History of Washington, Idaho, and Montana : 1845-1889, Part 85

Author: Bancroft, Hubert Howe, 1832-1918; Victor, Frances Fuller, 1826-1902
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: San Francisco : History Co.
Number of Pages: 880

USA > Idaho > History of Washington, Idaho, and Montana : 1845-1889 > Part 85
USA > Montana > History of Washington, Idaho, and Montana : 1845-1889 > Part 85
USA > Washington > History of Washington, Idaho, and Montana : 1845-1889 > Part 85

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The county seat was removed from Diamond City to White Sulphur Springs, a noted health resort, in 1879, by a general election. Neither were towns of any size. A newspaper, the Montana Husbandman, was published at Diamond, In 1882 Townsend was laid out near the Missouri River crossing of the Northern Pacific railroad, and is the nearest station to White Sulphur Springs. In 1883 it had a population of 350, and being the centre of a large and produc- tive farming and mining region, its prosperity was assured. The other early settlements of Meagher county were Andersonville, Arrow Creek, Bercail, Big Elk, Brassey, Brewer's Springs, Camp Baker, Camp Lewis, Canton, Canyon Ferry, Cavetown, Centreville, Chestnut, Clendenning, Cooper gulch, Dennison, El Dorado, El Dorado Bar, Flatwillon, Fort Logan, French Bar, Gardenland, Garrison, Graperange, Hellgate, Hoover, Hopely Hole, Hughes- ville, Judith Junction, Langford City, Linn's Cave, Mckewen's Bar, Mag- nolia, Magpie, Maiden, Martinsdale, Merino, Neihart, Nelsonville, New York, Oka, Olden, Old Trading Post, Onondaga, Oregon, Otter, Overland, Parker, Philbrook, Rader's Ranch, Readsfort, Saw-mill, Stauford, Thompson gulch, Townsend, Trout Creek, Ubet, Unity, Utica, Whites, Wolfdene, and Yago gulch.

Dawson county, owing to Indian wars and other causes, remained unor- ganized down to a late period, and although having an area of 32,000 square miles, and good stock ranges, contained in 1880 only about 200 inhabitants. It occupied the northwestern portion of Montana, and was divided by the Missouri River, and crossed by the Yellowstone, Musselshell, and Milk rivers. Its assessable property in 1884 was about $2,500,000. Glendive, the principal town, was founded in 1881, and named by Lewis Merrill after Glendive creek, which received its name from Sir George Gore, who wintered in Montana in 1856. It was the first point where the Northern Pacific railroad touched the Yellowstone, and the terminus of the Missouri division. It occu- pied a sloping plain facing the river on the south bank, and was sheltered from the winds by an abrupt range of clay buttes, resembling those of the Bad Lands, 300 feet in height, and half a mile distant. The soil about Glendive, the altitude of which is 2,070 feet above sea-level, was a rich sandy loam, and produced plentifully of grains and vegetables. The railroad company made extensive and substantial improvements, and the town soon had 1,500 inhabi- tants, a bank, schools, churches, hotels, and a weekly newspaper. The settle- ments early made in Dawson county were Allard, Cantoument, Fort Galpin, Fort Kipp, Fort Peck, Gray's Wood-yard, Hodges, Iron Bluff, Mcclellan, Milton, Newlon, Old Fort Charles, Old Fort Union, Stockade, Trading Post, and Wolf Point.

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TERRITORIAL STATISTICS.

