The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1917-01-26
LEmHI IN 1862
EARLY DAY NJ

81 and '62/ Elk City Florence and
Warren were discovered and made "
yield tremendous output OF the vel
Z low metal AT once gold dust ursurp
ed from the beaver skin its funcuont
of a circulating medium hf exchange /
I Diverse population poured in rom
every cline and nation. Thousands
/ tried TO pass down the Salmon river
few were fortunate in finding the
! old Neg Perce trail that lead from
/ IGibbonsville through the Bitter Root
mountains to the head waters Of the
! Clearwater. as did Mr.. Thomas Pope
and his party. Many left their wag
uns and dispersed through the moun-
tains either afoot or on horseback De
serted wagons were plentiful alons
the Lemhi river caShed away in the
willows and were used by other camp
era as hre-wood. People from Utah
came and hauled away long trains OF
them
/ In a contribution to the Historical
I society OF Montana, the following eN,.
tract is pertinent 10 Lemhi history
Il says, "A party OF Coloradians
lamOng them Or. Leayitt, had attemptsI
I'd the route 10 the Florence mines By
the way OF Lemhi valley and were
forced 10 abandon ii by reason Of
4 favorable reports lead TO the Deef
Lodge valley While there two horse
men came up and reported the exis-
tence of favorable indications for gold
on Grasshopper creek They were
provided with supplies and urged to
return and prospect the gulch and re
port They did so and discovered the
famous Bannack diggings the first
discovery of gold made in Montana
These two men We're John White and
William Eads, the son OF Capt Eads
OF St Louis
The author OF the following paper
Mt Thomas Pope OF Salmon. was
born in New York state in lS4l and
! came west. during the Pixies Peak
excitment of 80. After wintertng az
Elk CITY, he went 10 the Alder Gulch
. stampede of '63 In the fall of GO
after The Lecsburg placefs had been
discovered, he returned TO Lemhl
county. where he has resided eyeI
= since mining farming and following
= various other pursuits. He is one 0i
: the substantial citizens OF Lemh
: county and has reared here a splen
. did family and has in the past been
entrusted by his fellow citizens with
she important office OF assessor o.
: he county during four years of the
q later SOS and was four years durini
: the early gas postmaster OF Salmon,
= Hr PeEs's Reeeileet!ons
n | am asked to make few remarks
or read a paper on pioneer days
| will take for my subject a tril
through what is now Lemhi count!
four years before the discovery o
Leesburg, which was the means o
p the settlement Of our model urtl,
city and all ot the beautiful rich an
fertile valleys of tha Salmon an,
lemhi rivers.
In the spring Of 1862 / was livlnl
Q a, Black Hawk Point, Colorado. Dun
ing the winter of '6l and 90 Their
We're rumors of q rich strike Of plac
or ground down the Salmon river
"a just AZ what point or how tn get ther
. was not definitely known but rumo
:, continued to make the strike richie
" aud richer and more and more eNter
Is siye unti its richness and eNten
e made il almost fabulous.
in At that time there was no TaIlrua
-, west OF the Missouri river and
took a long time 10 get any reliabl
Information from so remote seCtiu
as Jf the country AS Salmon river bu
fel occasionally We would get som
81 more Information that would add tu'
To TO the FIRE
Al length We found the name G
As the new Eldorado was Florence. an
M was situated high up on the Salmo
X river mountains in a very large basi
re- and was extensively rich over It's 81
10 tire area II was also found Gus c
ar rather reported. that It was situate
IN an almost inaccessible locatto
and could only be reached By pac
= animals or on foot By this time n
). excitment was up TO fever heat an
:. every one who could get away wa
preparing 10 go. or course ] va
r. Just as much excited as the rest tn
ne next thing was how 10 get ther
Horses and wagons we're not vel
r plentiful up IN the mountains Whel
~, ! was. 80 a great many went 60 De
yer 10 get their outfits myself wi'
the balance.
,U In due time after a good deal
I'd Ckering three Others and myse
procured four horses, harness and
-pring wagon. This made q very gOC
G outfit We then bought our proyi
IN ions and tools Tor the trip Aft
IN paying for ms share Of the outfit
had 81 50 left in Pfk@ Peak duet
that was the name that gold du
went bv m that section. The me-
-h' urged ms 20 invest the 81 81 IN
hscco told him ! never used
and asked what / would do with
lie told me I would find plenty on q
"a. road who did use IL and would &
snorr at il before the journey "
over and would b. glad 20 hGy sur
ma ar auy price So ! bought the tuhaC
,na -hss pounds az htty cents q pe8ns
mn About the 10Th Of June a party
1yr about 2u l"lf Denver with Flar-n
.sf. az our objective point in E.tW. The
ara. NaH. Hsu Eays 81 getting there %
G. rle California overland route
Lewiston then Up the salmon uK
M 90 whars fhv trail left the river
p 20 re the mines the other wHs
elal leave the overland road near +,
Al Bridgsr and strike The snake rE
ms arm- 81 tame, above where Iaa
b. Falls now .-
by n WAS claimed that There vas
Ian good ferry al snake river zo rb'
7f4a would ne No trouble IN gr0--fur 4