The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1916-10-26

It was in the summer of 1873 that
Butte may be said to have blossomed
forth as a copper camp, the shipment
of about a carload of copper ore py
former United States Senator VIM. A.
Clark from the Colusa mine being the
modest beginning OF the red metal
production of a camp which was des-
tined TO surprise the country win us
riches and to bloom into a mining me-
tropolis the greatest the world mas
known.
There was naught in the elements
TO buoy the spirits of the hardy MIN
ers and trail blazers paving the way
for civilization when the teams lett
the Butte camp laden with ore, start
ing on the long pull for Corinne, utah'
the nearest railroad point distance
of about 400 miles The departure OF
the teams seemed matter OF course
enough, as In those days 1t was heces-
sary TO haul in by team the produce
and the material required by the min
ers Yet in that fateful team art
fully hidden by the fates was lure
so golden, so fascinating, as TO cal
the railroads, and they came, ana
with them the people, and a city was
born. When the flight of the years is
spanned and the mists rolled away
with the years, 1t seems now almost
like the touch of Aladdin's lamp bring
ing about the wonderful change, for
the copper ore starting on its way
was to be followed by more shipments
which later meant the construction OF
smelters. vast works and the dawn of
new industrial era.
What the First Shipment Run.
That historic shipment of copper ore
was sent to the Baltimore Copper
works from Corinne. The freight on
1t was $43 ton. The ore carried
copper content of 2S per cent, with no
gold or silver of consequence. Cop
per in those days was selling for 20
cents per pound. In 1875 copper ore
was shipped in moderate quantities
from the Ramsdell, PARROT and Parks
PARROT and copper silver ores from
the Gagnon and Original and some
other mines These shipments were
largely increased in 1877.
Mr.. Clark first visited Butte in the
fall of 70, when there We're barely a
dozen persons in the camp, mostly
dwellers in cabins, and few COM
Portable houses that were built In the
prosperous days of placer mining,
Among the dozen pathlinders were
James Gilchrist, Wayne Barnard, John
Moves, Dave Upton, William Owsley
Chasteen Humphrey and his brother,
Dennis Leary and DR.. Ford, the post
master, with possibly few others
The setting of the Butte camp at that
time was the same outwardly as that
for scores of other mining camps that
have since died peaceful death In
forgetfulness and abandonment, but
the fates had decreed otherwise fol
Butte, and under the tilted horn OF
plenty the camp rested, with the god
dess of good fortune guarding its des-
tiny, as the following incident of the
GAYS when Butte was in the making
will show:
Discovery of Ore in Original.
The old Original mine was discov-
cred by William Allison and the Hum
phreys who, in 1866, sunk shaft to
a depth of 80 feet without finding ore
as 1t was not sunk on the vein, and
the property apparently was sur
rounded by the atmosphere which has
onveloped the sinking of scores of the
shallow, unsuccessful shafts, the re-
mains of which mark many parts NJ
the west, catacombs of misplaced
hopes.
Six years later w. A. Clark pur-
chased the Original from the Hum
phreys and sunk shaft opposite the
old inclined abandoned working OF
the discoveries of the property. He
however, sank shaft on the outcrop
of the ore and found a strong ore
shoot about feet wide rich in both
copper and silver, and at the depth OF
90 feet he found the bottom of the old
shaft only feet north of this body
of ore. This ore carried over 100
ounces of silver and % per cent cop
per. Had this ore body been found
at that time in all probability it would
have played a big part in affecting the
future of the little camp. The ore
was shipped to Black Hawk, Col. fol
treatment; later to Argo, Colo, wher
the Black Hawk plant was moved tC
the latter point.
Marcus Daily Attracted to Butte.
During the winter or early spring q
party of Mormons came to Butte ant
located the Late Acquisition and Late
Acquisition Spur mines, From thest
claims hundreds of tons of ore were
dug from the surface outcroppings
the rock running in value as high as
5000 per ton. This ore was shipped by
teams that had brought produce tC
the camp to Salt Lake for treatmen
and came under the observation Of
Marcus Daily, then in the employ Of
Walker Bros. of Salt Lake, and under
their direction he came to Butte in the
early spring of 1876, stopping at the
Centennial hotel which long age