Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1903-10-29
"A Modern GoIc0nda
The Marvellous Possibilities of Buffalo Hump
as Seen by State Mine Inspector R. N. Bell

critics and experiences, and to scatter
them broadcast for the benefit of the
mining world at large. A gratifying
condition and one Of the best recon-
mends Of this most promising field.
Why have l such an enthusiastic
opinion Of the Hump on such a short
acquaintance? Because l have faith
In Idaho, am a student of geology,
and Of mining history, have made a
living in the gold mines Of Idaho for
nearly 90 years, and among the ups
and downs Of my career have found a
gold mine, built crude mill of rocks
and blocks Of wood, ground out the
gold bullion and got the double eagles
for it, and made the enterprise pay
$500 month net. l make this state.
ment for no purpose of brag, but just
to give you an idea that l know what
gold quartz prospect is; that l am
not simply political accident, or a
sheepskin mining school student talk
ing through my hat.
My enthusiastic opinion of the
Hump and its future is based on the
strong comparison Of its remarkable
assures with the master mineral chan
nels Of the golden San Juan in Colo
RADIO; with the remarkable contrast its
ore values and formations bear to the
Little Kingdom" of Gilpin county,
Colorado, whose 40 years of constant
ly increasing gold production has only
tended to broaden the conception of
its possibilities and whose 12 miles
square of area recorded more mining
transfers in the year 1909 than in any
previous year of its history.
The Geology of the Hump is ex-
tremely simple and easily read. 1t is
situated about S. miles east of Grange.
vile, Idaho county, Idaho. The near
est railway point is Sites, 90 miles
north Of Grangeville.
The district popularity known as
Buffalo Hump, is legally known as
the Robbins Mining district, and en-
braces an area about 20 miles square
near the south west corner of the
Bitter Root Forest Reserve. About
nine-tenths of Its area is drained into
Salmon river by the tributaries of
Sheep Creek and Crooked Creek.
The topography Of the country from
Grangeville east, is covered with a
dense forest Of pine, fir, tamarack and
spruce timber, that shades to poor
quality and size towards the higher
elevations. The outlines of the noun
tains are soft and rounded, and do
not present more than the A B C's OF
engineering problems for either steam,
electric or wagon road building. The
elevation of Grangeville is s2so feet;
the average elevation of the claim area
of the Hump district does not exceed
1000 feet above sea level,
The formation passed over on the
road to the Hump from Grangeville is
a thin cap Of basaltic andesite lava,
for the first I2 miles to. White Bird
Camp. Beyond that everything is
granite, eruptive, altered granite, gran
lite that has been refused and contains
the boulders of earlier granitic varieties
of gneiss and schist, granite that has
the structural appearance of batho-
lithic anticlines, whose bedding seems
to conform to the soft slopes of the
broad ridges approaching the Hump.
AS soon as Slate Creek is reached,
mile beyond Adams camp and 90
miles from the Hump, the action OF
glacial ice, in an excessive array Of
morainal boulders, is manifested. This
ice action grows gradually more mani.
fest as the lump is approached, and
within mile or two of camp the