original Jeffersonian idea of a highway to the mouth

Taking 1883 as a point in time when the railroad era was fairly begun in Montana, twenty years after the discovery of Alder gulch, we have the coun- try producing, aside from its minerals, 745,500 bushels of wheat, 1,614,000 bushels of oats, besides large crops of barley, potatoes, and garden vegeta- bles; and owning 74,560 horses, 5,254 mules, 21,000 milch cows, 378,813 stock cattle, 524,440 sheep from which 2,637,000 pounds of wool were shipped. Of these, 50,000 cattle and 10,000 sheep were sent to market. The value of the stock on the ranges was $16,867,972. The sales aggregated between two and two and a half million dollars, besides those consumed at home. The value of the stock raised brought the income of Montana from live- stock alone up to $3,000,000. Montana Husbandman; Portland West Shore, March 1884. The increase from this kind of property being rapid, the total value in the autumn of 1885 is put down at $30,000,000. With her bread and meat raised entirely within her own borders, with the ques- tion of cheap and quick transportation settled, and with millions com- ing in for beef, mutton, wool, butter, lead, silver, and gold, nothing was lacking but an honest and careful administration of county and territorial affairs to place Montana in a position to be admitted to the union, and to take rank at once as a wealthy state. Although still too soon to look for manu- factures of importance, there was every facility for their maintenance in the water, forests, salt, iron, copper, wool, lime, coal, marble, hides, and other materials. Helena turned out Concord coaches and excellent farm-wagons. The annual report of the auditor of Montana for 1880 gives 18 grist-mills, manufacturing 147,000 sacks, or 588,000 pounds, of flour; 57 saw-mills, cut- ting 20,952,000 feet of lumber; 3 foundries, making 284 tons of castings; 11 wagon-factories, manufacturing 23 carriages, 20 of which were made at Helena; 42 carpenters' shops, and 16 saddlers' shops; with an aggregate of all amounting to $45,500. Lime-works, tanneries, furniture-shops, dairies, etc., are not enumerated. Population, which was first of all needful, was quoted in 1880 at 39,157, but soon rapidly returning to the 60,000 of the flush mining times of 1865-6.

In 1886 the territorial auditor, J. P. Woolman, reported 4,115,457 acres of land under improvement in Montana, valued at $9,898,470; and 33,954 town lots improved, valued at $8,997,460; or $18,895,930 as the value of real estate, not including mining ground. In the thirteen counties there were 127,748 horses, valued at $4,333,595; 663,716 cattle, valued at $13,347,815; 968,298 sheep, valued at $1,952,728; 2,121 mules and asses, valued at $116,- 145; and 18,837 hogs, valued at $75,713; or stock worth $19,825,999. The capital invested in manufactures was $296,700; in merchandise, $3,493,976. The value of personal property in the territory was $6,615,405.82. Altogether, the real and personal property of the territory, as assessed in 1886, was 855,- 076,871.53, an increase since 1883 of $10,378,410.25. There were 16 flour- mills and 91 saw-mills in the territory; 158 blacksmith shops, 5 foundries, 21 silversmiths' shops, and 43 reduction furnaces. The flour manufactured was 141,500 sacks; the number of feet of lumber sawed was 94,777; castings made at the foundries, 2,605; value of saddlers' work in 27 shops, $221,000; the bullion produced in the furnaces was 21,481,615 pounds, valued at $18, - 542,498.85. The coal produced in the territory from 16 mines was 1,563,350 bushels.

It will be noticed that the production of flour, lumber, and coal in 1886 was insignificant in proportion to other sources of wealth. Although lum- ber and coal production has increased, the same disproportion has continued to the present date, the railroads importing these commodities, and export- ing such as are more abundantly produced in the territory. From the report of Gov. White made in- 1889, and acknowledged to be imperfect, it appears that there were in 1888 4,882 farms in Montana, and that on 26, 155 acres were raised 770,200 bushels of wheat, or between 28 and 29 bushels to the acre. On 84,978 acres were raised 3,026,572 bushels of oats, or between

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GENERAL DEVELOPMENT.

of the Columbia, and thence to China. No other

35 and 36 bushels to the acre. Over half the total amount of grain raised was produced in the two valleys of Bitterroot and Gallatin. This was not alone because of the greater fertility and better facilities for irrigation, but because those valleys lie contiguous to mining centres which furnish markets for farm productions.

