Gems of Thought and History of Shoshone County
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Gems of Thought and History of Shoshone County COMPLIMENTS BUNKER HILL & SULLIVAN MINING CO. Gems of Thought and History of Shoshone County Sponsored by THE ALLIED FRATERNITIES COUNCIL Shoshone County Compiled' and Edited by George C. Hobson Kellogg Evening News Press, July, 1940 Preface The very life and well being of a community depend upon and reflect the ability to “get along with” each other. There is a pride everyone can justly feel and develop in being surrounded with 3uch prodigality of nature’s storehouse, with such scenery and weather, and with such excellent civic, social, and educational organization as grace Shoshone County. Just as the people we do not like are the ones we do not know, the more we know about people and things, the better we like them. So with our environs: the better informed we are as to what was required in past struggles to arrive at this time and at this place and in these surroundings, the more we shall appreciate our being here and the better we shall assume the responsibilities of taking our proper places in these surroundings. If this history in some small degree can contribute to making the people in and out of Shoshone County a little more conscious of the primeval beginnings of the county, of the mad scramble for gold, of the bitter struggles of sharply contending humanity that swept in, of the equally precipitous discovery and development of some of the world’s greatest lode mines, and of the steady transformation from raw frontier codes to the present settled ways of life, it will have served its purpose. Writing of a complete history of the county is far beyond the space allowed or the needs of this occasion. It was hoped at the outset of this work to have included many “thoughts” from many people and to have made them a vital part of this history. The job of securing more than are here printed would have been overwhelming. We are pleased that these many are included. As meager as this work pretends to be, there was considerable work in compiling and editing. Mr. R. L. Brainard and Mr. Roy H. Kingsbury have been most helpful and cooperative from start to finish. They have never wearied of lending their assistance in and out of their offices. Mr. Elmer B. Moe and Mr. F. R. Levering have been equally willing and cordial in their cooperation. Without their encouragement the obstacles encountered would have been insur¬ mountable. Reverend Francis Kinch and Mr. B. P. Woolridge have both contributed their moral and material support, as have numer¬ ous others. To the good offices of all these people much credit and appreciation are accorded. Especial mention is made of Mr. “Chet” 1-lowarth, who freely granted the use of the local radio system for fourteen appearances over the air. Thanks again are given those who spoke at those times. Any social work of this nature must rely upon the cooperation of the leaders of that society. In whatever degree this volume is accepted, credit is accordingly due that cooperation. Greetings to those who had confidence enough to subscribe in advance. George C. Hobson, Editor Table of Contents Chapter Page I—'Shoshone County Organized -- 5 II—'Lewis and Clark Expedition ___ 9 III— Fur Traders and Trappers . 10 IV— Indians - 12 V— First Placer Boom _ 16 VI— Second Placer Boom .... 24 VII—Early Day Lawlessness . 28 VIII—Lode Mining ...-. 31 IX—Transportation . 41 X—Civic .-. 46 XI—Social ...-. 59 XII—Tall Tales ... 68 XIII—Fish and Game . 81 HISTORY OF SHOSHONE COUNTY I—SHOSHONE COUNTY ORGANIZED been surveyed according to the desig¬ Naming Shoshone County nation given it by the Territory of Washington, the eastern boundary of Shoshone County was named' by the Shoshone County and likely the east¬ Washington Territory legislature in ern boundary of Idaho would today 1858. There were no Shoshone Indians be the continental divide, which passes here then or since. A member of the just west of Butte and Helena and legislature, having knowledge of the bears north and west into the central Shoshones in southern Idaho, liking portion of the Glacier National Park. the name, and knowing there were Indians here (possibly believing them Shoshone County Organized to be the same tribe as those in Shoshone County was not organized southern Idaho), suggested the name under the above named order. In Shoshone, which was adopted for the 1861 the county’s official boundaries county. The city of Shoshone in Lin¬ were stated: “Sec. 1. Be it enacted coln County, southern Idaho, was nam¬ by the legislative assembly of the Ter¬ ed from the Indians who lived in that ritory of Washington, That the boun¬ immediate vicinity and covered the daries of Shoshone County shall be