Biography of Edward H. Moffitt

Edward H. Moffitt, secretary and treasurer of the Coeur d’Alene Hardware Company, of Wallace, Idaho, is numbered among the native sons of the Keystone state, his birth having occurred in Allegheny City, August 22, 1845. His parents were Rev. Thomas and Maria L. (Patterson) Moffitt. The father was born in Pennsylvania in 1818, and for many years devoted his energies to the work of the ministry in connection with the Methodist Episcopal church. His death occurred in 1878, when he had reached the age of sixty years. His wife, who was born in Pennsylvania, in 1818, is now a resident … Read more

Biography of Walter Allen Jones

This gentleman is the senior member of the law firm of Jones & Morphy, of Wallace, and holds a position of distinctive precedence at the bar of northern Idaho, by reason of his eminent ability as counsel and advocate. He was born in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, May 5, 1855, and is a son of Joseph D. and Catherine A. (Kaercher) Jones, both of whom were natives of Pennsylvania and spent their entire lives in that state, as had their ancestors since early colonial days. The father died at the age of forty-five years, and the mother was called to her final … Read more

DelCurto, Courtney Melba Vaughan Mrs. – Obituary

Halfway, Baker County, Oregon Courtney DelCurto, 93, a former Halfway resident, died on March 26, 2006 at Eugene. Her funeral was Saturday at Pine Valley Presbyterian Church in Halfway. Interment was at Pine Haven Cemetery in Halfway. Courtney Melba Vaughan was born on Dec. 20, 1912, to Jacob Alexander and Gertrude Eva Rob Vaughan at home in Halfway. She grew up at Halfway and on Wild Horse Creek, which is where the Brownlee dam is located now. As a girl she would swim her horse across the Snake River and then ride through the hills to Halfway to visit friends. … Read more

Fanning, Floyd – Obituary

La Grande, Union County, Oregon Floyd Fanning, of Wallowa, died Saturday, March 1, at Grande Ronde Hospital in La Grande following a long illness. He was 74. Mr. Fanning, son of Henry Clay and Catherine Petersen Fanning, was born June 7, 1905, at Carman-Gay, Alberta, Canada. Mr. Fanning was married on April 18, 1936 at Walla Walla, Wash. to the former Hilda Juanita Ticer, who survives him. Mr. Fanning was employed by the Oregon State Highway Department for 13 years, and also worked for the Bunker Hills Mines in Kellogg, Idaho, before moving to Wallowa County in 1945. Mr. Fanning … Read more

Biography of Alexander E. Mayhew

The rewards of purity in public life are many, but one of the most important and apparent is continuance in public life. This is true everywhere, and of course it is true in Idaho, where the fact is emphasized and illustrated by the career of Judge Mayhew of Wallace, Shoshone County, Idaho. At least he lives at Wallace, but he is a man of the west and for the west, and his influence is active and far-reaching. Alexander E. Mayhew, son of Samuel and Elizabeth (Conklin) Mayhew, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, March 31, 1830. His father, a native of … Read more

The Hecla Group

The Hecla mine is located at Burke, Shoshone County (Lalande mining district). The original claims comprising the Hecla group were the Hecla and Katie May lode claims, located by James Toner on May 5, 1885. The property was purchased by the Hecla Mining Company, a corporation of Idaho, the principal stockholders being A. B. Campbell, John A. Finch, Patrick Clark, Simon Haley and a party of Milwaukee gentlemen. Up to January 1 , 1898, the Hecla shipped thirteen thousand dollars’ worth of lead-silver ore while the development work was progressing. This ore was taken out partly by the company and … Read more

