Latest from Kootenay and Columbia River

LATEST FROM KOOTENAY AND COLUMBIA RIVER. – From Mr. Martin W. Ward, of the firm of Milby & Ward, of this city, who left Fort Shepherd (sic.) on the 28^th July, we have five weeks’ later intelligence.

            Mr. Ward left Fort Shepherd in company with Mr. Dewdney, who came from Wild Horse Creek by the Kootenay river in a canoe.  Mr. Dewdney has 75 men working on the government trail from Wild Horse creek towards Kootenay lake.  He has also a party of about the same number of Chinamen working at the other end of the trail, and 75 men working from Fort Shepherd towards Christina creek, about 50 miles from Fort Shepherd.  Mr. Dewdney expected to have the entire trail from Fort Hope to Wild Horse creek, completed, ready for travel by the end of the month.  The distance from Fort Hope to the creek will then be 340 miles.

            Mr. Ward met Mr. Read, the expressman, at Christina creek last Friday, in company with Mr. Openheimer, of Yale, George Bent, of the firm of E.T. Dodge & Co., and Frank Gratzer, with their trains of over 150 head of animals, and a quantity of goods, all bound to Wild Horse creek.  In consequence of their being too soon for Dewdney’s trail, they would either lay over a month, or go round by Spokane.  When the trail is finished, Mr. Ward expects that most of the traffic will be by this road, to and from Kootenay and the neighborhood.  Mr. Ward took up this spring a mule train of thirty-four packs.  He left Fort Hope on the 24^th May, and experienced great difficulty on the Fort Hope Mountain where he was detained two weeks.  Leaving this mountain he proceeded down the Similkameen River as far as the Customs Station.  Thence across to Osoyoos Lake and over the mountain to Kettle River.  Down Kettle River to the North Fork where he crossed the boundary line and following the river got down to within 10 miles of the Columbia River which he reached by crossing the mountains, and keeping the banks of the river arrived at Fort Shepherd, having been two months on the trip, but only 21 days’ traveling.  The American Government, represented by Capt. Coyne, afforded him every facility.  Mr. Ward represents the valley of the Similkameen, Osoyoos Lake and Kettle River to be fine agricultural and grazing land, presenting a fine line of country for a road.  Mr. Dewdney told our informant that there was no alteration in the prices of provisions since Mr. Read left Wild Horse Creek, and no new strikes had been made, but the miners were busy at work and the old companies were mostly taking out good pay.  About 1000 men were on the creek, one half of whom were at work and doing well, others were out prospecting.  Great hopes were entertained of new diggings being struck at the head of Salmon River and the head of Kootenay River.  A man called Jolly jack, who was dead broke at Fort Shepperd, was supplied with provisions by friends and went prospecting at the head of Little Salmon River, in the Kootenay Mountains; he returned again in about a week with about $75 of coarse gold which he said he had found there.  He purchased provisions and started back again immediately.

            Mr. Commissioner O’Reilly was on Wild Horse Creek about two weeks since, in good health.  Everything on the creek so far as known was quiet and orderly.

COLUMBIA RIVER DIGGINGS. – On the Pen d’Oreille River upwards of 300 Chinamen were mining apparently doing very well as they had plenty of dust to pay for their provisions at Fort Shepperd.  Several white men are also doing well on the bars of this river.

            At Fort Shepperd two large companies of Chinamen were at work making $3 per day to the hand until the water rose too high

            The Indians will not allow any Chinamen to go above Fort Shepperd, on the Columbia.  Mr. Haynes, who was at Osoyoos lake, intended going over to investigate the trouble, and endeavor to arrange matters.

            On Carnes Creek, about 95 miles from Fort Shepperd, and heading from the Kootenay mountains, about fifty white men are at work, the major portion of whom are old Caribooites.  They are sinking shafts and doing some heavy mining.  One company had got down 45 feet, and entered blue clay yielding from 5 to 10 cents the pan, but had not reached the bed-rock.  The men on this creek lived on flour “straight” for weeks during the early spring, and suffered greatly for want of provisions.  They are now well supplied.

            At Gold Creek, on the Columbia, about 200 miles from Fort Shepperd, very good diggings have been struck.

            Mr. Hardisty, manager of the fort, received a letter from one company, stating that from 12 pans of dirt they had washed out $85.  There were about one hundred men on the creek, well satisfied with their prospects, as none were leaving.

            A Mexican, named Jose Pinto, scargadore of Dodge’s train, was accidentally shot at the Similkameen while removing a gun from a pack.  He would lose his arm.

            Great excitement existed among the American miners in the Flathead country, between the Kootenay and Boise mines in regard to some rich strikes made in the section called the Prickly Pear country, which was thinning Boise and the neighboring mines.

            War was waging in this region between the Assiniboine NS Blackfeet Indians.  The former had massacred twenty miners, in consequence of which two companies of troops had been sent from Oregon to protect the miners.