The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1892-04-23
A WONDERFUL COUNTRY.
The Great Gold and Silver Discover
les Made in the Little Rocky
Mountains.
An Unknown Region Becoming Pop
ulated With Adventures and
Gold Seekers.

MIR. William Hooper of the Little
Rockies is autographed at the Mil
waukee. A TRIBUNE representative
learning this fact called upon the gen
tleman Wednesday for the purpose of as
pertaining the prospects Of the country
as a coming mining center. Mr.. Hooper
readily assented to an interview. And
this is the substance of what he said:
He went there nearly a year ago.
There were but very few prospectors in
that section at that time and fewer
claims located. Pike Landusky is the
discoverer of the mines. Mr.. Landusky
has been there about seven years, the
first five Of which were passed in placer
mining. He has his wife and family
with him. Two or three years ago he
and his partner, George G. Manning,
located two claims which they named
the Gold Bug and the Gold Boy. The
quartz is gold bearing. They de-
veloped their properties as their means
would permit, at times shipping selected
OIt5 W blcdt dlIo anu IlClcDd loI It,
duction. 1t was sixty miles to Chi.
nook, the nearest point on the
railroad and the road being
unimproved hauling over that distance
was not an easy matter. They carted
some thirty or forty tons to the railroad
and as the returns showed they had a
good thing they staid by it! One small
shipment Melted the plucky miners 5000
| per ton. They took over 81 300 out of
! one little shaft less han twelve feet in
depth and then left hundreds of dollars
worth of ore on the dump.
] The ores are of a peculiar color and
the formation Of the whole country is
peculiar one. The Gold Bug and Colo
Boy are simply immense deposits of gold
: bearing quartz separated at intervals Of
} two to ten feet by vertical walls of por
T.. , phyry from six inches to two feet IL
/, thickness. The ores pay from the grass
roots and grow richer as depth is at
tanned. The width of the ore deposit i!
not known as the breaking down of eacf
successive wall reveals another compan
. ion lode. 1t is surmised they all rur
6 together at "a depth of a few hundred
feet.
Mr.. Dan Dutro heard of rich golC
bearing ores being found there two year
ago. Mr.. Dutro is an old and expert
enced prospector and miner. He is tn
gentleman who discovered and located
the famous Benton group OF mines a
Neihart several years ago. lie wen
down to the Little Rockies last Septem
Der and after looking over the groun'
X he bonded the Gold Bug and the Coli
Boy for $4,000. the bond to run for
re given length of time. which vii
d not expire for six or seven months II
passed the winter down there developinI
the properties and locating others. ii
- had a surveying party there all winte
and all his CLAIMS are now surveyed an
properly marked upon plats. Since the
II other prospectors have entered the neN
@ FL Dorado and today over l25 claims ar
70 located.
> 1t is a wonderful country, said Nj
- Hooper. The southern slope of the Lii
II tie Rockies are ribbed with gold bearin
lodes. while the northern slope is rich
silver ores. But the northern slope bt
ing within the boundary Of the Fol
Belknap Indian reservation no dcveloI
v ments Of mining properties are beln
made there. A few days ago a fine silve
-, ore bearing lode was discovered abou
u three miles northeast of the Gold Blu
~ and GciG Boy. 1t ie said to be very ric
id in silver. Large numbers of prospectol
al will be IN the country his summer.
is, as yet. hardly prospcctcd bl
=, enough is known about it to assure IL
III experienced miner that it is bound
Id become a great IA very great mimi
camp. ] have no claims 10 sell, adde
i, Mr.. Hooper, and could not. therefore, !
ttr profitcd by misrcprescntlnr the COUNT
- rr its mines. Assuring the gcntlema
:, !. that what he had told respecting IL
:, Little Rockies was strengthened
~ plenty of corroborating evidence al
We that If it were not his word was suilicle'
I o the reporter went his way fully go
~, vinced that the Little Rockies q
soon become ii great mining country IA
'' a valuable tributary to Great Falls
SIS.