Show famous leesburg idaho placer region in limelight leesburg the mighty gold camp in lemhi leahi county idaho which by its discovery in 1866 astonished the western world a camp that has produced more than in placer gold is just now staging a wonderful comeback promising to duplicate its former productive achievements to yield more gold than it has ever before shown V vast ast areas of virgin gravel in that rich basin are still untouched tou clied still stift awaiting the forces of hydraulic giants and b gold dredges to b garner artier the wealth of yellow dust that has lain for ages in ill those deposits according to a big spread article on the old camp in a recent issue of the salmon recorder herald which goes on to relate modern men by means of illo modern dern methods are now proceeding in practical ways to wash the gold from bars that the first argona argonauts tits thought to be impractical of recovery and indeed these deposits by methods known 50 years ago were too difficult of access nevertheless today a vast store of bullion is being gleaned to enhance the vital current of commerce there is more gold in leesburg basin today than has ever been previously taken out anniversary of discovery it is niete mete that on this occasion of the anniversary of gold discovery at leesburg when almost all the active participants of that thrilling stampede have passed from earth and its scenes that some attention be given by the people of this county to the memory of those valiant men and their courageous deeds which are destined to be sung by the citizen of idaho and of lenchi lemhi county as long as history shall endure in this issue the recorder herald is glad to pay its reverential tribute to the redoubtable band which in that pioneer day lazed blazed the trail over the leesburg summit and laid the foundation of the first permanent white settlement of this part of idaho leesburg is still very much alive and promises great thin things zal for the industrial world during a great many years to come bonanza placer incorporated chief among the concerns that have recently shown faith in the placers of leesburg is bonanza placer inc which has seized active hold in that pristine camp having procured title to 1480 acres of virgin auriferous gravel comprising one vast block on oil Nap pias camp and rapps creek C A poulsen is president and general manager of the company which is composed mainly of capitalists of southern california and col G C hodson fills the important office of secretary treasurer they are now working their ground the s second season and 1 while almost all their activities have been devoted to prospecting they have proceeded sufficiently far to demon demo strate beyond question that their holdings are phenomenally rich and that future dividends are well assured to the fortunate dunate stockholders three square miles of gold bonanza placer inc commended operations in lees burg ur basin last year at which time by locati an barf chase the company acquired title to much ground on camp and rapps creek and intervening gulches and last fall they bought the old townsite of leesburg on creek which gave them in the aggregate almost three square miles of virgin gravel bars all reputed to be rich in their golden contents the company has industriously explored its extensive holdings proving the presence of gold everywhere and in most places the ground is found to be of Pac tolean richness hydraulics on swamp gulch powerful hydraulics have been for some time working and about a quarter of a mile of this gulch has been washed on swamp gulch one mile below leesburg postoffice post office and out whereon several encouraging cleanups have demonstrated the economic value of the deposits the gravel is easily washed and shows a depth to bedrock of from 15 to 22 feet not only has the management proved the economic importance of this immense deposit but it has also proved by this and other tests that within this area it possesses about acres of the richest gold dredging land to be found in the west and the dredge boat is certain to follow in the wake of these inspiring tests water from several streams the company has water rights of several streams including Nap pias rapps and camp cre creeks eks Jeffe reson candy and swamp gulches altogether affording sufficient flow to operate four big 6 giants cants besides running a 6 good sized dredge on oil swamp gulch they are now piping Z sixteen hours a day and will continue this hydraulic mining until winter weather inte intervenes renes to stop their work T P dunlap who has had ample experience of a practical kind in handling such enterprises is in charge of the piping and his efficient service has contributed vastly to the com banys success nominally one must look upon placer mining as of but transient or temporary consideration but this company has done enough at leesburg to prove that it will be mining the gold placers of leesburg for the next fifty years and that it should be able to pay millions of dollars in dividends prospecting the townsite by means of shafts the company has initiated the prospecting of ground on the leesburg townsite and the management is said to be more than satisfied over the resultant disclosure it has been thus shown that bedrock lies at a depth of twenty five to thirty feet and that the gold values are fairly evenly distributed throughout the derrit substratum gold is shown in every pan indicating a yardage value that is very high the pioneer discoverers knew this ground to be rich but they were unable by means and methods known at that day to handle the project manager Po poulsen declares his intention to continue sinking shafts in an the vicinity of the old town bv j way y a Y of proving the ground in that rich district rapps creek opening up bonanza placer has commenced work of developing about acres of placed 6 ground round on rapps creek which is also proved to be abundantly rich and profitable and this area will soon commence to contribute its hidden wealth to the commerce of the world prospecting Z has been well vell carried forward on that creek a substantial flume three and one half by four feet has been built and the pipeline has been partly installed A camp has been instituted including a well built boarding and cook house twenty b by y sixty feet in dimension in all these works the company has expended a considerable sum of money though some quick cleanups this season on swamp gulch have tended to encourage the owners affording flattering natt ering returns in capital expended the gold old of leesburg is worth 1855 an ounce bonanza placer is making money this year besides which it is demonstrating demont rating the wondrous possibilities of placer mining in leesburg basin phelan creek placers about 1000 acres of additional placer deposits at or near the confluence of phelan and creeks four miles below leesburg is subject of exploitation by a syndicate of idaho mining men now digging 6 there winder under the management of william 0 taylor of hailey and boise mr taylor like the bonanza people is not much given to oral vociferation but he is quietly carrying forward his campaign of development making ready for hydraulic operations with a force of men inen this summer he has generally shaft prospected his ground and by the help of teams men and ditching machinery he has completed a five mile canal from pony creek and also a big ditch from phelan creek to furnish the water to vitalize his hydraulic pipes which he will be operating by the middle of this coming august and during Z 1 subsequent seasons he has furthermore completed the erection of good camp buildings among which is a mine boarding house amply large to accommodate fifty men pie he has gotten in 2000 feet of hydraulic pipe and all necessary supplies for a live working camp it is said that results of shaft tests of the phelan creek placers are quite satisfactory to the parties of interest and it is expected that they will be operating next year upon a scale other placer operations judson and charles goff piped this year as usual in the vicinity of the haidee mine near the head of arnett creek and their efforts an usual were profitable working with a no 3 giant they their have for several past years been the foremost producers of placer gold in leesburg basin others in the basin working on a smaller scale though upon highly meritorious holdings holding sare are industriously plying their trade jas A fry christ stuckey and william swan also have good placer properties on arnett creek at the richardson placers just south of Lees leesburg bur post postoffice office some work is being carried forward this ground owned by mrs W H shoup and mrs fred wil liams heirs of wm H richardson deceased has a past record of production and will yet produce mu much cb more cullinan brothers and pat have fine gold placer claims six miles east of leesburg which they have been working at a profit during the present season 0 E kirkpatrick and jasper lyne on their claim just north of leesburg sunk a shaft last spring and though at a depth oi of twenty two feet before they had attained bed rock they were driven out by water they are said to have found values highly tl encouraging 6 and generally distributed throughout the course this is held to be a valuable claim which in future should certainly yield its notable tale of gold arold |