Owing to heavy losses in cattle and other stock sustained in the severe winter, of 1887, the increase, except in sheep, has been slight, the showing in 1888 being 142,040 horses, an increase of only 14,256 in two years; while in cattle there was still a loss of 175,249; but in sheep there had been a gain of 185,473. The wool clip of 1888 reached ten million pounds, and sold for about $1,600,000. The same year Montana exported and consumed beef, mutton, live-stock, hides, pelts, lumber, coal, and farm products of the value of $30,000,000. Add to this $40,487,000 in gold, silver, lead, and copper produced in 1888, and we have over $70,000,000, which, divided per capita among her population of 140,000, would give every inhabitant the sum of $500, which is a higher standard of wealth than that attained by the major- ity of commonwealths.

This abundance does not come, as we have seen, from the agricultural re- sources of the state, which are still undeveloped, but from its mines. The principal mineral lodes as at present developed are in Silver Bow, Deer Lodge, Lewis and Clarke, Beaver Head, and Madison counties, although minerals exist in almost every part except the most eastern. There are in operation in 1889, 10 gold-mills, 18 silver-mills, 7 lead-smelters, 8 copper-smelters, and 25 concentrators, the combined capacity of which is 5,000 tons per diem, and as soon as the Anaconda new smelter is completed, 7,000 tons. The number of men directly employed in mining is estimated at 10,000, and number of persons indirectly supported by mining and its cognate industries, 75,000. The dividends paid by mining companies in 1889 amounted to $4,000,000.

The production of lumber from 98 millsfor 1888 was 67,474,575 feet, and for 1889, 150,000,000 feet, all of which was consumed in the territory, a proof of rapid building and other improvements. The value of this product at $15 per thousand was $22,500,000. The area of timbered lauds in Montaua is variously estimated at from 34,000 to 40,000 square miles. The increasing use of wire fencing, of coal and coke instead of charcoal in smelting-furnaces, and of coal by the railroads, will enable the state to preserve its timber sup- ply for a much longer period than it otherwise would. The forests, however, have suffered heavy losses by fires during the dry summer weather, when Indians, hunters, tourists, teamsters, and prospectors, by carelessness in leav- ing camp-fires, cause the destruction of more timber than would supply the whole population for a generation.

Wages in Montana were high, even at this period, bricklayers receiving from $5 to $6 per day; stone-masons, $5; plasterers, $6; carpenters, $3.50 to $5; miners, $3.50; and tradesmen generally from $3.50 to $5. Teamsters were paid $75 by the month; male cooks, from $50 to $100 per month, and all domestic service proportionately high; prescription clerks, $100 per month; dry-goods clerks, $65 to $125; bank clerks, $100 to $125; stenog- raphers and type-writers, $100; male school-teachers and principals, $75 to $150; female teachers, $50 to $75; printers, 45c and 50c per M; book- keepers, $75 to $150.

"The laws of Montana,' says Gov. White, 'are especially in the inter- ests of wage-workers. They give them preference, and make their wages a lien for all sums earned sixty days prior to any assignments to the extent of $200.' The same preference is given to claims for wages against the estate of deceased persons, coming first after funeral expenses, expenses of adminis- tration, and legal allowance to the widow and minor children; also in case of execution, attachments, and writs of a similar nature issued against per- sons or corporations. The constitution adopted in 1889 also has an article in the interest of labor, as follows: 'The legislative assembly may provide for

761

RAILROADS.

route or road was ever the theme of so much argu- ment, eloquence, and poetry.2

The advent in the territory of the Union Pacific and Northern Pacific gave a wonderful impetus to every branch of industry, and encouraged the con- struction of other lines. In 1889 there are three transcontinental railroads within its boundaries, each doing a profitable business. Numerous short branches or feeders have been extended to mining centres or agricultural valleys, and several local roads are rapidly being constructed by home companies.3 The third of

a bureau of agriculture, labor, and industry, to be located at the capital, under the control of a commissioner appointed by the governor, subject to the ap- proval of the senate .... It shall be unlawful for the warden or other officer of any state penitentiary or reformatory institution in the state of Montana, orifor any state officer, to let by contract to any person or persons or corpora- tion the labor of any convict within said institutions.'

