The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1923-07-19
CUSTER COUNTY MINES
FAVORABLE CONDITIONS
RoBT. N. BELL TELLS OF oPPoR-
TUNlTlES IN CENTRAL
IDAHO

Custer is one OF the large central
counties of Idaho. embracing one of
the most highly elevated and rugged
mountain sections of the state, its
minimum and maximum elevations
ranging between 5000 and 12.5OO feet
above sea level says Robert n. Ben
former state mine Inspector, in an ar
ticle covering the mineral resources
and opportunities of Custer county
Idaho. in a recent issue of the Macl@y
Miner
In spite of it's rugged topography,
this region is blessed with excellent
automobile roads and highways to it's
remotest mining districts. It's chief
points Of access are by way of the
Wood river branch railway terminal at
Ketchum; by way of q government
constructed boulevard over the Ga
lena summit 5000 feet high, on
maximum grade OF per cent to the
head of Salmon river; and by way Of
the Mackay branch terminal at Mack
ay through the upper Lost River coun-
try and over very low divide TO the
Salmon river at Challis. so miles dis
tont. which road is daily covered for
ten months of the year with an auto
stage truck ON three and half hour
schedule.
Geologcaily Inviting.
Geologically it possesses an the os-
sential elements of successful and
lasting metal mining region. Its prin-
cipal commercial minerals are lead. !
but deposits of the rarcr minerals, in
GLIDING nickel cobalt, tin, tungsten (
molybdenum and small showngs OF !
higher grade uranium bearing miner
ais are available It's mining districts /
have been extensively prospectcd To |
"a very shallow degree, however and |
without much regard TO important /
economic factors that it's ore depos-
its present.
A type of shallow deposits of bon
ANA values i'm silceous gold and sill /
yer milling ores. whose notable pro
duction of upwards of a $1O0OOO00 /
was largely made well within 1000 feet /
of the surface apex of the veins, oc-
CURED i'm recent volcanic formations. |
such as Silver city DE Lamar At
lanta and the Yankee Fork mining dis
tricts of Custer county
The county has only 20 miles of rail-
road. where the Mackay branch eX- /
tends that distance over its eastern |
border hut it is possible that within /
"a few years this branch viii be extend
ed to the famous Sawtooth Park coun-
try at the head of Salmon river, where |
plans are already wen advanced for a /
stupendous engineering development /
involving two storage reservoirs of the /
Arrow Rock type and capacity, and |
20 miles of tunnelng through the /
Sawtooth range to divert the water of |
the upper Salmon river into the Boise |
drainage for the irrigation of half q |
million acres of very fertile land ly- /
ing between Boise and Mountain |
Home
Macllay the present railroad ter
minus in tire county is its most ac-
tive mining center at this time, and /
its geology has some points of econom-
lie advantage that have as yet been
hardly appreciated
with the ever increasing demand for
lead and the natural world scarcity of
this useful metal its continued sub
stanuai market value can safely be
forecasted and the Custer county field.
especially i'm the limestone areas of
Mackay upper Lost river and Bay
horse districts present attractive OPP
portunities