Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1938-01-15
Prospecting Experiences
BY THE LATE JAMES EDWIN

"a W INV PROSPECTING rambles amidst
AI# Monlana's Rockies. Thus
spent more than gained, but
had a lot of fun. During perl
adic vacations and nearly every holiday
I prowIed here and there looking foz
q fortune ON top Of the ground. nevSI
learned largely 20 use pick, shovel 0rAt
and dynamite. / have never known an
assaver who could do that, nor have
/ ever known a sOurdOugh prospecsor
an efficient digger, who could make an
assay, Strange defectiOns!
In the old long -defunct Presbyterian
college Of Deer Lodge, as a boy IN my
late teens, I studied chemistry and
assaying and kindred subjects. But pc
fore that I had been dreaming OF find
ing a rich mine. One of my classmates,
viii O;Neill. now appearing as DR.. w.
II ONeill, 1926 South Bonnie Brae,
Los Angeles, Joined me in many Of my
early prospecting rambleS. We were
both greatly interested in stories OF
Sprineer's lost mine supposedly stu
afed Somewhere up Cottonwood creek
which flows westward from the Dog
creek hills through Deer Lodge TO JON
Deer Lodge river.
Wills father, John ONein, was q
prosperous pioneer hardware man OF
Deer Lodge. Though OutWardly gruff,
he was inWardly kindly soul. During
summer holidays he allowed VIII and
me to use his white delivery horse and
light wagon. Thus, with lunches in
pockets and high expectations under
our hats. we went often looking Tor
Sprfnger'S lost mine. We didn't 1ind
it, and I believe that no one else has
found it; that is, no one except
Springer.
1t was during the 7O'S that Springer,
or,d MD f1rOgnnrfnT
showed Sam Scott, a pioneer hotel
keeper of Deer Lodge, a lot Of very rich
free gold specimens. Scott had been
eyr71hsfaking the old fellow. Springer
claimed that he found the ore not Tar
IN Bags creek, the north fork OF
Cottonwood creek, about SIX or seven
miles east of town. Without as yet nav
ing disclosed the exact location OF his
rich find Springer died OF heart failure
or Something Of the kind. Supposedly
he left an old pick and shovel IN his
Shallow discovery hole. If so, those tools
have long since lost their usefulness.
Search for Mine
During our periodic goings and COM
ings viii and got acquainted with an
Old rancher who had squatted on the
creek bottom not far below the valley
end of Cottonwood canyon. He made
friendly fun of us for trying to find
Spriuger's lost mine. Fer 10 summers
after Springer died. prospectors dug
holes in them cuSsed hills lookin fer
Springer's pick an shovel. None Nv EN-
kids got, huh? If va got T prospect 1
can show you where t. dig. Look up
wander near tn top Nv tn bench. See
that little hole cloSt t. them two tuni-
pers? They's a little ore in that hole.
Go up and look at II"
With the first opportunity VIII and
I drove I'D the bench and investigated
that ancient prospect hole which wasnt
much deeper or bigger than washtub.
In that hole we found a narrow stringer
of decompoSed greeniSh-yellOw quartz
In the college laboratory we found this
TO be largely weathered, fairly rich, ar
geniferous, arSenical lead
VIII, his cousin, Jim MCMILLAN, and
I located that ground and spent several
holidays feebly digging around in the
hole. Shortly thereafter I moved to
Helena where for 10 years made my
home. During one of my visits TO Deer
Lodge. DR.. J. H Owings, a pioneer
physician Of the town, asked me what
/ would take for my third interest In
the Argzls, the name we had given that
picayune claim. asked him TO make
me an offer:
''Ten dollars he replied
TITS a deal" I answered. And was
the only one to gain a profit out OF
the Argus
Market Placer Gold
During the old days, COS and 70's,
much placer gold was marketed in Deer
Lodge. Chiefly in the buying Of dust
at a good profit, Donald, Clark g. Lara
bic. pioneer bankers Of the town, be-
gan to get rich. At length the firm was
split: W. A. Clark went to Butte and
Organized the banking establishment
known as w. A. Clark & Bros. The
Deer Lodge establishment became
known as Larabie Bros. Donald, whom
I never knew, seems to have departed.
Clark,s vast success in the mining game
is well known. Larabie Bros. prospered
until S. E. Larabie died. Soon there
after. within a few years, the Laraple
bank closed. There is a singular CIR
cumstance in connection with that
I ,arabie family: S. E. spelled his name
as here given, but his brother partner,
who never seemed active in the BUS
iness, spelled his name Larrabee. l did
q little prospecting in the Larabie bank.
I asked for job, but didn't strike pay