Article Text
dirt. Later in the old First National of Helena I fared better. Shortly after the silver panic of the '90's, which closed four banks out of six in Helena, including the First National, I secured a job as assayer and chemist for the Bear Gulch Mining Co., (now the camp is known as Jardine), operating several quartz gold claims near Gardiner. I served during two years on that job. My pay was fair, my expense small, and I saved a little money. During the fall of '99, I resigned and hit for Los Angeles in an effort to secure a diploma as a physician. That was a hard scramble; but, with the help of friends, at length I succeeded. In Butte I practiced a year. There I made the acquaintance of many mining, milling and smelter men. A mining broker, whose name I have forgotten, came to me for treatment. Discovering that I was interested in mines and prospects, he told me of a little property which he was holding for sale. Took Option on Property Without assuming an obligation of any kind I secured a five-year lease and option on that property. It was situated four miles north of Homestake on the high eastern slope of the main range about opposite Butte. The property consisted of an unpatented claim or two with a few shallow holes in quartz monzonite showing a narrow, poorlydefined stringer or two of lean, basic, gold quartz. There was a new, wellbuilt, five-stamp mill with vanners and amalgamation plate; several good cabins for workmen and a new twostory log bungalow completely furnished except bedding and a few nonessentials. Fine spring water had been piped into that suprising bungalow and had not been allowed to freeze. The broker from whom I secured this astonishingly liberal lease and option had sold the bare claims to a Chicago modiste who, having considerable surplus cash, and sickening of the unending strain and hubbub incident to her business, went thus into the mining game-or thought she did. Without