1892 — A Son and a Sojourn

January of ’92 came in colder than a banker’s handshake—twenty below in Salmon City, and while the canyon offered some protection, it was stingy that winter. One upside, if you could call it that, was the river ice thickening enough to run sleighs from Shoup to North Fork. Some folks called it a pleasant diversion. I called it desperation dressed in bells. Still, I bundled up the children and made the trip—if only to break the monotony of the old man called winter—and the same four walls.

I kept busier than I had the winter before, now that Eddy had joined his sister at the kitchen table where I taught them their letters, numbers and whatever else might pass for schooling. Alta had taken to learning by the age of three—sharp as a tack and eager for more. Eddy was a different beast. He’d rather be outside with a stick and a pile of snow than sit still, but I held out hope that once he passed four, he’d come around. I loved having my own little schoolhouse even if it was just the kitchen and the bell was me tapping a spoon on the table.

Shoup wasn’t growing by any stretch of imagination, but when I wrote my column for the newspaper, I kept it upbeat—cheerful, even—lest anyone think our town was dying, even if it looked like it was.

Idaho Recorder, January 20, 1892

SHOUP

From our regular correspondent.

Splinny & Slavin were rather unfortunate they lost two animals on the trail between here and Pine Creek.

C.V. Gilmer is having splendid sleighing on the Kentuck wagon road and is sledding ore every day. He has about 20 tons at the mill.

We are waiting patiently down here to hear the bugle call of war with the Chileans and are ready to march to the call in the rear ranks. [1]

Jack Ralston will leave for Salmon City the last of the week.

James Griffen came over from Butte and is stopping with Charles Spayds.

Frank Whitmore has returned to Shoup after spending the holidays with ? ? doing at the Kentuck as in the days of yore.

The Kentuck mill has been running day and night for the past two weeks on some very rich ore. CV Gilmer and Frank Whitmore run the day shift and ? takes charge at night.

We have a debating Society here with five members but all are welcome and can take part in the debate any time. Next Sunday evening the subject for debate will be Resolved That the United States can Lick the Chileans Without Our Assistance.”

Mr. Ralson caught a thief or rather a cat thief which turned out to be a mountain lion. He first discovered that his chickens would not go in the old bunk house, there upon looking around awhile he discovered a lion eating one of his cats, he went into his cabin and got his gun, but on his return he could not find his lionship so he ate his breakfast and noticing that the chickens still would not go into the house, he took another investigation but could find nothing wrong. He finally concluded to look under the old bunks, and sure enough, he found the lion lying under a bunk undoubtedly day dreaming about a good chicken supper he would have, but a bullet from Mr. Ralston’s rifle ended his wild career as well as his dreams.

January 26, 1892. U. Know

Spring came late that year, dragging its feet like a tired mule, but I was quick to get back in the saddle once the trails cleared. After months of being cooped up with a growing belly, books, the children’s soggy boots, there’s no better cure than the feel of a horse beneath you and the smell of thawed earth in your lungs. And there was news to seek.

Idaho Recorder, April 20, 1892

SHOUP[2]

E S Suydam started for Salmon City this morning to get the pack train down to pack ore from his Clipper mine to the Pine creek mill.

James Stuart and George Brown came up with their dust from the Lower Salmon river. They will start down the river in the morning in a boat.

James McCullough and Alexander McLeod came home last week from Bay Horse where they have been working all winter. They came down the river in a boat.

Mr. Jaquish of Bay Horse and Mr. John Richardson of Salmon spent a few days in town this week.

Mr. John Ralston has gone to Salmon City to head off the fugitive Herman Moll.

John Carroll is going to leave for the Upper Salmon country next week, having done his representing on his claims here for this year.

Earnest Moll struck a pay streak on the south side of the river and is making a rocker. He contemplates making $2 per day.

We have more gold than we know what to do with, but it is all in a safe bank in the gravel bank.

