An illustrated history of the state of Montana, containing biographical mention of its pioneers and prominent citizens, Part 32

Author: Miller, Joaquin, 1837-1913. cn
Publication date: 1894
Publisher: Chicago, The Lewis pub. co.
Number of Pages: 1216

USA > Montana > An illustrated history of the state of Montana, containing biographical mention of its pioneers and prominent citizens > Part 32

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Water river, afterward called Alder creek be- cause of the heavy growth of that wood along it, not a single tree of which is now to be seen, the wants of the miners having used them up long ago, and the banks and the bed of the stream are dug up and piled about in a most extraordinary manner, considering the short time that has elapsed sinee its discovery. But to return to the discoveries. They camped on the creek about half a mile above where the city of Virginia now stands, and on washing a few pans of dirt they ' struck it big,' getting as high as four dollars to the pan. They staked off their claims and went to Bannack City to get a supply of provisions, and to tell their friends to return with them and take claims, which they did. The creek proved almost fabulously rich, thousands of men having made fortunes in it, and still it is not half worked ont.

" But I am digressing from my description of the basins that constitute Montana. I have described Deer Lodge elsewhere, with the ex- eeption of the rich placer and quartz mines situated in a kind of secondary valley, situated

undecided where to go, having in view both El Paso, Texas, and Butte City, Montana. He flipped a nickel to decide the matter. The choice fell to the latter place, and he arrived in Butte City on the 4th of July, 1887. The railroad was then being built to Great Falls, and this place offered many inducements for him to locate here. Two other physicians were in practice here when he opened his office. From the very first he met with suc- cess and soon established a large and lucrative practice, now being ranked with the leading physicians of the city. He is a member of the State Medical Association, the North Montana District Medical Association, and the National Association of Railroad Surgeons. Since com- iug to Great Falls he has been employed as railroad surgeon.

Dr. Longeway was married August 23, 1889, to Miss Gertrude Welsh, a native of Stanbridge, Province of Que- bec, and a daughter of Ira A. Welsh, of that place. They have four children, all born in Great Falls: Albertine Ada Estella, Josephine Theodore, Gertrude and Albert F., Jr. Mrs. Longeway is a Congregationalist. The Doctor is liberal and independent in both his religious and political views. He is fully identified with the city of his adop-

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at the head of the main one, and a slight de- scription of which will be proper here. They were discovered during the summer of 1864, the large number of gold and silver-bearing quartz leads first attracted the attention of some prospectors, who began to examine the country and found it to be of unexampled richness, there having been discovered up to this time (January, 1865) over 150 leads of gold and silver-bearing quartz within a space of six by ten miles, sev- eral of the silver leads assaying better than the Comstock lead in Nevada Territory, and one in particular, the Original, producing seventy per cent. of metal when melted down in a common forge, the proportion being $2,800 in silver to the ton of rock, $200 in gold and copper -- enough to pay all expenses of working. A great many of these leads project above the surface of the grounds, and can be traced for hundreds of yards by the eye while standing in one spot. there is no doubt but this vicinity will prove as good, if not better, than the re- nowned Washoe mines. Wood and water are plenty and easy of access, and it is besides an

excellent grass country. There are also several large leads of argentiferons galena, which fur- nish all the lead that may be wanted, and which contain a sufficient quantity of silver to pay a handsome profit to the workers.

" In addition to the quartz leads, which are known to form a network over a large extent of country bordering Deer Lodge valley, there is interspersed among these leads a large extent of placer or surface diggings, some of which were worked during the past fall and yielded largely, and which will afford remunerative em- ployment to a large number of men for years to come.

" This ends the description of the northwest- ern basin, which contains eight principal valleys, to wit: The valley of the Flat Head lake, of the Mission, of the Jocko, of Hellgate, of the Bitter-Root, of Big Blackfoot, of Flint creek and of Deer Lodge, besides many other smaller ones of great beauty and fertility. This basin drains toward the northwest, and is about two hundred and fifty miles long by an average of about seventy-five miles wide. It is by far the

tion, and is considered one of her most enterprising citizens.

A. NATHAN, one of Great Falls' representative business men, is a native of Prussia, born of Prussian parents, December 20, 1851.

