1890 — From Pine to Shoup, a Woman's Route

Idaho Recorder, January 29, 1890

LOCAL INTELLIGENCE

Thos. Pound and Chas H. Spayds have formed a copartnership, purchased the building owned by Henry Westfall at Shoup, and opened a first-class saloon in that burg.

OW Mintzer of Salmon City, Lemhi Co is designated agency of Pine C M Co, incorporated in New Jersey.

PINE CREEK LETTER

Pine Creek, Jan. 23, 1890

To The Idaho Recorder:

To those who are interested in the whereabouts of “La grippe” we will say that he, she, or it, has not arrived here, but it is reported that a young man who left here about six weeks ago to spend the holidays in Salmon City and has not yet returned, is a victim of a malady of this character.[

A few men are employed by the Pine Creek M. & M. Company but the Arctic zephyrs of Pine Creek canyon keep them so closely quartered, that they rarely put in an appearance on the flat.[2]

The wood famine has been checked at the eleventh hour by the arrival of Messrs. Johnson and Young. It will suffice to say that hereafter all wood contracts will be awarded before July Fourth.

Hostilities are ended! Peace is proclaimed!! Ostracism is vanquished!!! “The lion and lamb have laid down together”, and Pine Creek is ready for the millennium. Not since the days with the solitary cabin graced the wilds has such perfect harmony prevailed.

The first ball known to Pine creek since the history of time began, was given by Mrs. F.W. Newman of the 23rd instant.

Invitations were out three weeks previous to date, and the dancing public of Shoup responded by the following named. Thos. Boyle and wife, W.W. St. Clair and wife, Thomas Stevens, James Welch, Joe Laughlin, Wm. Taylor, Thos. Pound, Geo. Chamberlain, Thos. Finnegan and “Yours Truly.” It is needless to add that the residents of Pine Creek attended en masse, and excellent music was furnished by Young and Taylor.

All credit is due Mrs. McLeod and Mrs. McCullough for the bountiful repast, which was par excellence and served free to all. This part of the program was manifestly doubly appreciated by those who walked from Shoup and back again.

Mrs. McCullough’s residence was opened to the dancing ghost and had not bold chanticleer crowed loud and long as a reminder of another day they might have been there yet.[3]

The well known house keeper from Hotel de Clipper Clipper mine[4] was unanimously declared the belle of the ball, and thus entitled to the enjoyment of all, the first banquet Pine creek has ever celebrated.

J.A.C__K

The Idaho Recorder, February 19, 1890

SHOUP LETTER

Shoup, Feb 10, 1890

To the Idaho Recorder:

The weather at this place at the present writing is decidedly moist and sloppy, the sudden thaw of the last few days stands without a precedent in the memory of the oldest inhabitant, who of course, is not so very old.

The snow slides along the trail makes travel very slow and dangerous. We should have had no “kick coming” if our genial mail carriers have failed to connect, but in spite of the elements they have never failed to get here on time.5]

This kind of weather makes the “Sky Wagon Road[6]", over which the Kentucky ore is hauled exceedingly difficult of navigation, and calls forth all the engineering abilities of the teamsters in steering the heavy wagons around the dangerous places, in comparison to which the management of an unballasted schooner in a rough sea would be simple.

The prospects are very bright for this wonderful mine. The quartz in the lower level continues to keep up its grade and improve in extent. The mill turned out as large a brick of gold for the 30 days past as at any time during its previous history.

The Grunter mine is looking well. They are running a drift west from the lower adit tunnel, which is about 250 feet below the crossings. They started in on a two feet streak of quartz and in driving 15 feet it has opened out to ? feet of clear white quartz showing bunches of solid sulphurets of iron on the foot wall, but the ground is exceedingly hard and has a decided advantage over the miner. A man will dull two or three drills sometimes, that are tempered as hard as fire and water can make them, before he gets a hole fairly spotted.[7]

The Clipper Bullion is looking fine. The shaft is now down seventy feet with a well defined vein of good ore all the way, signs agree well for the general permanency of the mines in this camp, because the Clipper Bullion is a distinct and separate vein from the other mines in the district, but still has the same course and dip. There are also several other prospects around camp that are showing up well.

We were honored by a visit from the genuine and only original Driftwood the other day.[8] He came up on the ice from that “wonderful country” about 10 miles below here, where he has started to hew out an empire single handed. He still retains the “gift of gab.” I would back him against any phonograph ever constructed, for incessant speech, with the virtue of saying something once in awhile. You may approach him on any subject from the origins of man to the world history a hundred years hence and he is right at home all the time.

The principal subject of those at the meeting in question, which happened the house of Tom Wend, was religion, and Driftwood laid down the principles thereof with the ability of a D.D.,[9] but he failed to convince Tom whose convictions on religion and women are firm and unchangeable.

It’s a pesky subject, is religion to me, I have studied over it a great deal at different times and the more I try to investigate, the further I drift from a practical solution. In the present instance the only way I could get a ‘chip in” was by quotations, a few of which I “found and made note of.”

According to Byron, Socrates said that “all our knowledge is to know that nothing can be known.” “A pleasant Science enough, which levels to an ass, each man of wisdom, future, present and past. As for me, I know naught, nothing I deny, admit, reject, condemn and what know you except perhaps, that you were born to die.” “Which may after all turn out untrue. An age might come, font of eternity, when things shall then be neither old nor new.” “Death, so called, is a thing which makes men weep, and yet one-third of life is passed in sleep.”[10]

After each member of the party had drug and condemned every other denomination but their own, with the usual severity of sectarian prejudice, the conversation drifted on to the all-important and vital question—quartz—and if a stranger had dropped in then, who did not know another about the business, he would have thought there were several million dollars represented right there.

During the course of the evening, “Driftwood” said that if a railroad should be built down Salmon river, it would develop one of the most extensive and prosperous quartz mining regions in the world, and half of that opinion is mine also, for after putting this and that together, a big chunk of which is personal observation, I have come to the conclusion that we have the necessary elements of some good mines down this way.

Let us review a small section of the country. Take a few square miles promiscuously, with the mouth of Owl Creek, for a center.[11]] The country is generally speaking, rough and not adapted to prospecting on horseback, but nature could not have arrayed herself to better advantage for assisting the prospector to find and develop her valuable metallic deposits. The river from here down for a long way has an east and west course with large creeks putting in from each side at intervals of a few miles, whose grade and volume would afford excellent water power privileges.

These creeks generally enter the river through narrow deep gorges their general direction is north and south, they are all true fissure veins, the usual course of which is east and west, and expose the crossings.[12] In fact, a man can sometimes find a mine which is already developed compared to those in some flat districts we know of. For instance we will take the Young Calumet copper lode which is situated on a tributary of the middle fork that puts in a short distance from its junction with the Salmon[13]

This is a contact vein between granite and slate, has a northeasterly course, is about 60 feet wide and runs diagonally across both the fork and the tributary.14] A man can stand on the dividing ridge and plainly trace the vein with his eye for nearly a mile in either direction. It is composed of slaty quartz highly stained with blue and green azurite and malachite ores and some copper pyrites. Now a copper lode is not supposed to show the true character of its ores until it gets below water level.

We don’t need to sink a shaft to illustrate that theory in this case because we can walk along the vein down the hill—which has a pitch of about 45 degrees—for about 400 feet, and here we come to a little flat where there are some large springs coming out of the lead. The water is highly impregnated with copper and the pyrites have shaded into variegated ore, peacock ores, so we have virtually gained in depth and lateral extent on the veins the distance we have traveled from where we stood, got below the water line and it is still 1,000 feet down to the river cropping out all the way and showing considerable black sulphurets and some glance.[15] Now such a mine would doubtless develop into a very profitable property if it had the magical civilizing concoction of a railroad, but in its present isolated position it is not worth two cents to anyone.

There are several good prospects showing copper cropping within a few miles of Owl creek, all of which carry more or less gold and silver. The formation in this section consists of all those rocks, irons, the original granite up through the gneiss, mica, schist and slates to the argentiferous limestones, with extensive dykes and belts of porphyry and cyanite, so of course embraces the true horizons of copper, gold and silver.[16]

Galena is not very plentiful, but there are some small veins on Clear Creek which assay very high in lead, and one lode opposite the mouth of Big creek which shows four feet of almost solid galena for about 50 feet in length and then suddenly changes into white spray quartz.

