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Show 22 --·----- CO 1.0 \" EL n I U~ \\' 'F4 there were trudrt rouury I'UIIIOr s th.lt. snuJry gallons of whisky were wchcd .·onwwhcru ir1 the vici11ity. I t is prol.Jill.>le that f~.;ni· l.l.g'O Ull(.J refl'(.:llllllll'llt::l, Ill U ~I IIHll wuy, Ul'O oiTen·d here during the wiut0r Sl'r.H,ou. 'l'he Ul:lCl'lll from till! riv<:r to tho snnrmit of its cuHtt:lro bu11k il:! quitu steep, hut ~onigllt Lo muue cu~y w j lh HOlllC lullot· urrd u chango of locu lion to o. ru vi uc. 'J'hcnce tu the lower cx tl'(·mity of' J unlon ()rock valley, n distuuue of four· nlilcll!, the route is uguiu over Ju vu. u.nd sunJ, uud tbrough ~:~ugo nlld eome grcascwood. J oruon Urcck vullcy is nbout thirty miles in length, hal:! u gcnl!rr.d direction fro1u east to west, nntl varies i11 wid th from two to four or five rn ilt>s. ll is l:lllrr·ou rHicd by u luva plain , covered with the wmul sage, CX· CCpt ut it~ erll'!lCI'II CXti'C IIl ity Whl•I'O it is bounded IJy high g rU!:!S·COVCI'eJ !rills Wirieb sepcrntc it from the higher hills and moun· taius iu whicll urc si tuated the cclebrutctl Owyhee mine:s. It set:lll::! vc1y well ndup. ted to graziug, UIJU SUIJIC portions of it to cultivation. ln the custcru portion, nrur~st to the mines, quite a number or lnrHl eluims nrc nlreudy taken o.ncl rudely iurprovcd, antl thi1:1 sensoo fully one lruudred tons of hu.y wus cut upon tlteru for the Boonc\·illc, Hu· by OiLy, and Silver City mnrl<t'ts. J ordoo Ur·eck, through neurly tho whole length of the valley, wus in pools, und of course its wo.ters nrc correspouding ly poor. Some of these pools fli'O <Jeep aod four Ol' five miles long, und nrc somewhat nbundaot with fish. 'Jlhe line of the cr·eek is heavily fringed with large willows, uud tho mountains in which it to.kcs its r1se is qrrite well timbered with fir·, some pint•, and a little of the cottonwood. 'l'uo rontc from the point where we entered the vallry pr1~ses east w u.n.l aloug tue uurtb l>uuk uf llll' creek f~l' ~ di~IUJIC(! Uf ubuut I Wl'llty miJet~, Wbell it brurs 1110rc to the nort hward, passing over ~OIIH.: lcvug l'tlll~C~ of hills. o.ncl ncrosa tt Rmu.l l ::!II' •urn of good wutcr cull(·d • ucker cn·l'l<, und fonn~ n jnnetion wi th the toll I'OtHl l'ro111 Houne\' iII<' to HniAo u.bvu t t wei va rn i ll'H nonlr of t hl: f'or:tll.:r· place. Fur pnsonul snfu1y og-aiust the Indinns, the few R<• ttlt'rs tberc arc in Jordon cre~k vull<'y, ITll'<'L IIIHl rcnuLiu together o.t oigbt, l~IIVillg' tiH•ir po~~ 'ASiOil!l unguurucd, and w j th 11(1 USf'\ll'llllCe-on ly U. hope-tba t they will be foullll unLlisturbeu ir. tbc moru- . . Ill~. J 11 the Spring, befMe our arl'ivnl in that viciuity, u. eitil'.ens nifair with the lndinns of that neigh bor hoou hu<l occurred, io wlrieh iWH'I'nl cit i;r,l'nS, including Mr. Jor· don, tho uiscovcn'r of.thc Owyhee pincer minc2, nn<l for wh0m Jordon creclc wus nnurc<:l, were killl'd. Uolonl'i Mnury, with a 5(ll1Uil uctnchrncnt from Pt. Boise, hastened to the point of difflculty, but us tho nu tu rnl rcsul t of t be cit i1.ens ba vi ng taken the cha~:~tiAement of tire l11diuns into their own l tnml~, tlH•y bud r •trcatctl, ncnl'ly llD· hrume<l '· to tlroir mouu tuin fastneAscs u.ud beyoucl the reach of nny immediate puni ab~ men t before Uoloncl M amy could nrri vc, This state of ull'uirs kept the settlers of Joruuu creel< vallcy nnd in the mines nlao,, in u continual alurm, o.nd the rumors ol Indiuo "sign'' in the vicinity were frequent, aud n fruitful source of urgent appeals for tbe presence of u militury force. · 'l'hc mnin rendezvous for the Indians o( th is region, uppct\ril to be in and around n consiuul'u.blo mountain, situt:\ted about fot·ty miles southward from tbe upper portion of J Ol'(]au Urcck V nllC'y. A company of cavalry stutioned in its immediate viduity, wLcrc it coulllal(jo guu.ru the maiq o n Y n E f1: Ex P r·; u rr; o ~ . • .. ... • • ...J., ____ ... _ .. ·-- - - --- - - 23 ""''t' lro111 II uruuu ldt, wuuld UtJJouiJtt:dly rid tiH~ c•rrtin.: n•g ion of th t.: Owyhee mines of the lmliun.:; tlrutnow i11l~ l:l t it , returuing it:i minvral ckn:l11prnent, anJ t·utla11geriug travel ou i ts IJighwoys in all directions. I.H:ud wutcrs of .rordan creel{, uud ure mainly grouite. They o.re 11parcely covered with fir, aud some pine, tbut answers for the pnlctical usc for which it is requ ired, uut the qnality is not gf>od. 