Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1895-05-31
OFFICIAL PAPER OF IDAHO COUNTY.


Old Time Mining Camps.
1t seems rather odd, but it is
nevertheless a fact that mining re-
gions very often need a second
"boom" before they really amount
to anything or attract the right
sort of attention. This is particu-
larly the case in Idaho, where
there are so many small camps and
towns throughout the gold belt.
These places had their season of
prosperity and then declined and
have been in state of decadence
for years. OF late, since the revi-
val of gold mining, attention has
again been turned to them and
times are lively. 1t seems, howev-
er, to need the presence of some
big company to revivify these
places. The residents know the
value of the mines, but have hard
work to get others to appreciate it.
But when at last few capitalists
step to the front and begin to in
vest, whole raft of other people
come along looking after mines,
and properties near by become
valuable.
Familiar instances of this are
seen in old Owyhee county, where
the famous De Lamar mine revived
all the old-time excitement of the
early 7O's, when the Golden Char
lot, Poorman and other noted
mines on War Eagle mountain
were producing their richest ores,
and the insiders We're fleeing the
stockholders by repeated assess
ments. In the Boise basin
and in the gold belts tributa-
ry to Salmon City, we see the old
time placer camps coming to the
front with companies investing
hundreds of thousands of dollars
in developing and equipping with
machinery the great goldbearing
lodges whose existence has been
known, and which have been work
ed in desultory and more or less
primitive fashion, for 80 years.
So, too, there are instances in
other states where the second
"boom" has eclipsed the first.
Leadville, in Colorado, is now a
great gold-producing camp. The
Iron Mountain, in Shasta county !;
the investments of the Boston &
Montana Company are building up
the old camp of Coulterville, in
Mariposa county; the old camp of
Angels, in Calaveras county, Cali
fornia and, many other cases
might be cited in further illustra-
ton. But all we desire to do is to
Jog the memory of claimholders
and intending investors that there
are three or four towns and camps
in Idaho county which have not
yet experienced any second" boom"
although there are as good mines
to be found here as elsewhere, and
they may be obtained for low
prices. When the big companies
come in and take hold of proper
ty or two the other claims jump in
value at once. The moral of this
is, that those who want to get hold
of any good claims should start in
at once to hunt them up,and those
who own them should get them in
shape to show. Elk City, Dixie
and Florence are particularly in
viting camps at this juncture.
There are claims of real value in
each of these districts; and now
that the reservation is opening,
wagon roads being built and new
population coming in, we are on
the eve of a general metamorphis
from an isolated frontier district
into a region and period of active
development. We have always
preached the doctrine-and illus
trated it by our individual prac-
tice-that there is no sense in
waiting for camp to be doomed
by a big company. Develop your
properties and the companies and
the booms will speedily follow.
The path of individual enterprise
soon becomes the highway of pub
lie progress. The mines are just
as good before the capitalists come
as they are after.