Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1895-12-20
EDITOR'S NOTE BOOK.
Afem0randMMs JOfted DOsCn on
a Recent Trip to ElE City.


femsOrGndMmss JOfted DOsCn on
a Recent Trip to EiE City.
Meantime we are progressing
over the road between Newsomc
creek and the Elk City basin. 1t
is low divide, an open, rolling
and heavily timbered country,
with the gravel belt heretofore des-
cribed growing wider and more
marked and showing by the grad
ually increasing size of the wash
the direction from whence it came.
We pass the front door of Joe
Vicory's cabin and cross his placer
claim, where they are clearing
brush for work next year. The
red banks of Heppner & Richard
sons Moose creek mines are visi-
BILE in the distance. Soon we
strike the 3O-mile tree and anon
the Elk City basin heaves in sight,
n glorious looking country with
park-like glades Of open meadow
and swale, a contrast of green and
gold, dotted at intervals with
groves of magnificent timber, while
closely surrounding it are the roll
ling hills across the American
river and Red river looking blue
and hazy with the dense timber
that crowns the SUBMITS. The
last few miles of the wagon road
has been changed for the old trail,
and the change is for the worse,
although the wagon road may
have been built more cheaply over
the present route, but the distance
is greater and the grades not near
ly SO good. The road now strikes
into camp at the very head of Elk
valley and thence skirts along the
foothills close to the timber line
all the way TO town. The valley
is bare Of timber and slopes gently
away to the westward, veritable
fairy glade in the forest which
glorifes it on every side. It is q
region the very sight of which in
stinctively impresses one that in
early days it must have swarmed
with noble game, and even now
one skins his eyes in the expecta-
tion of seeing q herd of lordly deer
grazing in the lovely meadow; and
the only thing wanting to COM
plete the picture is the sight of their
graceful outlines, but the closest
scrutiny fails to reveal such a
sight.
We are now close to Elk City
and with the exception of the few
scars in the landscape made by the
gold bugs at Newsome creek,
Vicory's and Moose creek we have
rot seen an indication that would
lead a greenhorn to suspect that
he was in mining country. Well
do I recollect the surprise with
which l saw Elk City for the first
time more years back than / care
to think about. Some years OF
practical experience among the
placer mines of southern Idaho
and eastern Oregon had educated
me up to associate placer mining
country with a network of bitches,
fumes, cuts, banks of gravel, tail
ings and prospect holes. But Elk
City then, and even now, present
ed more the appearance of an agri-
cultural than mining town. The
whole of the Elk and Little Elk
valleys are enclosed with fences
and dotted with farm houses and
barns, while bands of fat cattle
and big hay stacks greet the eye at
frequent intervals. These things,
with the moving machines and
hay rakes, come as surprise to
the uninitiated. With the excep-
ton of the mill buildings on Bus
ter hill there is nothing to indi-
cate that you are in one of the
great mining camps Of idaho
county. The evidences of agri-
cultural occupation are paramount,
and the country, too, at this season
presents a picture as fair as the
garden of the Lord. The road
over which we bump is tinged
with the golden hues of ripened
grass, and the gentle undulations
of the timber-crOwned rolling
slopes which enclose the valley re-
lieves the eye of the monotony of a
flat landscape.
Meanwhile we are steadily rid
ing down the valley; the town is
in sight perched upon a hill; we
cross the creek, ascend the slight
incline upon which the town is
built, drive upon a street composed
of log houses on either side, the
most of them relics of early days
and now in the last stages of d.
lapidation and decay, and are soon
at the Elk View hotel in the up
per part of town, and our staging
trip is over. Nick Ingram is in
charge and soon has us in tow
with stimulants and substantials
and we are soon in shape to sally
out and take in the town, which
looks like a second edition of
Grangeville, with so many familiar
faces around.
Elk City is located ON a low hill