subdivided by legislative acts in 1860-1 and 1861-2, as the requirements of the shifting mining population, of which I have given soine account in the History of Washington, demanded.

This mining population, as I have there stated, first overran the Clearwater region, discovering and opening between the autumn of 1860 and the spring of 1863 the placers of Oro Fino Creek, North Fork and South Fork of the Clearwater, Salmon River and its tributaries, and finally the Boisé basin; at which point, being nearly coincident with the date of the territorial act, I will take up the separate history of Idaho.21

that stream to the middle branch, and up it to its source, thence east to the summit of the Bitter Root range, which it followed to the Rocky Mts. All that lay south of that east and west line was Boisé co. as it existed when the territory was organized. The county seat was located at the mouth of Elk Creek on Moore Creek. The commissioners were John C. Smith, Frank Moore, W. B. Noble; D. Gilbert probate judge, David Mulford sheriff, David Alderson treasurer, A. D. Saunders auditor, J. M. Murphy, Swan, and Baird justices of the peace, James Warren coroner. Wash. Laws, 1862-3, 3-4.

21 There are few publications concerning Idaho, which has not yet become, as it some time will, a prominent field for tourists and writers. Among those who have written with a view to making known the geography, topography, and resources of the country, Robert E. Strahorn holds the principal place, his To the Rockies, Idaho, the Gem of the Mountains, and miscellaneous writings, furnishing the source from which other writers draw their facts without the trouble of personal observation. Elliott's History of Idaho is a compilation of articles on the early discoveries, political events, growth of towns, scenery, resources, and biography of pioneers. It is useful as a source from which to draw information on individual topics, but has no consecutive historical narrative. Idaho; A Descriptive Tour and Review of Its Resources, by C. Aubrey Angelo, published in 1865 at San Francisco, is a fair report in 50 pages upon the scenery along the road from Portland, and description of mining camps. Mullan's Military Road Report contains a history of the expedition, its itinerary, description of passes, and reports of engineers and explorers. A Thousand Miles through the Rocky Mountains, by A. K. McClure, Phila, 1859, is a republication of letters to the N. Y. Tribune and Franklin Repository during a 9 months' tour in 1867, containing observations on the country, and the advantages of the Northern over the Central Pacific railroad. Idaho, a pamphlet by James L. Onderdonk, controller, published in 1855, contains a sketch of early Idaho history, and descriptions of the resources of the country, not differing essentially from what has been given by others. It is intended to stimulate immigration. Idaho and Montana, by J. L. Campbell, Chicago, 1865, is a guide-book describing routes, with some descriptive and narrative matter, in pamphlet form.

CHAPTER II.

EARLY SETTLEMENT.

1862-1866.

MINERAL DISCOVERIES-COUNTIES AND TOWNS-IMMIGRATION-ROUTES TO THE MINES-INDIAN WARS-FORTS-QUARTZ-MINING-COMPANIES AND CLAIMS MORE TOWN-BUILDING-STAGE-ROADS-SLIDING CLUBS — TRAFFIC AND TRAVEL-OREGON VERSUS CALIFORNIA-MAIL CONTRACTS -PROSPECTING AND MINING-NEW DISTRICTS-OUTPUT OF PRECIOUS METALS.

THE early history of Idaho has already been given in the former volumes of this series; the modern history of Idaho properly begins with the discovery of the Boisé mines, in August 1862,1 previous to which the movement for a new territory met with little favor. In the spring of 1863 there were four county organizations and ten mining towns, containing, with some outside population, about 20,000 inhabitants, all of whom, except a handful, had come from various parts of the Pacific coast and the western states within the two years following Pierce's discovery of the Clearwater mines.2

'The names of the discoverers were George Grimes of Oregon City, John Reynolds, Joseph Branstetter, D. H. Fogus, Jacob Westenfelten, Moses Splane, Wilson, Miller, two Portuguese called Antoine and Phillipi, and one unknown. Elliott's Hist. Idaho, 70.

2 There was large immigration in 1862, owing to the civil war and to the fame of the Salmon River mines. Some stopped on the eastern flank of the Rocky range in what is now Montana, and others went to eastern Oregon, but none succeeded in reaching Salmon River that year except those who took the Missouri River route. Four steamers from St Louis ascended to Fort Benton, whence 350 immigrants travelled by the Mullan road to the mines on Salmon River. Portland Oregonian, Aug. 28 and 29, 1862. Those who attempted to get through the mountains between Fort Hall and Salmon River failed, often disastrously. Ebey's Journal, MS., viii. 198. These turned back and went to Powder River. Wm Purvine, in Or. Statesman, Nov. 3, 1862.

