The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1892-10-15
BEARTOWN DISTRICT
INTERESTING GOSSIP ABOUT THAT
PROMISING GOLD SECTION.
Henry Grants Famous sproperty-The Min
ME Palmer to Make All Effort to Resume
An Old Time District That is Bound
to Come to the Front.

There are but comparatively few peo-
pie in Deer Lodge county who appreciate
the fact that it is, with proper develop
ment, probably the greatest gold-produc-
ing county in the state.
There is a district in the northwestern
part Of the county that is rarely, if ever,
heard from, where the development Of
gold properties is progressing with great
vim. 1t has always been the argument
Of miners and mineralogists that where
placer gold is found there are some
where in that country, and usually not
far away, quartz ledges carrying gold.
Beartown is in the part Of the country
referred to, as is also Reynolds City, both
old placer camps and now almost forgot
ten by everyone except the old-timers,
and they al one time We're rich in placer
gold, as were many Of the other gulches
in the vicinity.
But little attention was ever paid to
quartz in those days, and men who did
occasionally make quartz location were
laughed at by their neighbors.
A few years ago, but after the placer
ground had partially or almost wholly
played out many locations were made
between Beartown and the Top O. Deep,
and, in fact, all over the country. The
locations We're made, however, by men
whose knowledge Of quartz mining was
to a great extent very limited, and up to
this very day many meritorious gold
lodges that, with very little Intelligent
work might be made to yield their own
ers nice income, are lying dormant and
/ being yearly represented with a shotgun
and an easy yielding conscience, There
is not one instance in the whole country
under consideration where development
work has been done fully, satisfactorily
or in a business or miner-lile way, or
where it would not all have to be done
over again if mine was struck. It is a
good country there is no better-and it
is only matter of time, and perhaps a
short time, until capitalists who have
money with which to develop ground
will be looking that way.
The country is not known, or rather it
was once we'll known, bat has almnst
been completely forgotten by the outside
world, and that, too, when mining men
are hunting all over the country for just
such prospects and quartz propositions
as exist there.
As an evidence Of some Of the wealth
existing there the Homestake mine is
cited The work done on this claim
should hardly entitle it to be classed as a
mine, although several thousand dollars
have been taken out of it. On a Christ
mas day, some eight or ten years ago,
| Henry Grant, who still owns the claim,
pounded out in hand mortar $3.50 in
gold in five hours. 1t is to be presumed
that he exhausted, before quitting work,
all Of that particular class Of ore. 1t is
said that he realized several thousand
dollars out of the claim, working the
ore in the manner described, and, being
an old Californian, he returned to his
favorite haruts in the Golden state as
soon as the very richest of his ore was
exhausted. There is a good big lead OF
gold quartz on the Homestake that il
many places would be termed higl
grade, but which Mr. Grant presumably
thinks is not worth bothering with, HI
is now on his way to Montana and vii
in all probability resume work.
Just west of the Homestake lies the
Minnie Palmer, the Lottie and the Gar
net. These claims have been twice
formed into a company and some money
spent in their development in cheap
miners, or at least if they knew better
than their works would indicate they did
not have the money necessary tc carry
on development work in miner-likt
manner, such as the ground would GER
tainly justify.
Notwithstanding the many failures on
the Minnie Palmer there is a probability
that if those who now have charge Of i
will consent to a reasonable business
proposition more work may be done OF
it and the ground intelligently explored
So far the heaviest piece of machiner,
ever used on the claim was a windlass
and as they had water to contend Will
very slow headway was the natural con
sequence.
To the east of the Minnie Paine
ground, and near the Homestake, &c
Magone and Tom Anderson own CLAIM
that is at present under bond, and it il
said that they have a good showing.
Westward from the ground described
there is little tive-stamp water mill tha
milled 14O tons of ore from the Cleman
thia, and the returns are said to hav'
been very good. This is known as th'
Washoe district, and probably the bes
showing in the district is in CLAIM
owned by Loomis y Stone, known as tn
Crystal Spring. They have two feet Q
, good grade free milling ore, and thinl
they have bonanza.
The whole district is full of interest t.
! nfnrc and oan nifN lists OF