Idaho County Gold

As far as area is concerned, Idaho County is the largest county in the State of Idaho. In 1861, the first white’s who visited Idaho County, besides the occasional trapper or mountain man were gold seekers who followed the Nez Perce trail into the area now known as Elk City found gold in Baboon Gulch. About two thousand people flocked to Elk City that first year and the following year a town was established. At the time the rumor was that a man could clean out his rocker box and pan out a $1,000 a day, even if this seems unlikely.

At the head of Baboon Gulch was a camp called Florence. It was here that in the winter of 1862, that the miners were trapped in what was said to be at least ten feet of snow and survived on very meager rations. The Portland Oregonian read it like this…”all here are now satisfied that these will prove the richest and most extensive mines yet found north of California. All claim that the center of the vast gold field has at last been found.” There are many small districts in the county. Here are the ones worth mentioning:

Elk Creek District

The Elk City District had a total production of around 800,000 ounces. Placer gold can be found in the Clearwater River, especially along the South Fork of the Clearwater River. Gold can also be found in areas along the American River.  The largest mine in the area was the Buster Mine with a estimated 500,000 ounces of lode gold being retrieved.

Florence District  /  French Creek District

By far the richest district in Idaho County. Over a million ounces of gold was recovered.  Nearly all the gold was from placer operations, which is quite amazing. The French Creek-Florence district is in T. 25 N., Rs. 3 and 4 E., about 42 miles from Grangeville. French Creek was heavily mined.

Sign at Florence

Buffalo Hump District

Located in west central part of Idaho County is the Buffalo Hump District. About 27,000 ounces of gold was taken from this remote district. There were about twenty small quartz veins that occupied a five mile area. Production ceased because of its small deposits and remote location.

OroGrande District

The district mainly consists of  lode gold mines. Gnome Mine produced  11,582 ounces from in a five year span from 1932 to 1937. Orogrande-Frisco mine was also a large producer in this district. The area has been worked off and on for many years. Newsome Creek has some placer deposits. Located 8 miles from the Buffalo Hump district.

Dixie District

Twenty miles south of Elk City lays the Dixie District. Incomplete production records for the district, but estimates are between 40,000 and 80,000 ounces of lode and placer gold were taken. Much like the Buffalo Hump District the area was very remote. Sheep Creek and Crooked Creek were heavily worked for placer gold.

Rescue Mine near Warren Idaho

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Skamania County Washington Gold

There are 27 lode mines and 2 placer operations listed in Skamania County as being gold producing in history of the county. The best chances to find gold bearing deposits of are McCoy Creek, Camp Creek and Quartz Creek areas.

McCoy Creek

On Mccoy Creek, in T10N R8E, in section 15 is the Hudson and Meyers Placers which were very rich. In section 10, is the Perry Mine, which was a lode gold mine in arsenopyrite. Along both sides of Camp Creek in Section 10, the Primary Gold Mine and the adjoining Bruhn Mine. Both of these produced free milling gold and platinum. The Primary Gold Mine can be accessed 4 miles by trail from end of the Niggerhead Road. In the creek bars and bench gravels, the Camp Creek placers were very productive.

Quartz Creek

On the north side of Quartz Creek, in SW 1/4 of the SE 1/4 section 7 T8N R8E, is the Plamondon Mine. You can access 3.5 miles by trail from end of road. This mine was 29 claims and produced gold in chalcedonic quartz.

Spirit Lake

Northwest of Spirit Lake, in extreme northwest corner of the county, on Black Mountain, in sections 2, 3, 10, 11 T10N R5E is the location of the Independence Mine. This mine was 6 claims that produce copper, lead, silver and minor gold. Opposite Spirit Lake is the Minnie Lee Mine, which was a lode gold with copper and silver mine. Near Grizzly Creek, probably in section 20, is the Grizzly Creek Mine. You can access this by trail. It produced lode gold with lead and silver. Northeast of spirit lake,in T10N R6E, in sections 8 and 17, is the Germania Mine. The Germania Mine was 12 claims for lode gold and copper. Near the W 1/4 corner section 16 is the Golconda Mine. You can access the Golconda mine .5 miles up Ryan Lake trail from the Green River Trail.

