The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1916-06-22

and 1906. 1t is from the territory
claimed by the United States by rea-
son of this expedition, that the states
of Oregon, Washington, a part OF
Montana, and Wyoming, and last but
not least, our own state of Idaho,
gem of the mountains, containing the
famous district called the Occur
dAlenes, were formed
With the exception of Lewis and
Clark the first white people to enter
this region were the French trappers
and they are responsible for the name
given to the district The name
Coeru d'Alene was first given by
them to the Indians living on the
shores of what is now lake Occur
d'Alene and means awl heart, for
the French traders found them very
shrewd and sharp in the transaction
of g trade. After time the name was
applied to the whole region, as 1t is
yet
After the French trappers, the next
to enter the country were the Jesuit
missionaries. During the year of 1912
Father Josef and Father DeSmet
were making their way from Fort
Benton to Vancouver, when they met
a few of the Occur d'Alene Indians
near what is now the city of Occur
d'Alene. The Indians asked to be told
about Our Maker, meaning God The
Indians were told the story and Fat
her Josef remained in the country
for many years doing a great and
good work. The one great monument
to his memory is the Sacred Heart
Mission, now known better as The Old
Mission. The Indian converts of
Father Josef built it without nails
under guidance of their beloved
teacher Their only tools were two
axes, one hammer and a few knives.
About the time of the building Of
the Old Mission the controversy over.
the possession of the Oregon terri
tory began. In order to strengthen
the claims of the United States
road was built from Fort Benton to
Fort Walla Walla during the early
sixties The road was very crude
affair at first but was later improved
by the national government upon
General Sherman's recommendation.
The episode which caused the general
to give this recommendation is very
interesting, especially to us since 1t
occurred near If not actually in the
city of Wallace At the time when
Captain Mullan was first building the
road, his crew of men came upon a
tree which had fallen directly in the
a very large cedar, instead of cutting
1t out, large notches were cut in the
tree near the top, on both sides of
the log. Long skids were then cut
and fitted into the notches and allow
ed to run back to point about
twenty feet from the log on both sides.
Green poles were placed on the slSids
thus making a crude bridge over the
big log. A few years later General
Sherman was making trip from
Montana to Fort Walla Walla over
this road when one of his provision
wagons In passing over this bridge
tore the poles off from the skids thus
hating the rest OF the wagons in the |
train, The generals wagon was in |
hA md 1,nt, Ia n
to see what had caused the delay, he |
found his men busy repairing the i
bridge, He looked at the log, scratch
ID his chin and said, TT is a wonder
hat the citizens of this community
10 not keep up their roads," At the
line of the accident there was pro-
,ably no one within radius of
wenty miles from the place except a
tray trapper or Indian. The general
must have later realized this for
oon afterwards the national govern 1
nent set to work to repair the road. b
The building of the road was an i'm [
'ortant epoch in the history of the [
,oeur d'Alenes for 1t brought into the I
ountry prospectors, the men who are ,
for the wealthy and pop {
lous condition of the Occur d'Alenes {
oday. Who the first prospector was IL
hat came into the Occur d'Alenes !
you'd be difficult thing to say, but $
'om Irwin located the first quartz q
ode claim in this district He dis 1
overed quartz vein bearing some $
old and built near it what was /
nown as the Miners cabin The claim
nd cabin were located about three Y
lilies east of Kellogg. n
To A. j. Prichard, however, belongs 10
ne honor of starting the first great la
into the district. He came t
Ito the Occur d'Alenes from Gallatin "
alley Montana, in the spring of 1879 c
Y way of the Mullan road. He locat-
/ the Evolution lode claim, which is c
tuated in the main valley and one &
lille west of Osburn, then he moved Il
a west and prospected for two years q
round lake Occur d'Alene. Meeting 10
18th little success he returned to the n
volution in the fall of 1881, and re- t,
aimed here during the winter. In h
lie spring he crossed the mountains b
the north and discovered gold in h
e bed of the creek which now bears II
s name. He named the claim Dis a,