Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1941-11-15

Pioneer City now stands. Almost un-
aided, he sunk a shaft 80 feet deep
in the glacial detritus along the creek,
| getting a little gold all the way down.
He also washed some on the surface
at this point during this and the fol-
| lowing summer, but only made about
S150 a day, owing to the great dis
advantage under which he worked His
windlass and four little sluice boxes,
hewn out with an ak and now fast
falling to decay, may still be seen
where he worked. AlaSl Poor Tom
The writer lost sight Of him in 1856
or 1867 and often wonders If he fell
victim to the ignus fatui Of Occur
d'Alene, Peace river, Stickeen, Cassiar,
White Pine, Phoebe, Yellowstone, and
last but not least, the Black Hills,
and wherever he may be, may fortune
smile upon him with a broader grin
than fell to the lot of any Of the pio-
neers at Pioneer creek in I860-l862.
He usually preferred to be alone and
would spend days and weeks among
the mountains without other compan-
ions than his horses and trusty rifle;
yet he was not at all misanthropic.
First Placer Mining
In the fall of 1860 and spring of
1861 Anderson and James and pros
pected in the dry gulches putting into
Benetsee creek and found what we
considered good paying mines, but did
little toward working them that sea-
son for two reasons: First, they had
very few and imperfect tools and no
lumber until they could get 1t whip
sawed: and second, all of the party
except the writer went to Fort Benton
for the purpose of purchasing supplies
from the steamboats, expected up the
river that year. The one boat (the
Chippewa) that started UP was burned
near the mouth of Milk river, and
the summer was lost in waiting for
her. On this boat were William Ora
ham of Philipsburg and Frank L.
Worden Of Missoula. Early in the |
spring of 1852, Adams, Burr, Powell
and James and myself began to mine, |
having had lumber sawed by hand at
10 cents foot, and picks and shovels
packed up from Walla Walla, 425 miles |
distant, by Worden and Higgins train
of "cayuse" pack horses that brought
their goods to Hell Gate, and on the
eighth day Of May they set the first
string of sluices ever used in Montana
and began to mine by the old pick
and shovel process.
In 1861 James and had written to
our brother, Thomas who was IN Colo
RADIO territory, to come out here, as
we thought this was a better ana
richer country than that, which opin-
ion. by the way, we have seen no rea-
son to change and still adhere to.
showed the letters to many
friends Of his and the result was that
quite a number left there in the spring
Of 1862 for Deer Lodge. The first OF
these, a party of IL, arrived at Pioneer
about the 10th Of June, and among
them was John M. Bozeman, who was
murdered by the Indians on the yell
Lowstone in 1867, and after whom the
rlourishing town Of Bozeman in the
rSallatin valley is named. The party
found good prospects in branch OF
Benetsee creek or Gold creek as 1t
now began to be called, which branch
,ook the name Of Pixies Peak gulch
rom the fact of the discoveries being
rom Pixies Peak, as Colorado was
hen generally called. Other parties
also began to straggle in from Pixies
Peak and Utah, and about the 10Th
If June, Samuel T, Hauser, Frank
Jouthan, and a man named Alt ar
lived, being the advance guard Of a
number who came up on the steamer
from st. Louis, and who were on their
way to Florence, in the Salmon river
mines, not having heard Of the dis
,overies of Gold creek, where, however,
many of them stopped and are now
among our most respected citizens.
Early Day Prices
Speaking Of Florence City brings to
mind an interesting relic of early days
n that rich and nearly inaccessible
mining camp Of a bill Of goods bought
here In the spring Of 1852 by a miner
Who afterwards came to Bannack City,
md from whom the writer procured it
s worthy Of preservation. Here 1t is:
90 lbs. beans at $125. ...... $125OO
90 lbs. flour at s1.O0. ... 10000
IL lbs. coffee at S125. 1875
90 lbs. beef at 25c.... 1900
9 lbs. beans .......... $50
3 sacks salt at "a g lbs.
Qarnl 1000