The Madisonian. (Virginia City, Mont.) 1873-1915, 1896-06-20
A REGION OF GOLD.

of gold. The Tobacco Root range of
mountains and adjacent country, lying
in the northwest part of Madison coun-
ty. comprising an area of about n
thousand square miles, bounded on the
west and north by the Ruby and Jeffer-
son rivers, and On the east by the Mad
ison river, unquestionably contains one
OF the greatest and most extensive cold
belts in the United States, if not in the
world.
Here are thirty townships OF thirty
six square miles each, upon every one
OF which important mineral discover
les have been made, and upon many of
which gold can be found on every Sec
ton.
Since the discovery of gold in Alder
guich in 1863, this section has yielded
over fifty millions OF dollars in gold.
Notwithstanding the fact that mining
and prospecting have been the leading
industries of this country for thirty
three years: new discoveries are con-
stantly being made, and there has been
filed with the county recorder of Madi-
son county, within the last twelve
months. no less than S7S mineral en-
tries. 1t is this wonderful system of
quartz veins that, through the evasion
and attritiOn OF ages, furnished the fab
ulously rich placer deposits that gave
Montana her world wide lame a gener-
alton ago.
On the west side Of this range is the
famous Alder gulch, one of the worlds
greatest placers. On the same side and
farther north are Granite, Ramshorn.
California, Harris, Bivens, Mill and
Wisconsin creeks, all of which have
been contributing to the worlds stock
Of gold for the past thirty years, and
which have a reserve of millions for
future needs.
On the east side are Meadow cree X,
and its prolific tributary, Washington
creek, with their extensive placer bars,
Hot Spring Creek, Cherry creek, with
its rich. tributary of Pole creek, Nor
wegian creek, which has furnished for
tunes and has fortunes left, South Will
low creek and North Willow creek.
On all these streams placer mining has
been successfully prosecuted for years.
On these streams and their tributaries
and the extensive gravel bars they
have formed in their ceasless flow of
untold centuries, are thousands of acres
of placers which will yield rich returns
to honest and well directed industry.
In years. not long past, many placers
have been abandoned because they
would not pay wages" Wages to the
placer miner meant 81 to IS per day.
Many of these placers will pay from So
to s. per day, and with the improved
methods of working, which have been
learned from years of experience, may
be made to pay even more. Many of
these placers + being relocated, and
in the near future will add greatly to
our stock of gold.
But the great, permanent, unlimited
wealth OF this region Of gold, is in its
slightly developed but evidently mex
haustible quartz mines, of which these
rich placers are but an index. For
convenience of mine owners and locat.
ors this country is divided into what
are known, in mining parlance, as min
ing districts. There are sixteen of
these districts in this section, and each
one OF these districts has mineral de-
posts of sufficient extent and value to
give profitable employment to thous-
ands of men.
On the east side of this range are the
Mammoth, Mineral Hill, Sand Creek,
Potosi, Norwegian. Red Bluff, Havana,
Revenue or Upper Hot Spring and
Bald Mountain districts. On the west
side are the Summit, Browns Gulch,
Granite, Bivins, Ramshorn, and Mill
Creek districts.
A brief description of the important
discoveries in any one of these districts
would require more space than can be
devoted to this communication.
From the summit far down into the
foot hills of these mountains are mum.
cradle quartz lodes having all the char
rcteristics of true assure veins, and pro-
nounced such by all the lest mining au-
phorities who have seer them.
Many OF these mines are immensely
rich, yielding ore that runs from 500
to X2OO non 20, D