Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1940-01-06

examined as often by mining en-
giueers since 1898 as the Gold Lode
Mine of Trout Greek, Sanders
County. Montana. Had the rugged
terrain in which the mine IS locat-
cd been as easily subdued in earlier
davs of mining as it is today with
the bulldozer. this mine would by
no means still be in dts infancy
When Percy Goodwin, president
of the Gold Lode Mines, lncp un-
dertook the development work last
summer. he quickly solved the
transportation problem with a cat
erpillar" tractor and LeTOurneau
bulldozer.
The Gold Lode Mine is located
about miles from Trout Greek,
Mont. lust off the VermilliOn River
Road or the State Route No. 20,
which with Route near Libbey.
This road is passable by heavy We
hicles practically all year, and is
maintained by the Forest Service
The mine property comprises zoo
acres, eight claims and a millsite,
unpatented, and two patented claims
under lease It is held and being
operated by the Gold Lode Mines
Inc. Of Troy. Mont. which COM
pany includes Percy Goodwin, presi-
dent and mine manager, and J. B.
Farris, secretary, who were active
in the development of the Keystone
Mine at Libbey
When the ghost town of Vermil-
lion was swarming with placer MN
ers. back in the eos. the Gold Lode
Mine was first opened up. Such
mining engineers as w. w. Wishon
and e. F. Cameron were well salts
fled with the possibilities of this
mine when they examined 1t in 1898
and 1900, respectively. In those
days, it was a long trek through the
brush to a road and a ferry ride
across the Clarks Fork to the North !
ern Pacific. This made transporta- !
ton the deciding factor in the life /
OF the mine. Mining engineers |
have encouraged the present oper- /
ators to proceed with preparations |
for extensive exploitation.
The property has been developed |
by a 2OO-ft. adit drift in which there |
are still few hundred tons of ore
stopped by earlier operators. A 26- |
TT. inclined shaft has exposed the |
vein 200 it, up the mountain from |
the main adit. Progress is being |
made with the driving Of winze
to this level for ventilation Other
shallow shafts, open pits and tren-
ches expose the vein for more than
a mile on either side of the work
ings, which give, according to as
says, promise Of a reasonable re-
serve of equally valuable ore as
found in the main adit At level
800 #, below the adit, the lead was /
picked up again when the bulldozer
put a road through the side-hin.
The physical character OF the prop I
erty and vicinity will make future
prospecting with the bulldozer feas-
ible and economical.
While mucking of the stopped ore
is in progress, the mine is being
prepared for the shrinkage stopping
method of exploitation. Slopes are
being opened by short raises with
pillars at 30-ft, intervals
with block-holing chutes built into
the raises. For the most part, the
hanging wall is hard and stands
we'll, requiring only a causual pillar
for support, with the exception OF
spots where minor movements have
caused weakness and a stull is used.
The width of the stope averages a
IT., the same as the vein, and with
little variation from As dip gives
ample room for efficient mining.
Little or no waste is handled, and
the dip of the footwall is sufficient
ly steep for the ore to run into the
loading chutes The ore is dumped
into a bin at the portal, where it is
loaded onto the truck and taken
over the recently built road IA
miles to the mill.
The ore occurs as a well oxidized
quartz fissure vein. striking diagon-
ally across the joint system of the
syeniteporphry country rock, and
has dip of AS. The gold occurs
in the vein both free and dissem-
mated in associated sulphides, in