The DeLamar nugget. [volume] (DeLamar, Idaho) 1891-1900, 1898-04-01

Dave Adams was born in Darwin
Clark county, Illinois, in the year 1S4a
Emigrated, with an uncle, to Pocahon
tas, Arkansas, in 1857. Left the uncl
year or SO afterward and went t,
Fort Smith in that state. There b,
started in to learn the printers trade
Worked year or so as devil" in al
office there, and then went to the In
dian Territory for short time locating
finally at Sherman, Texas, where he
worked in printing offices until the
fourth day of March, 1861. On that
memorable day in American history
the day on which Lincoln took his seal
in the presidential chair for his first
term, when states were seeding from
the Union and war clouds were gather.
ing, he Joined n party whose sympa.
thies were with the North. and with
mule teams, went to Chihuahua, Mex
leo, thence to Arizona, and late in the
fall of that year, landed in jacksonville,
Santa Cruz county, California. Here
he worked at his trade until 1864, when
he enlisted in the army, in Company
A, Eighth infantry, California Volun
teers, and served until the end of the
war, being stationed most of the time
at Fort Point, San Francisco, and the
mouth of the Columbia river. Was
discharged at the Preside in 1865. Re-
manned in California until the next
spring, when he drove a horse team,
loaded with flour, to Humboldt county,
Nevada. Here he engaged in various
occupations, among which were "keep-
ing station" operating pack trains, and
burning charcoal for smelling compa-
MES, until the spring of 1868, when, in
company with seven or eight others, he
walked from that point through por-
ton of Oregon, to Silver City, Idaho,
distance of nearly 300 miles. The
greater portion of that summer was
spent as laborer on farm in Snake
rivgr valley, known as the Ike Jennings
ranch, on Catherine creek, and now
known as Oreana. That fall he was
employed with a government surveying
party-surveying township lines and
subdividing on both sides of Snake
river, between Walters Ferry and the
mouth of the Bruneau river. After be
ing discharged at Boise City late that
fall, he returned to Silver City and
soon afterward went to work on the
Tidal Wave, a newspaper then being
published by the Butler brothers,
Omit tht office in July of the next year,
(1869) and went on a prospecting tour
into the Sawtooth, or Salmon river |
mountains, in company with man by |
the name of Henry H. Knapp, printer
and assayer. That fall the famous |
Loon creek placer camp was discov-
cred, and the subject of Our sketch and |
his partner were the first men on the
ground besides the discoveries. They
located several claims, and as town
was soon started, they took in another
man I'M. A. Wentworth) as a partner;
built some houses; brought in stock of
general merchandise on pack animals
from Boise Basin, and started store,
and soon afterward started an express
line between Loon creek and IDAHO
City-a distance of about one hundred
and forty miles; carrying mail and ex-
press matter on horseback during the
months, and on snowshoes in
the winter time. Flour sold as high as
fifty cents per pound. The charge for
taking out or bringing in letters was
fifty cents each; newspapers, fifty to
seventy five cents; magazines one dol
ar, and small packages in proportion.
No work could be done that first win
ter, and supposing that everybody in
lamp had bonanza, Dave las he was
hen, and had always been Familiarity
,alled) and his partners sold out their
FOODS to the miners on credit. The
lext spring when mining operations
commenced, it soon became apparent
hat the rich ground was not extensive.
The miners could not make their s
'laims pay expenses. Consequently
hey could not pay their bills contract
ID during the previous winter, and the
irm of Adams, Knapp & Wentworth
vas "broke." That fall, Q870) Adams '
vent to Boise City and again assumed c
he role of typo. In 1871 he again re- c
urned to Silver City and engaged in I
inning on War Eagle mountain for =
ew months, when he got situation '
n the Avalanche, then published by +
V. j. Hill, continuing thus employed +
ntil July, 1874. Then, being in poor =
ealth, he went to San Francisco and q
Their coast towns in California. Spec n
lated unsuccessfully in mining stocks S
nj rotnrnad aoo;, 90 c,;I..o.. fy:A- L. q