The weekly tribune., 1892-11-11
Montana Placer and Quartz Mines
Have Added Millions to the Wealth
Of the World
Famous Clutches and Gold Bearing
Veins Whose Product Added
to the Country's Specie.
A Hundred Millions of Dollars Said
to he Hidden Away by the
POSsesSOrs of It,

What is now Montana comprises sec
ton of country with an area of li0,0S0 !
square miles, or 93,I9l 200 acres. It was
favoritc hunting ground for the Indians
and the hunters and trappcrs Of the Hud-
son Bay company years before il was
known TO the world save AS IA region
where game could be found in ahundunce
Hostile Indian tribes. at war with each
other, and the sworn enemy Of the whites,
prevented the exploration and settlement
of the vast domain which is now being
SO rapidly peopled, and which, for every
form of industry and for every object
which makes life worth living, presents
as many attractions as any place on the
habitabe globe.
Early in the sixties some adventurous
explorer. invaded the country They
were men Of undaunted courage, fearing
neither the hostile Indians, nor were
they deferred by the privations and
hardships incident to the exploration of.
a new country. They were familiar with
the auriferous bars and gravel deposits
OF the GoldeI state, and some of the
members of the party had been in Cali
fornia and were journeying homeward
overland They were impressed while in
what is now the western portion Of the
state OF Montana with the favorable ap-
pearance of the country for placer min
ing, and the gulches and bars were pros
pected in various places, When Gold
creek was reached they resumed their
| work on the banks Of that stream and
their efforts were rewarded by the dis
covery of gold in paying quantities.
From this place they extended their
operations. the news of the finding of
the yellow metal became generally
known. and the fame of the country as IA
gold mining region became firmly estab-
lished. Within a few miles Of the dis
covery there were found some Of tho
richest diggings ever worked. Pioneer.
French Gulch, Squaw tiulch, ! am Hill.
Pixies Peak, Bratton's Bar, and numer-
ouS other places in the immediate vicln-
ity were worked and yielded large re-
turns, and today there is being worked
an aurferous gravel bank which yields
a handsome return 10 the owners.
This gold belt in the western part of
Montana was not confined to any partc
ular section. I'r0Ut creek. in Missoula
county. Is as far west AS any really valu-
able placers were worked. Contiguous
to the Deer Lodge valley, German
gulch. French gulch. Silver Bow. at the
head of the canyon which opens into the
Deer Lodge valley. Highland, Alder
gulch. RannHck. Emigrant gulch, on the
Yellowstone. Last Chance gulch. Gril-
zley gulch. Dry gulch, Hog En-. Con-
fcderate gulch and other sections yielded
millions of dollars in placer gold, enrich
ing many and adding largely tn the
wealth of the world.
1t is not alone to the placcrs that Mon
tana's gold output is to be attributed.
There are many paying Gold-quartz
mines in the state today in operation.
The quartz from some of these proper
ties shows free gold, while the mineral
as sent into the works for treatment from
other VEINS does not disclose the precious
metal. and to the uninitiated the rOcK
simply resembles earth and rock and
nothing else. Probably the handsomest
gold specimens ever shown from Mon
tana mine were those taken from the ia
nous Gable mine, a few miles west Of
where tire town Of Anaconda is now sit
uated. The quartz Was pure white.
and the gold in large particles was COT
tanned profnsely therein. These speci-
mems were on exhibition at the Centen-
NAL exposition in Philadelphia in 1876,
and are the property Of the banking
house in Butte of which W. \. Clark Is
al the head. Other iamols gold proper
ties are the Drum Lummon. Spotted
Horse and the Pyrenecs. Willie there are
| hundreds of lesser note which are being
operated at ii profit.
! Montana has added to the worlds
wealth very largely. and is continuing to
to do 50 yearly. The placer deposits are
| in many instances worked out but there
are hundreds Of acres under patent, and
other areas unclaimed. which will yield d
! handsome return for labor expended IN
the years to come. But the disposition
made of the gold thus far produced is
| shrouded in mystery. or the vast amount
mined aud converted into mony compare
lively Il small part can today be account
ed for
The tendency to hide away gold is re-
markablc. Except what is seen 10y the
public in the form of iewelry. in gliding
! and ornaments on signs and buildings.
! in plating ON various objects of art or
use all the gold is out Of sight, it has
wholly disappeared. What becomes of
| all the balance of the gold is IL question
which is oftener asked than answered.
! 4 vast amount of gold has been taken
out of the earth within the century now
nearly at its close. and 1t will be- inter
| esting TO attempt to trace it. The
| United States did not count much as a
producer Of gold until after the discovery