The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1902-04-15

beautiful frs, black and yellow
pines the entire distance, and in
the winter is well protected from
storms and snowslides.
There r no swamps and mos
quitoes on this route, something
no other route can boast OF.
No guide boards or maps are
needed on this route. A man
blind-folded and walk backward
cannot get off the trail, as there
are no foot-logs and precipices to
cross as on some well advertised
routes. 1t is not safe to under
take to travel anywhere in Idaho
with a map of the State to rely
on. This is for general informa.
ton. Several parties have al
ready been lost with maps of
1.-The best route in their pockets.
These Idaho maps are both con
fusing and dangerous. They are
mainly reprints and late editions
of old maps OF the Hudson Bay
Co.'S. trapping grounds north of
the old disputed boundary line
of Fifty Four Forty or Fight"
You are on the Thunder noun
tain mineral belt all the way on
this route. Beginning at Custer
and Bonanza, Dickens hill and
mouth of Jordan; thence up by
Bismark mountain, Estes noun
tain, over to Loon creek, Middle
Fork tributaries, Monumental
and to Thunder mountain; good
field to prospect in all the way
gold, silver, lead, copper and
placers-for the finding and loca-
ting.
AS a scenic route ours has no
equal. 1t is scenery all the way
vivid and grand, all new and
has never yet been captured by
pencil, kodak or camera. Any
person with a kodak can make
money going into Thunder noun
tain by this attractive route.
This great, unadvertised route
of ours is also directly on the
line of the feeding grounds and
runways of all kinds of game to
be foundi in this interesting por-
ton of the Northwest. Deer,
elk, sheep, goats, geese and
ducks, grouse and ool-pheasants
all in abundance, with the game
law ''out of sight" Rainbow
trout, Salmon trout, and Silver
Salmon abound in the streams
and lakes, on or adjacent to the
trail, and are taken without labor
or expense.
Bears of all kinds and sizes lex
cept the white POLAR from the
small brown to the giant Saw
tooth grizzly, r quite common
on the route--sometimes almost
too much so-but they do not in
trude upon your hospitality un-
less encouraged. If the traveller
to Thunder mountain by our cut
off SO desires he can make ex-
penses and wages killing bears
for their hides and oil, as they
are very tame and not at all
beligerent, unless crowded, and
can be shot at will. An ordinary
bear robe readily brings $50;
good to extra $75 to 500; and the
oil is worth as much more at IS
per gallon. Ten gallons is about
the average yield-depends some
what on the size of the animal,
of course.
Several fair-sized bear stories
were related to your correspond
ent last fall by returning Thun-
der mountain prospectors. One
told that one evening while he
was in camp on Monumental
creek getting supper, four bears,
two very large and two medium
stalked leisurely into camp,
squatted down, and waited very
patiently for him to finish his re-
past. They fixed their eyes on
. dressed deer hanging against a
tree but made no attempt to take
it. After his first shock of fear
and trembling was over, he took
down the venison, cut it into four
pieces and laid it on the ground
and walked off a few PAGES.
Each one stepped up and took
his portion and moved off into
the brush. He had a rife with
him but feared to open battle
against such great odds.
Another prospector had a still
more exciting adventure with a
old member of the bruin
family. He was coming upLoon
creek one evening last fall and
he'd for a companion a small
dog. His canine friend had
3 reputation as a bear dog, earn
ed by once having freed a cub.
This particular evening, just be-
fore camping time, the dog struck
fresh trail of some wild animal