Chapter 7

At the mouth of the copper belt on the divide between Bear creek and Indian creek, is what is known as placer basin. A number of gold bearing veins were located there by E.D. Ford, E.M. Barton and the Weston brothers. Considerable development work was done and some of the claims patented. They laid idle for many years.

Some four or five years ago, a party from Council valley relocated some of the unpatented ground and struck some good ore which they shipped at handsome profits. These parties sold it at a good figure, I have heard it to be sixty thousand dollars, to a Salt Lake Company. A mill was built at the property and they have taken out a considerable amount of gold. I have heard that operations have now ceased for some reason which I hope is not for lack of paying ore.

Some five or six miles below the old Peacock in one of the almost inpenetrable canyons lies what has been long known as the "Red Ledge" an immense deposit of low grade copper ore. An eastern company of Boston and New York people purchased the property some years ago and began development work. At the same time they began selling stock through high powered salesmen at fabulous prices, indicating that there were millions behind it. No sooner had their operations begun than law suits were commenced, both in Idaho and in the east. Receivers were put in charge with constantly mounting costs until all operations ceased.

An immense amount of money was expended there in the building of a wagon road to the workings over as rough terrain as can be found in the Snake River canyon. At one place passing through a ridge by means of a long tunnel. The company also paid a large part of the expense of constructing a wagon bridge across the river at Ballards landing. The company also had surveyed and patented twenty-six claims, and if they were all full, it means 520 acres of ground which is some expanse of territory as all measurements are computed as if running on a level and not up and down the mountain sides. A diamond drill was put to work and miles of borings were made. It is reported that under the mountain they were exploring, were immense deposits of copper ores carrying gold and silver of more value than the copper contents.

Judge Doubts Report

I hesitate to accept at one-hundred percent or even at a greater discount, this report. I am inclined to believe it was made for the consumption of a new crop of eastern suckers rapidly developing so as to be ready to grab the hook. Although the numerous law suits have been settled so that work might be resumed, it seems strange that nothing is being done in the way of penetrating the mountain by a tunnel and taking out some of the immeasurable wealth these drill borings indicate to be hidden there.

Nothing is going on there now and the canyon is as free from disturbance as it was in the days when Solomon, the armorous old savant with his ox team, was hauling rocks to build his temple.

From the Seven Devils with its alluring promises of inestimable riches and collossal failures, I must rise on the pinions of memory and fly across a mountain range to the Heath district about 20 miles north of where Cambridge is now located, which was once thought to be a mining camp.

More Prospecting

In the spring of 1875, Jim Ruth and Tom Heath, two Nevada prospectors, went over Cuddy mountain on a prospecting trip. Finding nothing there to their liking they dropped down on Brownlee where they found some very promising croppings of silver ore and made some locations. After prospecting their discoveries, they were so sanguine of success that they took teams and went down into Nevada, where they purchased an old two-stamp mill which they hauled into the camp. They crossed the mountains between Salubria and their destination where there was no wagon road. They dug a ditch from Brownlee to get water for power, set up their mill and built a roasting furnace in which to roast the pulp after being crushed in order to burn out the sulphur the ore contained before treating in the pan where the silver was caught in the quick silver in the bottom.

Silver Valuable

They worked along for awhile with fair results as silver at that time was worth a dollar and 29 cents per ounce. Heath died two or three years after striking the camp and Ruth continued operations off and on for a few years. He sold his claims to G.W. Grayson, a mining operator of Nevada and Utah, who built a ten-stamp quartz mill near the claims. It was equipped with an up-to-date roasting furnace, pans, settlers and other necessary equipment and a long ditch from Brownlee to obtain water power was built. While the mill was being built a crew of miners were taking out ore for treatment. A good supply of ore being out, the mill was started up and ran about a week when a cleanup was made with the result that there was not sufficient silver obtained to pay the running expenses of the mill, let alone the wages due the miners. A considerable amount of indebtedness was incurred for labor and store goods during the latter days of the enterprise with no cash on hand to meet it. The mill was attached and sold the machinery being purchased by a party over in Baker county where it was taken. Thus ended milling operations in the Heath district.

More Copper

Several years later there were some copper discoveries made which created some local excitement, but like those of the Seven Devils the ore was only on the surface, and none of them extended into the earth, so they were abandoned. I knew well three young men who, attracted by flattering reports from that section, went in there a half century ago and made locations.

They were Alex Houlahan, Billy Eckles and Charlie Anderson. Charlie left there for the Seven Devils soon after the failure of the milling operations, and is still out there. Billie was selected sheiiff in 1892 and quit the camp forever. He has since lived in Salubria valley and was for some time engaged in the mercantile business at Cambridge. Houlahan was a man of a classical education, a graduate of McGill University, one of Canadas foremost educational institutions. He studied geology there and was well learned in that science. After coming to the Ruthburg country he continued his researches among the formations of that district and evolved theories as to where there ought to be great ore bodies located. He kept on exploiting his theories by driving tunnels into the mountains for all these years with the exception of six, of which he was deputy sheriff under his friend, Billy Eckles, and four years he was deputy assessor, after which he returned to his beloved hills and continued his labors. About 3 years ago he fell sick and died at the home of a nearby rancher. A sister in Canada, on being notified of his death, had his body sent back to the land of his birth and there buried among his ancestors. His holdings are not considered of sufficient value so justify probating his estate. I understand that there is not a prospector or miner now inhabiting the heath district, Houlahan being the last to give it up; that was forced upon him by deaths decree.

