goldinmypan
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Dose anyone know anything about the lost Swim(m) mine in Idaho? I think it was over near the Yankee Fork.
lost swim(m) mine
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goldinmypan
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OK, no response. Here how it went near as I can remember from when I lived in Sun Valley 35 years ago.
Seems a prospecter named Swim was prospecting over along the Salmon River north of Stanley somewhere in the area of the Yankee Fork. He had to encamp for several days due to a very bad storm and when it was over he went in search of his mule. He noticed a sparkle in the roots of a downed tree and sure enough...GOLD.. He went somewhere(??) and had it assayed and was supposed to be extremely high values. As winter was closing in he went down south (Salt Lake??) to find a stake. When spring broke, him and his backers headed back over Gallina pass, and since nobody can keep a secret, they were followed by everybody and his neighbor. When they got down by Stanley they had to camp because the river was still at flood stage. The followers joined up with his party and they all waited for the river to go down. Of course, they got impatient ane forced him to go to make sure the claim was still there and to cut the trail for them to follow. When they followed the trail it crossed the river a couple of times and then it went into the river and did not show up on the other side. Years later the skeleton of a mule was found in a log jam many miles downstream. The thought is that his skeleton was down there too. This claim could still be out there waiting for the next lucky prospecter to stumble on it.
Well, This could just be campfire legend. I don't know, just remember people talking about it.
The other story I heard tell was of bank robbers running from the law cutting across the lava desert between Idaho Falls and Bellveiue and not having the loot when they were captured (killed).
Seems a prospecter named Swim was prospecting over along the Salmon River north of Stanley somewhere in the area of the Yankee Fork. He had to encamp for several days due to a very bad storm and when it was over he went in search of his mule. He noticed a sparkle in the roots of a downed tree and sure enough...GOLD.. He went somewhere(??) and had it assayed and was supposed to be extremely high values. As winter was closing in he went down south (Salt Lake??) to find a stake. When spring broke, him and his backers headed back over Gallina pass, and since nobody can keep a secret, they were followed by everybody and his neighbor. When they got down by Stanley they had to camp because the river was still at flood stage. The followers joined up with his party and they all waited for the river to go down. Of course, they got impatient ane forced him to go to make sure the claim was still there and to cut the trail for them to follow. When they followed the trail it crossed the river a couple of times and then it went into the river and did not show up on the other side. Years later the skeleton of a mule was found in a log jam many miles downstream. The thought is that his skeleton was down there too. This claim could still be out there waiting for the next lucky prospecter to stumble on it.
Well, This could just be campfire legend. I don't know, just remember people talking about it.
The other story I heard tell was of bank robbers running from the law cutting across the lava desert between Idaho Falls and Bellveiue and not having the loot when they were captured (killed).
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