The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1907-06-04

start the town here, Mr.. Van
| Camp assisted Mr.. A. p. Challis,
for whom the place was named,
in laying it off, using only tape
line for that purpose. The first
set of house logs was cut by Mr..
Van Camp and S. G.. Fisher,
(aspen trees) on what is now the
Thompson farm, and constructed
the first house in town, which
was on the corner where now
stands the r. n. Hull & Co.,
store, formerly the store of Geo.
L. Shoup-a large stone fire.
proof building and fire-preof
warehouse. This first house, or
cabin, was completed in the lat
ter part of December, 1877.
Others erected buildings and
soon quite a village sprang up.
The mines of Yankee Fork and
Bayhorse were proving rich and
the town of Challis soon became
the commercial center of a vast
surrounding territory, and which
supremacy, owing to her central
position, and the development of
the mining, farming, stock and
sheep industries, together with
the county seat honors, she has
ever retained.
In July 1878 Buffalo Horn with
his band of renegade Bannocks,
raided through this section of
the country and attacked Skel-
toms train of supplies at what is
now Battle Ground, on Big Lost
river, and killed Jesse McCaleb,
and held the train for several
days. The settlers in this vicin-
ity got together and built a fort
or stockade for their protection,
and which Mr.. Van Camp had
charge of during the Indian trou-
5les and sent out the relief party
that rescued the train. There
were left in the Stockade, during
the absence of the relief party,
four women, two children and 8
or 10 men. The women were
Mrs. Fisher, Mrs. Van Camp,
Mrs. Creighton, Miss Maggie
Hallerin, (now Mrs. Thos. Jose. J
Mr.. Van Camp was the first
J. P. of Challis, the town recor-
der, notary public, and clerk of
the court, and served in these
different capacities until 1884,
when he resigned and moved
with his family to his farm on
Warm Spring creek. 10 miles
{ from Challis, where he has since
resided. He served one term as
chairman of the board of county
| commissioners (84-- -86l; has been
chairman of the republican cen
t trail county and state committee
: almost continuously since the or
ganization of the county; wa:
commander of Lincoln Post No
Is G. A. r., Department of Idaho
for eight consecutive terms
} Besides his public duties and the
! various troubles and labors con
, nected with the smakiRg a new
home in new land, Mr. VaI
Camp has found time to read anC
1 study, and at the late term of oul
4 district court was admitted to tn,
: ranks of the legal fraternity ant
. commissioned as attorney at Law
to practice in the district court.
: of the state.
t Stephen NJ. Van Camp, an el
n der brother of Jas. H., who came
here at the same time that b,
did, now resides on a homestead
adjoining the lands of his broth
er Jas. H. Stephen Van CAM
d has history of his own, and o
f which there could be much writ
9 ten. At the first call for thret
: months men to quell the dis
- turbance, he enlisted in tn,
5 Woodstock Light Guards. A
n the end of three months, the dis
J. turbance having assumed tn
!. serious features of war, Steve
enlisted for three years in Co. A
:, 18th Ill. Vol. Inf. and was il
d many of the hardest-fought bat
d ties of the rebellion. AT the en'
n of his enlisted service, being al
= engineer and familiar with rail
, road operations, the governmen
" retained him in its service an,
| put him in charge of militar,
b train on the Nashville and Chat
tanooga road. In an attack mad
9 upon his train by a Confederat
battery in ambush, Mr. Van Cam
received wounds and injurie
7 the effects of which have eve
). remained, and which have bee
e duly recognized by the govern
n ment.
: The Van Camps ancestors an
of national history, and jaime
e and Stephen have not lost any G
d tho family traitS-StalWart /