The Montana post. [volume] (Virginia City, Montana Territory [i.e. Mont.]) 1864-1869, 1865-11-18
FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.

HELENA, M. T., Nov. 7th, 1865.
EDITORS PosT-GENTLEMEN: 1 have been much
pleased with the city of Helena and its hospitable
inhabitants. There Is a freshness and an energy
about the place that bespeaks prosperity. Apothe-
carries scales are not In use for weighing gold and
your money goes into bag which 1t is falsehood
to call sack. The perfect network of gulches-
Grizzly, Orc Fino, Nelson, Last Chance, Holiness,
Dry and Tucker's-are interlocked, as it were, and
have yielded they will still continue to do, huge
sums of money. In the paydirt on the claim of
Capt. Shannon, in Grizzly, the gold can be SEEN in
the earth, before it is washed On inquiriDg of p
Morehouse, whom selected hap hazard while work.
ing at his claim, No. below discovery, in Grizzly
Gulch, found that he had taken out $50 to the
hand in summer and his claim, though nearly worked
out, now yields 50 to the hand; s., 81 and SS are
common all the country, at this Mount
ing "Dixie,' hitherto sacred to the bestraddlement
of Charley Curtis, we rode up Orc Fmo, and turned
off towards fuckers to see an arastra erected by
Messrs. Geer and Vaughan. The mill, which is on
the Millionaire, is not working, some improve
ment in the saving process being arranged but it
is we'll constructed left there and travelled over
lonely and romantic succession of wooded parks
and beautiful mountains, to Dunphy and Bentley's
steam saw-mI, and realized the absurdity Of aris-
tocracy. We saw that the " first cut" was always
"slab." Dixie" going through the ktten-and.
mouse drill all the time, arrived at Whitlatch's
buildings, and went on up the hill to the "Doctor
Biggar may the prototype never grow less-the
lode is big enough. The shaft is eightv-ive feet
deep, and the dump pile shows noble quartz. "The
Union forever!' we exclaimed, after an lnvestl-
cation of that lode The old inclined shaft this
ledge one hundred and twenty feet, following the
dip of the crevice. This is being excavated and runs
north and south. Drifting is done from point where
perpendicular shaft of sixty feet strikes 1t on the
crevice, and headed east and west At the present
tme five feet of crevce is dscernible at the western
end. The eastern is just started, and the timbering
is nearly foot square. some splendid quartz,
| spangled thickly with gold, and brought of some
which picked out myself, in the drift The dump
pile speaks for ITSELF 1t is plainly auriferous and
| although "blind quartz may be rich, quartz In
which gold can be seen must be good to a certain
| extent. The "Unon, which is honestly devel
oped is the best property in the Last Chance coun
| try. Mr.. Brown, the fortunate Scotchman, who
after being locator of the Comstock, has struck
the " Uncle Sam' can, indeed show nuggets to any
required amount, at present; but it is certain that
| the "Union" lode contains many solid fortune
within its wall-rocks, and that Mr.. Whitlatch car
| fetch them out.
On the "Owyhee," Professor Hodge has larg'
interest, and is driving tunnel into the hill In orde
to strike the lode low. From the appearance of th
quartz on the dump, the experiment will be profit
| able one.
| On the "Sultana - lode, located at the head O
Grizzly, on the divide between it and Nelson Mr.
Richard Fisher has erected ten-stamp mill, whicl
will be at work. reducing the rich quartz of the lod
Clifford was Superintendent for a New York Company
and directed the work of five mills in Georgia, befor
the war. The Confederates having confscated tn
property he migrated to Colorado and stayed in tn
mines for FIVE years. after which he came hither an
| will now bend his undivided energies to the tas
before him.
Returning home our India rubber steed we go
most enchanting glimpse, through the rocky pol
tails of Grizzly, of part of Helena the most con
spicuous feature being Lissners-the Fountai
Restaurant. Heading up hill, with my guide, rod
to a point not previously visited by equestrlan
from which the town can be plainly egg
in a basket The three divisions of the place coul
be easily traced and the traffic of the town and tn
results of the energy of the people were before
ewes. We rode down the mountain, and relieve
Dixie of pretty solid load, upon which that sens
BILE beast went off in business like manner to diI
ner We followed suit to the Totten House. whei
we have enjoyed the bountiful hospitality of tt
Captain since our arrival at Helena. The number
guests is very large and the whole establishment
a great credit to the courteous proprietor. hoI
to have the pleasure of speaking again Of my furth
explorations in future issue of your paper.
| The city of Helena is marvel. 1t has sprung
almost like Jonah's Gourd-in a night; but its d
cav is apparently impossible. Agricultural miner
and local resources are there in abundance, and Il
folks who live in it are liberal, as well busine
like, in their ways. We shall take leave of it Wi
regret and hope to see it again soon. In all II
rambles must not forget Helena.
. Yours, sincerely, d.