The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1902-06-03

while all the streams of the
country north of the Middle Fork
show more or less gold gold, it
is true that no rich bars were
ever discovered in there, and
that is why the region has re-
mained unexplored and unknown.
You see nothing but placer
claims were worth while in so
remote a country-unless the
lodes discovered happened to be
unusually rich, which they were
in many cases in the country
lying between main Salmon and
the Middle Fork. Nothing run
ming less than 800 would bear
the expense of handling. There
were then no wagon roads, and
it was 225 miles to the nearest
railroad shipping point.
"You may Judge for yourself
that it must have been a rich
region when l tell you that, at
Bayhorse, Clayton, Slate creek
and Custer, we had big bonanzas
and fiourishing camps-lode
mines you understand. Why, the
old General Custer mine at Gus
ter was simply mineral quarry,
and took out over seven millions
in about four years.
But the ore in that country,
for the most part, free milling,
while the interesting feature of
the Thunder mountain ore is that
it is perfectly free milling
though the general average of
the values as / understand is not
high. but the ore bodies enor-
mously large and cheap to mine.
"Oh, you needn't be afraid but
what your Colorado boys will
give a good account of themselv-
es and of the Thunder mountain
country before the summer is
over.
Il met them swarming in as l
came out, and they are the right
sort. 1t is rich mining country.
and they will find big mines. l
look for them to discover things
bigger than Thunder mountain
though it may not be like that
free milling ore. That will not
matter so much now however.
for the railroads are pushing in
from the north and the south,
and the country can now be
mined. 1t is very big region
half as big as Ohio-and there
are sure to be from a dozen to
twenty new camps there this
summer by the great army of
prospectors swarming in.
Your boys won't have to de-
pend solely on Thunder noun
tain. 1t is a great big field, and
just to look at it any mining man
would know it is q rich mineral
field. 1t will not be remote after
this year. 1t will be penetrated
by two railroads. The Oregon
Short Line has pushed out to
Mackay already and will reach
Clayton on Salmon river very
soon"
(which is the best way to go
in. Mr. Franklin ?"
THAT depends on where you
start from. The best way for
you people from the south to go
in-the only way to be consider
ed at present, is from Salt Lake
to Blackfoot-from Blackfoot to
Mackay in Custer county. That's
the end of the railroad at pres
ent). From Mackay it is a short
days ride by stage to Challis,
the county seat and good out
fitting point.
"At Challis you are in the
southern edge of the great Sal
mon river mineral field, and have
a choice of routes on to Thunder
mountain. From there on it is
but a days ride by the short
trails to the Middle Fork, and
bllCn ,1Ou dIC III bil6 ucdt L vi bl1
region. and can go to Thunder
mountain in one day-if you
want to go just there.
But mind you Thunder Mt. is
only small part of that great
big unprospected country, and
there are good chances on every
hand"
rs it early to go in there yet?'
"Oh, no, you can go in now
any time without any hardship
more than miner expects to
encounter in a mountain region.
is it a particularly hard
country to get around in ?"
well, no. 1t is a rough,
mountainous volcanic country,
as you would expect any mining
country to be.
ut is a good deal like your
San Juan country, but not sc
elevated. and rather easier to
0at arOund in TT iS a very