The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1920-01-15
MINES OF FERGUS
VERY PRODUCTIVE
COUNTY AT ONE TIME LED THE
STATE IN GOLD; FINE SAP
PHIRES ON THE YOGO
Aggregate Production of Gold Esti-
mated at $50, OOO,O 900; Production
of Sapphires in 1913 Was Valued
at $25O,OOO; War Stopped Indus
try temporarily.

gus county is that it is the bread
basket of Montana because of the
immense amount of wheat grown
: there annually. AS a matter Of
fact it ranks well up with the min
eraI producing counties of the state
and has q total in values, since
mining commenced there, of about
$25,OOO, 900 to its credit.
For several years Fergus count.
was the banner gold producing coun
ty of the state. The mines at Ken
dali, Maiden and Giltedge have pro
duced most of the gold. Gold wa
discovered in 1879 at Yogo in thu
Little Belt mountains, but no ricl
placers or quartz mines were discov
cred. Gold was discovered at Nader
in 1880. The mines at Kendall anC
Giltedge were not developed until {
decade or two later.
The gold of the North Moccasir
and Judith mountains occurs as g
replacement of limestone usually
along the contact between the lime
stone and sheets of porphyry. The
ore bodies are sometimes of irregu-
lar shape, but more often occur in
the form of lens shaped shoots of ore
that follow the dip of the limestone
and are of widely varying size. Ore
worth many thousand dollars per ton
has been mined in the Spotted Horse
and Cumberland mines at Maiden but
most of the ore is low grade and con-
taoins SIS to $40 per ton gold. The
high grade ore is shipped to a smelter
but the low grade is treated with cy-
anide solution that dissolves the gold
which is recovered by precipitation
on zinc shavings.
North Moccasin Rich
The North Moccasin mine of the
Barnes-King Development Co., at
Kendall, is the most important pro-
Queer in Fergus county. This COM
pany's splendid ore body has produc-
years. The old Barnes-King work
ings produced around $4,000, 600.
The Kendall mine commenced opera
tions about 20 years ago, and is now
owned by the Barnes-King company.
Apparently worked out in depth, it
has been worked with success in re-
cent years by lessees who are mining
the ore in an immense open cut. The
Kendall has produced over $4,000
900 in gold and before it's sale to the
Barnes-King paid over $1,500,000 in
dividends. The Barnes-King is ca
pitalized for $2,00O,000 and paid
100000 in dividends in 1918. A
large amount of prospecting has been
done in the North Moccasins and the
geological conditions are favorable
for the development of other paying
mines.
The Spotted Horse is the big mine
at Maiden. 1t has been operated at
intervals since 1880 and is developed
to a depth of 600 feet. 1t has pro-
duced about 100000 in gold, some
of which was from very high grade
ore. In recent years the mine was
leased, a syndicate mill was built and
mine at Maiden has produced
total of about $4,000, 600 since the
eighties. 1t has been operated by
in recent years. In 1916 the
mine, which adjoins the
Spotted Horse, was leased. A large
and very rich ore body was develop
from which $4,000 was recovered
IN a few weeks. The lessees contin-
led to produce much valuable ore in
1917 but later joined the army so
he mine was idle in 1918. Diff
in renewing the lease kept the
Horse idle in 1918 and the
Maginniss only operated for a short
ime.
The mines at Giltedge have pro-
luced about $4,000, 600 in gold and
he first cyanide mill in the United
states was opened at Giltedge. The
re was low grade but its extraction
vas usually profitable. This first
mill failed to always recover all the
,old and during 1918 a small cyan
de plant made money by retreating
ONE of the old tailings.
Finest Sapphires Produced Here
The worlds supply of sapphires
ONES from Yogo in Fergus county
nd their value exceeds that of all
Their precious stones mined in the
United States. The sapphires occur
disseminated crystals in a dixie of
rock that is about five miles
ong. Formerly two companies were
mining sapphires but both mines are
.ow worked by the New Mine Sap
hire Syndicate, n concern con-
by English capital. After
the sapphire bearing rock it
5 allowed to weather on wood floors.
he softened rock is then washed
through sluices and the sapphires,
'eing heavier than the dirt, collect
n the RIFLES, from which they are
altered and sent to a concentration
which separates them from other
worthless minerals. The sapphire
ike rock is allowed to decay on sew
raj successive floors and washed as
many times to insure all the sap
hires being recovered. The gem
apphires are sent to London, Ant
verp and Amsterdam to be cut into
ewels so that the war almost COM
letely curtailed production. In
.913 about a quarter of a million
worth of rough sapphires
vas produced. The small and i'm
'erfect sapphires are used for watch
ewels, meter bearings and phono-
,raph points. The Yogo sapphires
re an intense blue and are consider
ID the finest in the world.
Seeks $1,000 Damages
Grace Dahl of Kalispell has insti-
c,,s{ o~o,pcf C1ro,,01 pr1o 10