The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1902-03-27
Tn tbe rand Of Gl Dorado.
Che Fate Of cwo Young Gold bunters in montana.

IN late article describing trip up
the Missouri river to Fort Ben
ton, Montana, stated that my
self and friend found ourselves
with capital of ten cents on arriving
at our destination. With this as basis
for further fortune we immediately be-
gan to discuss ways and means to reach
some new placer mines recently dis
covered and which were situated about
125 miles southwest of Fort Benton.
We fortunately had an abundance of
good clothes, in fact we had surplus,
and this surplus We disposed of for
sufficient money to purchase pair of
blankets, a frying pan, coffeepot,
some bacon, -four and coffee. With
what clothing we were obliged to take,
We had pack of about forty pounds
apiece. Three other men who had also
came up by boat joined their fortunes
to ours, and the next morning after we
had landed from the steamer we
crossed the Missouri and started on
our long walk for this new Ell Dorado,
buoyed up by our golden dreams.
There was fairly good trail and we
followed it for several miles, but finally
we thought that we could save time
and travel by taking direct route
over the mountains. We considered
ourselves little wiser than the argo
nauts who had gone before. Just here
is where our troubles began. We soon
got in among the foothills, our packs
began to have an estimated weight of
about 200 pounds to the man; we got
hopelessly lost; and to add to our
troubles our stock of provisions was
becoming low, as we had been out now
three days, SO we had to go on short ra-
tions. one pancake and small piece of
bacon for breakfast, and that was all.
We had no firearms and thus the hun
dreds of antelopes that were grazing
OH the hills in bands of fifteen or twen-
ty were only an aggravation.
On the morning of the third day
after we had placed ourselves on short
diet, we fortunately came to crossing
of the Judith river and there found a
freighter encamped who gave us the
hindquarters of an antelope; and as the
river was teening with large and
luscious mountain trout we camped
there the rest of the day and that night
and proceeded to "get evens for our
enforced fast.
The mines for which we were bound
were located in the Belt Mountains on
the west side of the Judith Basin. The
basin, which is now one of the best ag-
ricaltural sections of Montana and
which supports several thriving vii
iages, was at that date paradise for
hunters; buffalo and antelope abound
ed on the rolling prairie, and the foot
hills and mountains furnished an abid-
ing place for herds ofdeer and the Iordly
elk. The few inhabitants of this sec
tion, outside of the Indians, were
traders whose principal stock for
barter was poor whisky, in exchange
for which they received good furs of
poor Lo.
Bright and early the next morning
we shouldered our blankets and pro-
ceeded up the right bank of the river
for about ten miles and then branched
off onto well defined trail, and soon
came to the pass down which We were
to go to emerge into the fat at the foot
of the gold gulch. This pass merits
some space. The road down through
it and which was only wide enough for
one wagon was between PERCEPTIONS
cliffs An enterprising oid-timer had
built gate across the lower entrance
and collected toll of everyone coming
in. He had rock-bound monopoly,