The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1923-05-04


: amount of precious metal which TIL
, camp produced former United State
;, Senator w. A. Clark, in an addres
delivered at the Centennial expos
S ton, October IL, 1876, said:
/ ''In the fall of 1856 a four-mul
team hauled to Benton for trans
portation down the river two an
one-half tons of gold worth $1,000
I 600, nearly all of which was take
: out at Montana bar and vicinity nea
!, Confederate gulch."
The Montana Post, published a
Virginia City, by D. w. Tilton & Co
in it's issue of June 16, 1865, car
ried the following item:
~. Despeck, who has just com
over from Helena, informs us tina
$4,000 was washed from the CLAIM
of John & Metcalf on Montana bal
in seven days, and that he saw $4,000
carried away in a bucket from Smith
& Burchett's claim after a run Of
Ito hours"
In its issue of June s, 1867, after
a visit by one of it's editors to Con
federate gulch, the Montana Pos
carried the following descriptive
1
Little was known of the rich de-
posts of gold in gulches and bars
east of Last Chance across the Mis-
souri, river, less of the many small
streams heading in spur of the
Belt range and mingling their waters
with the Father of Streams until the
winter of '64 when Jack Thompson
and party struck what was by him
Iinstinctively but appropriately, un-
der the fallacious impression of the
eventual success of the Confederate
States of America, named Confed-
crate gulch.
"Of Confederate gulch nothing
was known, beyond some fair pros
poets in the gulch, of the rich and
extensive bar and placer mines but
a short distance above. This camp
was then styled Bakers district.
Early in '65 party from Virginia,
composed of Germans, found rich
pay further up Conferedate in the
gulch channel, where now may be
seen their first works, pumps and
waterwheel, at the lower end of the
present Diamond City. Little time
elapsed ere these sturdy Saxons ey-
plored the vicinity of their district
and were rewarded by the discovery
of Montana and Cement gulches, both
of which, through deep and necessary
drifting, have paid very rich.
From that time on the tide of
gold seekers flowed into this camp
rapidly and numerous bars we're
found which promised to pay if water
could be brought to sufficient ele-
walton to admit of hydraulic works.
The great fall in the upper part of
the gulch admitted of a ditch being
brought on the north side of the
mountains, and when, in July '66, the
German discovery party discovered
the well known Montana bar, a new
era in mining commenced in and
about Diamond City.
Montana bar contained but seven
claims, each 200 by $50 feet, from
which in the short space of three
months after discovery, over 1,000,-
COO in dust was taken.
Nov, nothing but the bare Clearly
scraped, rough slate bedrock marks
the spot where in short time a few
fortunate miners made their pile.
Some of these lucky ones, satisfied
with a few hundred thousand in gold,
left the territory to enjoy the fruits
of the venturesome spirits in their
old homes. Among others Messrs.
Lindemann, Spiegel and McGregor
are still here, laboring to develop the
country and thereby benefit them
selves. The gentlemen named, in
company with Mr.. Metcalf, are
known as the Boulder Ditch COM
pany, and deserve the credit for in
augurating the perfect system for
water to the camp, on the highest
bars
Boulder ditch, four and half
miles long from its source to Dia-
mond bar, is five feet wide by two
and a half deep, capable of accommo-
dating 1000 inches (miners' meas
ure). To save several miles of ditch
ing, an iron pipe % inches in diam
eter, will conduct the water from one
hill to the opposite one, 400 feet
high. This monster pipe is expected
soon and will supply the highest
points near Diamond City with clear
water.
1.-TWO other bitches have been sur
Veyed and one, seven miles long,
from Duck creek, east of Diamond,
mas been commenced. The other, rs
niles long, will take its water from
Deep creek, large tributary of the
Missouri. The principal modus oper-
andi on the numerous bars is hydrau-
les. On Diamond bar, directly above
Ind north of the city, fourteen 2 IL
nch nozzles eject stream of water
lay and night, washing the immense {
,anks of loan away from the rich
Jay by the acre. Six pipes play on
,laughterhouse bar, quarter OF
nile below town, one on Woods bar,
md as soon as the Duck creek often
S completed the Boulder bars Will
re piped.
Gin Cement gulch Mr.. Spiegel has
rected one hydraulic which works I
With flattering prospects. The great
epth of the gulch has hitherto pre- a
ented active operations on small t
Gale. King & Gillette have now t
ed rock flume 1900 feet long, com 4
lencing half mile below town, t
hitch soon will reach the bed rock, I
L L