The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1882-05-24
THE MONTANA DISTRICT.
Location and Prospects # This New
District-Road to the Mines Needed
The New IOWA of NeiEart.
To the Editor of the River Press:

the hasty examination given to about twenty
I've of the principal locations in and about
the center of the district will tie all lha, can
be given.
This district il called the Montana District.
and may perhaps be COMPOUNDED in the minds
of strangers with the Montana District IN
head county. The BELT PARK Dis
gricl' would have been . better and more ap-
propriate name. as it is situated ut the head
of Belt Park. These mines are reached
from Benton by following the wagon road
toward the Barker mines, until reaching
Baoiiste's place. where the road takes to the
right aud strikes the Belt creek at the forks
OF Dry Belt, then following up the Belt to
Majors place, where the trail Uses 10 the
''Park," an open, elevated plateau, Keeping
the Belt creek q mile or more to tbe left, IN
til reaching within half a mile Or so or the
end of The Park, when the TRAIL bears TO Saro
the Belt. striking Harley creek = halt mile
from its mouth. A very abrupt descent o.
about |, 900 feet in a half mile brings one to
Harley creek, down which the trail wends It's
way over logs and fallen timber 70 the mouth
of the creek, where the trail follows up
crossing from side to side, for q distance %
o mile aud a half to Neihart. the new town
inst started. Where four or five log buts lie
nesting Just at the foot Of the hlgn, rocky
mountain towering up against the eastern
sky 2 600 feet above the creek. 70 Inc "es'
and southwest the mountains, SILL covered
with snow many feet in depth over a large
portion Of their northern 81 pes, seem ~
vie with their opposite nelgl0ors Ill an e.
fort to pierce the clouds with their while
SUBMITS.
Gfanite and other primitive rocks are seen
piled up in gigantic masses on every hand'
with q great abundance OF dead ana fai'en
timber lying in inexsricable confus'on, over
which the progress is not only slow ana diff
ticult, but along the steep sides OF the noun
tains is often dang .rous. In this forbidding
and q m ,st inaccessible region a few months
ago Messrs. Neilart, O'Brien and Harley
struck some Of The most promising prospects
10 be found in Montana, aud 50 we'll did they
keep their counsel that they were enabled 10
locate n large number OF lodes hefore Inc
nature Of their discovery became Known.
The veins are all in granite and porphVry.
as far as observed by the writer, With q
streak exactly corresponding with the mag
netic meridian, about 30 degrees east OF
north and west of south, with NJ cross veins
so far a. seen. A slight dip from the ver,l-
cal is seen toward the west, but as they 60
down the veins come nearer TO the perpen-
dicular. Some Of these veins have been
traced. one especially, for q distance OF over
five miles, from peak to peak. across creeks
and streams, showing coBcllsively the true
fissure character Of the veins.
These parallel veins are SD numerous that
the ground for a considerable distance is all
located. and on some locations two or more
veins are seen.
The development ao far is light, but SO far
as they have sunk, say twenty or twenty-five
feet, the ore is found to increase in width
and richness. These ores contain antlinonlal
silver and some argentiferous galena, but
from present appearances they will nearly
all be found to be ~free-niiling after q little
more depth is reached. The average assays
have been high, occasionally running up into
the thousands Of dollars per ton.
On reaching the camp the first man we met
was an old miner, w. NJ. Crandall, who has
mined in The last twenty-five years from
Alaska far down into Mexico, and whose ac-
ouaintance we made more than twenty years
ago. Of cours Sc We were kindly taken IN
charge by our old-titne friend, and we mon
opolizsd much Of his time for nearly three
days il accompanying Us from one prospect
to another.
We frss visited the H ,mestake and the
O ,een of taa Hills, two loo ations up u the
same lode, where we found upon the former
property a shaft about sixteen feet deep, ut
The bottom of which the vein WAS found to
be three feet eight inches vile. The assays
RIM from so 10 800 ounces Of silver 70 the
ton, with an average Of. say, 200 ounces.
About 2OO feet from this SHAFT, upon the
@ leen Of the Hills g cund, the vein was four
feet wide, with ore the same IS in the Home
stake.
The III .ssachusetts next claimed our atten-
ton, where was found a fve-fOot vein OF
rich looking ore, upon which bu, little pros
pecting has been done, but deserving ut the
hands of the owners u good shaft or tunnel
to show up what lies buried there. | WAS in
formed that pieces had assaYed as high as
OR nnn - III v.~ d ~ tIa fpnZ #