The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1901-12-04
i'm GOOD OLD DAYS
HELENA WAS THEN A LARGE
HOLE IN THE GROUND.
HER RESTING PLACE RICH
Thirty Million Dollars in Gold Taken
From the Gulch in Which the
Capital Of the state IL
Located.

| LII the DOCK linen ana NOW or Thirty
six Years in the Rockies Robert
Vaughn. the author, one Of the old timers
in Montana, says Of Last Chance Gulch:
Having remained in Alder Gulch all
summer working in the mines for Boon
and Vivian at $40 per day in gold dust,
in December, 1854. four of us made
bargain with a man who had two small
Mexican mules and an old spring wagon,
to take us and our baggage to the new
gold mines called Last Chance NOW
Helena) 1t was understood that we
I We're to walk and help the mules COR
Jerusalem ponies," as one fthe boys
| called them) up the hills. The little
animals We're not over 13 hands high,
and weighed about 400 pounds each. We
came down the Prickly Pear creek where
| now the Montana Central railway is.
| Then there was no town of Clancy nor
a quartz mill nor smelter on the creek.
| Not a sound could be heard there except
that of the pick of the prOspector on the
mountains hunting for gold. We kept on
the trail until we got to the new Edo
RADIO, where several hundred miners were
at work; many Wee taking out gold in
great quantities; others were prospect
ing their claims
LOCOMOTIVES and Mules.
Before going any further we will stop
minute and tell Il short story in con-
nection with the creek referred to. A few
days ago l was invited to go to the
roundhouse at this place to see two loco
| motives which had just arrived from the
East. They We're the largest in weight
! and dime ever built in any county
up to that time, each Weighing 1874 TONS
Mr.. Bruce, the master mechanic at the
railway shops, informed me that they
We're to run on the Montana Central rail-
way from Clancy, on Prickly Pear creek
, and over the Rocky mountain divide. AL
; though this is one of the heaviest pulls
in the country. the big engines each axe
to draw go tons. Several hundred pas
sengers are drawn over this divide every
"a hours, besides about 10000 tons Of
freight, principally coal from Cascade
county to Butte and Anaconda, and cop
per ore from the Butte mines to the cop
per smelters and refiners at the falls of
the Missouri river, near Great Falls, and
lead and silver ores to the East Helena
smelter.
when looking at these two great loco
motives I could not avoid thinking IF
the contrast between them and the two
Mexican mules, the motive power on the
old trail and the n'nt,ve rover on the
new. ghe little nlul IS were 10 hands high
and drew. 1000 pounds; each of the big
incorOt:N es is Is feet or Is hands high
draws go IONS. 1t is to me like dream
to tlunksof the great changes that have
taken pace since that time.
Last Chance Yielded $4,000, OOO.
Then Helena was but mining camp,
consisting of but a few log cabins. There
is where I helped to run a drain ditch,
commencing at Discovery Claim, near
where now stands the Montana club
! building. We reached bed rock in the
upper end of the city. Among the gravel
in this drain ditch about IS feet from
the surface and near where the Helena
fire department building is, a mastodon
tooth was found; it was a grinder, threa
inches on top, six inches deep and eight
inches lengthwise. 1t was as perfect as
1t was when it came from the monsters
mouth. when this northern country was
a tropical region. In another claim
tusk was found like that OF an elephant.
Many other remains of animals have
| been found in mines ard rock format ions
in the Rockies showing that the Rocky
mountain region has at enc time been
the home Of animals that are not now in
existence, at least not in the western
hemisphere. It is estimated that $30,00o.-
geo have been taken out of Last Chance
eulch and it's tributaries, and most Of it
, from where the streets Of Helena now
are.
Flour Sold at $125 Per 100 Pounds.
Miners wages were then SO per day:
common laborers. 81. Turing the win
ter of 1865 eatables o. all kinds were
very dear, except meat, for game was
plentiful. Flour sold for 1925 per 100
pounds. Then my friend Charley Cannon
humble baker and sailing