Fergus County Democrat. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-1919, 1905-03-07
The Well Known MininQ Camp Is in a
Richly MIneraIized District in
the JudithS.
MAGINNIS MINE BEING RETlMBERED
Many Additions to Be Made to the
Present Plant and Active Oper-
dtiOns Will Soon Start.

The opening up of the Maiden dis
trict generally, and the preparations
now being made for the installation
of a tirst-class plant on the Maginnis
property, recalls to memory the busy
period of that famous camp which
was at one time the principal town of
Meagher county before this section
was cut off with Lewistown as the
capital. Miners and prospectors from
every section of the west headed for
the camp in large numbers; the big
cattle outfits supplied their quota of
visitors and for many years after the
starting of the town in '79 it was
highly prosperous. Money was made
quickly and spent with reckless pro-
digality by miners, prospectors and
cowboys. 1t was typical western
town and business enterprises of every
description were successfully con-
Quoted. A movement was set afoot
to segregate what Is known as Fergus
county and make Lewistown the
county seat. 1t succeeded and the
camp to certain extent lost prestige;
this was in 'S6 and naturally de-
tracted somewhat from the trade of
Maiden. AS years weut on some of
the mines suspended operations for
various reasons and the camp was not
SO prosperous. The Maginnis and the
Spotted Horse properties changed
hands several times: ran Intermittent
tly and some times at a loss owing to
the primative manner iu which they
were handled. For a number of years
Maiden has been quiet; the old busi-
ness houses, once busy marts of
trade, were deserted and public at
tention was turned to later discover
les. 1t would seem from present in
dications however that certain am
cunt of prosperity is to again visit
Maiden. The district is certainly de-
serving of any good fortune whisn
turns that way, as it is one 6 the
most highly mineralized s1tions in
the state of Montana. TIE lime for
nation with intrusive sophry dykes is
usual encountered e.id the principal
values are in the yame. The ore as
general rule is free milling and cy-
anide, though there are several excel
lent properties containing ores which
need smelling and concentration for
the extraction of their full values.
Though an old mining district the
mountains in the vicinity of Maiden
are not even thoroughly prospected,
though what properties are owned
are extremely promising and in many
instances rich gold ore Is encountered
directly under the grass roots. In
several cases, pockets Of extremely
rich ore have been encountered and
in fact almost all the work accom-
plished SO far in the entire district
has been done in "gophering,' out
these rich pockets and treating the
ore with stamp mills. Several for
tunes have been extracted from the
the vicinity in this manner and in the
most primitive manner. In the old
Maginnis, the ore was windlassed to
the surface by hand and what values
could not be saved by the simple pro-
cess of running through the batteries
and passing over the ,lates, were let
go through to the dur o. At different
times ore which ran as high as thirty
thousand dollars to the ton has been
taken from the Spotted Horse prop
erty and four or five hundred dollars
is a common assay. 1t seems almost
incredible tibet such rich district
should havet so long remained idle,
but the fact is that the means used
to operate the different properties
were so primitive and the systems
used, so lax. that the owners often
quit loser in Spite of the richness of
the properties. Considerable high
grade ore has been shipped from var
ious, holdings jim the vicinity of Maiden
ar ,sot the present time several good
sh Fments atre ready for transit, only
waiting until the spring opens suf-
ficiently to. allow Of their transporta-
ton go the railroad. There is plenty
of good coal, lots of available water,
MOUNTAINS richly mineralized and
plent " OF timber. 1t would seem that