There is considerable carbonate of lead in the Orr group of claims. These are large veins situated on the head of Owl creek and though they average low throughout, they carry the small streaks of very rich silver ore. Not far from this group in an easterly direction is the Nabob mine, which is exclusively gold. The shaft is down 30 feet and shows a well-defined vein of red honeycombed quartz, which give very good prospects in the pan and is in a very desirable location for economical handling.

In traveling from this mine in a southeasterly direction we pass several large veins whose cropping are plentifully besprinkled with fine grained pyrites and occasional specks of sulphide of antimony which is very suggestive of the richer metals.[18]

After gaining the river we come to the Hurst mine. This is a forty foot vein of quartz with a few narrow cuts run into it, and shows a large quantities of arsenical pyrites, but assays low in silver. Near here are the Fardown and Doughnut claims which are both on the same lode which averages from five to eight feet in width and crops out in long chimneys with intermittent spaces capped over. There has been some very fine specimens found in this lead showing both native gold and silver in the same piece. The ore will assay on an average about $40 per ton, mostly silver.

It will be seen from the foregoing that this is pre-eminently a mining country with bountiful indications of the precious and useful metals in paying quantities, but they need a railroad connection to ore worked to a profit, for it would have to be very rich ore to pay to ship out on pack mules. Of course the country we have been describing would only form so infinitesimal of what would be tributary to such a road. Now, if we could only bring this country honestly to the notice of the fortunate possessors of flouring mills and breweries in the East who are handling so much English capital these days, and direct some of their surplus decals in this direction, it would be almost sure to result in a happy issue to all parties concerned. I think if this portion of Idaho was properly developed, it would rival in reality the fabulous stories that used to excite our youthful imagination of that wonderful El Dorado and Golconda, where women warriors wore armor of solid gold.

Prospector

Spring has sprung in the canyon—wild and sudden. I have moved into Shoup, and assist with the cooking for the miners. I need a steady paycheck to cover the expenses of untangling my marriage, so the children and I have taken a room at the boarding house. For now we must be content, but life for a woman alone is no picnic.

The river runs high and brown while the hills wear their green like they’ve been saving it all winter. Alta is four now—old enough to keep an eye on Eddy, who is two and a half and already convinced the world belongs to him. Between the two of them, I can steal a few moments’ peace—they haven’t yet discovered how to climb out the back window.

The men eat what we put before them and come back for more, so I suppose I do all right. When they’re feeling generous—or when I give them that look that says I won’t stand for their smell anymore—they’ll even pay me to wash their diggers and drawers.

By the time the last pan is scrubbed and the children tucked in, my words are few, but I write them all the same—mostly on scraps of paper the merchants of Shoup kindly save for me. Proper stationery is too costly, but someday.

By the time the last pan is scrubbed and the children tucked in, my words are few. Proper stationery is too costly, but someday.

Robert Bell has taken over writing news of Shoup, writing under the pen name of Prospector for awhile, until he settled on A.Q. Miner before he shortened it to A.Q.M. I was busy writing poetry.

Idaho Recorder, March 26, 1890

SHOUP LETTER

Shoup Idaho, March 18, 1890

To The Idaho Recorder:

In passing up Boulder creek, above the city of Sour Dough, the most conspicuous object of interest on account of its silence, is the Kentuck Mill. This mill has been run continually for the past five years, and its merry rattle had become such a feature of the gulch, that its stoppage gives everything a deserted appearance. They are working a small force in the mine, pushing the winze[19] down from the lower level, it is already down eight feet on high grade all the way. When they get 20 feet further they intend to cut a statin and drift both ways.[20] As soon as the ice goes out of the river so that a boat can be got down with supplies and wagons, we understand this property will be in full blast again.

I will take this opportunity on behalf of the miners and other employees of the Kentuck Mining Company, of expressing the deepest sympathy with the relatives and friends of Frank Ryan, whose tragic death at this place a few days ago, sent a pang of sorrow through the hearts of all. Mr. Ryan had many friends here, in fact his genial, kindly nature challenged the admiration of all who made his acquaintance, and the sad accident which caused his untimely end is the source of the sincerest retreat to all who knew him.

Robert Bell as had a serious attack of the grippe and been confined to the house for two weeks, but we are glad to chronicle the fact that he is improving.

The most contented man in camp is Eli Suydam. He is working hard every day, pushing ahead the west drift of the lower tunnel where they made the strike recently.

The vein is three feet wide, of solid high grade ore. With this drift connects with the winze sunk from the tunnel above, he will be able to show a continuous chimney of ore 200 feet long and 100 feet deep. Now this much be very gratifying to Eli after all the serious doubts that have been expressed by disinterested parties as to the stability of this vein, which was supposed by many to be a slide, and is but a just reward for his energy and enterprise in testing the matter.

I don’t go much on the slide theory myself, and wouldn’t care if a mine was a slide, so long as there was two or three million dollars worth of high grade free milling ore in sight. In my opinion, taking into consideration the pitch of the vein I don’t think the Clipper Bullion could be a slide.

The hill generally has the appearance of being pretty well shaken up, which probably happened about the time our strong dykes of igneous rock were being fused and pushed up to the surface, from the volcanic furnaces below, but that doesn’t hurt the mine any, it rather helps it by making the vein looser and easier to work and separate from the walls. The present indications point to the fact that Eli is going to have one of the most profitable pieces of mining property in the camp.

The Rapid Transit Ferry Company[21] have commenced making regular trips across the Salmon river, opposite the Grunter Mill. Fare as usual, 10 cents or three for a quarter. Season tickets for sale at Roach & Gibbs saloon.

The Grunter mine is looking well. They are getting some fine free gold quartz. On the foot side of the vein the stratum is about two feet thick and sixty feet in from the hanging wall, the whole mass of which is good milling rock.

John Murray and Joe Loughlin are going to do some work on their claims down at Little Sheep creek, about three miles below the Kentuck. They show some very rich specimen ore from there and claim to have a good thing.

A.Q. MINER

Idaho Recorder, April 23, 1890

SHOUP LETTER

Shoup, Idaho, April 12, 1890

To the Idaho Recorder:

The passing events at this place are not causing very extensive shadow before them at the present time.

The Kentuck Company still continue to employ a small force doing development work. There is another small force, only not quite so small, waiting, like Micawber for “something to turn up.”[22]

The Grunter people are making preparations to the start their mill. They have got the pipe fixed and water in the ditch. The ore bin at the mill, which hold 50 tons, is full of $10 free milling quartz and there is enough broken in the mine to fill it three times again, with an immense amount of high grade ore in sight.

Judge Sherman is getting out some very rich ore and intends to start his arastra before long.

Eli Suydam has started another adit tunnel on the Clipper Bullion lower down the gulch, it will only have to run about 75 feet to strike the lead which is showing up remarkably well defined and rich in tunnel No. 2. The excavation of this tunnel is untrusted to the “eagle eye” of John Hennessey and its truncate walls and symmetrical turn of arch will stand comparison with anything we ever saw.

Fritz Galbraith, better known as “Petroleum,” came over the other day with Jas. Vig? has been developing some quartz lode during the Winter. He says they have a tunnel in over 100 feet on a ten foot vein of gold ore that will average $20 per ton, besides several other claims that are showing up well.

W.W. St. Clair and wife returned to this burg recently. They have rented the house owned by E.S. Suydam and intend to go into the restaurant business, which ought to be a paying venture.

Thos. Palmer came down from the McKillip Bros. mine, on Sandy Creek, where he has been working for the past four months, he is down to visit his family for a few days, and expects to return to work at the same place. He speaks very highly of the Sandy creek property, says it is the most persistently rich free gold ore he ever saw, and that when they get their fissure veins opened up thoroughly, the property is bound to make an excellent record for itself. Mr Palmer is a man well able to judge such matters, as he has had 20 years practical experience in mining for precious and useful metals.

