The Billings herald. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1882-1885, 1883-03-22
FORK MINING DIS
TRICT.

easterly direction through Montana
across the Yellowstone Park and
down into Wyoming the mountain
Gus belt commonly known as the
Clark's Fork range. Shooshone,
meaning 'Rough' or Ragged"
range, was the Indian name Of
these mountains, and it so compile
tcly describes the broken, uneven
character Of the range that it ap-
pears much more appropriate than
the later designation.
In the perpetually snow-covered
elevations of this range the head
waters of the mightiest rivers of
the continent take their rise. The
higher tributaries of the Big Horn,
the Yellowstone and other of its
feeders, as well as the Madison and
the Jeffeeson, which flow into the
Missouri, have their birth in the
Clark's Fork range. 1t also COM
prises some of the grandest scenery
and the most wonderful natural
phenomena of the world, a portion
of which has been set apart by
congress as "National Park" But
to the ordinary mind the main in
terest in the Clark's Fork range
centres not in its natural history or
its picturesque scenery, but in the
fact that it contains mineral deposits
Of surprising richness embodied in
the now famous region called the
Clark's Fork mining district. This
district, as at present explored,
covers an area of about fifty miles
in length by fifteen in width, but it
is difficult to outline q definite ex-
tent or boundary, as new prospects
are being continually discovered
even among the snow laden slopes
of the highest peaks. The district
as it is now defined has an average
altitude of perhaps 1900 feet, but
the tendency of mineral develop
mcnt is continually upward, and
INTO a region where snow presents a
serious impediment even in mid
summer.
The first recorded discoveries in
the Clark's Fork district were made
in 1854. In that year a party of
nineteen California miners campcd
on the head branches of the Stink
ing Water, and built a stockadc in
which to protect themselves from
the Indians, who then had free and
unobstructcd control of this coun-
try. Late in the year they sailed
forth to seek supplies, intending to
come down the Yellowstone and
follow that river toward the far
distant realms of civilization. At
the point where the Sinking Water
joins the Big Horn they were at
tackled and every man perished by
the hands of the Indians. The
only record of their life or of their
fate was small diary or memran-
DUN book found near the scene of
their death shortly after its consul
nation. 1t vouchcd for the discov-
cry of splendid prospects, and from
that time forward constant efforts
were made to find the scene of their
disastrous explorations. The search
was unsuccessful until the last au-
tumn when the ruins of their rude
Notifications were discovered and
in close proximity the mineral leads
upon which they had located. The
fortunate finders have kept the ex-
act location of their discovery secret
but it will be made public next
summer.
In 1876 Il rush Of prospcctors
from the Black Hills attempted to
examine this region but were driven
off by the still hostile Indians.
Since that time explorations have
been constantly prosecuted with
more or less interruption consequent
upon the fact that the mineral belt
was wholly within the limits of the
Crow Indian reservation. In March
last, an act of congress threw this
portion of the reservation open to
white settlement, and Immediately
there was a rush Of miners into the
hitherto forbidden region. In the
summer of 1882, there were at least
500 prospectors and miners scattered
over the Clark's Fork district, and
Cook City, the central camp, has
grown from nothing to a town OF
100 cabins.
The Clark's Fork ore is high
grade galcna, carrying proportion
of gold but mainly silver-bearing.
1t exists in vast quantities. The
whole district is almost one entire