The Ronan pioneer., 1917-06-15
AXE HOOVER, 1.-THE LUCKY B@Y' DISCOVERED MORE MINES
THAN AMY OTHER IMAM I'M MOUNTAINS NEWER HAD DAYS

Country club, is old Jake Hoover,
who discovered NOR rich mines in
Montana than any other man. and
who was called the best hunter in
Montana in the old fur trapping aid
days.
At the age of 81 he is still hale,
hearty and active, and is considered
the best fisherman of the Seattle in
land lakes. He XII ws the fish of
those waters as he knew the wild ami
mails of Montana, their habits and
how best to capture them, and the
men of wealth in the city on the
Sound who are am, teur fishermen
know that a tip from Hoo 'er on fish
ing matters is piscatorial gospel.
Jake Hoover, is famous for several
things Back in the COS when Jake
came to Montana as boy of 16 from
his home in Iowa, he was known as
"the Lucky Boy" on account of his
"luck" in finding rich bars on the
gold creeks. AS matter of fact there
was no luck about it, for Jake had
it was his infalliable instinct for To-
which he happened to be a resident
in a fever of excitement over his fire.
quent discoveries of the yellow metal
in new and unexpected localities.
Founded Many Fortunes.
Jake was youngster and he was
unsophisticated. He could find gold
and always had supply of dust, but
he was just about as unfortunate in
holding possession of good property
as he was in discovering it. Men
more worldly-wise usually became in
terested with him in strike, and the
ending of each business alliance was
the same. The other man got the
property and Jake started forth in
search of new bonanza. In 1866
he discovered Tenderfoot bar, one of
the richest placer workings in the
Gold creek district, but he did not
profit much from the discovery. A
number of the men of western Mon
tana who founded great fortunes
made their first "stakes" from Jake's
discoveries, and it is said that w. A.
Clark, himself, bought for a trifling
sum, from Hoover. the first mining
property that was the foundation of
his wealth in mining.
In the early 70's Jake forsook the
gold camps and went over into the
then unexplored Judith Basin, where
he was one of the earliest of the
white hunters, trappers and prospect
ors. With Bill Buchanan and one or
two others he discovered gold on Yo-
go creek, and in 1879 when the stam-
pede to Yogo gulch came and hun
dreds of miners were scattered up
+ 1,o r1,1oh Vnpn and Hoo
yer cities, located only a few hundred
yards apart, were rivals in the claim
to the distinction of being called me-
tropolis of Yogo gulch. Hoover was
the first miners recorder in the
gulch.
How Jake Prospected.
Jake differed from most prospec-
tors in that geological formations had
no significance for him and he be-
lieved-and does today-that gold is
where you find it, and that, while
contacts and the presence of certain
rock formations point in general
way to the presence or absence OF
metals, there are so often unseen and
unexpected faults in formations that
are not visible on the surface that
wealth in mineral form may be
found almost anywhere.
Once Jake was talking with a pros
pector-one Rich-who had few
| claims staked out in the vicinity of
Pixies Peak gulch in the western
Montana gold fields, and who had
found a small quantity of gold in his
| workings, but who knew little about
prospecting. It was mid-winter and
Jake and Rich were Willing away an
evening in saloon in Deer Lodge
Rich knew of Hoover's "1uck" in
finding gold and he begged him to
20 to his claims with him and Offered
Jake a half interest in any strikes
they made. Jake finally consented
and proposed that they go to the
claims the following day and winter
in Rich's cabin, which had just beer
completed.
1--WE can't prospect now," Rich OBJ.
| jected, "and it's going be lone
some out there this kind of weather.
Jake laughed at him. The idea Of
a mountain man being lonesome un'
der any circumstances amused him
and anyway he was sick of the towr
and wanted to get out in the hills
again where he could hunt ana dreaH
about the gold that every gulch and
bottom. hidden under the snow
promised to yield when spring haC
barred the ground and the streams
could be used to aid the prospector
He insisted on a start the next morn
ing and Rich finally yielded.
A Strike in Cabin.
So the next night found them IL
Rich's cabin, with the snow three
feet deep around them in the gulch
Hoover went out and cut poles fol
his bunk and proceeded to put 1t to-
gether. In the dirt floor he excavat
| ed holes for the outer posts for the
bunk, and as he dug out the grave
TTITC HpEAT FAPMERS'