The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1938-01-14
"A n ORE than so years ago l began
my prospecting rambles amidst
" Montana'S Rockies. Thus l

Y lI1ok AA&kk L JAIN DAs
l had a lot of fun. During peri
Odic vacations and nearly every holiday
I prOwled here and there looking for
a fortune on top of the ground. l never
learned largely to use pick, shovel. drill
and dynamite. 1 have never known an
assayer who could do that, nor have
I ever known a sourdough ~prospector.
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 n
assaying ana kindred subjects. But be-
fore that l had been dreaming OF find
ing a rich mine. One of my classmates,
Will O'Neill. 0 appearing as DR.. w.
H. ONclll, 1925 South Bonnie Brae.
Los Angeles, joined lie in many OF my
early prospecting rambles. We were
both greatly interested in stories OF
Springer's lost mine supposedly Sltu-
ated Somewhere up Cottonwood creek
which flows westward from the Dog
creek hills through Deer Lodge to join
Deer Lodge river.
Wills father, John O'Neill, was a
prosperous pioneer hardware man OF
Deer Lodge. Though OutWardly grutf,
he was inWardly a kindly soul, During
summer holidays he allowed Will and
light wagon. Thus, with lunches in
pockets and high expectations under
our hats, we went often looking for
Springer'S lost NINE. We didn't find
it, and I believe that no one else has
found it; that IS, no one except
Springer.
It was during the los that Springer,
a ragged down-and-out old prospector,
showed Sam Scott. a pioneer hotel
keeper of Deer Lodge. a lot of very rich
free gold specimens. Scott had been
grubstaking the old fellow. Springer
claimed that he found the ore not far
up Bagg's creek. the north fork OF
Cottonwood creek. about six or seven
miles east of town. Without as vet hay
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. II so, those tools
have long since lost their usefulness.
Search for Miue
During u periodic golngS ana COM
ings Will and I 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
Springer'S lost mine. Fer 10 urnner
after Springer died. proSpectors dug
holes in them cussed hills lookin' fer
Springer's pick an shovel. None Nv EN-
never found EN-. What chance we YOU
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 Junl-
pers? They's a little ore in that hole.
Go up and look at it."
With the first opportunity Will and
I drove up the bench and investigated
that ancient prospect hole which wasn't
much deeper or bigger than a 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.
Will, 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 I made my
home. During one of my visits to Deer
Lodge, DR.. j.. H. Owings, a pioneer
physician of the town. asked me what
1 would take for my third interest in
the Argus, the name we had given that
picayune claim. I asked him to make
me an offer:
Ten dollars" he replied.
Its a DEAL" 7 answered. And I 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