The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-05-04
EARLY GOLD DAYS.
How the Men Poured Into Idaho's
Mountains in the SOS.
Spokane spokesman-Review)


Spokane SpOkesman-Review)
There have been other Wild rushes
Cor gold into Idaho's inferior besides
the present one to Thunder mountain.
Early in the sixties the present Idaho
saw her first excitement, over forty
years ago. and since that time discov-
cries and rushes have been periodical
There is only the difference thai Thun-
Ger mountain promises to eclipse its
predecessors.
Levi Ankeny of WaIla WaIla, banker
and pioneer, and foremost among the
visitors TO the new placer finds Of forty
years ago. tells interesting history
about the old days when Idaho vas in
her infancy. Mr.. Ankeny crossed the
plains fiom Missouri in 1880, and had
been several years in the country when
the northwest gold fever began. From
1861 until he settled down in WaIla
Walla, Mr.. Ankeny was constantly
among the various camps dealing with
the miners. He was through Thunder
forty years ago.
Among the first Idaho diggings were
those at Orofino. where Captain Pearce
Of California fOnded a camp in 1869.
Mr.. Aukeny's first trip into Idaho was
TO Orofno, up OrOfinO creek. in 1861. a
few early prOspect0rs had penetrated
into OrofinO that spring.
o. . g
At this time there was a good boat
service possible mp the Clearwater.
Lewiston. at the mouth, was a town
often numbering between 5000 and 1000
people, but so shifting was the popUIa-
ton that not even an average of the
Inhabitants can be struck. The town
was made by miners from all over the
United States, attracted by reports of
the most famous diggings since the
days Of 40 in California Indeed, most
of the Adventures were CalifOrniaus.
coming largely, Mr.. Ankeny says, from
Siskiyou county, in that state. That
I winter, 1861, Mr.. Ankeny wintered in a
little tent on Birch creek, back nearer
the settlement.
It was in 1862 that the celebrated
[ Florence rush began A year before
! an advance guard Of prospectors had
! been there and pronounced the country
good. Instantly there was d stampede.
which Mr.. Ankeny says he can only
/ describe as thousands Of men going
and coming all the time, and all max
/ ing money" The trip was made from
l Lewiston into Florence with pack
1 trains, many Of the outfits being Sc
/ cured at Wallula, Wash. 1t was about
! 40 mites from Lewiston into Flor
/ ence.
Prices were high in the new camp,
/ which was remote from transportation
[ or a base Of supplies. and provisions
1 were hard to secure, because every. one
] wanted to hunt for gold Bacon was
( 50 cents a pound and -four about the
same, except when extreme hard times
J
/ was about so cents a pound and some
/ times, when scarcity came in winter
would 90 to $3.50. II was packed in or
mems backs. Other prices ruled ac-
I cordingly, and in 1852 50-cent carrying
rates prevailed.
Sometimes freighters were paid by
space, and sometimes by weight. In The
/ former case all sorts of devices were
adopted to get as much in a giver
/ space as possible. Mr.. Ankeny gives az
an instance shovel cases. Each cas-,
contained about ten dozen shovels. and
the freight rate by boat from Portland
To Lewiston was about $40 per case
The case would be stood on end, sayl
Alr. Ankeny, "and a couple Of small
holes drilled through. Then beam
would be poured in until the case would
hold no more, with the result that
was possible 10 get 200 or 300 pounds o
beans into Lewiston freight free. DIFF
ferent rates prevailed from Lewiston
INTO Florence. where carriers Oftel
charged as high as 10 cents a pound.
Those were great days, strenuous #
+ way. 1t was a bold thing to start nj
the Clearwater, where few men hal
ever gone before. I can only eonpar
the exploits Of some OF those 'fntrepi
nren TO the feats Of Lewis and Clark
in 1905
An immense crowd OF men thronge
the Florence diggings. which were en-
tirely placer. and located mostly f
RacOOn guich. There were plenty r
other good spots, however. and genel
ally speaking any of the fat places
the mountains around Florence WeT
good. There was gold right in tn
grass roots. Two methOds-siuices an
! rOekers-were used to get the gold. III
latter device where water was not S
; plentiful The main work was done /
the spring when water was high. Thu
there was certainly gold 10 be had
eyinced by the luck Of a Dutchma
named 1iisener. who rocked cut $50 0'
in six weeks. and of John Richie
{ Washington. who got $4,000 in a shol
NAAAAE- NJ -AA-hEAAN 1ns AAI1E aIE DlA
instances; that nearly every one mad
money and THAI some big fortune
were secured.
o ., @
: In Florence there were few house
? most Of the great horde dwelling
tents. The camp contained some OF II
q worst despeTad0es in the west. and Z
y no police officials were in the cOuntr
the camp was its own iawmaker. Ono
a Just ahead Of Mr.. Ankeny, three me
: named Scott, Peoples and English. ne
Up a miner named Berry, with his pa
ty, and took ali their gold dust. A
three were caught at Lewiston short
after and summaTiiy hanged. The higl
waymau was much in evidence arouI
the camps Of the COS, and men had
go in parties. frequently under escor
y il they had much gold. Gambling w.
staple amusement in the camp. 4
money came easily and went more cas-
IL. Shooting scrapes we're plenty
In 1855 the yush 10 the new Disco
!. cries at Warrens, still further into q
< interior. started Jim Warren q pro
rector had gone In early. and tie can