Montana mining history — Kalispell eighth-graders pan for gold and garnets
Kalispell Middle School teacher Kris Schreiner demonstrates how to use a sluice to eighth-graders, from left, Shyann Richsel, Hallie Granley and Kaylee Whitten during a lesson on panning for gold, garnets and other minerals in his Montana History class on Tuesday, Jan. 16. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Eighth-grade student Bailey Vonkrosigk uses a tweezer to pick out potential minerals found in the panning process in Kalispell Middle School teacher Kris Schreiner's Montana History class on Tuesday, Jan. 16. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
A student helps move material through a sluice in search for gold, garnets and other minerals during Kalispell Middle School teacher Kris Schreiner's Montana History class on Tuesday, Jan. 16. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Eighth-grade students Mylee Mills, left, Jakaleigh Peters, right, and Divya Smith, back, search for minerals found in the panning process during Kalispell Middle School teacher Kris Schreiner's Montana History class on Tuesday, Jan. 16. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
A student's jar containing minerals found by panning through material in Kalipsell Middle School teacher Kris Schreiner's eighth-grade Montana History class on Tuesday, Jan. 16. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Kalispell Middle School teacher Kris Schreiner demonstrates how to pan through material in search of minerals in his eighth-grade Montana History class at on Tuesday, Jan. 16. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
A student searches rocky material for gold, garnets and other minerals as it passes through a sluice during Kalispell Middle School teacher Kris Schreiner's Montana History class on Tuesday, Jan. 16. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Eighth-grade student Renna Dillenburg uses a tweezer to pick out potential minerals found in the panning process in Kalispell Middle School teacher Kris Schreiner's Montana History class on Tuesday, Jan. 16. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Kalispell Middle School teacher Kris Schreiner demonstrates how to use a sluice to eighth-graders, from left, Shyann Richsel, Kaylee Whitten and Hallie Granley during a lesson on panning for gold, garnets and other minerals in his history class on Tuesday, Jan. 16. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Students' jars containing minerals found by panning through material in Kalipsell Middle School teacher Kris Schreiner's eighth-grade Montana History class on Tuesday, Jan. 16. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Eighth-grade student Johnny Popkov uses a tweezer to pick out potential minerals found in the panning process in Kalispell Middle School teacher Kris Schreiner's Montana History class on Tuesday, Jan. 16. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
A sign above Montana History teacher Kris Schreiner's classroom alerts Kalispell Middle School eighth graders that they are entering Alder Gulch to mine for gold and garnets.
Alder Gulch, was the site of the “richest placer gold strike in the Rocky Mountains with an estimated total value of 100 million dollars throughout the 18th and 19th century,” according to virginiacitymt.com. A man by the name of William Fairweather discovered the site in May 1863.
“Fairweather dug the dirt, filled a pan and told Edgar to wash the pan in the hope of getting enough gold to buy tobacco. When the first pan turned up $2.40, they knew the gulch had great potential.”
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