The Philipsburg mail. [volume] (Philipsburg, Mont.) 1887-current, 1895-03-07
OUR GOLD ANDSILVER
What the Repeal of the Sher-
man Law Has Done.
CAUSED THE DEVELOPMENT OF GOLD
Granite COunty's EARLY Placer BO-
nanZaS Now the Nucleus OF Rich
Gold Development = What rs
Being Done By Charles Nc
Lure and Associates in
Henderson District.

Since the working out and practical
abandonment Of the placer mines IN
Montana-which may be said to have
occurred in the 70's-gold mining and
the search for gold in the quartz has
been Of the desultory sort, not that all
of the placer mines in the then Territory
OF Montana were worked out and aban-
doned at that early date, but rather that
all or nearly all of the valuable placer
deposits had been discovered, claimed
and being worked.
Ut course there are several very pros
porous placer mining camps in Montana
to-day, and in all probability will be for
many years to come. but yet, as stated
IN the preceding sentence, all old timers
will remember that in the latter 7O's
there was a rush to the silver producing
districts which amounted to the practical
abandonment Of the search for gold, and
not until the closing of the India mints
to the coinage of silver and the fall in
price in consequence thereof has either
prospector or capitalist given but very
little OF their time, energy or money TO
the practical search for or development
of old properties.
In Granite County there we're two of
the most noted placer mining camps IN
Montana-Bear, in the northwestern
part of the County, and Henderson Gulch,
about the center, and about Is miles
from the county seat, Philipsburg. Both
camps were left to the Chinaman almost
entirely IN about 1880, and few years
later abandoned by them in turn.
The impetus given the silver pro
ducing industry by the adoption of i'm
proved machinery, the advent OF railways
and the discovery and development Of
such wonderful and productive silver
mines as the Granite, Bi-Metallic, Com
bination, Speckled Trout and Hope at
about this time was perhaps enough to
lure both the prospector and capitalist
away from even slight examination of
the slopes and mountains above the de-
posits of gold found IN the gulches below.
In any case it had the effect of STAN
pedlng everybody to the silver districts,
and the gold bearing portion Of this
County was left to the coyote and jack
rabbit until Cleveland, Sherman, Con-
gress, Wall or Lombard street money
kings, or somebody else or all together
SO perfectly-as it seems at
present-ln destroying the money func-
tion Of silver, then 1t was that the resi-
dents of this part of this great mineral
producing State began to realize the
importance Of the long neglected gold
belt right under their noses and began
the exploration and systematic develop
ment of the same.
Since the closing down of the silver
mines and the idleness of the miners and
others consequent thereto, prospecting
has been vigorously carried on, and the
Clerk and Recorders office of this
County bears testimony that upwards of
500 new locations Of gold bearing quartz
nave been made during the past year;
aor is this all, capital has been quick to
'ealize that the opportunity for large
profits and quick returns is quite as great
n the gold districts as it has been in the
silver portion Of this great silver pro-
lucing County. The knowledge and
assurance that the gold found in the
,ulches came from the mountains and
,orges above gradually dawned upon. the
ard what was at first a quiet
earch for the source of supply, at last
las become wild scramble for ground
d the mountain ranges above the placer
deposits. This is particularly true of
henderson Gulch and the surrounding
nd tributary country. After the first
uccess and it became an acknowledged |
act that there was some valuable gold
uartz in that district it was not long
ntil practical and Intelligent develop
lent work was commenced, resulting in
he finding Of yelns SO nun erous and
Extensive as to surprise even that most
anguine Of men, the gold miner.
Among the first to become interested
4 the Henderson Gulch district was
'harles D. Mcclure, of St. LOUIS he
aying purchased outright all Of the
lacer ground and water rights Of the
ulch and also several quartz claims, all
which was the property of the Healy
rothers, who through all of these years
desertion by their fellow-man had
clung to their placer ground
nd water rights and added thereto by
le location of several quartz claims i'm
lediately at the head of the placer
epos1ts and where Henderson Canyon
ecomes a narrow gorge with high pre-
pitious mountains on either side.
trough his agent and manager, Frank
a.a 49,.