The data below represent everything available in the MBMG Abandoned and Inactive Mines (AIM) database.

Sites Table
AIM Id Name Alternate Name District County
SB001036 HIGHLAND MINE BUTTE HIGHLANDS (ONLY CHANCE) HIGHLAND SILVER BOW
MRDS AMLI MILS Latitude Longitude Datum
47-028 45.7961 -112.515
Township Range Section QSection UTM Northing UTM Easting UTM Zone UTM Datum
01N 08W 32 ABDC
Average Elevation Elev Units Land Owner 250K Quad 100K Quad 24K Quad
7300 F DILLON BUTTE SOUTH MOUNT HUMBUG
Property Type Update Date Who Updated
LODE 6/12/1996 DMT
Agency Info Table
Information
Agency: NF
Region District: R1
Ranger District: BUTTE
Forest Service Tract:
Watershed Code: 10020004
Forest or Resource Area: DEERLODGE
Owner: M
Impact: U
Report: Butte Highlands The Butte Highland Mine has been by far the most productive mine in the Highlands District, providing over 63,000 oz of gold (Sahinen, 1950). As a result, it has been well-studied. The following information has been compiled from Veazey (1934), Newcomb (1941), and Sahinen (1950). The first lode workings in the area, the Only Chance, Murphy, and Tilton, followed narrow veins and pipes in dolomitic limestone of the Meagher Formation above what was later to become the productive Highlands orebody. The veins and pipes merged downward into a large replacement body. In 1930, all properties were merged to form the Butte Highlands mine, and by 1937 all production was coming from the 600 foot level adit, which is the main Highlands opening. The mine was worked until it was shut down by law in 1942. The workings consisted of a 2,300 foot crosscut to the orebody, where the replacement zone was mined out over a 550 foot vertical extent. The orebody was a replacement zone in the Meagher Formation that was localized by the intersection of a due E 60N fault and the hinge of a fold. The orebody was an irregular mass that trended generally southeast and dipped 55-85 NE. It originally contained quartz, pyrite, pyrrhotite, and gold, with minor galena, sphalerite, and chalcopyrite. The sulfides were oxidized and leached by groundwater, leaving an open sponge of quartz enriched in residual gold which then slumped to fill the open spaces and formed a unique breccia. The soft oxidized ore contained an average of .6 oz/ton in gold, and was easy to mine and recover. The 1942 order to close coincided with a change in the character of the ore as lower levels were reached: no oxidation had taken place here, pyrite and pyrrhotite were abundant, and the gold was found in complex silicates. New milling and recovery methods were necessary, and so the mine was not reopened after World War II. Although the orebody is hosted by the Meagher Formation, granite, gabbro, and pegmatite are exposed in the workings. The deposit is probably related to the Boulder Batholith. A large volume discharge emerges from the caved portal of the 600 foot level. The associated dump is composed of 9,000 tons of mostly unaltered dolomite, quartzite, and shale. A few hundred tons of mineralized material remains (see map for assay results). There is evidence of a seasonal discharge from the base of the dump.
Assay Table
Information
Sample Id: JSHI-1
Material Type:
Sample Method:
Comments: HIGHLAND WASTE DUMP
Contamination Table
Type Of Contamination Estimated Quantity Cond Container Comments
NO01 20' X 20 NO01 AND NO02 ARE APPROX. 100' UPHILL OF SAMPLING LOCATION BHIS20L. CONTENTS: GARBAGE DUMP; TIN CAN
NO02 20' X 20 SEE REMARKS FOR NO02.
Mines Table
Type Condition Ground Water Photos Available? Photo Numbers Ownership Comments
A01 PART FLOW Y 2-9, 2-18 PRV
P01 PART NO N NF
P02 PART NO N NF
P03 PART NO Y 2-13 NF GARBAGE PRESENT.
P04 PART NO Y 2-13 NF GARBAGE PRESENT
P05 PART NO Y 2-13 NF GARBAGE PRESENT.
