The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-12-24
AN OLD-T|ME PROSPECTOR
A Sketch of Professor James
House and His Work.
IN THE WALLACE DISTRICT
Closely Identified With the Interests OF
Western Montana Preparing
to Dsvelope a Great
Placer Mine.

Wallace district that comprises many
of the claims that were located and de-
yelpped by Professor House, removes
that well known man in a measure
from the active workers in the mineral
belt in Western Montana. Professor
House is a type of the older generation
of prospectors, which is now rapidly
disappearing. For years he has pur-
sued his labors in the district that he
was confident would in time justify
the claims that he had made for it as
one of the finest mineral regions in the
state. Recent developments show that
his predictions are more than likely to
come true. James House has been
identified for so long with the mining
interests of this part of the state that
it will seem strange to hear Of others
operating in the Wallace district. He is
a thorough mining man Of long eX
perience and he is now preparing to
develop what he says will be the great
est placer mine that the West ever
saw
James House--known as Professor
House-because Of an intimate knowl-
edge of mines and mining bestowed by
House says "he was just a common,
everyday man. like the balance of US"
was born in 1881, in Knox county.
Ohio, near Mount Vernon. Left there
in 1850 and enigrated to Illinois, Pike
county, Pleasantvale; was two years
there and got "shook up With the ague;
pronounced the place a failure and
struck OUT for Oregon in spring of
3d. with OK teams and band of colts
with the outfit; 80 in party; left where
Omaha now stands on May 10, SO and
arrived in the Willamette valley, Ore,
about October 90 So: then worked all
winter splitting rails at 81 hundred;
had OK teams and sold them at $35 to
$40 team: made 20 rails a day and
got board; red fir trees; was there till
February, 1854. took steamer and went
to Portland and then took ocean steam
er and went down to Gold beach," 200
or 800 miles below mouth of Columbia
river: mined in placer mines for short
time; mines didn't pay; started camp
in the woods nearby and made shingles
for a month. Myself and three others
-Eldridge, Howard and Scott-"took it
afoot' down the coast. The military
held us up at Smith river because of
an Indian war-the Rogue river In
dams. The soldiers had a big battle
at mouth of Rogue river with the In
dams in the latter part of March or
first of April. Many Indians were
killed; soldiers burned their villages;
ney down to Crescent City landing. All
supplies came from San Francisco to
mines then. and by pack trains, so
miles over to Sailor diggingS in Ore
gon. One day there and went to Sailor
diggings and stayed there: got broke
and worked on a ditch to get money to
go on further. About first of May
struck out afoot'' on trail; couldn't
sell our tools and took them along;
crossed the Sikiyou range: on summit
snow was 40 to so feet deep, solid. An
amusing incident occurred here and
it's quite reversal of affairs. The tops
of tall trees We're sticking out of the
snow and around the trees the snow
had melted so as to form a funnel
shaped hole: Houses hat blew off and
went down beside a tree and he had to
climb down a tree, instead of up, to
get it.
We went down the mountains to In
dian creek and had to shovel three
feet of snow to get ground to camp on
that night. Next morning we put out"
right down the creek, the snow growing
less as we went down; struck pack
trail about time snow gave out: con-
tinued down through a grove of heavy
red pine; arrived at Happy camp at
mouth of klamath: only three cabins
there; met a solitary miner named
Webster, from New York. 1t was quite
was mining on the bar with a rocker.
Our destination was Scott river a
tributary of the klamath. Nothing of
special interest occurred till we arrived
at Reese Bros ranch, where we camp
ed for few days and had vegetables
which he raised He sold potatoes and
cabbage at so cents pound. We here
crossed the klamath and continued UP
the river to mining village-Ham-
berg-20 or more miners there. We
struck out to mouth of Scott river, two
miles from there to a prosperous min
ing village, French Bar, about 400 min
ers; went to Johnson's bar. a mile
above, and then to Whiting Hill, where
camped for the summer and placer
mined: came across a man named
Jackson who owned large amount of
mines; he gave us the privilege of
working on his bar claims to make a
grub stake" The first hole We sunk
was four feet square and two and one
half feet deep and in one day took out
$3.50; next day worked further on and
took out chunk that weighed over
5000; next few days Indifferent luck;
this put us on our feet" Provisions
We're from so cents to 81 a pound. We
then worked river claim for three years
with varying success, ran toll bridge,
etc.-unsuccessful venture. Whiskey
was so cents a drink. poor at that, re-
and arrived at Sterling in 1859: mined
there for two years then went l6 miles
to Jackson creek, where mined one
summer Williams creek diggings
were discovered in 1859 and | went
there, where l remained nearly two
years running; went to Florence. Ida
ho, where mined one summer. made
some money and then returned to Ster-
ling in Southern Oregon. bought a
group of placer mines and settled down
and worked them; scarcity of water
caused me to quit and start for Mon
tana in 1857; arrived on the Lemhi
same year; explored Lemhi diggings
and struck out for Bannack Mont:
high water ran us out and we went to
Virginia City and arrived there on the
same evening that the vigilantes made
a raid on the road agents." several
were hung and the rest ''scooted" about
May. 1858 then it was safe to travel;
we then headed for Deer Lodge, passed
Highland; from there Deer Lodge) to
Helena, Last Chance gulch;" then two
weeks mined above town, about 200
,,po7,3a.- M nav. had baa,, .'u,o,,l,,l