Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1896-01-10
THEY HIDE VAST WEALTH
Mountains and Plains of Idaho
County Invite Pick and PIow.
BRIGHT GOLD IN EVERY LEDGE
Claims That Cripple Greek Will Pale
Before. bright Future of YER
liable Empire.

The Clearwater country, more par
ticularly the inside" portion of It, does
| not receive much attention at the hands
of the outside world; nevertheless, no
part of the Pacific northwest is more
| full of promise for rich growth in the
| future than this Camas prairie country
and the tributary mountains beyond
The year 1896 marks an era In it's
| growth. progress and development In
all departments of the various indus
tries upon which 1t depends. The open
ing of the 100000 acres of the virgin agri-
cultural lands formerly embraced in the
Nez Perez Indian reservation to white
| settlement is but one item on which to
| predict a substantial growth in the
hereafter. This In itself is very mater
| ial addition to the agricultural re-
sources of any section. In ad-
| dition thereto is to be included the COM
| pletion of a system of wagon roads con-
| Meeting the various mining camps, with
| civilization undertaken by the state of
Idaho at cost of s1S5, 000 supplement-
ed by the construction of other roads
| by the county and by the public spirit
of the community. The completion of
these wagon roads have had their effect
in Fastening the development of the min
ing Camps of Elk City, Florence. War
| rens and Salmon river. 1t is a safe and
| conservative estimate to say that $780,
900 of outside capital have been invest
ed in the mining enterprises in the sever
al camps of this great country of Idaho
| during 1895, and which has heretofore
been isolated and cut off from the out
| side world as to be practically inacces-
sible.
In Warrens a Philadelphia company
1s.vertakennectedathe 2S % S2S2S
has put in a 100000 steam dredge plant
| to work the fiat meadows below the
| mouth of Stratton creek, and will, in
the spring, be ready to handle three
cubic yards of dirt per minute. Con-
| siderable changes have also occurred
in the quartz interests of that camp by
| the transfer of various properties to
capitalists from Boston and elsewhere
Recent developments or the Secesh
meadows, 20 miles in length, have re-
suited in the discovery of new hitherto
unthought of field of auriferous gravel,
with the prospect of it's speedy exploita-
ton on scale 50 vast as to take away
the breath of the average mining opera
tor. The conditions for the enterprise
| are very favorable.
| Salmon river, too, once noted for it's
| rich bars, has participated In the re-
| vival, and while some of it's best claims
| are now in the hands of Spokane men,
| there are others with conditions equal
| ly favorable awaiting the investigation
and investment of other outside parties
The proposition to tunnel the Horse
| shoe Bend, with view of turning there
| in the entire volume of the river and
expose the bed of the stream for a dis
lance of two miles is being investigated
by Pittsburg syndicate, with fair
| prospects that it will be undertaken
with all seriousness.
| The development of quartz mines in
the old-time placer fields of the Flor
ence basin has also L~en signal
triumph during 1895. A two stamp mill
has been running there on custom work
for the past 80 days, yielding returns
from 81 to sl37 in gold per ton, which
| practically settles the Question as to
the value of Florence ores and demon
strates that they will pay big money
to work. About 100 me are spending
the winter there developing properties
and by this time next y ar a dozen or
more batteries will be in placed pound
ing out the gold from this once desert
| ed camp.
| On Newsome creek, half way between
Grangeville and Elk City some very
| promising quartz discoveries have been
made this year, one of which is now I'M
dergoing development by a Seattle COM
pany. This ledge. which carries free
| gold in the matrix of quartz and por-
phyry, Is Is feet in width and has been
| traced and located for l distance of
5000 feet.
ELK CITY ZONE
But it is the Elk City mineral zone
| that the grand, great things in mines
| are to be found, and the experience of
the present year proves that nothing
but capital Is required to create min
ing camp second to none in the Pacific
| northwest. The mineral wealth of this
| great belt is uncovered and otherwise
developed to an extent which shows
| gold from the grass roots and as far
| down as work has been done. A letter
| from friend of mine operating in the
wonderful mines in Trail creek. 3. c.,
| says that in that country all they want
| on the surface Is copper and iron mixed
and do not look for pay ore to show
itself until they are down in the ground
to depth of so or rs feet, when they ex-
pect the ore to give fire assay values of
IS to $40 per ton in gold and silver.
Such propositions would be laughed
at by any man of experience in this
Clearwater basin. A ledge that does
not give $40 In gold per ton from the
cropping is given the cold shoulder in
this region, and unless the vein is very
large, say from eight to ~ feet wide,
they are usually left alone.
We do not consider 1t worth our while
To waste time and labor in developing
$40 gold ore when there are so many
better things laying around loose on
the Buster mine, for instance, three
quarters of a mile from Elk City, there
are two distinct veins only 100 feet
apart, each Is feet wide, the ore of which
yields from SIG to SIS per ton in gold.
This is a property which. If it were in
Trail creek or any other boom camp.
would be considered a snap at $3.50, 900,
as there is ore of that value now in
sight And again, or Relief creek, eight |
miles south of Elk City, there is a
group of gold quartz claims on which |
work has been quietly going on for six |
years and Is now ready for a 10 STAMP |
mill as soon as the owners can raise the |
needful. This last summer they have /
putt good wagon road from Elk City |
to the mines; put in a saw mill and wa
ter wheel. erected a 10 stamp mill |