The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1899-09-12

Every old miner is not a rich
man, nor is ever rich miner an
old one. Many, very many, who
joined in blazing trails to the Ell
Dorados in the far west, who
have built their humble log cab
ins where prosperous towns or
cities have long since displaced
them who set their stakes and
spent months or years to develop
prospects into paying mines,
whose hopes of striking wealth
ended not in fruition, whose ten
acity of purpose and bulldog
hangonativeness led them, over
and over again, to venture their
time, their labor, their all in 9th
er equally disastrous ventures,
have either passed 'Eover the
range to prospect for a home
mot made with hands, eternal
in the heavens" or are now with
whitened locks and furrowed
cheeks, with bent forms and fall
tering steps, patiently waiting
for the summons to lay aside
their picks, pans and shovels and
drills and spoons and hammers,
and go up higher where short,
water and barren rock are known
no more forever.
We say there are many old
miners waiting to join their com
rades who have gone to find
bonanza in the Great Beyond
and who leave the world as they
entered it, with nothing to claim
save the air they breathed. But
they have done a good work,
they lived not in vain. Fifty
years ago they crossed the Mis-
souri, river and entered the
Great American Desert" into
an almost unknown country,
bearing their lives in their hands,
! meeting and overcoming obstac-
|. les and dangers of which they
, knew not, frightening or driving
! the savages of the plains from
, their pathway, and the less saw
, age animals from their lairs, but
i defying all, followed the setting
sun on its course to the golden
! sands of the Pacific, where they
found an empire in domain, a
: storehouse abounding in gold.
! But they builded better than
q they knew. They opened the
: way for others to follow. In
q blazing the trail to the Pacific
! they passed over great stretches
+ of plains and mountains, out OF
! which Nebraska, Colorado, Wyo-
q ming, Utah, Idaho, Montana and
! Nevada have been carved each
4 treasure vault from which count
less millions have been emptied
into the busy worlds channels
g of trade, creating millionaires
Z multi-millionaires while the trail
S blazers themselves were awaken
ing echoes in camps that added
more millions to the wealth o
countries and their people.
All hail to the miner HI
opened the gates through which
,r the more fortunate passed tC
+ wealth. He uncomplainingly
a endured the privations and hard
q ships which are ever the hand
e maids of the pioneer. His youtl
,e disappeared in his combats witt
IN an adverse fortune. Middle-ag
If claimed him before he finishes
d his battle, add old age has seize'
$ him. Physically broken dowr
K but rejoicing, he has lived to Sc
a. an empire in the west, ''aH @
which he saw and part of whicl
N he was" Envy possesses nc
the old miners soul 1t will b
10 a short time only when the busy
r. hustling, bustling throng no.
e around him. grasping for tn
almighty dollar" will also traN
el the road leading to the ur
is known hereafter, which he
IN prepared to take when the sigma
he is given to 'sstrike camp. -
Mt Western Mining World.