Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1899-07-14

falo group. No scheme in the
district probably win SO fully
develop at great depth the i'm.
mense surface showing. The
proposition has the entire con-
fidence of the district, and min.
ins operators are anxiously
awaiting the Inauguration OF
the work on this great enter.
prise. -
About forty miles north of
the Buffalo Hump country, and
on the headwaters of the Koos-
kooki, being the main fork of
the Clearwater, and on the
headwaters of Colt creek, north
fork Of Moose creek, east of
Grove Peak and north of Di-
ablo Peak is an immense cedar
swamp or glade, which for q
number of years has been con-
coded to be great field for
the placer miner. Prospectors
from time to time have brought
in SO much placer gold from
this section that it could not
help attracting attention, and
quite a number of parties have
endeavored to penetrate this
: vast unknown gold field. Of
those who have made an effort
to delve in these unknown
wilds was Peter Raddy, a we'll
. known mining man of Idaho
! county; DR.. S. E. Bibby, who
, was formerly a surgeon in the
, United States army, but for
! many years a leading physi.
clan in Grangeville; Charles
5 S. Gregory, ex:sheriff of Idaho
t county, and many others whose
names | cannot remember.
J These gentlemen only went
! into the outskirts of the gold
t fields, and could 60 no farther
a because ofthe immense amount
of fallen timber, and hence
!. were compelled to return, after
: securing good prospects lower
:. down on these streams. How.
!. ever, the present season a big
Y outfit will endeavor to reach
! the large placer deposits be-
l. lieved to be higher up, and with
e that end in view they will take
e along sufficient supplies to last
! several months, and it is pro.
e posed to cut a trail directly
0 into the heart of what is be.
t lieved to be a great placer
e field. Probably no part in the
= United States offers a more
e extensive or richer field for
:. the prospector. This new
S placer field has been viewed at
a a distance with powerful glass.
e es from the adjacent peaks,
j. and it much resembles the
p cedar swamps in the CGur
e d'Alenes, from which SO much
placer gold was taken in 1884
/ and 1885 from the celebrated
:, Widows claim, Buckskin and
: Missoula gulches. Another
t reason for the belief that gold
e exists in wonderful quantities
e on the headwaters of these
/. streams is because it has been
! found in any number of places
! lower down all these streams,
:. and all trappers who have been
! into that section report the
E finding of gold in every stream
:. and brook which heads in the
Bitter Root mountains. The
Indians at Kamiah and all up
f and down the middle fork of
} the Clearwater have for many
years every season brought
e gold to the merchants at
Z Grangeville, which they traded
: for supplies, and although they
t have appeared to make every
effort to hide their source of
A. supply, it seems to be fully
+. conceded that the immense
amount of gold that they had
r is secured in the region named.
. The fine wash gravel to be
5 seen in all these streams would
, delight the eye of the placer
miner, and it is but reasonable
, to conclude that where such
, big prospects to be met with
just below these gold fields,
| when they are fully opened up
it is exceedingly hard to imag.
inc what amount of gold might
l.