The Boom at Monte Cristo
Mining experts and investors declare the remote mountain camp to be among the most promising in the United States.
At Monte Cristo, development on the Monte Cristo, Hopeful and Comet mines continues to satisfy expectations. President F. W. Wilmans reports that four tunnels are being driven into the properties, with late assays showing ore averaging $75 per ton, and one sample yielding $158 per ton. The tram line is well under way, with materials arriving from Getchell, and is expected to be finished in six weeks. Alton L. Dickerman, consulting engineer for the syndicate, noted that the mines have improved with every foot of tunnel driven. Captain Hooper, a veteran mining expert recently returned from a tour of the Rocky Mountain region, remarked that Monte Cristo possesses the finest prospects and largest surface showings of any camp he has visited from Old Mexico to Washington.
“There are in Monte Cristo the earmarks of one of the greatest mining camps in the United States.”
Monte Cristo was one of the most significant mining booms in Washington history, but the promise of endless wealth was cut short by recurring floods and the eventual collapse of the town. Today, it remains a ghostly site accessible only by trail, serving as a reminder of the era's volatile 'boom and bust' extraction culture.
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