Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1897-04-16
IDAHO COUNTY RICHES.


oOssS ututcsmout hPIhA
The attention of the mining
world has been largely attracted
for the past two years to the quartz
discoveries in Elk City and Flor
ence in Idaho county, and great
deal Of outside capital has been in
vested there on the strength of
showings made. For the benefit
of the Statesman's readers a re-
porter was detailed to interview
Hon. A. F. Parker, q member of
the Board of university regents
from Idaho county, who is now in
the city attending the meeting of
the Board. He is also editor of
the IDAHO County FREE PREss,
one of the oldest established news
papers in the state, and has him
self valuable interests in Elk City,
and is otherwise we'll equipped to
spe ak with knowledge of the min
eral resources of that isolated and
little known section of the heart of
the state.
Replying to q question put by
the reporter, Mr.. Parker said:
1.-THE Elk City country is situat-
uated on the western slope of the
great Bitter Root divide in Idaho
county. 1t was the second placer
camp discovered in the northwest
in 1860, Pierce City being the first,
and has yielded many millions of
dollars worth of placer gold. For
the 10 years between 1880 and 1890
the district was occupied almost
exclusively by Chinese, who work.
Ad over the old diggings. About
1887, when Idaho was territory
and Willis Sweet was judge of the
First judicial district, some white
men from Ceur d'Alene entered
the camp, jumped the best of the
ground owned and worked by the
Chinese aud took the matter into
the courts. Judge Sweet in 1889
decided that aliens could not hold
mining ground under the United
States mining laws, and there was
soon after a general exodus Of Ce-
lestials out Of the mining camps
on both sides of the Clearwater.
Their places, however, were speed
lily filed by white people and the
result has been distinctly benefi-
cial to that section. Syndicates
Of Chicago and Butte people have
taken hold Of some of the best of
the old placer claims and are de-
veloping the ancient channel of
American river, ON which the old
time miners have spent years Of
labor and fortunes in money in at
tempting to bottom. But it was
too big an undertaking for indi-
vidual effort. Associated capital,
expended under the direction of
scientific mining engineers, was re-
quired to carry the scheme to sue
cess. In 1895 a Chicago company
put in q hydraulic elevator plant
on American hill, and last year
they are reported to have taken
out $1,000 in gold per day. A
Butte company purchased last fall
the Buffalo Hill placer property
and have kept large force of men
at work all winter putting in q
bedrock fume. They used 100, 600
feet of lumber in its construction
and have hauled in over the snow
30 tons of iron pipe and hydraulic
equipment. The Ternan Hill
property was also purchased by
Butte parties few weeks ago and
with characteristic enterprise are
going ahead to open up the ground
and equip it with up to date i'm
provensnts. The Moose creek
placers have also passed into the
hands of eastern people and last
fall they prospected for and found
an old channel carrying the coars-
est gold ever found in the Bitter
Root country. The building of
new bitches has placed the new
discovery in position to be worked
this season.
"The operations and expendi-
lures of these companies have in
fused new life into placer mining
enterprises all through that Sec
ton and the product of gold from
this source promises in a few years
more to reach its old time proper
tons. There are many tracts of
ground equally good lying idle and
awaiting the magic touch of enter
prise and capital to yield abund-
antly of the golden metal. The
Elk valley itself is two miles long.
1t is o broad meadow of virgin
ground in which prospects of %
cents to the pan have been obtain
ed. Various efforts have been
made to open it up, but owing tc
lack of dump and lack of capital
to open it mp by bedrock fume
or by hydraulic elevator, it has
long laid idle and offers today g