Stevenson

Northwest of Stevenson, in E 1/2 section 25 T4N R5E, is the Texas Gulch Placer, which was very productive.

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Douglas County Oregon Gold

Douglas County has produced some nice gold in the past. The Myrtle Creek and Cow Creek areas are great producers.

Last Chance Creek

At the headwaters of Last Chance Creek, in township 32S range 4W section 34, is the location of the Puzzler Mine, which was a rich lode mine.

Quines Creek

On Quines Creek, in the W 1/2 of the NW 1/4 of section 1 township 33S range 5W, is the location of Quartzmill Mine. This was also a productive mine.

Glendale

In the Glendale area along Cow Creek there was numerous old hydraulic placers. The gravel bars, bench and terrace gravels all contain placer gold. There were many area mines that were rather productive. The BLM has a section that is withdrawn from mineral entry that is open to recreational gold panners only.

Myrtle Creek

If you go east and northeast of Myrtle Creek, in the drainage basins of North and South Myrtle Creeks you will find some extensive placer ground. On Lee Creek and Buck Fork there was over 50,000 ounces of placer gold recovered. On Letitia Creek, a tributary of South Myrtle Creek, in the NW 1/4 section 20 township 29S range 3W is the Chieftrain and Continental Mines which recovered over 100,000 ounces of Oregon gold.

South Umpqua River

This river is great for fine particles of gold. Especially in the upper part of the river. Dredging usually produces match head sized nuggets, but usually you will find fine particles. Gold is on the bedrock  in the sand bars, especially in spots that have rust color around them.

South Umqua River with bedrock showing

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Great Gobs of Gold Abound in Southern Oregon

The largest gold nugget ever found in Oregon was discovered on the East Fork of Althouse Creek in the Illinois Valley in 1859. Its discover, a small Irish miner by the name of Mattie Collins found the whopper in the face of the stream bank under a large stump located about twelve feet about the normal waterline. Dubbed the “Collins Nugget”, it weighed in at a whopping seventeen pounds!

After Mattie Collins found the nugget, he lived in constant fear of being killed and robbed until he hired a fellow countryman of his by the name of Dorsey to help him transport the nugget out of the Althouse. With the nugget hidden in a sack on Dorsey’s back and Collins taking up the rear armed with a double barreled shotgun, the two men trekked down the old Althouse Trail (which still exists in places to this day, and upon which this writer has walked) and spirited the hunk of yellow metal out of the district under the cover of night. Every twenty or so feet, the two men would stop and peer into the darkness, mistaking every other stump or some other object for a highwayman, until finally, certain that it was a trick of the eye, Collins would tell Dorsey to go forward. Local legend has it that after selling the big yellow marvel to the smelter at Jacksonville for $3500, that awash in wealth, Mattie Collins celebrated his discovery until he drank himself to death.

Today, the Collins Nugget would be valued at about $375,000, though a gold nugget of this size and notoriety would certainly carry a hearty premium.

Other notable large nuggets found in Southern Oregon include:

The Vaun Nugget which was discovered on Slug Bar, near Browntown, also on Althouse Creek. Weight: Approximately 40 ounces.

The Oscar Creek Nugget, discovered in 1892 by Boardman Darneille. It weighed over 18 ounces. Three additional large nuggets were discovered on Oscar Creek around the same time, weighing respectively 12 ounces, 6.25 ounces and 5.75 ounces.

The Klippel Nugget, found in 1904 on McDowell Gulch, weighing approximately 25 ounces.

The Burns Nugget, discovered on Brimstone Gulch at the Stovepipe mine near the site of Leland in 1934, weighed 34.47 ounces.

Also in 1934, Ed Prefontaine discovered a piece of quartz float on Foots Creek that contained 13.63 ounces of gold.

Several large nuggets, one weighing almost 15 pounds were also taken from Sucker Creek which is due east of Althouse.

The crew at the famous Bunker Hill Mine on Silver Creek show off a two week clean up. The man at far right is pioneer Galice area miner, John Robertson. Photo courtesy of Sharon Crawford, who is the grand daughter of Orval Robertson, who discovered the Bunker Hill with his partner Ted McQueen in 1926.

