Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1888-09-19
TEE K0OrENAI DIsTETCT.
Some Particulars Of q Mining Camp in
British Columbia.


British Columbia.
"A gentleman who has just returned from
the West Kootenai Mining district in British
Oolumb bia furnished some particulars of thil
camp which is not generally known of here
The district lies about fifty miles north o
the Idaho border on both shores Of Koo
tenai Lake, which lies about north anG
south. The lake is hundred miles Ions
and fifteen wide at the widest near the
center. The Kootenai river, which rises in
Montana, flows through Idaho and north
westwardly across the border to the
southern end of the lake. The outlet of the
lake is about the center and flows west.
.wardly into q fork of the Columbia from
the west side Of the lake. The West Koo-
tenai mining district lies north and south
Of the outlet, and on the opposite or
eastern side Of the lake. Salisbury is the
town that furnishes this district with it's
supplies. It is on the south bank of the
outlet, q few miles west of the lake. The
by the Northern Pacific. Leaving Kootenai
Station, q couple OF miles east of Sand
Point, q wagon road runs to Bonner's
Ferry, eighty miles north on Kootenai
river in Idaho, which runs northeast into
Kootenai Lake, and is navigable for boats
"a considerable draft-A ataamer nlias be-
tween there and Salisbury. The trip can be
made from Butte in three days and half.
On the east side OF the lake, north OF
Crawford's bay, which is directly opposite
the outlet, the ore is silver in galena
formation, and the Blue Bell is the princi-
pal mine here. On the west shore the
is gatena and carbonates ofboth
high and low grade. The silver ore is most
plentiful through the district. High grade
ore from the Silver King and Kootenai Bo-
nanza have been shipped from there to
Anaconda with good results and yesterday
Butte to be reduced here. A shipment OF
galena ore was made last spring to Omaha
with returns OF $3.50 silver and II per
cent. copper to the ton. But gold and
copper have been discovered. the latter
this spring, OF very high grade. The copper
and gold lie between Cottonwood creek,
that flows into the outlet OF the lake near
and old Forty.Nine creek, fur
ther west also an affiuent OF the outlet,
where very good placer mining existed
years ago. The gold is free-milling quarts,
and has assayed from So to $14OO a ton.
The gold ledges are very extensive. The
copper belt lies west of the gold ledge and
s gray copper and antimony. The Golden
King mine has ledge $50 feet wide and OF
unknown depth. It is traced the full
ength OF the claim. The ore is free-milling
and assays an average of $43 ton.
The location laws are pronounced sim
pier than those in this Territory. Quartz
claims are the same size as here, 500 by
500 feet. Twenty-Five days work year
have to be done to represent a claim, or
hundred dollars worth of work at 81
day. Heavy fines are the penalty OF max
ing affidavit that work has been done with
out doing it. 1t is q punishable offence,
after stakes are once fixed and the claim
for any one to move the stakes
without permission OF the Gold Commits
sioner. The latter is an all-powerful auto.
,rat, more on the Spanish than the Eng
sh pattern, whose will is law and who can
sentence an offender off-hand without judge
Or jury.
The winters are not very long there.
This year the ice was off the river by the
20th of March. The country is heavily
timbered and as may easily be supposed
there is plenty OF water.