2 The general government has done very little for Montana in the matter of roads and routes. In 1864 congress made a small appropriation, and sent an expedition from Sioux City by the way of the Niobrara and the Black Hills to Montana, under the charge of Capt. Sawyer, who that year escorted a considerable train of immigrants to the gold mines. He came into the old immigrant road near Red Buttes, and left it near the head of Big Horn river, trevelling to Virginia City by the ronte afterwards known as the Bozeman road, which the Indians finally caused to be closed. The money appropriated for improving the Missouri and Yellowstone rivers in more recent years has been almost wholly expended beyond the confines of Montana. Some money was used in improving the lower Yellowstone, and also Dauphin's and Drowned Man's rapids of the Missouri, 200 or 300 miles below Fort Benton. A small amount was expended in 1882 by Capt. Edward Maguire, U. S. En- gineers, above the Falls of Missouri, but to little effect, owing to meagreness of the appropriation. The Missouri Navigation Company, formed in 1879 with the design of navigating the river above the Falls, never carried out its plans, although a steamboat was placed upon that portion of the river in 1883. The Benton Transportation Company's line plies on the Upper Mis- sonri between Bismarck, Dakota, and Fort Benton, and for many years has been the only form of steam transit in the Upper Missouri country. It has a remarkable record, never having had a passenger lost or maimed on its boats. In 1887, up to the middle of August, 38 up trips had been made, and 16,750,000 pounds of freight carried, valued at $1,500,000. The down freight of 800,000 pounds was valued at $800,000. Number of passengers carried, 700. The same company does business between Bismarck and Sioux City. The Yellowstone is sometimes navigated as far west as Billings, but naviga- tion is impracticable upon it except during the months of June and July. Competition with the N. P. R. R., which runs for several hundred miles along the river, would be unprofitable, and no boats are built exclusively for this river. The tonnage of the Missouri river in 1888 amounted to 4,000 tons, 1,000 of which was in exports of wool, hides, and furs.

3 The home companies which completed their roads before I889 were the Montana Central and Montana Union. The Montana Central company was organized by C. A. Broadwater, backed financially by the St Paul, Minneap- olis, and Manitoba company. The Montana Union is a later enterprise. The former connects with the St P. M. & M. Co.'s road at Great Falls, and

762

GENERAL DEVELOPMENT.

those was the St Paul, Minneapolis, and Manitoba railroad, running from St Paul, Minnesota, to Great Falls, Montana, with the intention of extending its line to the lower or northern end of Puget Sound. So true is it railroads create the business they thrive upon that each of all those in Montana were earning good receipts. The imports into Montana by the Northern Pacific in 1888 were 132,696 tons; the ex- ports, 100,181 tons. The business of the Union Pacific was 55,833 tons imports, and 47,990 tons ex- ports, the local business of handling ores, coal, lumber, and merchandise not being included in the tonnage, but which far exceeds the through freight in amount. The value of the exports from Montana in 1888 were reported by the governor, "at a very conservative es- timate," as being $45,750,000. These consisted of gold, silver, copper, lead, beef-cattle, horses, sheep, wool, hides, pelts, etc.

One of the latest developed resources of Montana is coal, which until the advent of railroads could not be profitably mined. It is now known that along the eastern bases of the Rocky Mountains coal of excel- lent quality exists in practically inexhaustible quan- tity. The mines on Rocky Fork, in Park county, in 1888 produced 500 tons per day; those of Sand Coulée, in Cascade county, 500 tons; and those of Timberline, in Park county, 200 tons daily. Choteau, Beaver Head, and Gallatin counties are also rich in

