The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1902-07-12
IDAHO PROSPECTS.

| miner to California, have we read OF
such "strikes" as have been recorded
in the great Thunder Mountain dis
trict, IN the most unexplored region OF
Central Idaho, a general boom is on
/ throughout the state, the investiga-
| tions of capitalists from all parts OF
the Union are resulting in practically
all important mineral districts Delng
explored and the wonderful riches OF
the state disclosed.
Idaho is in the same unexplored
condition in which Colorado was fifty
years ago. 1t has been stated by ex-
perts that the Idaho country mineral
! belt is the largest uneXplored mining
region in the world. 1t seems like an
| old California tale to read of capital
! lists who have purchased claims this
year in Thunder Mountain at large
prices on the strength of being in the
vicinity of other rich claims, but II
seems as though one might take
chance in a district of 1000 square
| miles every part of which is said to
| be mineral bearing, "a feature which
makes Idaho particularly inviting to
mining men is that the ores are not
| confined to one mineral, but carry
many as gold silver, copper, lead anu
! iron.
The effect of this boom in mining
districts will be felt there the coming
years by the opening up of promising
districts besides Thunder Mountain,
which is now the great center of at
traction. In travelling into that re-
gion many mining men have found
claims that satisfied them so we'll that
the Thunder Mountain has not been
reached at all, this has resulted in a
great rush to Stanley Basin, to the
Rosetta mining district, a new gold
district on the head waters of South
Boise river, about 80 miles north OF
Haley and 80 miles south of Thunder
Mountain. In the Rosetta group the
ore runs from $54 to $110 a ton aver
age, while in someJ Jpockets it is found
to run several hundred dollars, A lit
tie to the north of this claim Chattin
& Harris haze discovered a claim
which assays S5,250 to the ton. Five
hundred poun2s of this ore netted
81, $50, all of which was cropping of the
ledge which can be traced LOO feet
along the vein.
So much has been written on Thun-
der Mountain that l am not going into
detail on the subject, suffice to say 1t
is an extension of the same mineral
belt as the famous Orc limo district,
the first disclosure of Idaho's fabu-
lous riches, which was first opened up
by Captain Pierce in 1850.
The prices of things In Thunder
Mountain compare with Klondike IA
vorably as butter 81 a pound, beans,
% cents, flour. S. for so pounds; eggs,
81 a dozen. An army of 5000 people
of all classes and conditions have be-
gun the rush into this fabulous FL
dorado. Some of the ore is very low
grade, while more has been found to
run as high as $5S,000 to the ton. Like
all mining ventures of this sort the
lucky eues will be in the minority, ev-
eryone cannot be a winner.
The immigration into Idaho has been
very heavy the past three years, thou
sands of acres of fine agricultural land
has been taken up and made to pro-
duce, the whole valley of the Snake
river is being rapidly settled, while
the people in the sections of the south
west have proved themselves unrivaled |
as fine fruit producers, the soil here
is an alluvial deposit of volcanic ma
ture, varying in depth in different
places, it is of the quality for plums, |
peaches, apples and prunes of which |
hundreds of cars are shipped each sea-
son.
Sheep and wool are not the least of |
the items that swell the commerce |
of Idaho annually. From one little |
Oregon Short Line station 1,500 cars of !
sheep were shipped last season, and |
from the present outlook that number |
may be doubled this season, from a |
small industry a few years ago it has |
grown to one Of enormous proportions. !
To own sheep in Idaho is the same |
as being a man of wealth, the fine |
crops of alfalfa, timothy and clover |
bring good prices when the stock is
to be fed for winter.
L WI nf nf-o
in Idaho. while onyx beds and fine /
opal fields need but the cooperation |
of the capitalist to bring wealth into |
the state. Copper is also found in I
large deposits, fine building stone is |
found in most any direction, while |
there is an abundance of marble, gran
ite, sandstone and limestone in most |
counties.
Mineral springs, both hot and cold, |
are found in many districts. AT Soda |
Springs. where the far-gamed spark |
ling "Idhana water gushes forth |
from Mother Earth, is one of the |
most popular resorts of the state.
The Guyor Hot Springs at. Ketchum |
and the Haley Hot Springs are both |
famous as summer resorts. At Guyor |
Springs is an unlimited supply of hot |
water, carrying sulphate of soda, iron, |
and sulphur at a tempera- |
ture of 1S0 degrees, gushes forth from |
the mountain side and down into the |
angry, turbelant stream called Warm |
Springs creek. The hotel and cot |
tages and pools here are situated in |
a tiny little basin almost hidden !
from view by the luxuriance of foliage |
surrounding them. The fine natator-
iums at Boise is known all over the
west, the water here has much of the |
medical properties as the waters Of |
Wood river. / cannot close this brief |
sketch without few words about the |
wealth in the northern part |
or panhandle" of the state, within
whose confines are the largest tracts
of white pine now standing in the
United States, it is estimated that
this district contains two billion feet !
of white pine and some five billion feet |
of other woods consisting of yellow |
pine, tamarack, fir and cedar, most of
this vested in the control of the state
to be sold and money used in the va
rious state institutions as the univer-
sity, penitentiary, state building and |
others. Two sections out of every
township go toward the maintenance
of the public schools, this source in a
few years will make Idaho the best
equipped state financially for educa-
tional purposes, except Texas, in the
Union. Last year the sum of $500, 600
was received from these lands, these
can be taken up under the head of |
timber claims and homestead entries. |
These vast sections are being very
rapidly taken UP. The Importance and
advantage of opening up these vast
regions have become so apparent to
the manufacturer that railroad has
been run down into the timber, mills
Ire springing up almost miraculously
At Sand Point is one with daily ca
9acity of 100000 feet. Several others