The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1917-11-01

- 'iS itlildlllutF OF the sfng'
6 can be best told in Stanley's ow,
n words.
T Their Last Chance.
: Their daily remark" he writes
was, That little gulch on the Prick
~ Fear Is our last chance; if we dom
{ md pay there We streak II straiph,
Tor camp And so it became known
as Last Chance before the discover,
WAS made. They reached the spot
again one afternoon, on or about the
10th of July, and made their camn y
snort distance up the gulch, near tc
"here the First National bank was
punt IN 1866. That evening they put
TWO good holes down to the bedrock
one on each side of the creek. When
the rock was reached the hole on the
north side was found to prospect we'll
several flat pieces of gold that
would weigh quite half a dollar wore
taken out; there was no mistake about
1.-THE little nuggets fell into the
ringing pan with music particularly
thelr own, sound grateful to the
cars Vi our TOUR wanderers The
gravel prospected to the top of the
ground and they We're experienced
enough to know that at last Dame
Fortune had kindly smiled upon them.
Long into the night they sat around
the IRE, too pleased to turn in With
IN each bosom had bloomed the hope
OF making the homestake and seeing
friends and kindred once again; and
when they slept it was to dream of
civilization and of enjoying good
square meal"
July 20, 1854, a meeting of miners
o. Last Chance gulch was held and
the Rattlesnake mining district Gre
ated. 1t extended three miles up to
the mouth of the Canyon creek, from
summit to summit. 1t was resolved
that each of the discovery party hold.
in addition to 200 feet by pre- emption,
100 feet for discovery claim.
The News Spread
News of the discovery of pay dirt
in Last Chance gulch spread rapidly
through the other placer camps of
Montana, to Idaho, Washington and
Utah and throughout the United
States. Knowledge of it penetrated
to Europe and Australia. 1t was the
nf
seekers to the new diggings soon be-
gan. First to hear of the event were
the placer miners of the nearby camps
of Silver and Montana City, where
the ground was not as rich as in the
newly discovered gulch. From Vir-
ginia City, where those who arrived
after the first rush, found the ground
all located. and from another placer
camp in the mountain region of the
territory gold seekers came in large
numbers.
Attracted Motley Horde.
The lonely prospector in the hills
heard the news, abandoned his quest
for the time, and set out for the new
EldoradO. Business and professional
men, some of whom still reside here,
came to Helena to serve the large
population that was attracted to the
camps and to take advantage of the
opportunities it offered. Persons of
the sporting element We're also among
the arrivals during the first year, and
some men with little regard for law
and order, and specimens also of the
camps where gold was plentiful and
free spending the habit; but the hard
working, law-abiding men were always
in majority.
The gulch was soon peopled From
within and without Montana, from
the eager gold seekers, many of whom
coming too late to get claims in Last
Chance gulch spread out in all direc-
lions in search of the precious metal.
Although the most productive, Last
Chance was but one of the many
placer grounds that were found as a
result of Cowan's discovery. Griggly,
Orc Elmo and Dry gulehes, close by,
quickly became scenes of great min
ing activity and yielded much golden
treasure. Nelson gulch was discov-
cred on Christmas day, 1864 Within
year or two the placers being worked
near Helena had grown to large
number. Among them were the
placers of Tucker, Big Indian, Holmes,
Cave, Blue Cloud, Independence,
Greenhorn, Sicily. Jeff Davis st.
Louis, Trinity, Scratch Gravel. Mont
tor Vaughan, Gould, the Travis dig
gings up Ten Nils creek, Canyon
creek and French bar.
An article in the Independent of
November 8, 1907 says:
Big Nuggets Common.
1.-THE four original discoveries took
out of their five claims nearly $500,
600 on each, the richest of 1t being
not far from where the corner OF
Clore and Wall streets now is. And
IL ere was another wonderfully rich
portion, piece of ground 200 feet
square near where the Great Nor
them depot now stands that yielded its
owners. Taylor and Thompson, $780,
OC0." The yield of gold from the
placers of Last Chance this article
eavs was SOC. 900. 900,