Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1888-01-28

suffered the agOnles OF thirst as tbo-
Travelled along the brink OF the canvo s!
while the river surged along between yse,4i'
cal walls OF lava, tantalizing them bv W.
continual sight of laughing waters, so naan
and yet beyond their reach. About fiji,
time the party became demoralized and
snlit 10. Ramsey Crooks got sick and WV
fell in with some Indians who fed him a r7
cared for him, and he lived with them r.,
nearly q year, travelling through the NOM
ta1ns north of Snake River, in a region wIr
watered with clear creeks, most OF wb;ol
ran northward. He and his savage Com
panions undoubtedly hunted the regi1,
wing between Deer Lodge Creek and tbs
National Park, and it is quite proban,
that they spent some OF their TIM on tbs
creek that long since was dubbed "SiIya,
Bow" by
THE FIRST PROSPECTUS
in these parts. Crooks finally got tired q,
his savage companions, and began to Ion,
for a suit OF clothes, so he turned his iar
Westward, and just a year after be hs5
been left by the Atsor party, they met hin
at the Dalles OF the Columbia. He va.
then stark naked. and his personal pror
erty consisted solely OF an appetite ths.
threatened to exhaust the supplies of III.
partv. They were hen going back to Ii.
States, and Crooks, having had his system
Thoroughly saturated with solitude. bgI
ACQUIRED such a hankering after societr
that he turned back with them. They
finally reached the settlements, and Cool.
went home to visit his mother, who lived
on a farm at a little post village called s..
Anne's, in the Township OF Nelson, Count
of Halton, Canada. While there Crook,,
took great pleasure in telling his friend:
about a wonderful series OF caves that hi,
Indian friends showed him in the countrr
where the rivers ran northward. Fromh,
description of the country 1T was evider.
that the caves were somewhere betwee.
the
GALLATIN AND MADISON
Rivers, He said there were two hin
ridges of limestone, perfectly honey cOmbet
by a maze of caves and passages, having al
area of many acres in extent. The lnd!al,
regarded the caves viii SUPP.
awe believing them to be lnhabit=
by evil spirits. Some years before, VIII.
at warfare with the Crows, q large party
had taken refuge in the cave
and some OF them who undertook to e
plore the passages, never came back, a.
were supposed to have fallen victims
lemons who made their homes III t
bowels of tie earth, reached by the pa,
ages through the limestone. Crooks s.
he entered one or two of the "a openns.
md heard such uncanny sounds III t5,y
hat he hastily withdrew, but on ~reiectm
he concluded that the sounds might hay.
eeen caused by a creek that ran down
,ulch, and entered the mountain at Ii
oct Of a limestone cliff. Crooks spe.
most OF the remainder OF his life abou
Lake Superior.
IN THE SERVICE
Of the Northwest and Hudson's Bay Co.
and many years ago, he died 4
the old homestead at st Anne's. lIayir
heard that a party of surveyors hs
a wonderful series OF caves abo5
Creek, which puts into the We,
G~allatin, and believing them to bothesa-
;aves visited by Ramsay Crooks in Isl.
L, a MINER reporter yesterday called e.
G. d. Pierce, at the City Engineers
ice, to ascertain the facts. Mr.. Pier
laid that last October, while engaged
he land surveys in the eastern edge
Madison County, more particularly
Township 4 South OF Range 3 East, hea.
;hree friends visited the caves. His Co
were Malcolm Mcdonald, OF Sal.
Rosa, Cal; Dan. Cameron, of River F..
Wis.,; and Webb Tiltou, OF Butte. IL
ollowed down a small tributary OF SG
sh Creek to where it disappeared in a he
It the foo Of a limestone cliff. A lit
lrther down the gulch there was anot
'pening, where, at high water, according
man named Evans
WHO HAS A RANCH
q the neighborhood, there is a dischargs
urplus water. On both sides OF the guh
two high ridges OF limestone, theras
openings, and the ridges 4tet
emily h~oneycomed. as described by h
ey Crooks. The party damned no.
reek, 80 as to lit down the gulch. Ii
)und the creek entrance too small
reep through, but they entered anott
ole near by, and after creeping abb
feet, found themselves in a la.
hamber. The tallow candles they carr.
1 lieu OF torches, did not afford d satsa
Dry light. but they sould see that Their
t the chamber was about forty feet h.
nd the area about 2Ux2O. SeIecting.
I numerous holes in the walls, they
nued their creep and explored Il chain
nambers for a distance of about ha'
lille. Toward the last they crept dow
-eep incline, to where there was d poo
alter, which they waded through. E.
eep. They had to stoop so low in wa
lat in places they were nearly all mr
alter. Then they crept up anothe. ,s
tch and found themselves in the
LAST LARGE HAMBFR
the chain. It was about forty feet b..
rty feet long and twenty feet wide. T.
ere no passages leading from it big en-
r a man to creep through, so the c
traced their steps, and were so fortlg
not to lose their way. Mr.. Pierce,
e air in the last few chambers wasy
1T and close. In all parts Of the labyrI@
icy found drift wood, showing that
I'd run through them at some time. T.
IRE no large stalactites or staIagr'
1T many small ones we're seen. Proba
ere are some Observation-Disclosures oft
aracter In some OF the numerous cI
RS that were not entered by the pa
cree says the little creek, that disap-
der the cliff, is supposed to run tn
e ridge, and again come to lighr@
ring, on Spanish Creek, in a totally.
tgulch. His decription of tt e caves
cir surl oundings tallies so closely
given by Ramsey Crooks that Il
n be no doubt OF their identity as
es shown him by the savages, la
,hty years ago.