the winters in certain localities in the mountains, regarded all others as inhospitable, and the immigrants judged of it by the heat and drought of midsummer.

But early in 1854 a small colony of Mormon men was sent to found a settlement on Salmon River among the buffalo-hunting Nez Percés, who erected a fort, which they named Lemhi. In the following year they were reënforced by others, with their families, horses, cattle, seeds, and farming implements; and in 1857 Brigham Young visited this colony, attended by a numerous retinue. He found the people prosperous, their crops abundant, the river abounding

MORMON SETTLEMENT.

403

in fish, and the evidences present of mineral wealth. When he returned to Salt Lake the pioneers returned with him to fetch their wives and children. The Nez Percés, however, became jealous of these settlers, knowing that the government was opposed to the Mormon occupation of Utah, and fearing lest they should be driven out to overrun the Flathead country if they were permitted to retain a footing there. 18 The colony finally returned to Salt Lake, driven out, it was said, by the Indians, with a loss of three men

COUNTIES FORMERLY IN WASHINGTON.

killed, and all their crops destroyed. 19 The other settlements were a few farms of French Canadians in the Coeur d'Alêne country, the Jesuit missions, and Fort

18 Stevens' Nar., in Pac. R. R. Rept, xii. 252; letter of R. H. Lansdale, in Ind. Aff. Rept, 1857, 380; Ross Browne, in H. Ex. Doc., 39, p. 30, 35th cong. 1st sess.; Olympia Pioneer and Dem., Aug. 8, 1856; Or. Statesman, Sept. 15, 1857; Rept Com. Ind. Aff., 1857, 324-80.

19 This was in 1858, if I understand Owen's account, in Ind. Aff. Rept, 1859, 424. Shoup, in Idaho Ter., MS., 5, refers to this settlement. The Mormons erected their houses inside of a palisade, and could have been reënforced from Salt Lake. It is probable that Brigham called them in to strengthen his hands against the government.

Owen, the latter east of the Bitter Root Mountains, in the valley of the St Mary branch of Bitter Root River.

The county of Shoshone was set off from Walla Walla county by the legislature of Washington as early as January 29, 1858, comprising all the country north of Snake River lying east of the Columbia and west of the Rocky Mountains, with the county seat "on the land claim of Angus McDonald."20 This was

20 McDonald was the H. B. Co.'s agent at Colville. The county commissioners, excepting John Owen, who was U. S. Indian agent, were of foreign birth; namely, Robert Douglas and William McCreany. Patrick McKinzie was appointed sheriff, and Lafayette Alexander county auditor. Wash Lars, 1858, 51. Another act, repealing this, and without altering the boundaries, giving it the name of Spokane, and making new appointments, was passed Jan. 17, 1860. In this act James Hayes, Jacques Dumas, and Leaman were made commissioners, John Winn sheriff, R. K. Rogers treasurer, Robert Douglas auditor, J. R. Bates justice of the peace, and F. Wolf coroner. The county seat was removed to the land claim of Bates. The following year all that part of Spokane county lying east of the 115th line of longitude, and west of the summit of the Rocky Mountains, was stricken off and became Missoula county, with the county seat at or near the trading post of Worden & Co., Hellgate Rond.' The commissioners of the new county were C. P. Higgins, Thomas Harris, and F. L. Worden; justice of the peace, Henri M. Chase; sheriff, Tipton. A new county of Shoshone was created of the territory lying south of a line drawn east from the mouth of the Clearwater to the 115th meridian, thence south to the 46th parallel, and east again to the Rocky Mts, pursuing their summits to the 42d parallel, whence it turned west to the boundary line of Oregon, following that and Snake River to the place of beginning. No officers were appointed for Shoshone co., but it was attached to Walla Walla county for judicial purposes until organized by the election of proper county officers. The legislature of 1861-2 abridged the boundaries of Shoshone co., by making it begin at the mouth of the south branch of the Clearwater, following the line of the river south to the Lolo fork of the same, then east with the Lolo fork to the summit of the Bitter Root Mountains, thence north to the main divide between the north branch of the Clearwater and the Palouse River, thence in a westerly direction with the divide to a point from which, running due south, it would strike the mouth of south fork. This change made Shoshone co. as small as it was before great, and gave room for organizing two other counties: first, Nez Percé, comprising the territory embraced within the following limits: beginning at the mouth of the main Clearwater, following it to the south fork, and along Lolo fork to the top of the Bitter Root range, thence south to the main divide between south fork and Salmon River, following it westerly to Snake River, and thence down Snake River to the place of commencement. The second divis ion included all that was left of Shoshone south of Nez Percé, and was named Idaho county, the name afterward chosen for the territory in which it was embraced. The officers appointed for Idaho co. were Robert Gray, Robert Burns, and Sanbourn commissioners, Jefferson Standifer sheriff, and Parker justice of the peace. For Nez Percé co. A. Creacy and Whitfield Kirtley were made commissioners, J. M. Van Valsah auditor, and Sandford Owens sheriff, until the next general election. At the session of 1862-3 the county of Boisé was organized, embracing that portion of Idaho co. bounded north by a line commencing at the mouth of the Payette River, and extending up

subdivided by legislative acts in 1860-1 and 1861-2, as the requirements of the shifting mining population, of which I have given some account in the IIistory 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 explorA 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.

ers.

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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 castern 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.

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