The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-02-26
The Edmonton Route Has Lost
Mine Story.
OF FABULOUS RICHNESS
Immense Chunks of Gold Found in q
DARK Ravine-Three Men From Belt
Have the Secret and Have
Started on Their Trip.

/ ton route TO Inc hiOHulke. w niiG
everyone in Great Falls looked upon 1t
as a most feasible route and the one
which could be most proftably trav-
eled by the gold-seeker, it was new.
| comparatively untried and possessed
none of those almost romantic elements
| which have made the Chilkoot and
| Skaguay household words throughout
this country and Europe. There was
no story connected with 1t of men and
parties which lacked success by only
! the breadth of hair and whose adven-
| lures warmed the blood like glass of
| old port Inc defect is removed.
Every gold craze has had it's story of
| a lost mine, a cabin which stood alone
in the bowling waste, solitary cross
erected over the grave of the last man
to die after innumerable sufferings,
whose last comrade lasted long enough
to drag himself to the settlement, and
| before expiring utter some few cabalis-
4 tic words of a mine fabulous In It's
| richness Then would come years of
search and more suffering on the part
of the searchers, then a lapse OF time
| in which there would only come occa-
| sional rumors of the old mine: then,
perhaps, another search would be made
and the searcher would return With
enough dust to set the string -fiend wild
and give the newspapers two-column
| story And then the story would die
| out or someone would find that 1T was
| an old one, re-vamped to fit the time.
! But the Edmonton route has a lost
| mine story. None of the others could
have it for they only sprang up in
! year or so, and too many people have
| been over them. That is where the
| overland trip has the advantage. Par
| ties of prospectors have ventured out
| over the stormy wastes of the west and
north of Edmonton as early as 30 years
/ ago and many of them have actually
brought in dust. The trail is old, it is
almost venerable for this country. 1T
/ has a right to its story OF treasure
| found and lost again. And 1t all hap
pened right here in this city-that is,
the relation of it did, and the parties
| who now tell it are well known and
their reputation for truth and veracity
in the community in which they reside,
as learned from the common speech of
the people, is gilt edged.
Last week a party of three men
passed through this city on their way
from Belt to Alaska. Their names
were John Portell, Peter McDermott
and John O'Brien. Portell has been
! employed in the coal-waShing plant at
Belt for the past three years, and has
always been reckoned a steady, sober,
| industrious fellow by the community.
| He gave up a good job to make the
trip. McDermott was the proprietor of
the Belt dairy for three or four years
and also did an ice business. He was
careful. shrewd and commonly es
teemed an able business man. one who
could be depended on to make money
| where others failed. The third has
been working in the Anaconda COM
pany's coal mines for about two years,
and has two brothers still in Belt, both
of whom are clerks in the company $
| office. The sight of men bound for
! Klondike has become too common in
this city for more than a passing no
tice, and no one knew that the party
had a little rough map drawn on com
mon brown wrapping paper which was
their dearest possession. and which
could not be bought from them foc Il
cool 100000 III was their guide 10 q
place where a fortune could be picked
| up in an hour That they we're III
search of this treasure did not become
known to the Standard man at Great
| Falls until the day following their de-
parture for Seattle. After considerable
inquiry it was found that Porteli, be-
| fore leaving Belt, had told the story
of what they were going to do 10
fellow workman. George Mclaughlin
who worked with Portell on the night
! shift The latter, While intensely m
terested in the story, cannot remember
| all the names of persons and places
| given by Portell, who seemed as Ia
miliaf with them as he was with the
shafts in the coal mines, but enough Of
the story remains in his memory tc
prove interesting, and possibly to in
cite other adventurous spirits TO make
a try for the same mine.
Portell has a ranch on the Missouri
river, about IL miles above the city OF
Great Falls While working at Belt
he has leased it, and about year ago
he paid visit to his tenant. The two
drove into this city on matters of bust
ness, and while knocking about town
they were approached by stranger
| who desired to buy the team of horses
which they We're driving. He seemed
to have taken a great fancy 10 the
| horses and offered a good price for
them. Portell and his tenant thought
they had struck a bargain and agreed
| to sell provided the buyer would allow
them to drive home. He not only con-
! scented TO this but said he would ac-
| company them. The purchaser, whose
name Portell did not give as he eonsid-
cred it a part of the great secret, SEEM
ed 10 be in very bad health, and after
remaining at the ranch all night he was
| taken i'll and for several weeks was
unable to be removed. Accordingly he
was kept there and carefully nursed
/ until he recovered. He seemed TO have
| plenty of money and offered to pay for
the care, but this offer was with true
| Montana hospitality. refused. He did.
! however, pay for the horses, and also
the wagon and harness. asking the
| rancher To keep them for him until he
| was able to take them away.
/ The reason for such action ne told
during his eenvaleseence. About five
years before that time he, with three
! friends. had left Edmonton on a pros
pecting trip intending to take a gener-
ally northwestern course and to reach
Alaska and the Yukon ultimately. Il
fortune did not first smile them.
They took with them magnificent out
fit of horses and provisions. enough II
last them for about three years. From
what MIR. Mclaughlin remembers Of the
tale il would seem that they very near
~ followed The route now proposed as
the Prospector's Trail. II lies to the
south Il the Mackenzie river. and in
places comedies with the old Hudson
! Bay or government tLaiL They mad