He received his early education in his native land, learned the trade of tailor there, and when only sixteen years of age came to America, landing in New York, where he entered a retail clothing store, learning the business and the trade of custom cutter, which he fol- lowed until the spring of 1879, at which time he directed his course westward and took up his abode at Fort Ben- ton, Montana. At Fort Benton, with Joseph Hirshberg as partner, he engaged in business on his own account, and they continued there for several years. In 1884 Mr. Nathan established a house in Butte, which was discon- tinued the next year. In 1886 he established a house at Great Falls, where the business prospered so well that two years later, having previously dissolved the partner- ship with Mr. Hirshberg at Benton, he consolidated the business at Great Falls, where he has since met with emi- nent success, carrying everything in the line of men's wear. Since locating here he has built a nice residence on

Fourth avenne north, and also his elegant business block No. 222 Centre avenue, one of the best business locations in the city. This block is 25 x 125 feet, and its three floors are occupied by his large stock. Also he has recently opened a branch house at Neihart, Meagher county, where he is doing a prosperous business. He erected the building he occupies there.

Mr. Nathan was married in 1883 to Miss Frances Cas- kel, a native of New York, and they have two sons, Rob- ert S. and Herbert A., both natives of Montana.

Mr. Nathan is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and is a stanch Republican. He takes a commendable inter- est in public affairs, has served as Alderman of his ward, and during his residence in Great Falls has won an en- viable reputation as an enterprising and successful bus- iness man.

ASHER WARE PAUL, a respected Montana pioneer of 1866, now engaged in the livery business at Great Falls, Cascade county, was born in the town of South Bristol, Ontario county, New York, April 14, 1836.

Mr. Paul is of Welsh extraction. His father, George W. Paul, was born in Massachusetts in the year 1804, and married Miss Mary Root, whose birth occurred in Con-

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HISTORY OF MONTANA.

best timbered part of the Territory, owing to the moist warm winds of the Pacific ocean, which reach to the Rocky mountains along here, and cause a more luxuriant growth of vegeta- tion than farther south, where their moisture is absorbed and rather dried up in crossing the arid surface of the ' Great basin,' which is desti- tnte of timber, except in a few places.

"Sickness is almost unknown in this basin, or indeed in any of the others, for I can truly say that no healthier country can be found in the world than that comprised within the limits of the Territory of Montana.

"Next is the northeastern basin, lying on the east side of the Rocky mountains, and be- tween them and the low dividing ridge that separates the waters of the Saskatchewan, Red

necticut in 1807. They emigrated to Michigan when it was a Territory, and subsequently returned to New York State where they remained until 1847. That year they again turned their faces westward, the Territory of Wis- consin being their objective point, and in Delavan town- ship, Walworth county, they took claim to a tract of Gov- ernment land. There he improved a farm and there he spent the rest of his life and died, his death occurring in 1865, in the sixty-first year of his age. Both he and his wife were members of the Congregational Church. Their lives were characterized by honest industry and they had the confidence and esteem of all who knew them. In their family were twelve children, Asher W. being the sixth born and one of the five who are still living.

Asher W. Paul grew up on his father's farm. Early in life he was inured to hard work, his summers being spent in the field and his winters in attendance at the district school, which was held in a log cabin. After he reached his majority he was for one term a student at Delavan, and when he started out in life for himself it was as a farmer. In 1866 he and some of his neighbors-four fam- ilies in all-started across the country for Montana, allured hither by reports of the gold discovery. They traveled with ox teams, joined a large emigraut train com- posed of 180 wagons, 1,400 head of stock and nearly 200 men, and made the journey in safety. As their company was so large and so well armed, they were not molested by the Indians.

Arrived in Montana, Mr. Paul located on a ranch fifty miles north of Virginia City, in Willow Creek valley, Madison county, where he engaged in the dairy business, keeping about seventy cows. At that time the most of the people in Montana were engaged in prospecting and

river of the north, and the Missi-sippi river, from those of the Missouri. The basin extends in fact from the Rocky mountains to the east- ern border of the Territory, along its north end, a distance of nearly six hundred miles in length, by about one hundred and fifty in breadth, a small part of its northern edge lying in British possessions. The eastern portion of this vast basin is composed of clay table lands, or ' mau- vaise terres,' but there is a large amount of good land along the streams. There are sev- eral spurs and bunches of mountains, as the Bear's Paw, Little Rocky mountains, Three Buttes, etc., scattered about 'in it. It drains to the east by the Missouri river, Milk river, Marias river, Teton river, Sun river, and Dear- born, the first three putting into the Missouri

mining, and provisions of all kinds were high. He re- ceived as high as $1.50 per pound for his butter and found a ready market at Helena, Diamond City, and the various mining camps. Although the dairy busines was very profitable it was attended with much hard labor, the work all being done by hand, and he did not continue his but- ter making after 1874. He, however, kept his stock.

