Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1904-03-03
AN INTERESTING DISTRICT
A Rich Mineral Belt as Yet Un-
explored

With all that has been said and
written about Central Idaho, there
yet remains one district which has
escaped general notice; still, it is
a section Of this great state that has
many things to recommend it to
the prospector, and, to limited
extent, ranchers as we'll.
Lying along the Salmon river,
between the south and middle
forks, is a strip of country some 80 |
miles longwhich has been ina small
way mecca for the placer miner
since the state was first settled.
Thousands of dollars have been
produced from the bars, but no
systematic work has ever been at
tempted. Rockers, ground sluices,
and in rare instances hose lines
have been brought into requisition,
and the ground SKINNED over in
the most primitive manner. If a
pay streak is not struck within
day or go the prospector begins
work, like the Arab he "folds his
tent and silently steals away"
Along the river there are hun
dreds of high bars which there is
reason to believe would yield rich
returns if worked on business
basis. They would make excellent
drift diggings. The few adven-
turous spirits who have adopted
this mode of prospecting have in
most cases been amply rewarded.
Between the two main forks of
the Salmon there are couple of
dozen Of men who are cleaning up
from $3.50 to IS per day. Their
greatest ambition seems to be in
the summer to work out enough Of
the yellow metal to get them q
grub stake for another year; then
. they sit down and take life easy.
In this same section there are a
dozen persons who are making a
good living ranching. In many
places river canyons spread out
and gives the sun q chance to
; shine on the large bars, some Of
I them containing several acres,
these have been taken up as ranches
and produce fruits and vegetables
in abundance. The opening o.
t the Thunder Mountain country
{. afforded these ranchers q COLDER
o opportunity, which they were no
y slow to embrace. With all kind
OF vegetables bringing from 10 tt
40 cents pound at Roosevelt, it i
r not to be wondered at that tn
9 ranchers alo.g the Salmon thinl
n they have good thing in sight.
al Another thing about this section
which commends itself to the wide
l. awake prospector is the numbe
of large quartz veins which out
y crop. Most of them are of 10,
It grade on the surface, but in a fe,
"a instances lodges have been locate
:, which give returns in free gold a
y high as 5000. No attempt ha
D. ever been made to exploit thes
III big low grade propositions until a
~ eastern company, the Nonpare
$. Mining and Developing Co., I
ho Washington, d. c., began operi
20 ton last fall. This company ha
er located for it a group of fourtee
all claims near the mouth OF the lit
en- Salmon, and for the past 70,
It. months has been pushing develo
:. ment work. The result has be-
w highly satisfactory, and the cha
ci- acter and value Of the ore h
US showed marked improveme
be since the first shot was put in.
an A number of claims adjacent
- the Printer group have recent
e'' been located, and if the owne
TO can raise the money these clair
will be extensively developed du
ing the coming summer. There
lots of good ground lying idle al
700 large lodges of ore easily locate
ID 1t only awaits the coming of Il
In intelligent prospector, backed
las capital, to give to central Ida
' another rich gold camp. T.
pioneer company at work there
showing the possibility of t
"S district, and its progress will
alb followed with interest.
the The favorite way of reachi
w. this section is 10y boat from Salm
City, but there are many go
= trails leading to it from Grans
vile.