James Chisholm came up from his bonanza mine the other day. He feels rather hard toward some of the Eastern senators for not passing the free coinage act, as he has silver rock that go a $400 a ton.

We had a bad scene here on the 8th inst. that would be good reading in the Police Gazette. Mr. Herman Moll has kept the trail hot for the last two years. Starting a quarrel, not unexpected as he is insane, with his wife, who was the only one in camp except Mrs. Taylor, he threatened to whip his wife, but as he raised his hand she grasped the pistol and stood him off.

Mrs. Moll ran out of the house to call her son Earnest and in that time Mr. Moll and son Herman made use of spare time and went through the house and took some silver spoons, a rifle and various other things they saw fit to take. They also divided the blankets to split themselves and moved to a China cabin. But four men came in camp that evening and Mr Herman Moll and son left. They were afraid that a rope might accidentally coil around their necks.

They threatened to burn the post office and would undoubtedly have done so if it had not been for the arrival of the four men from the lower country. If Mr. Moll follows his son Herman much longer they will both wear stripes in the penitentiary.

WE KNOW

May 17th, I summoned Elsie Morrill and together we welcomed William Roy Taylor—Billy’s first son, my second. Billy was beside himself, pacing the floor one moment and leaning over the cradle the next, grinning one second, the next looking at his tiny son as if he was carrying the weight of the world. He wanted his son to carry his name, but said his middle name would be Roy. “Who is Roy?” I asked, knowing how some of my siblings carried the middle names of friends of the family.

Billy shrugged.

Neighbors came to the door to offer congratulations, Elsie bustling about with warm cloths while I lay bone-tired but content. Billy hardly left the infant out of his sight. It was a day marked down in joy, the kind you want to remember.

Idaho Recorder, May 18, 1892

LOCAL INTELLIGENCE

E.S. Suydam came up from Shoup on Saturday, bringing with him 13 pounds of reported gold, estimated to be worth $2,900 which was obtained from 65 tons of ore from his mine—the Clipper-Bullion worked at the Pine creek mill. This mine is one of the best paying properties in Lemhi county and we congratulate the fortunate owner upon his well deserved good fortune.

Idaho Recorder, June 8, 1892

LOCAL INTELLIGENCE

Thos. Wend who owns a fine ranch near Shoup, visited this city the last of the week. Mr. Wend says that vegetation at his place is fully a month in advance of what it is here. He has sent for several hives of bees and will experiment in raising honey, the first effort of the kind that has ever been made in Lemhi county.

We understand that Salmon City is to have another newspaper. Mr G R Propper, of Salt Lake, visited this city for some ten days and, after looking over the field, made a proposition to buy The Recorder plant, but on finding it was not for sale, concluded that he would bring in an outfit and start an opposition paper. He left on last Thursday and expects to get his paper running by July 1st.

The Lemhi valley is at its loveliest. The trees are in full leaf, the fields and foods emerald green, while the mountains are capped with glistening snow, all combining to make a scene unsurpassed for beauty in the west. The traveler coming down into this beautiful valley, dotted here and here with farm houses, is astonished at the beauty of the landscape and the fertility of the soil, and feels that he has entered an enchanted country a veritable “Garden of Eden.”

Idaho Recorder, July 5, 1892

LOCAL INTELLIGENCE

Thos. Wend who resides near Shoup celebrated the Fourth with the Salmon-eaters.[3]

We understand that Hon. E.S. Suydam has sold the Clipper Bullion mine at Shoup to Messres. Moore and Schenck of Dillon. We will give full particulars next week.

Eli Spayds,[4] who is employed at the insane asylum at Warm Springs, near Anaconda, Montana, had the misfortune to have his right arm broken some six weeks ago by an insane patient who struck him with a pair of handcuffs.

A surprise party was given at the residence of Z.L Merritt on last Friday evening with was a very pleasant affair. Some 35 of the neighbors and friends of the family were in attendance. Fine music was furnished by Mr. Dave Corbett, and dancing was kept up until daylight. Mrs. Neil Sweeny and Mrs. McGree prepared an excellent supper to which all did ample justice.

