American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1915-04-15
Gold Discovered.

ANA Bar and located the first claim
there. When I returned from Albion.
In the spring of 1878, I found Calder
located on a sandbar near the Albert
place. Ee had come in a short time
before, coming up the river.
Calder told me about finding gold.
and at his suggestion, myself and four
others. Ira Parks, Bill Langley, Cap
tain Hawley and Jack Davis, all of the
latter living at Marsh Creek in Cassia
county, made filings on twenty acres
each. Parks was a son Of the man
who had let me have a house to live
In the previous winter, when I was
driven out of the bottom by the In
dians the winter before.
A short time later Calder came up
TO see me saying that Charley Lane
wanted to buy the claims. I said to
Calder: He car have my claim for
$40. / don't feel that 1t is safe to stay
In this country, and expect to move
on Calder replied that he would not
take any such a price for his holdings,
as he had expended a good deal in
building bitches, and a log house,
which is now on the Albert place.
Whether this house is a part OF the
Albert ranch house, I am not posi-
tive, but believe that 1t is. At least.
as / remember, it occupied the same
site as the Albert residence. All the
others except Calder sold for $40.
Calder got $500 and filed on the ranch
nm Enn rrnAIr rl~-- l. " -
time OF his death. With the money he
received from the sale of his placer
property he built the flume near the
head of Fall Creek which still is In
use for taking water out of the creek
for irrigation purposes.
Lane was a character, and attracted
attention by his oddities everywhere
he went. He had a ranch on Goose
Creek, near Burley, at the time he
bought the placer property, and was
distressingly poor. He had been liv-
Ing at Goose Creek since about 1872,
five years before / came here, and
was one of the very first to locate in
the Snake river valley above Boise.
Lane consulted Spirits" who told
him to look for gold at Bonanza Bar.
This was his sole reason for making
the purchase. After the deal was
closed he started to walk from Bon
ANA Bar to Kolton, Utah, to take a
train to San Francisco. He was
dressed shabbily, wearing a long
blanket coat with half of the tail torn
off. He stopped at the Parks place,
where I had passed the winter. for
dinner, as he was about ready to leave
there Parks said:
Have you got any money!"
mo" replied Lane, land I don't
want any"
How are you going to get to Kel-
ton?'
Walk" Lane replied and started off.
Hold on a minute" Parks said,
"and I will drive you down"
Parks hitched up a team and drove
Lane to Kelton. When the train ar
rived Lane, dressed like a tramp, en-
tered the Pullman and never left it
until he reached San Francisco, we
were later told.
In a few weeks Lane was back, well
dressed, bringing equipment to oper-
ate the mine, with money in his peck
ct. and with a wagon load of the best
eatables to be had in San Francisco
for his family.
He operated the placers for a short
time, taking out considerable gold. He
then went to New York City, where he
sold the placers to a company Of Ital-
ians for $50, 900 cash. This was the
beginning of placer mining on the bars
near American Falls which was con
tinued for several years with varying
success. Hundreds OF thousands OF
dollars have been yielded by these
bars, but In many cases the expense
OF recovering the gold vas as greai
as the value Of the gold recovered.
Lane brought w. A. Bennett from
Salt Lake to work as a carpenter a
the placers. Bennett had been one o.
General Corners soldiers, and at the
expiration of his enlistment vas seek
ing employment He was also respon
sible for the coming OF Frank Camp
bell. Mrs. Lane and Mrs. Campbell
were sisters. lane reached San Fran
cisco to finance his placer claim jus
about the time Csmpbell's fortune o
$780, 600 was d~issipated on the mining
exchange.
After selling Bonanza Bar Lane con
suited the spirits" who advised him Il
go to Angels Camp, California, wher,
he would find an old abandoned min
ing claim with the shaft filled witt
water. Take part Of this money,
the spirit advised. "and pump the wa
ter out, and you will find a very ricI
mine"
Lane followed this "hunch" and &
a little while California went wild oy
er a new gold discovery. Lane wa
offered SO, ZOO. 900 for his mine but re
fused TO sell. He took out million
OF dollars in gold. and then sold 10
about $4,000. 900. His next ventur
was In Alaska, where he engaged 1