The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1892-09-30
A~uriferOus Deposits Which
p..scht the State Of Montana
Into Prominence.
.,,. Placer-P Producing Sections in
,he Early Days Of the Treas
IRE State.
:. PAY Dirt That will be Worked
Next Year by Great
Falls Men.

hcer ~aquarter of a century since Mon
4 became known to the world through
discovery OF gold, and since that
|. ;ts placer mines have contributed
lions TO the wealth Of the country.
tbe later years there has been less
ontiop given to placer mining, as ag-
Iulture, stock-growing, quartz-mining,
4 other pursuits gave a mean of em-
bvment to many who in the early his
Of the country thought there was
avocation so agreeable as that of the
In who shoveled the pay dirt into a
Lice.box or washed down a bank with
tream from a giant.
All the old timers recall with pleasure
. DAYS when Gold Creek, Pixies Peak,
Icrim Bar, French Gulch, German
XII, Silver Bow, Alder Gulch, Ban
IN, Highland, Last Chance, Grizzly,
Nil. Carpenters Bar, Confederate
ecb and hundreds of other gulches
N bars were yielding large returns;
hen diggings that were good for four
five dollars a day to the man were
rmed China diggings' and their out
Il regarded as unworthy the bestowal
a DAVIS labor by a white man, were
bsndoned at an hours notice when a
rike was reported elsewhere. STAN
bdes we're the rule, and what was a
pstling mining camp at the dawn Of
Nv was not infrequently at shutdown
serted by every human being and void
every vestige Of life.
Stampedes. however, are to be regard
as a souvenir of bygone days, for the
buntry has not alone been prospected in
most every direction, but its iphab-
ants have settled in localities where
bey have family ties and comfortable
l~rIoundings which prevent the exercise
! the nomadic tendencies of the pio-
Ger. Many of the gulches hastily
orked in former years have been gone
her and given handsome returns. and in
umerous localities there are men at
Ork now on placer claims which two
ecades ago they left in disgust. Aud
Esre are large areas Of auriferous gravel
elg worked now with the aid of i'm
pTed appliances, and the placer yield
Montana each year adds largely to the
ealth of the nation.
The bars along the Missouri river have
bng been known to contain gold in pay
BIZ quantities, but is only within a short
me they have been noted for the gems
hey contain. Nearer its source the
lars and banks, for miles have been
oxen up, and in some cases large com
enies have been formed to work the
bound for the precious stones. On the
|ne of the Montana Central, south OF
Great Falls, and one. half mile below
Craig, there has recently come into prom
hence a locality which is to become an
Important producer of both gold and
Iems. Mr.. Otto Schoenfeld returned
rom a visit there yesterday and has
kven the TRIBUNE the following con-
it.
Some 800 acres have been located and
! majority of the claims are owned by
Great Falls men. The ground pros
bects we'll, % cents to the pan being
|Ound in places along the bar, while
sslnets, sapphires, and rubies are plentl
III enough to warrant the statement tina,
is working for the gems alone woulo
prove a most profitable investment. The
Plains are located on a bar running wes'
from the Missouri river on Dog creek
fnd have been taken up in twenty acre
lracts. Water can easily be taken &c
Pie claims from the river and there Is
fall to render the working Of
the ground a matter of case.
+. While absent from the city Mr.. Schoen
closed the terms for the purchase OF
a tract of ground on Dog creek for Parl'
Glhson and himself, and w. r. King :"
'nls city is also interested there. Inc
which MI. Schoenfeld purchased
was owned by Stephen Darby, who
worked it with crude appliances n a!
eraged some So a day for his labor. 1t Is
The intention of the owners OF grouno
lhere to begin operations On a large scalt
IN the spring. Some work may be done
ibis season, but it is too late to open VI
The ground and arrange for it's working
IN the thorough manner which the W
eFs desire. The immense water power
available at that point, and the ONE
facilities for washing large areas o
ground will render profitable operation
an easy task. The value OF the grount
Is beyond conjecture. 1t prospects wei
10 gold and the gems above enumerated
are not only plentiful but have AN es
!a6lished value, and thus another grea.
industry is to be opened up II the
slclnity of this city. TO its wealth o
agricultural, mineral and manufacturing
is shortly to be added INT
Product of rich auriferous deposits ant
valuable gem fields.