Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1899-03-22
The First Stampede to Buffalo.

pnealo Hump is 50 named from a huge
D" so,theast Of Florence, Idaho
me- - similarity to the back OF buffalo
ironi ,aued in the fall of 1861 by
.sractors, who first got into tha'
pr The Florence placers were rich
che dreams of avarice, and Ioc
dov with a rocker, was COM
occurrence. The gravel containing
,,d was only few inches i'll thick
aud was on the bedrock. 1t was OF
lie color, and filled with pebbles very
..,, like marble in appearance This
distinguishing Characteristic OF the
,,,,;,ss This gravel was from three to
!. feet under bed of turf and clay and
- rich was the pay dirt that in many
,,nlctes it appeared to be fully one-half
"a nc II was sloveled out. All the best
anlches and creeks headed from semi
a;rcular ridge, about three miles in ex-
,sut and outside this ridge no pay was
.rer found although the country was
we'll prospected
rta mines were discovered i'll the fall
,e 1851 and as the news went abroad
thousands of men started from all parts
If the Pacific coast: 1t was the hardest
winter ever known, cattle and horses
died by the thousands, and terrible suffer
mos were experienced by the early pio-
,eers in their thirst for gold. BY spring
nlIv 1000 men were i'll the camp. OF
course all the good ground was located,
and it being new country, these pros
nectors saw 10 reason why there should
not be other equally rich placers i'll the
vast range of mountains that extend for
hundreds of miles i'll every direction.
Men were ready for anything lp'the shape
Of a report of new diggingss~ So in June,
when report was privately circulated
that at Buffalo Hump richer ground than
ever Florence produced had been dis
covered there, general stampede ensued,
men left claims welding several ounces a
day and Joined the rush to the Hump.
II was reported and believed that the
first miners there were taking out gold
by the teacup full, and men could not get
there fast enough. The stampede was
gotten up as usual by interested parties,
principally storekeepers, who at once
raised the price of -four SI.5o per pound
and everything proportionately. A miner
was approached cautiously and informed
that there was no doubt about it, and
under promise of secrecy map of the
route was produced, with full details of
how to get there. When certain land
mark was reached, the miner was to go
so far, and, looking over bluff, he would
see the original prospectors at work.
Gumboots were reported to be i'll 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, 1862, there were
thousands of MIXERS there, and wild
snow storm cameSonA They found they
had been fooled By a\ lot of lies, for no
claim had been opened, and what pros
pecting had been performed was useless,
for although little gold was found, it
was not III paying quantities, and the
Hump was again left in solitary glory
except for the visit of an occasional pros
pector, until last fall when the present
alleged rich strike occurred. What the
result will be, time only will tell. The
same excitements occur periodically but
when men get into such country nova
days, there is generally very rich mines
found. if not at the scene, then some
where around. The mountains of North
ern Idaho are mineral-bearing, have
never been prospected except for placers,
and are comparatively of easy approach.
There are hundreds of miles up there
where 10 one has ever been, as the
ronghness of the country and the fallen
timber make progress very slow. Before
the end of the year 1899 we confidently ex-
pect to hear of fabulously rich strikes
there, and by 1900 we predict Northern
Idaho will be on a par with Colorado in
It's palnest days.