Ada, ID 1870 Federal Census - - Transcriber's notes ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ IDAHO HISTORY 1860-1880 In the Fall of 1860, a party of ten prospectors led by Captain E.D. Pierce entered the Nez Perce Reservation in search of mineral wealth. After a month of frustration, one of the men, Wilbur Bassett, found what he'd been looking for - Gold! Bassett's discovery along Canal Gulch was far more significant than the Pierce party could have ever imagined. It was destined to set off one of the largest migrations in American history, and it would change forever this part of the country that would become known as Idaho. Six months after Wilbur Bassett's discovery of gold, 1600 claims had been staked along Canal Gulch, and Pierce City was growing by hundreds of fortune seekers a day. They came from Sacramento, San Francisco, and Vancouver. Their migration up the Columbia and Snake Rivers caused Idaho to be one of only two states to be settled west to east. The Idaho gold rush also attracted merchants who set up a supply center at Lewiston. In 1863, the Idaho Territory was created and the tent city of Lewiston became the capital. As the gold along Canal Creek panned out, prospectors worked their way south and east to find richgravel beds in the Salmon River country. Ten thousand miners poured into the Florence Basin in the summer of 1862, and, for a time, the district was producing over $600,000 worth of gold a day based on modern prices. 1862 also marked the discovery of the most significant gold mining district in Idaho, the Boise Basin. In the Boise Basin, it soon became obvious that a single miner, working his claim alone with a pan or sluice box, was not profitable. Partnerships were then formed, ditches were dug and water from higher elevations was brought thundering into the basin with enough force to literally move mountains By 1863, Idaho City had a population of 6,200 and surpassed Portland as the largest city in the Northwest. The Boise Basin was soon overcrowded. Latecomers, finding all the good ground taken, fanned out in all directions. 1862 Gold deposits are found in the Salmon and Boise Rivers. Fortune hunters flock to the area, creating "boom towns". By 1863, the population explodes to 70,000 people 1863 Congress organizes the Idaho Territory on March 4. It includes all of Idaho, Montana, and parts of Wyoming. Its capital is Lewiston and its governor is William Wallace 1864 Montana is made into a separate territory. The capital of the Idaho Territory is moved to Boise 1869 Lemhi County is organized 1870 The Gold boom over, the population drops to about 15,000. Those remaining are mostly farmers and ranchers. 1877 The Nez Perce War is fought between the Federal troops and the NezPerce Indians lead by Chief Joseph. The Nez Perce are defeated and forced to move onto the Lapwai Indian Reservation. 1878 The Bannock War between the Bannock Indians under Chief Buffalo Hornand the federal troops, is fought. They are also defeated. 1884 One of the worlds richest silver (and lead) deposits are found in the Coeurd' Alene Mountains One party found gold along Jordan Creek in the Owyhee Mountains. There, Silver City became a boom town. Unlike many placer mining districts, the millions of dollars invested in Owyhee underground mines and mills would assure Silver City a long, if sometimes turbulent, future. In 1863, Boise City was founded along the old Oregon Trail as a supply center for the Boise and Owyhee mining districts. Two years later Boise became the territorial capital. New mining and processing technology was rapidly turning migrant prospecting camps into stable mining towns. Old water-powered crushing machines were replaced with steam-driven stamp mills. The air-powered drill replaced chisel and hammer. Mules began doing men's work underground. Large smelters were built near lead-silver lode discoveries at Bayhorse and Clayton along the Salmon River. In1882, 180,000 bushels of charcoal were produced in primitive kilns to operate the smelters. A reverse migration northward began in 1881 when Andrew Prichard struck gold along the North Fork of the Coeur d'Alene River. The rush was further fueled by the Northern Pacific Railroad Company, which plastered the country with handbills promising free gold in North Idaho for the price of a ticket on the railroad. But there was very little gold, free or otherwise, to be found. Like the Owyhee district, the true wealth of the Coeur d'Alene was silver, hidden deep in the ground. The most notable discovery of this mineral was made in 1885 when Noah Kellogg, or his donkey as he would often tell people, located the Bunker Hill Mine. Ore had to be shipped out of the district for processing. In 1887 a narrow gauge railroad was completed from the mines to the old mission at Cataldo. Paddle wheel riverboats took the ore from Mission Landing downstream, across Lake Coeur d'Alene to the railhead at