Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1899-05-04
The Mining Fields of Idaho.
WRITTEN BY W. C. AUSTIN

"ii hoi poiuerS Sucn vast ana
varied mineral wealth as Idaho.
The position that Idaho occupies in
the western mineral world is like a
wagon wheel, of which Idaho is the
hub-her great mineral belts radi-
ating out from her mountain fast
nesses, penetrating her sister states
and enriching them, shall represent
the spokes. Place yourself before a
map and trace out several of these
great mineral belts. Beginning in
the southern part of California, the
belt runs through Eldorado, Mari
posa and Calaveras counties, thence
to Bodie, across into Nevada in a
northeasterly course, giving birth
to the great Comstock lode and
other camps, through by Winnie
mucca, and in Idaho makes its
grand entry at Silver City and De
Lamar, in Owyhee county; thence
on in through Rocky Bar and At
lanta, Custer and Bonanza; thence
on to Central Idaho, at Gibbons
vile. Here the opposite spoke to
the great mineral wheel comes in
and penetrates the Rocky mount
aims on into Montana, where it
makes its debut at Butte.
The northern belt or zone was
first discovered in northern Cali
fornia; gave life to such camps as
Weaverville, Scots and Yreka;
thence on through into Oregon, via
Canyon City, Granite, Old Auburn,
Baker City and Sparta. 1t crosses
with a grand flourish into Idaho at
the Seven Devils; thence on into
Warrens, Florence, Buffalo Hump,
Dixie and Elk City, where it loses
itself to appear in its opposite spoke
in the Missoula country in Mon
tana. The belts penetrating Utah
can be easily traced through Cassia
county, Idahe, northward to the
interior of Idaho.
The great northwestern belt be-
gins in British Columbia, runs down
through Washington, from Trail
Creek country, beginning at Ross
land, thence on through the Great
Republic camp and on into Idaho,
and here it gives to the world the
great Occur d'Alene country, with
such mines as the Bunker Hill, Sui
Ivan and Gem mines. AS these
great mineral zones draw nearer to
the hub the intervening country
becomes more and more mineral
lied, until when Idaho is reached
bands of mineral reach out from
one zone to another, playing "hide
and seek" in the rock ribbed noun
tains that stand like grim senti-
nels guarding the treasure within.
The whole country becomes a net
work of veins. There is not a hill
or mountain from east to west,
north or south, in the whole state,
but what is mineral bearing. There
is no other country in the United
States that is SO little prospected,
unknown and UNEMPLOYED as Idaho
No other country in the world can
compare with it in richness. Its
grand and beautiful scenery, the
poverty of language makes it i'm
possible to describe. " ords can
not paint it. The poet is unborn
who is capable of singing the sweet
song of Idaho.
From Boise City northward il
one unbroken line of forest, valley
stream and lake, and mountain
upon mountain, some craggy, grin
and terrible, walled and turreted
raising sheer walls of granite, whit,
and glistening in the sun, thousands
of feet in the air; here and there
great domes, minaret and tower
grand, majestic, awful. You feel
as you gaze for the first time upor
Gods grand cathedral, as if yo,
stood in His very presence. AnC
as you catch the smile of the beau
tiful valley, with its limped lax
and peaceful river nesting in Sc
curity at its feet, you can appreci
ate Joaquin Miller, the poet of tn
) Sierras, who claims to have givel
these mountains the name idaho,
meaning "Gem of the Mountains,
or "Morning Light" where he says
"'Ts not the place Of mirthfulness,
. But meditation deep, and prayer,
And kneeling on the sailed sod,
Where man must his llttleness,
And know the mightiness OF God"
Idaho is the ideal country for tn
prospector. Wherever he may &C
water, timber and grass everywhere
Every stream alive with salmon
! and trout of every species; Will
bear, deer, elk, moose and sheep ar
plentiful
There is not mineral known t
2 the mineralogist, nor a gem to tn
:. lapidary, that is not found With
:, her borders.
: Does he want new fields to ez
plore? There are belts of countr
. hundred miles square, that hay
I never known the step of a whit
r man. The whole western slope {
: the Bitter Root range, the heaC
waters of the Clearwater, is an III
= explored field; and yet it is know
to be rich in gold and other PR
cious metals. For years some