runs to Helena and Butte, with a branch from Silver City to Marysville, in Lewis and Clarke county. The Montana Union runs from Garrison, on the N. P. R. R., to Butte, with a branch from Silver Bow to Anaconda. The roads under construction in ISSS were the Niehart branch of the Montana Central, 50 miles; the Northern Pacific and Montana, from Gallatin to Butte, 70 miles; Elkhorn branch of N. P. R. R., 20 miles; from Missoula to Idaho, N. P. R. R., 110 miles; Sappington to Red Bluff, 20 miles; Harrison to Poney, 10 miles; Helena to Granite Quarry, 2 miles; total, 283.5 miles. The roads surveyed, but not commenced, were the Manitoba Extension from Great Falls to Missoula, 125 miles; Oregon Railway and Navigation Co., from Idaho boundary to Missoula, 115 miles; N. P. R. R. branches, from Billings to Fort Benton, 200 miles; branch to Castle Mountain, 65 miles; Big Horu and Southern, 115 miles; Billings and Clarke's Fork, 60 miles; Garrison to Mis- soula, 80 miles; Missoula to Idaho boundary, 110 miles; total, 870 miles.

763

MINING.

coal. The output during the year ending June 30, 1889, was 118,000 tons, and this amount was expected to be doubled in 1890.

The most serious drawback to the general prosper- ity of the last decade was the great loss of cattle in the extraordinarily severe winter of 1886-7. The previous season had been one of unusual drought, in which large areas of forest were burned over, destroy- ing timber to a large amount, and adding by heat and smoke to the discomfort of men and animals. This was followed by terrible winter storms, high winds, deep snows, and extreme cold, prevailing for a period long enough to destroy cattle valued at several mil. lion dollars. The loss resulted, as such losses usually do, in better provision for the support and safety of herds during these occasional inclement seasons. The increase of stock on the ranges since 1886-7 has not yet brought the number up to the previous amount, judging from the assessor's returns, although it is probable that with so many railroads carrying stock out of the territory fewer remain upon the ranges than heretofore.

Mining continues to be the leading industry of the Montana people. Notwithstanding the low price of silver, copper, and lead, an ever-increasing amount of capital has sought investment in mines, giving them a remarkable development from 1886 to 1889. In 1883 a table prepared from official returns gave the amount of gold and silver produced in the United States at more than two billions of dollars. It placed California first, with an accredited product of over one billion. Montana came third in the list, with a trifle more than $468,000,000, as a total of the pro- duction of its mines for twenty years, an average of $23,400,000 annually. The output of 1887 was about $30,000,000, and that of 1888-9, $41,000,000, which makes Montana the leading mining state of the union. The single camp or mining town of Butte, in Silver Bow county, where are located silver and cop-

764

GENERAL DEVELOPMENT.

per mines, and which produced $1,000,000 in 1880, increased its product to $23,000,000 in 1888. Owing to a fall in the price of copper, the output of this dis- trict in 1889 will not be valued at over $18,000,000, but the mines seem inexhaustible.

Butte, which fifteen years ago was a small placer- mining village on a mountain-side, is to-day the lead- ing town of Montana in population, having 30,000 inhabitants, and is the first mining camp in the world, with handsome business houses and elegant residences. To the workmen in its mines and smelters is paid $500,000 per month in wages, its more than a hun- dred smoke-stacks, ever pouring, sending out day and night great volumes of dense smoke which testify to the ceaseless industry of the place.

The Anaconda, which was at first worked for silver, is now the most celebrated copper mine on the Amer- ican continent, and with the other mines in this dis- trict, and one or two others, furnishes one third of the dividends paid on mining property in ten states and territories having dividend-paying mines.4 The Ana- conda was visited by a fire, which broke out Novem- ber 23, 1889, in the adjacent St Lawrence mine, and was communicated by a cross-cut to the Anaconda on the 500-foot level, cutting off from escape a body of miners on the 800-foot level, who perished miserably, as did four others who attempted their rescue. The mines were closed to extinguish the fire, but in Jan- uary 1890 they were still burning. The destruction of the timbers in the several levels will occasion seri- ous caving-in of the walls, and a very large loss to the owners. The city of Butte sustained a loss of $350,000 by fire in September 1889, adding another to the curiously coincident conflagrations of this year in the northwest.5

" The total amount of dividends paid in 1887 by the ten mining states and territories was $5,111,894, of which Montana furnished one fourth. Report of Helena Board of Trade, 1887, p. 14.

