July, 1883.
THE WEST SHORE.
of the beef stock shipped back from Montana, the
average is but twenty." The Mandan Pwnnt
also speaks of this westward movement as follows :
"Yesterday morning a very large herd of cattle
passed through the city, headed by a " prairie
schooner," and escorted by several gentlemen
with little ponies and prodigious whips. Appar
ently the world at large has about concluded that
the empire of prairies west of the Big Muddy is
the Eldorado for American stock raisers. Train-1
load afler trainload of the bovine species, during
the spring and summer, have passed through on
the Northern Pacific railroad westward bound.
It might seem to some people that stock ought to
be going east and not west, but it is a fact that the
prairies of Dakota, the Bad Lands of the Utile
Missouri and the valleys of Montana, are being
stocked by vast herds of cattle and sheep shipped
from the ea-t and driven from the south. Many
stories are told of the large fortunes made in a
few years by men who started with scarcely any
capital. Grazing is much more profitable here
than in most parts of the United States, for the
reason that very little, if any, feed is required, be
tides what can be had on the range. The sweet,
nutritious grass peculiar to this country retains its
many virtues after it is dried up by the August tun,
to that in the winter it answers the place of well
cured hay."
town of Maiden contains a population of about
500, and the surrounding hills are covered with
quartz ledges making an excellent showing in
gold and silver. The chief properties now being
developed ore the Oro Cache and Co'.lm, while
the North Star, St. Paul, Silver Tip, Great
Eastern, Ore Eagle, Spotted Horse, Scoville,
Keystone, bamboo Chief, Smuggler, Montana
No. 2, Texas Box and a great many others are
making a splendid showing. There are alio
some placer mines that are yielding well. Great
confidence is felt in the future of this district by
those familiar with the character and extent of the
quartz leads,
MINING.
The rich ores of the Sterling district, Montana,
have attracted the attention of capitalists, and a
smelter is to be erected immediately.
A ledge has been discovered near Moose creek
ferry, some thirty miles from Missoula, which
gives a large assay of silver and carries a high
per cent, of lead.
.New discoveries of coal have been made in
Gallatin connty, Montana, about sixty-live mile
east of Helena and four miles from the Northern
Pacific railroad, to which railroads can lie easily
laid. The principal vein has been uncovered to
a length of 3,630 feet. At a depth of 34 feel
coal deposit is lound four feet in width. The
second vein, at a depth of fourteen feet, shows a
body of three and one-half feet in width, and the
third layer, at a similar depth, one foot. The
first and second veins are separate alniul twelve
I (eel, and the second end third about ten feet,
their incline indicating that the three will merge
into one solid body as depth Is reached. The re-
iuH of an assay shows the coal to be bituminous
and of a good quality. For coking it It excellent,
giving 75.3s, the licit yet found in the territory.
The Castle mountains, in Montana, which
have hitherto been noted only for their grand
caverns, jagged cliffs and picturesque scenery,
are about to prove a rich mining district. Im
mense belts of iron and tome copper have lom
been known to exist in their recesses, but they
have never attracted much attention. The late
development of the Kip V.in Winkle it attracting
proswctors, and we confidently expect to see a
rich camp developed in a short time. Already
A one-third interest in the Chestnut coal mine,
in Gallatin county, Montana, hat been sold for
$15,0:0, and the Putcman Coal Co. hs been
incorporated to work the mine on an extensive
taie. 1 Ins company na eniereu into a coniraci
with the Northern Pacific Coal Company to
furnish the company with 15,000 tons of coal
and the entire product of the mine for live years.
llozeman, Helena and other Montana towns will
lie supplied with coal, arrangements In that end
having been peifccted. At ihe mine, nine miles
eat of Boienun, a station for passengers and
freight, and a Iclegiaph office, will lie put up at
once. The Huicnian Coal Company has entered
into a contract with rxierlciu'cd Coal miners, who
will take charge of the mine, and a large font
is at once to be put to woik in exitaitlng the
coal. The Northern Pacific Company lake the
entire output, Including the slack, and when a
sufiVienl amount o( the scieenlugs shall accumu
late, workt will lie erected and the manufacture
of coke engaged in. This It the beginning of what
will lie a great Industry in that tenitory in a few
years, at many valuable coal liedt have been dis
covered In the vicinity of the Northern Pacific
road.
The product of the Lexington mine, at Butte
City, for the first tix months of 1883, was $638,- ell(j, (n the vicinity have been located.
548. July I, a dividend ol 1,100,000 franct wat
paid in Parii to the lucky stockholders.
