Gold Mine!

A treasure trove of Newton Revis from the newspapers of his time.

Click on any of the images to get a larger view.

One of the first prospectors in the area, Newton started working his southern Idaho claim in 1877 after mining a bit further north in Lemhi County. The following year there was a war in the northern areas of Idaho called the Bannock War. He lost 4 horses during that time to an Indian raid but he was not harmed.

California Gold Rush

Newton had come to the Sawtooth mountains of Idaho from the California Gold Rush. He actually learned to mine in Sutter's Creek, where the 1848 gold craze began. In 1860, he was working in Amador, California and his local post office was Sutter's Creek. Here is a group of miners using a long tom. Living the dream.

Family

John and Patsy Revis were his parents. They lived back in Illinois where he was born in 1830. Newton was the older brother to my 2X great grandfather, William Revis. I don't often share the lives of ancestors who are not directly in my line, but he has held my interest since I was a little girl. After finding all of these newspaper articles, I had to tell his Tale.

Jottings

This article tells the world that Newton Revis, the pioneer placer miner of Smoky District, is in town. Also the Nevada Chop House is serving oysters until 2:00 a.m.

Lawsuit

We had an inkling of this lawsuit in the first clipping above!

1884 Presidential Election

Look at the candidates that the Wood River Times endorsed. You might not recognize them because history tends to forget the losers. It appears as though Newton was actively involved in the community as he was a judge for the 1884 Presidential election in Smoky Ward No. 35. Good to see.

Here is a description of voting boundaries for Smoky Ward No. 35.

Chinese workers

Hydraulicing

Dairies

Imagine fighting this terrain for five days. In a blizzard.

You and your two horses have a sled-full of mail to deliver.

The poor mailman spent his Christmas trying to get home alive.

The Blizzard Convinced The Mailman To Quit!

Estimated Mailman's Route

Blizzard Followup

The near death experience of the mailman was big news and even got a followup article. This one goes into more detail as to the exact location of the Revis placer.

The New Mailman Gets His Bearings

Newton Is Doing Well!

But No One Knows How Much Newton Has Made

Detailed Mining Reports For Individual Mines

1893 World's Fair In Chicago

From the text in the September 1893 article below the fountain image, it looks like Newton left Illinois for the gold fields around 1853.

Reuben Clay Gets 80 Acres And A Good Claim Above The Revis Placer

1904 Newton Cashes Out

Newton Revis

Born on January 3, 1830 in Hillsboro, Illinois.

Moved to California to work in the gold fields around 1853. This photo could possibly be from around 1865? He would have been 35 years old. It comes from a genealogist named Linda who lives in Vandalia, Illinois. She also has letters from Newton to people in that area of Illinois. I have not been able to contact her but when I do, I will create another post with copies of his writings. I have a cousin that is the keeper of some additional Newton letters. If I can get those copied, I will include them as well. Stay tuned! UPDATE: I found some letters! I have no records of any marriage. Census records show that he lived up near Leesburg in Lemhi County in July of 1870. See picture of the Leesburg ghost town below. Newton died in Hailey, Idaho on May 28, 1917 and is buried in the Hailey Cemetery.

Upon hearing of his Uncle Newton's death, our great grandfather Harris Revis (more about him in Frontier Folk) went from Illinois to Idaho with a friend under assumed names to investigate.

Exact Location?

The following photos are locations within a 10 mile radius of Newton's placer.

I had help in estimating the actual Lat/Long of 43.58689587,-114.66396198. My favorite nephew has a buddy who is with the Bureau of Land Management. He was able to pinpoint the location. After reviewing all of the hints in these newspaper clippings, I think that he is spot on! Thank you both! You made this crazy genealogist very happy!

It is in Camas County, about 2 miles SE of Carrietown (Carrie Leonard Mine area) as the crow flies. The Carrie Leonard camp is a ghost town with a few shacks still standing. Newton's placer was near the source of Little Smoky Creek, in the Sawtooth National Forest, west of Sun Valley and Hailey. Hailey is just inside the bordering Blaine County.

Camas County seems to be a fairly desirable hiking destination. Almost all of the photos below were taken by hikers and posted on alltrails.com. A very interesting site. Especially if you are looking for scenic photographs from all over the world.

Area Photos

Cabin on left is in Carrietown. The town on the right is in Lemhi County (where Newton mined before coming to his profitable placer at Little Smoky Creek) about 200 miles north. Our little Carrietown didn't even make it on the Wikipedia list of ghost towns in Idaho.

This is the Wood River Valley.

Looks like this rocky road has a STEEP drop to the road below.

This one is a bit further north into the Sawtooth Range.

My goal in all of the Dead Family Tales is to present stories that would have been told around a kitchen table or campfire during family gatherings.

A new Dead Family Tale is posted every Monday.

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Do you have more tales of our Koprek, Haupt, Revis, or Oswald lines?

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