| Show t S S S S i FAMOUS I MINING STRIKES By THOMAS E. E STEWARD SS SS Butte as a Gold Cold and Silver Camp TUB THE Ill Butte Lutte Mont tont district is known 1 to the present generation as ono one I of the worlds world s richest copper mining regions and probably the tho most productive tive U mining region in the United States But nut it was the gol golddust gold golddust dust dURt that first attracted to it that band baud of hardy hanly and adventurous souls who swept through the tho American West Vest Westin in ht search of wealth in Its most condensed con conn and und glittering form Gold deposits of the placer type dust and nuggets that could be he washed from gran gravel was dI discovered co at ut Bannock Dan Dan- nook nock Alder Gulch nu and Last Chance Gulch Mont In 1503 and the usual rush of prospectors and their Ilk fol fol- and lowed rhe They searched every e gulch creek be bed located numerous claims and washed out all aU in all an ImpressIve impressive impressive im Im- amount of ot gold The first strike in the actual environs environs en Irons of 01 Butte was made by a passIng passing pass- pass Ing Immigrant In who staked ed out outa a claim on the west side of what became became be be- came Main street In that city Other strikes followed In neighboring gulches but placer mining M teemed seemed eme less remunerative re reo e here than in other parts of 01 the state The fhe gold old was Inferior and brought only 11 to 14 an nn ounce Water Yater was not available At first the Butte ore was hauled by hv ox team to Rainbow creek for washing washing but hut ditch II lines were built eventually It Is estimated esti estl- mated that worth of gold was washed out at nt Butte Butto during three years ears of placer mining Buttes Butte's copper history will make a separate stor story The history of Its rich silver mines Is part of ot that of the gold deposits ts Quartz veins rich in silver existed on many of ot the rocky hillsides around I Butte but the ore was o of at a t type le not then recognized although similar veins In the Comstock lode were soon to prove so valuable that the Butte mines were immediately opened A number I of silver cI lucks lodes were re worl worked In the middle sixties and It was the prospect of rich silver sll mining rather than gold I that led to the development which resulted re re- suited d In the thc towns town's bein being laid out in 1866 Butte reached the greatest prosperity prosperity prosperity pros pros- of Its early i stage tage In GS then declined rapidly until about 1875 1575 when copper mining gave guve it a n new lease lense of life Ute and led lcd to its tremendous later development de i The climax of Buttes Butte's silver period was reached In 1887 1587 when stamp mills I grinding sliver silver ore In that city cIt were ere dropping stamps and the amount i of ore worked In the silver sliver stamp mills readied reached tons a n day In addition to this ulis about tons a n day were being being be be- In ing shipped out to smelters All the theore theore theore ore carried a n considerable amount of ot gold as ns well as us the silver and the average yield was placed b by g geologists at nt probably 25 25 a ton In the two precious precious pre pre- cious dous metals The period of active silver mining continued until 1592 lS when the Butte Dutte mines like were almost prostrated prostrated prostrated pros pros- b by the decline In the price of or silver A few mines continued In operation operation operation op op- op- op until 07 97 G 07 but only one mine the Lexington which has lias copper copper cop cop- per in Its silver sil veins has been heen operated operated oper oper- for silver since that time |
