| Show 45 history location and aiches of silver city icho ida h 0 1 amm qa w ar 4 I 1 V 9 4 R U Q 4 RM 17 11 Q q R M q N M RM TM TM A amm R amne RM P M a the owyhee owahee range of mountains containing some of the oldest and richest veins of mineral bearing ore yet found in the in ter mountain states is but fifteen miles in width and not to exceed forty miles in length but a small portion of this territory has been explored and but a very small area is at this time being mined in the actually proven mining portion of owyhee owahee there are but three mountains viz south of nampa on the oregon short line railroad and about twenty three miles south of murphy the terminus of the boise nampa owyhee owahee railroad popularly termed the dewey road because it was constructed ted through the energy and perseverance of the late colonel dewey who has done more perhaps in making the silver city district what it is today than any other man from murphy the traveler silver city is clustered between the mo giant producing mountains of florida Flo fida and war eagle on the jordan creek directly north of this camp and these mountains almost a 1 unscratched by the prospectors pick are the granite sugar loaf and wonder mountains each one of which has at least one property in fair course of development and fairer prospects for production and of which attention will be paid later in this is z arr n AIL A 0 AZA af t N gateway to garden ga of the gods on gold property deax silver city war eagle florida and de lamar lying in an easterly and westerly course while to the south is the south mountain which gives great promise as a coming camp when transportation facilities will make it bluto me to handle the baser ores that lie hidden in the treasure vaults of its mineral deposits silver city the county seat of owyhee owahee county and tile the center of the business operations of the district lies about fifty miles takes a stage a fine concord coach drawn by six horses and views all the scenery attending a trip from the valley to the summit the accompanying halftone half tone illustrates the mode of travel which is of itself quite sufficient an inducement for any one to make the trip for the scenic beauty and the strenuous life of a wild run down the steep and winding curves curves of the mountain side which is a slow and tortuous climb in the opp opposite site direction 15 sue history chronicles the discovery of the silver city camp to a daring party of boise basin placer diggers in the early spring of 1863 headed by one michael jordan after whom the jordan creek took its name and W T carson tor for whom the mining district was called gold was discovered in a reckless attempt at panning one of the party taking his shovel from his pack scooped a shovel full of the gravel aud and washed it in a crude and awkward manner with the result that about colors astonished the whole party which in ten minutes had unpacked its beasts of burden and were eagerly shoveling and panning the dirt in all directions within an hour every one of the party returned with good prospects for their labors ten days prospecting followed after which laws were adopted to govern future operations of the camp in the diggings digging on the northeast side of florida mountain and less than one mile from the present site of silver city values were panned in such quantity theft that a town was built and named ruby city because of the character of the ruby silver thus washed from the gravel beds in the placer mining that followed there has been millions in the precious metals taken from the gulches that mark their courses down the steep sides of those giant twins florida and war eagle mountains and placer mining is continued to this day by prospectors who work during the spring season and take out sufficient gold to live in comfort during the balance of the year from more than a hundred assays essays recently taken from gop hering all over orbr fourteen acres of the trade dollar extension companas comp anys joseph claim on florida mountain to a depth of about two feet the estimated values in placer gold runs into the millions and which lying above the water possibilities in the days of the placer mining was never worked A few deiv months later in the same year of the discovery of the camp the first quartz ledge was found and located in whiskey gulch of war eagle mountain and almost immediately another ledge was discovered higher up on the mountain and given the name of oro fino which has since won fame as one of the principal producers of the camp in fact it is the oro fino ledge that crosses through h the ground of the golden chariot ida elmore mahogany and other properties the golden chariot alone having baving a shipping record of bullion according to the wells fargo express company of As early as one year after the discovery of the camp a gigantic undertaking was proposed of cutting a lo 10 longa n gf deep tunnel entirely through the rich network of veins of war eagle mountain from the east side which project however failed to materialize and lived only in history until about ten years ago when judge lamb present publisher of the silver city nugget wrote a letter at some length proposing almost an identical tunnel project and mailed to a friend 1 in n the east the proposition failed to meet with wita the favor of the eastern friend and the letter was lost to the world but judge lamb had wisely taken and kept a copy of the epistle which a few years later he took occasion to show to a boise Bols friend efriend after reading the letter the friend leaped with joy at the worded picture and asked to be given the copy of letter it was given him and with this as a basis he interested capital formed a corporation and today in less than four years time a tunnel a mile and a half long penetrates the very heart of war eagle mountain almost on the very line of the first proposed site and is intended to continue on and carry out the project as originally outlined As an evidence of the great riches that rewarded the discovery of the camp it is 11 rb recorded corded that at a depth of but one hundred feet a chunk achink of native ruby silver was uncovered which weighed pounds specimens of this ore were were exhibited at the paris exposition and won the gold medal again 2000 tons of the ore from the ledge yielded more than a half a million dollars the tailing from which carried 70 to the ton some of the first class rock running from to to the ton some of the older citizens of the camp still revel in the pleasure of describing the riches of the camp and what was picked from the grass roots on tile the hillsides Hill sides of these monster twin mountains and they back their stories with specimens from the dumps and ledges that are marvelously rich and literally alive with sparkling gold and plastered with clusters of the ruby silver in its native state it is commonly believed that both war eagle mountain and the owyhee owahee range derived their names from indian terms but this is probably erroneous at least the best authority obtainable is effect that owyhee owahee is a corruption of the word hawaii and was given by the northa northwest est fur company long before the prospector visited the country this in brief serves to give the reader a faint idea of the early discovery and making of a camp came that has produced so many many millions of the worlds supply of money metal and is destined to more than duplicate its past production record |