S01 PART NO Y 2-13 NF
Sample Table
Sample Id Sampler pH SC Date TempC Flow Rate Flow Units Flow Method Source Ind No Veg Stain Salt Sulf Turb Location Related to Stream Stream Sedimention Photos Available? Photo Numbers Remarks
BHIS10H OEB 8.37 391 8/12/1993 110 GPM BUCKET AND ADIT Y N N N N NA NO Y 2-17
BHIS20L OEB 8.1 515 8/12/1993 12 GPM BUCKET AND STREAM N N N N N DOWN UNNAMED NO Y 2-11
BHIS30M OEB 8.5 338 8/12/1993 300 GPM BUCKET AND STREAM N N N N N DOWN BASIN CREEK NO Y 2-22 SAMPLE LOCATION DETERMINED IN OFFICE; NOT IN FIELD.
Screening Criteria Table
Information
Mill Tailings: N
Adit Discharge: Y
Metal Leaching: N
Water Erosion: N
Residence: Y
Hazardous Materials: N
Open Adit: Y
Visit: Y
Comments: MBMG: SOURCE: JEFF LONN; 2 PICTURE; 9/15/92
Solids Table
Sample Id Source Date Sampler Sample Type L Transect Soil Interval Indicator of contamination Path Veg Color Salt Photos Available? Photo Numbers
BHID10H WA 8/20/1993 OEB COMP 5 V Y Y Y N Y
BHIW10H WA 9/15/1992 JL COMP 500 N
Structures Table
Type Number Condition Photos Available Photo Numbers Comments
CA01 3 B Y 2-19 NEAR PHOTO # 2-19
MI01 1 B Y 2-14 Mill remnants(?) located directly below T-2 tailings dam. See form.
Waste Table
Type Wind Erosion Veg Rill Gully Seep Pond Breach None Stability Floodplain Dist Stream Photos Available? Photo Numbers
MI01 MOD MOD N N N N N LOW OUT 300 Y
MI02 LOW MOD N N N N N LOW OUT 300 Y
WA01 HIGH BARREN Y N Y N N EMER NEAR 50 Y
M-Mines Table
Type Latitude Longitude UTM_N UTM_E UTM_Z Size Open Length Size Open Width Elevation Elevation Units
A01
P01 10 FEET 10 FEET
P02 10 FEET 10 FEET
P03 10 FEET 10 FEET
P04 10 FEET 10 FEET
P05 10 FEET 10 FEET
S01 5 FEET 5 FEET
Rank Table
Information
Investigator: R. MARVIN
Date: 7/20/1993
Photos Available?: Y
Access: IR
Nearest Wetlands/Bog: 1
Drainage Basin: BASIN CREEK
Water Contact Stream: Y
Nearest Surface Water Intake: 3
Number of Surface Water Intake(s) observed within 15 miles downstream:
Uses of Surface Water Intake(s) observed within 15 miles downstream: City of Butte Reservoir/Basin Creek Reservoir
Nearest Wells (miles): 5
Number of Wells within 4 miles: 0
Uses of Wells within 4 miles: Domestic Water Supply
Nearest Dwelling (miles): 5
Number of Months Occupied: 12
Number of Houses within 2 miles: 0
Recreational Usage on Site: H
Nearest Recreational Area (miles): 1
Name or Type of Recreational Area: Primitive FS campground at intersection of Highland Rd. and Camp Creek Rd.
Safety Risk from Open Adit/Shaft:
Safety Risk from Highwall or Unstable Slopes: N
Safety Risk from Unstable Structures:
Safety Risk from Chemicals: N
Safety Risk from Solid Waste (includes sharp rusted items): Y
Safety Risk from Explosives:
Sensitive Environments within 2 miles of Site or 15 miles Downstream: WETLANDS AND BASIN CREEK MUNICIPAL WATERSHED
Population within 0-0.25 miles: 0
Population within 0.25-0.5 miles: 0
Population within 0.5-1 miles: 0
Population within 1-2 miles: 0
Population within 2-3 miles: 0
Population within 3-4 miles: 0
Public Interest: H
Soil Chemistry Table
Sample Id Lab Id Description Project Comments
BHID10H 94S0048 HIGHLAND MINE DLFORST

End of report. Retrieved 5/5/2024 3:54:50 PM.

The preceding materials represent the contents of the databases at the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology at the time and date of the retrieval. The information is considered unpublished and is subject to correction and review on a daily basis. The Bureau warrants the accurate transmission of the data to the original end user at the time and date of the retrieval. Retransmission of the data to other users is discouraged and the Bureau claims no responsibility if the material is retransmitted. There may be data in the request area that are not recorded at the Bureau.