▁the ▁time ▁winter ▁took ▁hold , ▁the ▁camp ▁reported ly ▁held ▁nearly ▁two ▁thousand ▁men . ▁Unfortunately , ▁the ▁winter ▁of ▁ 1 8 6 1 – 1 8 6 2 ▁" pro ved ▁to ▁be ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁col dest ▁in ▁the ▁history ▁of ▁Id aho ." ▁No ▁one ▁knows ▁how ▁many ▁men ▁died ▁from ▁the ▁cold , ▁but ▁one ▁newspaper ▁writer ▁had ▁" no ▁doubt ▁that ▁at ▁least ▁one ▁hundred ▁men ▁have ▁per ished ▁from ▁the ▁cold ." ▁Sur viv ors ▁told ▁hor r ific ▁stories ▁of ▁near - star v ation , ▁fro st b ite , ▁and ▁w ides p read ▁snow - bl ind ness . ▁ ▁As ▁was ▁common ▁to ▁many ▁of ▁those ▁early ▁pla cer ▁min ing ▁districts , ▁the ▁rich est ▁days ▁in ▁Florence ▁last ed ▁only ▁a ▁couple ▁years . ▁About ▁five ▁years ▁of ▁steady , ▁but ▁less er ▁production ▁followed . ▁By ▁around ▁ 1 8 6 9 , ▁Chinese ▁min ers ▁were ▁working ▁most ▁of ▁the ▁claims ▁in ▁the ▁region , ▁whites ▁having ▁le ased ▁the ▁properties ▁or ▁abandoned ▁them . ▁Probably ▁not ▁coinc ident ally , ▁Florence ▁lost ▁its ▁design ation ▁as ▁county ▁seat ▁on ▁June ▁ 1 , ▁ 1 8 6 9 . ▁The ▁period ▁of ▁largely ▁Chinese ▁production ▁last ed ▁until ▁about ▁ 1 8 8 0 , ▁followed ▁by ▁a ▁long ▁stretch ▁of ▁minimal ▁activity . ▁ ▁Population ▁history ▁▁▁ 1 8 6 4 ▁census : ▁ 2 5 4 ▁( 2 2 2 ▁men , ▁