We began our trip in Soda Springs, Idaho fairly early
in the morning. Our goal was to travel the distance to Caribou Mountain and City all on
unimproved back-country roads.
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The valleys we passed on our way to the mountain are incredibly
vast and unpopulated. Aside from the occasional cow heard, there is hardly anything out
here beside mountains, valleys, trees, rocks, and streams that make up this wilderness. |
After only a few short miles we had passed some amazing scenery
including the "Narrows" a local angling nirvana and Grey's Lake a bird refuge
most notably famous for being one of only a handful of areas where the Whooping Crane is
known to exist.
| Getting closer to the mountain revealed even more
eye-popping vistas. Just before we began the assent up the mountain we stopped at the
Caribou Basin Guard Station. Here there was two charming forest service cabins and a
warming hut for Snow Mobilers. The road to the 'City' was quite steep
and enjoyable with several creek crossings. We stopped for lunch in the early afternoon
under a large shady meadow and enjoyed the nearby babbling brook.
The Sidekick was performing flawlessly on this terrain we were completely
impressed with the IFS' ability to soak up the bumps of this lumpy-bumpy yet typical dirt
road. |
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Then, we were there. Caribou City, the once thriving town of 1500
residence is now reduced to this single cabin. Little is left of the City. In fact, other
than the large piles of 'burden' it would be hard to even tell that man had worked this
land. |
Now, we're sure the miners of Caribou City didn't have OHV use in
mind when they were mining for gold at the turn of the century. But because of their
mining techniques, we were able to reap the benefits. On Caribou Mountain, there are
literally miles upon miles of 'burden' piles that create a landscape of boulders and rocks
off all kinds of shapes and sizes.
We were able to spend only a fraction of the time we would've like to exploring
these 'ready made' trails that wandered from valley to valley, meadow to meadow in this veritable
play pen for OHV enthusiasts.
 
 
 
 
After putting around on these rock piles for a couple hours, we
decided to head for home. Next time, we will definitely camp on or near the mountain so
that we can spend even more time exploring this magical area, Caribou Mountain. |
"CARRIBOO
JACK"
Jesse Fairchilds, "Carriboo Jack", came to
Rocky Bar in the fall of 1869. He told tall tales from the Carriboo Mining District of
British Columbia where: "the caribou ran so thick that a fellow could run all the way
to hell and back atop them and never touch bare ground. Their breath, which turned
immediately into snow and ice, kept the north country covered in white. They would build a
mountain in a minute with their breath."
Of himself, he said, "I was born in a blizzard snowdrift in
the worst damn storm to ever hit Canada. I was bathed in a gold pan, suckled by a caribou,
wrapped in a buffalo rug, and could whip any grizzly going before I was thirteen. That's
when I left home." When challenged on his tales he'd respond: "It is so. I will
let you know Iam from Carriboo!"
The "Jack" in the nickname came from his mule: "so
danged smart he had to change socks once a week or she wouldn't let him ride her."
She could open any gate built: "she stold a full year of grain, a sack at a time from
a Quaker farmer-- each night he built the latch higher on the door until finally the mule
couldn't reach it. That only stopped her one night -- the next night the mule was seen
standing on hind legs telling the family dog standing on her forehead how to open the
latch."
In 1870 Fairchilds was one of several credited as the first to
discover gold on the mountain that bears his nickname. Claims were filed (for
"Carriboo's Diggings") in Lander, because it was thought the area was in
Wyoming. Jesse "Carriboo Jack" spent 14 years at the Carriboo mines near Keenan
City, till the color played out.
Sitting at a saloon in Soda Springs he heard of a wounded grizzly
bear down by Bear River. Reinforced with reputation and plenty of drinks, Carriboo Jack
took the lead and walked right into the brush after the bear. The bear attacked, Jack's
shot missed and Jim Call finally killed the bear but not until the bear inflicted serious
wounds. Medical help from Malad took several hours but apparently Jack died from blood
poisoning within a week when the doctor sewed up his wounds but failed to allow openings
so they could properly drain. Carriboo Jack was buried in Soda Springs where a
commemorative grave marker has been established.
Near the cemetery at Geyser Park, a visitor center/public restroom
commemorates the history of the area and explains the legacy that endures. The Carriboo
Jack Memorial was dedicated May 18, 1996, as a central feature of Soda Springs' centennial
celebration. Next time you're in Soda Springs, take a moment and stop to appreciate the
source of the name for the Caribou Mountain, Caribou City, Caribou County and the Caribou
National Forest.
Quotes used here come from various sources captured in
The Mountain Carriboo and Other Gold Camps in Idaho, by Ellen Carney and Elaine S. Johnson
of Soda Springs, Traildust Publishing Co., 1994. |
ZW