The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1884-03-08
TRAILS.

by Crows Nest
The Towns
Etc., INTO.
BELKNAP, Feb. Is, 1884.
EDITOR MINER:-I wrote you las,
from Eagle City, promising to com
muI.icate further with you on thu
SUBJECT of trails when I reached tn,
railroad. Last November, as it will
be remembered, I sought to entel
the mines from Heron Siding, but
after a week or ten days struggle
was forced to give up the effort. Al
that time the route from Heron was
supposed to be the shortest, and not.
withstanding not even q blazed trail
bad been made, it was thought that
the distance of IS miles to the mines
(estimated) could be easily made
even by the points of the compass.
We found the mountains high, heav-
lily timbered and the canyons rough
and rugged. Hence our failure to
reach the mines by this route. Since
which time. however. I understand q
trail has been blazed through from
this point, and that the distance ia
about as first estimated Yet but few
go in that way, owing to the black
eye the trail got in the outset.
My second effort to get intothe
mines was made from Trout Greek, q
point on the N. P. r.. R., some "a
miles east of Heron Siding. The
origin of the location of this route
can be stated in brief as follows:
During the time that people were en-
deavoring to reach the mines from
Heron it was Oh served that all those
who came out from the mines nat
uralIy dropped down Trout Creek to
the railroad. This was q suggestive
circumstance, and Messrs. Tone &
Hamilton. who were at Heron at the
time, conceived the idea of / eating
lands there and opening q trail. This
they did, and for a time Trout Creek
had the boom. They laid out a town
site, ana bIazed = trail through to the
mines, establishing q halfway house,
which il generally known as the
Erwin Cabins" They also applied
for and obtained permission to COL
lie It tolls over the TRAIL" The trail
thus laid out was considered only q
temporary one, the proprietors in
tending when the snow went Off to
put in a wagon road. For the first
twenty miles out from Trout Greek
the trail was as good rs one could
wish to travel over. The grade was
gradual up Trout Creek, and one
could walk the distance with blankets
and grub on his back with little fa-
tigue. At this point the trail starts
up the mountain, and for tho next
two and a half or three miles IL Is q
heavy pull. Here the extreme head
of Trout Creek is reached, and the
backbone separating it from Eagle
Greek is very barrow, one being able
to cast q stone over into either creek.
The trail here takes along the back
bone for a distance of perhaps five or
six miles, crossing some high points
and making the walk one of great
Then a descent Of at least
three mil g Is made to the foot of the
on Eagle Greek, and about
aud one-half miles of Eagle City.
The trail in from here is level, and
the walking good. At the edge of
the town site Of Eagle City Is q card
and posted up rs q finger
upon which is noticed '34
miles to Trout Creek" But I am iu-
clined to think that this is a mistake,
although by the time one goes over /
those high mountains he is apt to
consider the distance even greater /
han that designated on the finger |
From the fact that one can
walk over the trail in ten hours land
it has been walked inside Of eight
hOurs) it is re 'sOnable to suppose that
The actual distance is n t over Is
in fact, If the trail dropped
Town Eagle Creek from the summit, !
he distance would be within Is
niles. There are at short intervals
IN the trail places at which travellers
IAN stop over night and be made
comfortable.
It was my intention to go over the
Falls trail, but when I
got ready to start out, the snow
form had filed the trails, and no
me could be found going over that
quite. Being q stranger to it I felt
to return over the Trout
Creek trail; but from what I could
lscertain. the distance from Thorn
on Falls to the head of Pritchard
Creek is 81 miles; from there to
eagle City. thirteen miles; total,
distance, as miles. There is no ques-
ion but what this is a level, good
cute. judging from what those told
ne after going over it. There are
wo saw mills at this point ready to
% over it when the road, which is
'eing made, is completed. The
is with this road, the COM
any owning it seems to be devoid of
be proper means to open it. Those
vho purchased lots there did so with
he understanding that the porti0u1
aid should be applied to the con-
truction of the road, the remainder
D be paid when the road was COM
When that will occur Is a
uestion, as only a very small force
at work at present.
The Belknap Improvement Com
any has over fifty men with teams
ushlng the road from Belknap to
ne mines. This company seems to
lean business and is spsring neither
aiLs nor means, to complete their
Dad at an early date. From this
Dint to the mines 1t is thought to be
} miles, and from my knowledge of {
10 country I am inclined to think
le estimate not far out of the way.
[oney and push can do anything, .
nd that's what they have at Belknap.
he road Is now completed over half !
'av, and it is the intention of its
to have 1t ready for use by
le 10Th instant, provided, howeeer. :
10 work is not retarded by some
circumstance. Messrs. I
& Baker have formed q COM
act with the Nvrtern Pacific rail-
'ad company to build and operate
le road. and 'hore is no doubt OF its