The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1896-02-22
| title Town Of Marcus Is Alive
With Prospectors.
WAITING THE WORD TO START
When the President Signs the Bill There
VIII BE n Rush for Coveted
Claims.

Marcus. Wash, Feb. i7.-Yesterday
the town Of Marcus. which for the past
half century mas Deen struggling IRON
tier trading post, with less than 100 In
habitants, today numbers several nun
dred anxious men impatiently await
ing the opening Of the Colville Indian
reservation to exploration for the pre-
cious metals that abound in the noun
tain Businesses of that great region
that numbers almost as many acres as
the state of Rhode Island.
Marcus is the mecca of the prOspector
and mining man, for it is from TINS
point that much of the travel DIVORCES
northward to northern Colville reserva-
ton and Boundary creek, b. C., points
over these routes are well beaten road
WAYS to the interior, through a country
that is otherwise almost impossible on
account of the great depth or snow
from two to three feet. IT is on the line
of the Spokane Falls g. Northern rall-
way, and the first point reaching the
reservation, being exactly five hours
ride from Spokane. The only telegraph
office on the border, excepting at North
port. 40 miles farther up the river, is
established here, and it is very neces-
sar-y that the man with a fortune in
sight, in the way of mineral claims on
the reserve be here to get the first
flash Of intelligence Of the president
action on the reservation bill, and the
first start to the colorado, just over
the Columbia river.
On the arrival Of the train from the
south Saturday a select few prospectors
dropped off at the station, but not
10 HnOrRe
cion. Some Of them quietly took their
departure across the river. ostensibly
bound for Grand Forks, Z. C., which is
now attracting considerable attention
as a mining center but today when the
Spokane Falls & Northern train from
Spokane steamed into the depot the
wonder and surprise was complete;there
were over 100 men, OF all sizes and
shades of color, who alighted to the
long platform, all bound upon seeing
the other side of the Columbia river.
Tons of baggage, in the shape of grub
boxes, rolls of blankets, packages of
shovels, picks, hammers and other uten-
sils too numerous to mention, followed
suit, and fell Unfortunately upon the
platform. There was a period of hust-
ling and unrest about the depot for q
quarter of an hour, and the crowd left
for the river. less than thousand feet
away In the afternoon many from
the north dropped Off the train from
Nelson, in consequence Of which th'
anxiety is intensified. Many have come
from the surrounding country, and thu
camp fires among the pine groves along
the river for two miles. reminds one
that an army is in camp. The hotels
and boarding houses are taxed to thei
fullness, and extra accommodations o
that character are not to be had at an.
price.
1t is said that there are number o
men on the ground who have made ar
rangements for receiving the news a
quickly as possible after the signing o
the bill. Every specie of river Graf
aside from steam Vessels-will b
pressed into service.
The coveted land across the borde
is covered with snow, so that prospect
ing for the present, is almost out @
the question. Those who have discover
les already in view know where tn
ground is and what is in 1t will reap
reward. All others will reap a whir
wind of disappointment, to say nothin
Of the hardships and distress that wi
follow in the wake of the rush. How
ever, there are certainly some grea
mines over there, if any part of what
said is the truth about them.