March 11, 1863, The New York Herald
Away up in the Rocky Mountain region, north of Utah and Colorado, and West of Nebraska, lies the country named Shosone on some of our maps, to be hereafter known as Idaho, pronounced with the accent on the first and last syllables. It embraces four degrees of latitude – from forty-one to forty-six in the eastern half – and thirteen degrees of longitude – from one hundred and four to one hundred and seventeen. The pony express route from Missouri to California traverses the eastern half of it. The Rocky Mountains form a gigantic back bone, stretching up northwesterly from the South Pass, and innumerable rivers act as the veins and arteries, carrying off the melted snow from those high latitudes and send their tribute to the Father of Waters. A few years ago no white man resided within its wide limits. Today it contains an adventurous mining population. Ten years more, and towns and cities, and churches and schoolhouses, the arts and comforts of civilized life, will be diffused over it. It is thus that the American people subdue the desert, and carry out their great destiny.
Congress, at its last session, passed an act organizing a Territorial government for Idaho, carving it out from Oregon, Dacotah and Washington Territories, just as the Territory of Colorado has been carved out from Kansas, Nebraska and Utah. Its officers consist of a Governor, Secretary, three Judges, a District Attorney and a Marshal. A Territorial Legislature or council is to be convened to adopt a code of laws for the new Territory, and thus, the usual machinery being put in motion, Idaho takes her place as one of the nascent States of the Union.
Very little is known of the resources of the new Territory, but its principal attraction at this time is its supposed mineral wealth. In the autumn of 1861 discoveries were made showing that gold actually existed in that region, and was to be found in paying quantities. These mines were said to be located on the head of Salmon river – a tributary of the Columbia. In the spring of 1862 there was a rush from California, Salt Lake and Pike’s Peak, and the country was pretty well prospected. As soon as navigation opened three or four hundred persons from St. Louis passed up the Missouri as far as Fort Benton, on the boats of the American Fur company. The most of these St. Louis emigrants were sent under the auspices of the American Exploring and Mineral company – an organization that still exists. From Fort Benton they found a good road to the gold fields, 180 miles distant. This route bids fair to be the one most to be travelled by gold seekers during the coming summer.
In the early part of the season the miners were not very successful; but about the 1st of September last rich placers were found, from which the miners were said to have realized from twenty to forty dollars per day. These discoveries were made on Grasshopper creek, near the three forks of the Missouri, in the vicinity of Big Hole prairie. Mines were also opened on Gold creek and in Prickly Pear valley which yielded finely. The gold is of a very fine quality, known among mines as scale gold, and at the Mint would be worth $19.50 per ounce. The company above referred to have some magnificent specimens at their office in St. Louis.
On Deer Lodge creek extensive placers were opened, and late in the autumn the miners laid out a town on that stream, at the junction of Mullen’s road constructed by the lamented Lander. The valley of this stream is described as one of the finest in the vicinity, abounding in game of every variety to be found in the mountains. At last accounts Deer Lodge City, as the new town was called, though but a few months old, boasted nearly a hundred houses. A regular line of communication is kept up with Salt Lake and Forty Laramie, and there is a prospect of a considerable migration thither from the Pike’s Peak region.
All the valleys on the head waters of the Missouri are exceedingly fertile. Near Deer Lodge City is a settlement of half a dozen French families, who have resided there several years. With them is one John Grant, an old mountaineer. This individual has a herd of six hundred cattle, as fine as any that could be found in the States, and, though he had paid little attention to agriculture, a few fields of corn attested to the excellent qualities of the soil. It is thought that the whole region would prove well adapted for farming purposes.
The new gold mines are one hundred and eighty miles from Fort Benton, four hundred and fifty miles from Fort Walla Walla and three hundred miles from Salt Lake City. They are known to exist over a belt of country a hundred miles in length by about forty in width. The fact that gold has been found along the Rocky Mountains wherever prospected leads to the belief that the whole region is auiferous. But a few years longer will be required to develop the truth or falsity of this supposition.
Our map shows the limits of the proposed Territory. The new region, being easily accessible by steamboats, will attract much of the Western travel, and ere long we may expect to add another to our list of Territories.
The Governor of Idaho is the Hon. W. H. Wallace, who served in the late Congress as delegate from Washington Territory. The Secretary is taken from Oregon. His name is J. B. Daniels. The Hon. Sydney Edgerton, member of the last House of Representatives from Ohio, is one of the Judges. His colleagues are Mark Smith, of Washington Territory, and Samuel Parks, of Illinois. The District Attorney and Marshal are both taken from Oregon. The name of the former is Richard Williams, and of the latter is S. Payne. We suppose that they are up to the average standard of ability in these Territorial offices.