Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1886-08-11
MISSOULA'S NEW MINING CAMP.
What the Hardy PrespeetOrs are Find
ing ON VermilliOn Creek.

Special Correspondence of the MINER.
VERMILIIoN CREEK, Missoula County,
Montana. August 1.-The mining fraternity
OF your city doubtless look to the columns
of The MINER for the earliest information
as to new fieldsi their especial line OF busi-
ness, and if you will accept the aid OF the
present letter. the first information OF a
newborn camp, robust and splendid in its
promises of q maturer growth will simply
be g living to the writer one opportunity at
least OF establishing The MINERS prece-
dence in the matter OF news, and perhaps
OF interesting your general readers.
THE NEW FIELD.
At point some twenty-five miles north
westerly from Thompson Falls there emp
ties into Clark's Fork of the Columbia
River, noisy, broad sheet OF water, fed
from the SHOWS OF the Kootenai Mountains,
called without regard to it's physical as
poets or local characteristics Of its valley,
Vermilion Creek. The grey Laurentian
rocks OF the mountains on either side, hid
den by the emerald verdure OF the pines,
and the crystal white of the stream itself,
both proclaim its designation a misnomer.
Some two miles above its confluence with
Clark's Fork belt of auriferous veins have
been exposed on the fanks of the noun
taine by partial erosions OF the magnesium
states from the underlying granite; the
granitic rocks thus exposed show numerous
veins of gold-bearing quartz, carrying
largely of the metallic sulphides, oxides
and carbonates OF iron, inclusive Of brown
and black hematites. The gold is dissent
mated in the quartz in variable amounts
from few colors to as high as $1O5 to the
ton; that is to say, the comparative allot-
ment of gold to each vein has some anal
ouv tn ho Iivoroo nd ,,uon q 6iaf ri h,, finn
of ready cash among humanity in general;
some being aff1uent, many comfortably
'heeled," and a still greater number being
paupers.
The veins, OF course, are not all rich, but
quite number would he largely produc-
tive if iudiciously handled, fair per cent
age would yield profitable returns, and the
majority, as everywhere else, would be too
poor to work The field. however, for ex-
ploration for valuable mines extends over
q large area of mountainous territory, AID
affords to the prospector quite exceptional
opportunities for acquiring valuable prop
erty; it also offers to capital the induce
ment Of safe and cheap investment in the
prospects already opened.
The local features OF the camp are par
ticularly interesting to the mining geologist,
who would not fail to note the remarkable
continuity OF the veins, their parallelism
to the axes of the mountains, their occur
renee in the oldest series OF rocks. which
are held to be contemporaneous with the
metalliierous period proper, just as the
Laurentian period is called the Iron age"
the iaulti,gs and foldings OF the strata,
ETC., would all reveal to the experienced
eve those essential elements that augur
Lermanepee and intrinsic value in veins.
TOPOGRAPHY OF THE COUNTRY.
The general topography OF the country
affords exceptional conveniences for min
ing, and consists OF II fine water power, an
abundance OF suitable timber, patches Of
arabic land, and large grazing areas OF nu-
tritious grasses, all in immediate proximity
to the mines. Another item that may in
terest some OF your 0ldplacer miners is the
fact that portions of the creek bed were
worked in an curly day for gold, not, how
ever, on bed rock, and the probabilities arc
that II The ground was worked on modern
methods it would return no Insignificant
profit. This opinion 10 inferred from the
TACT that money was taken out when thu
sQlta ard di@cplties xeEl ara14sf fha1