is one of the
widest and most rugged of all the
mountain ranges of the west, and these
TWO men often travelled for weeks, camn-
ing and prospecting, without seeing a |
human being. Early in the fall. one af- |
tsrnoon, while they were TRAVELLING
DOWN ridge on one side of a narrow
gulch, they saw, on the opposite side,
three men on horseback, whom thew
haiisd. The strangers did not reply and
seemed anxious to avoid them. Vexed
at being treated so discourteously in
such lonely place, they hurled some
ratnsr sharp invectives at the strangers
ana rode on. paying no further atten-
lion to them. Before nightfall our two
friends rode into the deserted Camp ofEl
stanley Basin, where they found one
onely miner in possession, James Do
AN. This man had supply of provis-
cns, TOOLS, etc., on hand, and was in
ending to remain there aloha mill :
DO next spring. when he would be re- !
niorced by few friends, and together 8
hey would work the rich placer ground
While they could procure water from the /,
netting SHOWS. Unlike the men thew :
lad passed tina. afternoon, he was de-
gnted to sec human face, and invitedsA
ur friends to stop with him and tell r.
im the news from the outside world. ;
ne invitation was accepted and, in a :
hort time, the party they bad passed !
nat day also rode into camp and haIted
'r the night. They alltalked together T
null 1t was time to roll up n their .
lankets, to sleep, perchance to dream. =
rich gold fields, of which each were =
eager pursuit, or of dear ones far !,
way.
Inc strangers had avoided telling
mere they were from or whittier they :.
ere going, and our friends could NOT :,
nagIne why they were so uncommuni- 90
tive. But the reason was revealed to 4,
lem the next morning, W hen the owner ~
the cabin woke them nm and told
em that the other party had left at Q RI
CLOCK. They had borrowed saw and h.
me other tools from him, and told (
m that they bad found very rich dig a.
ngs a few miles away that they =,
'uld locate him in on claim, but had m
arged him not to tell which way thew 80
d gone. AS placer dggings were lust ri
nat our friends were looking for, they N
not propose to be counted out so ou
silly. Adams. having spent many ~,
ars of bis life on the frontier of Texas,
sxico, Arizona. the Pacific Coast and on
interior Northwest, experienced no n
tculty is finding their trail and fol- IN,
Wing 1t in true Indian style for two
VS.; when they suddenly came upor on
amp of about twenty men, on what mi
erwards, for short time, became IN,
own as the famous Loon Creek Placer as
!gings. Our two friends were soon He
it," A miners meeting was called; wil
istrict formed bylaws adopted, and am