History of the Bond Mine

The Crescent Mine (Columbia Crescent, Bond, Rhodes Creek Mining Co; American Exploration Co; Old Veteran) was located on Clearwater and Bartlett Gulches. It was first worked as a placer in the early days. A thousand feet of ledge was worked to a 40-foot depth. The owners cleaned up $80,000 from it in two seasons. It was located in the middle of the 1860's by James McCarty, possessed in turn by Silas W. Moody, who paid $2,000 for it, then my I.B. Cowan.

The property was first located as a lode about 1882. Eastern owners had 60 feet of tunnel driven then gave up. The property was relocated by the Dunn Brothers about 1892. A tunnel developed a wonderfully rich shoot of free gold at a depth of 150 feet on the Last Chance side. This was treated in a three-stamp mill installed by the Dunn Brothers and Carr. They took out $50,000. The operation was highly profitable. As exhaustion of the ore approached, a shaft was sunk following the depth to something more than 100 feet. Drifting on the new level proved disappointing and resulted in the suspension of operations. While there was still some free gold, most was in sulfide. In 1897, the Crescent Consolidated Mining Co. secured the property. They installed a five-stamp gravity mill, the stamps weighing 900 pounds each.

In 1902, the Crescent Mine was described as a shaft on an incline driven with the dip of the ledge, 300 feet deep. At the 100-foot level, a 1000-foot drift was run on the ledge north and south. At the 250-foot level, another 1000 feet of drift was run. In the face of the south upper drift was three feet of ore. All work done up until 1902 had been accomplished from Bartly Gulch. New work planned called for driving a tunnel from Clearwater Gulch to gain another 200 feet in depth on the property. The property had been idle since 1897. About $12,000 worth of work and machinery had been expended on the mine. Lode production was said to be over $50,000.

By the spring of 1903, the company had abandoned the shaft and was driving a tunnel that had reached a depth of 250 feet and was due to hit the vein at a depth of 350 feet. The vein being developed was 14 inches wide on an incline of 30 degrees west, carrying free-milling ore. Claims controlled by the company included the Crescent, Bole, Golden, Columbia, Hoodoo, Bond Twin, Twin Fraction, Washington, Wildcat, Best Chance, Magic, Humbug, and the Gem Fraction. It produced some bullion during the year. In 1905, Bell reported, "The Columbia Crescent Mine, 3 miles east of Pierce City, is locally considered one of the best propositions in the district. It has been idle, however, for some time. This property contains a paystreak 20 inches wide that carries average values of $50/ton."

The patented Bond Mine (T35N, R6e, sec 6) lies on the East Side of Rhodes Creek, about a mile above the Bole Mine. The Bond is the oldest quartz location in the Pierce District. It produced $7500 in gold in 1924. The main workings consisted of an incline shaft 200 feet deep, with drifts and raises totaling about 1500 feet. A crosscut tunnel driven 50 feet below the bottom of the shaft had not reached the vein after being driven 350 feet.

The Rhodes Creek Mining Co. took over the Dunn & Stowell claims in the summer of 1924. The company was incorporated for $250,000 having 5,000,000 shares at $0.05 each. L.O. Tollefsen was president, James Erickson vice-president, and M.E. Tollefsen as secretary-treasurer. Other officers were Charles W. Sanderson and W.R. Taylor. James Burke was the superintendent in charge.

Prior production was claimed to be over $75,000. There was estimated to be more than 10,000 tons of $40 ore in the mine. The cookhouse and dining room were rebuilt. The bunkhouse and mine office were repaired. There were six buildings on the property valued at $3,000. An engine, compressor, boiler, machine drills and blacksmith equipment was all repaired and placed in good working order by the Union Iron Works of Spokane.

When the Rhodes Creek Mining Co. took over, the tunnel on Clearwater Creek was caved for 40 feet. This was cleared and retimbered. The tunnel is in 410 feet, with about 150-feet of crosscutting. There is a shaft 210 feet deep and about 1500 feet of drifting, raises and crosscuts. All the workings total about 2200 feet.

The Rhodes Creek Mining Co. planned to drift the tunnel under the old workings about 310 feet at $12 per foot, figuring it to cost $3750. This would give a depth 50-feet below the old workings. The drift was started and was being pushed about five feet per day. Reports were that the tunnel crew had his a talc seam more than five feet wide and into a formation having indications of carrying values.

The American Exploration Company was incorporated April 21, 1931 in Spokane, Washington. The company held the Bond Mine (and two unpatented claims) under a lease. The claims consisted of two tunnels: 1600 feet; 60 feet; approximate total development, 2800 feet. This company reported it was the trustee for the Pierce Gold Project, the finances of which were raised by the sale of $10 option certificates. The principal crosscut was extended a short distance and completed during the early part of the year. A fire was started by a spark from the smokestack of the Bond mill and quickly burnt several acres on May 11, 1931.

In 1933, a group of Kellogg men took over the Crescent, subsequently known as the Bond, then the Old Veteran, under the corporate name Old Veteran Gold Mining Co. The property covers the divide between Last Chance and Clearwater Gulches. The Old Veteran has driven a crosscut from the Clearwater Gulch side at considerable depth below the old workings. This has made available a considerable tonnage of economical ore. A flotation plant is in the works.

On May 16, 1933, the Old Veteran Gold Mining Company became the Western Metals Product Company. By 1934, the mine was consolidated with the Wild Rose Mine.

Dan - Dan The Gold Pan Man

Just looking for that yellow dirt.
Thinking about it and where did it come from.
Listening to every old mine and the story he
tells from the miners long yet past away.
It's that yellow dirt and the idea of what it can
do for you that sends you on your way.
The fever just seems to take away all the aches
and pains that come with finding that tiny
yellow spec as it sits in that pan.

Oh man it's Gold Pan Dan
Digging holes all over the land.
Rubies, Emeralds, Diamonds and Gold
Digging for Dan never gets old.
Oh man it's Dan - Dan the Gold Pan Man
Digging holes whenever he can.
Some are shallow and some are deep
Geological riches does he reap.
Oh man it's Dan - Dan the Gold Pan Man
Climbing into mines all over the land.
Searching for grandpa's gold
He'll be digging till he's old.
Oh man it's Dan - Dan the Gold Pan Man
Claiming up all that land
Just to find that spec of gold in his pan.
Pan handling it may be
Pierce City is where he learned to pan.
Oh man it's Dan - Dan the Gold Pan Man.

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