Mineral District

From Ruthburg, or Heath, as the district is now known, we will go over Hitt mountain to Mineral, a district lying about 30 miles to the north of Weiser, and see what there is there. The first mining locations made in that district was in the summer of 1880, when John A. James and his cousin Jim Peck went in there from Baker, Ore. Sam Ottenheimer, a good old Jew merchant of that place furnished them with a grub stake, he to have an interest in their finds. They first located a claim on top of Iron mountain, which they called the Henitite, meaning a certain kind of iron ore, a claim now owned and patented by John Segoin. They also located a claim down on Mineral creek, long known as Dennet creek after an old settler on a bar on Snake River where the creek enters the larger stream. *(see footnote)

They christened it the Hancock in honor of their partys candidate for president that year.James was a man who could tell all he knew and sometimes more, and on his return gave to the Baker paper a glowing account of his discoveries which spread far and wide without any diminution. The next year prospectors began to flock to the camp in companies, regiments and armies.

They staked off all territory from Sturgill creek to Wolf creek whereever a reef or rock appeared above the ground, and according to the reports of the locators, every one of the locations was a real bonanza.

These seekers after wealth came from all over the mining west, from California, Nevada, Arizona and Montana. Some of them were real experts who had had years of experience in the mining game but those best qualified to judge were the first to take their departure never to return.

Ore was found that assayed as high as 1500 ounces to the ton but in small quanties. Emery Boggs and Jim Landy located a claim they called the Black Maria. which they and many othersthought would rival the famous Comstock lode of Nevada as a producer. They were offered 35 thousand dollars for their find which they spurned as they would an offer of fifteen cents.

A slick old Irishman from San Francisco came along and by flattery got hold of old Landy and succeeded in getting a contract from him whereby he was to have a half interest in Landy's interest if he would put in what is called a 'Cannon ball crusher" to work the ores of the claim. Landy signed a deed for half his interest and delivered it to the old fraud.

The mill was brought in and set up, but it would not work a half ton a day; yet it was a mill such as the contract called for. Landy brought suit to recover his interest and alleged the deed was a forgery, which it was not, but was no doubt obtained by false and fraudulent representations. Judge Broderick held that the instrument was not forged and gave judgment for the defendant. The case was appealed to the supreme court where the judgment of the lower court was sustained. Landy lost his other interest to his attorneys and the slick old Irishman lost the interest he had obtained from Landy in the same way, so neither got anything out of the deal and walked out of the camp.

Has Difficulties

Old Boggs ,Landys partner in the Black Maria mine, believing that he was a millionaire, contracted debts with others who shared in his belief, and finally gave a mortgage on his interest as security for his indebtedness and a small advance in money. When the mortgage fell due, he was unable to make payment. As ever, when foreclosure proceedings were brought, the mortgage foreclosed and the interest sold. Boggs, being unable to redeem his property, left the camp never to return, and in this manner his great fortune vanished.

Judge J.W. Huston of Boise, member of the state supreme court, who had obtained an interest in the claim for legal services rendered, and Ed Darby, then of Huntington and Mineral, bought the interest. They worked the claim for some time and took out an immense amount of ore, part of which was shipped to Salt Lake for treatment. A part was worked at the smelter near the mill. The constantly declining prices of silver and copper rendered the work unprofitable, leaving the good old Judge a broke man. He told me that he had put all his salary into the venture and had mortgaged his home besides. His faith was strong that fortune laid buried there, which some day they would unearth, but never did.

Make Good Find

Three miners from Wood River came into the camp in the early days and located the Black Hawk.Their names were Duffy, Kelly and Flowers, all good miners and experts at judging ore. Their find was generally believed to be one of the best yet located in the district. The ore body developed was quite extensive and the ore of a high grade.

No sooner had the report of their strike gone out than Fred Huntington who had made a location on the same ground, but had not developed any body of ore, began suit against the new claimants to establish his right to the ground and oust the men who had really made a discovery. The suit was tried there in the district court where judgment was given the new locators. They continued development work but in a short tim the ore deposit pinched out. They did considerable work in the hope of picking it up again, without success, and finally left the camp and their claim for anybody who might wish to take it up.

C.C. Wing and Louie Sommer, of Weiser, located a claim they called the Silver Bell which gave promise of becoming a great producer and did produce a large quantity of paying ore. They and Dave Gorrie, also of Weiser built a smelter down the creek by means of which they worked the Silver Bell and other ores for some time. As the price of  the metal produced still continued to drop, their ventures finally failed but without any considerable loss to the operators. This smelter was never operated again. A man by the name of Lang put up a small smelter through which a considerable amount of ore was worked, but not proving profitable, he closed it down.

* Iron Mountain* is largely composed of /*Hematite*/, and the family
owning the land is *Siegwein*. This correction was sent in by "John Siegwein" <siegwein@lobo.net>
10/20/05