P a g e 2 G h o s t T o w n s a n d H i s t o r y o f M o n t a n a N e w s l e t t e r Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz purchase. It was then that A.W. McCune, of Salt Lake, a man of large means, as well as sound judgement, took hold of the enterprise, and under his ownership, and the management of Carl Hand it was developed into one of the greatest gold properties of the northwest. Other mines in the district have been bought up within the past five years and now half a dozen deep shafts are being sunk with splendid results, largely by Butte and eastern capital, employing altogether 300 men. The town of Rochester is booming as a result. The district embraces three great vein systems, running in the same direction, northerly and southerly. The west system shows a great surface development of low grade copper ore, not yet well explored; the east shows chiefly silver and gold, while the central zone, which runs midway between and along the “hog back,” shows surface croppings of nearly 8,000 feet. One-half of this is embraced within the three claims of the Watseka and the other within those of the Elgin group, owned by T.M. Hodgens et al, while to the south are the claims of James A. Murray, the Butte Banker. The croppings are very prominent, and the oxidized ores below, so far as prospected, are of high grade. This great ledge dips west and cuts the formation, which is of gneiss, like a knife through cheese. The Watseka has two shafts, the Goodale, which is an incline 550 feet deep and the Watseka, which has a vertical depth of 571 feet. The latter is connected on the 200, 300 and 450-foot levels, where the rich ore shoots exposed in the upper workings are found intact as to size, richness and regularity. Of these shoots, the first is 300 feet long, showing 2 1/2 feet of ore, assaying from $20 to $50; the second is 300 feet long, showing three feet of $25 to $60 ore; the third is 200 feet long and 3 feet wide, the values ranging from $30 to $100. The fourth shoot, which is just “coming in,” shows two feet of $30 to $75 ore for a length of 100 feet. Each of these shoots in places produces ore assaying from $500 to $600, which greatly helps the mill samples. On the 300 foot level the same shoots above now reappear, and in addition there are two new shoots each 200 feet long on the north end of the ground, one on the Watseka vein proper and one on the Cleopatra, which has also been recently opened on the 200. The ore mills from $20 to $200, with an average of $40. Beyond doubt both new shoots will lengthen on the 450 level when it shall be opened. The Cleopatra vein has added immensely to the value of the property, being of unexpected strength Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz
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