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Murray, Idaho was one of the earliest and busiest gold-mining camps, established in 1884, after placer gold discoveries on Prichard Creek. In the following 2 pp, 5 ¼ x 8, ALS, Murray, Idaho, Sept. 12 [n.y.] SILAS T. BRANCH writes to his father and friends with a detailed explanation of how miners are cheated out of wages. Branch settled in Murray during the Coeur d’Alene gold rush, a discovery that transformed northern Idaho from a sparsely settled wilderness into one of the nation’s leading mining regions. Murray became the principal commercial center with hotels, stores, saloons, assay offices, newspapers, churches and local government. Idaho gold rush began a few years before Idaho was admitted to the Union in 1890.
Branch wrote to his father and friends about how he and others were exploited and cheated out of wages.
“...Nothing much going on here except a little mining. There is nothing steady but a good worker can most always find something to do whether he makes anything for not and he has got to look sharp or he will get beat out of his wages. I got beat that way for $300 within the last year and I am not the only one that has been screwed that way. There was 10 of us started in to work for a New York capitalist last fall and the first month we got our pay. The next month he said the money hadn’t come in yet but would be in pretty soon. So we kept on until we had over 3 months wages coming and when winter came, he skipped out without paying us and that has been the way ever since I have been here. Men will come in here with a few dollars and make folks think that they own the world and Bond some mine and put men to work and pay all right the first payday and the next something will be the matter that is if the mine turns out to be no good and then they will say that they will have to go outside to rustle the money to pay off and forget to pay...”
The Coeur d\'Alene gold rush was one of the most important mining booms in the American Northwest. Although it was eventually overshadowed by the district\'s enormous silver production, the discovery of gold in the early 1880s transformed northern Idaho from a sparsely settled wilderness into one of the nation\'s leading mining regions.
Toning. Folds. Spelling corrected and punctuation added for clarity.
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