The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1920-01-01

ming ana Sclentlllc Press, Auann Aui-
bach, pioneer of the goldheds of
Prichard and Eagle creeks, relates
some interesting details of the early
dates in the Murray camp and helps
to clear up many disputed points.
Some of the characters mentioned
were known to few Of the pioneers
of this city, who still remember many
incidents in connection with their OPP
erations along the golden sands OF
Prichard creek. The Yukon Gold
company's big dredge Is now eating
up the gravel along the ground made
famous by the miners who came in
with the first discoveries along in the
early sos. Mr.. Aulbach tells the story
thus:
The operations Of the Yukon Gold
company's dredge are now one mile
west of Murray on what Is termed the
Prichard creek flat, for the gulch here
Is about 500 feet wide and the width
continues to the western end Of the
town of Murray, where it narrows
considerably. This flat was heavily
timbered in the early days, principally
with huge cedars, which made 1t an
ideal spot during the summer anr the
reverse during the usual six months
of winter, when the snow on the level
lay from five to eight feet deep. The
locality has considerable historic in
terest, for here was the scene of the
dispute over the discovery of gold on
Prichard creek, which electrified the
country in 1888. l was on the ground
in April, 1884, so were the parties to
the claim of discovery, A. J. Prichard
and "Old Man" Geatt. Prichard
claimed to have made the discovery in
1882 in the center of the gulch, about
half a mile below Murray, where bed
rock was about eight feet deep, COW
cred densely with forest and close to
the running stream This would have
made 1t difficult to get to bedrock to
secure the gold said to have been talk
en- out by Prichard himself The
party camped on the ground AT that
time 1t consisted of three, Prichard,
Gelatt and Phil Markson Two others
had remained at what has since be-
come known as Eagle, the first boom
camp. Prichard was the leader. q,ut
he had initiated the others to such an
extent that they separated after
day in camp Mar1son going up the
creek about a mile, while Gelatt wan
dered to the place where the dredge
,tI1
"Old Man" found gold, according to his
own statement to me, high on the rim
OF the eulch where the bedrock was
only two feet deep. He declared he
washed several pans that day but
said that he went back to camp with
out saying anything about it, Next
day he resumed work. and found
coarse gold in paying quantities He
showed the gold to Prichard that eve
ming and Prichard took it and put it
into his pocket Prichard denied this
afterward and declared that he him
self had taken the gold out of what
he located as the discovery claim
Then Prichard took this gold and
to the outside and shortly afterward
the Occur d'Alene placer excitement
was born. I could never reconcile the
two versions of the discovery.
Prichard was OF a domineerng tenn
per; he had served IN the civil war
and was called. captain by his associ-
ates. His friends recognized him as
the head of the prospecting party and
desired to give him credit for the dis
covery even If he did not actually
pan out the first gold. Therefore
gave him the honor of the discovery
although it was with some qualms Of
conscience. Geatt was man in the
'70s, small of stature and of gentle
disposition; he had been n prospector
since the early days of California and
was about down and out, He had no
desire to controvert anything that
Captain Prichard claimed and was
thankful to he allowed to retain the
ground he had opened UP as his own
claim. He found that his claim COW
cred shallow ground, but he made
slow progress The bedrock was spat-
tered with gold and he cleaned up
quite a stake, when two gentlemen
named Uorter and Henderson secured
the claim by some process that arous-
ed bitter feeling among the miners
in the neighborhood. Porter and Hen
derson took little notice of the senti-
nient agnst them; they hired a force
of from Is to 20 men and worked the
ground with the utmost energy,
guarding it with shotguns and rifles
night and day. They cleaned up a
large amount of gold but whether
Gelatt ever received any share of the
output could not be learned he being
kept under close watch by Porter and
Henderson. The miners in the mean
time were worked up to high pitch
Of excitement over what they consid-
cred case of jumping" and proceed
ed to arm themselves with what
weapons they could buy or borrow
when it became Suddenly known that
Gelatt had disappeared, whether by
his own free will or coercion was
never revealed We never heard of
hin, again Tho amount of gold TAX