Summary
Gold Rush Expeditions, Inc. is proud to present the Historic Blackman Gold Mining Claim. This is a 20 acre lode mining claim for sale exclusively through Gold Rush Expeditions, Inc. The claim is located just outside of Twin Bridges, Montana and has been properly staked and marked at all corners. All Gold Rush Expeditions, Inc. claims have been meticulously surveyed, mapped and researched. Field work is completed by our own experienced, well versed Mine Survey Team.
No Longer Available
Location and Access
Silver Star District – Madison County, MT
Short hike down the tailings pile from the upper workings. The hike is 50 feet from the parking area.
The way the survey team accessed this claim is up a narrow high-clearance 4WD road, approximately 1.5 miles from the main highway. The entire area is scattered with roads, and they can be accessed from multiple directions.
Contact us for exact coordinates
Description
The Blackman Mine is a very unassuming site at first glance. The claim sits in a very remote area of the district and is rarely visited. Small prospects dot the uppermost section of the claim. These prospects lead down to some larger workings that were likely a series of adits and shafts. Time has been unkind and there is significant overburden and dirt that has started to fill the mines at this level. An old miners shack at the edge of the gulch seems to be the end of the workings. As the mine works its way down the gulch, the main workings of the claim begin to emerge. A large adit entrance, once fully timbered, is still visible today. There is wide, thick track protruding from one of the adits, mostly covered with sage and grasses. The amount of overgrowth on the claim is a testament to how long its been since anyone has visited. The adit is in relatively good shape but needs some clearing and shoring to be completely safe.
The ores show native gold deposits, some showing on quartz, others in a granodiorite type of hard rock. Both lend well to crushing and separating.
Access to the mine is limited to 4WD only. Modified 4WD is recommended for clearance and some tight road sections. Once at the claim, there is limited room for parking. Likely only 2-3 vehicles will be able to park at one time. The area is mostly devoid of natural resources. There is some non-potable water inside the mine that could be utilized for tasks. No timber or wood is available on the claim.
This site would lend itself well to a small, casual use operation. Production would be expected at .75-1 OPT Gold. Under casual use, an operator could expect to process 1-2 tons per week. If larger deposits are located, it would require some road repair to ship larger amounts of ore down the hill.
The Blackman Mine was originally owned by George Blackman as well as can be determined. The mines are a series of cuts and adits along a general trend running down the hillside. The main ores seen are gold in quartz and some silver and likely lead. The lower most workings are hidden and difficult to locate. This has kept the mine and ores relatively untouched. A drift cut on a hanging wall drives into the mountain for an estimated 150', it is assumed that these workings intersect the shafts and declines above. All of the workings are cut for gold production and silver and lead ores have been largely discarded. There are 2 good veins of gold ore visible in the lower drift. These veins run back into the mountain as well. There is a small collapse 30' into the mine that should be cleared before further exploration can be completed. This is mostly in the form of one large rock that has come down.
Air is good throughout the mine and stays constant at 20.8% with no abnormal CO2 or LEL gases detected.
History
Newly weds and pioneers, George and Augusta Blackman decided to take their honeymoon to Virginia City, Montana in hopes to establish gold mines. Over the years they claimed numerous mines, including this particular claim in 1889. Due to the nature of the west's instability of law and order, George would live by his mines to keep it guarded, even during the grueling winters. During that time, Augusta established a boarding house for miners to stay. George lived his final years in Silver Star where he got to witness Montana achieve statehood before he passed away in 1892. Augusta journaled these adventures and even got to see her work get printed before she died in 1914
Additional Information
The upper workings at the claim are interesting in that they show some gold ores in selected areas. There is a lot of collapse and overburden that has filled in the adits and shafts and will need to be dug out to accurately assess the source of the gold. Contrarily, the lower adit on the claim shows very good deposits of gold ore and visible gold, this running in two veins inside the mine that is nearly hidden to the casual passerby. The lower adit also needs to be cleared but shows that it likely connects to the rest of the workings on the claim. Native gold will be the primary element of interest on the claim. There is some silver and lead but not in any appreciable quantities seen during the survey.