Numerous discoveries of rich gold “pockets” which Southern Oregon is famous for have dotted the mining maps of this area, not limited to the fabulous Gold Hill Pocket discovered in 1860 by Thomas Chavner and partners which some say contained over 250,000 ounces of gold, the famous Revenue Pocket (2500 ounces) discovered on Kane Creek by Enos Rhoten, the SteamBoat Pocket in the Upper Applegate drainage and the famous Briggs Strike of 1904, as well as a rich discovery by Orval Robertson and Ted McQueen at the Bunker Hill Mine on Silver Creek exceeding some 5000 ounces in 1926. One piece of nearly solid gold ore from the Bunker Hill was so heavy that when it fell from the side of the tunnel, it broke the leg of a miner named Bill Mitchell who was operating a drill. The piece of ore was only a foot long, 6 inches wide and 3 inches thick, but it contained nearly 20 pounds of free milling gold. There was so much gold in this vein of ore that Mitchell called it the “Ham and Eggs Vein”, because of the amount of ham and egg breakfasts he had been able to buy with his share of the gold.

As recently as a half decade ago, a couple of pound sized nuggets were taken from a small tributary of the Applegate River, proof that the “big ones” are still out there if you are willing to work hard to find them.

~ Kerby Jackson

Josephine County, Oregon

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CALIFORNIA’S FIRST SPANISH MINERS

Soldiers, settlers, and laborers, part of two mission colonies under the administration of Francisco Garces, mined placer gold in the southeastern Chocolate Mountains in 1780 and 1781. Their mining methods were simple. Placer gold was recovered by winnowing (tossing the lighter materials away by gently shaking a blanket in the wind). Dry washers may also have been used. Their mining endeavors, almost recreational in nature (as they were not mining gold for a living) ended abruptly when the Yuma Indians attacked the two missions on July 17, 1781, killing at least 50 men and taking 67 women and children captive. Mining activity was resumed in this area only after the establishment of the Mexican Republic in 1823.

An early image of Spanish Miners

Also worked in the 1780’s were the placer grounds of Jackson Gulch and the oxided ores of Padre Madre Valley in the Cargo Muchacho Mountains. The Padre y Madre Mine, located 13 miles northwest of Yuma and 3 miles northwest of Ogilby, was one of the most extensively developed early mines. The mine enjoyed a modest production from the 1780’s until 1894 with few interruptions.

Even the name of the mountain range speaks of the early interest in mining in the area. Reportedly in the early 1800s two young lads playing at prospecting in imitation of their fathers came into camp with their shirts loaded with gold ore. Their antics resulted in the name of Cargo Muchacho, for the mountains where they had made their find. Although it is difficult to estimate the area’s gold production during the Spanish and Mexican eras (1780-1848) it was probably not more than half a million dollars.

William P. Blake, a geologist with Lt. Williamson’s Pacific Railroad exploration party, was the first Anglo- American to visit the southern portion of the Cargo Muchacho Mountains with an eye toward mining. In 1853 he reported seeing several quartz veins from three inches to a foot or two in thickness. His observations were recorded in official government reports, but no one acted upon this evidence of possible mineralization until the Southern Pacific Railroad between Yuma and the coast was completed.

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Stevens County Washington Gold

Since 1902 there have been 204 lode gold mines and 21 placer mines in Stevens County. Most of the total production of 52,145 ounces of gold came from the lode mines in Stevens County. The Columbia River contains placer gold over its entire length through the county. The bench placers were very rich also along the Columbia River.

Aladdin

West of Aladdin, on the J.W. Scott Ranch, in Section 6 T37N R41E is the Scott Mine, which produced lode gold.

Arden

Out of Arden 2.5 miles, in the SE 1/4 of the NE 1/4 of section 34 T35N R39E, is the Rocky Lake Mine, which consisted of 8 claims for lode gold in base metal ores.

Bluecreek

Northwest 1.5 miles from Bluecreek in SE 1/4 of the NE 1/4 of section 34, T35N R39E, is the Krug (Hartford) Mine. It consisted of 10 claims which produced mostly copper, but minor lode gold. Southwest from Bluecreek 2.5 miles in N 1/2 of NE 1/2 of section 2 T32N R39E, is the Liberty Copper Mine, which consisted of 6 claims for lode gold, copper and silver.

