The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1913-06-26
Episcopal Pastors Story Of the Occur
dAlenes and It's BiQness

Churchman. printed at San Francisc,
official organ for the Pacific coast Q
the Episcopal church. the leading ar
ticle is written by Rev. Award Cham
berlaine OF this city. rector and mis-
sionary for the Occur d'Alene minin
district. The story is nicely illustrat
ed with church and Sunday schoc
scenes In the various towns OF tn
camp. with cut OF the pastor on tn
front cover. A full and complete his
tory Of this. the pioneer church IN III
camp Is given for the five towns /,
which organizations are maintained
Introducing his subject. Rev. Cham
berlaine says
There is much of romance IN tn
history of the mining camps Of Idaho
The thirst for gold that first drew
men to that section In the northwes
corner of the eighth missionary de,
partment was Of the same strength a,
that which attracted the '49ers to Call.
fornia and caused the famous Klon.
dixie rush to Alaska. As soon as set
Elements Of any size began to spring
up In Idaho the missionary came, and
the missionary is there today. doing
noble work, and accomplishing great
things in the Masters name"
After reviewing the history Of the
church organizations the writer closes
with the following sketch of the Occur
d'Alenes, under the heading
"history and Romance
THE Occur d'Alene mining district
is located on the western slope Of the
Rocky Mountains in the panhandle
section of the state of Idaho. The To-
cal range is known as the Bitter Roots.
Within a very limited territory, not
exceeding 30 miles long by 20 miles
wide, is embraced mining district
which produces nearly one-half Of all
the lead mined In this country. The
gross Yields of these mines for the
year 1911 reached the enormous fig
ure of $1s.o00,00O.
The Earliest Beginning.
1.-THE story Of the opening of the
Occur d'Alene region goes back to
1912, when mission was established
by the Jesuits for the Occur d'Alene
(awl-hearted) Indians. These Indians
were so named by the early French
trappers, because they considered
them mean spirited, sharp and hard,
as shown by their shrewdness in
trade A large wooden church was
built. being fastened together entirely
with inserted wooden pins in default
of nails.
First Wagon Road.
TN 1854 Captain John Mullan. after
whom the present town of Mullan Is
named acting under instructions from
the war department. began explora-
tions for a wagon road over the Bit
ter Root and Occur d'Alene mountains
to connect Fort Benton, Mont, with
Fort Walla Walla, Wash. These pre-
parations to invade their happy hunt
ing grounds aroused the hostility Of
the Indians, who. after defeating a
small force under General Steptoe,
were subjugated in 1858 by General
Wright. In the spring Of that year
work upon the road was begun under
a congressional appropriation. and
because Of the growing dispute be-
tween the United States and Canada
over the boundary Of Oregon, was
pushed forward with all dispatch. The
route determined upon followed In
part an old Hudson Bay trail, crossed
from the mouth of the st. Joe river to
The Indian mission on the Occur
1Alene. Then It assembled the main /
stream and South Fork to a point
about three miles east of the present
own of Mullan. Here it turned south
ward. crossed the continental divide I
through the Sohon or ST. Regis pass
md continued down the st. Regis riv-
r. following the route later taken by /
he Northern Pacific railroad to Mis-
oula. Mont
When Prichard Came.
"tn the fall Of the year 1878. mid
lie aged man, rough In appearance.
ugged In constitution. yet with
indy eye and friendly disposition,
fas making his way over the old Null
an road from Montana to the then
title known country of the Occur
'Alenes. Fresh from prospecting the
Ills of Colorado and New Mexico.
4ndrew Prichard was in excellent S
rim for the great work just ahead Of t
i'm. Crossing the ranges of the Bit I
n Root mountains with their beau q
full though narrow valleys, snow a
rowned peaks and sides of green I
here pine, cedar and tamarack chung 4
, their holds trudged the old noun II
lineer In search Of gold. b
Passing down the canyon of the p
outh Fork, he pitched his tent not h
If from the present town Of Osburn. &
nd there discovered the quartz crop Il
ing of the old Evolution ledge Not n
ling prepared to develop this ledge. &
: began prospecting for placer gold.
I'd In the summer Of 1882. after cat
ng his way through almost impene-
able forests, enduring hardhsips and Al
'ivations, yet always optimistic and al
a no found bip,ecIf ~, Tho harL. L.