, 1866-03-16
wealth and Future oi Mo5s.ao

Under this caption, writerin the Montana Po,.
claims that the mines in that section win show
Is gFshd result as the early history Of Califor.
mia discovered to the world. Speaking of the
resources Of Montana, be says;
We have system Of rivers uneoualled IN tbs
whole mining territories OF the continent. The
entire river system Of California will not equal
the Big horn and felloWstone above their june
ton, draining, as they do, the Wind River and
Big Horn mountains, aud in every instance tb Q
immigration Of 1884 found 6ne gold where m
road crossed their trihntaniaA.f The e,tf,-,l -;
fig resources OF Idaho are con tdUd 70 Me rivers
draining the south-west face Of the Bitter Root
range of mountains, emptying into Lewis Fork
Of the Columbia The northeast face Of the
same range is entirely within our limits, The
streams draining It emptying into Clark's Fork
Of the Columbia, or Pen d'Oreille and, il all
cases where prospecting has been done, develcp-
ing remuneratiVe mines. It is asserted that
there are bars containing hundreds Of acres on
this last river that will pay four and FIVE dollars
per day. Also, its tributaries coming in from
the range dividing it from the KOotenai without
exception, bring down fine gold all of which
streams, together with the middle section of the
Kootenai ITSELF being in Territory, it is safe
to say that we have, from the summit of our
dividing range to our western limit, more min
ing country than any otherof our Territories ever
possessed, California alone excepted. Add to the
two systems of mining streams, already men
toned, the headwaters of the Missouri proper
upon which nearly all of our labor has been ex
pended and developments made, and the yield
from which has been the astonishment of those
among US of the longest mining experience-we
say, taking these three systems of mining
streams, all Of which, in every instance where
trial has been made established the fact that the
mountain ranges which give rise 10 and separate
them, are gold bearing, that we may Justly claim
that this last known and settled of our mining
Territories is mmeasurably the greatest and
richest. An excess of population over and above
those finding profitable employment in the mines
already developed is all we want. The emigra-
tion of 1865 gave us that excess for a few months
and the Confederate, Helena and Blackfoot dis
tricts of to-day are the result. Never having
been affected with quartz on the brain, we
might omit this source of our wealth, were it
not for the indisputable evidence presented by
the early operations of our pioneer mills but
these results, coming authenticated as they are
compel belief, and must add to ouI other re-
sources that of gold bearing quartz leads. Who
among US can form correct estimate of our fu-
ture in connection with this great branch of
Industry Admitting that the great mass of
our present recorded loaes are nothing but spurs,
their presence would seem to establish the fact
that there is Oue true lead at least in every To-
much alone Tor us in this interest it will place
Montana far ahead OF heE sister Territories in
quartz as she unqueslionably is in placer min
ing. Such facts as the melting out Of Quartz
rock-supposed 10 be silver bcaring--the ore
containing half in gross weight, of pure cop
per. seems now to attract no attention, so eager
is our pursuit after the more generous metals.
The immense deposits Of coal, noticed by Judge
Hosmer, on the Yellowstone, exhibiting veins
from three to five feet thick CrODDinp on of the
bank at different points through a distance Of
three hundred miles tar springs, known to the
trappers and hunters for the last forty years
which are now proved to be petroeum-on the
waters of Wind river. Sum up all these re-
sources and look at the aggregate, and say if
there is a mind among us that can form cor
rect estimate of the results that capital and la
Dor will produce here in the next ten years 2
Truly, if our late President was tight in saying
that the United States was destined to be the
treasury of the world, Montana is destined to be
the treasury of the United States.