The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1908-01-02
THE VAST ORE TRACTS OF UPPER l[MH| /!
Brief and Comprehensive Report Of the Mining Industry Portion Of
Lemhi County and Its Possibilities for the Future.

The mines OF the Upper Lemhi are
situated in the great silver and lead
belt OF Lemhi county and we believe
that proper development will prove
1t to be second TO none In the state.
This is no small isolated district, but
a vast mineral belt extending for
miles along the range, on either side
of the Lemhi valley and continuing
on down Birch creek until IL is final.
ly cut OF by the basaltic lava flow of
the Snake river country.
The formation comprising this dis
trict is of the variety that has pro-
duced the greatest silver-lead mines
OF the west, ranging from cambeiam
quartzite, with all intermediate for
nations. up TO argentiferous lime,
the whole intersected by dikes of in
tensive porphyry and diorite.
1t will naturally be asked why a
district showing such mineral wealth
has so long been neglected The
facts are it has not entirely been
neglected In the past as the old Viola
mine alone has produced something
like s5,000,000 some twenty years
ago, and all OF this vast amount was
taken from an immense body of sand
carbout at no great depth and IT is
the general opinion that had IL re-
ceived proper management it would
still have been a producer as very lit
tie efforts have been made to ascer-
tain the source OF this great ore body
The ore was smelted at a smelter
near the mine and during the time
the smelter was in operation there
were thousands OF dollars worth OF
ore brought tc the smelter from 9th.
er parts Of the mineral belt, princi-
pally from what was known as the
Tex district. There are a number
of properties In the above district
that have produced from a car load
OF ore up to several car loads, and
ranging In value from few hundred
dollars up to 30 or 40 Thousand. Then
the Viola suspended operations and
closed the smelter, thus making 1t
necessary to ship the ore to dis
tant smelter, which was very expen-
sive as 1t required wagon haul of
seventy or eighty miles to the near.
est railroad point. This, together
with the fall In value OF silver and
lead, cast a gloom over the entire
district and suspension Of work was
the consequence Some of the claims
were patented and on Others inst
enough work being done each year To
keep their title good. But during all
Of these years those owning claims
in the district, though disheartened
never for moment lost confidence
in the final outcome OF the district,
and 1t now looks as IL their fondest
hopes are to be realized, for within
the last few years there has beer
quite revival in the silver and lead
districts OF the west and the atten.
tiou OF mining men has been drawn
toward this locality aud development
work has been going on With good
results.
In the eastern part OF the district
there are some promising silver-lead
properties on which considerable
work has been done during the past
summer, as well as the Weimer cop.
per mine. In this mine they have
q large body OF copper ore and have
made quite shipment OF bigb-grads
ore during the past summer.
Across the valley from the Viola In
the Spring Mountain district there
is considerable development going
on. Mr.. j. ID. Wood OF Salt Lake
is extensively interested in this dis
trict as we'll as several ether couu
ties. In this district are found higi
grade silver lead, slso-large bodies o
copper ore and 1t is the intention 4
put In a hundred ton smelter in th.
spring.