A large consignment of machinery is now at Red Rock awaiting shipment to Leesburg via Salmon City. It was purchased by the Leesburg Syndicate and will be used in developing the placer ground recent bonded by Jame L. Armit for the company. The outfit consists of steam pump, two boiler and a steam hoist. It is the intention to have the machinery in position and in working order at the earliest possible moment.

A cloud burst occurred in the Leesburg range on Thursday after and for four or five hours Jesse creek was a roaring flood of muddy water carrying with it huge boulders which were rolled along with irresistible force, hundred of them being bring into Salmon river. It was feared for a time that Mr. Tingley’s house would be swept from its foundation, but fortunately the current was turned aside in its course and no damage was done except to destroy part of the lawn. Where the grass stood knee high is now a deposit of well washed boulders.

Salmon City is to have a new newspaper. It may be the proper thing but we doubt if it is the proper thing. Mrs. Ada Merritt gets up a real readable paper, always neat and clean, always up to the standard. All contemporaries of the state look upon the RECORDER as a valuable exchange and would regret to see it suffer for lack of patronage from any cause....—Blackfoot News

Idaho Recorder, July 20, 1892

LOCAL INTELLIGENCE

The sale of the Clipper Bullion mine, owned by Hon S.S. Suydam, was completed last week. The consideration being $35,000.

The first lot of machinery for the Leesburg Syndicate, including the boiler, arrived by Setzer, Manfull & Mullen’s teams on Friday, and left for Leesburg on Monday. Four six-horse teams were employed to move the outfit, the boiler weighing 9,512 pounds, being the heaviest piece. The talk of moving this machinery over the heavy grades of an unused road is a difficult and laborious undertaking. We trust that the feat may be accomplished in safety. Mr. F C Barton, the manager, has charge of the outfit.

Idaho Recorder, August 3, 1892

LOCAL INTELLIGENCE

The Kentuck mill has just made a run on high grade ore.

Wm. Taylor was kicked by a horse and disabled, a few days ago. He says the doctor thinks he will pull through, and has prescribed absolute quiet, even forbidding him talking, which has been a sore trial for William.

OUR CONTEMPORARY

The first issue of The Idaho Hydraulic Gold Miner made its appearance on last Saturday. The new paper is a seven column folio, the same size at THE RECORDER; is neat and newsy, and from the appearance of its advertising columns and general circulation we conclude that the Miner is already on a paying basis.

Billy had been with the Kentuck since ’88 but took a job running the stamp mills in Gibbonsville before the end of summer. We bought a house and moved to Gibbonsville where they had a Main Street holding on, businesses keeping their windows clean and a log school house. Alta started school that September but men follow wages. By the middle of the month Bill was working the Haidee mill near Leesburg.

Charley Spayds moved to Gibbonsville but no sooner had he hung his hat, he was itching to be back in Shoup. Some men just can’t stand a nice boardwalk.

We were living through the last days of August when young Alex McLeod met his death on the Leesburg trail, just below the mountain house. Nathanial Turner came upon his body while returning from Prairie Basin.

Alex had left Salmon for Leesburg the night before. Some said he’d been drinking; others believed he carried enough cash to invite robbery and had either fallen—or been forced—over the cliff. His head was badly lacerated, his body bruised—the only sure thing was that he never made it to Leesburg.[5]

It seemed only yesterday that the “triple twains” were wed at the Palmer home on Pine Creek—the girls in white gowns, the young men clean-shaven in their suits. Now one of those marriages had ended in death and Jessie McLeod was a widow at nineteen years of age.

Idaho Recorder, September 14, 1892

LOCAL INTELLIGENCE

Billy Taylor came up from Gibbonsville on Thursday and left for Leesburg on Friday, where he goes to run the Haidee mill. Mr. Taylor had charge of the Kentuck mill at Shoup, for five years, and is throughly conversant with the business. No better man could be found for the position.