Mr. Paul was the builder of the bridges at the forks of the Missouri river, and he also built four miles of toll road. This road and these bridges formed the key to the whole country, as the most of the emigrants to Montana passed along this route. Here he also built a hotel. These improvements not only resulted in financial success to him but they also proved of great value and convenience to the traveling public. He conducted the hotel and kept the toll road and bridges until 1884, when he sold out to an English syndicate for $30,000. The property is now owned by Marcus Daly, who gave $142,000 for it.

In 1887, soon after Great Falls began to boom, Mr.Paul came here and purchased property and started the Cas- cade livery stable, which he has since conducted snc- cessfully. For a number of years he has been raising blooded horses and at this writing is the owner of "King Rock," a valuable Hambletonian horse. Like the most of Montana's business men, he is interested in mining land, having 160 acres of land covered with rich placer mines. For twenty-two years he has held a patent for this tract.

Mr. Paul was married in 1864 to Miss Mary C. Hanley, a native of the State of Maine. She crossed the plains with him and has been the sharer of his joys and sorrows all through his pioneer life. They now occupy one of the most cozy and delightful homes in Great Falls.

Politically, Mr. Paul is a Republican.

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below Fort Benton, and the last two a short distance above the Great Falls. The western portion of this basin is but little broken up by mountains, yet only about one-third of its sur- face is available for farming, consisting of a strip from ten to twenty miles in width and abont one hundred and fifty long, running along the east foot of the Rocky mountains, which afford a good supply of timber. This strip is clothed with bunch-grass, but as yon leave the mountains and go down into the plains, the country becomes a succession of clay terraces or table lands, more commonly known as ' bad lands,' which are sterile, with but a scanty growth of stunted grass. The streams have worn down through these table lands until they now run in canons several hundred feet below you, meandering through the narrow bottoms that border it. These bottoms, thongh narrow, are generally fertile and well supplied with grass. Timber, however, is not very plenty. what there is being principally cottonwood. It

JUDGE THOMAS C. BACH, a prominent member of the bench and bar of Montana, was born in Brooklyn, New York, October 10, 1853, and is a descendent from English and Irish ancestors. His grandfather, Robert Bach, came from England to this country and settled on Long Island at an early day. He was there when the war of 1812 began, and when the attack was made on Long Island he joined the American forces and fought until the brave American army conquered the invading foe. He en- gaged successfully in the wholesale drug business and erected the first brick house in the city of Brooklyn. This building was afterward sold, and finally passed into the hands of a charitable society, and is now used as a home for aged and infirm women. He was married in Brooklyn to Miss Margaret Cowan, a native of Ireland. Their son, John Casnave Bach, the father of our subject, was born in Brooklyn in 1814. He married Elizabeth Nostrand, who was born on Long Island in 1820. They had eleven children, of whom eight are still living. John C. Bach, like his father, was a druggist, and both were members of the Episcopal Church. He died in 1885, in the seventy-first year of his age, and his wife survived him two years, her death occurring in 1887, at the age of sixty-seven.

Judge Bach was the eighth child in his father's family, and when he was eight years old they removed to New

is possible that a large proportion of these table lands may be rendered productive by a well- directed system of irrigation.

"The want of timber may also be supplied by coal, of which I have reason to believe there are large deposits in this basin.

" There have not been any discoveries that would pay of precious minerals in this basin as yet, but there has been a small amount of super- ficial prospecting done. This has established the fact that gold exists in unknown quantities in the canons and streams that put into this basin from the Rocky mountains. I am, how- ever, of the opinion that when this region is thoroughly prospected it will be found equally as rich as its sister basins.

