Distinctly Montana Magazine

w w w . d i s t i n c t l y m o n t a n a . c o m 29 The Motherlode. This method is reliant on a water source, so when the water freezes, prospecting stops. HISTORY In Montana in 1852 the first gold was found by trader Francois Finlay (commonly called "Benetsee") at what would become Gold Creek. Benetsee was of European and Native American descent. He was recognized for being fair, trusted by the indigenous people. It is believed that his no- madic lifestyle, coupled with a lack of desire for notoriety, is why he chose to keep his discovery a secret. The first major gold strike was in 1862 on Grasshopper Creek by present-day Bannack. This unexpected bonanza of wealth would be the catalyst that produced the first per- manent white settlements. The headgates of the adventur- ous were unstopped. Stampedes of speculators raced off to whatever wild story was overheard. Journals of this time describe scenes of chaos; wagons, buggies, wheelbarrows, and pack animals so hastily loaded that blankets were flying and pots and pans rattling. Many were on foot with only what they could strap to their backs. CONFEDERATE GULCH - PLACER PROSPECTING This gulch produced some of the richest placer strikes in Montana history. It is a narrow and steep ravine that is located between Helena and Townsend on the east side of Canyon Ferry Lake. The Civil War raged from 1861 - 1865. However, In the fall of 1864, Union General Alfred Pleason- ton won a critical battle in Missouri, and introduced a unique program. He offered parole to the Confederates that were captured in Missouri, with the stipulation that the prisoners leave the combat area and go west. Thus, four Confederate soldiers made their way to a ravine in the Big Belt Mountains, found gold and Confederate Gulch was born. Prospectors swarmed in like grasshoppers, creating a frantic boom from 1864 thru 1869. The Gulch exploded with those "infected" with Gold Fever, as well as merchants, traders and all that sustains a town. During its heyday, Con- federate Gulch was the largest community in Montana. In 1866, Montana's total population was 28,000, and of those, 10,000 (35%) lived and worked in the Gulch. The richest placer ground was found at what would be called the Montana Bar. Although only 2 acres in size, it produced more gold per acre than any other placer in Montana. The gravel was so saturated with gold that It was not uncommon to get 33 ounces of gold from one pan of material! A legend grew around the discovery of the Mon- tana Bar in 1865. It is said that some new arrivals, referred to as "The Germans," were unaware that, thus far in Montana, gold was found at the bottom of the valleys and not high up on the banks. After asking several times where a good area would be to dig, they were dismissed with a wave of the hand gesturing to the sides of the gulch, "Try up yonder." According to legend, they went up yonder, climbing the banks and discovered the Montana Bar. MARYSVILLE - HARD ROCK MINING Located just 23 miles from Helena is the once-booming gold mining camp of Marysville. Home to a classic rags- to-riches tale. In 1876 a penniless Irishman named Thomas Cruse acquired what he feared might be his last grubstake (provisions furnished to a prospector for a share of what is found). It was noted that even his friends were losing faith in him finding gold. Upon arriving at Silver Creek, some placer miners were finding color, but he opted to go upstream in search of The Motherlode. As history has recorded, he found it! He named his hard rock gold mine the Drumlummon Mine and almost immediately extract- ed $150,000. Word of the rich gold vein spread rapidly and miners flooded the area. During the 1880's and 1890's Marysville was Montana's leading gold producer and boast- ed some 60 businesses, including 27 saloons. In 1884, Cruse sold the Drumlummon Mine for $1,500,000. This afforded him a much higher rung on the social ladder. He was now called Mr. Cruse. He became one of several fortune seekers who found their treasure and chose to live in Helena. In the early 1890s Helena flaunted 50 millionaires, more per capita than anywhere else in the nation. PATTI ALBRECHT

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