Idaho Recorder, September 21, 1892

Additional Locals

Charlie Spayds, of Gibbonsville, is “courting” this week.

The Haidee and Brigham mills are both running steadily on ore from the Italian mine, on Arnott’s creek, recently purchased by Bard & Ray, of Salt Lake. The pack train and two four-horse teams are kept busy hauling ore to the mills. Last week they shipped a gold brick weighting 42 ounces, the result of eight hours run, of about four tons of ore. At $18 per oz, this brick would be worth $756, or the remarkable yield of $189 per ton. As there is an immense amount of high grade ore in sight, it can be readily seen that this mine is a bonanza.

Eli Suydan sold the Clipper Bullion and the Parfet brothers will be running it.

Idaho Recorder, September 25, 1892

LOCAL INTELLIGENCE

Chas. H. Spays vs. David Meiklejohn: Verdict for plaintiff in the sum of $420.87 and costs amounting to $541.30

J.M. Parfet, Supt. of the Clipper Bullion mine at Shoup, informed us that the new mill has been shipped from Denver and will be taken to its destination by flat boat.

The Leesburg Snydicate is now operating in the old shaft, preparing to drift across the gulch. Their recent clean up was from a couple of small sluices.

IN FROM BOULDER CREEK

Billy Buchanan, superintendent of the Boulder Creek Syndicate, came in from the land of bears and boulders, on Saturday evening. He came in earlier than anticipated, in order to assist Mrs. Mitchell in her temperance work at this place, and expresses regret at her departure. He reports the Boulder creek property in a flourishing condition, that the ground prospects well, and that in the near future they will go down upon the boulders with a determination that will make the mountains shiver. The Syndicate held a business meeting Monday evening at which important business connected with the mines was transacted.

Idaho Recorder, October 5, 1892

LOCAL INTELLIGENCE

W.E. Taylor came over from Arnott’s creek on Friday. He reports the Haidee mill closed down for a week for repairs but the Bingham mill running steadily on high grade ore.

The new mill for the Clipper-Bullion mine, at Shoup, was purchased at Chicago instead of Denver as was stated in our last issue.

Z.L. Merritt and family have bought a ranch near Ukiah, Mendocino County California and will make their permanent home there.

Messrs. Dewoody, Ray and Landis came in from Salt Lake on Friday. They visited THE RECORDER office on Saturday and brought with them two gold bricks worth $1,100 the product of a week’s run on ore from the Italian mine at Arnott’s creek. This mine is proving wonderfully rich.

Yesterday, Messrs Chapman, Tripler and Wainwright, of Philadelphia, and Wm F Boxwell and R P Quarles, of this city, completed the purchase of the valuable free gold property owned by Sam James and Joshua Brown at Pine creek, known as the Middle Mine. The ledge is 27 feet wide but no development work has been done on it although it give promise of a bonanza. A force of six or eight men will be put to work immediately on the property which will be opened and throughly prospected. A mill test will be made before snow flies. We were unable to learn the price paid but were told it is a nice little sum.

Idaho Recorder, November 2, 1892

LOCAL INTELLIGENCE

C.V. Gilmer came up from Shoup on Sunday and reports everything quiet in that once thriving burg. He is building a boat to transport the winter supplies for the Kentuck mine, of which he has charge. There is but a small force of men at work on this property.

John M. Parfet, superintendent of the Clipper Bullion company, informs us that the new mill arrived at Red Rock on Saturday and was loaded by “Baldy” Martin and Truman Andres. A flatboat is being constructed to carry it down to Shoup. The boat will be manned by George Sandilands and E. Compton, two experienced and skillful boatmen.

Idaho Recorder, November 9, 1892

LOCAL INTELLIGENCE

Parfet and Sandilands and Compton arrived in town on Wednesday.

They ran their boat through Dump creek rapids in safety and then tied it up and returned for the second boat which will leave tomorrow morning. This is done for fear that dead water may freeze and put a stop to transportation for the winter before they get their supplies on hand.

