Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1940-07-06
Four Prospectors at Helena
Still Planning Last Chance

The ceaSeless hunt for gold which
has gone on IN Last Chance aIlIci
since 1864 Is still in progress and men
still toll for the yellow metal IN the
rocks and silt and sand where decades
ago the Cinnamon worked silently and
profitably, writes Del Lesson In his
Helena Independent column, 1.-The
ProSpector"
You will notice someday as you drive
around town three or four little shacks
In the willows near the Great North
ern railroad tracks and below the state
liquor warehouse. Look closely and
don't be misled that you're looking at
shacks erected by knights Of the road
holed up in the jungleS. In these
Shacks live men who can and do still
pan meager living from the earth.
We were talking yesterday TO Frank
Murphy, a veteran proSpector who has
seen much Of the Seamy side of life
in the gold camps and who now resides
comfortably IN a little shack directly
below Eddy Gallivan'S new drive-in
cafe. What he and his three compan-
ions are getting down there in the line
of gold Is strictly their business. Frank
says he's making a living. Beyond that
no man has the right to ask questions
of another man. But Frank Murphys
got quite a layout down there and
while the rest Of us toll on hot pave
mentS and in hot offices he can sleep
in the shade Of the willows where it's
cool, and take things pretty easy. It's
q great life.
Frank tells lis that he and his cronies
work only during the mornings when
the storm sewer which is their sole
source OF water supply for panning IS
running full During the rest Of the
day the water is low and there's not
enough to make it worth while. They've
got a tight little "city" organization of
their nun anH fha h0Uc rynN drift In
from the freights are given notice to
leave in hurry. Frank says he doesn't !
want q lot of noise and carOuStng (
around down IN that little town OF .
theirs. "Of course" Frank says with (
a smile, Everybody else thinks we're I
so. Nobodys going to bother us so
much"
There's a remarkably good system of
fumes erected around the digg1n'S-
-Everything's right plumb" Frank says
and the work Of coax1ng gold out
Of the sands has been reduced to
minimum. Mimi amt hard work If
you know how to do it," the boys say, /;
1but 1t can be awful tough If you
don't" Some Of the boys from Carroll
college are finding that out, Frank
Murphy says Now and then the fever (
to pick up a little gold burns in the {
veins of the college boys and they make |
2
pals and frying pans. and whatever |
else they think might be of use in I
panning Amt none of them boys ever !
seen real gold pan, I guess" Frank {
remarks, land it don't seem like they !
come down but us fellows try to show |
EN- what we can about 1t" I
Frank is a born proSpector He hit
in 1888 and has been batting (
around hither and yon ever since. even I
Up to Nome in the gold rush days. He I
made good money up there in one I
way at least. He used to carry trunks
across the Nome bridge in the boom [
lays when a fellow who wanted to get d
lis trunk across real bad thought Moth I
ng Of paying from $40 to $40 for the S
service. Seems like everybody had a
money then" Frank says Trouble Is
1ow we live so fast we live plumb away I
rom what we can earn" +
Which is, perhaps, a def obServa- s
ton. But aside from the philosophy 1t ! +
seems strange to think that within n
he limits of modern town and only d
} few hundred yards from where q
huge dredge further down in the val y
ey bites endleSSly away into the earth
,hree or four men should be living
lot much differently than they would
lave lived in 1854. A visit down there
lives you some idea of what this old \