From the Great Willow Creek
The Caldwell tribune. (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) - February 01, 1896 Chronicling America
Intresting Letter from The Tribune Correspondent‐Number of New Ore Producing Mines‐ Another Strike on the I. X. L.
West View Mining District‐[TRIBUNE Special]‐The weather up to date has been uniformally mild, though wet and disagreeable. All visitors to the camp wonder at the elegant climate. Indeed we have had no winter at all, simply, mild spring, the season through. The soft weather has caused lots of extra labor for the miners who are working. The majority of them are driving tunnels and as a rule have not been obliged to timber, but they do now or quit.
The I. X. L. shaft, or incline, sprung a leak and caused the sinking on that to be abandoned. The ledge was growing wider and panned free gold abundantly when shut down. The tunnel was not timbered and when the snow was shoveled out of the the cut it was found to be caving so badly that it was also abandoned and another site selected considerable lower and one hours work uncovered the best free gold ledge yet found on the I. X. L. hill. The ledge is turning out to two men's labor over one ton per day and is an eye opener on panning.
Dan Brown and Kimball can be heard firing shots nearly all day and night. The cause being the uncovering of a nice body of ore on the Red Bird. The ore was struck in the lower tunnel at a distance of 125 feet. The Red Bird will be a great mine before long, pannings and assays prove it.
Another good property on Rock Creek is the Black Crook, owned by Messrs. Dore, Belt and your townsman Thorp. Their tunnel has a 6 foot ledge and not only looks well but assays good, and is being developed in good shape. The ledge can be traced the entire length of their claim and even beyond their stakes it crops out. The ledge is being worked and proves to be a permanent one.
Messrs. Bodenheimer, Looney and Van Horten have been at work on the Columbia driving a tunnel and have the prospect of making a paying mine out of it. It is the east extension of the Ida, but much lower down the hill, hence shows up more base ore than the Ida; but yet they are the same ledge and is one of the few that can be traced for a long distance.
Frank Brown, of Brown and Madden, has a four foot ledge of very nice ore in their tunnel and is pushing Into the hill fast. It resembles the ore found in the Black Crook and no doubt is the making of a mine.
Bert Legget has sold a one fourth interest in the Eclipse and is now driving a tunnel to cut the old workings at a good depth. This is one of the properties that every prospector on Rock Creek has tried to find the extension of. It is not only is a beautiful ledge to look at but is also a daisy to pan free gold. Another very nice thing about this claim is it is very accessible and especially for Bert as it is right back of his ranch. No doubt of this claim becoming a paying one.
From the Legget ranch down the Creek there are a few miners at work driving tunnels to cut their ledges so as to be in ore by the time spring opens up. I hear the Stevens boys have struck some good ore, but have not seen it.
Messrs. Dorman and Dobbins have driven a tunnel 100 feet on the Liberty Cap on the Horse Shoe Bend side near Webster's Ranch, and uncovered three good ledges in the crosscut. They bonded one-half interest of this property and have taken up the bond. The claims on that side are proving to be equally as good as those on the Rock Creek and Willow Creek side.
The Posten boys have been working on their claims on that side and have some fine ore in nearly every opening they have made.
Mr. Holland who bonded Harrison's claim is pushing the tunnel as fast as possible and will cut the ledge at a good depth. The ore in the shaft he is driving for is first class base but of high grade.
Mrs. McCarty has let a contract to the Moore brothers, who are here now, to drive a tunnel of 70 feet or more to cut the ledgs in the old shaft on the kiureka in Willow Creek.
The town of Pearl seems quiet owing to the Le Van and Bishoprick mills not running, otherwise everything Is moving nicely.
The Richmond mill fortunately having a well is running. The Last Chance mine was milling their ore there the past week.
The Iron Dollar owned by Levan, Teater and Emerson is being worked and some elegant ore being taken out.
The Leviathan, Last Chance, Checkmate, Golden Chest, Hills and Birthday are all taking out ore.
Messrs. Cook and Johnson have bought the Sacramento and are working in Galena ore. Mr. Cook was one of the owners of the Cook and Lyon Group, bonded to the Colorado parties.
Mr. Walters, our storekeeper, has returned to Pearl again atter his sickness. He is very much improved.
The new hotel built by W. R. Rigdon opened up with a dance on the 24th. Good music. Prof. Harry Cox, of Caldwell, lead the orchestra.
It is rumored that Castor and Lockerman have sold out their entire intertests (which Is several good claims) for $25,000, $12,000 cash, balance later on. I can not vouch for this being true as I have not seen either of the parties.
Byron Frost and wife and Mrs. Dan Brown passed through Pearl on their road to Rock Creek to visit the Dorman and Brown camps. U. S.
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