Arizona weekly citizen., 1893-09-09

of the same year William Fairweathe
and others left Bannack to prospect TIT
Big Horn range, but were driven baci
by Crow Indians on Gsllantin River
who were unfrlendly to The whites II
those days.
On their way back to Bannacl
the party camped one day on Aide
Creek, about eighty miles east of thu
Grasshopper dlggings. Fairweather
while the others were preparing CO.
MONDAY msal, mere from force of habi
than anything else, banned out little
gravel near the camp, and to his deliRh
aud rerise obtained about. 81 Ia th'
first pan. They washed for some day
out OF Alder Creek, and with quite ;
large sack of dust and nuggets at las
returned to Bannack City, having heel
again driven off by the Crows, who wer
swarming through the country. Not
withstanding the Indians many rushed
to the new camp on Alder Creek. ant
by June, 1863, the entire gulch for
distance of sixteen miles was b7ine
worked. Since that time Alder gulci
has yielded over S80,000,OO0 in gold
most OF it beiug in the shape OF due
and nuggets.
MINERS BABY.
A very pretty story is told OF the
early days of Alder gulch when the
first whits child horn in this part OF the
United States saw tire light of day 10 g
little log cabi1 far up at the end of that
wonderful gorge. The girl-wfe had
followed her lover from the States, and
Drawing every hardship for his sake
had al last found bin. When the baby
came the gulch went on a spree. Gold
ia handfuls were thrown by the miners
into the little once cradle until the
poor little thing was almost smothered
under the yellow nuggets. One rough
old fellow wanted to bear it cry, and
when tie baby piped up the miner wept,
saying he had not heard sound like
that for years. When it was sick business
was almost suspended, and nobody
would think of doing anything until the
baby was better. That baby is a man
now, and has taken to mining like his
father.
The discovery OF Last Chance gulch,
which resulted IN the building of Helena,
was quite 8s romantic and interesting
as the discovery of the famous Alder
gulcb. In the spring OF 1864 the
Kootenai stampede from Alder gulch
took place. Among the stampeders were
four miners named Cowan, Grab, Miller
and Stanley. They had gotten as far
north as the gate of the mountains"
when they meet prospecting party
under one Jim Coleman, just coming
back from the Kootenai country, who
brought the unwholesome iotel iGeuce
that the Koo'enai was played out. There
was nothing left to do but to return to
tho settlements or go back to Alder
gulch. Coleman chose the former and
our four friends the latter.
Leaving Coleman, the four prospectors
attempted to return to Alder by new
trail; out when they had followed iC to
the top Of the mountains it turned out
to be game trail. VIII h became more
and more ind stinct, and finally died
out altogether. The view from the lofty
eminence bordered on the sublime II
WIS like scene from faiIyiand. Across
the Intervening mountain tops lay
stretched lovely valley, through which
several streams seemed to wind. ard
away IN the distance the blue outlines
OF anOt6er mountain range we're plainly
visible, while between them The course
Of still another important river could be
traced which they rightly coociuded v a
non ether than the mighty Missouri
Itself.
Descending into the valley they made
camp on what is now known as the
Little Blackfoor, which they prospectsd.
finding color in abundance every where.
But as they found nothing but colors
and SO far had struck nothing substant al
the four men followed on down the
gulch ano descending into the valley If
the Prickley Pear they turned to the
right, and camped for the night on
what they called Last Chance Greek.
Helena, the thriving, busiling queen
C ty Of the Rockies, now stands near
this spot.
TIE valley seemed literally a hunters
paradise. Immense Groves of antelope
we're feeding on the plain, and along
the margin of the stream white and
black tailed deer could be seen darting
in and out of the timber. A band Of elk
was also graz ng in the bottom, but as
the party were gold and not game
hunters, they paid little attention to the
wild animals.
Next morning, before saddling up
preparatory to moving along, two of the
party strolled to the creek side just to
try superficial pan OF gravel. Scraping
q hole to the rim rock of small bar, to
their surprise aud qualification a first
rate color was obtained; but there was
nothing ese but colors, and so they
decided 10 pack up and 60. Northward
they went, digging holes lnnumerable,
up the Dearborn to the hesdwaters of
the Teton and Maria's River, where
they found an excellent prospect of
grizzlies, but none OF geld.
MUSIC SWEET TO MINERS.
Turning south again on their way to
Alder, ore afternoon on or about the
18th OF July. they made camp short
distance above their old camp on Last
Chance Creek. To be exact, the second
camp was on the Identical spot where
the First National Bank of Helena
now stands. That evening they put two
good-sizad holes down to bedrock, one
on each side OF the creek, and several
fiat pieces of gold that would weigh
quite half dollaI each were taken out.
The little nuggets fell ringing into the
pan with music peculiarly their owa,
a sound which was exceedingly grateful
and soothing to the ears of the four
wanderers. The gravel pr spected from
the top of the ground down to bedrock.
and Last Chance Gulcn that night took
Its place among the great gold producers
of the world. Helena is now located at
the head of Last Chance Gulch
The famous Comstock lode o. Nevada
was originally gold bearing lead. As
it was sunk deeper and deeper 1t
developed into a silver mine of Immense
richness, such as the world has never
seen before, with one except on. Even
in its flush times the Comstock always
yielded oDe-third gold, but the yellow
metal gradually petered out until in the
last days of this great producer only a
tracs of the liner stuff could ba found
L veins of almost pure horn silver were
unparalleled in the history of mining
ana orly one mine on earth e7ti
surpassed the Comstock in its production
of silver. This vas the lode known az
the Veta Grande, near the City OF
Z icatecas, in Mexico. The Veta Grande