Much was written in the early newspapers about the Moose Lake district. The Mail
on February 5, 1897 stated: “The Moose Lake sector of Granite County is destined
to attract considerable attention during the coming season owing to the rich
discoveries made in gold bearing quartz, which have been made in the past few
months….and during the winter months a number of men have been proving up their
claims…Messrs. Casper, Kramer and Company, of Anaconda, who own some of the
valuable quartz claims in the district are sacking ore for shipment which is
said to run $300 on average in gold per ton… The owners contemplate shipping
their ore to Anaconda as soon as the roads are in sufficiently good condition
for travel.”
On March 4. 1897, the headlines are: “IT PUZZLED THEM”. Followed by
this account: “…To build a six stamp quartz mill, putting everything into
position for operation, tear it all down and haul it out of the camp, all inside
of eight or ten weeks, is a feat that razzle-dazzles the modest population of
Moose Lake mining district, says the Standard. That is part of the Lake’s
history of very recent date. During the winter Hicks, Highland & Troy agreed to
build a mill at the Lake and treat ores from then Cadle, Dunn and adjacent
lodes. The mill, a six stamp affair, was erected and only a few weeks ago it was
announced that all was in readiness for the start. A few tons of Hopkin’s
samples were run through it, but the result of the test is unknown. However,
none of the ore for which the mill was built to treat was tested in the mill.
Mr. Hicks, the reputed backer of the enterprise, has been for some time and is
still in the east. On last Saturday the whole outfit was loaded on several
six-horse wagons and taken out of the camp…the destination of the machinery is
not known by men who have just arrived from the lake. The mill referred to
arrived in Philipsburg last Tuesday and is now in the possession of the Wilson
Mercantile Company who attached it for a debt and at once took possession of the
property. In June of 1897 the miners in the Moose Lake camp held a meeting and
decided to ask Anaconda to help them build a road to the lake from Anaconda. At
the present time they were traveling forty miles across a private ranch that
forced them to open and close eleven different pairs of bars (gates). The
rancher was not very happy about them using his property for a road either
according to Harry Conn of Meadow Creek near Moose Lake.” (excerpted by the Mail
from the Anaconda Reporter June 18, 1897.)
The article continued stating the
miners would ask Deer Lodge county commissioners to help them build it but that
six miles of the road needed to be built is in Granite County. Over forty miners
agreed to contribute money and believed it would cost them about $300 to $400 in
cash. The Philipsburg people recognized that Moose Lake is rapidly coming to the
front and with considerable enterprise made a proposition to the miners to build
them a good road to that town free of charge provided the miners will agree to
trade in that city. “The miners however, many of whom are old residents of this
city [Anaconda] would prefer coming here if it can be arranged.” At that time it
was forty miles from Moose Lake to Anaconda by the route they were taking or
fifty miles if they used the highway to Philipsburg.”
On December, 24, 1897,
Messrs. George W. Smith and M.F. Kent, produced five samples of ore from their
claim The Look-out, about ten miles west of Moose Lake. When assayed by W.
Kroger they showed: No. 1: silver 142.6 ounces, gold $44; No.2: silver 65
ounces, gold $56.80; No.3: silver 38 ounces, gold $24.80; No.4: silver 290.3
ounces, gold $42.40; No.5: silver 3203 ounces, gold $52.40; with the explanation
that numbers 1,4, and 5 were taken from the ore pile and numbers 2 and 3 from
the waste dump. During the fall the Anaconda Company sought to bond the property
for $150,000 and the deal was about consummated “...but when they got to
Anaconda with the intention of signing the bond…they found the terms so rigid
and one sided that they refused to sign it and the deal was declared off…in
addition to the samples noted above Mr. Smith showed us one that was literally
covered with silver and gold. He put it in a stove and large blisters of the
precious metals bubbled out all over it.”
Much was
written in the early newspapers about the Moose Lake district. The Mail on
February 5, 1897 stated: “The Moose Lake sector of Granite County is destined to
attract considerable attention during the coming season owing to the rich
discoveries made in gold bearing quartz, which have been made in the past few
months….and during the winter months a number of men have been proving up their
claims…Messrs. Casper, Kramer and Company, of Anaconda, who own some of the
valuable quartz claims in the district are sacking ore for shipment which is
said to run $300 on average in gold per ton… The owners contemplate shipping
their ore to Anaconda as soon as the roads are in sufficiently good condition
for travel.”
