Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1897-01-08
C0tUR D'ALENE
MINING DISTRICT
Thousands of Tons of Ore Produced
Each Day.

nearly as far as that of any other part
of the Pacific northwest. Following close
ly after the Lewis and Clarke expedi ion
of lS03-6 came the trappers. both Ameri-
can and Hudson Bay company, and al
though neither Astoria" Oregon" nor
Elwood Evans History of Pacific North
west make mention of any trapping he
ing done in this region. 1t is certain that
no territory of so great extent was over
looked by Them. Irving, indeed in As
torla does tell that the American Fur
company at one time had trading post
at the junction of the Spokane and Point
ed Heart rivers. though what stream may
have been known by the latter name Is
uncertain, and wherever trading posts
2 We're established trappers explored all the
region for hundreds of miles around
About 1884 the Catholics established a
mission ON the Occur d'Alene river With
In "a dozen miles of where are now some
or the greatest mines in the world a
mission which has been maintained ever
since. In 1861 Captain John Mullan built
his military wagon road from Montana
through to Fort Walla Walla the road
way passing over the present site of Wal
lace, Mullan and Osburn, some mineral
bearing lodges being cut in building the
road, although the fact passed unnoticed
ul:ti many years later.
Gold Was Discovered
so Tar as the world is concerned, now
ever, the history of the Occur d'Alene
country begins with the fall of 1888, when
the report was flashed all over the world
that immensely rich deposits of placer
gold had been discovered on the North
Fork of the Occur dAlene, and the in
evitable rush from every direction began.
each claimed to inquiring public that
1t was by all odds the most practicable
outfittng point for the new Eldorado
and each received its quota of treasure
seekers, although the larger number made
their start from Thompson Falls. The
snow lay deep ON the mountains, nor was
Il absent in the lower valleys and for
months after the rush began the tobog-
gan was the only means of carrying sup
plies into Eagle, the center of the new
camp, while the man who was the most
expert with snow shoes was the one who
made the trip in the shortest time. Should
Il Occur d'Alene pioneer society ever
be organized dts membership would doubt
less be confined to those who came in over
the toboGgan route
The valleys of the North Fork were
soon all claimed by prospectois and the
new Corners went over the mountains onto
the South Fork, time being lost by
prospecting, but claims being staked in
all the valleys ON the theory that they
were in the Occur d'Alene country and,
therefore. must have their bedrock plated
with gold. Large sums We're taken from
the gravel of the North Fork, but The
best that could be done on the South
Fork to find occasional color
SO far as cam now be learned there was
never a days work done on the South
Fork placers that yielded a days pay.
Great as were the yields of the North
Fork few claims came up to the an:ici-
patons of their owners, and the expense
of importing supplies was so great chat
few men made much from their holdings.
Gold Hunters Find silver.
In the fail of 1884, however, while pros
peoting for placer gold. a ledge of pecu-
liar rock was uncovered on Canyon creek.
which AN assay showed was rich in sill
Yer and lead. Almost simultaneously a
similar discovery was made a few miles
above the Old Mission almost where
Wardner now stands, and impetus
was given to the camp. Could it be
shown that galena existed in sufficient
quantities, Il railroad was only Il ques-
tion of tme it would mean immense
amounts of ore to transport 20 smelte!'s,
or if means should be devised by whiah
the ores could be reduced in the country,
the pig lead would furnish great trade.
S. S Glidden built a wagon road from
Burke to connect with one previously
CONS, ructed from Thompson Falls to Muir
ray, and shipped out considerable ore by
teams. That showed that the ore had a
milling as well as assaying value and
other claims were sufficiently developed
to induce D. c. Corbin to organize the
Occur d'Alene Railway Il Navigation
company, put a line of boats on the lake
and river and build "a narrow gauge raul
road from the Old Mission to Burke be-
ing completed early in 1887. So profitable
was its traffic that later the principal
owners of the Oregon Railway Il Naviga-
tion company organized the Washington
& Idaho and built a standard gauge line
from Tekoa to Wallace, with spurs from
there to Mulan and Burke. The
gauge road had come under the con-
troll of the Northern Pacific, which COM
pany later built a standard gauge from
Nlssoula to Wallace and changed the
gauge between Wallace and Burke from
narrow to standard These different lines
furnish the present transportation facili-
ties of the Occur d Alenes. Their tracks
are all paralleled by Western Union tele
graph wires with offices at Wardner, Os-
burn Wallace. Burke and Mullan. The
Rocky Mountain Bell Telephone company
also has wires connecting Kingston,
Wardner, Kellogg, Osburn. Wallace Gem.
Burke and Mullan on the South Fork
with Beaver, Delta and Murray on the
north side. and Adam Aulbach has line
from Wallace via Pony gulch and Delta
to Murray.
The Prosperity Was Checked.
Win the completion of these differ mt
railroads and the projection of other lines
to reach the Sunset region and the North
Fork the Occur d Alene conceded 10
be the greatest mining district in the
United States, but in 1892 storm burst
over the region that stopped work com
pietely. There is no call TO go into ;he
t,.olI.lo-s hnre for the SOONER thev