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


the Nez Perez Indians that gold was
10 be found on the headwaters and
tributaries of the Salmon river.
had lived with the Indians and Col.
Craig who had spent most Of his life
with them, often talked with me
about possible discoveries in the
mountains to the right, as we rode
to ORC Elmo, and Of what the Indians
said of the then unknown region. Gal
lop your horse, as I have hundred
times against the rising sun. AS you
climb the Sweetwater mountains, Tar
away to your right, you will see Pc
culiar and beautiful light at sunrise,
sort Of diadem on two grand clus-
ters of mountains that bear away I'M
der the clouds fifty miles distant.
called Col. Craig's attention to this
peculiar and beautiful light. That
said he, is what the Indians call E.
dab hoe, which means the light or di-
adem Of the mountains. That was
the first time | ever heard the name.
Later, in September or, when | rode
into the newly discovered camp to
establish an express Office. ! took with
me an Indian from Lapwai. We fol-
lowed an Indian trail, crossed Craig
mountain, then Camas prairie, and
had all the time E-dah-h hoe mount for
our objective point. On my return to
Lewiston | wrote a letter containing
brief account of our trip and OF the
mines, and it was published in one of
the Oregon papers, which one l have
now forgotten. In that account / Of
ten mentioned E-dah-hoe, but spelt
It Idaho, leaving the pronunciation
unmarked by any dacritical signs. So
that perhaps l may have been the
first to give it it's present spelling,
but l certainly did not originate the
word.".
In 1858 the territorial legislature of
Washington created a county within
this territory which contained all
lands north of the Clearwater, east of
the Columbia and west of the Rocky
mountains. 1t was named Shoshone
for the largest tribe of Indians in this
section of the country, and in 1861,
when the population in the mines de-
manded it, another county was form
ed including all lands lying south and
west of the clearwater and named
Nez Perez for the next largest tribe
of Idaho Indians. The rest of the
Idaho territory was formed, in 1862
into the largest county ever created
within the state, embracing all lands
lying south of Nez Perez and east OF
Snake river and called Idaho county
in recognition of this word. In 1868
Boise county was created, so that
Idaho had four counties in existence
formed by the Washington legislature
when the territory was organized.
Hon. John HALEY Idaho's state IL
brarian in his History of Idaho
saws, 1.-THE organic act passed by
, dent March 8, 1868, creating and or
ganizing a territorial government fol
the people residing within and those
! who might come hereafter, In certain
limits and boundary lines Of territor-
! ial lands, gave to that territory the
name Idaho. Various reasons are
given for the origin of the name Ida
no. BY some it is claimed that it is
) some miners had camped within
: sight of what is now Mount Idaho. lr
} the morning they were awakened by
the Indians calling Idaho ant
: pointing to the rising sun just COM
ing over the mountain, hence the term
, The Rising Sun Another is that
the name was taken from steamboat
! built by the late Col. ]. S. Ruckel tc
, run on the Columbia river in the ear.
ly days. This boat was named the
|. Idaho. w. A. Goulder, one of the
/ Oldest living (now dead) pioneers OF
, Idaho, saw this steamer on the Col
; umbia in 1860 and noticing the name
, asked the meaning and was informed
| that it was an Indian word, 'Edah-
; hoe and stood for The Gem of the
, Mountains Frederick Campbell, one
of the pioneers of the Pixies Peak ex-
element, says that the word Idaho is
an Arapaho Indian word and that in
Colorado spring was named Idaho
! before the word was known in the
northwest, and that it was even sug-
! gested for the name of Colorado"
, Col. William H. Wallace was dele
gate in congress from Washington
territory when the bill was passed in
1868, organizing, from the eastern
portion of Washington, a new terri
tory, which was named Idaho. Mrs
Wallace was in Washington, d. c., at
the time and her account Of the cpl
sode, which was afterwards published
in the Tacoma Ledger, is as follows:
Il may refer with pride to my con-
nection with the establishment Of the
territory of Idaho, at the expiring
days of the session of congress, 1852
g. Quite a delegation was present at
Washington city who favored the di
vision of Washington territory, which
then included all of Idaho and Mon
tana west of the Rocky mountains,
extending as far south as the north