The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1918-10-24

are informed that civilized man Is OFT
times influenced by custom survivais
and will, long after the necessary
fact for certain action has ceased,
continue to act as If 1t were still In
existence. Whatever might have
been the reason, in times past, we
know and realize that the expression,
ITS sun up" has a meaning to the
majority of mankind of an influence
which the rising sun has upon his ac-
tons. The emphasis in this express
sion, ZEE dab how" is placed upon
the Dab syllable, as it Is the key
note to the utterance, for the eternal
sun arrayed upon the everlasting
mountain is the splendor which the
speaker wishes to especially impress
upon his hearer. The Indian has
name for sunrise, sunset, morning
and evening, but 'Ee- dab how" con-
veys the idea of a beginning or re-
newal of natural phenomena and the
sunrise is the symbol, while other
Parts of the day follow in sequence
only and do not attract the same at
tention, sentiment or acknowledge
ment.
The Shoshonean Indians were the
third family, in the extent of terri
tory occupied of the fiftyfive that
formerly inhabited the United States.
The Shoshoni are one tribe of this
great Shoshonean family of which the
Comanche are another. The two
tribes speak almost the same Ian
guage, varying only in dialect; their
traditions are very similar and they
readily converse with and understand
each other. Ethnologists consider the
Comanche an offshoot of the Sho-
shoni. 1t was not many years ago,
! geologically considered, when they
! lived adjacent to each other in south
ern Wyoming, from which place the
Shoshon were gradually beaten back
! by other Indians into the mountains,
while the Comanche were forced
southwark SO that the first rush of
miners to Pixies Peak In 1858, and
what afterwards became known as
Colorado, found this tribe within this
territory and located especially along
the Arkansas river. The country was
at that time a part of Kansas. Here
also they came in contact with the
lofty mountains upon which the
morning breaks" which were quite
numerous and in commanding evil
dence. AS all the elements were
present, 1t was no wonder that they
found the expression ZEE dab how"
a familiar one in this new Eldorado,
and the word Idaho" was known to
almost every one and was said by all
who had any knowledge of it, to mean
Gem of the Mountains" The first
permanent settlement made by those
hardy pioneers in this new territory
in 1859 was named for this Shoshoni
word and called Idaho Springs" In
1861, when congress organized this
new territory, Idaho" was proposed
as it's name which should have been
applied to it, but the Spanish word
Colorado" which referred to a river
and country foreign to this new coun-
try and which had no application
whatever, was, selected instead. This
selection was suggested by Senator
Henry Wilson of Massachusetts, who
was afterwards vice president asso-
ciated with General Grant in the
presidency, and who was chiefly re-
sponsible for the naming Of Colorado,
Idaho and Montana,
The next heard of this word was
when Idaho" was applied to a
steamboat launched at Victoria, B, c.,
in the fall of 1860. 1t was built for
the Yale Steamboat company to run
upon the Fraser river, and was so
called by one of the owners for his
former home in Colorado, Idaho
Springs, which was an Indian word
slgnifying Gem of the Mountains"
but the name of the steam boat was
soon changed to Fort Yale" and it
was afterwards blown up by boiler
explosion.
The permanent settlement of Idaho
territory began with the discovery of
gold at Pierce City, on ORC Elmo
creek, in 1860. 1t was then part of
Washington territory and the name
Idaho" was not known or applied at
that time. The rush to these mines
was made principally by the Column
bia river route and so extensive did
the traffic, carried on by river boats,
become that company was formed
called the oregon Steam Navigation
! company, of which Col. j. S. Ruckel
was stakeholder. One of the steam
boats constructed by this company,
plying on the Columbia river, was
called the Idaho" and launched in
| 1860. Mr., George II. Hines, curator
Of the Oregon Historical society. in
forms me that he heard Col. Ruckel
tell Mr.. ID. C. Ireland, who was the
local newsgatherer of the Oregon
ian," in answer to the question as to
the origin and meaning of the name
Idaho" which he had applied to this
steamboat THAT ii was an Indian
word meaning Gem Of the Noun
tains," and that he got it from
,NnIn,a1n frianl uroS u,aS n nd