While I do not envy the present owners, I cannot help secretly clubbing myself for taking the advice of a worthy salmon-eater, whose ability to judge the value of a four-year-old steer, or the tanned hide thereof is far in advance of his quartz education, in regard to this mine, about six years ago. The circumstances are as follows. A party in Portland Oregon, sent me a diagram of the route to the claim now owned by McKillip Bros. I went up there and found an old corner stake just as he described, but there were still great banks of snow up there as it was early in the season, and as I could not get around very well, or see any quartz crossings, I concluded to go later in the season. When I got back to Salmon City I met the worthy in question, and on telling him of my trip he said, “You are wasting your time looking for a mine in that formation. It’s too hard, nothing can live in it. My partner and I have been representing mines up there for the last fifteen years, and we never made a dollar out of them, and never will. The veins are too small, etc.”

Being young at the business, I took his advice and drifted off in another direction, and thus missed what promises to be a valuable property.[23] I mention this circumstance not for the purpose of displaying my ignorance, but just to show that the imperfection of the human judgment has its advantages, and in support of the biblical adage which says, “there is a place for the gold where you find it.”

In looking over a late issue of the Butte Inter-Mountain, I see that some local fish eater from Salmon City has been expressing his opinion in regard to the mines of this section to a reporter of the above mentioned journal. His report would convey the idea that we had nothing in the Salmon River country but very small veins. He certainly cannot be a genuine “shell back,"[24] or he would have known better, for nothing could be more injurious or incorrect, and I don’t think the party in question, whoever he is, knows much about the country in general.

I can mention 50 veins in a primary formation within a short distance of this camp that will run all the way from five to fifty feet thick, in all stages of development, for a discovery stake down to 850 feet in depth, that would give assays varying all the way from a few dollars in value per ton, up to pure gold, silver and copper and 70 percent lead, and there are not big enough. I can refer the gentleman to Geo Thomas and his, Buster and Jim McCullough, who know where there are new leads of silver and lead bearing mineral that are 400 feet wide, crop out 50 feet in the air for six miles in length, and go down as deep as you have a mind to imagine.

It is the unsophisticated opinion of your correspondent that if a railroad should be built down the river there will be camps sprung up in this country that will rival the metal product of Summit valley itself and all its surroundings. The structure of this country about here is such as to greatly facilitate the development and drainage of the veins for hundreds of feet in depth, and the diversity of metals they contain is a sure indication of their strength and permanency, if the precedent example all the best and deepest mins in the world is anything to go by.

Amongst other things which taxes the vocabulary and dormant retiree of the local Micawber of this camp while waiting for something to turn up, we occasionally hear a puff of patriotic polite. They all agree in lauding the untiring effort of our Governor in helping along the passage of that important act which is to allow the “Gem of the Mountains” to abide in that rich setting for which she is fully designed, and procure for them that unrestricted franchise of which all intelligent citizens of this great and glorious republic much be justly proud.

There are lots of good Democrats in this burg; in fact it is, and always was a Democrat precinct, but of course like the State of Montana it reserves the right to go back on its ancestors. There are aspirants here for most of the county offices, amongst the most abitious is W.W.———, himself but he don’t want to wait till the election, but desires to be appointed to the August office of Justice of the Peace right off. Now, while we have the completest confidence in W.__’s judicial ability to fill the retail price of beef high enough, we would not like to trust him with such serious cases, say for instance, “cruelty to dumb animals” or “women’s rights.”

There is one official at the present time officiating, who has given such entire satisfaction so far, that his is sure to get a solid vote in this precinct if he runs again. We refer to the jovial Timothy Dore, our obliging County Recorder. We think he can fill that office as efficiently as any man who ever pushed a pen.

A Q Miner

Idaho Recorder, March 12, 1890

DEATH OF FRANK RYAN

On Saturday, March 8th, a terrible accident befell one of the esteemed and estimable young men of this city, Frank Ryan, a brother of Mrs. Hal Chase. On the 17th of February Mr. Ryan left this city to work at the Kentuck Mine, at Shoup, where he was engaged in driving a four-horse team hauling ore from the mine to the mill, a distance of two miles, over a very steep and dangerous road. The particulars of the accident as near as can be ascertained, are as follows:

He was coming down the mountain with his last load on Saturday night, and when within two hundred yards of the dump something gave way, when man, team and wagon were hurled won a steep and Rocky Mountain side, at an incline of eight degrees, to the creek a thousand feet below. To all appearances he must have fallen fifty feet before he struck, alighting on his face and chest, and bounded from there to the creek below, falling at the feet of W.W. St. Clair, who with others, tenderly carried him to his house, where all that was possible was done to relieve his sufferings.

W.H. Buchannan started immediately for this city for a doctor, a distance of 40 miles, where he arrived at 8 o’clock on Sunday morning. His brother-in-law, Hal Chase, with Dr. Whitwell, hastened to the sufferer. When they had gone about ten miles a messenger met them with the intelligence that the sufferer only survived but two hours and twenty minutes. The doctor turned back, but Mr. Chase went on and made all necessary arrangement to have the body sent to Corinne, Utah.

His sister, Mrs. Hal Chase, and Mrs. Ada Merritt also started to go to him, but turned back when they learned of his death . . . getting his body out was tough on account of trail conditions.

Idaho Recorder, March 19, 1890

LOCAL INTELLIGENCE

Wm. Taylor, an old-timer of this section is in the city. He comes from Argenta here.[25]

The Kentuck mill and mine at Shoup has been closed down since the terrible accident on March 8th.

Idaho Recorder, March 26, 1890

DIED

NIEMAN—At Shoup, Idaho on March 21, 1890. Frankie W., son of Mrs. and Mrs. F. W. Nieman, aged 3 years, 5 months and 4 days. This little child died very suddenly and unexpectedly after an illness of but two days duration. The body was brought to this city on Thursday and after and examination the physicians pronounced it a case of brain fever.[26] The Funeral was held at the residence of Mrs. Maggie Boyle and the services were conducted by Rev. W.E. King.

DIED

BOYLE—At Shoup, Idaho, on March 22d, 1890, Mary, infant daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Boyle, Jr. aged 5 month and 7 days.

The little one died suddenly and unexpectedly, being apparently as well as ever the night before, and at 6a.m. was found to be cold in death. The remains were brought to this city and after an examination by the physicians, they pronounced it a case of heart disease.[27]

Idaho Recorder, May 7, 1890

SHOUP LETTER

Shoup Idaho, May 4, 1890.

To the Idaho Recorder

The Kentuck Co. have commenced hauling ore again, with C.V. Gilmer at the ribbons.[28] The developments in the mine still continue to show up well. The quartz in the raise above the 700 foot level, looks exceptionally fine. This raise is being put through for air, and they expect to make the connection in a few days which will ventilate this level thoroughly, and most of the drifts at the bottom of the new 100 foot winze being pushed ahead.

The Grunter is producing some very rich ore. Ye scribe saw samples of rock prospected the other day, that would average $100 in free gold. It came from a two foot steak recently unearthed near the foot wall.

Eli Suydam has purchased a claim formerly owned by John H. Gibbs. It is situated at the foot of the hill right below his mine and embraces a pretty timbered bar, which will make an excellent mill site. He has already let a contract to build a log house and will probably erect a stream mill of six ton capacity the coming Summer.

John H. Gibbs, the celebrated saloonist of this place, has temporarily abandoned that lucrative business, and will take up with hard work for awhile. He has gone in with his partner, Joe Laughlin, for a systematic attempt to rifle that much wrinkled and roughly handled old dame, Nature. The particular vein into which they have forced entrance at a depth of 50 feet, from the surface is 2 1/2 feet thick, and the quality is such as to indicate the it will materially help the old lady’s circulation in the near future.

Messrs. Stuart, Whitman and ? located a big gold and silver lead a short while ago, about 8 miles west of the Kentuck mine.

The vein is 10 feet wide, and crops out along the surface for the length of two claims. They have had two average assays of the quartz taken at different places along the lead, which went $27 and $33 in gold and silver—about equally divided. The present boom in silver and the prospect of a railroad in the near future makes this a very desirable piece of property. The boys calculate to do considerable development on it this Summer.

John Carroll had got the finest ore dump of any man in the camp. It is 15 by 20 feet and has a 10-foot wall built up on the outside. It would hold 100 tons of high grade ore easily, but where it will or not depends entirely on the production of the formation and John’s staying qualities. He has a ledge five foot thick that shows some good free milling ore.

