The Lewiston teller. (Lewiston, Idaho) 1900-1905, 1905-03-17
BACK IN
THE SIXTIES
Early Days in Florence, the Rich
est Camp in all
Idaho

r,orence. in Idaho county, while a
,;r,ne camp small in area, was the
richest in any of the inter-mountain
states The ground was shallow, easily
york and nearly all Of it was what is
,,own among placer miners as
rocker ground
Tho following interesting account of
,hp early days is taken from recent
.snort OF the Idaho commissioner of
immigration.
"Florence was discovered in the fall
~ 1862 The wild life characteristic of
a new mining camp, with all the ex-
citement attending the discovery and
a;eeing of gold, found full sway here.
Gambling was freely INDUCED in, gold
dist being the commodity that passed
as legal tender for all transactions in
trade. Prices for provisions were alb
normally high. Flour cost $1.00 per
Mound; bacon, $1.25; butter, $500;
sugar, $3.50; gum boots, $4,000 per pair.
and other articles in proportion.
"Mr. Frank r. Coffin, now living in
Boise. was the owner Of claim in
Florence at that time concerning
which he says that when it failed to
nav $500 per day to the man it was
abandoned as not worth working The
story Of the richness Of many Of the
diggings found in that section of Idaho
and along the tributaries of the Sal
mon river, reads like a tale from the
Arabian Nights.
"The Walla Walla Statesman. de-
scribing the discovery of Salmon river
mines early in 1862, gives the follow
ing account: IS. f. Ledyard arrived
last night from the Salmon river mines
and from him it is learned that 200
men had gone to the south side of the
Salmon where two streams head that
empty into the Salmon some thirty
miles southwest of the present dig
gings. Coarse gold is found and as
high as 500 per day to the man is be-
ing taken out. The big mining claim
of the old locality belongs to Mr.. Weis-
er Of Oregon, from which $2,6S0 was
taken on the Goth with rockers. On the
2lst $3.50 was taken out with the
same machines. Other claims are pay
ing two to five pounds per day.
/, AT later date the same paper
ehronicled the following: The late
news from Salmon river seems to have
given the gold fever to everyone in
that Immediate neighborhood. A num-
ber of persons from Florence City have
arrived in this place during the week
and all bring the most extravagant re-
ports as to the richness of the mines.
report in relation to a rich strike
made by. Mr. Bridges of Oregon City,
seems to come well authenticated. The
first day he worked on his claim near
Babooon gulch he took cut 81 ounces
214 ounces and the fourth day 200
in two hours
In later edition of the same paper
the following item appears:
"The discovered of the Baboon gulct
arrived in the city yesterday, bringing
with him so pounds of gold dust ant
AIR. Jacob Weiser is on his way in witt
mule loaded with gold dust"
These glowing descriptions of the
early discoveries made in Idaho forty.
TWO years ago can not fail to impres!
'hose who are seeking information con-
cerning this country, with the vas
riches in mineral wealth that lies hid
Den in the mountain sides of the grea
interior region of the state. These ricl
deposits of placer gold were washed
INTO place from the sides of the noun
fa'ns above where they We're found. II
some instances this placer gold ma,
nave been carried many miles befor
hnding a resting place but the grea
!, 'edges in which this gold was forme
ana hnally released by the gradua
erosion and wearing away OF the noun
tain sides through untold ages of time
are still standing. awaiting the keel
eye OF the prospector and the drill anc
hammer Of THE miner to yield up it
treasure In a glowing stream OF wealth
The production of placer gold iron
'ms region since it's discovery in 1856
and to date, is conservatively estimate
at s25o,OO0,000. Concerning the pres
eht conditions OF the placer minin
industry in the state, State Mining In
spector Bell in his recent report. says
me rich and easily accessible place
'aiues Of the state are pretty well eH
''usted The placer mining bushes
now practically simmered down
'arse operations of hydraulicing, an
uredging, which involves the use /,
iouern machinery The placer go
p''ouction is still quite importan
o~eVer' and formed uflly As per Gel
.he gold output of the state for 100
io 'hat 1t was not still larger was d,
~ snort water season.
Dr John Watson fTan Mel arapN n.