The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1917-02-02
LEMHI IN 1852
ReeOlleetiOps Of Thomas Pope.
Continued from last week.


one we packed and the other one wei
took turns riding. Ii seemed as il my
turn did not come very often, perhapsi
the others felt the same way, but AoI
were made We Just kept
jogging along. After leaving Snake
river We went by a lake. l suppose
that is what is called market lake.
From there we struck across to Birch
creek. | shall never forget the night
we struck that creek Ii was longl
after dark when We got into camp and
those of us who had TO walk most of
the time were very tired We had
no sooner struck camp than we found
that we had gotten into the worst
place for mosquitoes that | ever saw
before or since. We built a smudge
and got around that but our friends
convinced us that they could endure
just as much smoke as we could. We
tried a big fire and would get just
AS near il as possible. When our
faces We're TO the fire they would bite
us on the back. neck and ears and
when we turned our backs to the fire
they would bite our faces so that wei
could not endure il. We became al
most frantic. We could not cook. we
could not eat, so we Just laid down
body. We tried to sleep that way
uncovered our heads our friends
pounced upon us and the way they
went after us one would have thought |
they had been fasting for month
and had just gone out on a Sunday
school picnic. They were too much
for us; we just got out of there as
quickly as possible. We travelled until
the sun was well up then camped
got something to eat and took a little
sleep. We continued on up Birch
creek and the following night camp.
ed in what is now Lemhi county. Our
course was still up Brich creek Wei
went close to where Nicholia now is
crossed the divide at the head OF Ten
Mile creek, followed down that creek
to where Junction is now situated.
We knew we were in an Indian eoun-
try but saw none. We were informed
at Snake river that they were peace
able Indians and that we had nothing
TO fear From here we continued our
journey down the Lemhi on its east
side, fishing and hunting as we went
We had Ash and game in abundance
with grass knee high for our horsea
There was truly very much 10 enjGy
coming down the Lemhi river at this
| time of the year.
We arrived at Fort Lemhi on the
night of the third of July Here we
found quite crowd of people. | think
there must have been about 100 II
surely seemed good to see so many
new faces There were a few OF the
fair sex--not many. | was only 81
years old at that time and too bash.
! full TO go around where they were
| Nearly everybody was camped inside
of or close to the Fort.
There were l6 log cabins (if my
memory serves me right inside of
the fort most of them in very good
condition Those were built by the
! Mormons when they made their set
| tlement in this valley and ! persume
! they found those cabins more protec-
tiOn 10 them during their troubles
| with the Indians than the miserable
| fort they built for one might say II
was no protection at all for the In
| dians could get up on the bar above
! il and shoot down into the fort any
place they wanted to.
Here we found we could go no
! further with wagons. so all that want
ed to go on had TO dispose of their
wagons at some price. A wagon that
was almost as good as new sold at
ten dollars or any price they could
! get. Harness was also a drug Pro
! visions of all kinds sold at good
prices Here / did my first merchan-
dising. Tobacco was very scarce; lots
of men were out or nearly so and
were offering all sorts of prices for II.
AS soon as II was known that ! had
some for sale l had dozen calls for
/ - nj 10 a
and could have sold much more II ]
had had II.
i While here we got word that Flor.
enee was well worked out and that
il was no use going there. This threw
quite a dampeT on that gold hunting
outfit and many turned back. some
went TO Oregon and some went out
in the mountains prospecting and
quite few concluded they would 60
on to Elk City which was the nearest
}, way to Florence and II they did not
like il there and found there was
nothing at Florence they could go on
10 Oregon. We stayed there several
days not knowing what TO do or where
10 20. At length quite a little party
OF US concluded we would 20 10 Ell
City. We Tigged up our pack saddles
as best we could with the material We
had using any part Of a wagon thai
could be worked in II was pack sad
dies We wanted not wagons As sooT
, as We were rigged up We started OF
,, our way, about Is or 20 OF US in all
Our course was right down tbs
Lemhi on the east side OF the stream
. until We struck the Salmon river jus
below its junction Of the two streams
The Indian trails were all prettl
? well back in the foot hills those W.,
followed on down crossing what h
now Carmen, Boyle and Fourth o
July creeks--tWo or three miles abOvl
, their mouths, striking the North Forl
J. some six or eight miles above Salmon
z river We crossed the North Furl
$ and went up the stream to somewhe
5 near where Gibbonsville nov stands
Here we took up a ridge and as ! re
I member II II was a long one Tn
b day was hot and as ! had 10 wall
p most of the time | was a pretty tire
e young man by the time we got 10 tn
?. top Of the divide, the present line o
Lemhi county.