The leader of the Boisé expedition having been killed by Indians while prospecting farther on the stream where gold was found, it received the name of Grimes Creek in commemoration. The party retreated to Walla Walla, where a company was raised, fifty-four strong, to return and hold the mining ground. They arrived at Grimes Creek October 7th, and founded Pioneer City. Others quickly followed, and in November Centreville was founded, a few miles south on the same stream. Placerville, on the head of Granite Creek, contained 300 houses. Buena Vista on Elk Creek and Bannack City on Moore Creek also sprang up in December, and before the first of January between 2,000 and 3,000 persons were on the ground ready for the opening of spring. Up to that time the weather had been mild, allowing wagons to cross the Blue Mountains, usually impassable in winter. Companies of fifty and over, well armed to protect themselves against the Shoshones, at this time engaged in active hostilities, as narrated in my History of Oregon, made the highway populous during several weeks. Supplies for these people poured rapidly into the mines. In the first ten days of November $20,000 worth of goods went out of the little frontier trading post of Walla Walla for the Boisé country, in anticipation of the customary rush when new diggings were discovered. Utah also contributed a pack-train loaded with provisions, which the miners found cheaper than those from the Willamette Valley, with the steamboat charges and the middlemen's profits. Besides, the merchants of Lewiston were so desirous of establishing commerce with

Among the reenforcements were J. M. Moore, John Rogers, John Christie, G. J. Gilbert, James Roach, David Thompson, Green and Benjamin White, R. C. Combs, F. Giberson, A. D. Sanders, Wm Artz, J. B. Pierce, and J. F. Guisenberry. Elliott's Hist. Idaho, 71; Idaho World, Oct. 31, 1864. Among this party were Jefferson Standifer, Harvey Morgan, Wm A. Daly, Wm Tichenor, J. B. Reynolds, and Daniel Moffat, who had been sheriff of Calaveras co., Cal.

This place had its name changed to Idaho City on the discovery that the miners on the east side of the Rocky Mts had named a town Bannack. Ebey's Journal, MS., viii. 127, 134; Or. Statesman, Dec. 22, 1862.

Salt Lake that a party was despatched to old Fort Boisé, September 20th, to ascertain if it were practicable to navigate Snake River from Lewiston to that point or beyond. This party, after waiting until the

river was near its lowest stage, descended from Fort Boisé to Lewiston on a raft, which was constructed by them for the purpose. It was soon made apparent,

"These adventurers were Charles Clifford, Washington Murray, and Joseph Denver. A. P. Ankeny, formerly of Portland, originated the expedition. Those who performed it gave it as their opinion that the river could be navigated by steamboats. That same autumn the Spray, a small steamer built by A. P. Ankeny, H. W. Corbett, and D. S. Baker, in opposition to the O. S. N. Co., ascended the river 15 miles above Lewiston, but could get no farther. The Tenino also made the attempt, going ten miles and finding no obstacles to navigation in that distance. Lewiston, which as long as the miners were on the Clearwater and Salmon rivers had enjoyed a profitable trade, drawing its goods from Portland by the same steamers which brought the miners thus far on their journey, and retailing them immediately at a large profit, now saw itself in danger of being eclipsed by Walla Walla, which was the source of supply for the Boisé basin. Its business men contemplated placing a line of boats on Snake River to be run as far as navigable. The

however, that Lewiston was hopelessly cut off from Salt Lake, and even from the Boisé basin, by those formidable barriers alluded to in the previous chapter, of craggy mountains and impassable river cañons and falls. The population of Boisé was equally interested in means of travel and transportation, and had even greater cause for disappointment when they found that wagons and pack-trains only could be relied upon to convey the commodities in request in every community 300 miles from Umatilla landing on the Columbia to their midst, Umatilla, and not Walla Walla, having become the debouching point for supplies.

Meantime the miners busied themselves making preparations for the opening of spring by locating claims and improving them as far as possible," doing a

first important landing was to be at the mouth of Salmon River, forty miles above Lewiston. The design was then to make a road direct to the mines, whereas the travel had hitherto been by the trails through the Nez Percé country. The distance from the mouth of Salmon River by water to Fort Boisé was 95 miles, from there to the Fishing Falls of Snake River 90 miles, and from these falls to Salt Lake City 250 miles, making a total distance from Lewiston of 475 miles, nearly half of which it was hoped could be travelled in boats. Such a line would have been of great service to the military department, about to establish a post on the Boisé River, and to the immigration, saving a long stretch of rough road. But the Salmon River Mountains proved impassable, and the Snake River unnavigable, although in the autumn of 1863 a second party of five men, with Molthrop at their head, descended that stream in a boat built at Buena Vista bar, and a company was formed in Portland with the design of constructing a portage through a cañon of the river which was thought impracticable for steamers.

8 Wardwell and Lurchin erected a wharf at Umatilla, 30 miles below Wallula, the landing for Walla Walla, and by opening a new route to the Grand Rond across the Umatilla Indian reservation, diverted travel in this direction.

Sherlock Bristol, who went to Boisé in Dec., says: 'I prospected the country, and finally settled down for the balance of the winter and spring on Moore Creek. There we built twenty log houses-mine, Wm Richie's, and I. Henry's being among the twenty. We made snow-shoes and traversed the valleys and gulches prospecting. As the snow was deep and it was some distance to the creek, some one proposed we should dig a well, centrally located, to accommodate all our settlement. One day when I was absent prospecting the well-digger struck bed-rock down about 18 feet, but found no water; but in the dirt he detected particles of gold. A bucketful panned out $2.75. When I returned at night I could not have bought the claim on which my house was built for $10,000. It proved to be worth $300,000. The whole bench was rich in like manner. My next-door neighbors-the three White brothers-for nearly a year cleaned up $1,500 daily, their expenses not exceeding $300. Bushels of gold were taken out from the gravel beds where Idaho City now stands.' I have taken this account from a manuscript on