J.M. Parfet left here on Saturday with a flat-boat loaded with the machinery for the new mill to be erected at Shoup by the Clipper Bullion company. The boat was heavily loaded, carrying 14,000 pounds, and as the water is at a low stage the boatmen, George Sandilands and E. Compton, experienced considerable difficulty and had many vexatious delays. The boat grounded a number of time and at a point near Davis and Birdseye’s ranch they had to hire a team to haul the boat off the bar. They had trouble several places further down and did not reach North Fork till Sunday and then had to spend half a day at the Dump creek rapids making a new channel, which they ran through on Tuesday morning, with what success we are unable to learn. We trust, however, that they had no further trouble and landed their cargo safely at Shoup. The company has another boat completed here on the river bank and will load that with the balance of their supplies and take it to Shoup.

Capt. Turner, of Prairie Basin is in the city.

And now “Prop.” Wants to settle all disputes personally. All right, we are not hard to please, choose your “weapons.” We only ask that the Miner man will wait until his hair becomes long before settling disputes outside the newspaper. Long hair looks beautiful spread out on the mountain air, bedsides it sets off a corpse admirably.[6]

SHOUP ITEMS[7]

Jack Ralston is working on the Grunter getting out ore for a mill run.

Rodney Park has assumed charge of the Kentuck mine boarding house for the winter.

Joe Laughlin and John Murray of Shoup, are working on this valuable mine, the California, and have got out a lot of rich ore and will make a run in the Kentuck mill this week. This mine is showing up well and the boys have a snug little fortune in sight.

Thos. Wend has one of the most beautiful mountain homes in Lemhi county. It comprises about 200 acres and lies in a little sheltered valley about five miles this side of Shoup. He has over 100 acres under fence and raises great quantities of hay and vegetables including tomatoes, strawberries, melons, etc. He also has an orchard of about 100 healthy trees, peach pear, plum, cherry, standard and crab apple trees, their branches being loaded with fruit of large size and delicious flavors.

Mr. Wend has also a swarm of bees which he imported from the East last spring which have done well this season. This is the only swarm of bees in the county and were purchased as an experiment.

Tom is a jolly bachelor and says all he needs is a wife to make his home a perfect paradise.

The Nabob mine, five miles below Shoup, is owned by estate of J.T. Gilmer, C.V. Gilmer and Jas. Stewart.[8] But little development work has been done on this mine, the lead is nine feet wide with well defined walls and assays run from $15 to $175 in gold and from $5 to $20 in silver per ton. This property was recently examined by W.G. who is greatly pleased with the prospect.

CV Gilmer left here on Wednesday last week with a flatboat loaded with supplies for the Kentuck mine. He was assisted by Frank Whitmore and James Nolan, with Mrs. Ada Merritt and son, Allen, as passengers. The boat was a very stoutly built affair, loaded with but 7000 pounds and was the best, driest and made the best time of any boat on the river at low water. The run from here to North Fork was made in a few hours without scraping a rock.

They unloaded the boat at Dump creek rapids and packed their freight a short distance on their backs in order to pass through the rapids safely, they had no further delay and landed at Shoup without incident. The ride is a glorious on through the grandest and most picturesque scenery in Idaho, and one is well repaid for their toilsome horseback ride on their return.

Idaho Recorder, November 16, 1892

Advertisement:

Messrs. Spayds and True run a hotel at Shoup, the only one in the place. Their bar is supplied with the choicest wines, liquors and cigars.

LOCAL INTELLIGENCE

On Friday morning JM Parfet left this city with the second flat boat loaded with the winter supplies for the Clipper Bullion mine and mill at Shoup. E. Compton and George Sandilands gracefully wielded the oars and Messres. Parfet and Spayds were the passengers. With these two boat loads safely landed at Shoup the company will have all the machinery for their new mill on the grounds and ample supplies for the entire winter. They will at once put a force of men at work on the mill and have it in active operation in a few weeks after it reaches its destination. Mr. Parfet, the superintendent, is an indefatigable worker and will rush matters as fast as possible.

