The Philipsburg mail., 1899-08-18
NEW MINES DISCOVERED
Some Very Rich Ore Found on the
Headwaters of Rock Creek.
A SECTION RICH IN MINERALS
Great Quantities of Treasures Believed to
Exist in the Mountains Near the
Southern Boundary Line of
Granite County.

J. NJ. Oberly came IN last week from
the head of Rock creek, where he has
been prospecting for some weeks past
His operations have been confined to the
vicinity of Frog pond basin, where he
has located several claims that show
very encouraging prospects. Several
other parties are prospecting in that Sec
ton and have discovered some very rich
silver ore. Every indication shows that
the country up there is rich in minerals
and Mr.. Oberly believes that it has a
great future before It, He is not OF the
kind of prospectors who would over
estimate things; he is known to be con
servative, and what he says can be de-
pended upon as being correct.
The country being remote from rail :
road facilities makes development rather
slow. 1t is difficult to bring IN ma
chinery for the treatment of ores, and
the same difficulty is experienced in
bringing ore out for shipment. What is
most needed is capital to develop the
mines, and il only one company with
sufficient means to carry on operations
on scale somewhat larger than the
average prospector is able to do, would
become interested and take the lead, re-
suits would soon be forthcoming suffi-
cently TO encourage others to follow,
and one of the richest mineral sections
Of the state of which, as yet. compara-
lively little is known, would come into
prominence and number of good pay
Infr 1pn TO hn q
preciOu metals now in operation. 1t is
seldom that one seeking inyestme nts or
otherwise interested in the great mineral
resources of Montana can oe induced to
investigate beyond the pale of electric
lights or Pullman parlor car. The
great railroad towns and cities absorb all
interest, and it would really seem that
there is more hesitancy in penetrating
our treasure hills forty miles from rail
roads nowadays than in the case of the
pioneers who crossed the plains half
century ago. There is the Moose lake
section, district which has attracted
good deal of attention on account of it's
extensive copper mines. Copper proper
ties are being sought for verywhere, yet
no company has been found which would
undertake to convert the prospects out
there into paying mines. Experts have
visited the Moose lake district a. differ
ent times, and all are practically unani-
nous in expressing their belief that the
prospects are good and will develop into
producing m mes, but they claim that
the development is insufficient to prove
the exact value of the properties and to
establish their extent and permanency
The means of the average prospector are
generally meager and limited, and pro.
gress of development must therefore be
necessarily slow and in accordance with
his grub stake. But the prospector who
has the backbone to stay with his claims
ana develop them, if it be by Degrees,
will win in the end
There is possibility of railroad
passing through that country some time
which will make these mines more easy
of access, and once mines out there
are in successful operation everybody
will be fockipg to that section to get
hold of one property or another, There
is no question as to the time coming
when the mining section on the head of
the several forks of Rock creek will be
known all over the world. The mines
are there and once capital becomes in
terested some great results may be looked
for