Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1899-03-24
RICH BUFFALO HUMP.
More Gold in Sight Than There Is In
All KlOndike.

- n. " i"ii Cii, pIOHlucut
mining man of Spokane, was a Wis
itor in Butte yesterday and left last
night on a trip to the east on bust
ness connected with some mining
properties he is interested in. Mr.,
O'Farrell has great confidence in
the Buffalo Hump country and
believes that camp has the greatest
future as "a gold producer of any
mining region in the United States.
Mr.. O'FarreIl describes the camp
as follows to the Butte Miner:
''The wonderful discoveries at
Buffalo Hump have brought into
sudden prominence the richest and
finest lands of Idaho. Camas
prairie and Nez Perez reservation
have long been known for wonder
full fertility of soil and for most
excellent climate. But this most
fertile region was SO far from rail-
road transportation that it remain
ed till now merely the paradise for
the grazier.
This. beautiful country is now
attracting intense interest; from
every side 1 hear the murmur and
the whisper that presages the min
ing stampede and l feel convinced
that in early summer we shall see
people flocking to the Clearwater
valley from all over the continent.
81 have not been able to pene-
trate to Buffalo Hump myself and
l must therefore defer a detailed
description of the country. At
present $ ven or eight feet Of snow
now shield it from curious eyes,
and only those who were fortunate
enough to explore Buffalo Hump
last fall know anything about the
camp. The discovery, like so many
other discoveries, was accidental.
1t was in hunting for stray jack
ass that Kellogg discovered the
Bunker Hill; when Marcus DAILY
bought the Anaconda he was buy
ing, he thought, silver mine, and
never imagined it was destined to
make him copper king. Joe
Morris stumbled on the LIE Roi
while doing assessment work for
Others on the Lilly May. Tommy
Ryan would have sold the Repub-
lie for $500 the day he discovered
it and Rigley and Robbins CHANGED
upon the Buffalo Hump gold mine
only because they had been up in
that district doing assessment work
for other people.
"Rigley and Robbins have had
just the same kind of luck that be-
fell Joe Morris and Joe Bourgeois
when they located the great gold
mines on Red Mountain.
"For thirty years prospectors had
been chasing the gold phantom
along the Dewdney trail and each
and every one of these had seen
Red Mountain and had noticed the
iron float from which it has deriv-
ed It's name, but though they no.
ticed they needed not, for they
were chasing for gold and not for
iron ore. But that iron ore was
simply the covering of gold mines
of fabulous wealth and extent
those gold mines that have made
Rossland famous and will enrich
the world in the coming century.
'The railroads are now bent on
opening up this rich and beautiful
country. 1t will astonish many to
know that the agricultural country
which the new railroads to the
Buffalo Hump will open up possess
es more agricultural resources than
the state of Delaware and that
there are no finer fruit or meadow
lands upon the continent than this
favored T. gion of rich and beauti-
full Idaho.
And SO with the Buffalo Hump;
the gold hunter has been chasing
round it for 40 years. In the early
SOS thousands of miners were
delving for gold in the creeks and
gulches lying in the shadow of this
mountain. Elk City and Florence
were famous mining camps in those
days and in few years Wells,
Fargo 4 Co.'S express carried over
$40, 900, 600 in gold dust and mug
gets from this district. Miners,
prOspectors, traders and gamblers
carried away most probably good
deal more, so that l feel safe in
stating that fully 100000, 600 in
placer gold has already been taken
out of the Buffalo Hump country.
1T is strange that such coun-
try should have lain neglected for
30 years and that chance trip of
Rigley and Robbins should be re-
sponsible for once more directing
mems minds to probably the rich
est gold region in the United States
of America. Buffalo Hump noun
tain is 55 miles from Grangeville
by the new projected wagon road.
The mountain which gives its name
to the camp is 8, 500 feet above sea
level, but the average prospects
are away below that, the general
elevation probably being about
$500 feet. The surrounding