Sapphires Are Found Here. 



The mining of precious stones is quite important in Montana. Sapphires are 

 found in a number of places in the state. Near Yogo, Montana, sapphires and 

 other stones are mined extensively and in both Granite and Madison counties there 

 are also mines of this nature. 



There are phosphate beds in the state that have not had much development 

 as yet, but promise to be important in the future. The state has a number of 

 important quarries of granite and sandstone which have become popular for 

 building purposes. 



Monster Smelters Here. 



Smelting was comparatively unknown in the early days. It has now become 

 a fixed part of the mining business. The largest smelters are the Washoe smelter 

 in Anaconda and the Great Falls smelter. The smelters handle copper, with gold 

 and silver as by-products. The Washoe smelter is the greatest in the world. It 

 was built at a cost of many millions. The two big smelters consume on an average 

 of 1,400 tons of coal and coke each day. 



The smelter at East Helena is the only place in Montana where silver-lead ores 

 are reduced. It handles ore from all parts of the state and some from Canada. 

 Its product is refined at Omaha. Other smelters at Butte are smaller and handle 

 some of the products of the mines there. In all of these smelters electricity is used 

 as power, supplied from the system of the Montana Power company. 



There is also an electrolytic plant at Great Falls for the reduction of zinc. 

 This is the only one of its kind in Montana. 



New processes have been worked out for the recovery of practically all the 

 metals. The leaching process is recovering great quantities of surface copper ore 

 which was formerly of low grade and not considered worth mining. The oil flota- 

 tion process has made the mining of zinc profitable. Other processes are being 

 worked out for the treatment of complex ores which will make their mining 

 profitable. 



Important Mining Centers. 



Butte, as the "richest hill on earth", is the great mining camp of the state, 

 producing about 95% in 1917. Butte has produced about 300,000,000 ounces of 

 silver in its history, 2,400,000 ounces of gold and between seven and eight billion 

 pounds of copper. 



Madison county is still a rich mining region. The placers are generally worked 

 out, except where dredges are used, but the mining of copper, gold, silver and lead 

 is carried on successfully. Pony is also a good gold camp. Sheridan camp contains 

 many mines, some producing and others under development. At the old Bannack 

 camp, mining is not only remunerative, but is being carried on extensively. The 

 mines carry gold, silver and lead. 



At Jardine, Park county, there has been a revival of mining. Gold, silver, 

 selenite and tungsten are produced. Selenite is associated with gold and is very 

 rich. Emigrant gulch is a producer of placer gold as in the past. 



Winston, in Broadwater county is a shipping point for ores from the surround- 

 ing mines. Hell Gate produces rich copper ore. Radersburg has been a shipper 

 for many years and is one of the many ore producers of the county. 



At the headwaters of the Big Blackfoot is located Silver Camp, in the Heddle- 

 stone mining district. The ores carry values in gold, silver, copper and zinc. 



In Beaverhead county a new railroad has been projected from Divide to Elk- 

 horn camp where development of the mineral wealth is being prosecuted. Neihart 

 camp in Cascade county, is shipping silver-lead ore. At Castle in Meagher county, 

 a revival of lead mining is noted. 



