Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1922-02-09
COUNTY.
IN GOLD;
AREA IS VAST
Country Virtually Undevelop-
ed from Mining Point OF
View, Griffith's Opinion
Millions of Dollars in Precious
Metals Taken Out, but
Much More Still in Ground
Bv E. M. GRIFFITH

By E.. M. GRIFFITH
That Idaho county, or what is COM
monty known as central Idaho, en-
braces the greatest undeveloped gold
mining section on the continent today,
NAV seem to those unfamiliar with
its possibilities to be overestimated,
and perhaps largely exaggerated. But
when it is considered that this gold
bearing section covers an area great
er than some whole states; that there
are something like a dozen separate
organized mining districts, besides
large areas practically unexplored and
not yet organized; that according to
government mint reports many mil
lions of dollars in gold were taken
out of this section years ago, or in
the early sixties, by the then crude
systems of extracting and saving of
the yellow metal, the statement must
at least be given some credence, and
that there is strong probability that
this vast mineral area has only been
scratched so far as IFS future posi-
bilities for gold production are con-
cerned.
III may De Sdiu, anu tlubhl uiiy
that most of the gold taken out
of this section in the early days was
from placers, and that this kind of
mining in this section is now limited,
but the reason for this is that placer
gold was more easily obtained by the
Old-fashioned sluices and other home
made contrivances and without the
necessity of machinery or expensive
operations.
RICH VEINS OF QUARTZ
On the other hand, the great net
work of rich gold quartz veins
seen and known to exist at that
time in various parts of this section,
and which may have been the source
of much of the gold taken out, could
only be looked upon with wonder and
amazement and passed up by the
sturdy miners of that day for the
future generations, or those to follow
in later years, to work and extract the
yellow metal from the quartz veins
by more modern systems for ore treat
ment, and after suitable transporta
tion facilities had been provided. Lack
OF transportation always has been and
is now to a considerable extent n
serious drawback to successful opera
tons in this section. A public neces
sity for better transportation into this
country from many standpoints, not
only the opening up of this great
mineral resource, but to lessen the OPP
Grating expense of the postal depart
ment in getting mail and parcels post
matter in and out, and the lessening |
of the great expense of fighting for
est fires in being able to get on to the
Jobs sooner, and other reasons have |
caused the government to inaugurate |
system of road building into this
section taat promises an early So
luton of the transportation problem.
Already $205,000 has been spent on
the hrst section, or eighteen miles, of a
truck road being built up the South |
Fork of the Clearwater river from
Erangeville, the county scat of Idaho |
county, to Elk City and other dis
trlcts. Another appropriation is ex
Fected soon that will extend the road |
if not complete i.
SEES ROAD TO HUMP
The old Buffalo Hump camp which
was abandoned about twenty years
ago, principally because IF its inacces-
sloilltiy or lack of suitable roads for
continuous operations, is to have
truck u road soon. The distance from
ufangeville to this camp by the way
.. al Adams camp, is ffty-fve miles,
'niIty'two miles of which is now com
Ileeed as good truck road
ana being used by the public,
ana 1t is the policy of the gov
to push this road to COM
pletion. Should it be desired by op-
orators, there is no doubt that the
government would cooperate on So
~ basis and extend this road to com-
!. . ~ ION at once. 1t is estimated that !
rpV'UOO would complete the road into
o os hump camp. The gold districts
VI inns section, or those which have
.ceelVed the most attention in the
way OF work and development are
, ,,,e Buffalo Hump, Oregrande, Dixie,
l,k City and Ten Mile, and while
t ,hney are different mining districts,
sney are SO closely related in
POINT of location and similarity of
ttornation and character as to prac-
Is~aiiy form one vast area of gold
bearing zone.