The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1892-1907, 1893-10-28
FROM ELK CITY.
Notes from Idaho coan.y's Cola Camp.

ELK CITY, IDAHO, Oct. IL, SO.
Editor Of The Press:
Pursuant to my promise TO write you
my impressions of this country when ]
had been here long enough 10 form
Trustworthy opinion, and having few
moments to spare, concluded to iniiict
you with those impressions now. You
know that gold was discovered in this
district in 1861, and in Co and 63. Elk
City was then booming town of from
Sopo 10 10000 inhabitants, with lots OF
business houses, and the usual compl,-
ment Of gambling, drinking and dance
dives, two or three men for breakfast
every morning, and everything else that
went 10 make first-class mining camp
and life worth living. But, alas her
former glory has dwind!ed TO about a
dozen tumble-down log cabins, most of
them plastered with Chinese hieroglyp-
hics. For John" is here in all his glo
ry, and is held by lot of white men Qn
color only who are too indolent to work
and too mean TO let white miners have
chance. And right here let me say
that there is a large element of that
don't care a d--n, let her wag as she
will sort of men in this place. Good,
live men can do well herc-for, you see,
In the early days the miners would not
work ground that Planned out less than
{ . n Nd ,op,,At .haN ,,-nyt 4
out some rich spots and left untouched
the ground that would not yield that
amount. have never been in camp
where gold was distributed more even
! ly or over greater area of country than
ii is here. There is gold in nearly all
( the gulchcs, gold on all the streams, and
many of the hills are rich. One eleya-
/ ton. known as Buffalo hill, about hall
mile from town, has been worked
since 6s, and is liable TO be worked fol
a number of years yet. 1t shows wha,
I never saw before-three distinct pay
streaks. | should judge the bank 10 bt
about 50 feet from grass roots TO bed
rock, and about 10 feet down is the frs;
pay streak. which is three feet through
! Then there is a strata of soft sand-rocS
COR, rather. il will be rock some hund
reds of years hence) but it yields readi
ly to the pipe; then another strata OF
pay gravel four or five feet wide; Their
more sand, and finally bedrock, which
is very rich. There are several othel
hills equally as good, and some of then
have been worked rs long, and l sup
pose there are many hereabouts yet I,
be discovered.
While do not expect to see any big
finds" here, do not know of a section
where a man could more safely invest
his cash. lie can easily get from 20 I,
% per cent and a safe bank to inves
in. for the harder he works the bank tn,
more he gets out of it. OF course, mos
of the ground speak of is hydrauli,
proposition and would not pay to sluic'
out in the old manner: however, Their
are large number of men who ar,
sluicing and making from 80 to $40 pc
day to the man.
Now, as to quartz: There is goo'
deal of gold-bearing rock here which
runs all the way from a few dollars N
to several hundred, but, rs a rule, it i
too base to work with stamps and vii
therefore lie dormant until wagol
road is built in here, when think ma
chinery will be brought in to work it,
don't know Of anything this country /