Rathdrum, making the Coeur d'Alene River the highest navigable river in the world. By 1890, the Northern Pacific tracks stretched through the Silver Valley and snaked up Canyon Creek to the boom town of Burke. Burke gained world-wide attention in "Ripley's Believe It or Not" as the town so narrow, merchants cranked their storefront awnings up for trains to pass. The Tiger Hotel straddled the tracks, and lodgers were regularly smoked out of their rooms when wood- burning locomotives passed underneath. The fabulous Coeur d'Alene mining district has survived labor disputes, train wrecks, snow slides and politicians to become the richest proven silver mining district in the world. In 1985, the district mines produced their one billionth ounce of silver. The district has also produced vast amounts of lead, zinc, and copper. There are other impressive records in the Silver Valley. The Morning Star is one of the deepest mines in America. Bunker Hill ranks as America's largest underground mine. The Sunshine Mine is one of the deepest mines in America. The Sunshine Mine is America's richest silver mine, producing over 300 million ounces of silver, more than the entire output of Nevada's famous Comstock Lode. Today, Idaho's mining history can be relived by visiting one of many historic districts or ghost towns. If you do visit one of these places, just take pictures and leave the area as you found it. Today, Idaho's mining history can be relived by visiting one of many historic districts or ghost towns. If you do visit one of these places, just take pictures and leave the area as you found it. You'll be preserving Idaho's colorful past of golden dreams and silver linings. South Eastern Idaho In 1855 Mormons settled in eastern Idaho and build Fort Lemhi. They irrigated the land to farmed it, which upsets the Indians and they are forced to leave in 1858.-1860 The Mormons return to Idaho and start its first permanent settlement at Franklin. Gold was discovered at Orofino Creek Old Fort Boise Fort Boise was established by the Hudson Bay Co. in 1834 to rival the operation of Fort Hall and be a fur-trading post. The fort was quite small, made of adobe walls. "Left our camp 2 miles above Fort Boise & passed the mud-walled Fort of Boise & the clerk was Kind enough to make us out a Sketch of the rout to Walla Walla." (James Clyman, 1844). Fort Boise was built by the Hudson's Bay Company in 1834, in response to Nathaniel Wyeth's Fort Hall, the stone he rolled into the garden of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company Old Fort Boise Begun by a British firm, Fort Boise was established in 1834 as a direct competitor to the nearby Fort Hall. It was first located along the Snake River near the present town of Parma, Idaho. The fort served as a supply point along the Oregon Trail until 1854, when it was abandoned due to flooding and Indian attacks. In 1863, the military constructed a new Fort Boise near the present town of Boise, Idaho. Fort Boise was originally built by the British Hudson's Bay Company to compete with American Fort Hall for fur. But by the 1840s, the fur trade was declining, and the emigrants were increasing. The fort served the wagon trains throughout the 40s but floods plagued the area and by 1855 Old Ft. Boise was gone. Eight years later a new Ft. Boise was built 50 miles to the east and the city of Boise grew up alongside. Except for the start and finish, Boise was the largest city on the Oregon Trail. Over a century later it still is. By the time the emigrants struck west from Ft. Boise, it was mid-September. What if the snows came early, they worried. Would they be stranded in the mountains. Would they end up like the Donner Party--freezing to death, or resorting to cannibalism? It was on the mind of nearly everyone as they hurried through this region--and they still had 400 miles to travel. Hailey history: Hailey was named for John Hailey, who laid out the town in 1881. He had been part of the Boise Basin Gold Rush in 1862. His fortune allowed him to begin a stage and freight line. The mining in the area was mostly over by the late 1890's. Always a progressive community, Hailey was the first town in Idaho to have an electric power plant. They were also the first to have a telephone exchange in Idaho. John Hailey, may be found on page 44 indicating he and his wife left Tennessee in the mid 1850's via the "Oregon Trail", had several children in Oregon, heard about the 'Gold in the Boise River area, came back to Idaho, and found a 'Gold Mother Lode", making him the richest local made in Ada county. Stafford Moury, the local Assistant Sheriff and census enumerator, maybe found on page 44. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This Census was transcribed by Jack Murray and proofread by Alberta Saurdiff and Elaine Daniels for the USGenWeb Census Project, http://www.us-census.org/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~