| Show A Prehistoric Mine I Valunblo AiohncoloKUiil DiHcnxotv Io 1 y Iwo Mou Ijtnti lio t piMorn InipliMiiuntH ol Kioiu On the icconJ of July a noted In heN I he-N II 8 dKpatclm a couple ol iimunlil I prospectors nude n discovery ulilch may protc of the Rreatnt 1 Importance 10 t the American atchaologUK l In tracing I the footprint uf the prclililonc races ol the northern continent The stony hoe ollutti olluW W D I Clark and Thomas J Ioward wliu luxe been prospecting In the lcmlty of llutle some time past discerned dis-cerned ulmt h I undoubtedly llie ancient uotUngs of a rich copper mnr 11 an exchange The I mine lice atuut fOlly miles southwMt ul Unite un the 0 south side of an Immeiifc peak known I ni I fecstr mountain In one uf the roughest putllont of the main range ol the rocky mountains tVtolte tollla > > ul I the nottli side ol fleeter creek tticam uf about 3000 Inches copptr lImb tool found and follouedup I the slecu hillside fur too leel until a mound evidently nn old ore dump was found Immediately above which was a deep depression in the hillside The depression or mouth ol the old workings at It proved to be was ten feet deep and about ten led told by fifteen feet long In the center of which was a scrub pine tree twenty live inches In diameter and evdcntly n hundred or more > tori old The depression was covered with sagebrush and other vegetation vege-tation and would never have bell IC cognlied as the work ol human hands were It not for the excavations which followed hiding I lint the iUirlt bloat which they were follow ing went boO tar lIner up the hill and discovering considerable con-siderable In the vicinity ul the uld dump an open cut woo stalled lit the bottom of the depression running Into the hill with the result that niter gotm about six feet under the surface a Urge dab of roik wasdiscovcred closing the entrance lo an ancient lurncl Kemuvuig Oboe slab nnd clearing away the debris ol gel the prutpeclois lound an opening five ami os loud feel liih by four feet whole aupiuri il on cither tide hy ntune pillars ami covereil by slabs uf stone the tunnel uas folluivtil twentythree feet Into bIte Mil and nbuut 10117 len under un-der the snrfjce until cave ul eaith and stone was rreounlenel vthicli Messrs Clark anil Howard uoiketlon for n day but were unable to remove and they cinie tu lliitc 10 secure tools and fjcill lies for lutlher Investigation Judging Irom Ihe sue of II the dump at I fll r flo the entrance Mr Clark Is I ol Ihe I opinion tint the tunnel extends at least I u 1 I further hobo tOot hill and a force I u 0 n I hive been sent Irom this cola hum lice purpose ot removing the accumulated dill and fully mveatiinllng tlio hoot The pillars hi Ihe tunnel are uxiS Inches t O feet hlkli and made h > placIng plac-Ing monea upon each other and I hedged II S > light vi llh smader stono no cement ui iooy kind I licmg I JIoI I bIuo pillars are tihceil three loot ipirt tooth reaching acioni lium pillar lo pillar Is I n stone slab six bob Ion twelve inches wide and ciuht mclita deep upon tlie top ol these arc liul other and smaller slabs ol stone reaching un tuthe next cross slab mid completely covering the top of the tunnel llie bottom ut Ihe tunnel U i huilcll tool as it the uic and dirt which was taken out had been dNggeil over probably in cowhides or by oilier 1IIIIIIIvu bomb Un the lonoleclIng rudo vI Ihe ooous000l yaignso I bordsno rouml VU 101e001t100l 1I1111ellUO 01001 tin I1lno wua probaLly abandolcJ noble lime bou hu olily OICIIIIII g uoacbuonno lIon IIIOIIIY ollhu IlnnellhlOUhoUI lv I ory clllde nod Ihere ore boo 1II0rk ol allY tools other than hammers or other blunt Insliumcnti N ecmcnl t being used small stones are inserted Into et cry opening until the whole is I as solid as can be nude The small stone or tryo are much battered and bear evidence uf laving been hammered a great deal The only Implements touml so far are tw o stone sliov el Inch bear ev Idencc ol having I been much used 1 hey tire 111 about I twelve Inches across the bioid pail or blade and have small I stone handles I eight inches hl long tu which I I n longer handle was evidently ftstetied Along each side of the tunnel and un the dump In Irunt ore uas found scattered scatter-ed In abundance althuugh no trace ul ahead a-head apniars upon the surface it having