Prospectors,
Forerunners of Civilization
Prospectors, the usual forerunners of civilization
in mineralized regions, were still seeking new El Dorados. A few of
them set out from Rocky Bar in 1865 and discovered and filed for
record two gold quartz mining claims on what was later to be known
as the Gold Belt, and which are the earliest recorded mining claims
in any part of what is now within the confines of Blaine County.
These were called the Big Camas and the Black Cinder, the notices of
which were filed for record on September 11, 1865, and are recorded
in Book 4 of Quartz Mining Records of Alturas County, Idaho
Territory, on pages 41 and 44, respectively.
The locators of the Big Camas were Ross Smith, David Whitmer, John
Tudor, H. S. Waikfield, J. B. Ingersoll, J. B. Harris, D. W.
Lichtenthaler and M. H. Williams. The locators of the Black Cinder
were Ross Smith, M. H. Williams, J. N. Mason and W. H. Spencer. Two
of these locators, M. H. Williams of Bellevue and David Whitmer of
Broadford, were early pioneers of Wood River and lived here until
called hence. This record effectually disposes of the contention
that the earliest discovery of minerals in what is now Blaine County
was on Warm Springs Creek in 1878. But there were no permanent
settlers in southern Alturas County until 1879. The great obstacle
to the development of this region until that year was nomadic bands
of blood thirsty Indians, who regarded the mountain ranges and Camas
Prairie as their peculiar property. After they were driven out in
the campaign of 1878 white settlers followed almost upon their
heels.
Unlike Pierce, Florence, Warren's diggings, Boise Basin and Rocky
Bar, it was not gold, but large quantities of high grade silver and
lead ores discovered in many of the hills and mountains in the Wood
River country, which attracted people from far and near, notably
from Boise Basin, Rocky Bar, Utah, Nevada, Montana, Colorado, the
Black Hills of Dakota, and else where. At the time in question and
until the building of the Oregon Short Line Branch of the Union
Pacific railroad in 1883, the nearest railroad station was
Blackfoot, Idaho, on the Utah and Northern, a narrow-gauge railroad.
Alturas County |
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