"Next comes the western central basin, drained to the east by the Jefferson fork of the Missonri and its tributaries, of which the follow- ing are the principal: Big-Hole river, which eomnes in from the northeast, and which, I think, affords more than the Beaverhead river,

York city, where he was reared to manhood. He gradu- ated in the Columbia College in 1875, with the degree of A. B., and in 1877 he completed his studies in the law department of the School of Arts, graduating with the degrees of A. M. and LL. B. Immediately after his graduation he entered the office of Arnoux, Ritch & Woodford, with whom he spent one year, and after that was with the firm of Tenney & Aymar two years. The following two years he was engaged in the practice of his profession alone. In 1884 he came to Montana, and, after a short residence in Bozeman, formed a law part- nership with Judge De Witte of Butte, where he remained until 1886. That year President Cleveland appointed him Judge of the Supreme Court of the Territory of Montana, and upon receiving his appointment he came immediately to Ilelena, where he has since resided. Ile held the office of Supreme Judge until 1889, when Mon- tana was made a State. In 1892 he was elected a mem- ber of the State Legislature, and was Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, and, being a man of marked ability and great force of character, he was the recognized leader of the Democracy during the great Senatorial contest of that year. During all the first part of the session he was a strong supporter of ex-Governor S. T. Hauser, until that most worthy candidate withdrew, and the leadership of the Clark forces was then forced upon

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which has generally been considered the main stream, and properly so, because it runs through the center of the basin, and drains a much larger extent of country than the Big-Hole, which has along its course, and in a huge semicircle around its head, some of the loftiest peaks in this part of the Rocky mountains, and on which the snow falls to a great depth, and as it melts in the spring and summer, canses the Big-Hole, which has a much steeper grade than the Beaverhead, to become a rushing torrent of formidable dimensions. The Big-Hole and the Beaverhead unite near the eastern edge of the basin, and form the Jefferson fork of the Mis- souri, which runs through a canon into the 'Eastern Central basin,' where it makes a junction at the . Three Forks' with the Madison and Gallatin rivers.

" Rattlesnake creek comes in from the north- west, as does Williams' creek a few miles farther west. Horse Prairie, creek, which is the head- water of the Beaverhead, comes in from the west. Red Rock creek comes in from the south; Black-Tailed Deer creek from the south -

east, and Stinking Water river from the south- east. These streams drain this basin, which lies much in the shape of a spread fan, being about 150 miles wide by 100 long.

" There have been no mines discovered on the Big-Hole, except a small patch at its head, of which I have spoken elsewhere.

" Rattlesnake creek is crossed in the cañon above its valley by numerous ledges of the richest quartz silver that has yet been discov- ered in Montana, some of them assaying as high as $5,000 to the ton of rock. * *

" The round smooth boulders and gravel com- monly known as the ' wash,' that are always found in placer diggings, have evidently been caused by the grinding, pulverizing action of glaciers, the country having undergone great changes of upheaval and depression since that time; and in gold-bearing localities the action of the elements during countless ages has col- lected the gold that was ground out of the ledges and rocks by the action of the glaciers into the ravines, creeks and rivers of the vicin- ity.

him, a position which he did not desire, but one to which he seemed in duty bound. During all this time Judge Bach showed himself to be most thoroughly conversant with the constitution, as well as an expert parliamentarian and possessed of great mental activity and force. Still, as he did not succeed in the canse he championed, he has very much regretted the part that devolved upon him, while both friends and foes admire his talents and conceded ability.

In 1889 he was married to Miss Kathryn Child, a native of San Francisco, California, and they have two children, Dorothy and Marjorie.

Judge Bach has invested in mines and mining since coming to Montana, and is now interested in valuable property. ITe has joined no societies since the Delta Psi of his college, and ever since he graduated he has been a powerful advocate of tariff reform.

Such is in simple words the life of one of Montana's most eminent jurists. During his term of service in the Supreme Court of Montana, Judge Bach passed upon many cases of great importance and involving many fine points; but the compass of this article will not permit special reference to them, beyond the statement that few

men had occupied his position and have had so few of their decisions reversed. Ifis opinions are fine speci- mens of judicial thought; always clear, logical, and as brief as the character of the case would permit. He never enlarged beyond the necessities of legal thought in order to indulge in the drapery of literature. Emi- nently practical in all his thought and actions, Judge Bach has shown unquestioned ability for political lead- ership. A forceful speaker, an entertaining conversa- tionalist, stanch in friendship, and loyal in trust, he merits the high esteem in which he is held by a host of admirers and friends.

CAPTAIN SAMUEL, A. SWIGGETT, Register of the Land Office, Helena, Montana, is a native of Maryland, born in Dorchester county, May 19, 1834.

