The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1897-02-06
HE HAS LED THE WAY
WHAT THE PROSECUTOR HAS DONE
IN DEVELOPING THE WEST.
slSeteh of the Man Who Roamu the
Hills I'm search of Golden
Wealth.

The following tribute to the prospector,
which appears in an exchange, is from
the pen of Dan De guile:
Although many good, kind word has
been spoken of the prospector, yet fun
credit has seldom been given him for the
important work he has performed in the
way OF inducing the development of the
industry of mining the precious metals
IN the northwestern states. Not few
look upon the prospector as a sort of
shtftless, rowing creature who wanders
about the wilds Of the mountains in
pfofitiess way. But the fact is that the
prospector occupies an important place
among the members of the mining indus
try He Is the pioneer and leads the
way in the exploration of new mining
helds, scouting out into tho wilds far in
advance Of towns and settlements. Be
fore mines can be opened and worked
by capital they must be discovered and
1t Is the prospector who sallies forth and
does the necessary work.
The prospector may be said to have
been born in the days of "forty-nine,"
when the harvest of gold of the Cali
rornia ptacers began. As soon as born"
the prospector began scouting out into
the wilderness, and he has been at it
ever since. "One a prospector, always
prospector." working miner may
at times do something in the way of
prospecting, but the real prospector is
one who is always dreaming of undis-
covered veins Of the precious metals in
far-away mountain regions, and whose
greatest delight is to roam and camp in
new and UNEMPLOYED fields. The pros
49,, /. -
of the nature and disposition of the old
hunter and trapper. He braves all man
ner of perils and endures a thousand
hardships in pursuit of his favorite occu-
patton.
In the opening up of the mining re-
gions Of the Pacific coast the prospector
has everywhere been In advance-has led
the way. He it was at the front who first
met the arrows of the red men, battled
with the wild beasts of the mountains.
and encountered the dangers of the wa
terless wastes. First the mining field is
discovered, then the miners push for
ward and a camp is established, which
presently grows up to be town or city.
In Nevada, Idaho, Arizona, Montana,
fWashington, Oregon and almost every
where else, the prospector has been
/ obliged to fight his way among savages,
| and in several sections of the Pacific
coast mining regions he is still in the
warpath in rugged mountain wilds. Al
| though the prospector is always, day and
night, dreaming of great wealth, he is
/ seldom wealthy. He is a man of little
means, and when he finds a good mine
he generally sells at price far below it's
| real value
| The genuine prospector is not at all in
clined to settle down to the hard every
| day toll required in the development of a
mine. There is too much of the gypsy or
| trapper, or hunter in his nature to permit
of his permanently establishing himself in
any particular spot. He has in his COM
position a romantic love of adventure, and
delights in the wild beauties of nature as
he finds them in the far-away Businesses
OF the mountains. Besides, he has dreams
of wealth in many places. No sooner has
he made find and "a little raise than
he is off to explore some region of which
he has long had golden visions.
If all do not find gold, every prOspector
finds more or less pleasure In his chosen
pursuit, Notwithstanding the hardships of
the life.
The prospector is generally lover OF
nature, and he enjoys the wilds. Reposing
upon the bosom of mother earth at mis-
camp-fire he gazes into the starry heav-
ems and takes pleasure In specializing in
regard to what is in and upon the far.
away twinkling and whirling worlds. Ic
finds music in the voice of the wind in the
lpdnes, and has an ear for all the nigh
sounds of nature, the chirp of insects an6
the twttter of night singing birds. Often
too, when the campfire has burned low
his quick ear detects the footballs of some
providing wolf, fox or bear, or other wild
animal; but, with his trlIsty revolver un
der his pillow, he has no fear.
When parties of prospectors meet AND
camp together in the mountains there /:
always a feast of golden legends. There
are stories of lost leads of rich leads tina
no one has ever been able to find, of Iioa
rock filled with veins of gold, and of i'm
mense nuggets picked up in various
places. Every man has story, and 1t Il
seldom dull one. The old ppospector Il
a man of thousand adventures. He ha
had his Indian fights, his encounters will
wild animals and his escapes from dealt
by starvation and thirst; but all is at ono
forgotten when the word Is that there /
gold ahead. Then it is: Pack the burro
r and away!"
: The real old prospector-the man Of tn
mountafns-is a man worth knowing, an'
: commands THE respect OF mining men Il
all camps of the northwest. AS the ol
hunters and trappers were the ayant-cou
riers of the westward advance of the in
dustry of agriculture from the Atlanti
seaboard to the Rocky mountains, so tn
prospector was the pioneer of civilization
: in the industry of mining. He blazed tn
trail to the mines; miners, machiniSts
= merchants and men of capital then fol
lowed, and soon the wilderness was con
quered.
, The old prospector now sees busy towns
street cars and electric lights in hun
. dred places where in times past he campo
and grazed his burro, and finds railroa
: trains rushing and roaring around mount
II aims and through canyons where once h
: painfully tolled in trackless wilds. WheE
S ne battled with hostile savages ne L0'
s sees peaceful settlements and fourtshin
n farms, and the laughing voices of CHI