The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1917-03-09
MURDOCH M. MePH HER S ON 8
REcoLLEcTIoNs

In the summer of 1863 the placer
mines OF Loon creek were discovered
by Nate Smith, an old prospector, who
was always kept well supplied with a
grub-stake by the discovery party. He
came back TO Leesburg at once and ad-
vlsed them OF the discovery he had
made. The news started a stampede 1T
once and great many left Leesburg
for the new camp. In the spring OF
1867 ! had bought house down in
the business section of LeesbuA. and
ntted IT up at cost of $500 and
moved my stock of boots and shoes to
my new store. When the Loon creek
excitement broke out, sold NV
building to my friend Cook for two
cases of fruit and an old watch When
ever camp began to fail, houses
We're of no value. Afterwards most of
the buildings were pulled down and
burned for wood by the parties re-
naming in camp. | moved with the
rush TO Loon creek and built me a
small house there.
That same fall Nate and a Doc
'Smlith discovered Yellow Jacket.
came back to Loon creek and re-
ported the strike to his friend
Sharkey and few others. /, being
one of the friends, joined the few IA
yofites. We got ready, II / remember
| correctly, some ten or twelve OF us
We started out in the afternoon led
| by Nate, down Loon creek to what
was called Sam Beavers ranch and
camped for the night. We were not
very long in camp until we discov-
cred that we were followed. Parties
began coming in until after midnight
when we numbered three hundred,
With pack and saddle horses we
made quite an army. We were camp
ed on a bar among some scattered
timber and when all started their
fires, the whole country was illumi-
mated. Nate led us through the
toughest country that could be
found in the mountains. | was rid
ing mare and had a colt following
her when all at once my colt became
separated from the mother and |
stopped. letting those following pass
on in order to find my colt The
first one that | claimed was follow
ing mare that Clitus Barber, an
attorney, was riding. He was after
wards right bower for Dennis KeTney
of the Sand Lots noteriety, at San
Francisco. We were having il up
and down about the colt when my
colt came up. The mare took up with
it at once and to my surprise my
colt had a white stripe in the face,
While the one | claimed had no white
about him. Ofcourse there was moth
ing for me to do but apologize, but
the matter was reported all along the
line.
Everything went along fairly well
until We made camp on the Three
Forks. 1t then became known that
some of the party had some idea of
the direction of the new camp and
they intended to start out in the
morning and make a run and get in
ahead to get choice locations. This
started quite a stir in camp and an
attorney that went by the name OF
Stamp Anderson undertook to JUS
tify the parties in making the attempt
to find the new creek. Some one
called out, Hang him" This was
taken by great many and ii took
the very best efforts of all those who
wanted to keep the peace to stop the
excitment. In order to give every one
an equal show miners meeting was
assembled and a motion was made
and carried that a lottery would be
made by putting three hundred num-
bers in a hat and every one draw a |
number 10 fix his claim as that mum
Der when the claims were measured |
and numbered. Claims were always
numbered from discovery, starting |
the first claim as number one, above |
discovery, and so on as far up the |
creek as far as the ground looked ia |
Yorable, and the same order down, the |
creek. commencing at number one |
below and so on consecutively All |
Joined in exploring on all the trlb-
utaries. but failed TO find pay dig /
gings, and becoming satisfied that IL |
would not pay there was no perma-
nent organization of the camp made |
At this time John Grant and Joe /
discovered the Yellow
Jacket mine which laid neglected for
many years afterwards. All return
ed TO Loon creek which proved to be
rich for limited distance, but work
ed out in a few years. AS soon as
freezing weather set In work was
until spring.
We always kept up our dancing.
During one winter we had no vio-
linist and but one woman in camp
She furnished the music for the
dances with an accordian, her hus-
band accompanying her on the gui.
tar. We generally had three dances
a week which lasted until one or
two O'Clock. On all holidays we dane
ed all night.
| formed partnership with Peter
AmonsOn. He opened a shop at Sal
mon and | remained at Orogrande
during the summer and would go out
10 Salmon for the winter. On the
FIRST Of March one spring. I started
put for Loon creek in company with
Joe Boggs and Ed O'Neal We start
ed very early in the morning packing
our blankets and only a lunch TO do
rs until we reached Leesburg where
We would lay in enbugh TO do us to
Loon creek We got on our snow
shoes on the edge of the bar back
1f Mrs. McCaleb's house. The snow
vas very deep that winter and on
he mountain we found it very soft
and made it bad shoeing. Late in the
Afternoon we got to Leesburg. laid
n our grub for the trip. | was fur