Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1899-03-24
SOME ANCIENT HISTORY.
A Faked-Up Placer Excite
ment to Buffalo Hump in
Early Days.

Buffalo Hump is so name d
from huge mountain sout h.
east of Florence, Idaho, fro N
its similarity to the back Of a
Buffalo. 1t was so named IN
the fall of 1861 by prospecto rs
who first got into that cou
try. The Florence place rs
were rich beyond the dream IS
of avarice and 100 onnces a
day with a rocker was a com
mon occurrence. The gray ell
containing the gold was on y
a few inches in thickness and
was on the bedrock. 1t W rs
of a blue color and filled with
pebbles very much like ma r.
bic in appearance. This W as
distinguishing characterize ic
of the diggings. The gray eel
was from three to IS feet Il n
der a bed of turf and clay a nd
so rich was the pay dirt tn at
in many gnlches it appeared
to be fully one half gold as it
was shoveled out. All the
best gulches and creeks hea d.
ed from a semi-circular ridge
about three miles in exte MT
and outside this ridge no pa y
was ever found, although the
country was well prospecte d.
The mines were discovered in
the fall of 81 and as the news
went abroad thousands of m en-
started from all parts of t he
Pacific coast. 1t was the har d.
est winter ever known, cattle
and horses died by the thou S.
and and terrible sufferings
were experienced by the earl ~
pioneers in their thirst for
gold. By spring fully Io,ooo
men were in the camp. OF
course all the good groun nd
was located and it being ne W
country these prospectors So W
no reason why there shou Id
not be other equally rich pla C.
ers in the vast range of mon t-
aims that extend for hundre dis
of miles in every directid N.
Men were ready for anythin g
in the shape of a report of nq w
diggings. So in June wher a
report was privately circulat ed
that at Buffalo Hump rich err
ground than ever Florence pr %.
duced had been discover I'D
there a general stampede en-.
sued; men left claims yielding
several ounces a day and Join.
ed the rush to the Hump.
1t was reported, and believ-
ed, that the first miners the ore
were taking out gold by the
tin cup full and men could not
get there fast enough. The
stampede was gotten up by in.
terested parties, principally
storekeepers, who at on ce
raised the price of flour ST., so
per pound and everything e lse
proportionately. A miner as
approached cautiously and in,
formed that there was no dol bt
about it and under a prom Use
of secrecy map of the rol lte
was procured, with full details
of how to get there. When a
certain landmark was reach ed
the miner was to go so ar,
and looking over a bluff he
would see the original pr s.
pectors at work. Gum bop OTIS
were reported to be in use for
storing the dust, and The
ground was so rich that the
rocker had to be cleaned up
every three Or four bucketsful.
BY the 4th of July %, tho ire
were thousands of miners tn ere
and a wild snow storm came
on. They found they b ad
been fooled by a lot Of Ii es,
for no claim had been ned
and whatprospecting had be- zen
performed was useless, for al.
though a little gold was fou nd
it was not in paying quanriti es,
and the Hump was again eft
in solitary glory except for The
visit of an occasional prospe ct.
or until last fall, when the
present rich strike occurre I'd.
What the result will he RI ne