In the Mail on May 6, 1898 was a
column dedicated to Moose Lake and signed with the name “Senority” that stated:
“Charles Hardtla who has been amalgamator in the new mill, has gone to Anaconda;
Harry Coleman, the Philipsburg engineer, is running the engine in the new mill…;
Will Calhoun was to the Lake this week, collecting bills for his father; Thomas
McGraw has gone to Anaconda to purchase some grub for the summer; Quincy Murley
has gone home to Anaconda for a few days. He is going into the “shop” for
general repairs; Mr. Coyle has gone to the Smelter City for general repairs and
to see a physician; Ben Morgan is leaving Moose Lake. He intends to join the
commissary department of the United States Army if he can secure a position;
William Stevens came in with “Seniority”. He has gone home to Chicago. He has
been in at Moose Lake about eight months. .
The Mail on March 22, 1906 wrote an
extensive article concerning another big mining deal at Moose Lake. A gentleman
named Stillman from New York had taken over legal possession of the Senate group
of claims and posted bond in the amount of $130,00 to be dispersed in payments
of $20,000 in ninety days; $30,000 by one year; and $80,000 in eighteen months.
These claims were known to be high in copper but because they were located more
than thirty-five miles from the nearest railroad had been unable to find funding
for the operation. The claims had been located at least twelve years prior and
were owned by Thomas Leary and several other Anaconda residents. The article
went on to describe the other mining operations in the area: J.P. Dunn and
Company were engaged in shipping high grade gold ore from the Lincoln Group of
claims to Philipsburg, about thirty miles away. There the ore is loaded onto
railroad cars and shipped to the smelter. The Moose Lake Mining Company had
property the adjoined the Lincoln Group of claims and they had a small crew
digging a tunnel and drifting on a vein at the present time. A number of
Anaconda people were interested in the property and it was believed a large
amount of ore would be removed from the area in the coming summer.
In November
1925, there was a gas tank explosion at the Montana Prince, injuring Marcus
Nevling. He died from the injuries three hours later. Marcus was operating a
gasoline hoist and it is believed that he used a match to investigate the fuel
supply which became ignited, as he was heard to call for help, a short time
before the explosion took place. After calling for help it is thought he went
back into the engine room to try to extinguish the blaze and he received the
full effects of the explosion which completely demolished the engine and engine
room and hurled him some distance from the building. Marcus born August 29, 1883
was always a miner and spent most of his life in Granite County. Survivors were:
an uncle in Pennsylvania, a niece Mrs. Montana (Walters) Zbinden and a
nephewGeorge Walters of Butte. The funeral was held from the Red Men’s Hall with
Rev. Fred Anstice conducting the service. Judge D.M. Durfee and Fred Rickard
conducted the Red Men’s service at the grave site. Pallbearers were: John M.
Warner, Charles Sprague, Emmett Hoehne, Frank Beley, George Scheiffle and Rod
McRae.
Published in “Gold on a Shoestring” is a poem by Rev. John G. Hay (1979)
THE MINER
The Senate was God’s copper rainbow
That prospectors left behind
High
in the mountains, it exacted a toll,
A will to believe in the sign.
Paddy Ward
said “yes” to fifty years
Of snow, cave-ins and water,
Drilling, mucking,
cursing, freezing,
Matching the strength of the mine.
Veins vanished-but, like
old friends,
Who leave without a good-bye,
They reappeared unceremoniously ¬
Renewing the hopes that bind.
Late, but not too late,
The Company arrived ¬
Piercing veins with diamond bits,
Marking every slender core; exposing
A giant
of low grade ore.
And Paddy, the clown of the mountain ¬
Weathered, old and
worn, retired to a place
In the valley -not rich, but strangely warm.
Paddy died
on Independence Day in 1979;
His ashes were spread where he labored ¬
Near the
tunnel that followed the sign
In the hope, that years and years from now,
When
the copper is scarce and the price is high,
Something of Paddy will be waiting
there…
Mixed with the earth when the blasting begins
To reopen the old Senate
Mine.
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