A story of red ledge gold

In Orland A. Scott’s wonderfully written but poorly documented early history of St. Maries and the St. Joe River ("Pioneer Days On The Shadowy St. Joe") he writes of early prospecting in the region. One of the more interesting tales is the following.

Around 1906 four men set out from St Maries eastward in a rowboat on the St. Joe River loaded down with guns, camp gear and provisions. They had intended on a prolonged hunting and fishing trip. One member of the party was a mining engineer.

They stopped at the Scott homestead on the river wanting to buy fresh vegetables, eggs and butter. The sale completed, they continued upstream and made camp at the mouth of Thomas Creek.*

Thomas Creek is 6 miles long and drains into the St. Joe from the north, about 5 miles east of St. Maries. It originates from the base of Round Top Mountain and accepts tributaries as it drains Hell’s Gulch and Ferguson Creek.

On the last day of their stay, the mining engineer headed upstream on his own, intent on exploration rather than hunting. After wading upstream for about a half-mile, he decided to bushwhack up to the ridge. There, he found a seat that afforded him a view of the magnificent county spread out southwest before him.

However, what caught his eye was the interesting dark reddish-brown rock he was sitting on. He chipped off several pieces and put them in his hunting vest pocket.

When he arrived at his home in Butte, Mont., he decided to have the pieces of rock from the red-colored ledge assayed. The report was startling. Gold was found at $1,200 per ton. He notified his hunting buddies of the report and plans were made to return the next summer to file claims. They were certain that they would soon be rich, a full-blown case of “gold fever.”

Prior to their next summer’s return, the engineer went to Chicago on business. While there, he caught pneumonia and died.

However, his death did not deter the other three from returning to Thomas Creek for a determined search. They scoured up and down Thomas, Streit and Ferguson creeks with no success. They recruited local help which only fueled the story that fabulous wealth was awaiting anyone who could find the “Red Ledge.”

The next year, a veteran prospector from Portland, Ore., Al Tozier, came to the area to do an extensive search up Thomas Creek for the “Red Ledge.” He stayed at the author’s home before heading up into the Round Top District. A summer of thorough searching was fruitless.

On the way out, he stopped at the author’s home to report that he planned to return the next summer.

Tozier did return. He established a base camp at the base of Round Top Mountain on a fork of Thomas Creek. When the summer ended, he was empty-handed of gold and money to continue the search.

Again, he stopped at the Scott ranch to say that although he had found some promising veins, he would not be returning.

According to John Swallow, President of Idaho Strategic Resources, there were several reviews of potentially high-yield gold areas in North Idaho over the following decades.

One review published in July 1928 by the Bureau of Mines and Geology, "A Geological Reconnaissance in The St. Maries Region, Idaho," and written by Alfred L. Anderson, noted possible areas of high-yield gold ore, but no mention of a “Red Ledge.”

The site remains undiscovered. Now, being skeptical of the story is the position being taken by the local population.

Idaho (The Gem State) has many profitable mining ventures. North Idaho has many storied finds. If the reader of this story is aware of the Thomas Creek find, please contact the author via The Coeur d’Alene Press.

*I have searched numerous old and new maps looking for a “Thomas Creek” in the Round Top Mountain region and have had no success. Also, the museum located in St Maries is unable to find the Creek on their old maps. The St Joe Ranger District of the Idaho Panhandle is unaware of such a Creek.

Since mining is such an important part of the State’s history, The Museum of North Idaho (MONI) will be spotlighting the mining industry in the new Museum’s exhibits. Richard Sheldon is a member of the Board of Directors. For more information: museumni.org

Richard Sheldon is a member of the Museum of North Idaho Board of Directors.