The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-06-20
the MINES OF MONTANA.
The Best Gold and Silver Mining
Region of the Big Black
foot.
This Country of Great Resources
to be Traversed by a
RailrOa
ar. E,Ihorn Mine as Viewed from London
If is Considered Great Prop
erty--Mining Notes.

Mr.. W. A. Logue, who is manager and
superintendent of a large placer mining
claim on Elk creek, a tributary of the Big
Blackfoot. was in the city yesterday, and IN
renlv to some questions concerning that
section of country. said: 1.-The Big Black
foot is a promising mineral field. The rich
nlacers have been worked there for years,
and are now yielding up their treasures IN
as great abundance as ever" The Superior
and Sunset Mining company, of which Mr..
I,opue is SUPERINTENDENT. has fifteen men
EMPLOYED The mine is worked by hydraulic
power and is paying we'll. Some Of the
gravel on bed rock prospects as high as u
to the pan. The company owns about GOO
acres of placer ground and all the water in
Elk creek. but they find this insufficient
for the purpose and are now having a sur
vey made to bring in water from the Big
BIackfoot at a cost of about $4,000.
The owners of the placer claim on Nevada
creek. which is estimated to contain many
millions of dollars. is also to take out
ditch from the river, which Will supply
them with an abundace of water.
The Blackfoot river runs through
a lime formation in that sec
ton of country, which is about
eight or ten miles in width. Back of this
lime DELI 6lLuGI Slue ID SId1lllC dAA pOA-
phyry, which is said to be rich in the
precious metals. The country is covered
with float, carrying free gold, but very little
prospecting has ever been done in that re-
gion as yet. owing to it's distance and the
expense of transportation, etc. But 1t Is
believed this drawback will be shortly over
come and the Big Blackfoot mining region
rendered as easily accessible as any in the
state. The valley is one of the finest in
Montana and is thickly settled from one end
to the other. And as for timber, Mr.. Logue
SAYS there is enough fine lumber pine to re-
euire at least thirty years to work it up.
At Helmsville is rich copper district which
1t is country of immense natural re-
sources, possessing great forests of pine,
splendid water courses, rich mines and
grazing lands. 1t is the natural route for
transcontinental railroad and it is conf
IDENTIFY believed the Great Northern will
traverse the Blackfoot to Missoula, run
thence northerly to Flathead lake and on to
the coast. Surveyors are now said to
he cross-sectioning the line at Cadotte's
pass, which indicates that this is to be es-
tablished as the line. Cadotte's pass is one
of the lowest and easiest accessible in the
Rocky mountains 1t is approached from
the east by way of Wolf creek, and the
surveyors in the early 70s, and it was
thought at one time the road would run
that way, but the business for the road was
found to be on the line selected, hence its
establishment. But there is no reason why
the Great Northern should not run through
Cadotte's pass The Montana Central
reaches out to Helena and Butte and taps
the richest section of Montana. The MAR
line to the coast will probably run dow1
the Blackfoot. Further north the countr,
is almost entirely mountainous and tn
streams cross the country north and south
rendering the building of a railroad very ex
pensive and difficult. 1t is barely possible
that the line may be located further north
through Marias pass and direct to FlatheaG
lake. but from present indications it is not
believed to be the intention of the company
to build that way.