The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1917-11-29

Hare is a letter that has historical
value and would no doubt be well
oome addition to the archives of the
Idaho Historical society at Boise. The
..r;tar of the letter was Edwin Croc-
- uncle Of Z. c. Pulaski district
t,rast ranger, of this city, who holds
the original letter, which, considering
go age is in a remarkable state of
,.osaryation. The letter describes in
,oost interesting detail the life and
homes of those intrepid miners who
laid the foundation for the state of
Idaho at a time when men who are
now past middle age were unborn, and
who at the time when the clouds of
civil war were gathering in storm
that threatened the life of the nation,
were true to the flag, although far
removed from its protecting folds.
That Mr.. Crockett was an intensely
,oyal man was proved by his action
subsequent to writing this letter. He
refers to having just received the
news of the election of Lincoln and
had evidently heard of the secession
of southern states from the Union.
He says he "often wished himself back
to help my Uncle Sam under Difficult
ties" Evidently it was no idle wish
with him, for Mr.. PULASKI says he
did go back by way of Panama and
served in the Union army until the
close of the war. Mr. Crockett re-
turned to the northwest in 1884 and
died in Occur d'Alene about five years
ago. The letter follows. Note the
date line. Idaho was not on the map
at that time, what is now the state
of Idaho being then a part of the
territory of washington:
Long Time Between Mails.
Rhodes Creek (Oro Fino), Nez
Perez Mines, w. IT,, June 8, 1861
Dear Sister: l have delayed this
for some time in hopes of receiving
a letter from home before writing one.
| have had none from there since last
July. We have been quite busy since
my last letter preparing to work the
claim and have already washed some.
| think it will pay us So to the hand
when we get fairly open. Our drain
race is nearly finished. The head of it
is 10k feet deep and it is about 1000
feet long, and will cost us nearly $500
= f,atr NTo hos "a
near 5000 worth of sluices and over
$3.50 worth of other improvements We
have a good house, Is by 20, with the
roof projecting 6 feet over one end
for woodshed. The lumber in our
floor is worth $50 $50 per 100 feeD.
We have just got us new clock and
are just prepared to live fast or slow,
according to time. We work IL hours
per day.
anglo Saxon energy has made its
mark here. improvements are going
on with hurried strides. The present
occupants of the country have done
more here than the Red men of the
forest have through all the countless
years in which they and their fathers
have lorded it over the soil.
"At the time | wrote you last there
was Just the germ ofe little town
at the mouth of this creek, where II
icins the ORC Elmo Ca somewhat larger
stream IA miles from here No"
there are some forty houses there
many of them stores, meat markets
2 blacksmith shops, one book and sta
tionery store, etc.
A Modest Estimate.
1.-THE creek will at a low estimate
produce 100000, or $1,000 to eacl
claim holder. zone mile and hal
above us they have taken out owe
$500 to a single string of sluices
Another company took out $14OO il
five days with two strings of sluices
Our claim does not prospect big at tn
lower end where we are at work, bu
we have found a very good prospec
at the upper end, so that we are YER
we'll satisfied with our claim. IN