The Atlantic Cable Quartz Lode is a gold mine in Deer Lodge County, Montana. The mine is located in the southwestern area of Montana, between Drummond and Anaconda along the

Pintler Scenic Route Montana State Highway 1 (MT 1) is a state highway in Deer Lodge and Granite counties in southwestern Montana, United States, extending west and north from the Anaconda I-90 Junction to Drummond. Both the beginning and endpoints of the ...

on Montana Highway 1, east of

Georgetown Lake Lake Georgetown is a reservoir on the north fork of the San Gabriel River in central Texas in the United States. Lake Georgetown is a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reservoir formed on the San Gabriel by the North San Gabriel Dam, which is loc ...

. The gold mine was named on June 15, 1867, with the name commemorating the completion of the laying of the second transatlantic cable. The mine's founders were Alexander Aiken, John B. Pearson and Jonas Stough. They were camped on Flint Creek and their horses had drifted off. In tracking them to this location, the men were led to the discovery of the mine. Machinery for the first mill was imported from Swansea, Wales, and moved by wagon team from

Corinne, Utah Corinne ( ) is a town in Box Elder County, Utah, United States. The population was 685 at the 2010 census. Geography Corinne is located in southeastern Box Elder County, on the west side of the Bear River. It is the last town on the river bef ...

, the nearest railroad terminal. In the 19th century, mining was irregular. The town which grew up around the mine, Cable, Montana, boomed and busted four distinct times: 1867–1869, 1873–1878, 1883–1891 and 1902–1940. The Atlantic Cable Quartz Lode mine was operated with varying success until about 1880, when extremely rich ore was located. A 500-foot piece of ground produced $6,500,000 in gold.

W. A. Clark William Andrews Clark Sr. (January 8, 1839March 2, 1925) was an American politician and entrepreneur, involved with mining, banking, and railroads. Biography Clark was born in Connellsville, Pennsylvania. He moved with his family to Iowa ...

paid $19,000 for one chunk of ore taken from this mine in 1889 and claimed it was the largest gold nugget ever found. In 1902, two brothers cleaned up the mine and obtained $18,000 from the first cleanup. By 1906, three shifts a day were running in the mill. By 1940, the mine was inactive and has remained that way.

References

* Bancroft, H.H. ''History of Washington, Idaho and Montana: 1845–1889'', San Francisco : The History Company, 1890. * Morris, P.F. ''Anaconda Montana: Copper Smelting Boom Town on the Western Frontier'', Anaconda, MT : Swann Pub., 1997. Buildings and structures in Deer Lodge County, Montana Pre-statehood history of Montana Mines in Montana Gold mines in the United States 1867 establishments in Montana Territory {{Montana-stub

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