Evening journal., 1898-04-26
ROMANCE OF GoLDDIGGINGs.
Rich Idaho Placers Stumbled On
by Accident
James Warren's Great gind-It Opened
UpMines of Immense vaiue-storiea
About Prospecting in the Days
Long Since Gone.

An old prospector tells story Of the
FIRST days of mining in idaho which
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 of 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
put in 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 q 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.
"Panning 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 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 10 men was or
ganized to investigate the new find.
"On their way TO Warren creek they
rame across Warren's four companions
from whom he had parted several days
previously. They were 'tin-horns' and
poor prospectors and had been unsuc-
cessfnl. Seeing Warren with thecrowd
they concluded that he had made a
strike and followed him. Warren and
his friends, not caring 10 share the dis
covery with the four men, resorted to a
ruse to throw them Off the scent. aud
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 10 Florence. The expedition
EtalSed out the Warren Meadows for
themselves and their friends. Eight
| lhEA NNAN HIAAl Uuth W II ANItltlH IOI pro-
visions, the rest remaining to work tho
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 stalled our
, on the new field. When the men re.
turned from Florence with the pro
t | visions they were followed by about
I | GOO miners, who suspected that rich
J | dirt had been found, and swarmed along
+ Warren creek and It's tributaries, max
3 ing rich finds everywhere. The original
S locators were extremely fortunate IL
i the Summit Flat diggings Two mer
h named Besse Gnd Osgooa worked TO
s gether and doclned out 100 ounces th,
l. first day and 40 ounces during tho mex
= / forenoon The assay off1co had Just beer
l. established at Boise and these 1t
= ounces of dust were the first receipts a
$ the office.
+ The gold was found to be worth 81.
y an ounce, the net returns Of the two
e men for n day and a half being ST. 600
: In three weeks that party Of 10 men hal
- NtANNA NAN ~ Jill AANAA taAllAAn vi 2ullllll
8 Flat 10000 ounces of gold. Before tn,
y close of the season 100000 ounces wer,
y taken out, and the original members o
d the expedition had enough money Z,
i keep them comfortably for life. Abou
o as much more was taken out during tn,
t next season before the bar was ex
S hausted.
"The honesty of the miners in thos
e pioneer days was Illustrated by an In
l. cident which occurred during tn
Is stampede from Florence. In the crow,
S. of Goo that followed the eight men sen
S. to Florence after provisions was a maj
It niclznamed Boston, of thrifty turn
d who brought two barrels OF whisky ant
If a wagon hauled by pair Of mules, hi
d knowledge of the average prospeeto
IT leading him to the conclusion that tn
J. crowd limited to water as a beverag
n would soon begin TO suffer from tn
r. pangs of thirst. On the way to the dig
n gings one Nandeventer offered him
h handsome advance on the first cost o
10 the whisky, and the offer being aC
IF eepted the whisky was turned over {
e. Yandeventer, who sat the barrels on en-
IT | 4AAQNA "a AANNH A0AtA NuA AAia AAAAAinl AAAI
n a tin dpper on the side OF each barre
n fixed a contribution box up against
re tree, with q slot in the closed lid. an
l. went on with the crowd, leaving tn
IL improvised saloon to take care of itsel
70 The miners passing to and fro woul
re take drink, drop contribution int
s. the boxand pass on. Sometimes sever;
L. drinksswould be taken without resoI
ie to the bucksllin, but IN the end tn
drinks were well paid for, nugget
worth a dollar or more being frequen
\, ly dropped in for a single drinl
= Strange as it may seem, there was n
excessive Indulgence at the barrels, an
- no one meddled with the contribute
p box, and before the close Of the seaso
Vans barrels formed one of the Ian,
"A marks of the country. Vandevent,
~ pulled out a handsome sum from b
= I nnfnfnor claim and whom col1 wealth