'l'lle fi rst lurnucz· mill of that region went into operation in September, rlnd the price of lumber fell Ot 011C<.' fr·om three hundred dollars per thousand feet to ju11t hnlf that sum. Plu t.:l'r ~llllllllg" iu tlre vicioity of the Owyhee is, us J'l't, cor,finccl to a \'f'ry small H1't.:1\, not ex ll·llding outsitle (Jf' the ncighuorhvod o/ Lrt tle J onlurJ Oredc It is no uoc:orlliiiiJII tiring, however, fo1· f:omc port iOII!:! uf tlwsu TllitH·s to p 11)' as high u~ fifty d >llurs jJCr duy, to thl! hn11tl, though tilt: 11 verugc pay i;; uf' cour:;c much less. 'l'hc d.ust is o/ an i11ferior quulity, being nlloycd 11111rc or lclis wi th si ln ·r. Tho best of it yr ·ldd Ull l n /'ruction OV01' fil'tt•er1 Jollurs 1111 nunce, ut tire lll in t, nnc.l the poort·:;t n fructron CJV'-!1' el(Jn:n dollurs. Tl.wt w!J iclr yi<.:lds the l<'nHt is tnl\ t)ll from tiHl vi c:iuity uf the Oro F ino llWilntain. in which thl•re nro ourn1·ro u!J silve1' loJt>S, quite ~~ number of whi ch n•·e ht>ing workc·d. Booneville, Ruby City, aod Silver City, nro the marta of commerce for thut region. 'J'hrse are 11ituuted on Little Jordan Oreek, and are on ly about o. mile nod a bnlfapart. Boonville nod Ruby City ore connected by a toll-road. Ruby City is the county seat of tho couoty of Owyhee, I. 1\, aod has n post 0fiice and tri-weekly mail service tlu·ough BooneTi llo to and fl'om Boise. It bns pony expresa fuc ilities also from f3o.crauwoto, Culiforoia, by way ofVirgioia City, und Humboldt, Nevada, by wbicb, ia the ~um mer eenson, it is furoisbed with Clllifornia ne'ws only six dnys old. At these poiats the parties who had trav- (~.rnr r z r11ining· ht' r·c is now in ita in faoC')', but the in\licatiun~ lli'H lhnt it will be the bu sinr.s~ of this C'ntire rl'gioc by another ycur, nnd tlult it cun be prosccut('d with rtHH.:u murc t IJn.n 01di11nry ~:o u c:cees. 'I' be vei 11s nrc !iOld :1nd silvC::r Ut'aring, aud, tlrong-h !l m t~ ll . aro exceedingly well deOued, ond tll vi •· local i•HI 8t1ch us will permit thc.•m to be wor·kl·~l much more chcuply tunn this cln<~H of ruines gPnf? r·nlly arc. Four or five milL':! Wl' I'O 11early l'l!ady to begin work ir~ the latte1· pa•·t of' September, nnd the building of other~ eontt:mplu t<:d. It is burclly probnble howevc1·, thut those first in operation will Rave unythi11g lil-co the fnll omount of silver, until tbPy obtuin the requisite machinery for reducing th e sulpha· rets in which form it. muioly exists eled under our escort, and had produce to dispose of, 110ld t heir flour at eighteen to twenty-two and n half cents per pound, ba coiu; bacoo ut for ty cents, and butter at 75 cents, coin. 1')le mouotains jn wbicb these miocsqaart~ ao<l placer- are ,situated, are on tbe 'I'be cattle t rain1, nrter recruithtg their strrngth a few duys l•ere, con tinued their journey to Boise and IdBbo City. rl'he country in and nrouod the ow,bee . mines, affords excellent gruziog, mainly th~ nu tritious bunch grass, and sufficient good cold wo.ter ror suoh purposes ulao. It not beiog necessary for the detach~ mcmt to proceed farther as an escort to the trains, it was encamped seven miles we•~ of Booneville, where was offered aafe and excellent facilities for recruiting tbe strength of our horses. Taking whb me J |