Idaho Springs siftings., 1904-05-28

district from infancy. are Wiling To riss
tfieir cash in the stock OF the local com
faaiss.
If there is anything in this letter that
might be changed in regard as to ques-
ton Of date We should be pleased to hear
from any Of the old-timers In tiiis cox
nection we believe it would be well to
have all these early day facts brought to
light 80 that they can be kept for future
reference. The organization Of an assoli -
alton for this purpose would not be out Of
place and the suggestion should meet with
approval and some action along such
lines. Following is the letter in full.
NIX. FRHpG. SHAFFER,
IpAHo SPRINGS. Co'o
DEAR sfs- SHAFrEB-Aiter thanking
you kindly for tine offer to save 500 fnoTe
shares OF Brazil stock Tor us will give
you q brief and somewhat Disconnected
story Of pioneer days.
went to Colorado aith my parents IN
1889 We started to Pixies peak. where
we arrived May 2th, then at ARROYO"
Denver May u. and at Golden Gate
Golden City May Is, 1857 There we
went into camp where the state School oi
Mines now stands. The men of the pa ty
constructed cart out of the rear
wheels Of a wagon, put two yoke OF oxen
to it and went into the mountains TO look
Tor gold. Was gone from camp about six
weeks aud returned highly pleased with
the prospect We pulled up stakes and
started for Gregory gtlch, where We ar
rived on Jnly { 1889 and from there my
father. who bad bought claim No. ) east
Of discovery in Jackson diggings, took
his family 10 Jackson diggings, south
Clear creek where we arrived July -,
issq. and from that time until December
1857. q years Idaho Springs was my
home aud since then iSs2l have lived
in Idaho Springs fourteen months.
The r.th. Mr. shaifcr don't always
sound as pretty or book-e-fied as the
fertile imagination OF some OF the early
+ settlers Of Idaho OF Colorado in general
does, As for instance. going backward
with my story the Mining Gazette OF
Ilaho springs in an issue just before the
election of city officers. IN It's culogy OF
K b. Griswold Elder Griswold said he
Was the oljes, pioneer and first mayor
Of Idaho Springs. Then again Col. Hall.
Of Denver. in one of his letters tells Of
going down from Spanish Br To ldahe
with some Of the boys ON Sundays 10 the
Recbee House TO get good square meal
that Col to put to his name. but If he
Is the same Frank Hall that eierked for
{ Frank Andrews in his siitile store in Idaho
Springs, he knows that W. i. Beebee
came to Colorado in the summer OF 1900
But the funniest little fairy tale of all IS
how Idaho got its name. don't reneul-
Der just how il reads. but II seems that
there was a beautiful tie maiden whose
first name was Ida. and garden hoe
mixed up in the yarn somewhere.
will not presume TO contradict history
in lis statements Of where gold was first
discovered in Colorado but, Mir Shaifer
there WAS little district some thirty
miles south east OF Denver near the head
Cherry creek and Black Squirrel creek
that was called Pixies peak where there
WAS some very fine -four gold found and
the very first emuigration that ever start
c,l to Colorado started for that point but
not one in a thousand ever knew jus,
where it WIS. but that was its locality and
we believe there was little gold found
there in 1858. We were personally ac-
quainted with Geo. A. Jackson but for a
very short time. believe the party CON
sisted OF eight men.
Briefly. Mr.. Shaffer, the ra-tv did ro'
say toy ther long. One OF them. and
think his name was Chandler. found gold
on Soda hili, another on Montgomery
II il. just east of the famous Newhouse
another. Doc Burton, believe, worked a
claim on Spanish Bar. and went east III
the fall OF 1860 with nice little sack oil
gold. Another one OF the party, whose
name have forgotten worked the bed oi
Clear creek Just below where Masonville
now is and he took out more gold than
any other one OF the party and in fac,
more gulch gold than any other man ever
did in Clear Greek county. No one ever
knew just how much he did get have
seen him clean up pint tin cup full a,
a time. Geo. A. Jackson never took GU,
but very little gold. They worked on
what was called discovery No. at the
head of Jackson Bar and just below Spring
gulch. They had short ditch of their
own that furnished them water for era.
die and what was then called Long
Tom" The first discovery was very
rich little spot, but was not worked much
/ until the unf,s.r ditch was comnleted in