Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1898-01-19
Pine Grove Mining District.

tains an interesting paper on the
mines of Pine Grove district, written
by F. p. Andreas, and from which
we make the following extracts:
In the early COS good placer dig
gings were discovered and success
fully operated by Alex Pfeifer and
brother and several thousand dol
lars in gold taken out. These dis
coveries were made about one mile
south of the town of Pine, on the
east side of the South Boise river,
and known to be quite extensive,
embracing several thousand acres
including various gulches and the
mountain sides, which are deeply
covered with auriferous sands, and
it is only question of time when
these placers may yet be worked on
large scale and many thousands
of the precious stuff brought into
circulation.
Oliver Sloan in after years se-
cured these placers and worked
them successfully for a number of
years thereafter, and in the spring
of 1895 sold to A. n. Butts of Salt
Lake, who contemplates taking out
large ditch through which to con-
vey sufficient water from Fall creek
and work them on a large scale.
In the summer of 1886 Oliver
Sloan and Mr.. Kimbal made two
discoveries in free gold bearing
quartz nearly three miles southerly
of the town of Pine, known as the
Scorpion and Prairie Buck claims,
the ores producing $18 to $40 in
gold per ton by the Frue amalga-
mating process.
The same season Arthur Neal
and +. P. Andreas made some very
rich discoveries further west, known
as the Victory and Goat claims, the
ores producing $50 to $50 free gold
per ton. Not much attention was
given this new and UNEMPLOYED dis
trict until the following summer of
1898, when, on the 9th day of May,
T.. p. Andreas unearthed the largest
vein, ten feet between walls, about
three miles north of all former dis.
coveries and immediate west of
where Pine Grove is now situated.
This claim was known as the Little
Mamie. On the arrival of ]. H.
his brother, the claim was divided
into two claims and known as the
Franklin and Vixie, which were the
first discoveries made in this inn
mediate vicinity and has made the
district famous for its rich gold ores
No time was lost by the Andreas
brothers, who at once employed a
force Of miners in extracting the
ores and hauling it to Rocky Bar,
distance CT 20 miles, for treatment.
This marked a new era for the
camp, as the ore yielded 800 per
ton in gold.
Operations in the mine continued
steadily for two years, when one
third interest in the mines was sold
to d. B. Ethel for two-thirds in
terest in 1O-stamp mill. After
the completion of the mill the new
company continued steadily in the
production of the precious metal
and in the further development Of
the mines for two years more, when
the death of Mr. Ethel occurred
and his interests falling into the
hands of administrators and all
former company affairs never set
tied, has placed these mines in a
somewhat tangled condition and not
much has been done since in fur
ther exploration of the property.
This group of mines, formerly
known as the Franklin, Vixie, Mon
roe and Buckeye, have formed 8
change by virtue of relocations
known as the Golden Eagle, by c.
Andreas; the Crown, by A. d. Will
liams; the Inez, by Chas. Flynn.
On the 28th of May, 1887, Oliver
Sloan discovered and located what
is known as the Gold Hill mine
In the following spring this mine
was sold to a st. Louis company fol
$4,000, and a 20-stamp mill was
erected. With the work of the An
dreas brothers and the new com
pany, each having 20 to 80 mer
, employed, an era of prosperity fol
, lowed for several years such as arr
| frequently known in the west.
II is stated upon reliable authorit,
that the output of gold during tn,
first few years OF the discovery OF thes
quartz mines reached over 100000
In the spring of 1897 the Mag il
mine, formerly the Victory, in con
, nection with seven other quartz claim
/ in close proximity to each other an,
owned by J. 5. Silverton, was sold t
Chas. Crane, Mccormick & Co. of Sal
Lake city. This company, with
steady employment of large force {
: men in the mines and the Frankli
t 10 stamp mill, have fully demonstra
g ted during the past season that Pin
{ Grove will soon rank as heavy pre-
ducing gold camp. The ores Of tn
Maggie mine yield SIS to 800 per to-
'' in gold, and with the various surfac
s exposures and in the workings
s lower levels now shown, places man
g tbouaandS TONS of available orp