Glacier County chief., 1940-01-26
By JEAN MOORE

After inspecting very many kinds
of diggings, situated in various To-
calitieS, I must award the palm for
solid richness and vast extent to
the wonderful placer called, Gar.
penters bar" About two miles east
of Blackfo0t there is rolling
prairie which extends nearly IL
miles in length, and varies in
breadth from a mile to five miles.
The prairie may be compared 10
a shallow basin, the rim of which
was formed by the mountains and
high hills which enclose II: Inc
part now worked is Carpenters bar
-proper-but satisfied mysef
the whole of the ground is auri-
ferous-to a paying extent-up 70
the very timber on the slopes OF
the mountains. The want OF water
is the main obstacle; at preseht
there is a small supply. BY next
spring the ditch company Will
bring in a large aqueduct, and the
Little BlackfoOt will eventually be
turned SO as to meet the ditch,
and afford hydraulic resources OF
immense extent.
AS the rolling ground is often very
much elevated it seems dltllcult at
first sight to account for the presence
of gold spread over a surface of more
than 20 square miles. There Is belt
of leads on the north side, in the
auriferouS range, running 10 snow
shoe, and it is from these, NANNY,
that the gold has been deposited; The
task before the miners Is simply 70
wash away the surface of a country
that would tire your special to walk
over, worse than reading 100 pages OF
the whole Duty of Woman to
Dorcas society of aged splnsterS. JUST
suppose yourself on a prairie running
down in undulating swells toward a
creek On the grass is laid a string
of sluices, and right alongside they
commence digging, shaking out the
grass and shoveling into the Slulces.
The bedrock appears to be from 1eet
6 inches TO feet from the surface
and the pay is to be found anywhere
through the dirt. One remarkably re-
ticent individual was engaged. IN lhe
pleasing occupation of cleaning up
and. with every disadvantage OF wealth
err, insufficient water, and short days
he was taking out from Sl5 10 S2O 10
the hand. In summer time he mad real
lied three ounces per man lor eaCIl
days washing. 1t was easy TO see tAaL
the washing was incomplete, oW!lB "
the cold and the small head O! water
He had scrubbed down three lengths
and he had gathered a pile OF anal.
gam about the size OF dairy roll OF
fresh butter. The quality OF the goia
is magnificent. 1t is difficult TO OBTAIN
any information from any u VIZ
miners. If you ask them questions
they seem afraid OF unwilling to give
you any information, and look as II
they suspect you of being CLAIM
Jumper or a disciple OF the N: r
iangford School OF AlchemlstS. Inc
Phil Sheridan is one OF the most
promising OF the belt leads. that has
apparently supplied the gold in the
bar.
Snowshoe and Deadwood gulches run
from the base to the summit OF the
mountains, and a belt OF aurlferous
leads connects them with the town OF
Blackfoot. The monster nugget. worth
over $4,000, was found accidentally. A
party commenced digging a prospect
hole on the tableland eight feet square
or thereabouts and dug right down
to the nugget. There is rich lode III
this vicinity. The men who llrSt as
covered Snowshoe and rs head or
continuation-Deadw driven
out by the snow. There Is rlcn pros
pect in this section. The gold OF all
the western diggings is very coarse al
the uppcr part of these gulcheS ana
pets finer as you reach the mouth.
The laws of gravity explain this and
show that the feeder is TO be found
in the high mountains at the head
of the ravine. Nuggets are as common
as dust at BlackfOCt. l have seen sew.
eral feet of buckSkin purses all 1uli
of them. I noticed a mine" tossing ana
catching a big nugget worth Sl.88O
taken from No. II, above Fences dis
covery, in Ophir gulch. 1t made very
nice handball.
Blackfoot cannot be called one