The Standard Group Of Mineral Claims

The Standard group of claims consists of the following patented lode claims: Standard, Banner, Snow Line, Sancho, Sandwich, Youngstown, Sullivan Fraction, Banner Fraction, Parallel, Little Chap, Mammoth Fraction, a portion of the Mammoth, and Tariff, also the Columbia, Crown Point and Tom Reed, all located in the Coeur d’Alene silver-lead mineral belt, Lalande mining district, Shoshone county, Idaho, one mile from Burke, also the Union Mill-site located at Wallace, Idaho, together with water rights and flumes from which is developed about three hundred horse-power. The Standard claim was located May 7, 1885, by Timothy McCarthy, Timothy Hynes. Frank Hanson and … Read more

1859 Petition for Bitterroot County, Montana

In the winter of 1859 a petition had been addressed to the legislature of Washington by the settlers of Bitterroot Valley and the Flathead agency, to have a county set off, to be called Bitterroot County. This petition had seventy-seven names attached, and chiefly these of the Mullan wagon-road company, who could hardly be called settlers, although a few names of actual pioneers are to be found among them. The petition does not appear to have been presented until the session of 1860-1, when two counties, called Shoshone and Missoula, were created out of the region east of the later … Read more

Labor Troubles In The Coeur d’Alene District

Bartlett Sinclair

The following account of the recent labor troubles in the Coeur d’Alene mining district is contributed by H. H. Smith, of the Cincinnati Post, who, as a reporter of the Scripps-McRae League, was present on the scene and made careful investigation of the matter: The blowing up of the Bunker Hill and Sullivan mill at Wardner on April 29, 1899. entailing a financial loss of two hundred and fifty thousand dollars and the murder of two men was the culminating act of violence in the ten-years war between labor and capital that has waged in the Coeur d’Alenes. In the … Read more

Reinecke, Eva I. Mrs. – Obituary

Baker City, Oregon Eva I. Reinecke, 85, a longtime Baker City resident, died Jan. 14, 2002, at Meadowbrook Place. The rosary will said at 6 o’clock tonight at St. Francis de Sales Cathedral, First and Church streets. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Thursday at the church. The Rev. Rob Irwin of St. Francis de Sales Cathedral will officiate. Vault interment will be in Mount Hope Cemetery. There will be a reception at St. Francis de Sales after the service. Visitations will be until 4 p.m. today at Gray’s West & Co., 1500 Dewey Ave. Eva … Read more

Biography of Robert E. McFarland

Robert E. McFarland, late incumbent of the responsible position of attorney general of Idaho, by his faithful and capable discharge of duty won the highest commendation. Thoroughly versed in the principles of jurisprudence, he was well fitted to handle the intricate problems which presented themselves for solution, and his success affords the best evidence of his capabilities. He is a native of Missouri, born in Independence, November 21, 1857. The family is of Scotch lineage, the first American ancestors having crossed the Atlantic in colonial days and actively participated in the events which form the history of that epoch. They … Read more

Quimby, Gladys Ruby – Obituary

Baker City, Oregon Gladys Ruby Quimby, 90, and a former Baker City resident died Oct. 18, 2003. A memorial service was held Saturday, Nov. 1, 2003, 3 p.m., at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Reno, Nev. Allen Wiebe, Gladys’s son-in-law was the speaker. Mrs. Quimby was born in Upton, Wyo., to John and Mary (Canfield) Busby on Jan. 9, 1913. She was the sixth of 11 children. She was married to Duane Hults in 1930 and was remarried to Lawrence quimby in 1944. She had a total of eight children, seven boys and one girl. As a young … Read more

Political Secessionism And Crime

Before the mining period, commencing in 1862, Idaho was a comparatively unknown region belonging nominally to Oregon and afterward to Washington. During the years 1862-3 such was the rush of immigration to this section that Idaho was erected into a territory of the United States government. The enabling act to organize as such was passed by congress in the spring of the latter year, and on the 22d of September William H. Wallace, late delegate to congress from Washington, who had, on July l0th preceding, been appointed governor of Idaho by President Lincoln, issued his proclamation for organizing the territory, … Read more

