An improved, clean dirt road leads south out of Elliston to the Viking Mine. Sometimes referred to as the Orphan Widow, this claim covers two distinct mines and camps. There is a workshop and tipple in front of the larger mine, and a smaller, more intact workshop/assay house near the other adit and shaft.

On the main road is an old cabin that is in relatively good repair and could be used in support of the mining claim. This cabin has hook ups for power and phones. From the cabin, a 4WD road leads a few hundred feet into the trees and up to the mine site.

The mines were historically worked for gold and silver and were closed by the Forest Service in 2006. There is good history on the mines and the smaller adit is gated and could be easily accessed. There is an open inclined shaft that leads directly into the mine workings and it is not gated. The larger mine has had the entrance blasted and would require significant hand work to re-open. The adit was reported as closed in 1976. The aforementioned shaft connects to the main workings at 400? according to USGS documentation.

The ores around the mine show silver rich galena and some small veins of native gold. The claim is set in the heart of the Ontario (Elliston) mining district and surrounded by thick, lush, green forest. It is a very private site and you will likely not see many people throughout the season.

The workings are documented to be cut onto a rich lode of gold bearing ore that is from 14 inches to 7 feet wide and runs to a fault line where the richest gold ore is defined at 8 ounces to the ton.

With water, cabins, power, good cell signal (via ATT) and some massive, historic mines, there is not a lot more that could be asked for.

Near Helena, Montana, USA.

The Viking, or Orphan Widow Mine has also been referred to as the View Mine. It was last actively worked in the 1940’s at which point it is believed that the entrance was blasted to prevent further intrusion on the workings from the War Act. The mine entrance was noted as “collapsed” in 1976 by the USGS.

A 1934 report from the Montana Butte Standard noted that the Viking Mining Company was again shipping gold and silver ores averaging $300 per ton in gold and silver.

There is not a lot of other history that can be found on the mine. The survey reports noted that there were limited tailings that had been moved or disturbed in the past 20-30 years. Gold with quartz and granordite host rock was common near the rock face above the collapsed adit. Additionally there were samples of quartz with visible stringers of gold found in the old assay house. These samples apparently never worked. These samples likely came from the culverted adit that was only a few feet from the assay house.

This claim is work ready with a great road that runs up to an old cabin previously used by the mining company. The roof and walls are intact but some of the windows need replacement. This cabin could easily be utilized in support of your mining operation with a notice of intent. There is covered parking for 2 vehicles here and you can easily park 5-6 other vehicles around the cabin and in the flats.

The old road up to the mine is directly across from the cabin. It crosses a small, flowing river and then meanders up the hill to the mine. The road is flat and in very good condition with exception of some mid sized trees that have fallen across the road and would need to be cleared.

As noted above there is running water on the claim, this could be utilized for operations or for drinking water if properly treated.

On the claim, near the mines are 3 other standing structures. A large tipple leads straight off from the old mine entrance and to the road below. Survey crew reported that there were good gold ores to be found around and under the tipple. There is also a workshop that is in a frame only form. Someone has stolen the metal walls and so it sits. This would be an easy project to restore with some corrugated steel. The workshop is slightly offset from the tipple, right near the road at the main mine site.

Farther up the road, but still on the claim is the last of the structures. This appears to be a workshop or possible assay house. The workshop is mostly intact with a lot of various old tools and a lot of samples. There are a lot of cupels and broken bits of ores in here. Excellent samples of gold in quartz and some silver as well.
There is another access to the main mine back at this workshop. A gated culvert is visible from the cabin, but just a hundred or so feet up the hill is an old open incline. This incline should lead into the workings of both mines.