The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1917-10-18

The history of an American mining
camp that has made good" is often
wonderfully interesting. And If one
has had the good fortune to have been
a dweller therein during its boom
DAYS the episode will never be forgot
ten. There is a very general similar
ity in the details of all of them, while,
as a class of communities, they are
distinct not only from any other, but
also from those of their own class in
other parts of the world. 1t might be
supposed that an approximately simil-
ar sequence Of events would occur in
Kalgoorlie, Australia, as in Goldfeld,
New; in johannesburg as in Cripple
Creek or in Leadville as in Cobalt. But
the superstition would be wrong. The
American camp is "sui generis. or
course this is due to the conditions
under which it is evolved, for human
nature is very much the same the
world over, and reacts with great SIM
ilarity under identical conditions
Phoebe is one of the great has
beens" of the west. 1t budded charac-
teristically nearly so years ago, was in
riotous bloom in 1872, was apparently
dead as a door nail in 1880 far as
the general public was concerned
and has been living ever since, mod
est yet healthy and fairly satisfactory
existence. Though between 1870 and
IL tWantV million
dollars worth of silver, probably not
over one average American city man
of mature years out of a thousand
could tell just where it is and, even
among the mining fraternity, it is but
casually known.
Not an Indian Name.
1t is generally supposed to have an
Indian name, yet among the characters
of it's early days was one John Phoebe,
a white man, from whom, no doubt, 1t
acquired it's name. The town nestles
at the base of a comparatively low
range of hills that looks out to the
north over the broad eXpanse OF DUCK
valley or Patterson's wash, as 1t Is IN
differently called and not over 500
feet above it's streets and dwellings,
we're the outcroppings of the great
lode that made the place famous. Ira
dition says that these first attracted
the attention Of some Of General L. Il.
Connor's soldiers who. in 1852, were
following the trail of a band OF IN
dams that had been troubling Mormon
settlers. They. reported the matter cas-
ually on their return to headquarters
in Salt Lake. with the result that, IN
1864. a band of prospectors arrived
from there, organized mining ols-
trict staked off number of claims
and then, finding that the abundant
mineral on the surface would not pan
gold, became discouraged and drlfteo
away
Nothing more appears to have nap
pened to Phoebe until 1869, when some
San Francisco miners who had hearo
of the big groupings arrived. Among
them was John Ely, who had mad eN'
perience in other parts OF the west II
similar ores, and who became immedi'
ately interested. The district was a
once revived and reorganized ana al
the old, abandoned claims were reio
Gated. Much of the mineral sbeinl
found rich enough in silver to pear
long wagon haul it began to move II
quantity to Eureka, $50 miles to IN
northwest, where there was smeit
cry. During the winter of that year
in the hope of saving the cost OF thi
haul, a smeltery was built III I'll
camp, but, the ore did not contai
enough lead and the results were ois
astrous. Later, in 1870, it was 1ouh
that high percentage of the siiVe
could be extracted by pan amalgama
ton If the ore were properly "doseo
with salt and copper sulphate.
Boom Begins in Earnest.
AS soon as this was demonstrate
beyond question, the Phoebe boom Dc
gan in earnest and, for several year
it was the most talked-of camp In u
west. outside of Virginia City. III
two large companies that were organ
ized-the Raymond &c Ely ana u
Meadow Valley-turned out the VIII
metal in ton lots, for the surface or
were very rich. BY the middle OF ls'
the recorded bullion shipments lro
the little camp had reached figure
excess of $15,0000O0, and the SKI
milk was beginning to show una
what was left of the cream; for wat
level had been reached in several
the shafts at depths ranging from IL
to 1900 feet, bringing expense close
TO the level of income and ending
hopes for the time being Of dividen