The Painter Mine was a long worked but not terribly productive gold mine along the Salmon River. The first work reported in the area was in the early 1900s when Edward O. Eakin claimed the Jersey Creek Bar. In 1908 John R. Painter bought the claim from Eakin and started his farm there. Shortly thereafter A.C. Carpenter was hired by Painter to locate the lode source of the placer gold on his claim. Carpenter succeeded and was paid in apricots by Painter.
Painter was able to secure funding from the famous DuPont family to start an adit and built a mill. The equipment was installed at the mouth of Fivemile Creek, downstream of the mine. Painter also worked placers around the mine through the Salmon River Mining Company. A 250 hp hydroelectric plant was built to move the gravel. A fire closed the mine in 1918 and presumably destroyed the mill. A smaller mill was built at Little Fivemile Creek, and a small amount of ore was reported to have been produced.
Access to the mine was always a challenge. In the early days getting to the mine involved starting around North Fork, roughly 80 miles away. From there you would have to boat down the Salmon River to the mine, as no more than a game trail connected the property to the outside world. Only during the spring floods was the river deep enough to accommodate larger craft. This meant that heavy equipment could only be brought in while the river was at its most violent state. During a trip in 1911 one of these boats carrying electrical equipment for the mine sank in a rapid. When the water receded in the summer, the boat was found at the bottom of a 15’ deep eddy. Divers were sent to recover the equipment, but it is unknown if they were successful.