Mrs. W. Nieman has again assumed charge of the Kentuck boarding house, which is a source of great satisfaction to the boys, who would rather have a woman do their cooking for ‘em.

Her scientifically prepared dish is having its affect of the lads already. They are commencing to “flesh up” immensely.

Mr. and Mrs. Thos. Boyle have just returned from a camping trip to the Hot Springs, where they have been basking in the balmy influences of Spring blossoms, sunshine and hot water.

As Sunday last was a fine day, we thought it would be a good scheme to visit our friends and try and change of diet, so consequently wandered up to the ranch of Thos. Wend, which is a model of neatness and completeness (especially at this season of the year), surrounded as if it is by a crescent of pine-clad hills on one side and the river on the other, with its budding shrubs, blossoms and flowers, together with the lights and shadows of a setting sun, form a picture which an artist in vain might try to imitate. I cannot help conjuring up the poet’s conceptions of Edgar W. Ney, “O the chilly winds have ceased to blow,” and “The clouds roll by” and “The Robins nest again,” and “The Spring time has come Gentle Annie.”[29]

A.Q.M.

Idaho Recorder, May 21, 1890

Pine Creek

SPLENDID SHOWING

Successful Run Made by the Pine Creek Mill

John M. Parfet, General Manager of the Pine Creek Mining Company, accompanied by the employees, arrived in town from the mines on last Friday afternoon.

Mr. Parfet had in his possession what has proved to be the result of another test run made in their mill, situated on Pine creek, within the past 30 days, viz: a 17 lb 2 1/2oz. Gold brick worth $4,000. This is indeed a very flattering showing for this company’s property, and in our opinion Mr. Parfet has good cause to rejoice over this last success, for as near as we can learn this amount of gold was taken from but 200 tons of, gold quartz, bringing the average per ton up to $20. Again this ore was put into their mill after lying idle for many months past, consequently a great deal was necessarily lost in getting the plates and machinery in thorough working order, and could hardly be considered ready to do thorough work until near the close of this run. This is self-evident from the fact that during the first five days run they could only “clean up” one pound of amalgam and the last ten days seventeen and three-quarter pounds. This and the many other inconveniences they have had to suffer in making this test run, creates no little surprise among our mining men that so many ounces of gold could be taken from so few tons of rock.

Mr. Parfet’s oft-repeated remark “that Pine creek was all right,” seems to us now to be well founded, and if his company only had one-half the persistent energy, go-ahead-iteness and confidence in this property the the has ever shown, they would immediately proceed to open up these mines which, when once opened, would easily pay a regular monthly dividend on the basis of what has been shown them on three previous mill tests. The last ores in the stopes[30] were looking exceptionally well when operations closed, but that owing to a lack of development there is not, as yet, sufficient ground opened to supply the mill for regular and continuous run.

Mr. Parfet was very ably assisted in making this run by Mr. J.F. Rowe as amalgamator. Mr. Rowe is a thorough mill man, perfectly reliable, and above all a perfect gentleman. Mr. Parfet feels that too much credit cannot be given him in pulling them through.

LOCAL INTELLIGENCE

C.H.Spayds left on Monday for his home at Shoup.

J.M. Parfet and wife visited the Hot Springs on Monday and Tuesday.

J.M. Parfet, J.H.Rowe, W.W. St. Clair and Geo. Chamberlain came up from Pine creek on Saturday afternoon.

E.S. Suydam will soon build a couple of flat-boats, load them with supplies for his mine and pilot them down the river. The wire cable for the tramway is already here, lying on the river bank awaiting transportation.

The first flat-boat of the season was built here on Saturday and Sunday, launched and loaded with merchandise, and floated away on the bosom of the turbid Salmon on Monday morning on its way to Shoup. The boat was built and manned by C.V. Gilmer and Frank Whitmore, with Messrs. Evans, Meiklejohn and Faley as passengers for North Fork and Mart Findley and Harry Pope for Sour Dough.

The flat-boat “hung up” at two different places between here and North Fork, but passed that point on Tuesday morning about 8 o’clock.

The party of Eastern bear hunters returned from their trip on Sunday and left by coach on Monday. They did not interfere seriously with bruin and family, and they did not see but one track even.

H. Moll, of Shoup, has been here for about a week waiting the arrival of his stepdaughter and stepson from the East. They left Arkansas on the 15th instant, and should have been here several days ago.

Mr. Parks, of Shoup, came in on Monday to have one of his eyes treated, as he is suffering from partial blindness. He met with very rough treatment on the trail, and we are very sorry that he did not have his tormentor arrested as he was counciled to do by many of our citizens.

Idaho Recorder, June 4, 1890

FATAL ACCIDENT

Frank Haak Drowned in the Salmon River, at Shoup. The flat-boat which left this place on Monday, May 25th, was swamped and Frank Haak, one of the passengers lost his life.

They left on Monday about 10 a.m. with Messres, Gilmer and Whitemore at the oars, Mart Findley and Harry Pope who were going to work at the Kentuck and Frank Haak, the ill-fated young man, bound for Shoup, Messrs. Meiklejohn and Evans and young Fahey, passengers for North Fork. They had about 7,000 pounds of freight and took on 6,000 pounds of oats at Cale Davis’ ranch.

They floated along all right until this side of Mrs. Grace Barrack’s ranch, nearly 20 miles below here, where the boat struck a snag and began to leak so badly that they were compelled to unload the entire cargo and repair it. They passed the night there and reached North Fork at 8 a.m. on Tuesday morning, landed their passenger for their destination. The run from North Fork to Thos. Wend’s ranch (five miles this side of Shoup) was made in safety. There they loaded more freight and another passenger, Otto Michel.

Half a mile this side of Shoup is what is known as Blacksnake rapids, a very dangerous place, and Charles Gilmer told the men to prepare to swim as he thought probably the boat might swamp right there. At this, every man in the boat removed his outer clothing and boots, except the ill-fated young man, who appeared to be perfectly unconscious of the danger. In passing through the rapids the waves dashed entirely over the boat, and from that time on it was beyond their control. They called to the men on shore to get a small boat and come to their assistance, but as fate would have it, they were all on the other side of the river.

Mart Findley, who is a good swimmer, took in the situation and plunged boldly into the water, determined to get a boat and to try and save the lives of at least two of the party who could not swim. It was thought he was lost, as he was under the water nearly half the time, but gained the shore 150 yards below where he went in. Mr. Haak leaped from the boat immediately after Findley and the first time he came up he called loudly for help and struggled manfully to gain the shore and several times was dashed very near the bank. The men on shore threw boxes, boards and poles to him but he appears to notice nothing of them and he, finally sank to rise no more, in the sight of every man and woman in the place, who were powerless to save him.

Among the crowd on the bank was Jack Ralston, who was preparing to plunge into the boiling flood and try to rescue the drowning man, but his friends dissuaded him from the attempt or we would, without doubt, have to chronicle the death of two persons instead of one. Meantime, Messrs. Gilmer and Whitmore made it to shore and Harry Pope ever to the other side of the river so close to that bank that the boat capsized immediately and the entire cargo was lost.

The ill-fated young man was a cousin of C.H. Spayds and about 26 years of age, a native of PA and leaves a widowed mother and sister to mourn his untimely death. He was a telegraph operator and came out of Denver, Col., about two weeks ago, merely to see the country. He was a member of the K.F. & C., but of what lodge we were unable to learn. The remains have not been recovered, and it is very unlikely that they ever will be, as below Shoup there is no trail nor means of following the river for many miles.

The Kentuck Co. by whom the boat was built are in no part responsible for the accident as they do not carry passengers except as a favor and their own risk. The cargo was worth $700 and was all for the Kentuck Co.

Idaho Recorder, June 18, 1890

STRIKE AT PINE CREEK

From E.S. Suydam, who came up from Shoup on Saturday, we learn that the strike reportedly made in the Virginia mine at Pine Creek, has not been overestimated, as they have run a distance of 30 feet across the ledge and as yet have found no foot wall.

The ore assays $30 per ton in gold. The owners, Messrs, Brown and James of Pine creek, and Dr. G.A. Kennedy of this city, are to be congratulated on the prospect of a veritable bonanza.

