Elk City mining news. (Elk City, Idaho) 1903-1913, 1913-01-09
A Historical Sketch.

GlDDOnS, pioneer VI CdiiiOliiio, Wv
gon, Washington, Idaho, Montana,
British Columbia, Manitoba and the
North West territories, just elected to
the presidency of the Edmonton Old
Timers association, composed of men
and women who have lived here fer a
period exceeding 80 years, has felt the
lure of the lone trail since his boyhood
and has been active more than 60 years
in pushing the frontier line to the out
posts of civilization.
He was born in village in the north
of Ireland on Christmas day, 1884, and
sailed for America when a boy of l6
years, landing in New England when
the excitement was at it's height fol-
lowing the news of the fabulous gold
strikes in California by the original
'49ers. He joined one of the caravans
out of the middewest and lived amid
scenes that would furnish material for
dozen novels. Ae fought Indians on
the prairies, then known as 'the
Great American Desert"
Mr.. Gibbons has intimate acquaint-
ance with the monotonous labor of the
blanket and pan, employed in garner
ing the glittering grains of gold from
the sands of river bars and has felt the
physical effects of the miners pick and
shovel and the slim fare of the diggin's.
He has shouldered his pack and plodded
n ,,,,tiI hapo ond hNT
less vigilance eluded the poisoned
arrow, the murderous tomahawk and
the night ambush with it's unspeakable
horrors. He has shared the joys and
sorrows of the river boatman and fol
lowed trails to camps of friendly and
unfritndly tribes; in short. lived the
lives of pathfinder, miner, rancher,
navigator, fur trader, soldier, home
steader and man about town.
Mr.. Gibbons crossed the Isthmus Of
Panama in 1854, riding a mule. Vic
toria, Vancouver, the Fraser river and
the Columbia were the points from
which he migrated in search of gold.
He met with successes and reverses.
Trailing in the province of BIRTHS Col
umbia was difficult on account of the
dense forests and heavy underbrush.
Hundreds of hostile Indians inhabitine
these groves resented the intrusion OF
prospectors through their territories,
and emphasized the fact by swift
arrows and other messengers of death
Escaping these he went to Portland
where he arrived without capital, OF
''dead broke as he expressed it.
MIR. Gibbons turned to the first vacan
position, and mastered it's requirement.
as he has conquered every other situa
ton he has since found. Plying bacl
and forth as far as the junction of tn
Snake and Columbia rivers, he sool
fulfilled the requirements of boat
man, aud was thrown in contact wit
many new types of people and nev
conditions of life.
One evening as the bells changed an
the chains clattered down on the deck
and gang -planks, the members of tn
crew overheard the conversation of
group of excited miners who were leay
ing the boat, at point somewhat i
advance of their booked destination
1t was learned that Nez Perez Jane
an Indian women. had revealed t
Pierce the location of a rich gold fiel
in central Idaho.
He QUICKLY joined the gold hunter
and assisted in stalking out such camp
as Pierce, Elk City and Boise Bash
Among the men working together
these camps, who were drrwn fro
every corner of the universe, was
brother of Rev. DR.. Mcqueen of e.
monitor. Fifty years passed befol
Mr. Gibbons and Mr. Mcqueen M
and retold the stories of the fir,
and the gulches.
The Bitter Root valley in MontaI
was the next scene of operations f
Mr.. Gibbons. Settlement througho
the western territories were few al
far between and opportunities f
money saving scarce; but the da
were rendolent with excitement. Ii
was cheap. 1t was no uncommon sig
to see corpses dangling from tire