The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-12-26
DAYS OF GOLD IN IDAHO.
RecOIIections of Ex-Governor Cole,
of Washington.

Recollections of Ex-Governor Cole,
of Washington.
Ex-Governor George A. Cole. who
has leased his farm near Cheney and
is wintering in Spokane. is one of the
best living authorities on the history
of the Pacific northwest. He came to
the coast in 1850, and has represented
the people IN many positions of trust
and honor. He lad vast fund Of
interesting "reminiscences and can tell
many a stirring story of life in the
early days.
Governor. the people would like to
hear some of your recollections of the
rush to the placer camps of northern
Idaho" said a Spokesman-Review re-
porter.
The big rush was in 1862 was the
reply. In 1851 I was in Walla Walla,
and when the news came of the rich
strikes in the Pierce City country l
loaded a pack train and took in a stock
Of goods. We reached the diggings
early in the spring of 81, and had to
shovel snow for two weeks to open the
trail. We found about 20n men in the
camp. but by summer there were sew
eral thousand. Later I put in stock
of goods at ORC Elmo, a few miles from
Pierce City
81 saw statement recently in the
Spokesman-Review that I was orator
of the day at the Fourth of July ceIe-
bration held in Pierce City in 1861
That was not quite correct. I was
president of the day, and made brief
speech. introducing three candidates
for Congress, who addressed the peo-
pie. 1t was expressly stipulated
though that they were not to discuss
partisan politics in their speeches. The
election of a delegate to Congress was
held the second Monday in July. and
all three candidates We're in the camp
Selucius Garfield, candidate for the
Douglas wing of the Democratic
PARTY; Judge Lander. candidate for
the Breckinridge boilers. ana Colonel
w. II. Wallace, the Republican can
didate. who was elected by a small
plurality. At the election about 500
votes were cast in that district, but
this REPRESENTED only a minority of
the male popu1a ton.
'FThe discoveries at Elk City fol-
lowed closely upon the excitement at
ORC Elmo. and in the fall of 81 the
Florence placers were discovered
They were the richest ever struck in
the northwest and among the richest
in the gold history of the world In
the fall of 81 I was going out to Lew
iston. and on the summit Of Craig's
mountain met Jack Morrow Phillins
one of the discoverers Of Florence. He
was leading a mule packed with dust
and had $50 pounds of gold which he
and his brother had taken ont in
little mora than three weeks. He said
emo o~d thew we're takinp ont gold at
a fabulous rate asked him how
much a man could rock out in a day
and he said the daily cleanup of each
man averaged from a yeast powder
can to an oyster canful His arrival
in Lewiston created an immense ex-
element. and many rushed in over
the snow and wintered in the new
camp. The snow was deep and pro-
visions We're verv high. Supplies Were
taken to Slate creek by mack train
and from there carried on mems becrs
forty miles TO the camp. These pack
ers received so cents per pound for
the fortv-mile pack
''T went to Wa1la Walla and set the
women of the vallev to work knitting
socks. I bought all of these I could
get. and early in the snring of 80
took the first pack train into Slate
creek. At TIE mountain house. few
miles from the creek. I sold nv entire
stock at wholesale. 7 got lump price
of 81 a pound for all nv flour. sugar
and beans and proportionate prices
for the rest of my goods sold the
socks at $50 per pair. These goods
were then taken thirtv-f1ve miles fur
ther to Florence. and of course retailed
there for prices largely in advance of
the price that I had received
''The first rich dgeings were at
Pierce Civ at first known as Rummer
Hill. and Canal Gulch. Next came the
mines on Rhodes creek. three miles
distant which soon became known as
Orc Elmo Elk CITY came newt and
then Florence. the richest Of them all
ORC Elmo was eigbtv-five miles from
ence 140 miles.
Lewiston was hurming town in
1852 Tt was the srnnly point for all
these mines. and had popula ton of
from s nm to 0hn mostly in tents At
least thirty wholesale stoves were do
ing business there. and there were
eleven resteurar+s ard about fifty sa-
looms and eamh1iro houses
.srhe winter of 1852 was the sever
est in the history of the country. For
fiftv-six DAYS there was no commUni-
"a ton between w ana Wn"l1 ana
Portland. The last stage left ywalla
waIla for The Da1les on the Sth of
.Tanuary. and ffty-six davs later
Merton Moore. who had REPRESENTED
walla waIIa in the council ct OIvnlnia.
and wells-Fargo messenger came in
afoot from Portland. leading a horse.
They brought cow Of the Oreeonian.
containing news Of the fall Of Fort
Dorereor. For weeks during January
and February the mercury stood 20 to
20 degrees below zero. and when it
fell to zero we felt that spring had
come.
..Conraurication between walla Wal
Ia and the mines wa unhrolsen all win
ter A man named Wossman. and
another named c. H Miller. ran en-
ey-nress. travelling on snowshoes. This
Miller was Joaquin Miller. the famous
noet He had a great deal of grit
Everybody then called him Charlie"
Governor Cole was drawn to the
coast bv the golden discoveries of
1S49. and mining has still the old fas-
cination for he is planning to go into
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