Biography of Henry F. Samuels

There is coming to the front of Idaho a class of lawyers of the younger generation who are making their mark in no uncertain way and will be worthy successors to some of the older members of the bar when their time for retirement shall come. One of the best and most prominent of these is Prosecuting Attorney Samuels, of Shoshone County, some account of whose busy and successful career to the present time it is purposed to introduce here. Henry F. Samuels was born in Mississippi, April 4, 1869, a son of Captain Floyd and Isabella (Jenkins) Samuels. His … Read more

Malm, Carl S. – Obituary

Carl S. Malm, 94, of Baker City, died March 22, 2002, at Meadowbrook Place Assisted Living Facility in Baker City. A graveside service will be conducted at 2 p.m. Tuesday Mount Hope Cemetery, with the Rev. Joe Bush of New Hope Church in Baker City officiating. Mr. Malm was born Feb. 12, 1909, in Kiruna, Sweden, the son of Adolf and Hilma (Lindberg) Malm. Carl immigrated to the United States with his parents and brother when he was 2 years of age. He spent his childhood and attended school in Mullen, Idaho. On Sept. 8, 1930 he married Louise Anderson … Read more

The Lead Belt Of The Coeur d’Alenes

Lead was first discovered in the Coeur d’Alene mining district, in northern Idaho, on Canyon creek in the fall of 1884, the discovery at that time being the Tiger mine, situated at the town of Burke. During same year a few other locations were made on Canyon creek, a few at Mullan, and in the fall of 1885 the Bunker Hill & Sullivan mines were discovered at Wardner. At the time these discoveries were made the country was inaccessible, with no railroads, wagon roads or trails, and the only way of getting in was by foot; ten to fifteen miles’ … Read more

Norris, Mena Tabor Mrs. – Obituary

Baker City, Oregon Mena Norris, 99, died April 25, 2004, at Settlers’ Park Assisted Living. Her graveside service will be at 1 p.m. Thursday at Mount Hope Cemetery. Pastor Robin Harris of the Cornerstone Baptist Church will officiate. Mena Norris was born on Dec. 18, 1904, at Granite. She was the daughter of Grant County pioneers, J.W. “Walkie” and Margaret McNulty Tabor. She attended school at the Columbia Mine and Sumpter. In July 1923, she married Earl Hackett at the Methodist parsonage in Baker City. Earl followed mining and their first home was at Homestead. After several years of working … Read more

The Coeur d’Alene Mining District

This article, as well as that following, concerning the lead belt of the district, is contributed by F. R. Culbertson, under date of July 9. 1898: The Coeur d’Alene mineral belt of northern Idaho, in area about twenty miles square, first came into prominence as a gold-placer camp in the summer and fall of 1883. Placer gold was first discovered on Pritchard creek, near Eagle City, now a deserted camp in Shoshone County. Fabulous reports of the richness and extent of this gold soon spread and attracted the attention of the outside world. In the spring of 1884 there was … Read more

Shoshone County, Idaho Cemetery Records

Idaho Cemetery records are listed by county then name of cemetery within the Idaho county. Most of these are complete indices at the time of transcription, however, in some cases we list the listing when it is only a partial listing. Shoshone County Cemetery Records Hosted at Idaho Archives Shoshone County USGenWeb G.A.R. Murray Cemetery Shoshone County Cemetery Records Hosted at Ewanida Rail Records First Addition to Hunt Cemetery (aka Bisaro Cemetery) Hunt Cemetery Old Cataldo Mission Cemetery Hosted at Interment.net Greenwood Cemetery  

The First Settlements the March of Progress

The first settlements made by whites with-in the present boundaries of Idaho were effected by Jesuit missionaries, as is true throughout the Pacific coast region; and previously to 1863, the beginning of a new era in this region, there were but two or three settlements made by others. In the primeval stage the country was not at all inviting to civilized people. The almost omnipresence of red savages precluded all thoughts of prospecting in the mountains for valuable minerals, while the valleys seemed to be only arid deserts absolutely irreclaimable for agricultural purposes. In the outside world ideas as to … Read more