P a g e 6 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 About three miles from Fridley, and on the opposite side of the Yellowstone, is located the oldest mining district in Park county. The first discovery of placer gold was made by Messrs. Currier and Francisco during the summer of 1863, and, although other prospectors joined them, the twain were the sole residents during the winter. In 1864 many claims were taken and a town soon sprung up at the mouth of the canyon. This was called Yellowstone City, and so rapidly were claims staked out that during the winter this new mining town numbered some four hundred souls, fifteen of whom were women. The ground was very deep and hard to work, and many of those who had claims did not get them properly opened this year, the result being hard times. What little flour there was in the country was bought in Virginia City at $100 per sack, costing the miners ten cents per pound extra for freight. In the spring of 1865 many of the inhabitants of Yellowstone City left for other mining camps, and those who stayed moved further up the canyon and built for better protection from the Indians. The name given the new town was Chico. Some very good pay was found this season, and the output of gold for 1865 was estimated at $80,000. In June, 1868, the inhabitants suffered the horrors of an Indian raid. Houses were pillaged and many of their horses and cattle stolen. No placer work was done at the lower end of the gulch until 1870 and '71, when Messrs. Cone and Trout struck pay on bed rock. Since then the placer grounds have been located to the south of Emigrant creek, including in all a strip nine miles in length and about 400 feet wide. While it is true that there has never been a time since the discovery of gold here that the diggings have not been worked in some degree, yet, despite this fact, Prof. W. B. Potter, of the government's employ, has recently estimated that there are 150,000,000 cubic yards of undeveloped dirt from the falls of Emigrant creek to its mouth, containing $50,000,000 in gold. Of the 280 cubic yards of pay dirt that Glidden and Shafer have worked on their grounds they have realized an average of $3.60 per cubic yard. Old miners, who have been continually active in development work here, claim that one-half a million dollars have been taken out of the diggings, which is only a small percent of what can be realized in the future when capital can be secured for its development. In addition to the placers here, later years have resulted in the discovery of several quartz leads. The Great Eastern is a very large vein, crossing the gulch diagonally from east to west, exposing ore on both sides and bottom for a distance of 70 or 80 feet. It is the largest in body yet discovered here, but has not yet showed its expected true value. The St. Julien is located some distance above the Great Eastern, being first discovered in 1887 by D. C. Lilly. Rock has been taken out that assayed $368 in gold and about $40 in Hotel of Walter M. Hoppe, Bear Gulch
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