Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1905-11-03
DISCOVERY OF ALDER eULcH.
Placer Dissinss Out Of Which $4,000,
600 In Gold Was Washed.

Placer Dissinss Out Of Which $3o,0oo,-
900 In Gold Was Washed.
Barney Hughes is one of the two
survivors of the little party Of six that
discovered the famous Alder Gulch In
in Madison county, that gulch which
has produced more placer gold than
any other placer diggings of the same
size in the world, says the Anaconda
Standard. Although he washed out
many thousand dollars Of the shining
gold from. the black sands OF the
Rocky mountain ravines, his earthly
possessions today consist Of an hum
BILE log cabin on the wind swept sice
Of the mountains surrounding the Big
Hole basin, two horses, aged "a and
25 wears, a pack saddle and a pros
pector's outfit
I'VE went up Squaw Gulch and
down the divide of Alder Gulch to
point about a mile below where Vir-
ginia City now stands and made camp
about 6 o'clock in the evening"" said
Mr.. Hughes.
"Our grub stake was almost gone
only about two pounds Of flour, one
pound of bacon and little coffee re-
naming. We unpacked, turned the
horses loose, and began getting sup
per. The horses strayed down the
gulch a short distance and Bill Fair
weather went after them. When he
returned he asked how soon he could
get the pan in which l was mixing the
dough for our evening meal; that
there was a bar down the gulchfrom
which he would like to try pan OF
dirt. The Indians had taken nearly
everything we formerly had, and this
pan was the only one remaining. l
dumped the dough out into a flour
sack and gave Bill the pan. He went
down to the bar, scooped up pan OF
dirt, leaves and grass and washed 1t
out in the stream near by. The re-
suit obtained from this pan Of dirt
washed out in Alder Gulch was 80
cents in gold.
1.-The next day Henry Edgar killed
an antelope, which gave us grub
stake sufficient to keep us two days.
We spent the time in prospecting
down Alder Gulch. The second day In
the gulch, on this bar referred to. by
the time we had worked an hour and
a half, we had dug hole about two
and one-half feet deep and were get
ting from 81 to IS In gold to the pan.
The extent Of our prospecting during
the two days was from quarter OF a
mile above camp down to where Vir-
ginia City now stands. You see we
wanted to see as near as possible how
far down the pay dirt reached before
we left for Rannack to get another
grub stake The third day we pulled
stakes and started for Bannack with
about three ounces Of gold.
1--WE crossed the Beaverhead river
a mile below where Dillon stands and
reached Bannack near the first OF
June. Two weeks later we left Ban
mack for Alder Gulch with about 800
other prospectors. When we reached
the Point of Rocks below Dillon we
called a halt to have it determined
what size claims the others were 60
ing to allow us six fellows to stake
out. Col. McClain. who was the first
delegate from Montana to Washing
ton, and Wash Stapleton, now a law
yer in Butte, presided over the meet.
lot hof
entitled to no more than any Of the
others.
1--WE had told no man where the
gulch was, and when they made their
decision we told them that we would
not 60 an inch further. We packed
up and started in the opposite direc-
ton, telling them that we were going
to Waila Walla. When we had pro-
ceeded about a mile a courier was
sent after us and informed us that we
could have any size claim we desired.
We returned and all proceeded to-
ward Alder. Camp was pitched that
evening near Rams Horn Gulch,
which runs into the Ruby valley.
1--WE arranged with about ten Of the
crowd, without the others knowing 1t,
to meet us at cotton wood tree up
the valley at IL o'clock that night and
we would go into Alder Gulch ahead
Of the others and we six would stake
our claims before the crowd got there.
The men were prompt and we all
reached Alder Gulch about daylight
next morning. When the crowd miss
ed us next morning they went wild
and scattered in all directions and it
was three days before they finally
gathered in the Alder Gulch, but
when they all finally reached it they
found more than enough land for all.
I'VE six hired eight men, at 81 per
day and their board, to help us con-
struct a small dam and run ditch so
that we could get water on our bar. 1t
took nearly a week and then in the few
hours that we had to placer the mine
before the week was up we washed
and had S277 left The best work 1
ever saw done in Alder Gulch was
near Virginia City. when two men
struck a streak of dirt which yielded
them from $500 to $2.5OO per day
for several days. Ere winter set in
there were more than 1000 men in
the gulch, and it was estimated that
30,000,000 in gold had been washed
out.
What became of your party of six
and what did you make out of it?"
was asked.
Henry Edgar. 1 think, took out
about $1,000" Barney replied. He
and myself are the only survivors. He
lives down near Clark's Fork of the
Columbia, i'm Missoula county. He
lost his stake in the butchering busi-
ness. Tom Comber took out about
$4,000 and bought an orange grove
in California. l understand that he
was killed by a brother of Boone
Helm. Sweeney and Rogers each
made a stake of near $4,000 and went
back to New Brunswick. their native
land, where they died. Bill Fair
waathar also made stake of more