Since the above was placed in type, Frank Pollard returned from Pine creek where he had been to inspect the property. He reports the vein 31 1/2 feet in width. Pollard brought up the samples of ore which will assay from $12 to $50 per ton for the whole 30 feet.

LOCAL INTELLIGENCE

“Chas. H. Spayds of Shoup is in town courting.”

A. Legyt came in from Shoup on Saturday and tells us of a rich prospect which he and his partner recently discovered on Spring creek, about five miles from the Salmon river. The ledges shows a well-defined vein of ore and assays $65 per ton in silver and $10 per ton in gold and is four feet in width. From what we can learn this property, it is likely to prove of great value.

Idaho Recorder, June 25, 1890

THE GAME LAW

Between the first day of September and that of January in each year it is lawful to kill buffalo, elk, deer, antelope or mountain sheep, but it is advised not to kill many buffalo.

Between the 15th day of July and the 1st of February, pheasants, grouse or prairie chicken, between the 1st day of August and the 15th day of April, ducks or geese, quail or partridge at any time.

The only lawful way to take fish from any of the streams of this Territory is by fishing tackle, consisting of a rod or pole, line and hook, save salmon, salmon trout and sturgeon, which may be taken by hook or spear.

LOCAL INTELLIGENCE

On Tuesday, 15th This. Elder, Jr. who carries the mail from here to Shoup, while on his way to that place discovered the body of P.H. Waynick in an eddy on the opposite side of the river about eight miles from Shoup. He brought word back to Gibbonsville, and a party of ten left at once to bury the remains. A boat was taken to the spot, the body secured and conveyed about a mile further down and buried.

Andrew Farrier, an employee at Gov. Shoup’s ranch, had a narrow escape from drowning on Sunday while fording the Salmon river 6 miles above here. He brought a load of hay over in the morning and forded all right, but on his return the rack slipped forward, and in attempting to the save the team he was swept into the stream and rescued by Gus Durand, who happened to be fishing near the spot. He was completely exhausted and was resuscitated with difficulty. The team and wagon were saved.

Idaho Recorder, June 25, 1890

SHOUP ITEMS

Shoup, Idaho, June 22, 1890

To The Idaho Recorder:

The Grunter mill commenced dropping stamps again on Thursday last, with John Rowe, amalgamator on the day shift, and Elijah Schofield on the night shift. Whether it is on account of the superior quality of rock, or the manipulation of the mill, I don’t know, but the amalgam never commenced to ridge up so quickly after just starting the mill on bare plates as it does at this time, and as they have several hundred tons of quartz out which all prospect as well as what is now in the mill—and some far better. It is safe to predict a very successful run.

The Kentuck mine and mill continue in full operation, under the sole management of C.V. Gilmer, who carries the enormous weight of responsibility and various other little jabs thrown in without any perceptible ozs of flesh.

Jim McCullough and Myers are whip-sawing lumber for Suydam’s new mill, preparations for the erection of which are being rapidly pushed. It was while excavating a foundation for the head station of the wire tramway the other day at a point about 100 feet at right angles to the old lead, that Mr. Suydam struck into another vein which seems to be running parallel to the old one.

It is about three feet between the walls, with a pay streak about 15 inches thick of rich brown honeycombed quartz that is enormously rich, and will roll fully as well, if not better, than the best taken from the upper level.

Mr. Suydam feels highly elated for he will get out more than enough ore in making the foundation, to pay the entire cost of the tramway, besides making another valuable and handy addition to his present large ore reserves. Nothing better illustrates the future possibilities of this camp than this strike, and it is only a question of muscle when there will be other rich discoveries made, for there is a dozen different places on the same side hill for a mile along the river where rich float has been found, but the formation is mostly covered and it is necessary to dig from the start.

It is only a profound reverence for hard muscular labor that has prevented the indomitable Samuel James from bringing out the merits of the Old Virginia Lode, which by the application of a little faith and a whole lot of man power was recently transformed from a doubtful slide to a large permanent and well-defined vein of undoubted value.

A.Q.M.

Idaho Recorder, July 23, 1890

SHOUP ITEMS

Shoup, Idaho, July 20, 1890

The Kentuck Company are running steadily both the mine and mill with good results. They have increased the foot of the mine during the past two weeks. The vein is showing up well in the lower levels, and looks as if it would develop another bonanza chamber in the near future.

One of the teams ran away with J.T. Gilmer, who was doing down to the landing for a load of goods from the boat. The runaway was caused by one of the dump boards sliding ahead and striking the horses; they stared off on a dead run, down grade, but they had not gone far before he brought them up suddenly against a stump. Excepting a cut on one of the horses forefeet, there was no serious damage done.

A fire broke out in a little shack used as a cook house near the Grunter Mill, recently which resulted in the completion of demolition of a wood shed and badly scorched the west end of the building. It looked like a case of spontaneous combustion for there had not been a fire in the building since early in the morning.

R. Bell was appointed Deputy Mineral Recorder for this district last week, vice WW St. Clair, resigned.

Mrs. St. Clair[31] is going a rushing business at her restaurant. Besides boarding the Kentuck mill hands, she feeds the entire floating population of Shoup.

A.Q.M.

Idaho Recorder, August 13, 1890

LOCAL INTELLIGENCE

Miss Emma Merritt and Master Allen arrived from Shoup on Saturday.

E.S. Suydam and J.A. Labricque came up from Shoup on Sunday.

They are building a flat-boat near the bridge.

J.T. Gilmer returned from Salt Lake on Monday’s coach. He reports the bathing season is at its height, and everybody enjoying themselves.

The engine and boiler for E.S. Suydam’s mill arrived in town on Monday, and will be loaded on a flat-boat and taken to Shoup the last of the week.

Ten Doy, the Chief of the Bannock Indians, was in town on Monday. He attended the carnival at Ogden and was given a medal which he exhibited with rank pride. He says the injuns heap dance; white men give ‘um ‘shorts napias” (much money) maybe so it was four hundred dollars.[32]

Robert Bell of Shoup is in town.

Johnny Gibbs’ hand was improving so fast that he was able to leave for his home at Shoup on last Friday.

J.T. Gilmer left for Shoup on Tuesday afternoon. He went via Leesburg and Pine creek and was accompanied by Robt. McNicoll as far as Geo. Barrack’s place. They made a graceful pair on horseback, and by a singular coincidence both rode white horses, and there was no red-headed girl in sight when they left town either.

Shoup did not take the month of July lightly, I assure you. For four days straight, the town was alive with purpose and promise. The first two days were given over to earnest labor—cooking and baking, setting long tables beneath the wide sky, neighbors weaving together laughter and sweat as they hung flags that caught the canyon winds like old dreams taking flight. Two days of steady hands and quiet anticipation, preparing for the storm of celebration to come.

Then came two days of delirious abandon, where measured steps gave way to dancing feet. The third of July brought Idaho stitched onto the Union flag as the 43rd star and barely had those echoes faded when Independence Day itself called out, demanding its own raucous celebration.

We didn’t observe the occasion with reverence or soft whispers—we shouted, filling the canyon with noise and painting the sky with the colorful hues of fireworks. Children ran with sparklers tracing fire in the dark, men raised their voices in speeches, and the town danced through the night. Just before the sun rose, I heard a lone fiddler playing “Yankee Doodle,” stubborn and sweet, like a memory refusing to fade.

Well now, to that wagon road everyone is buzzing about—it’s more than just a trail scratched into the mountains. It’s a promise, seventy-five miles long, running from the Bitter Root railroad terminus in Montana to the Mineral Hill Mining District. And there’s just one problem. The road ends at Gibbonsville. While there’s talk of extending it from Gib’ Town to North Fork, there’s still no road into Shoup—not even a dream of one.

And that’s too bad, because our canyon—part of the Mineral Hill District—is a place of quartz veins and gold dreams, just up the ridges from Shoup, where the sound of a hammer on rock still means someone’s hoping. They call it “Mineral Hill,” but it’s more a tangle of draws and claims than a single summit, sprawling all the way to the Montana line.

They say the road to Gibbonsville will be finished in ninety days. While that means the pack trains can now head over Ulysses Mountain into Gib’ Town —shaving off a good twenty-five miles of hard country—it still doesn’t get wagons into Shoup. Until it does, we’ll struggle to draw real investors, the kind with deep pockets and heavier freight.