Captain Swiggett's ancestors were among the early emigrants to this country from England, and were promi- nent factors in the early development of the colonies and States. His maternal grandfather, Samuel Hurst, fought for independence on the Revolutionary battle-fields. Samuel Hurst was also the grandfather of Bishop Hurst, of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Grandfather Aaron Swiggett was a Major in the war of 1812. He was born in

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". Baunack City stands at the upper end of the canon on Willard's creek, where it opens out into a small valley. The mines extend down the creek seven or eight miles, and have paid big, but are now declining somewhat.

"In this canon are situated many leads of gold-bearing quartz of exceeding richness, among which is the famous ' Dacotah' lead which is now being worked with great success. There is also the Waddam lead, the California lead, and many others that assay quite rich. In fact, few places in the world possess greater mineral wealth than the vicinity of Bannack City.

" Passing by Horse Prairie, Red Rock, and Black-Tailed Deer creeks, each of which has a valley of considerable extent which is admir- ably adapted for grazing and probably for farm- ing also, but on which no mines have as yet been discovered, we come to Stinking-Water river, which has a valley of considerable size, but only a portion of which was fertile and well grassed; but the spur of mountains that run down between it and the Madison river, and which are over fifty miles long, running due

Delaware and was for many years one of the prominent citizens of that State. His son, William H., the father of our subject, was born in Delaware in 1810, and for his wife married Hemetta Maria Hurst, a native of Maryland. They became the parents of seven children, of whom four sons are living. The mother died in her thirty- second year, and the father lived to be sixty-five. Both were worthy members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. William H Swiggett had resided in his native State until his marriage, when he removed to Maryland, and it was in the latter State that the subject of this sketch was born; the parents soon removed to Delaware, and reared their family there.

Captain Swiggett, the first born in his father's family, received a limited education in Delaware and Maryland, and alter reaching his fourteenth year came West as far as Indiana and engaged in the merchant-tailoring and clothing business. Subsequently he removed to Iowa and continued in the same business, being thus occupied when the war of the Rebellion burst upon the country.

He enlisted in the ranks in September, 1862, and be- came a member of the Thirty-sixth Iowa Volunteers. Ile had been active in recruiting for this and other regi-

north and south, are very rich. The first stream that comes out of these mountains into the valley of the Stinking-Water is the ‘ Wis- consin gulch,' so called because it was first worked by a party from that State. This gulch has only been partially prospected, it being deep to the bedrock, yet there has been found a considerable extent of placer diggings in and adjacent to it. A few miles farther up the val- ley comes ont Mill creek, so called because Gammell & Co. built a mill on it last year. There has been no placer mines discovered on this creek, but along the base of the mountains in its vicinity is a large number of rich gold and silver-bearing quartz leads, among which are the Rothschilds lode, the Eclipse lode, the Antelope, the Mountain Queen, the Gibraltar, and many others that assay rich.

"This is the only place in this range where silver leads are found. Some of them assay from one to two thousand dollars to the ton of rock, and they are very easy of access. Here is also a thriving village, called Brandon, which bids fair to rival Virginia City.

ments, and was elected Captain of his company. They were sent lo the front in the Departmentof the Mississippi, their first engagements being at Helena and Little Rock, Arkansas. In the spring they left Little Rock for Sureve- port, and while his brigade was guarding a train from Camden to Pine Bluffs, Arkansas, they were attacked by 9,000 mounted infantry, and, after a fight which lasted two and a half hours, the entire brigade was either killed or captured. Seventy-three men in Captain Swig- gett's company were killed and wounded, the rest, thirty- four, were captured. The latter were laken as prisoners of war to Tyler, Texas. The following August, Captain Swiggett with five other officers of the Thirty sixth Iowa, bribed the guards and by that means they made their escape. They traveled by night, remained hidden in the woods during the day, and in this way suc- ceeded in covering a distance of 110 miles; but when they reached the vicinity of Boston, Texas, they were recaptured and were marched back to Tyler. When taken, most of the men were exhausted from exposure and want of food, and the return to Tyler was made under the most distressing circumstances. They were put in the stockades the last of September. On the 23d of

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An illustrated history of the state of Montana, containing biographical mention of its pioneers and prominent citizens, Part 32

Author: Miller, Joaquin, 1837-1913. cn Publication date: 1894 Publisher: Chicago, The Lewis pub. co. Number of Pages: 1216

Author: Miller, Joaquin, 1837-1913. cn
Publication date: 1894
Publisher: Chicago, The Lewis pub. co.
Number of Pages: 1216