The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1918-03-08
LEEssuRe PIONEER,
LATE LoRToN PRINCE

several of the most important bat |
ties OF tae civil war. the most promi- |
nent being the battle OF shiloh At
the close of the war he Joined par
ty of Emigrants, whose destination
was the far west, and eventually he
located at Confederate cullen. Mon
tana. where he enAaged in placer
mining. Confederate guieh was situ-
ated As miles east OF Helena and 240
miles from the new discovery OF
gold ON Nappias creek and named
Leesburg, 1t is said In honor of Gen
eral Robert E. Lee
Upon hearing of the Leeshurg gold
discovery Mr. Prince settled his NJ,
fairs and secured u pack horse and
started for the new Eldorado. MAX
ing the journey on foot and leading
his horse. He arrived at I.eesburK
November the 10th, 1866. and found
about three hundred prospectors,
miners and merchants in the basin
David McNutt had opened a store
carrying a miscellaneous stock of
provisions and supplies aa were in
demand in the new camp, the supply
point al that time being Fort Benton
Mr. Prince spent his first winter
in the Leesburg basin on Wards
hhANA hAAGAN AAN Win nENNAAA hNANHA
mined for gold by drifting on bed
rock and whipsawlng lumber which
was used for flume construction in
mine operations as soon as the water
season opened,
The first mining claim he owned
was situated or Arnett creek near
the present site of the Italian stamp
mill. During the early part OF the
spring Of 1867 he prospected on
streams at present known "a yellow
Jacket and silver creeks, but with
very little success and he returned
to Leeshurg during the month Of Ju.
/ ly. AZ that time the Leeahurg niseoy.
cry company were mining very sue.
cessfully on bar on the west side
of Nappias creek and near the
mouth OF Woods gulch During the
autumn OF 1867 he purchased an in,
terest In claim on Arnett creek on
a high bar opposite what ig at pres
ent known as the Italian mine,
where he and four others mined by
stripping the overburden from of the
pay gravel and recovered the gold
content by hand slnicing. which they
continued until freezing weather
stopped operations.
He then went to Virginia City,
Montana, and for several months
worked on property az Sterling.
hosting ore al the Baily mine which
wss situ3ted ON Warm Springs creek.
Ee al,n worked IN tbeir nfteen stamp
mill al the aforementioned property.
Returning 10 Leezhurg during the
spring OF 1868 he placer mined on
Coffee gulch and also on Sierra
gulch and Meadow creek and spent
the winter II Leesburg.
Al the beginning OF the placer sen.
/ son 81 1869 he worked at ground.
sluicing on Wards gulch about one
mile above the mouth OF tho same.
During August OF the same year rich
deposits of placer gold were dlscov.
cred on Loon creek and he iolned the
stampede for that camp. Finding ali
the desirable ground located there
he returned 10 Leesburg and spent
the winter near the mouth Of Babaon
! gulch saving sluiee blocks and get
ting out mining timbers Tor the min.
ers in that locality.
/ During the season OF 1870 he and
/ Charley Summers spent the entire
placer season Rroundsluicing on the
! Richardson bar. In the spring OF 1871
I he worked on the Red Gravel bar
which was owned by Ed Payne and
a Peruvian named Diago Reyerado
and during the fan of the same year
/ contracted TO supply Joe Jump with
/ 1000 hume blocks for which he re.
ceiyed 1Oc per block
During the spring of 1872 be work
ed at Rroundsluicing on Bear Track
gulch on placer ground owned by
! Dave Wood and associates. they hay.
ing constructed ditch which cor.
veyed water from Moose creek 10
their placer holdings During the lat
ter part Of 1872 Mr. Prince and Lor.
emo Falls whipsawed lumber on 81.
ezra gulch.
During the lifetime OF Mr.. Prince
he had assisted TO whipSaw more
than 100000 feet of lumber During
TIN year lE13 he acquired placer
mines~0n Phelen creek where he
spent the remainder OF his life work
ing his placer during the water sea.
sons Two winters during the seven
ties he packed the mail from Salmon
20 LeesburE. making one trip each
week and making the journey on
snowshoeF
The place Of his birth waa Kirt.
land Ohio. where he was born Mas
81. 1913 Fifty and one years ~ bis
life hr spent IN tic Leosburg basin
whore he lived a useful and indus
trlous life and which Ia him res ev-
pressed By fho poet. was bone ,
venture ~ hope and to believe fhat
for that part of man, that which iF
iinprrishablc. that which survives
the grave AMI which viii never die.
there e. In The vest encEplorsd uni
verse. a place where sorrow and
death do not enter. there ms frion3
Prince viii be az horne forever
osss4r fa.as.