Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1921-06-25

&~ 1NSAl
Representatives Nez Perez coun-
ty, Lorenzo Bacon; Shoshone, ]. A.
Orr; Boise, Milton Kelly, w. r.
Keithly, M, G. Brown, R. P. Camp
bell and c. B. Bodfish; Fort Benton,
James TUFTS; East Bannock district,
l.. C. Miller. Total 13.
On the 18th of the following De-
cember the two houses convened at
Lewiston, Joe Miller being elected
president of the senate and council
and James Tufts of Fort Benton dis
trict speaker of the house of repre-
ssntatives. After electing a Secre-
tary, assistant secretary, sergeant-at-
arms and door keeper for each house,
the legislature ground out several
bills, including a Territorial code.
and among other acts created the
following new counties: Owyhee,
Oneida and Alturas. From the last
mentioned a quarter of a century
later sprang our Little Elmore.'
The boundaries of Alturas were de-
scribed as follows: North by Idaho
county, east by 112th meridian of
longitude, south by Snake river, and
west by Boise county.
The county seat was located by
this Legislature as Esmeralda. The
writer has inquired of several old
timers and grizzled pioneers as to
to place where Esmeralda stood,
and has had two different accounts
eli the location-one being that Els
meralda was a large flourishing plac-
err mining camp just east of Junction
Bar in Gilmore county, a few miles
on the Feather river, then a place OF
rich d~iggings. Another version is
that it was a flourishing populous
camp close to the famous Red War
rior placers.
1t matters not which is the correct
version, it shows that the hills and
streams of Elmore county were
among the first explored regions OF
Idaho.
The hardy miners Of Feather river
and Red Warrior gulch, considering
the rich gravel along and in these
streams, concluded that there must
be something in the hills, and on
delving down into the mountainsides
overlooking Bear creek their tolls
were rewarded by the discovery OF
rich Lodges OF gold and silver, and
soon famous mines-the Alturas, Ida
Gilmore, Wide West, Tip Top, Pitts
burg, Mountain Goat, 0phir, Vishnu
and others equally as rich, became
known to the world, and on the
banks of bear creek, at the foot OF
these auriferous hills, the town of
Rocky Bar, at one time the liveliest
in the Territory, was laid out, and
later, upon the passing away of Es-
meralda, this town became the coun-
ty seat of Alturas county.
Rocky Bar has undergone many
changes and vicissitudes ever since,
but she is there to stay, and as soon
the true conditions of mineral
wealth all around her are properly
known, the old town will arise to
and remain in her ancient glory.
CHAPTER II
The discoveries of the rich placers
In Red Warrior gulch and the ia
quartz mines in that vicinity,
lead to the building OF the
Of Rocky Bar in 1863-64, and
the county seal of Alturas county
after becoming established
there, the upper level town" waxed
and in the latter part of 1854
was the largest camp in southern
Idaho, about $500 men being en-
ployed in the mines, and the roads
from Kelton and Ogden kept warm
with freight teams loaded down with
merchandise and machinery. Ben
Holiday, like AN advance agent of
civilization, had one of his many
lines of stages established in the
camp, and the Wells-Fargo Co., the
pioneer expressmen of the frontiers,
had already located an office there
or the purpose of banking and for
warding.
The question of transportation was
! hard one to solve in these days.
rhe iron trail had not yet been laid
the Missouri river. The OK
md mule teams were the freight
rains out of Omaha, and the pas
Iengers came in the numbering stage
,oach or the slower prairie schoon-
~ along the old overland trail.
Many fell by the way, either by the
land of the savage red man or dis
Ease incurred by hardship, and their
goal was the lonely grave by the
rail. The hardy survivors reached
destination to lay the founda-
ion of the new empire. Most of
hem have now crossed the high di-
ide, but their work remains. Hon
RS to the memory of those who fell
~ the way. May the sod press
over them.
The town of Rocky Bar continued
o flourish, the mineral output ex-
the expectations of the
most sanguine. THE Ida Elmore
nine, while being operated, Yielded
'yer three million dollars. Yet ex-
,ert miners assert that the old mine
vas never thoroughly worked, but
imply "gophered."
While lawlessness of verv kind is
he general order of events in most
Il the new frontier towns. Rocky
was free from the element I'm
Ter population that produce these
A good, warm brotherly
ceiling prevailed the camp, and rob
'ery, murder and l~ynchings. SO com
non in other places, were almost un-
.nown.
In these days Boise city was sim
'ly a military station, and HALEY.
bellevue, Pocatello, Idaho Falls.
'aldwell, Payette and Weiser had no
xistence. Franklin and Soda
springs were probably the next
owns in size 10 ROCKY Rnr