The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1900-04-19
IT TELLS A GOOD TALE
And Recounts the Wonderful Advancement
of Wonderful Land, to the Edit
cation of Eastern People.

uafy territory.
Central and Southern Idaho are now
attracting great attention. The north
ern part of the state was developed along
with the rich sections of Montana and
Washington; but the southern portion of
the state is nearly all virgin country and
practically new field for development.
The country is series of mountains and
small valleys, the mountains containing
rich deposits of gold, silver, lead, copper,
coal and iron the land in the valleys pro-
ducing fruits, hay, corn and small grain
of every variety in abundance
The copper of the Seven Devils, Heath
and Ruthburg mining districts in Wash
ington county-not mentioning its gold,
silver, lead, iron and coal mines-wil
soon be listed among the richest, largest
and easiest mining properties in the
world. Prior TO 1899 ii was said by a few
that the surface showings and outcrop-
pings were misleading; that although here
was certainly the greatest surface out
crops of copper ore in the world, it was
probably blowout" and would not
continue in depth. But the reverse is
proving true and each blast reveals a sur
prise. The Blue Jacket mine is now
shipping ore to New York. from depth
of 375 feet, at net profit of $l05 per
IL.
and miners in the mountains TO their
friends, and personal interviews with
those who have come in for supplies,
prove beyond question that the public
will soon wake up to realization of the
truth that the rapiGly-growing towns Of
Weiser, Cam bridge, and Council will soon
be centers of vast mining industries. The
town of Cambridge was without a build
ing of any kind on January l, 1900; today
it is a thriving town of four hundred
people. Other permanent Improvements
are going in, and if Cambridge keeps the
pace it has set since the first Of January
it will be city of the second class, with
a population of at least two thousand, by
the time it is year old The other towns
mentioned are also doing their share of
permanent improvement. Weiser has a
large number of very substantial brick
blocks; is now putting in system
of sewers, and has made arrangements to
have water and electric lights put in at
once 1t is city of the second class
now, with population of about two
thousand five hundred. All this growth
and development has been made since the
starting of the Pacific & Idaho Northern
Railway last spring (now completed from
Weiser to Cambridge, a distance of forty
and one-half miles,
Then the Warren, Rapid River, Mar
shall Lake. Buffalo Hump, and Thunder
Mountain gold districts as yet uneXplor-
ed, will prove by force of their own mer-
its more enticing than either Cape Nome
or the Klondike. One quarter of the adj
vertsng, descriptive Of its resources, thai
is now given to Cape Nome and other far
off places, would bring to this unsettled
empire such rush as was never before
4 l, .haa
going in and coming out of there, making
three months stay, washing The alu
vial deposits with the snow water, and re
turning with five to twenty pounds o
pure gold-enough to support them tn,
balance of the year, thus enjoying an cas-,
life.
Thunder Mountain has, until recent,
been overlooked by the gold-seelxer ant
the prospector. 1t is sitnatedi in latitud
45 Q west Of longitude lis Q, about forty
five miles east of Warren The line O
approach at the present time is from Cam
bridge. the temporary terminus of the P
& I. N Railway; thence by fairly goo,
wagon road. to Warren, a distance of ~
miles; thence by pack trail 60 miles. Th
formation consists of porphyry, diorite
gneiss and granite. The perceptibl
parts of granite are observable upon tn
higher points Of the highest SUBMITS, an
the intersection of the-pOrphyry lies mex
to the granite. The planes of beddin
have an apparent strike of north by Yves
and east by south $50 far as the erosion G
the country will permit of observance
The diorite follows in a contact south
west of the porphyry; the gneiss in tn
same order, but in fragmentary form.
and observable at the water courses only
The country is covered with black pine
spruce. and fir, suitable for mining tin
beers, building, etc. The first, miners
discovered was by the Caswell Brothers
three ranchmen, who were in the distrit
looking up grazing-range for their ca
tie. While riding along the side of tn
mountain, one of the brothers discovere
something on the ground that shonc brigh
" in the MONDAY sun; this attracted h
attention, and he dismounted and exam
ined it. To his surprise and great JOY h
found it TO he piece of quartz, half {
which was free gold He immediatel
returned to camp and notified his brotl
ers. They prepared the necessary appl
ances and began prospecting at the confli
ence of Monumental and Mule creeks I'll
result of the prospect were wire, nugge
and flake gold in large paying quantitie
The character of the gold led these pro
pectors to search for ledge deposits.
;hey were satisfied that the gold they hs
found had not been carried any conside
able distance from the source OF its mi
eraization, and they were rewarded
discovering ledge of high grade gold 0
of unknown width at present. The e
ploration shows the ledge to be trii
over 1000 feet in width, with an avera
value exceeding $3.50 per ton, free mi
ing. (Here is given an account of q
hq n on n nf
seasons by the Caswells-already pu
lshed in the SignaD.
A well known mining man who h
operated in Cripple Creek and at maj