Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1903-07-15

weather. II was the 18th day Of May.
and F%airweather and Edgar were
guarding the property while the 9th.
ers walked up the creek and examined
It. In going over to the opposite side
or west side TO picket the horses for
the night a portion Of the rimrock
was noticed. This was exposed at a
point seventeen miles from Summit
to the canyon and the Virginia City
& Summit City Wagon Road COM
pany.
"Fairweather said to Edgar, What
do you think OF it?' The latter re-
piled, Il will go and get the tools
When Edgar returned F~airweather did
the work and. filled a prospecting pan
with the gravel. Fairweather then
said to Edgar, Go and pan that pan
and see II you a get enough to buy
some tobacco when we get to Ban
mack While Edgar was panning
F~airweather shouted, I have found
a scad.' After washing the dirt In the
pan Edgar answered, If you have one,
| have a thousand Fairweather then
came to the place where Edgar was
standing and showed him a small mug
get. which was weighed and was
worth $50. The amount in the pan
was worth SLIPS. Fairweather then
PANIED more of the gravel and obtain
ed golden sands of the value OF 81
so. A third painful in the hands Of
Edgar yielded s4.40.
With these fortunate tests. when
darkness was reigning. the two happy
prospectors sought their camp. This
small piece OF rock vas the main fac
Tor in the creation OF the territory
OF Montana. In the meantime all
thought of the horses that had vanish
ed. and the remaining boys came down
the creek and complained about the
neglect OF the stock. Sweeney said
they had found a few colors.' and Ed
gar displayed the pan containing the
| gold that had been saved. But Sween-
| ey claimed II had been sailed and that
a joke was being perpetrated. He
was the first to wake In the morning
and was soon satisfied that he had
not been deceived. The labor of the
day vas done In pairs by Hughes and
| Cover, Sweeney and Rodgers and
Fairweather and Edgar. Thelast nam
ed by panning realized the sum Of
$3.50. During this time they had nc
food and ere in the condition Of the
man of old, who died OF hunger while
| his table was covered with gold. A
lucky shot furnished an antelope for
| supper and meals on the ensuing day
Sweeney requested Edgar to write
a notice OF his claim to a water-right
and all agreed that he might select
a name for the gulch. Alder was
then written by Edgar, because there
was a dense growth of this shrub
along the creek. The work of the
miner has been followed by a thor
ough change In the surface, and to
day the chief evidence of this state
ment consists of the stumps and roott
of departed trees which are uncovered
when the tailings and sediment are
stripped or washed away.
II was mutually promised that pro
visions and supplies should be bought
In Bannack; that nothing should be
stated respecting the discoveries and
that prospecting should be resumed
so that they might select the hes,
ground. Leaving the camp on the 2Stf
day OF May, they arrived In Bannacl
on the first day of June, having trav
eled since their departure upwards o.
600 miles.
THE spot selected for the bivoua,
was peculiarly adapted for c~onvenien
ce In prospecting. The auriferoul
gravel of the gulch extends about n
or 100 feet from the toll house ives
of Junction.
"The pay streak through this dis
lance, with the exception of som,
small points, was covered with layer,
of earth, sand and boulders, and tn,
alluvium varied in thickness, tn
greatest depth being fifty feet. TIL
average south route to Bannack, whicl
lad been adopted as the best mean
OF escaping from the Indians, VIII
were supposed to be on the war-patl
from the Yellowstone, conducting tn,
party to Alder gulch, what seemed L
be a defeat became a victory. Througl
a happy incident the camp for Dime
was surrounded by the bars in whicl
the mineral could be found with yer,
slight labor. The district was give
the name of .Fairweather, the luck,
~prospector who first found the gol,
in Alder gulch.
"The bedrock could not be exploI
ed, but all we're confident that tn
invisible bars contained their for
tunes. They were still harrassed b,
dreams of their foes, their stores o
subsistence were exhausted, and the,
we're actually lost in this region. Ne
cessity compelled them to resume tn,
march to Bannack to procure provis
ions and mining implements. Not
withstanding their agreement that tn
discovery should not be revealed, tn
good news was written in their smil
ing faces and the natural result raj
stampede
Every man who was not anchored
to the mines of G~rasshopper and coul,
seize a horse rushed in the month o
June, 1868, towards this spot. TIL,
first crowd comprised over 800 men
and about thirty persons walked, bear
ing upon their backs their world!
goods and being in light marching or
der. According to the understanding
arrived at in Bannack before the grea
secret was divulged, a public meeting
of the excited company that was hur
rying to the new mines was held Jun,
It'll in a cottonwood grove upon tn,
banks OF the Beaverhead river, an,
L ohnttt top pntIao ,auAh ~ Ar noo.a~