The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-11-25
THIRTY MILLIONS OF GOLD.
\ Plugged Granite Mountain Scanned ,,,,.
""'" VEN, The ni'oo'erer Of Vast HIche.
Dies, like Coia.tock. in Ahirct Poyrr,,

Gold Veins The Discovercr Ut Vast ,.t,h..
Dies,lik Coin.iocS. in AiJcei Povcrty.
Fomn, Fayme,i.g aaf Mining Jopnh
In the spring Of 1863 party OF five minor,
from Blnnu X took Tn trail for thu Y ,l.,,.'',s
AMI Big Horn country, which Tor som. i',,
mad been supposed TO b. rich in gold Sno,,
niur crossing the Madison on their wnv y
ward they on 'ountered lniians. ami va
driven back n.ross tho spur ~ NJ ih1 N.tp
son INTO the valley Of the Sinking Winter. III.
low ny down THIS stream toward It's iun,inn
with the jim 'rsOn. they camprd over ni,ht ~
ne mouth OF narrow gorge coming in from
the east. As usual. they prospeciod lis hnd nmJ
To their mt rnsc qualification found cNcrcdin,,
rich prospects. Stimulated by su .rcss liz
pushed explorations next morn M still further
ana before the day was over had itstlrd them,
selves that the new crock was richer than INV
yet found IN the Territory. This WIS Alder
Gulrh. which proved the most productive monn
tain gorge for its length that has probably eyer
been found in any part of the world. aud whose
history. II It could be written, would present,
iaM!essncss that could be- found.
Inr fairweaihsr party, ihe discovcrcrs. i'm
ground they. could find. and began wnshing
meeting with unprecedented success Fora
time i'm, the d,scoyery was Kept s,,cret. hut uni,
made To linnna"k for these resulted in the pub-
iicaiion OF the news. Instantly there WAS "A tre-
yaded by thousands of tho Widest and most m.
tuned of the pioneers OF those days. Pros-
pntlng disclosed tho fqrt that II was rich from
end 10 end, from the base OF Old Badly NJ ~
nrad Tar down into the valley of the sinking
Water. Every foot OF ground was taken IN
and much WINS rlnimnd twie.nud thren times "a
circumstance which instantly nccnseitntod a
large graveyard and a corOn r. With harlly
nm exception. ev"ry claim in the canon be-
came almost Immediately highly profitable. In
lively" months poput tion of 10000 had con-
grcynt"d thrrc, and five miniature cities had
sprung TO lie. During tho summer of 1863
over SIX million dollars in dust. u yield almost
incredible had been taken from the bed OF the
crock. and in the spring of the following year
tne pppuatl9n had inrreascd through cmigra-
ton from III parts of the United Stats both
East, and w"st. to nearly .2O.00O. Many claims
yielded to their owners slOO0O0. AMI several
doubled that amount. 1t can be- rnsily imagined
how Wild must have been the days on that RUIZ
l.nd stream whore fortunes were So plentif1i
and whore every attraction which the sons 4
could call for was placed within reach oi thu
miners 50 suddenly raised TO ailluencc. Tha
iiuSh t,m,s at Washoc were child's play to thcs1
Alder Gul"h DAYS.
or the five settlements strung along tho mar
row seventeen miles oi the gulrh. Virginia be-
Ing the most centrally loeatsd WINS thr nnt
prominent an I Is to-day the only one inhabited,
II j. pleasantly located ON the east bank oi tho
rfrek ana Tor 2 numg,r Of years WIS the cap-
tai 81 the Territory. Durngthc iouryoars sue
enormous amount Of s35,Ouo,O10
Tia" geology Of Alder Cullen ~ interesting in
the extreme. At it, head stands ragged gram
IT, mountain. 30 steep that the soil finds but
seaniy iooholl on its slopes. 1t il cut and
scanned in every direction with gold veins,
whose out'rop may be dist.nty truccd by the
cyc Tor long distances. Following down tho
rufon the formation gradually pns,nS into
gn ~. and from that into the qudrt2.trs. ~latos,
nnd finally the mnr0 resent and uuaitnred -.il-
montnry re- Ks. The gnc'ss, like the grant" 4
Old Badly = full Of large and stronghold ms.
which cross the gulcil dius Onaily from side 10
side. Through these highly aur ferrous .oriua-
tons the waters Of Alder creek have been cnt.
ting their way for ages. and the froSs Of wintrr
have been at work on the steep sop of the
upper gulch. hurting down huge fragments Of
quartz for the stream low To- grind 81 powder
Thus pro- oss OF di-inteEration and ,'une'n.
tr1tion has gone on through the o. ntur $. re-.
suting finally in "a vast deposition Of tie
LA In IA
precedent.
or course tho fame Of Alder declined IL time.
Ccnfedrrair, Last Chance. Bia 'kfOot. Ophir. and
| other new Ills oycrirs drew away thousands
| IL best days ended with 1861. and when the
first att 'nilts al quartz mining proved. through
hlsnnhag,iurhl ANA IN "ilp'tenry. t. 10
aNortvc. tn towns IN the valley shrank rapidly
IN siz'. With thls Il .'rrase Of population came
IN EVA OF law and order. and virginia Gay. los
M thc lHlni to Helena. became tn" town we
ilnd 1t today. q, moderately lively mountin
pending Tor liz daily support on thHrrum II
| former days. vainly strVlns 10 sustain tho
dignity Of the pnsi and anxl9usy awaiting Tor
the capitalists who Will hay the means toeollet
III" hundreds and thousands Of small amt now
yhlInrss "a worked separately claims into a
lew ARG prop"rlics and to bring in the much
Tho thirty odd millions Of dust which have
como from this famous gulch may be con- dcrej
rs barely "a quarter OF what WAS in IT, ht ut
ilrst The opportunity for successful alycn-
tur in work NIX the abandoned claims yory
grnat, AMI has already been seized up0n 10
made also 10 work the gold veins so abundant
| in IA" gu H. ana mod rate amount of -u .c.ss
| has been attained. The revival of afiv, PRO.
| du ton in Alder ia now only a question ofa
| lew years The enormous figures of Tine early
| day VIII hardly he repeated. but lis u mining
district pres 'nting favorable and atlra tive in-
du'emens Tor capital, II i hnrlly To- b, sur:
passed. IN" great velns who's" 'hr" hnei
the bottom of the canon with gold in the past
contain stu many times NOR" than tlny have
given up. and only wait to b. work'l IA IA n
t'lllgrnt manner 10 begin pouring oui onca
NOR" their ir easurcs.
The Fairweathcr party. who di- 'oyerni tha
gul'h. REALIZED immensely from their oium-.
and threw away their gold in nll forms Of *
cess and di-,i patiOn. rs was customary among
the pioneers. william fairw"athcr. IN" lrador
Of III" party. "A character in our national history
not unlike Cum-ioek. the dis 'ovrr.r of the Ia
| nous mines in Nevada. died. like the htinr, in
abiect poverty. with few ri"n l.. uni win saur'e
"a shelter over his head. In both cu- Ga. la
cpNerrr wl- forgotten or lost IN the lame Ol his
discovery