If we had a road to Shoup, we wouldn’t be just another scribble on some mule-train ledger. It would mean we were part of something larger. News might arrive while it’s still fresh. Freight wouldn’t cost a man his patience and half his profit. And more than all that—we wouldn’t be the last stop before wilderness. We’d be a dot on a map someone back east might actually recognize.

Maybe we’ll get a railroad before we get a road. Stranger things have happened and me and Captain Turner are still holding on to hope.

Tom’s orchard gave up its bounty this year and he brought the fruit into town by the bushel. The cherries were plump and crisp, the peaches soft as a hymn. And I must say—without a hint of exaggeration—Tom dug up some early potatoes so big they might well be the largest ever grown in Idaho. No one dares argue with Tom when it comes to potatoes.

On the 26th, I quietly marked my own thirty-four years—no fireworks for that, but plenty of peaches and friends to soften the day. Afterward I enlisted some help from the men and canned more quarts of peaches that I could count.

As for myself, my spirits have lifted like the morning fog off the river. The law says I must wait a full year before I may lawfully dissolve the union that has long since dissolved in every other respect—and that year is nearly at its end. By September I should have enough money to hire a lawyer— can you imagine that? All we needed to marry was a preacher—and there is nothing tangible to divide aside from the children I bore him, but I doubt that he’ll show his face in Salmon to claim them.

With something to look forward to and dust in the air smelling of ripe fruit and powder smoke, I’ve sharpened my quill and sent off a fresh column to the Recorder—news from Shoup, where the memory of fireworks lingers, prompted by the boom of dynamite in the mining tunnel, where Tom’s potatoes astound and a woman may find the chance to begin anew, if she is patient.

Idaho Recorder, August 6, 1890

SHOUP ITEMS[33]

Shoup, Idaho, July 31, 1890

To the Idaho Recorder:

The old standby mines and mills of this district continue to make music of the usual strain.

Eli Suydam expects to have his mill in running order in 40 days from date, if his boiler and engine gets around, and the fates don’t see fit to inflict any more serious accidents on him. He has had a new skiff built to ply between his place and the city.[34] It is of model construction, and a combination of grace and business qualities, complimentary to the little lady whose name it carries in large gilt letters - “Suzie Edwards.”

W.W. St. Clair and wife, Thos. Pound and Herman Moll, jun. have just returned from a trip to Grantsdale, Missoula county.

They went by way of Mineral hill, and say it is only 75 miles to the terminus of the Bitter Root railroad from here, by that route. They report times lively in that region, and say there will be a wagon road completed to Mineral Hill inside of 90 days. Geo. Chamberlain accompanied them as far as Grantsdale on his way to the Coeur d’ Alenes.

Mr. Chamberlain got up a party just before he left, to which he invited all his Shoup friends also his “arrah” stocratie acquaintances from Pine creek.[35] The dance, which was held in the large dining room of the Kentuck boarding house where I am employed, commenced at half past nine. The music was furnished by Messrs. Taylor and Young, and was excellent. The floor manager was Mr. James Slender, more commonly known as “Slimfur.”[36] The very mention of this gentleman’s name in connection with a dancing party, insures a good time.

A go-as-you-please supper[37] was served at 12 o’clock by Mrs. Morrell and was highly appreciated by all. Miss Emma Merritt, being the only unmarried lady present was pronounced belle of the ball.

Everything passed off pleasantly, and broad daylight terminated one of the most successful parties ever gotten up in Shoup.[38]

F.W. Nieman did not get down to the party, but by staying at home he received a present from his wife, which was calculated to satisfy the most fastidious. It came in the shape of an “original package,” weighed 12 pounds, had a good healthy cry with it, and, to use a common expression of Hibernian nomenclature, is “the makings of a reth of a boy.”[39]

Mrs. Schofield and Mrs. McLeod are getting to be the most expert fishers on the Salmon river, they capture a string nearly every day, mostly suckers and squaw fish, but they occasionally get one or two of the more stylish kind that wears specks.[40]

Messrs. Gilmer, Stewart and Whitmore are going to have 50 tons of ore packed down from their Nabob mine, while the train is here, to get a free milling test of it.

R. Bell has started the arastra at the mouth of Pine creek, owned by George Sandilands and himself for a short run.

Idaho Recorder, August 20th, 1890

LOCAL INTELLIGENCE

Jack Ralston came up from Shoup on Monday.

E.S. Suydam and J.A. Labricque left on Friday with a flat-boat loaded with the 12-horse power engine and boiler and other machinery for the Clipper Bullion mill now in course of erection at Shoup. A. Legyt and Billy Marvin were the only passengers.

Horse back riding is all the rage this Summer amount the young ladies, and every evening a party of them may be seen on our streets. This healthful exercise is very beneficial as it makes a lady graceful and lithe. To become a skilled and daring equestrienne is one of the greatest accomplishments.

Ah, but it was time. A full year of abandonment had arrived—and I don’t mean the celebratory kind. I sat at the table, sharpened my quill, and pondered a message for Ada Merritt. I wanted it printed in the Recorder, slipped discreetly into the Local Intelligence column for those who knew how to read between the lines. It had to be cryptic, of course—only those who knew me would be able to cipher it. I still needed the money to afford a Judge to decree it but as far as I was concerned my marriage was over.

My thoughts wandered back to the evening just before the new year when I wrote that little passage within the History of the Downriver Mining Camps. A sentiment tucked there years ago now read like a thorn between the pages.

I dipped my pen into my trusty ink bottle and wrote to Ada, asking her to print the notice I penned and not change a word of it. I’d spent the day bent over a hot cookstove and now, with the children bedded down in a cramped corner of the boarding house that clung like a swallow’s nest to the ledge near the Kentuck Mine, I was bone-tired. But I was glad I wrote it.

A little laugh bubbled out of me. I set the note to Ada aside, corked the ink bottle and went to bed. There’d be a hungry batch of miners in the dining hall before daylight. When it showed up in the newspaper and laughed again.

Idaho Recorder, August 27, 1890

LOCAL INTELLIGENCE

The elderly couple[41[ at Shoup, who were married through the agency of “the Heart and Hand” matrimonial “ad” have dissolved their partnership, their dream of “love in a cottage” proving a “vain delusion and a snare.”

Idaho Recorder, August 30, 1888

LOCAL INTELLIGENCE

Eli Minert [42] left on Saturday morning with teams and men en route for Dynamo [43] to bring out the boiler and engine, which will be utilized by the Haidee company in running their quartz mill on Arnott’s creek. [44]

CV. Gilmer, [45] son of J.T., came up from the Kentuck on Saturday and will run with George Sandilands [45] hereafter. The “old man” [46] in the future will be spared shipwrecks on sand bars and cold water baths in Salmon river. Charlie will remain on the upper deck in shooting the rapids and dangerous places.

The flatboat which left here on Saturday, swamped and sank when near Barrack’s ranch, [48] and was abandoned by Messrs. Gilmer and Sandilands about nine o’clock in the evening. The cargo taken from here consisted of butter, lard, coal, oil, candle, lard oil, gun powder and lard, none of which will be injured by the water with the exception of the latter. The boatmen are at work trying to raise the boat and cargo, and we hope they will succeed in doing so.

Idaho Recorder, September 3, 1890

LOCAL INTELLIGENCE

The Recorder acknowledges the receipt of an immense box of melons from Thos. Wend. They were grown on his ranch near Shoup, and are the largest and finest ever grown in Lemhi county, one mammoth weighed 19 1/3 pounds, and they were all of large size and most delicious flavor. Thanks, Thomas; you have been the only one so far to remember the “riots” and we will ever hold you in grateful remembrance. [49]

At the end of September, I packed a bag of essentials, which included my best dress and finest hat, left the children in good care and rode with Charley Spayds and Tom Wend to Salmon City.

Tom brought a crate of his enormous potatoes, not simply to show-off—he intended to send them off to some state potato organization. There was prize money being offered for the largest potatoes grown in the state. My purpose on traveling to the city was to begin the drawn out process of divorce.

