Year: 1868

| prospects,. I


The public mind always Graves after


news from the gold mines, and am sorry


to say, that so many people allow them


selves to be gulled by the fattering reports


constantly ahoat In no country are the


masses so gullable as in the gold mines,


and nowhere else is credulity I, put to the


test, and SO often deceived. xeception is


an old thing here, and peopss are used


to it. As [ have no interest to advance by


attempting to deceive, | will conine my


self as near to the truth as possible.


| Since the era when the immense wealth


of California became known to the civilized


world, and so large majority OF those who


sought that Ell Dorado became possessed


of stake in an almost incredibly short


space of time, many people have formed an


idea, that to obtain wealth, it is only nee
| essary to reach the gold mines. This idea,


viewed by one who has sought for wealth


in the gold mines, appears glaringly erron'


eous, and many writer's have attempted to


disabuse the public mind on that point
| That their endeavors have been futile, is
conclusive, from the fact that SO many


pilgrims arrive here annually from all


parts of the world, and the majority ofthem


strapped. Experience alone, will be able


to teach the all important lesson, that the
| life of the gold seeker is not a desirable
| one.


Life in the mountains is reality of


hard times, dangers, exposures, and pr-
vations; one half cannot be told. The man


who by luck, finds staeak and makes a
| quick return to his friends, with few
twenties to jingle can tell a fattering story
concerning his adventures but the man


who has worked hard ever since the flush


days of '49 for bare living, and that a
poor one, can tell different tale. | know
that in the states many people argue, that
because Mr. So & So made money, and en-


dured but few hardships, they can do like


wise, and any man with good sense and


will, ought to become rich. They come to
| the mountains, and then they find that


muscle is as necessary as brains, for there


is much dirt mixed with a little gold.


They find that the golden days of Calfor-
MIA are numbered with the things that
were, and now wealth is for the few while


poverty and labor are for the many.


No one will deny that the pioneer de-


serves a large recompense for the arduous


and perious task Of exploring the noun
| tains in search Of metaliferous wealth, yet
| few of those who are first to seek are most
| fortunate to find. 1t is not he who is
| most industrious or economical, or has the


best head or frmest muscle that is most sue
| cessful. Gold mining is a great lottery
scheme, wherein most of the tickets are
| blanks He who holds the lucky number


wins, but he who holds it not, loses his


investment. The chances against wealth
are many, as may be deduced from
the number Of poor men always to be
found in mining camps. Much wealth has


been taken from the placers of Montana,


and there is much yet to be taken there
from. Our local papers tell large stories


concerning what may be expected next
summer These stories are known by the
name of bIoaos. Most men who have good


prospects for another year, or are at pres


ent making money, let little be known


about their business, for they expect moth


ing to be made by having their affairs laid


open for public inspection. tits that class


of persons who have no paying interests,


who get puff from the papers to help


them to sell if they have anything to sell,


and if they have not, it may help them in


some way TO gull some hard working man,


who has not time or inclination to inspect


for himself. Our papers likewise speak


hatteringly of the agricultural advantages


of montana, and the future prospects of
| her quartz mines.


The mineral wealth Of Montana is an at
tested fact The immense bulk Of dust
| taken from her placers. and the gold and
| silver bricks from her quartz, tell what she
| has been OF the future. we can but


guess Much of the territory is unpros-


pected, and what quartz has been dis
covered is not yet developed. The mining
prospects in both branches at the present


time, do not look very promising. The
placer mines of this territory are scattered


over a large scope Of country. The richer
deposits-such as would pay for working,
| while wages and provisions were high
| are not generally found in contiguous To-


calities. Yet there are few places that gold


in small quantities can not be found
Year by year, the cost of mining decreases
and so fast the value of the mines increase.
At the present time, the prospect looks
| dark to one who has seen the flush days
of Montana We are apt to overlook the
| fact that every year, as the country gets
| Older everything gets cheaper, and conse-
| quently mines that at present will not pay
to work, will, in a few years become valu-
able There will not in all probability ev-
| er be the same amount of money taken out
| in the same length of time; but the dis


tribution among those employed will be


more equal Mines that have been in op-
Grafton a few years, and from which the
best have been culled, will never satisfy
those who have been among the first to


unearth that hidden wealth. The DISPOSE
ton and inclination of the mountaineer
becomes addicted to rowing, and he is never
| easy unless when upon the tramp. W h'ie
those who are not satisfied with small


things, are in search of larger ones, others


take hold. and little by little accumulate


wealth. The greatest drawback to the


mines in this country is the shortness OF
the working season. In some localities


the ground is deep, and the gold is depos-
tied near the bed rock In such cases the
cheapest method of working is by drifting,
and the winter season is the best The


water is not generally as high, and wages
| are at lower rate than in summer, when


other occupations employ so many men.


In general, the ground is so shallow, and
the gold SO scattering, that the easiest and
cheapest mode of working is to remove all
the bank. In gulches that have much
! grade, and on bars or hills where dump
can be obtained, they wash the whole
I bank through the sluices But in such