Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1899-09-15

COLONEL BRACKETS VIEWS
10 Tells n tie Explorations nlda BY
Ills Party.
Col. w. 8. Bracket, of the
Northern Idaho Exploring expedi-
ton, has, together with his imme
date command, just reached
Grangeville after an absence Of As
days in . trip Of exploration all
around the Buffalo Hump country
and into the Bitter Root country.
To . PREss reporter, Col. Bracket
said: eve proceeded with our
pack animals from Grangeville to
Elk City and from there struck
the old Nez Perce trail leading
eastward to the Bitter Root range.
It was our intention to 60 east
ward along that trail to Nez Perce
pass, but owing to an accident in
Grangeville which impaired my
eyesight, we were obliged to give
up this part Of my trip, which l
had looked forward to for years.
The Nee Perce trail possesses great
historic interest. Over it for GEN.
turtles the Indians have ridden
across the great divide to the head
waters Of the Missouri and Yellow.
stone rivers and from there east
ward to the buffalo hunting
grounds ofthe past. Later on in
the'early COS this trail and pass
was travelled by the pack trains of
white men carrying supplies back
and forth between Lewiston, Elk
City and Florence, Idaho, and the
famous placers of Alder gulch and
Bannock, in Montana. On this
old trail occurred the tragic death
Of Lloyd Magruder and his entire
party, murdered by the rufiians Of
Henry Plummer's band, an event
we'll remembered by the old-timers
Of Montana and Idaho. Magru-
der used to run a pack train be-
tween Wallula, WASH, and Alder
Gulch, Montana, by way of Elk
City and the old Nez Perez trail.
In our days only q few Indian
hunters of the Nez Perce tribe pass
over this old highway of the will
derness.
Our party proceeded eastward on
this trail to the headwaters of Red
river, q stream running into the
Like all Indian trails
this old trail keeps along the high
avoiding swamps, fallen
timber and other distractions as
Tar as possible. In many places
The trail is lost amid barren rocks
and stony debris. 1t was most in
to note in several places,
where the old trail crossed streams,
that it was worn into the solid
rock to depth of from 10 inches
10 two feet, the unshod hoofs of
Indian ponies of centuries having
cut deep in the rock. Our explor-
stion this season has also extended
around Buffalo Hump, now
70 famous because of the gold
quartz discoveries made last year
1t its base. I have camped to the |
sast, south, west and north of the |
Hump. I was greatly interested
IN the great mineral resources in
md around Dixie, lying east of
Hump, and / believe that
here will be many rich mines in
md about Dixie; there have also
,een very promising discoveries on
that lovely mountain stream, Big
,reek, to the east Of the Hump,
llso on Crooked creek. We camp
I'd about week on the borders of
Fish lake, east Of the Hump, where
We had rainy weather, but about
he best trout fishing l ever saw.
From Fish lake we proceeded by
he very rough and rock-strewn
rail into the Hump district, camp
ng most Of the time just east Of
he Hump, not far from the Big
group Of mines. firmly |
believe the Buffalo Hump district
9 destined soon to be one Of the
most famous mining camps of the
world. I think that / understand |
;he main geological features Of this
extraordinary region, rugged and
Wild beyond power Of description.
Ny knowledge Of mineralogy is
out limited, but I was fortunate in
he Hump in studying it's mineral
features with both English and
American mining experts. There
we're men from Colorado, Califor-
,ia and Montana who had spent
many weeks studying the Buffalo
Hump district coolly and In q con-
way. There are three
great veins running northeast and
through the Hump dis
riot; they may be called the Big |
the st. Louis and the Jum-
20 veins. These three veins are
he salient features Of the camp. |