The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1911-10-13
HISTORY OF SODA SPRINGS

|
Soda Springs has been known to
white men about 100 years. A party
of eight men passed that way about
the 10th of September, 1912. The
/ party was under the leadership o.
Mr.. David Stewart, in the employ Of
John Jacob Aston, and they were re.
turning to St. Louis from Astoria.
The trading ship Tonquin had been
blown up following massacre on it's
| decks while anchored in Puget Sound
near the present site of Fort Town
send, and the only way they had to
communicate with Astor and civiliza-
ton was to cross the continent afoot.
This party was guided by Mr..
Miller who had spent a year in this
part of the country, having left the
Hunt-Astor party at Fort Henry Oh
the 2Sth of September, 1911, and in
company with three companions, had
spent the winter trapping. They
trapped" themselves rich and start
ed for St. Louis and were robbed OF
everything by Crows on Green river.
Retreating westward they were found
on Lower Snake river in a starry
ing condition the following August
by the Stewart party. Coming up tho
valley together they visited the pres.
ent site of Miner (Cauldron Lynne) !,
where the Hunt party had cached
goods In six places in October, 1911.
This event is whit Idahoans will cele-
brate next Monday at Miner, the
Tooth anniversary of the coming of
white men to this valley.
Arriving at the caches they found
that four of them had been looted,
but they took such goods as they
needed from the other two and each
ed the rest for future use. Three OF
the party that had been robbed by
the Crows again set out to trap, willis
Miller acted as guide to conduct
the party by new route past Soda
Springs and Bear Lake to Green river.
In this he failed and became confused,
but finally succeeded in bringing the
party to grief among the Crows. At
a camp near Soda Springs they were
visited by about 20 pilfering Crows,
who gave them trouble, and the chief
finally demanded Stewards horse.
Being refused he became insolent, and
caused to be lighted signal fires along
the mountains for nearly 100 miles.
The party Travelled by forced marches
past Montpelier into Star valley anc
then down Salt river to some place
near Freedom, Wyoming, where they
rested, supposing they had left the
renegadoes entirely, having travelled,
they thought, $50 miles from where
the trouble began. At sunrise the
next morning their horses were STAN
peded by the Crows, and it was only
by brave stand that the party pre-
vented their baggage from being car
ried off too. Being left afoot they
made a raft and foated down the riv-
er to some place near Heise Hot
Springs, and then went afoot across
the hills north and east. They
reached ST. Louis the next summer.
The next white men to visit Soda
Springs appear to have been members
OF the Rocky Mountain Fur company
In 1925, though it is probable that |
members Of the Hudson Bay company |
went that way as early as 1877.
Jim Bridger, Jim Ashley, Peter
Skeen Ogden, Walker, Smith, Fitz-
patrick, Humboldt, any of these men
may have visited "The Beer Springs.
as early as 1856. The trappers
were very fond of the mineral water.
and It came to be known as "The
Beer Springs" and "The Mountain
Tap"
Captain Bonneville came that way
in 1888, and Mckay, Wyeth and ia.
son Lee were there in 1884 Just be-
fore establishing Fort Hall. The first
white women to visit the place were
Mrs. Marcus Whitman and Mrs. 4 !
H. Spaulding, in company with their
husbands bound for the Columbia in
1885. In 1913 Marcus Whitman
pasesd that way coming west again
with colony OF 1000 people coming
TO hold the Oregon Country for the |,
united STATES. In September, 1s4o, II
I1eien Won Ritz. a noted lady diplo-