The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1909-10-10

But the upper pay dirt will not be
overlooked.
1t is worth while TO make the trip
to Windfall gulch. just to see the
wonderfully attractive features of the
place. even II you are not a placer
miner. II is practically u wilderness,
only here and there have the vista
tions Of nan left their trace; the viz
gin forest is there and deer and other
wild creatures roam the hillsides. The
scenery. grand and impressive, pre-
sents Il constantly changing panorama
that charms and inspires; the water
courses are beautiful and the fire.
auently occurring waterfalls add the
charm of music to the delight of the
visitor. If you like to be in the hills,
this is a place that YOU would enjoy
You look up and about YOU and you
hold your breath, meanwhile your
prospecting companion examines the
ground and finds there what is as
much to his liking as the environment
is to yours. 1t is delightful OK
perlence and. even if you don't know
pay dirt from gumbo. you will find
inspiration in the visit.
But the man who knows placer
mining is the fellow who wakes en-
thusiastic over Windfall. AS rule he
is hard proposition when it comes to
enthusiasm, bat W1ndfall wakes him
up. This gulch takes him back to the
days when he first panned gold in
pioneer days. Such man ii was who
advanced the question quoted above:
he could not understand how this
ground had escaped the eye of the
prOspcctor all these days and years.
But it was the quiet methods of the
old owner of the ground that guarded
Windfalrs secret 50 well for 50 long
a time. Now he is gone and the yearn-
ing for gold directs other hands to
the task that he pursued alone SO long.
New men and new methods are to
enter Windfall and from its rugged
walls will come forth new treasure,
the wealth that has reposed there ST
many ages.
Il consfder the condition in Wind
fall the most nearly perfect | have
seen ia many years" WAS the comment
of one OF the veteran placer men Who
looked over the ground this summer.
There is everything there that goes
to make rich guicn, AS Tar as can
judge, and | am sure that the sCicn-
tific working of the ground Will demon
stratc that Wiudfail is one Of the rich
placer deposits of Montana. l have
looked over the ground thoroughly ana
| am more continent of IL than oil am
other proposition that / have seen Ill
years
IL is interesting to travel up the
gulch or down and To see the eNl-
dences of the early struggle To ".rest
from the gravel the treasure which II
head. 1t Is remarkable that some OF
the work could have been done with
the crude appliances that We're 1T
hand There are bars where the
buulders are So coarse that every one
Of them must have been handled by
hand and by main strength OWING 10
the limited capacity Of the boxes. But
they were handled and the trail that
these miners left tells of long days of
ardunus toll and Jealous endedNor. On
and on they worked and just beneath
them, under the hard clay that was
their bedrock. MAS greater wealth than
the gravel which they. handled. Had
they but understood and had they gone
through to the rich dirt below. the
story of Windfall would have been
different.
Looking over the ground, however.
one cannot doubt the confidence which
is Ie!t in the result of the projected
operations by the men who are planning
the renaissance Of WindfaIL Z Every
thing is there that you have ever
heard of as one of the requisites of
successful placer ground From rim
rock to river conditions are right.
seemingly, and It looks as if the new
operation of Windfal would add To
the wealth uf western Montana iu nu
small extent one Of the experts who
have examined the ground during the
past few months is Frank ID. Brown
Of Phi!ipsburg, who has had as Wide.
an experience in placer ground as any
man in the state Mr.. Brown made Il
detailed and exhaustive report at his
investigation \ part of il. which il
hot purely technical. is interestins,and