entire Upper Snake River Valley, that as follows: Beginning at the mouth is, above Boise. Shoshone has a mus¬ of the South Fork of the Clearwater; ical sound and is a name we can be thence south with the said river to pleased to call the county. But Coeur the Lolo Fork of the same; thence d’Alene is equally musical and, as an east with the said Lolo stream in an Indian name, belongs much more to easterly direction to the summit of the surrounding territory. It might the Bitter Root Mountains; thence even be that some future state legis¬ north to the main divide between the lature will change the name of the Palouse River and the North Fork of county from Shoshone to Coeur the Clearwater; thence in a westerly d’Alene. direction with the said main divide to Shoshone County Older Than Idaho a point from which, running due south, would strike the mouth of the Shoshone County is older than the South Fork of the Clearwater to the Territory of Idaho, having been de¬ signated by the Territory of Washing¬ place of beginning.” ton, to which it then belonged, as County Seats. early as 1858. It was then broadly Pierce City, within the area of the described as “conprising all that coun¬ above named county boundaries, and try north of the Snake River and be¬ then recently named after Captain E. tween the Columbia and the Rocky D. Pierce, who had discovered gold Mountains, with the county seat on the there, was named the county seat of land claims of Angus McDonald." this second Shoshone County. Pierce That would make it include part of City was the county seat until 1885, the present state of Washington, part when it wa$ moved to Murray. In of the present state of Montana, and 1 898 it was again moved, this time every thing north of Lewiston in Ida¬ to Wallace, where it has remained. ho. But the surveyors apparently Frequent Boundary Changes. mistook the Bitter Root range for the A description of Idaho’s shifting Rocky Mountains, the continental di¬ boundary lines forms an interesting vide, which accounts for the pan¬ but somewhat complicated story. Be¬ handle shape of North Idaho. Had it tween 184 8 and 1868, twenty years, SMELTERVILLE GARAGE KELLOGG DRUG CO. L. E. PETERSON, Prop. Prescription Service General Repairing Gas, Oil, Accessories and Tires Kellogg Idaho Phone 487-W-2 Sinelterville, Idaho 6 not fewer than five different territor¬ of 1848 except the present state of ial limits were established for the re¬ Oregon. gion which embraces the present state of Idaho. Numerous efforts since Idaho Organized A Territory 1868 have been made to change her Idaho was organized a territory in boundary lines. 1863 as a direct result of gold dis¬ coveries, which began in Shoshone A Part of Oregon Country. County and extended north and south From before the Lewis and Clark and east. Because of th distance of expedition, 1804-18i06, to 1820, the Olympia, the capital of Washington beginning of the golden decade of the Terirtory, from these gold discoveries fur business, Idaho was included in and fast settled' areas, because of dif¬ that vague region known as the “Co¬ ficulties of travel with its slowness and lumbia River Country.” During the lack of roads, and because of the dan¬ next quarter of a century, or until gerous, hostile Indians between the 1846, it was called the “Oregon Coun¬ two extremities of the territory, Wash¬ try.” This consisted roughly of the ington Territory could not possibly present states of Oregon, Washington, provide for the enforcement of law and' Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and a large order in this new eastern bonanza. portion of British Columbia. So pressure was brought to bear on A Part of Oregon Territory. Congress and Idaho territory was born. In 1846 the British Columbia region Idaho was organized as a territory was cut away from the “Oregon Coun¬ March 3, 1863. Its boundaries are try” by the treaty with England, which described as follows: “All that part fixed the northern boundary of the of the territory of the United States United States at the 49th parallel of included within the following limits, north latitude, its present boundary. to-wit: Beginning at a point in the In 1848, Oregon Territory was es¬ middle channel of the Snake River, tablished by congress. It stretched where the north boundary of Oregon from the coast eastward to the crest intersects the same; thence following of the Rocky Mountains. down the said' channel of the Snake Parts of Washington and Oregon River to a point opposite the mouth Territories. of the Clearwater River ! thence due In 1853, Congress organized Wash¬ north to the 49th paralled; thence ington Territory which became the east along said parallell to the 27th northern part of the former Oregon degree of longitude west of Washing¬ Territory.