The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1868-05-07

H1LHNA, MONTANA TIL
= April 18th, 1868.

General News.
a. y HlLsNA, MONTANA TIL. =,
~ April 18th, 1868. = :.
4 EDITOR JoURNAL.-I have just re-
turned from = tour prospecting some Of.
the mining camps, to SEQ what show
there is for "business" during the COM
ing Summer. The mining season has
not yet fairly commenced, although q
fow have got their sluioes rnnning, aud
others are all ready, As soon a. they can
got water; and there is every reason
for believing that tho bitches generally
will be in working order by tho goth
inst. The scarcity Of water will be
much felt in Montana this season un-
less there should be an unusually large
quantity Of rain. The first camp We
visited was Aog'em, thirty-dve miles
from this place, up the Missouri river.
There is large amount of good ground
there, but considerable portion Of it
will lay over till next season, for want
of water. On one claim that We visit
ed, three men were using hydraulic.
Last week they cleaned up twelve hun
bred dollars, in nice clean gold. Their
largest run so far was six hundred dol
lars in one day. All claims that l saw
worked at Hos'em, were paying well.
Crow Crock, is twelve miles up the
river from Hog'em, and is very large
camp. Thousands Of acres are claimed
for mining purposes. and the village
Radusburgh, contains some four hun
d,ed or five hundred cabins. In this
camp there are supposed to be q large
number Of what is called ",oages dig
ging.," paying five or six dollars per
diem, it is a new camp and has had
but little work done in it. A few
claims pay as high Is twenty-five dol
lars per hand, and q great many will
not pay wages, As the prospect from
them is mostly ":,aoat go1d," and can
not be saved. Ono advantage this
camp has over many others this season,
is that they will have plenty Of water
for the entire season. The best gulch
in the Territory, I think, is Confsder-
ate. Claims have sold as high Is fl
teen thousand dollars each, this Spring
1t is on the south side Of the Missouri
and about thirty.6ve miles from here
Prominent among the best camps are
Lincoln inlet, Black-foot, Cable city
and Phiipsburgh. There were some
claims sold to day ON Last Chance just
in the suburbs Of Helena, for one
thousand dollars each. Mr.. Parkson and
Bro, made their fortunes, this Spring
by discovering very valuable quarts
lode, some four or five miles from here
1t is supposed to be the eastern boun
dairy Of the famous "Whitlatch Uniol
Lode"
Farmers have been very busily en-
gagged for several weeks past putting il
their crops. We have had the fines
Spring that I ever saw in any country
there have been no storms, Of any kim
in this vicinity since the 9th Of Febru
ary.
In my last communication, I neg
lected to mention, in connection viii
other mills, ten grist mills that are no'
in operation in this Territory.
think they make - good -four in Mon
taua, a. in any Of the States.
! Helena has At present, three news
papers, and, although this is a Demo
cratic Territory, two Of them are Re
publican, The largest is the Herald
published by Bob Fisk and Charlie,
Stuart, Of Minnesota. The Herald
and Democrat publish dailies.
Wages for mining, range from five t
six dollars per day. On ranches, team
ing &c., from sixty to seventy-five pc,
month and board, of course the prices
I have mentioned are in clean gulch
gold.
We "pilgrims'' begin to feel more
natural, in the mountains as our pill
grimage will soon wear of; now, and
We will be citizens of Montana, and moi
slender feet" We have learned how
to "sinch cayuse," and to pronounce
San Joaquin (San Wakeeu) and some
Others like San Jose (San Woza) &c.,
and, I presume have less verdant ap'
pearanoe, to ,,oxntaneers than We had
eight months ago. Most Of Us know
the difference between good and poo,
dust by this time, an item quite to any
ones advantage in this country. Only
yesterday, . mountain elbow hand,'
tried to "pieh up" "your. obed;enty,'
by paying him fifty dollars for some
property, in Mill retort, worth sixteen
dollars per ounce, but when he found
it was mo co. he came down with
gulch gold.
The markets are about the same q.
when I last wrote, flour Is down to ten
dollars per sack, greenbaoks are worth,
80 ets.
s-.s-~ Z. ... Yours Truly,
J. D. RODGERS, IL.