The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1922-12-28


iuringly rich as Florence, have equal
" attractive production records, but
today there is nothing but ground torn
} BY bitches and Quilted by placer giants
10 tell the story OF a once frantic
truggle for gold.
Romantic and prosperous as these
old camps may have been, they will
play little part in the future of the
area. On the strength of the quartz
veins stunned by the seekers of pla-
Ger gold, hinges the future of north
central Idaho. Placer or bonanza mi
ming was the only kind which could
survive under the transportation con-
ditions encountered. After the placer
deposits had petered out the miners
turned toward lode prospecting, but
nothing more than exceptionally rich
veins were staked. A liberal estimate
places the lode gold production of the
area at SS,000,O 900, which in comparison
with the healthy placer production is
practically negligible. Only the un-
surmountable transportation problem
has saved the region from falling into
disrepute as producer of lode gold.
Back to Buffalo Hump.
The old camp at Buffalo Hump, now
only group of decayed shacks, the
scene of such intense excitement in
1898 and for several years after when
a shoot of bonanza ore was found
near the surface, is believed by most
mining authorities to be the setting for
la revival of activity. The Buffalo
Hump properties were operated for
about five years after discovery and
the entire production of the district
for that period is placed at about ST.
100000. The Hump camp is virtually
isolated and even during August and
September, when the mountain roads
are generally best, the road across the
glaciated swamp between the camp
and Elk City is little better than i'm
passable for heavy vehicles. The 9TH
er route out to Grangeville is in no
better shape but since Elk City will be
the terminus of the new highway all
improvement will be concentrated on
the swamp road
Few of the Buffalo Hump properties,
including the Big Buffalo, the discov-
cry property, have been worked much
more than enough to determine their
possibilities. About a year ago this
district took on aspects which indicat-
ed come back. Old-timers who had
left the camp after the first excite
ment had dwindled came back to look
up title rights and make inquiries. For
a while it appeared as though the
interests were working
to get control. This may be true yet.
for they and other eastern capitalists,
in new mining fields, have
had experts looking over the more
promising central Idaho areas.
Must Have Transportation.
Prospecting, like development, has
been marking time and it ehas been
many years since Grangeville the i'm
portant outlet town of the region, has
seen its annual spring pilgrimage of
to the mountains. The
old time prospector, with his pack
horse, pick and shovel and gold pan,
has passed and future work for the
most part must be done by the young
men who are now receiving technical
training in the mining schools. Once
the country is assured of legitimate
the line of miners will
start again over the great batholith.
All of the camps have considerable
moved in at great expense.
Few of these mills will ever operate
again and when the country is re-
opened the properties will be equipped
with modern machinery. Although
erosion practically settled
the metallurgical difficulties of the !
Florence basin, several pretentious
mills were constructed to test the |
of exploring several stray
Cling quartz veins still intact below |
the surface. Two small dredges were |
also moved into the basin to dredge |
the swamp land, but the venture was |
and much of this virgin |
ground is left. Several dredging COM |
panies have prospected this ground in
recent years, but have decided the /
area is not sufficiently large to war
rant the moving in of a modern dredge.
While the camps north of the Sal
non river are dormant and their an
.edated mill machinery slowly rusting
away, those on the south size, Mar
shall Lake and Warrens, are well
equipped and enjoying continuous OPP
Grafton Both of these camps are
logically a part of the southern mining
area, for their road connections are
With Mccall, which has good highway
with the important south
srn Idaho centers.
Work of State Bureau of Mines.
Although geologically the batholith
extends on both sides of the Salmon
liver, the stream is the natural divid-
ng line of the two mining areas. The
mines south of the river have south
,rn transportation connections and
ire producing, while those in the north
are isolated and idle.
The state bureau of mines is very Il