The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1907-01-23
IN THE LITTLE ROCKIES,
A Rich Mining District That vii
Soon Produce Millions.

Little Rockies mining district is given
In an article contributed to the Great
FALLS Leader by Henry Prentiss, Jr.,
who says these mountains in the
southeastern part of Choutean county,
situated 50 miles south of the Great
Northern railway, reached by stage
from Harlem or Malta, and % miles
north OF the Missouri river, are now
attracting considerable attention since
the report has gone FORTH that the
Ruby Gulch Mining Co., near Fort.
man, has bonded their mining prop.
erty for the snug sun of 81, 500, 900.
The discovery of placer gold caused
a stampede into these mountains in
1884, when a large amount of work
was done and considerable gold
washed out. But like many other ex-
elements of a like nature, the decline
soon followed the stampede, and the
best results were disappointing.
The August mine gave this region a
local notoriety in 1893, as the deposit
was worked surreptitiously by white
men, it being in the Belknap Indian
reservation. A shaft IS feet deep
yielded some S32 900 in actua al returns,
which was sacked, packed on horse.
back across the reservation line, car.
ried In wagons to Chinook and shipped
to the Aurora, ILL.,, smelter.
The Gold Bug mine, discovered by
Pike Landusky and George Manning,
shipped 2.100 pounds of ore to the
silver smelter at Great Falls, which
netted about a dollar a pound. This
created quite an excitement and Col.
Hart, who represented the McLures
OF Neihart fame, went out to the noun
tains and proceeded to take options
and make locations from end to end.
The rich strikes proved a delusion
and a snare, for free gold vas not to
be found in sufficient quantity, and at
that time the cyanide process vas IN
experiment in Montana, and the ores
of this section were a misnomsr. Dis
appointed they pulled out, although
Col. Hart told the writer that he still
considered it q good gold country.
A Dakota company afterwards Sc
cured the Gold Bug property and
erected a 1O-stamp mill in the town Of
Landusky, but lack of m~etallurgical
skill on the part of the management
brought the enterprise to a stand still.
Pete Zortman, a more than ordinary
prospector, secured the Alabama mine,
which is situated on a lateral ridge
between Ruby and Alder gulch, and is
in a assure zone in the %porphyry.
This mine has produced some very
rich ore. He also secured a number
of claims in Pole gulch, on the east
ern border of the mountains, and
which being in lime, resembles the
, Kendall ore. He then interested Geo.
Putnam, the cattle man, and E. w.
( King of Barnes-King, who put up a
, cy anide mill.
;. Over on Ruby gulch Tom Carter and
) John Troop were pegging away. Their
properties were 10 considered much
until Carries Whitcomb broke through
o schist wall, along which a Great
Falls company had been running, and
g had given up the lease and bond. The
t cutting through that wall was like
opening the door of a safe to find the
2 treasure within. Mr.. Whitcomb Sc
/ cured the backing of Ben Phillips
Development showed that the ore
body was large, and for a cyanide
deposit, high grade. A mill quickl,
went up and two years ago this com
e ing January it went to producing
8 Since then it has been improved ant
enlarged and has been going for al
e its worth. Development work, which
8 has been pushed vigorously, has i,
the quality and quantity of ore ex
70 posed been a surprise to the compan,
and all who see it.; until the propert,
le stands today not only the larges
cyaniding proposition in Montana
but also is in the world-beater class
The Gold Bug property has bee
IF bonded by W. E. French and associ
le ates, who are determined to find tn
* source of the rich stringers an
II pockets.
CO Adjoining the Gold Bug on the eas
i. Louis Goslin and others have q strin
pc of very desirable looking claimi
or which they propose to further d
is velop.
q East of them, and nearer to tt
in Ruby Gulch property, the Fergr
he Mining Co. is developing it's pro-
q, critics, which extend q full half.mi
h. within the mineralized zone. So IA
n orable are the geological condition
resembling as they do the formatic
If at Ruby, that mining men have a.
US vised the company to push rapid
ahead upon the lines laid out.
N. f.. MILESTONE. Alex Hippar