Among the prominent citizens of Butte is Dr E. D. Leavitt, a native of New Hampshire. He is a graduate of the Wesleyan University of Middletown,

765

PROMINENT CITIZENS OF BUTTE.

Phillipsburg, in Deer Lodge county, is another great mining camp. The Hope silver mine is the oldest in Montana, having been opened in 1866, and

Conn., and Harvard Medical College. After passing three years in Colorado, beginning with the Pike's Peak excitement of 1859, in 1862 he removed to Montana, where he has ever since resided, being now a permanent resident of Bntte, and giving his sole attention to his large and increasing practice. In 1876 he was nominated by the republicans as delegate to congress. In 1888 he was elected president of the Medical association of Montana. Dur- ing 1888 and 1889 he has been and is at present health-officer of Butte. By Gov. Leslie lie was lately appointed one of the board of territorial medical examiners. Few men in southern Montana are more widely respected either professionally or for their unselfish devotion to the interests of their adopted state.

John L. Murphy was born in Platte co., Mo., in 1842, and educated in a private school. At the age of 17 years he went to Denver, where he was clerk in a store for a year and a half, after which he went into business for himself. He took a situation subsequently as an agent of Holladay's express, bnt finally purchased teams, and began freighting across the plains to Colo. In 1864 he came to Virginia City, Montana, with a train loaded with goods, removing in 1865 to Helena, and being also largely interested in transpor- tation throughout the territory. He is principal of a mercantile firm doing business in Helena, Deer Lodge, and Fort Benton.

A. G. Clarke, born at Terre Haute, Ind., in 1822, remained in that state until 19 years of age, when he went to St Joseph, Mo., to engage in mercan- tile pursuits. In 1864 be came to Virginia City, Mont., bringing a stock of hardware, and opening a store at that place. In 1865 he removed to Helena and established a hardware business under the firm name of Clarke & Conrad, which in 1866 hecame Clarke, Conrad, & Miller, but after a time Clarke, Conrad, & Curtin. Mr Clarke is also interested in an extensive dry goods business, and in stock-raising.

J. S. Hammond was born in Abington, Mass., in 1844, and immigrated to Cal. with his father's family in 1862, where he engaged in teaching in San Joaquin co. He subsequently attended the state normal school, grad- uating from that institution in 1868, soon after which he was appointed prin- cipal of the Stockton high school, which position he held for 4 years, when he resigned to take a course of medical lectures, having been reading medi- cine during his years of teaching. He graduated from Cooper medical insti- tute of San Francisco in 1873, since which date he has practised his profession. In 1885 he settled permanently in Butte.

George W. Irwin was born in Chicago, Ill., in 1844. He was the son of a railroad contractor, and lived in many places east and west. In 1858 he went to Kansas, and in 1863 came to Virginia City, Montana. Three years later he removed to Deer Lodge, where he was appointed U. S. collec- tor of internal revenue. In 1876 he was appointed clerk of the U. S. district court, which office he filled until 1881 in Deer Lodge, but the office heing removed to Butte, he removed with it. In 1SS2 he was elected sheriff of Silver Bow co. for one term. In 1889 he was appointed U. S. marshal for Montana by President Harrison. He was a member of the vigilance commit- tee of 1863, and has had mining interests in the territory from about that period, being thoroughly devoted to the welfare of his adopted state.

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History of Washington, Idaho, and Montana : 1845-1889, Part 85

Author: Bancroft, Hubert Howe, 1832-1918; Victor, Frances Fuller, 1826-1902 Publication date: 1890 Publisher: San Francisco : History Co. Number of Pages: 880

Author: Bancroft, Hubert Howe, 1832-1918; Victor, Frances Fuller, 1826-1902
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: San Francisco : History Co.
Number of Pages: 880