Montana Gold Claims: For Sale, Lease or Joint Venture, the Southern Cross 160 acre claim is located in Mineral County's historic Cedar Creek Mining District District.
Contact Marlene Affled, montanagoldclaims.com - Call: 509-389-2606 - Email: marneaffled@mac.com

Historic Southern Cross Placer in Mineral County MT—rich dredge history, proven gold values, ideal water flow, and ready potential for modern, profitable recovery.

 Southern Cross Placer – Technical and Historical Report (Oregon Creek / Big Flat District, Mineral County, MT)\

Project: Oregon Gulch / Big Flat Placer Development

1. Claim Overview

Claim Name: Southern Cross Placer

Legal Description: West ½ of Section 36, Township 15 North, Range 28 West, Mineral County, Montana

Claim Type: Unpatented Placer, 160 acres

District: Cedar Creek Historic Mining District (Big Flat sub-district)

Access: Via U.S. Forest Service Road #320 from Superior → FS Spur #7885 to Oregon Creek. Seasonal (May–Oct).

Coordinates: (To be inserted from your corner posts or BLM filing).

2. Topography & Hydrology

Stream Coverage: Approximately 0.9–1.0 mile of Oregon Creek traverses the claim lengthwise.

Elevation: ~4,450 ft at upper boundary → ~4,350 ft at lower boundary.

Gradient: Moderate, ~100 ft total drop; excellent gold-trap formation at bedrock steps and gravel riffles.

Setting: Broad alluvial flat (Big Flat Bench) with bordering conifer forest and abundant water supply for seasonal sluicing.

Hydrology: Continuous perennial flow, augmented by spring snowmelt runoff. Tributary to Cedar Creek → Clark Fork River.

3. Geological Summary

Deposit Type: Placer gold, derived from quartz veins in the Bitterroot Range.

Host Material: Rounded gravels, coarse cobbles, and decomposed schist/granite bedrock.

Pay Streak Indicators:

Concentrated black sand zones (hematite/magnetite).

False bedrock of compact clay in mid-channel zones.

Heavy gold recovery historically on inside bends and natural riffles.

Gold Character: Coarse flakes to small nuggets, fineness 0.950–0.982 (95–98% purity).

4. Mining History

• 1869–1890s – Initial Discoveries

Gold discovered in nearby Cedar Creek (1869).

Oregon Gulch and Big Flat became rich sources of placer gold by 1870.

Early hand-placer and sluice work yielded consistent returns.

• 1900–1910 – Big Flat Mining Company Era

The Big Flat Mining Co. constructed an extensive hydraulic mining operation on Oregon Creek.

Facilities included a sawmill, bunkhouse, mechanic shop, supply shed, and sluice flumes.

Photographic evidence (Montana History Portal & USFS Archives) confirms the infrastructure:

Big Flat Sawmill & Camp, pre-1910

Mechanic Shop & Flume Construction, Oregon Creek

Bunkhouse Foundations – Big Flat Mining Co.

• 1910 – The Great Fire (“Big Burn”)

The Big Flat camp and plant were destroyed in the August 1910 wildfire, one of the worst in U.S. history.

The company shut down abruptly at the height of production.

Accounts describe the camp as “a mass of flames” and report that the dredge shovel left in the creek was overtaken by fire and remains in situ today.

Remains of Big Flat Dredge on Oregon Creek (photo)

USFS Fire Archive – 1910 Fire impact on Big Flat

• 1930–1937 – Montana Dredge & Engineering Co. (Lee Covington)

Under Guy L. “Lee” Covington, the Montana Dredge & Engineering Co. reactivated Big Flat claims.

Covington built the first road access to Big Flat and installed a 2-cubic-yard dragline/dredge for dry-land operation.

The 1935–1937 dredge worked gravels to bedrock but ceased operation as gold returns dropped and costs rose.

Montana Dredge & Engineering Co. Dredge, 1935

• 1940–Present

No commercial-scale mining since 1910 fire and 1930s dredge.

Periodic assessment work and sampling only.

5. Production & Provenance

Gold values consistently ran from fine flour to heavy flakes; bench gravels were among the richest in the district.

6. Sampling Recommendations

Recon Grid: Pan and sluice samples every 100 ft along inside bends and bedrock exposures.

Bench Test Pits: Excavate to clay/bedrock contact; log depth, pay thickness, and gold weight.

Channel Assessment: Use auger or backhoe trenching at 20 ft intervals (checkerboard pattern).

Verification: Duplicate pans, concentrate assays, photographic logs for QA/QC.

7. Environmental & Compliance Notes

Surface: U.S. Forest Service (Lolo National Forest).

Mineral Admin: BLM Missoula Field Office.

Permits Required:

BLM Notice of Intent (≤5 acres) or Plan of Operations (>5 acres or mechanical use).

DEQ 318 Authorization for short-term turbidity.

SP 310 Stream Protection for instream work (Mineral County CD).

Operating Season: May–October (dependent on snowpack).

Wildlife: Black bear, elk, moose; standard USFS mitigation applies.

8. Summary Statement

The Southern Cross Placer (160 acres), encompassing the heart of Big Flat, represents one of the historically richest sections of the Cedar Creek Mining District. Once the operational base of the Big Flat Mining Company, it was producing heavily until destroyed in the 1910 fire. Subsequent dredging in the 1930s (Covington’s Montana Dredge & Engineering Co.) reworked parts of the channel but left significant ground untouched. Today, the claim retains visible tailings, intact dredge remains, and a proven gold-bearing creek system ready for modern evaluation.

Conclusion:

Southern Cross remains one of the most geologically and historically significant placer sites in Mineral County. With documented production, accessible terrain, and ongoing replenishment from Oregon Creek’s erosional cycle, it offers exceptional potential for systematic exploration and revival.

Photos Below Show Big Flat Mining Company Camp before the 1910 fire.