The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-03-05
SOME VERY RICH QUARTZ.
Oliver Preston Strikes a Big
Thing Back in the Mountains.
1T is A DREARY PLACE
All Winter Long He Sits in His Lonely
Cabin Playing Solitaire and Watt
ing for the Frost to
Leave the Ground.

In lonely cabin far from any other
| human habitation, back into the defiles
! or the mountains, among the rugged
and uninviting snow-capped peaks of
| the main range of the Rockies. the
dolefui sounds from the mountain lions
cave and the bowls of wolves and
screeches of wild cats ringing con-
stantly in his ears, sat Oliver Hazard
Perry Preston counting by penny
weights the amount of gold that he had
panned out last fall just before the cold
weather came and put a stop to his
operations on his recently acquired
ledge of, rich rock
Mr.. Preston came down from the
mountains the other day and has
quietly conversed with friends in this
city, but never once did he intimate
tnat ne nad good thing until yester-
DAY when he fell in with reporter for
the Standard and unfolded his tale of
good luck. He admitted that 1t was
just as well that everybody should
Know what he had. He said that at
nrst he thought it best to keep his
secret, but when asked to give an ac-
count of his experiences and travels in
the mountains near the head of the Big
Hole he yielded, and this is his story:
Il was in the Moose Lake district last
fali and thinking that it would be well
TO go on further, / decided to start.
enough to keep me for several months.
such as 1t was. My gun and fish hooks
supplied me with meat. Well j struck
or towards the head of Ross fork of
the Big Hole, and when / came to a
large basin | steered off to the right
you know, and went up little gulch
that heads away off in the direction of
North Idaho. There | unloaded and
made camp. / turned my cayuses loose.
ana began to scratch around for some
thing. | dug hole or two in the gulch /
and found good colors. 1t would nav /
to work the placers there: but | went
TURNER up and struck some pretty rich |
float and followed it up until / struck /
the lead. 1t showed well on the sur
race and | kept on pegging away until T
round a richer spot on the lead. 1t
was late in December when / finally /
found what | was after-when I struck /
gold.
Il took out several pounds of very
rich gold quartz and pounded it I'D in
ny mortar. l weighed it in my gold
scales and found that | had nearly $50
rhat opened my eyes, and / kept on
iigging out rich rock and pounding 1t
up untll | had gotten together about /
200. Then the cold snap came and
snow with it. | quit and went to the
amp to think it over. My horses were
he Lord only knows where To get out
meant long walk, but finally / re-
olved to walk, and did. / made Phil
psDurg in three days of hard travelling.
md reached that town pretty groery
Fhen / jumped on the train and went
0 Butte and sold my gold, and here /
IN. But for the past two months T
ave had bully good time sitting In
ny cabin reading an 1894 Standard
Llmanac and a patent medicine pam
inlet and playing solitaire with 90
nutilated cards The rest of 'em are
korn out. | would have come out be-
ore but kept on waiting for the snow
0 melt, as it threatened to do SO
early every day. I'm going back there
s soon as | can get a pack outfit into
he country"
Where is Your mine?"
Wei, | Will tell you. You go from
ere to Moose lake, turn to your right
nd go up gulch for few miles, then
0 over high ridge and down into
ulch and follow that UP until Won
-rike the old Indian trail. which YOU
blow until you come to the creek.
len go up the creek to the big bend
nd go around the rocky point to the |
ght and keep to your left till YOU
1me to the forks of stream; take s
lie left hand one and cross il about a
lie above. then go over the high c
of shale and limestone and
men you come TO the timber take 6
raight through it and you'll come ouf
Ito the big basin; then go up the guIeh
the right. and there you'll see NV .
lbin. That's about the easiest way to
It into the country +
.