Mines of Centerville

Mines of Centerville. . , The first mining claim in Centerville and the third in Silver Bow County was the Moscow Lode made by G.O. Humphreys and William Allison in 1864. Placer claims were established in all gulches particularly the Missoula Gulch which bordered Centerville on the west and the Buffalo which ran through the center of town. The first record of people living in Centerville was in 1866 where 40 men and 5 women were placer mining for gold in Buffalo Gulch. The next nine years gold mining continued to decline until the “silver era” which started in 1875. Mines like the La Plata, Banker, Snoozer and Clear Grit were developed and were rich in silver ore. The silver production would continue until crash of 1893. The first Centerville copper mines in the 1870s were the Buffalo, Mountain Claims 1, 2, and 3 and the Burnett. The Mountain Consolidated Mining Company was formed in 1881 from six mining claims and its “Mt. Con” Mine would become the highest producer of copper in the United States and would be the first mine to reach one mile underground. The Diamond would have the first steel frame in the Butte area in 1898. Centerville area would have over seventy mining claims and some of the very high producers of copper, silver and zinc; were the Bell, Gray Rock, Green Mountain, Wake-Up-Jim, Raven, Corra, Poulin, Pacific, Estrella, Old Glory, Dernier, and Little Minah. , Today only two gallusframes (headframes) in Centerville survive, the Diamond and the Mt. Con., [photo captions] , Little Minah Mine . Diamond Mine . Panning for gold . Buffalo Mine . Mt. Con Mine . 100 foot level, Mt. Con Mine, 1890 . Bell Mine . Green Mountain Mine . Gray Rock Mine . Placer Mining . La Plata Mine . Poulin Mine . Miners in 1880