Bossburg

South of Bossburg 5 miles in section 22 T37N R38E, is the Sandoz Placer, which was very productive. Between Bossburg and Marcus, on the east side of the Columbia River, in sections 16 and 21 T37N R38E, is the Valbush Bar Placers.

Boyds

Outside of Boyds 2 miles, in NW 1/4 section 3 T37N R37E is the Napoleon Mine, which produced lode gold as a by product of its copper and iron production.

Cedonia

Northeast of Cedonia 10.5 miles and about .25 miles north of the Addy-Bissell Road, in the Southwest corner of section 19 T32N R38E, is the Columbia Tungsten Mine. This was a Tungsten mine, but also produced gold, silver, molybdenum and zinc.

Chewelah

East of Chewelah 1.5 miles, in north part of section 7 T32N R41E, is the Chewelah Standard Mine. Out of Chewelah 6 miles near center N 1/4 section 32 T33N R41E, is the Chinto Mine. West of Chewelah 18 miles, is the Belle of the Mountain Mine and the Blue Belle Mine. There are very many other mines in the Kaniksu National Forest.

Daisy

Out of Daisy 2.5 miles along the Columbia River is the Collins Placer Mine.

Evans

Near Evans, in sections 29 and 32 T39N R39E, is the Nobles Placer Mine. Out of Evans 1.5 miles and 1,000 feet East of Highway 22, in section 15 and 22 T37N R38E, is the Gold Bar Mine.

Kettle Falls

East of Kettle Falls 1 mile is the Gold Hill Mine. In the SW 1/4 section 16 T36N R38E, is the City View Mine. Northeast of Kettle Falls 2 miles in the S 1/2 of the SE 1/4 section 7, the Sunday Mine. In the SW 1/4 of the SE 1/4 section 9, on top of hill, is the Gold Reef Mine. In the SW 1/4 section 4, is the Gold Ledge Mine. Out of Kettle Falls 6 miles, below town in section 29 T35N R37E, is the Holsten Placer. South a little farther and 1 mile off Highway 22, near center N 1/2 section 11, the Ark Mine is located.

Loon Lake

North of Loon Lake by 6 miles, near the center of section 33 T31N R41E is the Loon Lake Copper Mine. This mine produced copper with minor gold and silver production.

Northport

In the area north along the Columbia River to the Canadian line is the Evans Placer. The Evans Placer camp in on the west bank of reservoir just north of town. The Evans Placer was a lease of 5 miles along the east shore which produced abundant placer gold form rich deposits. On Onion Creek, is the Alice May Mine. West of Northport 1 mile on Sheep Creek, in section 25 T40N R39E, is the St. Crispin Mine. Southeast of Northport 3 miles, on the North side of Fish Creek, in SW 1/4 section 16 T39N R40E is the Northport Mine. Near the road in NW 1/4 of the SE 1/4 section 7 T40N R40E is the Elvick Mine.

Orient

The Orient district, in the far northwest corner of the county, between Latitude 48 degrees 50 minutes and 48 degrees 56 minutes N and Longitude 118 degrees and 5 minutes and 118 degrees and 10 minutes W formed in 1902 formed in 1902 with 86 mines currently listed in T39 and 40 N R36 and 37 E. The total production of the Orient district is listed at 45,057 ounces.

Rockcut

East of Rockcut 1 mile, on flat bench in section 1 T39N R36E, is the Abe Lincoln Mine, which produced lode gold with copper. Out of town 4 miles, near the center of section 19 T40N R37E, is the White Elephant Mine. Northeast of town 5 miles, in section 19 and 30 T40N R37E, is the F.H. and C. (Faith, Hope and Charity) Mine.

Springdale

Out of Springdale 2 miles, on Douglas Mountain, in sections 11 and 12 T31N R39E, is the Dumbolton Mine, which produced lode gold with mercury and tin. On the East slope of Huckleberry Range near the summit, in NW 1/4 of the NE 1/4 section 36 T31N R38E, is the Wells Fargo Mine, this mine primarily produced antimony, but lode gold, lead, silver and zinc were by products.

Valley

West of Valley 9 miles and 1 mile North, in SE 1/4 of the SE 1/4 of section 9, T31N R39E, is the Edna Mine.

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