The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1898-01-13
A ROMANCE OF THE MINES.
The First Find of Placer Gold in
Idaho.


sounds like a romance, but which he
vouches for as being strictly true, and
which agrees with the story frequently
told by the late Judge Craig, of Doug
las 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
1862 by Jim Warren, a prospector who
putin the time when not engaged in
the field in patronizing the gaming
table. A little camp had been estab-
lished at Florence, but the diggings
were poor and there was so little to be
made that the men drifted away in lit
tie squads to find better pay. Warren
and four others started out together,
but soon afterward a disagreement
arose and Warren left the party to go
it alone. After two or three days he
camped one evening on the stream now
known as Warren creek, and there be-
ing fair Indications, the next day was
spent in prospecting.
Planning seven pans of dirt he saved
the proceeds, ard taking samples of the
quartz went back to Florence. where the
gold was weighed and found to be worth
70 cents or ten cents to the pan. This
was not big thing for those days, but
led to the expectation of better strikes
and an expedition of 16 men was or
|,c sized to investigate the new find.
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' and
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 been recently heard of. The
four gamblers, being nearly out of pro-
visions, were frozen out and compelled
to return to Florence. The expedition
staked out the Warren Meadows for
themselves and their friends. Eight
men were sent back to Florence for pro-
visions, the rest remaining to work the
claims. While the eight men were gone
some of these who remained discovered
better digging at Summit Flat, obtain
ing from two to four dollars to the pan.
The claims of Warren Meadows were
abandoned, and new claims staked out
on the new field. When the men re-
turned from Florence with the pro-
visions they were followed by about
600 miners, who suspected that rich
dirt had been found, and swarmed along
Warren creek and it's tributaries, max.
ing rich finds everywhere. The original
locators were extremely fortunate in
the Summit Flat diggings. Two men
| named Besse and Osgood worked to-
gether 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 these 14C
ounces of dust We're the first receipts al
the office
The gold was found to be worth ST.
an ounce, the net returns of the tive
men for day and half being 81 800
In three weeks that party of 16 men had
taken out from their claims on Summit
Flat 10000 ounces of gold. Before the
close of the season 100000 ounces were
taken out, and the original members Of
the expedition had enough money tC
keep them comfort: bly, for life. About
as much more was taken out during the
NEXT hpfnrn tho b,,
hausted.
''The honesty of the miners in thos,
| pioneer days was illustrated by an in
| cident which occurred during the
| stampede from Florence. In the crowc
of 600 that followed the eight men SEN
to Florence after provisions was a mar
nicknamed Boston, of thrifty turn
who brought two barrels of whisky ant
wagon hauled by pair of mules, hi.
knowledge of the average prospectol
| leading him to the conclusion that the
crowd limited to water as a beverage
would soon begin to suffer from tn,
pangs of thirst. On the way to the dig
| gings one Vandeventer offered him
| handsome advance on the first cost o.
| the whisky, and the offer being ac
cepted the whisky was turned over Il
Vandeventer, who sat the barrels on enc
| under a tree, took out the heads, huns
tin dipper on the side of each barrel
| fixed a contribution box up against
tree, with slot in the closed lid, ant
went on with the crowd, leaving th1
improvised saloon to take care of itself
The miners passing to and fro would
take drink, drop contribution int
| the box and pass on. Sometimes severa
| drinks would be taken without resor
to the buckskin, but in the end Thu
drinks were well paid for, nuggets
worth dollar or more being frequent
| ly dropped in for a single drink
| Strange as it may seem, there was II,
excessive indulgence at the barrels, ant
no one meddled with the contribution
box, and before the ctose of the season
Vans barrels formed one of the land
marks of the country. Vandevente
| pulled out a handsome sum from hi
mining claim, and when cold weathe
| set in returned to his barrels built
cabin and opened a saloon in form
making a good cleanup from his con
tribution box. AS long as the digging
lasted he kept his regular bar, but al