Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1906-09-06
THUNDER MOUNTAIN.
Mr.. CasSeIl COntradiCtS Alleg-
ed Misrepresentation.

Grangeville, Idaho, Aug. 30, 'o6.
I have read with interest an
article published in the Evening
Chronicle, Of Spokane, Wash,
under date Of Aug oath, with no
signature attached and entitled
Thunder Mountain, Great Min
ing Center in Idaho Deserted" and
in justice to the mining industy of
the State and to the people Of that
section who have faith in the
camp and have stayed with it
through all it's dark days, | desire
to answer same. am engaged in
mining in that section and its i'm
mediate vicinity and have been in
the district for the past four years
continuously and am, | believe
personally acquainted with every
prospect in that district. In the
first place that article was written
by a person who is entitled to the
"badge' as champion prevaricator
in the state of Washington also it
it is a certainty the writer of that
article was never in Thunder
Mountain country but if he was,
he certainly was blind or did not
use his eyes. He says that the
town of Roosevelt, once thriving
village, is abandoned. On the
contrary, this town which is the
business center for this as well as
the surrounding districts, has at
the present, six mercantile houses,
five saloons, two hotels, two res
taurants. all of which are doing
large and profitable business.
There lisa larger number and more
substantial business firms in this
town at the present than at any
time since the inception Of the
camp. Does this look like the
camp was deserted? Again, sup
porting my contention that this
man was never in the camp he
states that this district is hundreds
of miles from railroads when as a
matter of fact Roosevelt is some-
thing like 1870 miles from the rail-
road at Emmett, this is govern
ment measure, and at present is
enjoying daily mail service over a
good substantial wagon road con-
Meeting these two points. The
Chronicle writer also states that
every little 'wild-catting' was
done at Thunder mountain when
in all the history of mining there
never has been as much wildcat
ting" perpetrated as in the Thun-
der Mountain boom and | will
venture to state that there is not a
county east Of the Mississippi river
but what you will find stockholders
in some Thunder mountain COM
pany, an6 in large number of in
stances not pick was ever stuck
into the ground on which the stock
was sold. Cases have come to the
writer of this wherein the ground
in Thunder mountain upon which
a fake company was organized and
thousands of shares of stock float
ed throughout the east, was a myth
and never existed. Does this look
like very little wildcattine?. This
"Chronicle" writer states that
about the only men who have
made money in there were the
original discoveries, two sneep
herders. How near docs he come
10 the truth again. The original
discoveries of this country were
the three Caswell boys and in
stead of being 'sheepherders'
were prospectors of long experience
and they received 500, 900 for
their Dewey mine and 1925, 900
for their Sunnyside mine. This in
cash, and l have never heard that
the purchasers regretted their bar
gain. Many other prospectors
realized from $4,000 to $50, 900
out of their holdings. This same
writer also states that "long train
loads of machinery were rushed
from the east" while in truth one
very short train could have easily
hauled all the machinery that was
ever ordered for this country. The
writer states that wealthy men of
the east literally threw millions of
dollars into this wilderness but
received no return" As matter
of fact there was less money spent
in this camp according to the adj
vertisement it bad than any min
ing boom that has been 'sprang' in
this western country. What is the
foundation for my answering this
article aud unfolding this section?
1t is this. 1 hat the Dewey mine,
the original discovery of Thunder
mountain, and upon which the
camp was doomed. with its ten
stamp mill and conservative man
agement has not missed a single
monthly dividend for the past 30
months and is still grinding away.
The Sunnyside mine with over
mile of underground workings has
thousands of tons of ore blocked
out, sin sight and with the install
lation of its hundred ton cyanide