The Leesburg Syndicate has suspended operations for the season and discharged their entire force except a watchman. They will renew operations in spring.

Idaho Recorder, November 23, 1892

LOCAL INTELLIGENCE

J.M. McCullough and wife came over from Leesburg last week and have gone to Carmen creek for the winter.

George Barrack and wife came out from Leesburg Thursday. They are comfortably settled for the winter in the Tingley residence across the bridge.

Sandilands and Compton made the river run safely and are back in Salmon. Hard trip, low water and heavy loads.

Eli Suydam, reelected to state legislature is circulating a petition for a wagon road from Challis to Salmon.

Idaho Recorder, December 14, 1892

LOCAL INTELLIGENCE

The Kentuck mine, at Shoup closed last week.

Charlie Schultz came up from Pine creek Friday. He left with a load of provisions for the Pine creek mine on which property he and Tom Palmer have secured a lease. The Pine Company has suspended operations at Pine creek and the mine and mill leased to Schultz & Palmer.

Electric Light

The question of purchasing the electric light plant at Dynamo Big Creek, this county, and bringing it to Salmon, has been discussed to a considerable extent on our streets of late.

I had to read the news from Shoup in the paper, but there wasn’t any news coming directly from the camp. I was edging my way into Gibbonsville, not that I was a stranger. A lot of folks in Gibbonsville had got their start downriver. I wasn’t new, and my neighbors knew it.

Billy Jr. had started crawling, getting into every sort of mischief he could reach. I was enjoying town life well enough. Gibbonsville had its comforts, even if I missed the spirit of the canyon—the way it breathed and barked and carried on like it was alive—not to say that Gib’ Town wasn’t.

Alta was enjoying her first year of school, scrubbed in a washtub every Sunday night, dressing by the stove in the mornings and standing still while I braided her hair.

Sometime before the snows set in, Jimmy Callahan turned up—passing through on his way to Montana, as if to take stock of the children he hadn’t seen since the summer of ’89. He’d been in Boise the last few years, clerking at a big hotel, not that I was impressed by it and said his next stop was Anaconda.[9]

When the Haidee shut down for winter, Bill came home to Gibbonsville for a spell, then headed downriver to run the mill for the Monolith on Boulder Creek. It was only two miles above Shoup but the town had all but dried up.

The children kept me busy, the house kept me warm—but my hands started to itch for the sound of my quill scratching out news again.

NOTES

[1] The “bugle call of war with the Chileans” is a reference to the diplomatic crisis between the United States and Chile in early 1892, sparked by the Baltimore Incident. In October 1891, two U.S. sailors were killed and several injured in a brawl with a Chilean mob in Valparaíso. Public outrage in the United States, stoked by sensational newspaper coverage, led to saber-rattling and calls for war. By January 1892, tensions were high and many Americans—including Annie, tongue firmly in cheek—expected a call to arms. President Benjamin Harrison demanded an apology and indemnity, which Chile ultimately provided, avoiding open conflict. Annie’s mention of being “ready to march… in the rear ranks” likely pokes fun at the absurdity of frontier civilians preparing for a war that would never reach them.

[2] This column was likely written by Robert Bell.

[3] Tom Wend probably went to Salmon City for the 4th of July.

[4] Eli Spayds is Charley Spayds’ brother.

[5] Hydraulic Gold Miner, August 27, 1892.

[6] “Prop” and “Miner Man” are the owners of Ada’s competition, the Hydraulic Miner. And new paper in town.

[7] Written by Ada Chase Merritt who took a flat boat downriver for a visit.

[8] John Thornton “Jack” Gilmer left Shoup for Salt Lake City, Utah where he died on May 8th 1892, leaving the mine to two of his sons, Jack Jr. and Charles Vance, and to James Stewart.

[9] According to the Anaconda Standard, April 28, 1899, James Callahan had lived in Anaconda for five years by the spring of 1898.