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Tom Irwin,
a gold prospector, discovered a gold bearing vein
here in 1879. Tom built a cabin and mined the gold
vein for three years, then left the area. He blasted
the hillside down to hide the mine before he left,
leaving his track, mine car and tools inside -- a
sure sign that he intended to come back. However,
he did not, and the mine stayed hidden and lost for
over a hundred years.
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There is no record of how much gold was
taken out of the mine during its three years of
operation. No one knows where Tom came from or where
he went after he left. His cabin was used as a
landmark for many years. Although Tom was the first
person to mine a quartz vein in Shoshone county, he
did not receive credit for that in the history
books (quote):
"Tom Irwin, a gold prospector, discovered a
quartz vein and built a cabin at Montgomery Gulch
in the spring of 1879. This cannot be verified as
the quartz mine cannot be found."(unquote)
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The mine stayed hidden. In 1991, the owner
saw water seeping out of the hillside. Hoping it was
a spring, he dug into the bank and partially uncovered
the portal. He put a piece of plywood over it and left
it alone. In 1996, it was sold to the present owner, a
retired miner, who uncovered the rest of the mine and
rejuvenated it as a tourist attraction.
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In the 100-plus years it was lost, beautiful
smithsonite crystals formed on the walls. Gold and
wire silver are marked out for everyone to see and
enjoy. They are still attached to the quartz vein.
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While cleaning out the mine, we discovered high-
grade gold ore that was left behind. Some samples assayed
at 70 ounces per ton.
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goldmine_idaho@hotmail.com