The Helena independent., 1893-08-23
.PLAcERs IN M|SsOULA..
The West Side County Produces
100000 Annually Of the
Yellow Metal.
Some. OF the Streams on Which
Work Is Being Done This
Season.
By Reason Of Recent I'm provemsnts Il Il
Estim ated That tho Yield VIII be
Largely Increased.

The placer mines Of Missoula county
have in times past yielded many thousand
dollars worth OF the yellow metal. The
ora Of greatest production was from 1865 to
1870 at which timo there were number OF
striving camps within what was then the
limits Of Missoula county. Commencing
ut . oint forty miles west Of the town OF
Missoula. and extending down tho river for
twenty-five miles. nearly every stream and
Ruloh smptying into The Missoula river
from the south contains placer gold. Some
Of the guiches have been very rich and
othsrs havs been only grub dfggiugs. Dur.
ing the past few years the yield OF gold has
been somewhat OH the increase. owing
largely to tho adoption Of moe scientific
methods Of mining. which means the use OF
large bed, ook fumes and hydraulics. Noes,
creek IL tho first stream coming into the
Missoula from the south on which placer
mining has been done to any extent. a.
though ''colora" can be found on numbes
Of other t,eams. On the head Of Moose
nre the claims OF the Montana & Idaho
Placer Mining company. This q ound was
worked more or less successfully during tho
early days. The company now in posses
sion has az yss done very little develop
ment. although they are preparing to open
their ground with n large hume.
On Quartz creek. emptyinR into the river
TO tho west OF Moose, operations of con-
siderable magnitude are in progress by
Salt Lake company under the management
OF Mr.. Grosbeok. Two four foot fumes
have been placed in the gulch, each having
struck bedrock. The fumes are parallel
- IL ~kr l.
mt can both be oper ated at once. The . is
nlso lcrQe hydraulic pipe and two giants.
The bank OF gravel is from twenty-five 10
thirty feet thick and carries more or less
gold from the su face down, though the
test pay is on the bedrock. Late last fall
the bedrock was reached and small por-
tion OF it cleaned which yielded between
$1,000 and $1,000. This year large
amount of gravel hts been moved and
everything indicates . very profitable sea-
SON. Il has taken tho company hve yeas
to open the ground. but il has been done In
a very thorough and scientific manner. The
company owns q largo amount OF ground
which means q long term OF prosperity TOR
tho owners.
Tho next placer stream OF imy ortanos
emptyinR into the river 10 the Sunrise. OF
which Little Bear Rulch is q tributary. Be
tween Quartz and Sunrise there are some
high bars on the river which are being
worked at presen. by g. n. Hartley and bis
Thousand feet OF Aume and are at rresent
engaged in slutcinR. Both on Little Bear
and Sunrise different parties are placer
mining in a small way and 1t is reported
that fair wages are being made. Trout
creek comes into the river about eight miles
below Sunrise. Tho tributaries OF this
stream have yielded 4 largo amount of gold.
OF these Windfall PROSPECT and Deep
Guloh have been tho most prolific. and have
all been worked this season.
On the main stronm A. T. johnson, the
Superior merchant. and others have for
over thirteen years been running drain
tunnel to tap the bedrock. sinking having
proved futile. The tunnel is nearly three
fourths of mile long and this season
touched bedrock. though the pay channel
has not yet been found. Good prospects
are obtained. howevo-, in the gravel and it
10 thought that the channel will be cut In a
short timo. Tho Deep Gulch Placer Min
ing company, after o ensna up their g ound
with q thrt,-inch fiume, decided to put in
forty-inch hume, which was done this sea-
son.
Tue next creek vost of Trout is Cedar.
This is the most imi ortant placer mining
crock Of the county. On it il located tho
now nearly abandoned town or Forest City.
but which at one time was one OF the liveli-
eat mining camps Of the territory Of Mon
taua. The LaCnssa Brothers have for q
numbe of yenrs been working the bed OF
the main Geek. This ~ nr tho size OF the
6ume has been increased from thirty inches
to fo ty inches III width. he ground they
hnve heretofo been working was works d
bv the ea,ly mino 8 MS drifting digQinQs.
bnt has rnid Handsomely. Next yenr they
will be above the old NO kings aud will
have virgin ground. which has been
roh. They are working this
ason abou. twelve men. Tho Lott Gulch
Plncer Mining company which has been
operating some claims on Lost aulch
tributary of Cedar. has had the bad luck to
have their reservoir burst and the volume
OF water coming from this washed out and
d.stroyed their fume. Owing &c this ncci-
dent this company has accomplished very
little this senson. Mossrs. Wolfe. Blass-
doll & Foster have for the rast four years
pulch. another tributary of Cedar. In
their irst senson's work they 'nn drnin
tunnel 15O feet and struck bedrock. Tho
gravel on the bodro * and for two feet
above . owed to be rich. and between $500
and $500 wo. tn Of gold va. driited out ON
was tho first time that bedrock had
been seen in this gulch although
numerous attempts had been made
to reach 1t by sinking. henvv flow Of wator
always preventing. The next season prep
'rntions We made to oren the ground in q
systematio manner. A forty-inoh hums
was commenced and ench season wo- K has
y ogressed steadily on this. A great deal
of trouble WAS caused by heavy mass Of
large bouldtrs in the way of the fume
which il was necessary to blast and remove
with derrick. Several la ee caves in the
lnnks of the pit also occasioned trouble
This season ali OF these obstacles have been
overcome or removed. The gravel in the
banks now contain very few bou idsrs and
Is ensily washed. Tho humo lacks but two
or throo feet of being on tho bedrock and
befo g the pi esent s.ason is over will have
advanced Sufficiently to DO on ths bedrock.
This will then be one of tho best opened
mud most profitable placer mines Ia the
state.
Twenty-seven miles west of Mtssoula
Nine Mile creek flows into the river on the
north side. Twenty miles mp this stream is
the old placer mining camp OF Martino
The bod OF the Rulch here for about three
miles has been mined for placer gold for d
number Of ysors. and the production has
been quite largo. though only q very small
DO tion OF the gulch was very rich. Tho
total Weld IL snid to have been something
over 81 600. 600. The formation and nature
OF tho surroundings indicate it to DO dif-
frrent belt from that on tho south side Of
the river. The amount of wnter md thu
grade OF tho Rulch are not favorable for
tho Introduction OF a large bedrock fums
or hydraulic. A few men ach season wash
over old ground or small patches over.
looked by the early miners. A few Chinn-