Mines and Mining 



Montana Has Done Her Share in the Promotion of the 



Great War by Furnishing a Steady Stream of Basic 



Metals for the Country to Use in Its Production 



of Munitions 



ANKING second among all the states of the Union in the produc- 

 tion of silver, copper and zinc, fifth in production of gold, and 

 furnishing large quantities of lead, manganese, coal and other 

 minerals, Montana is indeed a state of mines. From the earliest 

 days, when gold was first discovered, Montana has been one of 

 the leading states in the production of minerals. In 1917 it 

 passed the two billion dollar mark in its total production of 

 metals, having added to the wealth of the nation a total of 

 $2,062,833,163. Yet the mining experts say that there are still untold quantities of 

 minerals to be mined in the state. 



Mining was the greatest wealth producing industry in the state again in 1917, 

 as it has been from the first. It produced a total of $113,000,000 in mineral wealth 

 as against $109,000,000 as the value of farm products. This is the nearest that farm 

 products have ever come to equalling the mineral wealth. Both industries showed 

 a decrease from 1916, however, due to an abnormal year in agriculture and to 

 serious labor troubles in the Butte mines, which curtailed the production of the 

 plants in July, August and a part of September of 1917. The output all over the 

 United States in minerals showed a decrease in 1917. 



Metals for War Uses. 



Montana has made her contribution to the country and the world by its great 

 output of metals for war purposes. Attention has been directed to the production of 

 these rather than to the precious metals and every effort made to supply the needs 

 of the country. Although hindered by strikes, the mines while running, exceeded 

 their output at any previous time. Because of the war the production of zinc, man- 

 ganese, lead and copper have been emphasized. Lead and manganese have shown a 

 decided increase in production, while copper and zinc have shown a decrease from 

 1916. Chromite and molybdenite have been discovered and are very important war 

 minerals. 



Great improvements in the methods of treating the ores of these metals have 

 resulted from the increased demand made by the war. This makes it possible to 

 recover the low grade ores, heretofore considered of little value. The improvements 

 devised, such as the leaching process for copper ores and the oil flotation process 

 for zinc ores, has virtually revolutionized the mining of low grade ores containing 

 these metals. 



Five Metals Prevalent. 



In the mining industry five metals are closely related in both the genesis and 

 the geologic occurance of their ores. They also hold together in mining. They are 

 gold, silver, copper, zinc and lead. Of their ores some contain all five metals, many 

 contain three or four, and few contain only one. The ores of gold and silver or 

 lead and zinc are usually mined together. Copper ores almost invariably produce 



