The Montana post. [volume] (Virginia City, Montana Territory [i.e. Mont.]) 1864-1869, 1867-03-30
RGINIA CITY, MONTANA SATURDAY, MARCH 80, 1867

was almost unheard of. In 1864, Oregon,
Idaho and Colorado each deposited in
the mints over $2,OO0,OOO in gold, while
Montana was not accredited with any.
In 1865, Montana's deposit was larger
than any, except Idaho and California
while for 1866, it swept past Idaho over
S2,000000, and ranked next TO Califor-
MIA. Here, then, we have the progress
of the Territory defined, and it must be
remembered that this was almost en-
tirely the product of the placer diggings.
Until the first of January, 1867, the
yield of quartz mills was not very
largely over 100000. In 1866, with
the single exception of Confederate, there
was no new gulch of any considerable
extent worked. Alder still yielded
something Grizzly, Last Chance, and
Dry gulches employed few men but
the insufficiency of water prevented the
development of the miles of rich placers
lying in the vicinity of Helena. No new
gulches were discovered until late in the
season, and not less than 10000 men
left Montana, large proportion of them
disgusted and pronouncing it blk" +"
because there was more labor in the
market than sufficed to supply the de
mand in the gulches already discovered.
Others prospected, and by the latter
end of the season not less than twenty
main gulches, yielding good pay, were
discovered, affording, with the old
gulches, employment for every man who
was in the Territory last season. The
Salmon river mines will draw from Mon.
tana not less than 5000 men. The 30
quartz mills now in the Territory, with
the 26 others which will certainly be
shipped this season, and the develop
ment of quartz property, will probably
employ 1,5O0 to 1000 more. Here then
we have deficit of IL, 900 laborers, who
could, if the mines come up to well sus-
tanned expectations, find employment in
Montana this summer. From every
portion of the Territory comes reports
of paying mines, and scarcity of men
to work them. Helena has completed
the ditch necessary to work the gulches
and bars in the vicinity. Highland, AL
der, Silver Bow, and fifty other placers
have a sufficiency of water for all pur
poses. Not less than ten Thousand
quartz lodes are recorded in the Terri
tory, of which those developed have
yielded as high as 500 per tor
in gold, and $500 per ton il
silver by actual working test. Or
these depends the permanent wealth o
the Territory, and of their richness an6
facility for working, no one has doubt
THERE'S every reason to believe that the
yield of the placers this year will exceed
that of any previons one, and we may
reasonably anticipate an excess over
that of California, which for the las
thirteen years has been decreasing. Th'
Comstock lode of Nevada, is to-day &C
knowledged the richest mine in th'
world, yet forty mills in Montana yield
ing as the Turnkey mill has, on UniSi
Whitlatch rock, would produce NOR
bullion than did the entire State o
Nevada, last year, and eighteen silve
smelling furnaces similar TO that of tn
St. Louis & Montana Mining Co., at Al
genta, have the capacity and the materia
to accomplish the same result. Nevad
has 179 mills, Montana has thirty, @
which, at least, one-half are useless claI
, trap affairs, that are only fit for crushin
the hopes of the owners, which they hav
done pretty effcctually. The day 70
patent humbugs has passed away. STAN
mills are in nearly every instance, bein
substituted, and one of the best ind
cations of future success, is, that tn
practical, energetic men who have live
: here and understand what's required
: achieve success, are the men who ar
3 procuring good mills to locate on we
, defined leads, instead of a blossom rocl