Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1897-03-05
The Seven Devils Mountains.
A, F. Wuensch, M. E., in the Mining Industry
and Review.

A. F. Wuensch, M. E., in the Mining Industry
and Review.
Several kilograms lately pub
lished in the daily papers would in
dictate that after years of futile ef-
fort the Seven Devils district in
Idaho is at last to be opened by a
railway. The district is situated
on the east side of the great
Snake river canon, about midway
between the crossing of the Snake
river by the Oregon short line rail
way, and the confluence of the Sal
mon and Snake rivers.
The Seven Devils range ofmoun-
tains is about 80 or 40 miles in
length, and Is to 20 miles in width.
The fertile Weiser and Salmon
river valleys border the range on
the east. There are seven distinct
peaks in the range, none OF which
seem to have an altitude of over
5000 feet, but this appears high as
the enyironing streams and valleys
are but 1000 to 2600 feet above sea
level. The growth of timber does
not reach to as great an altitude
as in Colorado, and the peaks stand
out clear and rugged, while the
lower slope and foothills are most
densely covered with fir, pine and
spruce trees. On the west or
Snake river side the confines of the
range are sharp, generally termin-
ating with the great canon, which
is almost as impressive as the
Grand Canon of the Colorado, and
more so than the canon of the
Gunnison. Lateral canons and
gulches reach out into the noun
tains, and where they debouch in
to the main canon they have form
ed frequent extensive beds or bars
of sand and gravel that have
yielded much placer gold in the
past. Some of the washings are
so inaccessible, that early miners
were let down to them from the
overhanging precipices, and left
there for the summer to wash fol-
gold and then drawn out again al
the close of the season by Their
friends who meanwhile were other
wise engaged. The Snake river
through the canon is a swift tur-
bulent stream, with large boulders
and rapids and whirl-pools. II
1888 or 1885, a whole party of sur
veyors for the Union Pacific Rail
way company lost their lives in thu
destruction of their boat, ant
when years later the writer wa
engaged with others in making
. supplemented reconnaissance Q
the country, there was no DISPOSE
ton on part of any OF. the corps t.
, repeat the hazardous experience Q
their predecessor.
J THE COPPER DISTRICT.
The objective point of the rail
way doubtless is the great cope
! district in the southern portion G
> the Seven Devils range. 1t ha
! been accessible for years by fai
! wagon road most of the way, lead
: ing up from the town of Weise
| along Mans creek, then to middl
l valley and Council valley, on tn
: Weiser. river. Thence up Horne
!. creek across to Indian creek to tn
northwestward, to the foot of til
0 mountains. The valleys contai
e as productive farms and orchard
as can be found anywhere in til
i, country.
: Monument mountain, on whic
!, the copper deposits or veins al
|, situated has an altitude of prol
: ably 5000 feet, and is about fiy
: miles in length from north to soutl
: and three miles in width. Th
: territory over which the cope
manifests itself is equal to abor
five or six square miles, and
r about four miles distant from Il