The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1913-05-01

J ~
Father DcSmet TO the Flathead coun-
TRY
These brave Indians met with many
Ivicissitudes and dangers in passing
through the countries of warlike
tribes and three of their number were
killed but Francois and the others
'persevered and the following year re-
turned to the lelathead with the holy
father
| Gold Hunters Travel MulIan Road.
The Mullan road was used by that
irresistible rush of California argo-
nauts, "Forty-niners," who hurried
pel nell to the placer goldfieds of
Montana in the early SOS on the news
of the rich discovery of gold by the
Bill Fairweather party in Alder gulch,
where $1,000 to the pan was washed.
In rapid succession rich discoveries Of
gold We're made at Diamond City,
Blackfoot. Pilgrims Bar, Last Chance
| (HelenD and SO many others that the
country appeared as a veritable Ell
dorado. The lure of the yellow metal
was so seductive that not one of the
! thousands that passed over the Null
Ian road in those days. through what
! Is now the richest silver-lead district
| in the world. ever gave a thought to
the riches that have since been dis
closed.
Burke Mans Early Work in Coeur
d'Alenes.
| After the gold excitement had sub
sided, the Mullen road west of Mis-
soula was very little used until the
spring of 1880, when the government
put up a line of telegraph from Fort
Missoula to Walla Walla. Fred Ray.
acting for Demers & Mccormick, post
traders. at Fort Missoula had the
contract, and Ben Stringham, now Of
Burke and a pioneer of this district,
with a crew of men cut and distrib-
uted the poles along the ST. Regis riv
er over the summit and down the
Coeur dAlene river to the Mission.
Road Repaired, Telegraph Abandoned.
In the summer of 1880 portion Of
the command at Fort Missoula in
charge of Captain Penrose and Lieu
tenant Frank Fremont, son of the ia
nous pathfinder and first candidate
of the republican party for president,
spent so days repairing the road.
When the prospectors who found
the present mining district, came in
1884, the telegraph line had been
abandoned, as it was not needed now
that the Northern Pacific railroad had
been completed. The prospectors.
however, found it very useful for nails
and other building purposes as well
as for pot hooks.
Old Landmarks Of 1884.
In this year there was a log cabin
at Niger Prairie, now Mulan, said
to have been built in the early sos;
another at the mouth of Revenue
gulch, apparently as old, the Swing
ing Door cabin; a log cabin at Evolu-
ton, built in 1879 by A. J. Prichard,
the discoverer Of gold in the Occur
d'Alenes from whom Prichard creek
derives it's name; another few miles
further below, known as Miners Cab
in, at which point there was quite
difficult ford George Hammond and
had the misfortune of drowning
horse and getting our bedding and
commissary thoroughly soaked there
in September, 1885, few days after
the location Of the Bunker Hill mine,
Some Of the Early Prospectors.
Among the first prospectors along
the South Fork was the late Senator
w. b. Heyburr-peace to his ashes
who, with Henry Dennis. located the
Polaris and Southern Cross mining
claims near Evolution. There were
also Col W. r. Wallace. the creator
Of the city of Wallace, his son, Oscar
Wallace, d. c. McKissck, who is yet
one of this citys foremost citizens.
True and Dennis Blake. owners of
the Yankee Boy on Big creek. and
Tom Irwin the original locator of the
Goldsmith, gold property Oh Elk
creek, near the Miners Cabin.
Tiger and Poor~ran Discoveries.
In MAY, 1881. Frank Seymour and
John Carton, Ben Stringham's father
in-law. discovered and located the I'll
ger mine, on Canyon creek. BY blum
derlng in making their location they
left 80 feet of their vein on which they
made their original location outside
their end lines and Scott Mcdonald
located upon it. claiming 1900 feet e.st
as the Poorman mine. A few days
later I.alande, for ! whom the Can
yon creek mining district was named
located the same ground and drove q
long tunnel on the east side of the
creek and disclosed the vein with ore.
This conflict of ownership was the
cause of expensive and hotly contest
led litigation and was later settled by
agreement between the parties.
Found Rich Ore on Canyon Creek.
In this month. shortly after these
locations were mlade the Skiffington
brothers came up Canyon creek IN
search Of placer. They were Mon
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