II vl libI evidently been covered by the accumulated accumu-lated dirt ol ages I he ore lound not native copper nor In I any tony obotoilar to that vlo rJel In the ancient excavations which have been brought l > lo light in the utlier parts of hI oortooo tnt III Is a lery hrlght pyrites of Iron and copper smell bog easily urool Is richo lIon ocry very 11 hhl Saf0110lma I fouoob r oood toruogiot I 10 Il000tO aIthiflg 101ilo trw count rUllcr Nu trI or other vlnco uf ho ur hore Ihe ones ue wok1 he 00 loom bcm brollhl to lIhl bout a COIIIIIle InlCiII ratios will lie made 1 he canon in which the ancient mine lien Is 1 very narrow and precipitous and can only I be reached on loot there not being loom Ion a wagon In lIon coooouo or even ruom enough lu build a wagon road The nearest place here human tellies could live and to here iindontjl < eilljthc prehistoric miners of FIercer I l creek had their I abodes II U the Illg Hole basin four miles dlstint where the famous IHg Hole battlefield U located and where nncril Gibbons give Ihe Neil 1 lounges Indians battle in the early daIs of Montana Numerous Implements Imple-ments of tlone ond Hint hive been picked up In that vlcinlt heretofore but were supposed to have belonged to some of tho Indian tribes which roamed Ihciu In early days and nupailliuhr attention uas paid 10 Iliem 1 he counlr rock where tin discovery was made Is lime and granite and the leid is what n known us a ° euntact ° vein I he tunnel wai evidently stalled un the lead and follows It into the hill All about lie granite boulders weighing hundred ul Ions and above rise clUb uf granite and limestone hundreds of feel In height IIICJlcr 1 mountain in whine towering shadow lies Ihe uiu ol 0 put and lorgottin race of men Is one nf the biclicst peaks the range of the Rockies and In hoary head roach Ing above the clouds is covered with perpetual nuw Thai t0 woiiisl were ever discovered was the merest chance and may lead tu I still greater discoveries m blue archeologlcil world Within the iast I few years considerable prospecting b has been done In 1 the l vicinity I eflhe Illg Hole basin ni tuttle vcrv promising protptcts have been discover eel ome ul them going phenomennll hlah In cor fur Mirtace showings The men ol old who worked the Itexr I mountain copper rnlnrs undoubted had seine etude method ul cxtiactlng the copper winch maybe discovered liter As an Inilanca of how easily Ihe ones In tint district may be limited A nunt her I uf tears ago an old prospector at 1 Divlelr near Iccser 1 mount nn erected a rough I stone furnace and snlelled a large anu nnt uf copper horn Oboe ores fn4 1 cr It1IC uhTcn he found with Scat ny nn > help I olherllian a fire i ol Uurelwuod About five ears ago an old pruspcrtor on soap gulch about Ihlly I milts northwest ol Ihe present discovery found a tunnel fifty let under ground > while working upon one uf hisquarti claims but us he was very uncommunicative but little at Icnllon was paid lo II and no one knuws anlhlng > ol It other than that the tunnel was uncovered As the ron < s border referred to has lived fnr thirty 11 cars upon the ground mentioned and no une else loin I ever done on L work up u < < 1 < II R most certain that the Hoiking discovered discover-ed by him were b people who MM d in Montana during times boo forgotten The discovery ul Messrs CUrk and Howard Ins crcjtedcunsidtrit > e uxrlic ment among mining and si lent h < men In this vlcinil ami Ihe recoil ul ihtlr research is nvt ailed w lib great Inlerest Only lwud < s work upon the ilisuneri was ilonc by them when Ihev Mole lo I > llutle and I had It recorded under I he I namcul the Calalfa Mr Clark and Mr I Howard anwill knuwn ami highly re Hpccteil In llutle having lived here hoe liliny ears anil enjoed man hunnrs at Ihe hand uf their fellow citiens lloth Kenlltmen were on the Legislative ticket in Sober How count last all and bulb one men whose honest ly nnd I veracity vera-city have never been called Into iiues < lionIhe The clearing out of the tunnel and going through the cave which his alien in will prubably take several i wtekj At the end < if that lime developments may be looked for uf 5uchounaooeso will r startle the tnllre acientihc I I i wuild and throw the Mississippi mound builders build-ers lit In the rear uf the arei jlugical 1 procession |
