The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1889-12-15
Growth, Resources ana Industries
of the Country Around the
Capital.
The Towns Tributary to Helena
That Are Rarely Heralded
and Sung
The Mines. Mills. Smelters, pnarrie'
Farms and Ranches That Go to Make
Up the County's Wealth.

tory surrounds Helena OF which but lttle
h heard. and within the boundary lines OF
Lewis and Clarke county are a number OF
towns of growing Importance. Principle
among these il the town Of Marysyille. II
is there the great Drum Lummon mine, the
property of the Montana company llimlted)
is situated and which has up 10 date paid IN
dividends s., ,355. .2s5. Two quartz mills are
kent singing TO the music of the stamps
night and day, and recent reports from the
mine show no reason why they should not
keep up their music for the next twenty
years. This company gives employment to
a small army of men who, with their
families constitute the prosperous and busy
burg Of Nlarysyille, town of about l,5OO
people. all happy and contented. They
have good schools, churches and business
houses and equally enjoy the social side of
life with their neighbors of the capital Not
only has Marysylle got the great Drum
Luinmon mine. but il has a base ball team
Of which il is equally rs proud. Their club
proved the champions of 1889 in the north
west and had succession of victories from
Montana 10 Portland.
Another suburb of importance is Fast
Helena. situated six miles east of this
place This little town is the outgrowth Of
the largest smelling enterprise in Montana
east of the Rocky mountains. The Helena
a Livingston company's smelter represents
an investment Of about half "A million dol
lars and furnishes employment 10
abont 400 men directly and indi-
rectly. town of 1000 people il
supported 10y this institution. East Helena
is situated near the boundary line of Jefler-
son county, and is one of the prettiest sites
in the county for a town. During the year
large number of business houses and neat
cottages have been erected. The streets are
broad and level, and are shaded IN many
places with young trees.
The smelter has four stacks constantly
pouring out volumes of smoke, and this
means that four large furnaces, with Their
hot fires, are smelling ores which are soon
reduced into large bars carrying lead and
and silver. The Helena smelter receives
ores aud concentrates from all over Mon
tana and Idaho, and has been the means of
opening up number of iron deposits with
Ia and out of this county. ~
About thirty-fye miles north Of Helenn,
in the Stemple mining district. is the famous
Jay Gould mine, which has paid Its owners
to date $780, 900 in dividends. all this being
paid within the Inst three years. The town
the mine and has a population of about 300
people. While the Jay Gould is the only
mine that has proven TO be bonanza
al Stemple, there are many
other prospects which give promise
of being producers. jay Gould has IT'S
school, an Institution that can he found IN
every hamlet in Lewis and Clarke county.
The town of Empire. which is a short dis
tance beyond Marysyille, is at present very
quiet, owing TO the suspension of operations
at the Empire mine, which has paid $4,000
in dividends. While the mine Is by no
means what il termed IN the vernacular of
the day, played ont. its ores are of a low
grade. but under proper management they
can be proiitably milled, and the resump-
tion of work there next spring is officially
announced.
The Rimini district southwest of Helena
about twenty miles distant Is n sec
tion of the country which has bright flu
ture fore il as mineral producer. The
deposits Of iron there are very extensive
and will be developed when they are needed.
In that district is vast quarries of granite
and building stone which has been taken
ont in great quantities during the year for
building purposes i'll Helena and several
train loads of il have been shipped TO Ia
coma. The Northern Pacific has "a branch
road tO Rimini ON which many thousand
ties have been shipped from the thickly
timbered country to their new extensions
and Rimini has also supplied the ties for
the Montana Central branch 10 the Barker
mining district. running out of Great Falls
The forest fires Of the summer destroyed
hundreds of acres of this timber.
just above Helena is situated the
once fpmoustown of UnioDville, where
the Whitlacth Union group OF mines are
situated and which have produced S5,-
OO0,0O0 in gold. Last spring AN effort WAS
made. and partially completed TO organize
company for the development of these
properties, which are believed 10y some 10
still be rich below the GO0-fOot level,
at which point the lend WAS
lost. Outside of this group there
are many claims which have received
considerable attention during the year, and
well. informed men state that there il
enough ore lying ON the dumps 10 keep a
twenty-stamp mill IN operation for several
years. The Minscott mill of ten stamps,
which was built about three years ago is ly-
ing idle and there is project ON foot TO
lease IL and transfer il ~ some locality
within easy access of all the mines in
the Unionville district The old Shaeffer
mill of five stamps has run pretty constant
" during the year and some very rich ore
hns been worked in II.
Lewis and Clarke county as IL appears on
the map nearly approaches the shape Of a
luilntl IL thlNNliN -sNfI rtlhdft ihlltN anu
its greatest width il NJ the north. where the
Sun river forms tia dividing line from
Choteau county. On Its enstern borders the
Missouri river tmyerses the entire length
separating il from Meagher and Cascade
counties just 20 the south is jefferson
county, partly hidden from view by small
range of mountains, while the southwestern
limits of the city Of Helena are on the divid-
ing line of jefferson county The main
range of the Rocky mountains comprise the
western boundary of the county, and tray
ersIng northward the range points gradually
toward the west, while the Missouri river
continues ITS cOur-o due east md north.
leaving between them bruHd expanse of
territory which for farming and grazing
lands are not cxcoll Il ,u any country. II is
one ynst valley wb,o the stock raising,
wool growing and forming industries re-
ceive mucf fttrtiou. The mineral wealth
Of Lewis and Clarke Is confined 10 the
mountainous districts, which form the out
skirts Of the county and from which extend
in many places placer fields that are scenes
of active operation during the summer
months
Prominent among tho big ranchers Of this
county is Hon. Warren c. Gillette, whose
land possessions include more than 10000
acres Of choice land upon which over l2.-