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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 1, 1884)
40 THE WEST SHORE. CCEUR D'ALENE GOLD FIELDS. It in manv vears since tlie Northwest Const has wit- i ....i.'. .:.,;.,,. fnr,.ro nu in now racrmc over the ......I.. .1: ... ....i ..u flnl.la ,t (!(Piir d'Aleno. Not de Ilewiy UllHAHIHUU H"11 siring to aid in (rotting h boom, for the mines have " ... ..! 'L 1 X already leen advertised to tho extent ot tneir mem, oiu simply as a miitt'r of general information and interest, The West Siioiib presents a brief description of them, accompanied by appropriate illustrations and an outline . i i . 1 map showing their location ami surrouiuiings. Tho Ctcur d'Aleno Rango extends from Lake Pend d'Oreille, a distance of 200 miles southeastward, until it disappears in the main ridge of the Rocky Moun tain. Immmit mdled at tlie southern end the Bitter Boot Mountains, tho summit ridge of the whole range forming tho iKiundary line between Idaho and Montana. .Near tho wet t irn lmso of tho extremo northern end lies Lake Camr d'Aleno, one of tho most beautiful sheets of water iu tho world, and into tins pour the Cuuir d Alene and St. Joseph rivers, flowinir down from tho mountain summits. At tho northern end of the lake is Fort Camr d' Alene, a United Slates military jMst, tho land on the east, south and west side of tho lake being embraced in an Indian reservation. Thirty miles up tho Camr d'Alone Paver, at tho extremo northeast corner of the reservation, is the Cunir d'Aleno Mission, a Catholio institution of long landing, iho tinted States military road laid out in 18C2, from Walla Walla to Fort Bonton, by Captain John Mullon, and known as the Mullan Road, runs from Spo kane 1'hIIs to tho Fort, thence to tho Mission, and thence across the mountains mto Montana. A military telegraph lino connect the Fort with Spokane Fulls. The mines, such as are located. of Uur d'Aleno River and its affluents, such as Eagle, Pntohard and Beaver crooks, and the many gulches that ,-v .,, v,.,n. a i tne junction of Eagle and Pritcliard creek is Eoglo City, tho nresont mntmnnHo mining camp of brush shanties and log cabins, which has . ,, y u,,r.m u,e IM nd winter, and which is rapidly inoreamng i iz0 by the stream of adventurers lw ra daily struggling in through tho snow. is Jr Trill f Rr nUmerU8' nnd n8 v T T J blff00n tho twns lying along the Northern Pkr.Uo aa to which shall bJme the fir point of deoarturo for il, .... . . . nte of wl h l,rttm wpire to this L line to the Fori " lweniV4Uvon i l, hiiicij Mill rnim ihii mountains m aspire to this honor, each From thp from the latter 0" Cf..r JAW City is , and nP tt t ww the Fori 111 . v'!1, U ut on 8 beu- Two Htenmor. Z Z" 1,16 8tnra" line will river. liful sit near tl run. W ... tl,, ;, , ' k" " . Wh .ill b. Eaglo City. Coenr d' Alene City is expected to be the great depot for supplies, the rallying point in winter and the outfitting and final starting point for the mines. A transportation company has been " organized -at SpuUue' Falls, which will build a good road from the Mullan Road to Eagle City, nnd will run daily stages from Spokane Falls, making the trip in twenty-three hours. - As Spo kane Falls is the largest place on the railroad within reach of the mines, this will no doubt be a favorite route. Rathdrum, in Idaho, is a few mileB nearer the Fort than its rival, and has always been the railway sta tion for that section. There is much talk of constructing a road across the mountains and make a short cut to the mines, instead of following the circuitous route by the way of tho Fort and Mission. Sand Point, at the foot of Lake Pend d'Oreille, also enters the list, proposing to put on a line of steamers, running forty miles south, from which place it will be only a few miles to the mines. On the Montana side, Heron, Trout Creek (or Tone City) and Belknap, all stations on the Northern Pacific are rival starting points to the mines, with which thev are connected by trails only. Heron is the nearest, as the crow flies, but not by . the trail. Trout Creek, or Tone City, where there is much excitement over town lots, has until recently been considered the most accessible point, being about thirty-five miles from Eagle City by the trail. Belknap is ten miles south of Trout Creek. and has been put forward by the Northern Pacific as a railroad town, from which . it is claimed a good trail exists, which makes the distance to Eagle City but twenty-eight miles.. Projected wagon roads will soon fur. nish numerous ways of reaching the mines with ease. As to the richness and extent of these mines, there is no question about their having been overestimated bv enthusiastic individuals; yet beyond doubt these are the richest placer diggings which have attracted public atten tion for years, while valuable eold and silver ouartz ledtres have been discovered and located. There is also a large tract of unprospected country, which will no doubt be examined from end to end the coming summer. Great preparations are being made to take in saw mills, quartz mills and large stocks of goods as soon as the trails are passable for them. Various estimates are made of the number of men who will crowd into the gold fields in the spring, some being satisfied with 20,000, while others place it as high as 100,000. One thing is certain, there is great excitement from flnlnrnrln In r!nlifcirnin nnd from Washington to Arizona, and the hundreds already defy ing the drifts of snow and inclement weather indicate the rush of thousands as Soon ns enrlnrr not in Tha vnriou transportation companies, those who administer to the yuyaiuu necessities of the crowd, the dealers in supplies, and a certain percent will nrnhftblv probt lar8ely y the excitement, but that a majority of Ulrica 1 i ..... . . .. . . .,i , "HBln tmtner without any definite planwiu Py dearly for their experience is equally probable. The growth of a nrosnnrmia j: a iun jnnrafis- . , i iuwmig uiouiui turn iuu R demand for our products which it will create, will 1 ueuencuu to our neonle in avo .nmn. of trade. 4 M ..w