Year: 1864




IDAHO CITY, June 7th, 1864


EDS. STATESMAN Nearly two months
of the active mining season have passed
since the date of my last communication,
and as an occasional budget of items from
here may be of interest to yourselves and
readers | send another instalment


The weather has been as unlike the dry
warm days, and cloudless skies of the same
season here last year as could be imagined,
and as like that of central New York, Nor
thern Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Southern
Michigan and Wisconsin the same time of
year upon an average, as could be- Few
days have passed without lowering clouds,
and considerable rain has fallen, mostly du-
ring the latter part of the day and night;
SO much in fact that semi-amphibious Ore
gonians from the regions of weldon have
appeared almost pleased with the similarity
of climate to that of their beloved "great
Willamette" Health prevails much to the
discomfort of sundry disciples of Galen who
growl exceedingly about big expenses of
living and little practice. Perhaps it is
quite as we'll for the people generally


Mining is carried on night and day in
most good paying claims that are workable,
some companies furnishing employment to
as many as seventy to eighty hands per day
Wages S5 to ST per day or night of ten
hours labor. Few idle men are to be seen
lettering about the streets, except squads of
miners "of duty" The bar upon which
the city is built is being mined out from one
end to the other, notwithstanding streets
and buildings, and excavations are the order
of the day in every direction. These bar
claims are among the best paying mining
claims in the Basin, yielding as high the
present season as 500 per day to the hand,
sluicing As mining claims were originally
first taken up on the bar, Of course the mi
ners have prior and permanent right over
the lot owners for mining purposes, al
though some little opposition has, in few
instances, been made, by parties who did
not seem to reflect that the miner the only
actual producer in the country for the en-
tire community, should be favored rather
than opposed in his labors, directed properly
and carried on with due regard to the rights
legal and otherwise of the denizens of the
city


The big excitement having for its base of
operations the regions about the headwaters
of Wood, Boise, and Little Salmon rivers
and their tributaries has nearly "petered"
Most of those who rushed furiously thither-
ward have returned, but not with the watch
word of the ancient sage, "Eureka," nor
singing songs in praise of that delectabte
4kedentry" Some, however, still remain,
among others, the inde-fat-igable John
W. Keenan,, ex Deputy Sheriff of Boise
county.


The quartz interests Of Owyhee and
South Boise are slowly, but surely, being
developed, but the amount of labor this sea
son bestowed in that direction will not be
comparatively great although furnishing
employment for some thousand or two men.
The placer mining is neither very rich nor
extensive in the immediate vicinity Of any
of the quartz lodges outside of Boise Basin,
so far as yet discovered or known. Some
considerable shipments of rock have taken
place from here to San Francisco within the
past fortnight and more will probably fol-
low. There is but little probability of
quartz mill machinery other than Arastras
being put up before fall, and not much in
that line can reasonably be expected before
another year.


All kinds of business is settling down
into more established and permanent chan
nels. Men begin to make calculations with
more certainty, and much farther ahead
than twelve months ago in all sorts of bust
ness affairs. More extended credits are
given and more confidence between man
and man in business relations exists, though
still most persons keep sharp eye out to
windward, each upon his neighbor


There is much complaint and with good
deal of cause for it, that markets are over
stocked, and likely from present appearan-
ces to be kept so; making as an inevitable
consequence great and continual drain out
of the country for transportation and the
cost price Of commodities, of the actual
amount of gold dust taken out, leaving men
constantly struggling to meet payments and
business engagements. This will be regu-
lated in good time, and better state of
things prevail financially; yet it is far from
ing very bad state Of things as it is. Salt
Lake valley continues to send in supplies of
products from time to time, which are sold
at prices competing with the rates charged
for the same articles from Walla Walla val
ley and from Oregon. The Salt Lake city
express once more runs regularly, weekly,
making the trip in six to seven days, and
generally bringing us the latest eastern
news. We are very naturally looking for
ward to the commencement of mail COM
munication with much interest The Salt
Lake & Walla Walla line should include
Idaho City, Cenrevi1le and Placerville in
the schedule; but as recent letters from
Wallace don't seem to indicate that he ell
thar Lnnua or caras uhathar or not sunh is