An illustrated history of the state of Montana, containing biographical mention of its pioneers and prominent citizens, Part 34

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 34

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Let the truth be told. Montana has a history higher than her record of crime and catalogue of criminals, and no good can come to her or ever has come to her by these bloody annals. It has been pointed out in a previous chapter how an alleged historian of these great North-

position about one year. Then he and the consul, W. W. Randall, became partners in a street railway franchise in Bogota. Mr. Crosby returned to New York in order to place the franchise, which he did successfully, and made three trips to Europe, placing the stock of their company in London, Berlin, Paris and St. Petersburg. In the spring of 1886 he came to Helena, Montana, and thence to Great Falls. He took claim to a tract of Government land at Big or Lower Falls and remained at that place a year and a half, after which he sold out. At Great Falls he accepted the appointment of Deputy County Clerk and Recorder, served in that position a year, and was then, in 1889, elected on the Republican ticket to the office of County Clerk and Recorder, which office he still holds, having been re-elected. Since coming to Great Falls he has invested in city property and all his invest- ments have proved valuable ones.

Mr. Crosby was married at Great Falls October 28, 1891, to Miss Elizabeth E. Trusty, a native of Fort Dodge, Iowa, and the daughter of Joseph S. M. Trusty of that city. They have one child, Howard, Jr., born July 22, 1894.

Mr. Crosby is a member of the A. O. U. W. and of the various clubs of Great Falls. Ile is a pleasant, prompt and energetic business man, and as such is highly es- teemed by his many friends in Cascade county.

HERMAN II. POTTING, the leading grocery dealer of Marysville, was born in Germany, December 13, 1838. When Three years of age he came with his parents to America, locating in New Orleans, but afterward re- moved to St. Louis, Missouri, receiving his education at the latter place. At the age of seventeen years he went to California, cia the Nicaragua route. After arriving in that Stale, Mr. Potting mined in Nevada and Sierra coun- ties a number of years, at times meeting with flattering

west communities imported criminals and erim- inal records to swell his list of outlawry- To what lasting good?

This of itself is a crime, a crime greater than any in his catalogue. He who would steal the good name of the gray old men who battled here and built up this State is to be pitied and despised. I am told by men who are in a posi- tion to know that not one-half the crimes laid at the doors of Montana ever had any real ex- istence on her soil. And I know of my own knowledge that the sheriff's of new conntries, while generally capable and most fit in all ways, as was this first one of Missoula, as a rule fol- lowed mining or some other solid employment in quest of fortune, during inenmbency of office, as at other times.

success, but, like all miners, also suffered serinus re- verses. In 1862 he went to British Columbia in search of gold, and in the following year to Idaho, undergoing many hardships and dangers during the journey. Dur- ing his wanderings he had saved $20,000, but lost the en- tire amount in speculation.

With the same fever for gold unabated, Mr. Potting came to Montana in 1865; discovered The Magpie Gulch in Meagher county, afterward sold his interest there; conducted a meat market al New York Gulch one year ; next resumed mining at Trout Creek, and continued to search for the glittering treasure at Quartz Gulch, but in 1872 abandoned mining. Mr. Potting then returned to St. Louis, where he followed the wood business on the Mississippi river, also the commission business. In 1876 he went to the Black Hills, from there again returned to St. Louis, and in 1877 located in Meagher county, Mon- tana, where he was engaged in farming and quartz- mining ten years. In 1887 he embarked in the butcher business in Marysville, but in 1889 opened his grocery store, and his entire career in this city has been one of success. He is still prominently connected with mining interests, being a stockholder in the Pigeon and Ball Butte and in various placer mines. Mr. Potting has erected a residence, store and warehouse in Marysville; owns other city property, and is considered one of its most enterprising citizens.

In St. Louis, in 1872, our subject was united in mar- riage with Miss Annie Toppe, a native of Germany. They have three children,-Edward, Harry and Fred, Harry is associated with his father in the store, and is one of the prominent young business men of the place. Mr. Potting has been a life-long Democrat in political mat- ters; has held the offices of Notary Public and Constable,

Manville Dinara

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CHAPTER XIV.

THE INFANT CRYING ALOUD IN ITS CRADLE-PROSPECTORS-INDIANS-ALDER CREEK-THE RICHEST PLACER MINES EVER YET DISCOVERED ON THE GLOBE.

T must not be imagined that the immediate exploration and development of Montana eeased for a moment with the first be- ginning at Gold Creek. In the early days miners of California were wont to quote the old German on finding a rattlesnake in his field: "Now you looks out, you poys, vere dere's vone rattlesnake dere's alvaysh two, sure."

