The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1894-09-29
AT RICH OLD FLORENCE.
Revival of Interest in a Placer Camp
Abandoned for Years.


GRANGEvILLE. Idaho, Sept. 24.-It
has been a surprise to many why more
interest has not been taken in the old
Florence placer camp, which way back
in the COS produced SO much gold and
made so many rich men In an incredi-
BILE short time. Tha: there was pop.
ulaiion of 900 and that millions OF
dollars were taken out in 1872 aud '65
can not be denied. for Three-Fingered
Smith took cut mule load of gold
from one claim in less than two years,
and there is undoubted authority for
the statement that many others did
wonderfully well. In those days there
were large mercantile establishments,
twenty-eight saloons. lodging houses,
etc.. without number, and gathering
of men such as has never been before
or since seen in the mining
camps of the west. Many large
pack trains of from SO to loo
animals were engaged in packing
supplies from Walla Walla, the near.
est supply point. and it is claimed
money flowed like water from the
buckskin pouches of the lucky miners,
vet after three or four years it was
com para,ively abandoned to the Chi.
naman and the coyote. whose dismal
howl could he heard at all hours of the
day and night as he threaded his way
through the wreck of the work of a
bv-gope age. Men came and men
went and left more gold behind than
they took away.
God In Unexpected Places.
The old camp of Florence has always
been mystery-no one being able to
account for such rich deposits Of gold
in basin on top of the mountain, yet
there it was and is, as is evidenced
by recent discoveries of quartz lodes
carrying free gold which have recently
been uncovered in the old placer work
ings. 1t appears that the reason these
lodes have SO long been hidden from
mans cupidity is there is no outcror
on the surface-all being what is
known as blind leads; yet only few
feet 40 or l5) below the surface quartz
leads are now being opened up which
carry from 500 TO $500 per ton in gold.
And there are not only one or two, but
at least a dozen which have been suf.
ticiently prospected 10 show their great
richness. While mining men have
wondered and wondered If the good
old mining days were thing of the
past, never to return again, few en-
ergetic prospectors have quietly prose
cuted explorations until sufficient Is
shown to make quartz boom, the
equal of which has, probably never
been seen in mining.
A Prospecior's Reward.
Dan Dwight, well.known Occur
d'Alener, concluded TO try his luck in
one of these old claims, and selected
one from which Tom Clark in early
days took $1,000 from very small
pocket and then abandoned it. beiiev.
ing it played out. Mr.. Dwight sank a
shaft IL feet, and exposed a well-de'
fined vein of free milling ore, which as.
says from $50 to 5000 per ton in gold. He
followed float and found another claim
in which free gold is abundant and
which prospects we'll with a pan.
These claims are within stones throw
of the old town of Florence.
Mr.. Dwight and James 3. Hensley,
also Cour d'Alener, have taken up
an abandoned water right, the ditch
carrying 800 inches of water, and it. is
their intention to build an arastra to
reduce the ores from these claims.
Charles Cone and others have two
claims. One of them shows two-foot
vein of 5000 gold ore and the other has
three small seams, two to four inches
wide, which carry nearly 5000 in gold
ger ton. It is their intention to take
out enough ore from these seams to run
their arastra. This arastra was built
by James e. Hensley. Work will be
prosecuted all winter on this claim.
Archie Monroe has relocated a claim
from which $4,000 was taken from a
small pocket. Some fellows went IN
there years ago, built 5-stamp mill,
lived on wines and high priced goods,
thinking they had the whole world in
their hands and after taking out this
amount threw it up and left the
country. Mr.. Monroe sunk only few
feet and again found large deposit OF
free milling gold ore which averages
500 per ton In gold. He also has a
fine lead in the gulch from which three
fingered Smith took the large amount
of gold noted above.
Bill Nixon found considerable very
good float and, asked Chas. Wood,
formerly sheriff of this county. 10 help
him to find the lead and after q very
little work they found a 8 foot vein OF
immensely rich golI ore. This ore
also carries high in oliver. THIS Is GER
tainly Zig proposition.
Jack Wood, son of Chas. Wood, has
a strong vein of free gold ore.
Billy Nixon also has q 2.foot vein
which prospects well in free gold.
Other Lucky Kinds.
A. +. Nurse went in about q month,
ago, was prospecting around rather
carelcssly. and found a piece Of float
which would 60 about $1,000 per ton
in gold. On the second day he stun.
bled on what he believes to be the leQd,
and after sinking II feet has three.
foot vein Ia the. bottom Of the shaft.
Mike Green and Charles Phillips
lave located ON extension immediately
adjoining the claim Of Wood and
Nixon and it prospects first rate.
Gritman & ca. relocated what Is
known al the old Mckay. which has not
been worked since '68. Mckay at that
time took out considerable ore which
netted him 500 per ton in gold after
being packed several miles to the mill.
It was then abandoned. A few years
later john, Clark, an old pioneer. and
still q favorably known merchant
there, a,temp ed to find the lead, but
gave itrup Gritman Sc prospected
q little aud found q. II, inch vein, from
which 10 to 80 cents to the pan has
been washed out without pounding