Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1936-01-18


silver Bow county, transcribed from
those Of Deer Lodge county, the first
mining location in Silver Bow county
was the Missoula lode. It was 0iscov-
cred, the record reads, July IL, 1854, by
@aThe Missoula Mining Co."
In the early days Of this mining dis
krict, It appears no one could claim
more than 200 feet on q location. The
Missoalla lode shows that % men took
I'D locations-1O east and 10 west of
the point of discovery and Tut and
Donneu and A. G. Effort claims Nos.
I and 2 west of the discovery point.
Other locaters we're III. A. Hawley, q.
A. Humphries, William Allison, Thomas
81. SWope, Word and Brannon, w. II.
Postlewait II. H. Patterson and w. j.
Lawson on the east side, and J. M.
Burke, John Ryan, J. e. McClusy, J. b.
Robertson, Tom Lewis r. Hyperion,
J.. A. Aulershon, McPhee and Pope,
Cooney and Clark and John Mccain
mon on the west side Of the discovery.
Each Of these individuals or partner
RhipS had 200 feet of ground.
The second location to be recorded
was the Buffalo, on Aug. Is, 1854, by
HUMPHREYS and Allison. II. H. Porter,
Dennis Leary, George Newkirk and "a
others located. each Of them, 200 feet
CO the lode. The Pacific lode, another
HUMPHREYS and Allison location, was
made on Aug. 10 but 1t is the third
location on the records. Joseph Rams
DEL, H. II. Porter, Dennis Leary and
George Newkirk also appear as claim
ants to the usual 200 feet.
The fourth location was the Lead
lode. There were only four claimants
Humphries, Allison, Porter and Leary.
The Original lode was located by
Humphries and Allison Aug. 10, 1854,
nearly a month after the Missoula lode
had been discovered and filed upon,
the records show. HUMPHREYS and Al
hSon are the discoveries. There was a
total Of IS locaters on the lode. The
list includes Alex Scott, Leary, New
kirk, II. H. and T. G. Porter, Fl. Madi-
son and Arson Ford, Butte's first post
master. This is the first appearance Of
Ford's name on the official records
but it appears frequently later on. In
his day Ford enjoyed the reputation Of
being Butte's premier optin1ist. In the
midst of the great slump, when houses
were moving from Butte to Silver Bow,
Ford Stoutly declared that Butte has
not been scratched yet" and predicted
that the town would one day prove to
be the richest mining camp in the
Rockies" The Original lode-the first
ON which location work was done-by
some unknown prospector who used elk
horns as drills-waS the fifth claim to
be filed upon.
C. E. irvine bops up as a mining
man on the Lookout claim filed Sept. z,
1854, by HUMPHREYS and Allison. There
were only five locaters.
The Rainbow lode was located Oct.
is, 1864, by j. H. LeOffler and e. j.
Waters. There were 16 participants in
this location.
Then came the Black Chief, said to
have been originally located by Charles
Murphy, william Graham and Frank
Madison before HUMPHREYS and ALI
son came to the district" If so they
never filed their location. HUMPHREYS
and Allison located it, with ii others
on Oct. 18, 1854.
Up to Nov. IS, 1864, a location no
tice was a most simple paper. It mere
ly certified that on certain date GER
tain persons had discovered the lode
and that certain other persons were
claimants, with the discoveries, to 200
feet OF the lode-the limit for each To-
cater.
But on the date mentioned new
note made its appearance in location
papers. The discoverer claimed "all
dips, spurs and angles"-and laid the
foundations for present-day mining
suits, it is averred. The father Of the
dip spurs and angles" type Of loca-
ton was w. j. Lawson the discoverer
of the General Lee. Fifteen others
joined with him in taking up the
ground.
The Buffalo lode location was some
what unique. Every location had to be |
spaced off in 200-feet lengths and num- |
bered. The Buffalo lode location shows
no discoveries" no claimants for the |
first is umberS-3,00 900 feet. Beginning
with NO. is we have the names of Miles I
OBrien, Alex Ccott Henry Wenvii-the |
name is rather indistinct-E. p. Lewis |
and j. p. Brown. The claim was located
on NOV. 26, according to the filings /
and these five men-although no date
is given in the beginning of the in
gtrument, the usual place for stating
the location date. But this may have
been an extension on ground already
located Buffalo lode was the second
location in the district
The first location outside the i'm
mediate Butte district is the Amazon.
It is described as being located lone
and one-haf miles west of Big Butte"
and was probably the first location in
what came to be known as Burlington.