New-York tribune., 1879-10-16
MINING IN MONTANA.
VII.

THE NORTHWESTERN COMPANY TIE ALGoS-
ovrv.
lfEon STAFF CORRESPONDENT OF THE TEiBUNE.l
PmTIIPsBuRG, Mont. sept. 25.-Those were
remarkable men who came to Montana sixteen or
seventeen years ago in search of the yellow dust
Not even the old FOrty-nners Of California dis
PLAYED more pluck or endured greater hardshIps
than the pioneers in this Territory. They went al
most everywhere and they saw everything. Por-
tons Of the country that now remote or have
really been opened to white men within the past
two three years prospectcd overin S6i. 80
and 'G6, and more thoroughly explored than some
Of tho valleys IA which the larger towns are now
situated bad been az that lime. The daring enter
prise Of these early pilgrims their keen observation
which allowed nothing TO pass unn0ticed, and their
industry IN stalking out CLAIMS account for the fact
thar very few new mining districts arc now discov
cred by the later explorers. New mines are found,
but no matter how remote inaccessible the de-
p0sits Of the precious metals may be, old pros
peotoI. who following up the canons and
gulches along IN the sixties, climbing the mountains
and penetrating their most difficult fastnesses. is
pretty 90 have been there before. AMI TO have
known Of the leads which are just now becoming
valuable.
puiip.b burg is / believe. the oldest silver camp
IN Montana. Some prospcctors camped on the
present site of the town along IN $50 or 1sG6, and
drove their stakes all over the mountains aud not
more than two years afterward the FIRST silver mill
in the Territory established here, and has been
IN operation, with varying fortunes. ever since
sometimes, believe, returning 10 is owners some
of the money they have been called upon 10 expeud
upon it, but ottener drawing upon them for the
means 10 keep the mine in operation and the stamps
in the mill dropping.
Blt FIRST I ought to tell you whore Phillipsburg
Is for the geography Of Montana is so little known
in the East that probably not one N twenty Of the
readers Of THE TRIBUNE heard of the place,
or would be aDlc 10 tel whether 10 is il
the Yellowstone country ~ among the CDur
FAleue Mountains. But il Is II neither. Helena
is in the western central part Of the Territory.
on the east OF N ssouri River slope Of the main
range Of the Rocky Mountains Phlipsburg
lies ou the western or Columbia River side Of
the divide about 100 miles southwest Of Helena.
To reach H. the traveller after leaving the capital
mast cross the mountains TO Deer Lodge, 90 thence
/ 10 New-Chicago. an important town on the He'll
Gate River and after staying over night IA one OF
the most uncomfortable Of country tayerns ever IL
vented. take passage the next morning on rickety
old mailwagon, which. If lie is favored by fortune,
VIII land him IL TINS little town about noon the
same day.
The crossing Of the range between Helena and
Deer Lodge Is the most rugged aud difficult OF all
have seen in the Territory. Look at a map 0f Mon
tana see how the backbone Of the continent
divides Il from north 20 south with spurs and
smaller ranges Of mountains utting out from il and
apparently covering its entire area from the mouth
or the Yellowstone River on the east 10 Pend
OReille Lake on the west. and you viii naturally
conclude that is q very difficult country TO travel
over that most Of the roads must be impTactcable
for carriages and that the easiest and safest mode Of
travel is the back Of a horse or a sure-footed
mule. But such conclusion viii By 10 means be
correct. The natural roads of Montana, except on
a few routes which great quantities of freight
are hauled, probably the best IN the world. The
soil generally contains just enough fine gravel to
keep the roads hard and prevent them from becon-
ing muddy and in the valleys the carriaGe-way i
generally as smooth as a carefully cared-fOr
1nacadamized road in the States. he mountain
passes too. are remarkably low and the approaches
to them easy II IS rarely that any of the principal
roads OF the Territory cross the ranges at higher
elevation than $500 feet, and believe that there
il not n single pass in Montana that exceeds 1000
feet As the average altitude OF the valleys is
about 900 feet il will be seen that the climbing
70 get over the mountains cannot be very difficult.
The elevation Of the Deer Lodge Pass is G20O
feet. and as tue mountain range on the east side
rises abruptly from the valley, Of which the ati-
tude is H. 200 feet the road have already said.
is very steep. As we began u climb the mountain.
we plunred into thick growth Of timber, among
which tie fallen trees and granite boulders were
pilcd I'D in the widest confusion. | believe that
the theory Is that these masses of rounded
granite were left on the mountain sides by ancient
glaciers; and il Is remarkable fact that they are
found on the sides and even on the SUBMITS of
limestone mountains near which there arc no
granite mills from which II would seem that they
could have come. On the Deer Lodge Pass they
almost cover the ground or are piled up III enOr-
NOUS pyramids, whose rugged forms seen through
the trees aud Underhrush. make the Landscape as
Wild nd romantic the most enthusiastic searcber
after the picturesque could desire. After ciimDng
The mountain side for an hour or more, following
the zigZag road, aud catching here and there en-
chanting views of the valleys below, we came out
of the woods near the summit, upon park-hke
area hundreds of extent. destitute OF trees,
bnt covered with tall. thick bunch grass. Oh which
cattle or horses woud grow fat but for the cold
winds that sweep across 1t even during tie hot days
of summer.
The DIVIDE OF THR CONTINENT.
This was the top Of the Rocky Mountains. Near
tbe road on the hand side two clumps II willows
covering few each pnsh out into the grass
opposite one to the other and behind stretches
narrow line OF the slender bushes until it is
lost In the timber Here u the parting of the
waters. In the springs Oh one side rises Ten Mile
Creek. a tributary Of the Missouri. and from those
on the other within easy stones throw and with
no perceptible elevation between. flows Blackfoot
Greek a tributary Of the Columbia. small ditch
which a man could dig IN a few days would turn
one stream into the other This Las been done for
mining purposes at Divide, where considerable
stream flowing down the east side of the rauge has
been taken across the summit to supply the placers
of Silver Bow with water.
The Deer Lodge side Of the range is open
country. with a comparatively gradual descent from
the top of the mountain over succession of grass
covered benches to the Deer Lodge or Hell Gate
l. e 81. Il.