Mineral County was home to one of the largest gold rushes in the state. It's hard to believe when you visit many of the drainages now that they were once home to thousands of people. An interesting news clip that I just came across from the Mineral County Historical Society is from the Mineral Independent (from the Missoulian 20 years earlier) August 31, 1933. It references Quartz Creek and its tributaries where we currently have properties listing - and mining claims!
I can just picture visiting an old miner's cabin and walking in and seeing their "pay" - a bowl full of nuggets!
"In the spring of 1897 a group of men composed of Al Sheda, a Mr Gassoway, who was an attorney from the east, J Rittener and J S Harmon located a placer claim on McFarland creek, a tributary of Quartz. The claim was half way up the gulch from its mouth. The men used the ground-slucing method in recovering the gold and from one pit, 40 X 60 feet, $555.44 was recovered. The gold was coarse and one of the nuggets resembled a butterfly in shape. It weighed $24.95. Gold taken from Quartz creek and its tributaries is usually coarse and on this particular claim one nugget was found that weighed $60. (In 1897 gold was $18.97 an ounce.) It was taken from the bottom of a reservoir where water was stored.
Jim Harmon is authority for the statement that it was no unusual thing in those days to enter a miner's cabin and have him exhibit the "pay" taken from the gravel. Jim recalls the time when he entered the cabin of Tom Silverson and the miner proudly exhibited a quart of nuggets.
It is reported that Gus Swanson, who now lives at Quartz, found a nugget that weighed over $100. He determined to move a large boulder, and after prying and tugging and working like a good fellow, he was rewarded by finding one of the largest nuggets ever taken out of that vicinity. Harmon says he does not understand it, as no one told Swanson the nugget was there!
The gold from the Meadow creek placer was likewise coarse in character and many large nuggets were taken from the gravel at that place.
Jeff Davis was a character in those days. He came from Arkansas and someone gave him the name of "Jeff." His name is associated with the early history of Quartz creek, and some of the old-timers recall him as being a hard-working, honest miner.
The Groesbeck claims, owned by a group of Utah men, were located at the lower end of the creek, adjoining the claim of Gillette, while the claim of Charley Walters adjoined Gillette further up the stream."
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