The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-07-03

admitted 10 the Union of states on July
:, 1890, during the adnln'sterallon ot
the learned Benjamin Harrison. But
two states in the sistcrhood arc young
er-Wvomine by eight days and Utah
hy six years-Oklahoma S status silll
be;nc undetermined. The industrial
propTess of Idaho has been keeping step
with the prosperity of the nation, but
even now. with an area tcn times more
than Massachusetts, it has population
only hall as great as the clLLy of bos.
ton. On the slopes Of the Rockies in
Idaho there are areas larger than
Connecticut that have never been sur
veyed or prospected.
Seventeen year-old Idaho has had an
evenfful history since she became
state, as we'll as during the thirty years
before When Hiram Pierce discovered
the placer gold mines Of the Clearwa-
ter in 1860 host of gold seekers aban-
doncd California and Nevada for the
new El Dorado Two years later when
the Boise mines were found, the pros.
pect of riches attracted hosts of miners,
prospectors. adventures and CRIMINALS
many of them desiring Ia escape ser
vice in the Civil War These bad men
ruled the new mining settlements by
terror. in Boise alone there were twen-
ty murders in q few months during 1861
"h' "'ih'hS >''''e''
But the better class of people drew
many recruits from the East at the
close of the war and peaceful govern
ment was begun. mining was soon sup
plemented by other callings, and Idaho
lived in comparative peace. In March,
1863. the Territory of Idaho, contain
ing all of what is now Idaho, Montana
and Wyoming, was set of by Congress
from parts OF the territories of Wash
ington, Nebraska and Dacotah. The
capital was set up at Lewiston, in the
northern part of the territory, When
the bill for the creation of the terri
tory passed the House 81 Representa-
tives the name was 'Moutana, but
az the suggestion of Senator Wilson of
Massachusetts il was changed 10 Ida.
ho.' 1t is interesting TO note in this
connection that the first measure Tor
the creation of the territory of Colo.
RADIO provided that II be named Ida
no. as Idaho Springs was a leading
settlement Of the country. Some other
reason prevailed, however, and II was
named for q river which belongs TO
other states.
Idaho is the Idaho of the Indians,
meaning the icweled mountain tops
from which the sunrise came to illu-
mine the Garth, and no other mountains
in the world can claim better right
to this poetical designation than the !
snow-clad peaks that mark the eastern
border Of the State of Idaho.
While the settlement of Idaho did not
begin until the sixties. efforts had been
made long before. The first white set
tlement in the state was made by Ma I
thaniel !. Wveth at Fort Hall in 1884. I
Two years later the Presbyterian ms (
sionaries, Dr. Marcus Whitman and n /,
II. Spaulding, came TO convert the In |
dians. JesUjts from Canada had before /
attempted TO found missions, but they I
were NOT permanent Mormons from
tab made an unsuccessful attempt TO /
found town in the southern portion
of the state. The rigors of the win
tors, the distance from base of sup !
plies and the hostility Of some OF the |
Indians made it difficult for any of (
these carly settlements to prosper. |
When gold was found 1t was different !
story.
The last gold excitement in Idaho |
was the rush to Thunder Mountain,
which occurred few years ago. when
the country was electrified by the story
Of mountain of gold being uncovered
in the wjlds. In the heart of an al.
most inaccessible region, where the
earth is fesrfully ripped and slashed
by those awful upheavals which made
and the dizzy canyons be
tween them, the Caswell twins, rowing
hunters and gold seekers, stumbled
across a place where there was leak
from the hidden treasure chest of ma
ture. The Caswolls were easy going
chaps, more fond Of chasing grizzlies
than panning creeks, so when their find
netted them S245 worth of precious
metal, they said nothing about it, but
went back TO their hunting aud fish
ing until the freshets Of another spring
should provide water with which 10
gold For several years the twins kept .
their secret. One season they took
ont Sl00. another 5000. and finally |
washed out S11 900 worth of treasure
in few weeks time They took $3.50
from one pan in twenty minutes.
uf course all this could not 20 on
without eventually creating . stir, and
Tie usual rush to the scene of such
discoveries set in. Thunder Mountain
IS one CT the most out-of thc-way locali
ties in the United States 1t was 100
miles from a railroad by the nearest
route, which led over mountains almost
as steep as housetops. Despite this
fact. the heart breaking trail TO the
new GolcOnda became congested with
aold-buugry men. To scale those for
bidding peaks was fearful strain on
ihe muscles OF man and beast but they /,
went over. AT the foot Of a great rift |
IN the mountains huge snowdrift was
replaced by the white,topped cabins of |
the town Of Roosevelt Five Idaho |
towns, all about the same distance from
the new camp, entered into spirited |
rivalry to secure the rich profit derived |
from Quitting those who were starting
on the adventurous Journey to the foot |
OF the rainbow. New recruits came in
numbers, and the new camp was soon
along for three miles in its !
walled canyon, Then the reaction set |
In. The boom collapsed. with its back
broken from It's own weight Those
who had rushed so frantically in took
the back trail in gallop, The tri-
weekly mail brought many letters
which had to be carried back on the
return trip, the ehipmunks had the
run of many empty cabins.
aud the chroniclcrs had TO tell the dis.
appointing story Of the bursting Of an
ether bubble