The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-07-11
Encouraging Reports From the
Hughes Creek District.
TAKING OUT GOLD DUST
An Interesting Description of he Dis
trict-Some OF the Claims Which
Have Melted Well for the
Owner.

upper Bitter Root. This district Is al
ready producing considerable gold dust
and the outlook is favorable for a large
increase in the amount taken out.
There is much interest taken in the re-
gion, all through the valley, and from
Missoula there have been several old
miners start out for the diggings. The
Western News of Hamilton this week
gives the new district the following in
teresting write-up:
For a distance of rs or 20 miles the
valley OF Hughes creek, the side
gulches and tributaries prospect in
gold. Wherever bedrock is reached
gold in paying quantities is taken out.
OF course like all other diggings The
richne of the ground yaries-so far
as the knowledge of the public goes
the richest claim proven thus far is the
Ort and Malloy ground.
With reference to present operations
we will treat briefly in this article.
experimenting it in the future with
fuller detail inc descriptive matter.
About IL miles up Hughes creek and
fully 20 miles from Hamilton is the
camp of the Wood Placer Mining COM
pany. The company was organized "A
little more than a year ago. mainly
~ t'h Aht AAA6ti vi ~, ~
W. Ward. now general manager. The
Incorporation includes 10 claims. w.
:. Burrell is foreman i'm charge of the
work. About a dozen men are now
employed and with the assistance of a
six-inch pipe. a big head of water and
a hume several hundred feet In length
are making a good showing.
1t a be stated on the best of au-
thority that this company has taken
out considerable velvet" after deduct
ing the regular operating expenses and
expenses for improvements
and development work done This sea-
son
Just above this property Strout and
Williams have opened up some good
ground on a side gulch. They have
little to say about their operations
during the past season up until they
were compelled to shut down on ac-
count of scarcity of water. excepting
that they had beat wages and their
ground was not for sale"
Just below the Ward camp is the
ground now controlled by Heating d
Co. 1t is now being worked under a
lease and is paying good wages. The
Ort a Malloy claims adjoin ii on the
south. This claim has thus far proven
the richest on the creek, but at present
is unfortunately tied up by litigation.
IL is owned by Messrs. Ort. Malloy,
~Drinkenberg and Judge Stapleton of
Butte. Ort & Malloy bought the Ryan
claim just to the west last week for a
consideration of $i.025, and propose TO
open il up al once.
Near the junction of the forks of the
creek T. G. Sheriff. and ]. l.. Humble
have a group of seven claims that they
are now busily engaged in opening up.
II the ground shows up well the gen
tlemen propose to put in a four-foot
fiume and a giant and work the prop
erty right.
on the south fork of Hughes creek
that unites with the main stream just
here are a large humber of claims that
prospect well. F. X. Parmenter IF
Hamilton n Nick Wynne own a
group of IL claims and at last accounts
were nearly down to bedrock at a
depth of L. or Is feet.
Henry Smith and Walter Kyle have
located two tributary side gulches a
short distance below the forks and
have just nicely opened them up. The
water has played out. however. and
they propose TO resort to a rocker. ex-
pecting in this manne to TAX out
vac the balance of the season. They
have a fine collection of nuggets that
were picked off the bedrock. .
The most surprising thing about the
Hughes creek country is the small
amount of development work done.
Every foot of ground is located-much
has been for several years past-but
with the exception of the claims mem
toned above little permanent develop
ment work has been done. The situa-
ton Is now changing, however. and
the class of men now becoming inter-
ested is a guarantee that the district
will be pushed along. The gold is
there. plenty of II, and all that is re-
..t.n 90 AhNasn 4 10 A.na.@x .-A.l~ -
a little capital.
Hughes creek Is fast developing into
a typical mining camp. A store under
the management of J. +. Hendricks,
two saloons. a saw mill. the property
of ]. w. Springston. and a weekly
stage strung along the creek are its
evidences.
creek 30 years ago by Barney Hughes.
the discoverer of the Idaho Hughes
creek. and who also claims to have
discovered Alder gulch.
He did not find gold in what was
considered paying quantities at that
time. and the creek was forgotten.
About hve years ago Arthur Woods
prospected the creek. made some To-
cations and at last convinced the pub
lie that the diggings were all right.
Hughes creek flows in a westerly di-
r~ection. emptying into the south fork
of the west fork OF the Bitter Root
about so miles southeast Of Hamilton.
The topography is much the same "a
all mountain streams in Western Mon
tana. Tie summit of the mountain
that skirts the south bank OF the
creek is the boundary line between
Montana and Idaho. Hughes in Idaho
and the Montana Hughes creek head
almost together. The one flows into
the Salmon and the other into the Bit
ter Roo:. The Idaho Hughes creek
diggings have produced vast sums in
gold since their discovery 30 years ago.
Four or Ave companies are still work
ing the diggings at a good profit. THESE
diggings are about ten miles from
Wards camp. G~ibbonsville. Idaho. Is
l6 miles from the center of operations
on the Montana Hughes creek. 1t is
about eight miles to Mineral nill from
the mouth of the creek. Somewhere N
that vicinity every ones prophecy is
hat a big camp will be located. Any