Considerable activity it now being displayed in
the Tidal Wave district, Montana. A tmelter
and quartz mill are being erected. The Tidal
Wave mine wat recently sold to Salt Lake parties
for $40,000, and other properties are being ex.
amined by capitalists with a view to purchasing
Prospectors are at work upon the coal beds
near Willioit Springs Clackamat county, Ore1
, , i r . :t -.1
gon. A rougn survey nat oeen mane 01 uiuu
route from Portland by way of the Clackamas,
and it is thought that a narrow gauge road can be
constructed for $5,000 per mile.
About one year ogo copper was discovered in
Baker county, Oregon, and two companies, one
from Sealtle and one from Walla Walla, tpent
considerable money in prospecting the principal
lode. It wat found to be equal in richnest to
any yet discovered. The claimt have been consol
idated, and the Lake Superior Calumet Mining
Co. hat paid $100,000 for a one-fifth interest,
conditioned upon the fact that the veins are true
and unbroken at a lower depth, which fact can be
demonstrated by an outlay of $5,000.
The Maiden district, In Meagher county, Mon-
tana, it one of the richest in that territory, wid
will be very prominent in a short time. ' The
The formation is fiasl-clast. It is lime, slate,
The Washington mining district It situated In
the north-western part of Waihington county,
Idaho. It is four miles from Snske river and
about fifty from Maker City, Oregon, lis nalural
trading point. Mineral City It the name of the
camp. The first discovery wat made tome two
yean ago, since when many locations bava been
made. Some ol the ledges have been quite ex
tensively prospected, and make a splendid show
ing of silver and copier. A lack of capital hat
I well a great drawback, but recently several In
vestments have been made by Han r ranciwo and
Salt ljke parties, and oilier properties art being
examined by capitalists who desire to invest. The
locations that have lieen proipecled to any extent
ire the Daniel lloon, Kir,an, Minnesota Chief,
Udy Bank, I'oitage, Kit Carton, Muldoon,
lllack Hawk. Neptune, lialesburg. There are
granite, dolomites and porphyry, and since It is Uoict of promising claims not yet developed
almost entirely unprosieclcd. we may espect
some big finds to be made at an early day, now
that prosjiecting in that region it alioul to bc,in
in earnest. lIuibantlmaH.
On the morning of the fourth of July a special
train of thirty-tix cart left Helena loaded with
1,200,000 poundt of bullion from the Uregory
mine. The precieus freight was comlgncd to the
rrfinimr woiks at Newark, N. J. This is but the
first of the great bullion shipments that will now
lie constantly made from Montana by the Northern
Pacific. The Helena IliraU tayst " Willi me
Gregory Reduction Workt increased to the ca-
enough to demonilrale llieir value. The dull let
hat lieen at yet hut partially pniecled, and Mere
are good chim es to find claims or to purchase
one for a small sum from Ihose who own several
and have not the money to develop litem. Wood,
water and feed are to be had in abundance, ami
capital It all that it needed In place this district
among the first in Idaho.
Mare Cliapmsn, who hat lately returned from
a lour of lneclln In the Snake liver country,
ays that Snake llvr it the moil extensive mining
region known, A Urip of country several milra
wide and three or four hundred mile long will
oaciir projected, a round i,coo,oco poundt ol1 ,,,y f,om $$ lo $15 per day to Hie man by I be
bullion freight will lie In readiness monthly lorinew peoresa wnwn is ucmg iwi, m m
ii,. Northern Pacific trains eastward. A id loUinery it simple and cheap and requires but on
this the output of the Wicket Workt, enlarged man lo ailend to It. It it esilmale.1 that this vail
and improved as Is Ihit year Inlenneu, ano tree will pay i "y -'"'" '"
the estimated monthly product to tie moveo irom arm j nine. m, 1 1
Helena to the Atlantic sealnard will fall liule ll per acre ihit would yield .tn.oox Two
any thort of 1,800,000 pounds, and may reach ajmde. may I too Ure an climate in 1 1., wldib,
.....,..i nmooo oounds. JuU a. toon as thrjbut we are ttilifieil Ih.l Ihe workable ground is-
Red Mountain di.lrict is nude accetdiile an. lis irmls Horn me lower tsnyon 10 11.. nrag waiert
.. .... 1 I .1.- .1 . .II.! .nrm i.t nAflv Htfl ,! TU
boundlcst ore bodiet converted imo uumon, we mi - - .
.hall bepr'PMcd lo double the Biuret an. keep gol.l It mere ai on7 irq o.t. p ... .neigy
the railroad going daily with train load after train to obtain It- Where the are spring, of email
,oad jUl frefghtage." I -Ut".