The Diamond Standard
(Lode)
(20.66 acres)
Broadwater County, Montana
$33,000
SOLD
(Lode)
(20.66 acres)
Broadwater County, Montana
$33,000
SOLD
•Commodities: Gold, Silver, Copper
• Claim designation: un-patented Lode
• Size: 20.66 acres
• Location: Broadwater County, Montana
• Claim designation: un-patented Lode
• Size: 20.66 acres
• Location: Broadwater County, Montana
The Diamond Standard is a documented mineral property in the historic Hassle mining district of central Montana.
Featuring an aged incline mine shaft, and high-grade ore reserves on site, complete with a mining support town including a foreman's home, workman's bunkhouse, blacksmith shop, storage sheds, and concentration mill.
Located in the early 1880s, the Diamond standard, as well as the larger Diamond Hill mines were driven into the high-grade mother-lode deposits of the district. With the larger sister property ( Diamond Hill) is known for mining over 760,000 tons of ore between 1880 and 2000.
Reports of ore grades carrying up to sixteen ounces per ton of Gold have been located in the tabular chimney like shoots of Quartz Diorite.
The ore deposit consists of heavily oxidized quartz diorite and limonite vein, with chalcopyrite and free milling Gold.
As early as 1866 placer gold was discovered in the district. Later, simple quartz mining with shallow tunnels and open pits was utilized to retrieve the precious gold from lode sources.
The camp was officially formed around 1875 with about 40 miners working in the area. By 1880, placer mining was replaced with stamp mills and some hydro-sluicing operations. Mines in operation included the Bunker Hill, Ajax Mine, Big Hill, Lone Star, Diamond Hill, which was considered the Mother Lode in the area, and several other smaller operations.
When a post office was established in August 1895, the camp was renamed Hassel with respect for pioneer miner, Joseph E. Hassel.
At that time, the camp was called home to about 200 people, boasting several businesses, a Masonic Lodge, and a number of frame homes in addition to the numerous log miner’s cabins. At various times, the camp was also known as Knoxville, Placerville, and Florence City.
For about two decades the mines continuously produced, grossing about $5,000,000 in gold. The camp was most famous for its huge Diamond Hill 120-Stamp Mill which operated at full capacity from 1898 to 1900.
By 1910, however, the ores were beginning to decline and Hassel was all but abandoned. During the 1930s, mining reconvened for a short period until World War II stopped it again.
Last-ditch efforts were made in 1946 when Indian Creek was dredged, a process that destroyed the mine tunnels and covered much of what remained of the mining camp with high waste tailings.
Today, the Apollo Mining Company as well as RMP, LLC have taken over the sites, where once again, mining is in full swing.
- Primary workings of the Diamond Standard consist of an inclined shaft driven to an estimated 1075', with estimated drifting on multiple levels. A caved haulage adit is present near the hillside base to meet the NW trending deposit.
A wooden ore hopper and feeder stand near the foundations of a mid-sized gravity mill.
In addition to serving its host mine, the smaller toll mill would have also processed the ore of smaller nearby operations at a fee, while the nearby diamond hill mine utilized a much larger company concentration mill.
Multiple sorted piles of high-grade ore rest are available near the ore hopper.
- Estimated ore available ore grades are: 0.40-16.00 OPT Au, with 1.2-27.00 OPT Ag and trace Copper.
- Free milling Gold is available in the volcanically altered mineral-vein material.
Mine spill is comprised of mid-to-low grade ore and granite host rock, with the higher grade ore hand stacked near the old Mill house.
- A moderately sized abandoned mining support town rests at the base of the mill site, with all structures standing, though in a state of disrepair.
The old mining town consists of the mine foreman's home, the worker's bunk house, a blacksmith shop, and a machine shop. Two rustic outhouses are also available near the hillside incline. Structures are estimated to have been constructed between the 1950s-1970s.
With the Mill site construction estimated at 1920 or prior.
- In addition to the established workings, multiple virgin outcroppings of the epithermal Gold deposit are visible above and below the shaft area.
Access to the mine is available to any higher clearance and all 4x4 vehicles during the warmer months, with snowmobile access between December and March.
A large parking and staging area is available for multiple vehicles and campers.
This mine is available to the beginning enthusiast, up to an established mining company.
