The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-01-11
THE BOULDER DISTRICT,
A Section Which " - Predicted.
Will b a Great
Producer.
Tho More Prominent Properties
That Have Proved the Rich-
ness Of the Mines.
nouts for ! Railroad % Cooke CITY with
snt Gsing u Characteristic "
ths East GrAsits.

Among the delegates who attended tho
irrigation convention WAS w. A. Harrison.
Of lark county. Mr.. Harrison il the poat-
master nj 6west Grass aud he has great
faith il tbs future Ut Park county. both az
an agricultural and mining section. Talk
ing Of the prospects down there and the
business being done, he said Big Timber
was ! prosperous town and her citizens
very e%ntsrprising. The merchants are
reaching ont for oil the trade that can BIO
drawn TO the town, and In furthsrance Of
that ideA have organized 4 company to o.
tend the telephone lins from Big Timber
to Lswiatown. in Fergus county. The
stock for the extension was al taken in
three days and SONS Of the applications
for shares had TO b. rejected. The line
will b. 40 miles in length and there will
DO fifteen stations along the route, includ-
Ing Nartinsdale, Okla and Ubet. Big Tim
ber ii also becoming quits q wool shipping
centre, and in other ways ID showing sub
stantial growth.
But 4 new source Of revenue, in the ma
ture Of ~tributory section, has come into
prominence within the past yenr. This il
the Boulder mining district, in Park
county, distant fifty miles from Big Tim
bsr. The camp was discovered . number
Of years nRo, but little work was done
until 1891. The ore 10 Q free milling pro-
duction, and in Mr.. Harrison's opinion the
camp will become . great producer in q few
years. II Is on the Big Boulder river. The
bodies cover an area Of five or six miles
square. The best developed properties arr
thoss owned by the independent Mining
company. the Poorman, Hidden Treasure
and Mamie. The Independent company
put the first mill in the camp, a n e-stamI
affair. One man WAS employed in the mine
and'he took out two tons Of ore q day, the
net returns being from $50 to $76. i hal
paid all expenses. ana q now company
has bean organized, in which some eastern
capitalists are interested. A ten-stamp
mill will be put on the property in thu
spring. Three shifts will be employed and
q tunnel started to tap the vein, 700 feet be.
low tho surface. The shaft is now dowr
100 feet, with fifteen inches of good ore. Al
depth is obtained the orc gets better and
the vein wldonB.
the Ridden@IreAsure one of ton stamps
Both properties are looking first-class. Thu
Maurice shows a good lead Of rich ore. Tit
mines are situated on the rim OF a basin,
and from the basin a great
deal OF placer gold hns been taken.
Surface aluicing has yielded sufficient to pay
the expenses Of openisg up some of the
properties. Mr.. Harrison considers tina
the Boulder district is an inviting field fol
capital. The cost OF getting Supplies intt
the camp il very large. Portions Of thu
road from Big timber are bad, and in con.
sequence the freight rate between the twe
points is four and one-half cents a pound
Mr.. Harrison says the most feasible routt
for a railway to Cooke City is from Biz
Timber via the Big Boulder river. There
will be no very rough work, no tunnels vii
be required and nowhere along the rout,
will there be an excessive grade. The dis
tance from Big timber to Cooke City, b.
the route outlined, would be s~eyenty-fvt
miles.