The Red Cloud Group Of Mines is situated on Deer creek, a tributary of Wood river, about twelve miles in a northwesterly direction from the town of Hailey, in Mineral Hill mining district, Blaine county, and is owned by Lyttleton Price, of Hailey, and Pittsburg parties. These mines were discovered by Orin Porter, E. H. Porter and James L. Mason, in 1880. The present owners purchased them in 1889, organized what was known as the Red Cloud Mining Company, and worked these properties for several years, paying in dividends ten thousand dollars per month, approximating in the total two hundred thousand dollars.
In 1897 large quantities of water were struck and a deep tunnel was run on the property for the purpose of draining the mines and exploring them at greater depth. About this time the company put in a water-power plant, air-compressor, and also every other mechanical adjunct necessary to modern mining; but, after they had ex-tended their deep tunnel to a distance of six thou-sand feet and made connection with the upper workings, five hundred and sixty feet higher, they found that the country was broken and faulted and that, together with the very low price of silver and lead then prevailing, discouraged the owners and they accordingly discontinued operations, although the mine was considered by experts to be one of the most valuable in the state. The deep tunnel opens and drains the country to a depth of fourteen hundred feet.
United States patents have been granted for these mines, comprising sixteen claims. The Red Cloud Mining Company has gone out of existence, the property being now owned as above stated. Nothing has been done for a number of years on this property until within a few months since, when operations were resumed under lease by Lyttleton Price, Thomas Kennelly and G. L. Havens, who now have a fine ore body developed and are extracting and shipping ore, and from present indications this group of mines now promises to be one of the most valuable proper-ties in the state of Idaho.