Idaho Recorder, October 1, 1890

LOCAL INTELLIGENCE

Mrs. J.A. Callahan of Pine Creek, visited the city this week. This lady is well known to all our readers of the RECORDER as a correspondent from Pine Creek and Shoup, writing newsy and interesting letters under the non de plume of J.A.C.K.

Idaho Recorder, November 5, 1890

LOCAL INTELLIGENCE

O.W. Mintzer returned on Wednesday from a two-months’ trip to the East, where he went to dispose of some horses. He sold three car loads at a good figure and contracted for several more car loads at a good price. We understand that he made arrangements to settle the indebtedness of the Pine Creek Mining Co. and will put a force of men at work on the property in the near future.

Idaho Recorder, November 12, 1890

LOCAL INTELLIGENCE

The trip by boat from Salmon City to North Fork is a delightful one; the eye is constantly feasted upon the grandest and most picturesque scenery to be found in the west.

Idaho Recorder, November 19, 1890

LOCAL INTELLIGENCE

E.S. Suydam arrive in town on Sunday and will build a boat and take his Winter supplies to his mine at Shoup by that means.

GIBBONSVILLE WAGON ROAD

We wish to impress upon the members of our State Legislature that the first great need of Lemhi county is the building of the 12 miles of wagon road between this place and North Fork, so as to make a thoroughfare. As it is now, Gibbonsville is cut off from wagon transportation and Montana receives all the benefits of the place, as scarily a dollar of their money is spent in Idaho. This is not the fault of the residents of that enterprising and thrifty town.

Idaho Recorder, November 26, 1890

LOCAL INTELLIGENCE

The Sioux Cheyennes and other trips of Indians are gathered at. Pine Ridge and are insulting in the so called ghost dance which they have expressed their intention of keep up until the coming of their Christ if the fandango has to be continued until Spring. Gen Brooke with his command of U.S. troops is at Pine Ridge and latest advice inform us of a recently discovered plot to massacre the troops should they attempt to stop the dance.

All the available U.S. troops have been notified and are holding themselves in readiness to march at a moments warning. It is thought that a general uprising of Indians throughout the Northwest is imminent and in that case the trouble will be widespread and no mortal and foretell what the consequences will be.

Idaho Recorder, December 17, 1890

LOCAL INTELLIGENCE

Ben Harrison, who has been in Boise for the past year under treatment for his lung trouble, left for Cedar Rapids, Iowa three weeks ago. His condition is so that the physicians give no hope for recovery. His nephew came out from the East and accompanied him to his old home where he can end his days peacefully among his relatives. [50]

The weather here is delightful, the days are warm and sunny, with the streets dry and dusty, so like October weather that it is hard to believe that the holidays are almost upon us, while from the Register, comes the intelligence of the mercury being eight degrees below zero at Eagle Rock a few days ago and the Wood River Times of the 10th inst. mentions L.C. Dorsey breaking roads with is snow plow. Verily, we live in the garden spot of Idaho.

Fred M. Donald and family have moved to Gibbonsville to the Sweeney ranch at Big Flat, for the Winter.

Idaho Recorder, December 24, 1890

CORRESPONDENCE FROM SHOUP

Shoup, Idaho Dec. 18, 1890

To The Recorder
:

This is one of the most picturesque and romantic spots ever chosen for a town site, being situated among a mass of boulders which have fallen from the rugged cliffs many hundreds of feet about the burg. It reminds one of the remains of some ancient castle with but little left but ruins of the granite wall to mark its former grandeur.

The entrance to this place (which some wretch, void of all sentiment, has dubbed “Sour Dough”) is by a trail which scales a cliff of rocks some 500 feet above the Salmon River. Passing to the apex of the bluff you can look down into this beautiful town, the home of Bell, “JACK” and other well known contributors to the literary world.

Here we find the Kentuck, Grunter and Clipper-Bullion mines with their untold millions buried deep in these mountains. About one and one-half miles below Shoup is the Grunter property. This mine has been grunting away for a number of years and in that time has ground out many thousands of dollars.

The business houses of Shoup consist of one boarding house, one saloon and the post office. Messrs. Spayds & Maydole closed their saloon some time ago.

O W Mintzer is on Pine creek with a small force of men doing the representing work for the Pine Creek Mining Co. Yesterday he fired his cook because his midnight mishap caught a skunk in a trap set for wood rats in the kitchen. When the boys came to breakfast they received the full benefit, and after downing the food went out and hailooed “New York.” [51]

All we can see on the south side of the river is Suydam’s yellow dog Jack. He appears disconsolate over the disappearance of his master.

Messrs. Poe, Beach, Root and Mintzer were visitors at Shoup today.

D.V. Sherman started for Salmon City to-day to consult a physician as his health has been failing for the past two months.

The Kentuck Company have but twenty two men on the pay roll, a smaller force than they ever employed.

James M Cumming of Salmon City, is doing representing work on some of his claims here.

John Carl has returned from Pine Creek where he has been all Summer engaged in mining and building an arastra, which he intends to start up in the Spring.

Harry Cannon, of Gibbonsville, is in town.

Mrs. Alma Rutzer has returned from Gibbonsbille, where she has been for the past two weeks.

U Know [52]

NOTES

[1] La grippe was the common 19th-century term for influenza, borrowed from the French. In 1890, a major global influenza pandemic—sometimes called the “Russian flu”—swept across Europe and North America, with cases reported in Idaho and surrounding territories. Annie’s humorous phrasing—“he, she, or it”—plays on both the mysterious nature of the illness and the uncertainty of frontier news, while gently noting a likely flu case among the absent.

[2] Arctic zephyrs is Annie’s ironic way of referring to the frigid winter winds that sweep through Pine Creek canyon. While zephyr traditionally means a soft, gentle breeze, Annie uses it here with characteristic humor to describe something far harsher.

[3] Chanticleer is a poetic term for a rooster, drawn from medieval literature, particularly Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. Annie uses the term to describe how the revelers at Mrs. McCullough’s dance might have kept going until morning—had the rooster not crowed to remind them it was already another day.

[4] Hotel de Clipper was the boarding house at the Clipper mine. Annie might have been the well-known housekeeper and cook for the Clipper.

[5] “No kick coming” is a colloquial phrase meaning “no reason to complain.” In other words, Annie is saying she would have had no grounds for complaint if the mail hadn't arrived on time—but the carriers came through regardless.

[6] Sky Wagon Road was Annie’s wry term for the steep, narrow two-mile trail used to haul ore from the Kentucky mine to the stamp mill on Boulder Creek. Though not an official name, her phrasing captures the treacherous elevation and precarious conditions faced by the teamsters, comparing the journey to navigating a wagon through the sky.

[7] Hard rock miners drilled holes into solid rock to pack with dynamite for blasting. This was done by hand with a steel drill and sledgehammer—a slow, punishing job. “Tempered as hard as fire and water can make them” refers to the heat-treating process that hardened the steel. Even so, a single hole could dull multiple drills before it was deep enough to load with powder. “Spotted” means getting the hole started and aligned properly.

[8] Captain Nathaniel Lewis Turner, a Civil War veteran born in New York in 1840, contributed to the Idaho Recorder under the pen name “Driftwood.”

[9] D.D. refers to a Doctor of Divinity.

[10] This passage paraphrases and quotes from Lord Byron’s “Don Juan,” Canto I, in which the poet channels Socratic skepticism. Socrates was known for asserting that true wisdom lies in knowing how little we know. Byron takes this further with a satirical tone, suggesting that such “knowledge” reduces all men—wise or foolish—to the same level. The lines also reflect on the mystery of death, the uncertainty of truth, and the irony that we spend a third of our lives asleep.

[11] Owl Creek empties into the Salmon River about 10 miles downriver from Shoup.

[12] True fissure veins are natural cracks or fractures in bedrock filled with mineral deposits, typically formed by hot mineral-rich fluids moving through earth’s fractures. These veins often run east-west and when intersected by north-south features like creeks or gorges they create cross-cutting exposures valuable for mining exploration.

[13] It is clear that the writer has explored the Middle Fork. is Robert Bell is probably the writer, carrying the pen name of Prospector and A.Q.M or A.Q. Miner. Bell would become the Deputy Mineral Recorder and later the Lemhi County Mining Inspector.

