The Boomer Who Lied About the Gold Fields

Perhaps there is no subject before the people of the far West that is attracting so much public attention as the Coeur d'Alene gold fields, and we doubt if a discovery of the same precious metal ever before created so extraordinary an excitement. One of the results growing out of the existence of the mines is the sudden springing into prominence of certain points on the Northern Pacific railroad that happen to traverse a country lying but a short distance from the mineral-producing section, which are brought to notice through a systematic murmur of newspaper notoriety, generally effected by a lavish expenditure of coin on the part of those who happen to own the lion's share of the town sites, and who very shrewdly calculate that for every dollar judiciously spent in printer's ink the return in the sale of eligible lots will respond a thousandfold.

In most cases town lot speculators secure the services of some individual conversant with the use of the pen to write up glowing descriptions of the place that the owners are anxious of putting on the market for so many dollars the front foot, and the literary artist, bent merely upon doing his master's bidding, allows fancies to usurp the place of facts and produces a document satisfactory to the employers, but when placed under the rays of the headlight of truth shrinks into a pure fiction of the most unreliable nature. In this endeavor to mislead parties remote from the scene of the new find, nothing is left to exaggeration: miles melt in rods, rugged mountains are level as the plains, the topographical conditions undergo a transformation, and geographical outlines are ignored completely. In the crazy, feverish endeavor to attract immigration in order to unload real estate, utterly worthless without the backing of the machinery of gold, these boomers endeavor to draw attention from more favored localities by representations as devoid of truth as their own paper towns are of stability, knowing full well that personal inspection would forever wreck every hope they entertain of gathering their nests from the pockets of the too easily beguiled public.

These remarks are occasioned by reading one of the most absurd articles on the Coeur d'Alene mines of the many absurdities written on the same fruitful subject. The article appears in the Brainerd, Minn., Tribune, and judging from the caliber of the intellect of the contents of that sheet, must have emanated from the sanctum of that office, as it is one of the most egregious pieces of nonsense ever strung together in print. We will take hold of the production in detail, giving verbatim quotations just to show the people acquainted with the region what a dashed fool a man can make of himself when he tries.

The article announces that the writer is to present "simple facts." If he makes such awkward breaks on simple facts, just for curiosity we would like to see him try his hand at a few profound truths. The discoveries are not in the Rocky mountains, but in a spur of the Bitter Root mountains known as the Coeur d'Alene, neither are the diggings on the line between Montana and Idaho but in Shoshone county, that includes a portion of the panhandle of the latter Territory. There is no misnomer in the name given the mines, as it is derived from the location.

As a geographical description of the country and route into the mines from the Falls, the report above quoted stamps the author as the most unmitigated ignoramus on the continent, and we publish the name so that the people hereabouts may form some idea of the reliability of many of the statements now passing current for correct reports of the mining district in the face of the country. Let us flash a ray of light on the same matter. Spokane Falls, as a point of departure for the mines, was never a bubble. Last summer, when the first rumors of gold discovery were whispered about the country, in easy reach of the present gold center, many refused to believe that gold could exist so near and yet remain unknown to the world up to so late a date, but the constant display of coarse grains of the yellow dross and the exhibition of nuggets that surprised even those men who had spent years in mining proved conclusively that there was something in it. The Rathdrum Courier took the lead in making public these finds, and as soon as it was demonstrated by ocular proof the news came in a good second and announced the existence of gold. From that very date Spokane Falls has been conceded one of the best points of departure, as it will ever continue to be. The travel flowed from here naturally, and was never bolstered up by artificial methods, and as a bubble it is the most substantial one that was ever inflated.

The very location of the city made it the rendezvous for those heading toward the mines, and were ten thousand new starting points to be laid out, Spokane would always remain the principal and best. It is not 150 miles from the mines, unless one wished to go in by the way of the Columbia river or other remote points. The road from Spokane Falls to Post Coeur d'Alene is up the wide and magnificent valley of the Spokane river, and at all seasons of the year is one of the most delightful drives in America, not only on account of the absence of all impediments but also on account of the variedness of the scenery that will vie in richness and diversity with that of any road laid out whether it be in the new or old world. The river is crossed but once, at that on a substantial trestle bridge built at a large expense and kept in good repair by the county of Spokane. The distance to travel is only 28 miles and the drive does not seem as though it was fifteen to those going over the route. The road takes you immediately to Coeur d'Alene City, and there is no steamer to take you to the Post, as the Fort is at Coeur d'Alene City. It is not 50 miles then to Eagle City with the Rockies to cross. The facts are that even steamers have been built at the Fort by practical and experienced steamboat men and these steamers are to run from Coeur d'Alene City, across the lake and up Prichard creek to within a short distance of Eagle City, carrying both passengers and freight and making the entire run from Spokane Falls to Eagle City about 80 miles.

Here is another specimen of accurate topography mixed up with total ignorance, and the reference to Belknap, that the writer was so long getting at, shows the true object of the whole article. We will not refer to the balance of the report, which is devoted solely to the booming of Belknap, which we have no objection to, only adding that the "simple facts" are lost in the midst of stupendous falsehoods, and suggesting that the magnum owners be a little more careful in their selection of writers in the future, or the description of their new town will act as a powerful weight to drag it out of existence.

Prior to the discovery of the mines the long stretch of railroad between Spokane Falls and Missoula contained but a few uninviting, unattractive way and water stations, with no hopes of a growth and with no inducements to attract settlement. After the gold find was made known it became apparent to many shrewd and money-making men that all that was necessary was to get hold of some land adjoining the railroad anywhere between the Falls and Missoula, and by judicious advertising of a new route to the mines make a big speculation out of the venture. So one after another hitherto unknown stations were sprung upon the public and such names as Herron, Trout Creek, Hope, Gold Run, Tompkins' Falls and a host of others were announced as places. The last candidate for public notice is Belknap. As the article states, capitalists purchased the land at Belknap, and by standing in with the railroad — which by the way is one of the most unscrupulous acts the corporation has ever been guilty of — and paying the company a certain per cent. of the sales of lots, the railroad discriminates in its favor by ignoring other stations just as favorably located as Belknap. This may make lots more marketable, but it does not make the trail one whit the better.

If you see a report published that a road has been laid out from any point since winterset in, put it down as a snare and a delusion. Winters in the high altitudes of that part of the world in which the several points of departure are located are no tame affairs. It must be understood that the cold is intense and snow falls to a great depth. A road cannot be constructed without some knowledge of the country which it traverses, and in the name of common sense what kind of a road is it that can be built with snow on the ground from six to twenty feet deep? A new road is claimed to be under way from Belknap. Is this possible under existing circumstances? We are told by men who have been on the spot that Belknap consists of a number of rough cabins and tents almost buried in snow. It is in a dense forest. Trees have been cut down, leaving stumps, when the thaw takes place, several feet in height. Over the tops of these the present road runs. In the spring every vestige of this road disappears, and then travel for weeks will be impossible, as there is elevation over which a road for wagon use cannot be built under an expense of thousands of dollars. The Belknap trail is one of a day, and is doubtful for that length of time in the face of continuous storms. It may be only 35 or 40 when from the mines by road, but from the natural impediments it might as well be 300.

We have nothing against Belknap. It can never be a rival to the Falls as a point of departure to the mines, but when paid suckers endeavor to attract travel to that out-of-the-way place by misrepresenting our country we are right here to chronicle the facts in the case. We have shown up the discrepancies and silly bosh in the article from which we quote, and we will close by showing that Spokane Falls holds her own as the natural and most substantial point of departure.