Researching several items such as the man named Brandt who was claimed to have spent his life time in the region searching for the secret source of the gold, which was never found. I did purchase a book and came up with the following:
Confederate Gulch Updates
I did purchase a book entitled, “Goldpans Guns & Grit” by Kelly Flynn about Diamond City and read it for further information about the possible source of all the placer gold which was never found y the miners and still remains a mystery to this day.
What I found was there were believed to be rich quartz leads in the region, but only two of these held promise of rich returns. It was generally thought that when the region formed these rich leads were covered over and are on edge in the vicinity.
From Diamond City’s start around 1864 and the resulting gold boom the majority of the population were miners along with those of other professions, store and saloon keepers and other types that flocked to a gold boom town. But the numbers changed by 1880 as the easy to get gold was almost gone. A census in 1880 showed only 146 lived in Diamond City and the surrounding area, a big drop from the thousands who once lived here. Of these 146 it is said that only 80 still worked the placer deposits and quartz mines. This gives a good indication of just how the gold production had dropped off. In November 1880 the county seat was moved from Diamond City and the town was well on its way to becoming a ghost town.
A Judge Cornelius Hedges once wrote about Diamond City and stated it was down to just four families and the town was going down the flume (this meant high pressure water was being used to wash away the gulch to get any remaining gold, it is very destructive and outlawed I believe today). He added that if only the goose who laid the nest full of golden eggs can only be found, Diamond City will die in another season. All the above statement points out is the source was still never found and that was the only hope for Diamond City.
Still there were folks who sought for the elusive secret source of the gold and on occasion a find was made which only fueled the belief that the mother-load was still to be found. One find was made on Janurary 17, 1877 when Nate Mannerin was walking across Gold Hill and spotted a ½ ounce nugget on top of the ground.
Some folks held their beliefs and where the source was and the above mentioned book did provide two possible locations. The first was the Miller Mine owned by Henry Miller. This mine was located at the head of Montana Gulch and did provide a good living for the Millers. One of Montana’s largest nuggets came from the Miller Mine, it was 60 ounces and was found where the granite and slate formations met. Miller was known to have mined in Confederate Gulch, Cement Bar and Diamond Bar.
Another mention of where at least one man thought the mother-load was located at was the belief of Archibald McGregor and made it in an September 3, 1885 Rocky Mountain Husbandman newspaper article. It stated that he was planning operating on the Gravelly Range (an old river bed) on the mountain at the head of Confederate Gulch. It was his belief that this was the source of the rich placer deposits. Still the years slipped by without a rich quartz vein being found. But every once in a while someone would find something which caused renewed activity once more. Such was the case in 1888 when Joe Emhoff spotted near the top of a tailings pile something shinny. It turned out to be a 45 ounce gold nugget! This only goes to prove that gold is still out there in the region. As for the book about Diamond City by Kelly Flynn, he does have a ranch in the region and a web site which lists prices for guests who wish to experience ranch there is a listing of gold panning offered. Who knows maybe one of his guests will someday make the big strike.
Confederate Gulch Updates
I did purchase a book entitled, “Goldpans Guns & Grit” by Kelly Flynn about Diamond City and read it for further information about the possible source of all the placer gold which was never found y the miners and still remains a mystery to this day.
What I found was there were believed to be rich quartz leads in the region, but only two of these held promise of rich returns. It was generally thought that when the region formed these rich leads were covered over and are on edge in the vicinity.
From Diamond City’s start around 1864 and the resulting gold boom the majority of the population were miners along with those of other professions, store and saloon keepers and other types that flocked to a gold boom town. But the numbers changed by 1880 as the easy to get gold was almost gone. A census in 1880 showed only 146 lived in Diamond City and the surrounding area, a big drop from the thousands who once lived here. Of these 146 it is said that only 80 still worked the placer deposits and quartz mines. This gives a good indication of just how the gold production had dropped off. In November 1880 the county seat was moved from Diamond City and the town was well on its way to becoming a ghost town.
A Judge Cornelius Hedges once wrote about Diamond City and stated it was down to just four families and the town was going down the flume (this meant high pressure water was being used to wash away the gulch to get any remaining gold, it is very destructive and outlawed I believe today). He added that if only the goose who laid the nest full of golden eggs can only be found, Diamond City will die in another season. All the above statement points out is the source was still never found and that was the only hope for Diamond City.
Still there were folks who sought for the elusive secret source of the gold and on occasion a find was made which only fueled the belief that the mother-load was still to be found. One find was made on Janurary 17, 1877 when Nate Mannerin was walking across Gold Hill and spotted a ½ ounce nugget on top of the ground.
Some folks held their beliefs and where the source was and the above mentioned book did provide two possible locations. The first was the Miller Mine owned by Henry Miller. This mine was located at the head of Montana Gulch and did provide a good living for the Millers. One of Montana’s largest nuggets came from the Miller Mine, it was 60 ounces and was found where the granite and slate formations met. Miller was known to have mined in Confederate Gulch, Cement Bar and Diamond Bar.
Another mention of where at least one man thought the mother-load was located at was the belief of Archibald McGregor and made it in an September 3, 1885 Rocky Mountain Husbandman newspaper article. It stated that he was planning operating on the Gravelly Range (an old river bed) on the mountain at the head of Confederate Gulch. It was his belief that this was the source of the rich placer deposits. Still the years slipped by without a rich quartz vein being found. But every once in a while someone would find something which caused renewed activity once more. Such was the case in 1888 when Joe Emhoff spotted near the top of a tailings pile something shinny. It turned out to be a 45 ounce gold nugget! This only goes to prove that gold is still out there in the region. As for the book about Diamond City by Kelly Flynn, he does have a ranch in the region and a web site which lists prices for guests who wish to experience ranch there is a listing of gold panning offered. Who knows maybe one of his guests will someday make the big strike.
