Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1902-05-08
AN ALL RIVER ROUTE
Vim. Campbell Talks Of Thunder Noun.
tain and How to Get There.
THERE ARE OTHER RICH CAMPS
Big Creek District Pronounced
a Phenomenally Rich
Territory.

Among the numerous visitors to
growing Grangeville this week was
VIM. Campbell, proprietor of the
Campbell ranch on Salmon river,
where the Dixie route to Thunder
Mountain crosses that stream. Mr..
Campbell has been prospecting in
the Thunder Mountain country for
the past six years, and while he is
satisfied that it has great future,
he believes the greatest future for
that country will be found to lie
in the country west of Thunder
Mountain, in the great mines of
Big creek, Monumental, Govern
ment, Smith, Logan and the other
streams which are tributary to Big
creek. He took in last summer
w. II. Phelps, late of the Idaho
Comstock, and G. p. Richardson.
of the Moose creek placers, and
they made thorough tests of their
samples from Thunder Mountain,
and while they got values they
were not sufficiently high to justify
them in making locations. This
confirms the general impression
among mining men that the Thun-
der Mountain district will event.
ually resolve into a number of low
grade propositions, carrying very
large milling plants like the mines
of the Black Hills~or Baranoff
Island. But on the Big creek
country Mr.. Campbell is very en-
thusiastic, and says it is without
doubt the most richly impregnated
mineral country in the west, and
now that capital is being attracted
in that direction he looks to see a
number of big camps brought to
light which will add enormously to
the mineral output of this state.
Mr.. Campbell also gives his i'm
pressions concerning the different
routes into Thunder Mountain from
the north, and says that the busi-
ness men of Grangeville should by
all means look into the all-river
route up the main Salmon river
from the oli Wire bridge.
The Campbell crossing is 3 miles
above the mouth Of Crooked creek,
where there was a mining district
organized and considerable excite
ment in lS99-90 over the discovery
of very large ledges of low-grade
quartz. He says that for five miles
below and for ten miles above his
place there is a natural trail,
and from Crooked creek down to
the wire bridge there is a very good
country on the south side of the
stream where IA trail can be built
for not to exceed 500 per mile.
There are many bars along the
river where no work at all is re-
quired. and from Crooked creek to
his place there is only one point
where any considerable work would
be required. The main expense
would be in building the trail from
the wire bridge to Crooked creek, a
distance of about Is miles, and with
this opened to travel there would
be splendid route which at no
point would be over 100 feet above
the high-water level of the stream.
Such a route would be of immense
benefit to this section as affording
a winter outlet to the great camps
on both sides of the Salmon, with
no snow, always dry, and plenty Of
feed for animals and perpetual sun
shine all the year round.
This is the proposition which II.
B. Brown submitted to our board
of trade last winter, and it is mat
ter for regret that the information
available at that time was not suf-
ficient to justify our people in un-
dertaking to look into its merits.
If such trail were open now all
the travel to Thunder Mountain
would use it, to the great benefit
of our business men and the entire
country hpsidps