The Billings herald. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1882-1885, 1882-06-01
ADJACENT MINES.
The Most Feasible Routes Thereto The
-. Richness Of the Argsntifsrous
j Deposits.
" {
Probabilities of their Early Development
and Successful Working Miners
Oongregating Here.
Montana's Resources.

Maglnms mining district, is situated
about $50 miles, y little west Of north,
from Billings, NJ. r., at the head Of
Warm Springs creek, in the Judith
mountains, and is about 3! miles by trail
from Fort Maginnis or, if you wish to
travel by wagon, you must go about As
lniless, The route from Billings is a very
direct one and quite practicable for
wagonsand might easily be improved by
a little work in bri1lgidg few streams
and cnoleys. There are few hills with
rather heavy grade, but not worse than
those on the route along the Yellow
tone and Il was eomnonly remarked BY
persons doing business in MTaidcn<flle
that Billings would be their best ship
ping point, as far as roads were con-
ccrned. as soon as the railroad should be
completed to the latter place.
Onr visit to the mining district was
made too earlyin the season to thoroughly
investigate, as the mountains were still
covered with snow, except in some of
the gulches, which were wet and muddy
making it almost impossible to travel
about. We made visit to the Chollar
mine, owned by several parties,
amongst whom are the Erwin Bros. of
Canyon Creek. We found that they had
sunk shaft 73 feet in depth and had
drifted from the foot of the shaft across
the vein, which at that depth is q feet
in thickness, showing a very fine grey
rock from which number of ASSAYS
have been made, which we were told,
ran from $lGO in silver per ton, upwards
into the thousands, besides carrying
small quantity of gold. There is quite
large amount of rock lying on the dump,
which we would be very glad to accept
Of as Il Christmas prescnt-somc pieces
we saw were very bright ruby color,
indicating rock of great value. Besides
this mine the same parties have several
claims which we were unable to visit,
but which they consider quite as good
prospects as the Chollar, but none are
yet opened far enough to thoroughly
test them as has been done with it.
We also visited the Montana mine
which was bought short time ago by
some parties in Helena, NJ. r., for Sl5,-
GOO. This mine is gold bearing and we
were told that the assays from 10 foot
vein average 500, and that there is now
lying on the dump rock worth more
than twice the amount paid for the
mine. The superintendent, Mr.. Essler,
w:,s hl.senf 50 that Nc. NcrC -nnabla to
examine it as thoroughly as we would
have wished, but from what we saw we
were satisfied that they have a good
thing.
There are some four to six hundred
people at Maidenville, many of them
busily at work improving the town and
buildings were going up on every hand.
Lumber is plenty and sold at $50 per
thousand at the mill about ) miles below
the town. Provisions seemed to be
plentiful and were sold at reasonable
prices. Beef at - cts per ID. and other
things in proportion. A great many
miners were already there waiting for
the snow to mclt so that they could
begin prospecting, and on our way back
we met a great many more every day ON
there way there, and all we saw seemed
to be very confident that there would be
great rush to the mines as soon as the
weather would admit and everyone was
hopeful in regard to the future and those
the most SO who seemed to be the best
posted.
There are also some placer diggings,
but they have not been worked very
much yet, for want of water. About s
miles distant from the Judith mountains
are the Moccasin mountains, in which is
situated the Barber district, said to con-
tain some very good mines, but which
we did not visit.
Besides these districts already known,
it is proposed to explore the adjacent
ranges, the Snow mountains, the Belt
range and the Cr,zys, all Of which give
promise of plenty of mineral. in fact it is
claimed that good float mineral has been
picked up in the foothills of the
Snowys, already, and it would not be at
all surprising if very extensive mining
regions were opened this summer in all
these ranges. fthis should be the case
it would bring them SO much nearer to
Billings, as the Snow mountains are
about IS miles distant.
The greatest need at NIaidenville just
now seems to be capital to
develop the mines already found.
There are plenty of good mines and good
prospects. but no one seemed able to go
on and put up the mills necessary to re-
duce the ore. With capital invested in
that direction, and witha little labor and
money invested in improving the road
from this point to the mines, there is no
reason in the world to- prevent our re-
ceiving . very substantial benefit from
all that region, and it should be done
Immediately, as it will not do to imagine
that our natural advantages in the way
Of location, and accessibility to tho
mines will be sufficient unless We inn
prove these opportunities.
The route we travelled and the one
acknowledged to be the best, is the one
leaving the valley by way of Alkali
creek, running nearly directly to
Olden's ranch, on the Musselshell, 30
miles, from there directly towards the
Snowys, until within a few miles of the
mountains, when we bear westerly
around the foothills to the Judith pass,
soon after crossing which we enter the
Martinsdalu and Magginnis road near
Grcgory's, on Buffalo creek. This road
we follow to Deep creek, where we leave
the stage road and go to tho west Of the
Judith mountuins to Warm Spring creek
which we then follow to its source at
Maidenville near the divide of the
mountains. There is no reason why
roilrood could not be built over nearly