[14] A contact vein is a mineral vein that forms along the boundary—or contact—between two different types of rock. These veins often occur where molten rock (magma) meets existing rock layers, creating a zone where minerals can crystallize and deposit valuable ores.

[15] “Black sulphurets” refers to dark-colored sulfide minerals commonly found in ore veins, such as galena (lead sulfide) and sphalerite (zinc sulfide). “Glance” is an old mining term specifically for galena, the primary ore of lead, noted for its shiny, metallic appearance.

[16] This passage describes the complex geological formations typical of mineral-rich mining regions. The sequence begins with the original granite bedrock, followed by metamorphic rocks such as gneiss, mica schist and slates. These layers transition upward to argentiferous (silver-bearing) limestones. Interspersed throughout are extensive dykes and belts of porphyry (igneous rock often associated with copper deposits) and cyanite (a blue metamorphic mineral). Together, these varied rock types form the “true horizons” where valuable minerals like copper, gold and silver are found—exactly what a prospector looks for.

[17] “White spray quartz” describes clusters of fine, needle-like white quartz crystals that radiate outward like a spray or fan. Such formations often fill cracks or veins in rock and are significant in mining because quartz veins commonly contain valuable metals like gold and silver.

[18] “Sulphide of antimony” refers to stibnite (Sb₂S₃), the primary ore mineral of antimony. Stibnite is a metallic gray mineral commonly found in hydrothermal veins and was historically important for producing antimony used in alloys, medicine, and flame retardants.

[19] A “winze” is a vertical or inclined shaft sunk from one underground level of a mine to another lower level. It differs from a main shaft because it doesn’t reach the surface but connects working levels within the mine to improve access and ventilation.

[20] In mining, a “station” is a horizontal level or platform within a shaft where miners work or transfer materials. A “drift” is a horizontal tunnel driven along the vein of ore. “Cutting a station and drifting both ways” means creating a working level and then tunneling horizontally in both directions along the ore vein.

[21] A ferry once operated across the river, linking the south side of the River with Shoup on the north side. A.Q.Miner (Probably Joshua Bell] makes reference to it as the Rapid Transit Ferry Company was a playful bit of humor, not an official name.

[22] Wilkins Micawber is a character from Charles Dickens’s David Copperfield (1850), remembered for his enduring (and often delusional) optimism in the face of hardship. His famous phrase, “something will turn up,” became shorthand for waiting passively for fortune to change. Annie’s reference here is more pointed than playful, suggesting a growing cynicism.

[23] This writer was early to mining downriver, left for a time and came back.

[24] “Shellback” is a nautical term for a seasoned sailor—specifically one who has crossed the equator and undergone the traditional initiation ceremony. In this context the term is applied metaphorically to a veteran miner.

[25] Argenta is a town in Montana.

[26] Brain fever was a general 19th-century term used to describe illnesses involving high fever and neurological symptoms such as seizures or delirium. In the spring of 1890, the global influenza pandemic known as the “Russian flu” had reached Idaho. Many children and young adults suffered rapid-onset complications, some with neurological symptoms that may have resembled meningitis or encephalitis. Frankie Nieman’s sudden decline after just two days of illness fits the profile of such a case, though exact diagnosis was impossible at the time.

[27] While the attending physicians listed “heart disease” as the cause of Mary Boyle’s death, the timing—just one day after the sudden death of Frankie Nieman in the same town—strongly suggests complications from the 1890 influenza pandemic. At the time, “heart disease” was often used when infants died unexpectedly, especially during respiratory epidemics. Influenza in infants could trigger cardiac or respiratory collapse, symptoms that 19th-century physicians lacked the tools to diagnose precisely.

[28] “Ribbons” here is a colloquial or whimsical way of saying “reins,” referring to the straps used to control horses or mules. Saying C.V. Gilmer was “at the ribbons” means he was in charge of driving the team that hauled to ore to the stamp mill.

[29] A.Q.M. quotes lines attributed to Edgar W. Hey, ending with “The Spring time has come, Gentle Annie”—possibly a playful nod to Annie Callahan.

[30] A “stope” is an underground excavation made by removing ore from a vein. It’s the open space left behind after valuable material has been extracted. Stopes are typically created in steep or vertical ore bodies and are expanded as mining progresses.

[31] Mrs. St. Clair is Anna (Grieber), the wife of William Wallace St. Clair.

[32] “Heap” was commonly used in 19th-century frontier slang to mean “a lot” or “many,” often attributed—sometimes inaccurately or stereotypically—to Native American speech by white writers. “Shorts napias” appears to be a phonetic rendering of pidgin English or a Native term, likely meaning “small coins” or “money.” The phrase as a whole reflects the vernacular reporting style of the time and should be read with an awareness of its dated and culturally biased tone.

[33] While no sign off with a pen name, or her own name, this is obviously Annie’s writing.

[34] “The city” likely refers to the small but central hub of Shoup itself, which locals often called a “city” despite its modest size. Alternatively, it may mean Salmon City, located downstream. Eli Suydam owned the Clipper Bullion Mine, situated across the river from Shoup and west about a quarter of a mile.

[35] “Arrah”stocratie—Annie’s tongue-in-cheek rendering of aristocracy, likely mimicking an Irish accent for comic effect. Used here to describe the more refined (or self-important) guests from Pine Creek.

[36] “James Slender,” alias “Slimfur,” was likely a tongue-in-cheek reference to Sam James—a man not known for being particularly slim.

[37] Go-as-you-please supper—A casual, help-yourself meal typical of frontier gatherings where guests came and went (and ate) at their leisure rather than sitting for a formal service. Often featured a generous spread and hearty conversation.

[38] Once again, the party went on all night and into the next morning.

[39] Annie uses Irish dialect (“Hibernian nomenclature”) to describe the Niemans’ newborn son as “the makings of a reth of a boy.” This is a playful variation of the Irish expression “a broth of a boy”—a compliment meaning a strong, healthy and spirited child. The phrase was common in Irish speech and likely heard often in frontier communities with Irish settlers. Annie, with her usual flair, renders it phonetically for comic effect.

[40] Annie’s “stylish kind that wears specks” likely refers to one of the speckled trout species common in the Salmon River. Cutthroat trout, native to the region, are a strong candidate, though Brown trout—introduced by this period—were also noted for their distinctive spots.

[41] Elderly couple at Shoup, likely meaning they were ‘old timers’ downriver, not old in age.

[42] Eli Minert was born in Green County, Wisconsin on 20 Mar 1845. He married Ida Andrews who was born on 10 Apr 1854 in New York. Their first son was born Earnest E. Miner was born in Salmon on 28 Sep 1880.

[43] Located at the confluence of Clear and Panther Creek, Dynamo was owned by a syndicate of banks and investors. By 1886 it seethed with corruption andthe operation failed. The camp was deserted and the equipment sold and moved to other mining districts.

[44] Arnott’s Creek is near Leesburg, Idaho

[45] Charles Vance Gilmer, born 1867 at Fort Bridger, Wyoming, son of John Thorton and Mary Elizabeth (Vance) Gilmer.

[46] George Sandilands was born at Cuthbert’s, Edinburgh, Scotland in 1860. Miner and boatman, he was residing in Shoup by 1884, mining and running the river with Elias Suydam.

[47] The “old man” was Charles Gilmer’s father, John Thorton Gilmer.

[48] John and Sandy Barrack had a ranch seven miles east of Salmon City, on the north side of Lemhi Stream and built a flour mill in 1872, the first one in the county. They ran 1,800 head of cattle according to Salmon National Forest Livestock History.

[49] Ada Chase Merritt is thanking Tom for remembering to send some Apricots too. The weather downriver was perfect for growing fruit, milder than the weather in Salmon.

[50] Ben Harrison, co-owner of the Kentucky Mine lived in Shoup but suffered from what would be called silicosis today. A soldier in the Civil War, he’d been a placer miner in Lemhi County since before 1880,

[51] Hailooed New York—Likely Annie’s playful way of saying the men jokingly called out for civilization after enduring the skunk-scented breakfast. “New York” stood in for the distant, refined world they’d momentarily longed for—out of reach but still on their tongues.

[52] Annie hadn’t written since the end of summer. U Know is likely Annie because, you know—everyone knew her. She wouldn't write with the pen name of J.A.C__K again until years later, and only once.