Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1887-1890, 1890-01-08
AMONG THE MINES.
BRIGHT PROSPECTS FOR BARKER
THIS YEAR.
An That Barker Is Going
Ahead of Neihart, Which Will Stir
Up the Other C~amp-Bright
Days in Store for All.


(Seecial Correspondence of the TR1BUNE.)
BARKER, Jan. 1, 1890.
Christmas is over and so is the grand
ball which by the way was a grand sue
cess, there being present over 80
couple. Neihart turned out splendidly
and many of the old-timers once inhablt-
ants of Barker, took the occasion for an
excuse to revisit their old home and all
were pleasantly surprised at the steady
progress of Barker.
Barker enjoyed the reputation for sew
eral years of being the deadest camp in
Montana and especially in the Belt
mountains, but now she is coming firmly,
steadily and fairly to'the front and is
looked upon with pleasure at home and
with envy by her neighbors. Neihart
that has for a long time held the scepter
of superiority, slowly but surely relaxing
her grasp and is taking the same philo-
sophical stand as the steamboat captain,
who informed the passengers that his
was the fastest boat on the river. A few
hours after they had started, the passen-
gers and captain were standing on the
deck watching the Natchez coming upon
them with twice the speed of their own
boat; when the passengers turned to the
captain and said "she is after us captain"
"Never mind, never mind" said the cap
tain, swell soon be after her" Barker
has undoubtedly got the advantage of
the situation though she never had it be-
fore.
OOD FORTUNE DAwNING.
In the early days of the camp, when
the smelter shut down, most all the in
habitants forsook the town and worst of
all, the merchants left, and Barker was
left without a supply store; and how the
few who did stay survived is yet a mys-
terry, for there are but few mines in the
camp that are supported by outside CAPT
tai. On the first of January every
year since 1888. hundreds of locations
have gone by default and been relocated
by other parties who would spend most
Of their time during the year trying to
sell some of them and succeed far enough
to keep a grub stake on hand and this
is the way, together with what represent
ing outside parties would do and pay for
they have made a living and succeeded
in staying with the camp. A
few good strikes were made, but
at that time according to the
circumstances of the country they attra
cted no attention whatever. Outside cap
ital did not care and people said it woul(
be good sometime. But o the time!
are changed, everybody is watching, the
eyes of capital are upon the camp; ant
when a good body of mineral is STRUCK
like the CLEAN of a meteor everybody
sees 1t. The fortune seeker and the cap
, italist Join in the race to obtain it and al
advertisement is spread over the entir,
state and beyond its borders. Quite
few good strikes have been made thi
winter during representing, and the,
have helped to bring the camp into
more prominent and brighter standin!
than double the strikes heretofore hav,
done.
CAPITALISTS COMING ALONG.
Every miner in the Barker minin,
district might have been developed, tn
veins laid bare and the mineral in sigh
during her dark days and yet the campbeel
been but little better off. But now sine,
the tide of immigration has dashed like
tidal wave over the country and settled |
up, the mineral men of the east arr
arriving and are ready to take hold O
any new enterprise that turns up. Like
the vultures that follow an army, capital
lists follow in the wake of the pioneer ant
a new discovered mine sells better dur
ing the first fever of excitement than al
old one though it may be better) whel
the excitement has abated. Everythin,
has the appearance that strikes and min
ing excitement will be higher in Barke
during the next two years than eve
before.
GOOD SMELLING ORES.
Another thing which is bound to hell
Barker is the high grade and easy smelt
ing qualities of her ore. Much of her or,
can be wagoned to Martins and rail
roaded to the smelter which will accep
it at a premium and return a good divi
dend to the owner. But such shipment
can only be expected from small mimi,
men who cannot afford to hold their ore
but larger mining men and companie
will not ship a pound of ore so long a
the railroad remains twelve miles from
the mines.
FURTHER EXTENSION DESIRED.
Neihart and Barker are both capable o
producing 5000 tons of ore daily, but tn
expense of wagonlng ore 10 miles will b
so much that mining men will prefer t
leave their ore on the dump until the rail
road comes to them. 1t is expected tina
when the railroad company comes to un
derstand the situation of the miners the
will lose no time in pushing the road or
not only to this camp, but on to the Juditl
Basin, and thereby opening up one of tn
grandest agricultural countries in Mon
tana. A road of m will thus b
opened, through which all the product
of the Basin will pour into the mimi
region. The grand future that lies befor
tins naturally favored country can hardl
be imagined. inducements at whic
eastern men would spring are held out o
every side, which, with labor and capita
Will be turmoil into prosperous and payin
enterprises. 1t has been my fortune t
ride on horseback over the most of tn
west and | | know of no country that seem
so favored by nature in all resources a
the Belt mountains and susroundin
country. M. L. RIFT.