The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1921-06-02
FUTURE OF MINING
IN NORTHERN IDAHO
Address at North
Idaho Chamber
of Commerce
BY DONALD CALLAHAN
Tribute to Pioneers--Common
Interest in Promoting All
Industries of State

TIME NORTH Idaho Chamber o
Commerce held an importan
meeting yesterday and today a
Occur d'Alene. This organiza.
ton is composed of various CONNER
cial bodies in the ten counties form
ing the northern part of the state
and all of these bodies were repre-
scented by delegations in the Coem
d'AIene meeting Following are the
5delegates representing the Wallace
board of trade: Plat p Morn w. NJ
} FlOhr, D. A. Callahan, II. w. Marsh
A W. Hoover Thos. McCabe. H. j.
Ross. j. W. Baker, f. r. Denny and
ID. w. Greenberg. With possibly one
or two exceptions all of these dele
gates attended the meeting The
meeting was formally opened vester-
day afternoon with an address by Dr.
A. H. Upham, president of the. Uni
versity of Idaho Other speakers
were Donald A. Callahan, director of
the Callahan Lead company,
who spoke on "The Future of Mining
in North Idaho" H. H. Taylor of
Standpoint, Civic Problems;" w. S.
Shearer of Lewiston, president of the
Northwest Farmers association,
Foreign Markets; W. D. Humston,
Of Potlatch, assistant manager of the
Potlatch Lumber company THE
Lumber Industry" Entertainment Of
the visiting delegates was provided
by the Occur d'Alene commercial club,
features of which included banquet
and a trip to Hayden lake The
speech of Mr.. Callahan was of spe-
cial interest to the mining industry
and is here given in part:
Future of Mining in North Idaho.
1.-The future of mining never could
he charted. It's uncertainties its
wonderful possibilities have from the
very beginning furnished incentive for
the most earnest spirit of enterprise
excited mems most active thoughts Of
acquisition and prompted them to the
most exhaustive and hazardous pur-
suits for the discovery and develop
ment of the rich treasures of the
rocks and gulches of the mountains.
Nature has worked her wonders in
forming mineral deposits in such
mysterious ways; has placed her
most tempting treasures in such in
accessible places that she has there
by appealed most strongly to the
imagination of men and has tempted
the sturdiest of the races to endure
much in finding her hiding places. To
read the history of the early STAN
pedes to Pierce City and Murray is
to read a romance most alluring. If
we could peep back through the years
and gaze upon the argonauts at work
along Orofino and Prichard creeks, we
would gaze upon a race of men which
has passed, but without whom the
history of Idaho could never have
been written
The Lure of Gold.
Consider the history of mining in
north Idaho. The first discovery of
gold in the northwest was made at
Pierce City in 1850 before Shoshone
county was organized as a tributary
to Washington territory. It was gold
that lured men to the undeveloped
west The CLINT of the precious metal
dazzled the eyes of men and its light
guided the sturdy and venturesome
into a rough wilderness which has
since become an empire.
1T is we'll never to lose sight of the
reasons which first drew men to found
homes in the rough wilderness where
now is found a most inviting civiliza-
ton. When we consider the problems
OF this civilization it is inspiring to
turn back in memory and review the
conditions confronting the pioneer.
Had time, would like to review the
events of the great gold excitements
OF the early COS in the Pierce City.
Orofino Florence and Salmon river
countries. A picture Of the hardships
of travel, of the privations Of living
in the wilderness and the grueling
labor of seeking always for the elu-
sive metal, would be most enlighten-
ing to those of MS who grumble at the
discomfort of a slow train or the
poor fare of a small hotel I wonder
how much of an empire those of us
who have become so accustomed TO
the soft things of life would build.
wonder how those hardy and re-
sourceful men of the pioneer days
would meet the complex situations of
our more modern social organization.