The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1917-11-01
The Story of Last Chance Gulch, the
Site of the City of Helena, Montana


The city of Helena and the minin
,ndustry In its vicinity sprang iron
tho discovery of dirt rich j. in place
cold in Last Chance gulch in the sum
,,,or of 1864 and mining has been con
,inuonsly pursued since that time al
enough the first placer claims ar,
s,nnosed to have been worked out arC
many of them are now covered b!
the buildings of thriving city. Blu
what was the location OF the discov.
erv? Ask dozen real old-timers ant
YOU may be told of as many as half 6
dozen different places as the site OF
the discovery, and one may be hall
mile from another
None of the discoveries are alive
and few, If any, of the first locators
of claims In the ,gulch reside in Hell
ena One leading citizen who has
lived here since January, 1865, says
the location of the discovery claim
was not matter of much interest in
the early days to those who mined in
the gulch or were engaged in bust
ness in the camps, and during the
more than half century that has
passed many memories have become
vague. The aspect of the land has
changed to such an extent as to make
Identification of a particular spot diff
: ficult. Trees have been cut away
hills have been sluiced down, streets
have been excavated in some places
and filled in in others, and placer
claims once well known have been
covered by buildings.
No like uncertainty exists as to the
place of the discovery Of gold in Ad-
Ter gulch, which is marked by mon
ument that was recently erected; and
before the old-timers all go, it is
fitting that the prevailing doubt as
to the place where the discovery was
made in Last Chance gulch should be
cleared up SO that if it shall be mark
ed the right place will be selected.
DISCOVERIES.
Some old newspapers and histories
of Montana throw some light on the
subject. The party of discoveries
consisted of John S. Cowan, John
Crab, d. J. Miller, Americans, and
Reginald Stanley, an Englishman
Mr.. Stanley returned to England, and
many years after he left Montana
wrote long account of the discov-
cry Of Last Chance gulch and of the
adventures of the party before they
found pay dirt. The story of Mr.
Stanley was published December %,
1882 in the long defunct Helena Her.
aid, and from it the facts given below
have been compiled.
1t was in the spring of 1864, writes
Stanley, that the Kootenai stampede |
from Adler gulch took place, and |
among those who started for the new
Eldorado were four miners-Cowan,
Crab, Miller and Stanley At the |
time the narrative begins they were
encamped in one of the valleys of |
Hellgate river, on the Kootenai trail. |
That day they had met Jim Coleman
and party, who were returning to Adj
Ter gulch with the news that "the !
Kootenai was played out"
This information broke up the plan |
of Cowan's party and they, abandoned |
their purpose of going to the Kootenai
country. Still the idea of returning |
to Adler gulch with empty hands, |
while possessing three months sub
ply of flour and bacon was not en-
tertained by them; and the advice of
one of the party, who had crossed |
the range with Captain Fisk's party
the previous summer to try on the |
Little Blackfoot, where small guam
titles Of gold had been found, and
failing there to cross the range and
prospect the gulches on the eastern
slope running toward the Missouri
river was readily accepted They |
came eastward up the Hellgate river,
being accompanied by man named
Moore, who left them at Silver before
the discovery was made in Last
Chance gulch; prospected without sue
cess in the Little Blackfoot country;
climbed to the head Of that stream,
and after many hardships and strug-
giles. came to the crest of the contin-
entail divide.
The Quest For Gold.
Before their gaze spread out
beautiful valley with the Missouri
river visible in the distance. They
found and followed a game trail and
descended along Seven Mile creek,
which they prospeeted without favor
able results Then they went into
Prickly Pear valley, and turning to
the right, camped for dinner on the
banks of Last Chance creek. Din
ner over" says Stanley's narrative,
the travellers reclined under the
shade of some small trees and dis
cussed the situation with the result
that they decided that they would
take their course northward along the
range and prospect the gulch, at the
mouth Of which they were encamped,
on their return, IL nothing better
turned up in the mountains.
However, before saddling up, two
OF the party strolled to the creek, just
ID try superficial pan of dirt.
scratching hole to the rim rock OF