CHAPTER V. 

 THE MINING DISTRICTS OF THE BOISE RIDGE. 



NEAL MINING DISTRICT. 

 LOCATION. 



The Neal mining district is situated south of the Boise River, just 

 east of Three Point Mountain, on the head of Wood Creek, in Elmore 

 County, 15 miles southeast of Boise, in the southwest corner of the 

 Idaho Basin quadrangle. 



The district embraces about 10 square miles, but the productive area 

 has been confined to the heads of Wood and Bender creeks. The camp 

 was discovered in 1889, and has been worked since during the summer 

 months, producing about $200,000 in gold. Three mills have been 

 erected, a 10-stamp for the Homestake, probably the oldest mill in the 

 State, having been first used in Idaho Basin; a 5-stamp for the Alice 

 mine, now a custom mill ; and a 10-stamp for the Lilly mine on Black 

 Creek, now idle. 



Placer mining has been confined to a few bars and the creek beds, 

 but the product from this source forms a very inconsiderable part of 

 the camp's output. The largest amount extracted from the placers is 

 said to have been $800. 



The western half of the district is bare of timber, and except in the 

 main streams there is during the summer months a scarcity of water. 

 The eastern half is better timbered. 



PI. XCVII, drawn by Mr. F. D. Howe, shows the topography, 

 dikes, veins, and mining claims of the central part of the district. 



TOPOGRAPHY. 



The main topographic feature is the high ridge which, with a 

 WNW.-ESE. trend, divides the Snake River from the South Fork of 

 the Boise, and which only reaches an elevation of about 5,000 feet. 

 At Three Point Mountain this ridge swings to a northerly direction, 

 and culminates 4 miles farther north in a point 5,400 feet high, 

 between Birch and Grouse creeks, overlooking the mouth of Moore 

 Creek and the forks of the Boise River. A number of deep canyons 

 separated by narrow ridges radiate from the vicinity of Three Point 

 Mountain. To the southwest extend, at the foot of Three Point Moun- 

 tain, the Tertiary formations of the Snake River Valley. The direc- 

 tion of the creeks seem, in some measure, to follow the lines of faults 

 and jointing that is, they extend from north-northwest to south- 

 southeast and from east to west. 



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