The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1922-01-19


of the state from the day of Lewis and
Clark down to the stirring times of
Idaho's participation IN the Great War.
They epitomize the resolute enterprise
of hundred years
Three Precious Metals.
vi the relics on display IN TINS room
no doubt the most interesting are the
lew that remain OF early explorers.
And whlie II Is quite possible that
nalfbreed trappers slipped into the
wilderness lying between our present
borders before 1900 and lett no trace
behind them, nevertheless the first
white exploration of the state is asso-
ciated rightly with the names OF Lewis
and Clark. OF the passage of this
expedition across Idaho the exhibit
contains three precious memorials.
The first is a stone picked up on Lem
hi county land owned by state Senator
NJ. b. Yeaman. This stone bears the
inscription Clark 1906" II will be re-
membered that when, on their way
westward the party reached the divide,
the main body went into camp while
Clark with a few companions pushed
ahead in an effort to find a trail
through the mountains. He made his
way south to point near the present
site of Salmon. A rough exploration
trip of some so miles or so down the
Salmon river speedily convinced him
OF the hopelessness of attempting to
20 l..
therefore decided to return to Lewis.
Picture him, then, standing on an emil
hence of the Salmon mountains with
eyes shaded against "a setting sun
specializing on the mysteries of that
forbidden land which lay beyond the
mountain barrier. At his feet, maybe
to mark the limit of his southern prog
ress. a cairn of stones; each stone in
scribed with his name and the year of
discovery OF such a cairn. after
century of mountain storms. one lone
stone remains to the people who now
live in the great plains the Pathfinder
was not to see From Lewis camp the
party. led by the Birdwoman. tracked
north. then east over the Bitter Roots.
through the Lolo pass. then across the
Weippe plains and down the north
fork of the Clearwater to its junction
with the main stream.
Here tney pitched camp lin a hand
some small bottom opposite the point
and proceeded to make canoes. And at
this place the two other relics of the
expedition in Idaho were found. One is
rusty axe-head the other a coin
bearing the date 1870. Extracts picked
out here and there from the diary of
sgt. Patrick Gass may visualize the
scene:
"A fine warm morning. All the men
who were able were employed in maxi
ing canoes. In the evening the greater
came in and some of the principal men
came down to our camp. We could
not understand what they had done, |
so we could only converse by signs /
Medals were given by the commanding /
officers to three or four of them as
leading men of their nation and they
remained about our camp. Game is /
very scarce and our hnuters unable to |
kill any meat We are therefore OBJ |
liged to live on fish and roots that we I
procure from the natives. salt also is /
scarce, without which fish is but poor
and insipid. And lest the Indian pro-
visions should not agree with us. we
killed one of our horses. (Iater) hav-
ing got pretty we'll forward in our
canoe making. we collected all our
soures and branded them. in order to
leave them with the Indians, the old
chief having promised that they should
be well taken care of. We buried our
of the 18th was pleasant and
we put the last of our canoes in the
water: loaded them (and) about three
o'clock in the afternoon we began our
voyage down the river"
OF may be that the axe-head found
II this place was used in fashioning
The canoes and was lost in the hurry of
departure. while the coin. no doubt
overlooked by a soldier
IF the party on his last spree in civili-
.ation and then carried as a useless
halfway across the con-
inent. dropped from his pocket during s
1 spell of bunk fatigue" by camp I
ire. II should be recorded by the way. {
o the credit of the first citizen" of l
IDAHO territory that the horses left in I
heir charge were every one returned {
n good condition to the homeward- 9
POUND palefaces; a meticulous dealing $
n horseflesh not always characteristic !
# white worthless operating in this
country in later days. II is a matter
or genuine regret that one of the [
Medals spoken of by Sgt. Gass as hav- a
ny been presented to the Indian chiefs y
vas picked up in Idaho at the mouth S
f the Palouse river. only to fall into 5
utside hands and be spirited away to f
n eastern museum. Such memorial +
'Ould have been a rich acquisition for il
he exhibition in our capitol. and its {
L..