The Montana post., 1868-10-09

Bannack, the county seat OF Beaver
head County, is situate on Grasshopper
Creek, a tributary of Beaverhead river
was first settled in '62, and is the oldest
town in Montana. 1t makes no preten-
tions TO architectural beauty, but like
many of its sister mining towns, pre-
sents a substantial air in its log business
houses, and show of opulence in its
neat cottage residences surrounded nv
gardens.
Dark days of depression from '63 IN
60. during the numerous stampedes Ia
distant points of the Territory. left thei,
mark upon the town and prevented its
progress. Hence IL is that the Bannack
of 6S is the same as the Bannack of G3
save in number of population, which
now is but 325. But few of the oris,
inal settlers still remain, having braved
all the temptations of distan ut Eldorados.
They are well TO do and sanguine OF the
steady growth of their town A good
hotel POST office, and Wells, Fargo a
Co.'S Express office, under the superin-
tendence of that genial seltriser Joe
Goss, are the main attractions in town
A hre-proof stone store and warehouse
will soon be erected by the leading firm
of Smith & Graeter, who, by fair dealing
during their long residence here, have
won the esteem of all. The Exchange
Billiard Hall, well as Mason * Schneb-
ley's Gem Saloon furnish the boys the
means of passing an hour of rest and
refreshment. a city government rules
not in this burg, judging from the un-
checked and furious course which an
inebTiated ''cardist" pursued this morn,
ing, during his passtime of running
the town" with loaded six shooter and
seeking the man that didn't like him"
Before any damage was done. however.
King AlchohOl asserted his supremacy
oyer the "sixty-fourer' and placed him
h0Fs dC combat.
The wealth of the gulches and placers
in this vicinity, has lain idle and un-
touched for a long time, being aEans
doned for many years on account of
easier worked diggings in the western
portion of the Territory. But the tide
is changing, hope and faith are again in
the ascendancy among old BannackiJes.
1t has been proven beyond doubt
that the main gnlcl, for ten miles be-
low the town contains rich deposits
but, owing to the peculiar formation in
il of sedimentary deposits, a superabun-
dance of seepage water and limited tall
a resort 10 lengthy and therefore costly
drain bitches is necessary, in order to
permit of profitable working One of
the latter l visited. 1t is located near
the head of the first canyon below Ma
rysville. The peculiarity of the forina-
Uon spoken of necessitated tight plank
ing on the sides in the whole length of
the drift-fiye feet high by three feet
wide. The seven sturdy sons of toll
who compose the Company owning this
work, style themselves "The Grasshop-
per Drain Ditch Company" and have,
since the Sth of October, 1867, worked
Il MI
without intermission, to drive their
drift to its present length-fourteen
hundred feet. Next spring they hope
to strike bed rock at the head of their
ditch. Below and above this several
companies are successfully at work, If
can give credence to- reports, getting
prospects weighing from, fifty cents TO
ten dollars to the pan. From an undis~
putable source / have it that as high as
ninety dollars was taken from a single
pan. There is yet much ground lying
idle, awaiting relocation by enterpris>
ing miners. But let it not be supposed
that fortunes can be made here without
energy, perseverance, and an outlay of
some cash. 1t requires all these to work
in Grasshopper.
The main interest of Bannack is now
the extensive placers of The Bannack
Ditch Mining Company, west of the
town. With Messrs. A. j. Smith and e.
Graeter | paid this ground a visit. a
ditch-or, more properly, two ditches
ones source at a fork of GrasshoppeT
and the other bringing part of the wa
ters of Horse Prairie creek-are found
sufficient TO work the mines. The two
bitches are over fifty miles in length,
and cost seventy-live thousand dollars.
The mines are near what Is known as
the old Salt Lake road, and consist OF
succession of low age~brush-covered
hills. intersected by many ravines and
small gulches. AS far as prospected,
and within reach of the water, the com
pany have five miles east and west, by
one mile north and south, of we'll pay
ing ground. Every portion of these
hills and ravines pays well but on the
subject of yield to the hand, my gentle
manly conductors remained dumb.
Under the experienced foremanshipof
Mr.. Patrick Holehan, the area spoken of
has been worked into such a shape as
to work to the greatest advantage. Five
hydraulics are tearing the gulches and
levelling hills. day and night, and some
OF the ditch water is used four times, ere
it mingles its murky flood with the
clear current of the Grasshopper, half
mile above town. The gold from these
hills is fine in size and quality, and now
sells at $25.25, currency. Quartz mining
is not as vigorously prosecuted as for.
merly. But one of the many mills is
running and doing custom work. It's
the twenty stamp mill of the NJ. NJ. L.
Nj. Co, commonly known as Clark
kirby's. But l learn that it also will
soon stop.
A furnace for reducing silver ores
from the celebrated Blue Wing district,