Everything below comes straight from the federal record (USGS MRDS) — every documented gold occurrence, prospect and producer in Montana, mapped and readable for free. Not the famous names retold: the actual filed records, including the quiet ground between the famous districts.
Open the live Montana gold map → Get a free spot report
Principal recorded commodities: Gold (3,071) · Silver (1,571) · Copper (888) · Lead (760) · Sand and Gravel, Construction (555) · Gold, Silver (383).
The counties with the most recorded gold occurrences — each links into the live map of that ground (claims, creeks, roads and geology on):
| County | Gold records | Producers |
|---|---|---|
| Madison County | 497 | 320 |
| Jefferson County | 331 | 195 |
| Granite County | 282 | 113 |
| Lewis and Clark County | 281 | 152 |
| Park County | 258 | 38 |
| Beaverhead County | 216 | 88 |
| Powell County | 205 | 112 |
| Broadwater County | 202 | 68 |
| Mineral County | 107 | 48 |
| Silver Bow County | 99 | 65 |
Sites the federal record lists with medium or large production — proven ground worth a careful, legal look at the country around it:
| Site | County | Status | Recorded size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bear Creek Placers | Granite | Past Producer | Medium |
| Butte District | Silver Bow | Past Producer | Medium |
| Helena Placers | Lewis and Clark | Past Producer | Medium |
| Kearsarge Mine | Madison | Past Producer | Medium |
| Kidd Mine | Madison | Past Producer | Medium |
| Lincoln Gulch District | Lewis and Clark | Past Producer | Medium |
| Ninemile Creek District | Missoula | Producer | Medium |
| Pioneer District-Montana | Powell | Past Producer | Medium |
The free map shows every dot above. The $5 spot report reads one spot in depth — gold sources, drainage, geology, access and an expert read — and includes a 7-day pass to every member layer. No account needed.