The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-05-25
sruMs.so On FORTUNE.


An Illustration of the Honesty of thu
Early Miner In the West.
An old prospector tells a story of the
first days OF mining In Idaho which
sounds X a romance. but which h
vouches for as being strictly true, and
which agrees with tine story frequently
told by the late Judge Craig of Douglas
county, who was one of the party that
staked OFF the first claims in Idaho. The
first find Of placer gold in Idaho" said
the old pioneer. was made early in 1861
by Jim Warren, a p~rospector who put in
the time when not engaged I'm the field
In p~atronizing the gaming table. A lit
tie camp had been established at Flor
enc but the riggings were poor and
there was so little TO be made hat the
men drifted away in little squads TO
inc better pay. Warren and four 9TH
! ers started out together. but soon after
ward a disagreement arose and War
rem left the party to go II alone After
two or three days he camped n even
ing on the stream now known as Warren
creek, and. there being fair Indications.
the next day was spent in prospecting.
Planning seven pans of dirt he saved
the proceeds. and taking samples of the
quartz went back to Florence, where
the gold was weighed and found to be
worth 20 cents, or 10 cents to the pan.
This was not a big thing for those days,
but IL led to the expectation of better
strikes, and an expedition Of is men
was organized to investigate the new
ind
ION their way to Warren creek they
came across warren's four companions.
from whom he had parted several days
previously. They were tin horns n
poor prospectors and had been unsuc-
cessful. Seeing Warren with the crowd,
they concluded that he had made a
strike and followed him. Warren and
his friends. not caring to share the dis
covery with the four men. resorted to a
ruse to throw them off the scent, and
spent several days on Secesh creek. so
called from the war of secession which
had then recently been heard of. The
four gamblers. being nearly out OF pro-
visions, were frozen out and compelled
to return to Florence. The expedition
then fastened to Warren creek and
staked out the Warren Meadows for
themselves N their friends. Eight men
were sent back to Florence for provls-
ions. the rest remaining 10 work the
claims. While the eight men were gone
some OF those who remained discovered
better diggings at summit Fiat, obtain
ing from 81 to 81 to the pan.
"The claims at Warren Meadows were
abandoned and new lain staked out
on the new field. When the men re-
turned from Florence with the provis-
ions they were followed by about 600
miners, who suspected that rich dirt
had been found, and swarmed along
Warren creek and its tributaries, MAX
ing rich finds everywhere. The original
~locators were extremely fortunate in the
Summit Flat diggings. Two men named
Besse and Osgood worked together, and
locked out 100 ounces the first day and
40 ounces during the next forenoon. The
assay office had just been established at
Boise and this 140 ounces of dust were
the first receipts of the office. The gold
was found to be worth s14 an ounce, the
net returns Of the two men for a day
and a half being 81. $50. In three weeks
hat party of Is men had taken out from
their claims on summit Flat 10000
ounces of gold. Before the close of the
season 100. 900 ounces were taken out.
and the original membOs of the expedi-
ton had enough money to keep them
comfortably for life. About as much
more was taken out during the next sea-
son before the bar was exhausted.
THE honesty OF the miners In those
pioneer days was illustrated by an &C
cident which occurred during this STAN
pede from Florence. In the crowd of
500 that followed the eight men sent to
Florence after provisions was a man
nicknamed Boston, of a thrifty turn,
who bought two barrels of whiskey and
a wagon hauled by "A pair Of mules, his
knowledge OF the average p~rospector
leading him to the conclusion that the
crowd, limited to water as a beverage,
would soon begin to suffer from the
pangs of thirst. On the way to the dig
glngs one Nandeventer offered him a
handsome advance on the first cost of
the whiskey, and. the offer being ac-
cepted. the whiskey was turned over 10
Nandeventer. who sat the barrels on END
under a tree. took out the heads, hung a
tin dipper on the side Of zach barrel,
fixed "A contribution box up against a
tree. with a slot in the closed lid, and
went on with the crowd, leaving the inn
~provised saloon to take rare OF itself.
The miners passing to and fro would
take a drink. drop "A contribution into
the box and pass on. Sometimes several
drinks would be taken without a resort to
the buckskin. but in the end the drinks
were well paid for, nuggets worth a
dollar or more being frequently dropped
in for a single drink. Strange as II
may seem. there was no excessive In
diligence at the barrels. and no one
meddled with the contribution box, and
before the close of the season Vans bar
rels formed one of the landmarks OF the
COUNTRY Nandeventer pulled out a
handsome sum from his mining claim.
and when cold weather set in returned
To his barrels. built a cabin and opened
a saloon I'm due form, making a good
cleanup from his contribution box. As
long as the diggings lasted he kept his
regular bar, but always had a keg of
whiskey, "A cup and a contribution box
on the outside of the cabin to accommo-
date those who preferred this method
OF indulging in the miners delight
Denver Republican.