The Bonanza Gulch Placer Gold Claim is ideally suited for most types of gold mining activities from panning, sluicing and high-banking to metal detecting, dowsing, and dredging. The claim is located in one of Montana's richest gold-producing areas, Mineral County, home of the Cedar Creek Gold Rush. History is written all over this claim.
Mineral County became the site of one of the largest gold strikes that helped settle the West. In the 1860s and 70s, several thousand miners converged on Cedar Creek to earn their fortunes.
Newspaper reports of this early rush were quite favorable, comparing the wealth of Cedar Creek to Alder Gulch, the richest and longest-lived mining district in Montana during these years (The New Northwest, December 31, 1869).
The gold is recovered from stream and bench gravels located along the three creeks and their tributaries. The gold originates from veins associated with igneous dykes crosscutting the northward extension of the Bitterroots. Chalcopyrite is the principal ore material, and also carries copper and silver in small amounts (Sahinen 1935).
The initial rush on Cedar Creek, especially on Oregon Gulch was so great that a hundred miners staked out 200 claims within six months of the initial discoveries in 1869. Mining camps arose and were abandoned quickly as the focus of placering shifted around the district. The population of the district rose upwards of 10,000 by some estimates. In 1870, Forest City, on Cedar Creek itself, reached a population of 7,000 and was a wholesale commercial center for many towns in the area including Missoula.
The placers were first claimed in 1869 by French Canadian Louis A. Barrette, and have seen continuous production since then. By 1935 the district had yielded at least $2,000,000 in gold and perhaps as much as $10,000,000. Annual output between 1869 and 1935 ranges from $1,000 to $50,000, with recovery primarily through sluicing and hydraulicking. A connected-bucket dredge was reported to have operated in 1912, and some shaft, drift and limited lode mining has been done. The gold was transported from Superior, a station on the Northern Pacific and the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroads (Rowe 1911; Sahinen 1935).
Mineral County
Located in western Montana along the Idaho border, Mineral County was formed in 1914 by partition of Missoula County. All gold mined before 1914 from the area now included in Mineral County is credited to Missoula County. Almost the entire gold output came from placer deposits along the creeks that drain the east side of the Bitterroot Mountains and that flow into Clark Fork River between Tarkio and Superior. The most productive placers, and the only ones that produced more than 10,000 ounces of gold, were those along Cedar and Trout Creeks and their tributaries. Estimates by Lyden (1948, p. 98-103) suggest that placer production before 1904 may have exceeded 120,000 ounces. From 1904 through 1956 the county produced placer gold valued at about $665,000 (32,175 ounces), most of which was produced before 1942.
The surficial geology of the area was created by Glacial Lake Missoula about 15,000 years ago. The entire flow of the Clark Fork River backed up behind an ice dam, and the glacial lake reached an elevation of about 4350 feet. When the ice dam failed, Glacial Lake Missoula emptied through the Clark Fork Valley in just a few days, releasing the greatest flood of known geologic record. This process occurred repeatedly, each time resulting in colossal floods. Exposed bedrock and sedimentary deposits provide evidence of the lake in the Missoula Valley, as do layers of lake bed deposits alternating with river sediments exposed just west of Missoula (Alt and Hyndman 1986).
Bonanza Gulch
Many of the northward-facing slopes have a thick stand of pines, firs, and other conifers, whereas the southward-facing slopes are commonly grass and brush covered and more sparsely timbered.
Bonanza Gulch is a Valley in Mineral County, MT with an elevation of 4,849 feet. The claim boundaries encompass the confluence of the Bonanza Gulch and Missoula Gulch. The claim also includes the mouth of Cataract Gulch.
Cedar Creek Mining District
Mineral County, Montana
160 Acres
Non-Patented
We are actively prospecting the immediate area surrounding Charlie Miller's Cabin and the Bonanza Gulch Mine entrance. Evidence of the old ore car rail system is still visible. Gold (Au) found in Bonanza Gulch to date consists of flour gold accompanied by ample amounts of black sand. The small-sized gold particles and gravels with black sand indicate excavation and further testing will be necessary to characterize the deposit.
The Barber Gulch Placer Claim is part of a contiguous block of approximately 770 acres slated for commercial gold exploration and production. Gold is present at a grade sufficient to have a strong effect on the economics of an excavation project. The package is available for sale/lease or joint-venture.
For more information please contact:
Marlene Affeld
marneaffeld@mac.com
509-389-2606
The claim is located approximately 25 miles from Superior, Montana. The claim is accessible from mid-June through mid-October. The area receives heavy snowfall every winter making for an exciting spring run-off.
Mineral County is located in the vast "Big Sky Country" of Montana. The crest of the Bitterroot Mountains divides Montana from Idaho and serves as the county’s western boundary. The topography varies from remote, high alpine lakes to whitewater streams and from heavily forested ridges to smooth rolling meadows.
Tamarack and Mountain Ash in full autumn glory, enjoyed on the road to Bonanza Gulch.
Access is available from mid-May to mid-October and provides an excellent opportunity for the recreational panner or seasoned miner.
Disclaimer: This locality information is for reference purposes only. Please do not attempt to visit any sites listed without first ensuring that you have the permission of the land and/or mineral rights holders for access and that you are aware of all safety precautions necessary.
Cedar Creek Mining District
Mineral County, Montana
160 Acres
Non-Patented
For more information please contact:
Marlene Affeld
marneaffeld@mac.com
509-389-2606
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