Liberty Mine and the Squaw Creek District

mindat.org: Old Liberty Group, Squaw Creek District, Gem County. Production: >$300,000; Commodities (Major) - Silver; (Trace) - Copper, Gold.

"While Pearl was inactive, lode discoveries on Squaw Creek expanded the Pearl area's mineral potential northward across the Payette, primarily after 1880." - Wells in "Gold Camps & Silver Cities"

1919, Bulletin 166
A PRELIMINARY REPORT ON THE MINING DISTRICTS OF IDAHO and archive.org
GEM COUNTY.
PEARL (WILLOW CREEK, GEM, ROCK CREEK) DISTRICT.
The Pearl district is situated 8 miles northeast of Emmett. The ore occurs as gold-bearing quartz veins and impregnation zones along porphyry dikes in granite. The veins are usually narrow, seldom exceeding 4 feet in width. Ore running $30 to the ton has been shipped from the district, but a considerable amount of the ore seems to be of low grade.
SQUAW CREEK OR BODIE DISTRICT.
The Squaw Creek district is situated on Squaw Creek about 15 miles northeast of Emmett. According to records of the General Land Office in Boise, mineral claims have been patented in this district; no information is available as to the extent or character of the deposits.
—————
Lindgren, Waldemar, The gold and silver veins of Silver City, De Lamar, and other districts in Idaho: Twentieth Ann. Rept. U. S. Geol. Survey, pt. 3, 1900, p. 188.
Bell, R. N., State mine inspector's report, 1908, p. 130, and 1912, p. 146.
Lindgren, Waldemar, Mining districts of the Idaho basin and the Boise Ridge, Idaho: Eighteenth Ann. Rept. II. S. Geol. Survey, pt. 3, 1898, p. 707.

Newspaper Clippings

Idaho semi-weekly world., May 02, 1882, Idaho City
Trip to Squaw Creek
We reached Squaw Creek district Saturday morning, took a look at the prospects in the vicinity of the Liberty, which is about a mile north of Squaw creek, and on Sunday took a trip over to Soldier creek, five or six miles northeast of the Liberty. Two or three locations have been made between the Liberty and Squaw creek. Boyakin & Pettits location, the first extension west of the Liberty, shows some fine looking ore, but like most of the other locations, no work has yet been done below the grass roots. Boyakin & Pettit will sit k on their prospect sometime this summer. The finest looking prospect on the "west end" is the Liberty. It is owned by have Teaehenor, John Gray and Lee Mohr.

Over on the "west end" of the Squaw creek belt we boarded and lodged at Esmond's hotel, and while over on the "east end" John Gray and Dave Teachnor grubbed us, furnished the blankets, took us into their big tent, and to return the compliment we took in slathers of the good grub the boys dished up. During our stay on the upper belt we never missed a meal, and like "old Tom Moore, the relic of '49," never paid a cent. That's the way the Squaw creekers treat a stray pencil pusher.

While on Squaw creek we found Jerry Dill, who has a ranch two miles below the Liberty, busily at work grubbing brush and plowing up a new patch of ground. We understand that Jerry intends to put up a new residence this summer. Looks a little suspicious for a bachelor.

The Sub Rosa ledge was tapped the other day by the lower tunnel. They have not gone through the vein. Work will be resumed as soon as they can get supplies up. Some of the rock was tested and prospected very well.

Two or three weeks from now will be early enough for prospectors to go into the Soldier creek and Dry Buck country. The north hill sides are covered with snow.

Esmond his new boarding house at the Liberty mine, on Squaw creek, nearly completed. He is now hauling lumber for the blacksmith shop and saloon, and will have both completed inside of three weeks.

The Payette is almost, if not quite low enough to be forded above Mitchell's.

Idaho semi-weekly world., May 19, 1882,
Squaw Creek Squibs, Libertyville, May 14, '82.
The district is on the boom, and prospects are improving as they go down, and new ones are continually being struck. There are a good many men prospecting in this section now, and more are coming in nearly every day.

The Liberty boys moved over from Soldier creek last Friday. They went down on their ledge seventeen feet, when it caved and they had to stop. Before moving down to this end they got out enough timbers to sink seventy-five feet of shalt, and have commenced sinking on Boyakin & Pettit's ledge, the first extension west of the Liberty.

The Savage mine, located recently by Anderson, Goldttap, Angle and Ellliott is a most promising prospect. They have sunk about twelve feet on it, and it shows rock with native silver and gold visible with the naked eye.

Harry Bahr is over from Dry Buck. He says he wishes the Editor had been with him the other day to try his luck with a gun. He killed a bear, weighing six pounds, near his camp, and thinks that "Jones could have killed it had he been along."

The boys have commenced work on their placers in Dry Buck, and will have a good run of water. Esmond's blacksmith shop is in full blast and Mrs. Esmond has eight or ten boarders now.

Lots are being staked off, and everything looks as if we were going to have a lively camp. LIBERTY VILLIAN.

Idaho semi-weekly world., June 27, 1882
HARVE ESMOND was up last week from Squaw creek. He says there are between thirty and forty prospectors in the upper and lower districts Harve is sinking on his location, the Haphazard, in the lower district and northeast of the Liberty. The shaft is down sixteen feet. It is the intention to sink to the depth of fifty feet. The ore looks fine and there are several feet of it.

Idaho semi-weekly world., August 18, 1882
Harry Bahr and John Hurst discovered a quartz vein of good width the other day on Dry Buck, a stream that empties into Payette near Jerusalem. The ore contains copper and silver—appears to be the same character of ore as that of the Liberty mine, on Squaw creek. Jerry Dill has taken up an extension.

1922 - Increase capital stock, assay shows value of $712 per ton.

1929, Liberty Mine Sells



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