Rocky Mountain husbandman. [volume] (Diamond City, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1876-05-25
MIN rs AND MIN M G.
MONTANA MINING.

CStS or IHOlllald dillOuut 10 very IIL1G. lneJ
remember the halcyon days when the shall
low placers Of the Territory yielded fabul
Gus amounts of gold, when fortunes were
made in a few weeks, and the days of '49 in
California were almost equalled. But these
placers were mostly worked out some time
since, and the miners have had harder work
to get the gold and get less of it, too, than
they used to. Still it is by no means the
case that all the Montana surface diggings
are worked out. and her quartz Interests
show greater activity than ever before. We
had a conversation this week with q gentle.
man who has spent the last six months in
Montana, and from him we have obtained
some general facts of interest to the mining
community.
In speaking of the placers, he says evenir
that line an improvement is manifest. There
is an immense amount of ground which
would pay but for two reasons: One is
that it is so nearly level and the other is the
difficulty of getting water. There is plenty
of water everywhere, but the trouble is to
get it high enough. The dump question
under these circumstances. is also a very
difficult one to solve. Most Of the early
bitches were too short, and constructed tC
feed limited areas of ground. But now
they are building larger bitches to com
mand higher ground, but such enterprises
are expensive and require a large amount OF
capital, the same as in California, so ordi.
nary working miners are unable to carry
them out.
There are many places along the Missouri
river where there are bars and bank wash.
ings, but they do not amount to much.
However, if the stream could be turned, an
immense amount of gold would in all proba.
bility be taken from the bars. Nothing but
a very heavy operation could do anything il
this direction. The big Alder gulch, Which
built up Virginia City, is claimed to have
produced all the way from $50, 600, 900 tt
$40, 1000, 200, and paid the whole length of Il
miles. They still work here every summer.
Another famous canyon, "Last Chance
gulch," built up the city of Helena. In this
gulch they are now building a long bed.
rock fume, which they are going to take all
the way up. About a mile of it was built
last summer. The gulch is very deep, and
formerly pits were Gug and the dirt hoisted
out. With the ditch they will be able to
work much lower down and get on the bot
tom, where they could not work advantage
ously before. The ditch is being built by
Mr.. William A. Chessman, the owner OF
the water privileges. There are many other
placer grounds all over the Territory, but
those spoken of are the most prominent. In
most instances it takes great trouble and
heavy capital to get IN the water, and over
come lack of dump.
The quartz mining interests show steady
Improvement. There are gold mines there
which have been worked a long time. The
fore Last Chance gulch was discovered. The
number of copper mines worked is steadily
increasing. Last winter was the first one in
which some of these mines We're worked
continuously through the winter. All the
ore from the copper mines is shipped down
the river to st. Louis and Baltimore, none
OF it being worked in the Territory. From
Helena to Bcston-140 miles-it costs about
$40 per ton to haul it, and they ship it from
Benton, the head of navigation, down the
river tor from So to $40 per ton. If the river
Is ever improved, Montana needs no great
railroad. as the water highway would be the
best. A bill has been passed by the Legis-
%lature, granting a right for a railroad from
Helena to Benton. Below that the river
runs through a fiat country and spreads out
over a wide surface in MANY nlacas wharo