Stuart and his company made only "China wages" at first, but soon they were making an ounce a day to the man over at Bannaek City. Then there was a store, two stores, a string of log and " shake" houses, and two, three strings

but gives his attention principally to his business rela- tions. He is a strong advocate of the free coinage of sil- ver, and takes a deep interest in the welware of Montana.

HON. GRANVILLE STUART, United States Minister to Paraguay and Uruguay, was born near Clarksburg, Ilar- rison county, Virginia, August 27, 1834, and when he was three years of age his parents moved with their children to Princeton, Illinois, and one year later to Iowa, where young Granville was employed on the farm during the summer and attended the pioneer school during the win- ter season until 1852.

In 1849 his father went to California in search of gold and returned in 1851. In 1852, his father and brother James crossed the plains, arriving at Neal's ranch in the Sacramento valley in October, after a very adventurous trip, the Indians being very hostile that season, espe- cially along the Humboldt river; and this also was the year of the cholera epidemic, which carried off many emi- grants across the plains. Every camping place along Platte river showed newly-made graves, and hundreds lie along its banks with nothing to indicate their resting places. Their rude head-boards were either burned by the annual prairie fires that swept across those vast plains, or in after years the remaining head-boards were nsed by the emigrants for fire-wood, and the graves un- marked soon sank back into the boundless prairie.

or groups of cabins. The thieving Indians being steadily persistent at their normal trade, the people who now poured in by way of the Mullen road and Salt Lake, from the East as well as the West, and from other ways as well, found safety, or comparative security, at least, in grouping as closely together as they well could. Ont from this first "eity " the Califor- nia prospectors went in little bands, up and down, east and west, right and left, till not only the other snake but many another one ap- peared. Yet these two first, Gold Creek and Bannack City, long held the central places; and then, being fortunate in having an intelligent

The outfit of Mr. Stuart's party was a small one,-two four-horse teams and but four men, -- the father, two broth- ers and a companion. They traveled swiftly to get be- yond the epidemic, passing train after train, and lying in camp, with not well men enough to drive the teams. They went by way of Salt Lake to recruit their horses, which were becoming thin, and here they remained three weeks, boarding with John Taylor, who at that time was one of the twelve "apostles" of the Mormon Church, and who subsequently, on the death of Brigham Young, suc- ceeded to the presidency of the church.

Proceeding westward, the party went down the Hum- boldt river and hy way of the Truckee river to Beck worth valley, to Spanish ranch in the American valley, and to Bidwell's har on Feather river. Soon, however, they went on to Neal's ranch, in the land of perpetual summer.

After feeding and resting up they went into the moun- tains and became miners on Little Butte creek and the west branch of Feather river. The rain season setting in with heavy rains, their cabins and works were swept away by the floods. Subsequently they mined at Rabbit creek, Warren Hill and Spanish Flat, in Sierra county, and at Shasta and Yreka iu Siskiyou county, and while they were in this country the Rogue river outbreak of the Indians occurred, and Mr. Stuart served in Captain White's company of scouts around the lakes where Gen-

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man who kept account of these earlier times for posterity to receive, they still keep, and will keep to the end, a special place in the great mental and moral heart of Montana.

The store here, as it had ever been in the bright, new days of California, was where the better elements of mining towns were to be met with. The storekeeper was always a man of might and worth. Not infrequently he was the miner's broker and banker. When in luck the miner laid his bag of bright dust in his hands for safer keeping; when out of luck he went to the storekeeper for "tick;" and if a good man, as he nearly always was, he got all

eral Canby was afterward massacred by the Modocs in 1874.

In June, 1857, in company with his brother, James, and nine others, he started on horseback with pack animals to return to the States. On the 4th of July they suffered greatly from a snow-storm at Stony Point, on the Hum- boldt, and July 17, at the head of Malad creek, Mr. Stuart fell ill, and was compelled to remain in camp. After waiting here a week, eight of the party went on, leaving Mr. Stuart and his brother and companion (R. Anderson) to follow. Mr. Stuart was very ill for five weeks, and remained in camp uutil their provisions were pretty well exhausted.

This was the year of the Mormon war, and Colonel Albert Sidney Johnston was about this time coming up to the South Pass, with 5,000 United States troops to reduce them to subjection, they having seceded and begun to defy the general Government. Brigham Young put Utah-or "Deseret," as the Mormons called it-under martial law, imposing heavy penalties for selling provis- ions or ammunition to the "Gentiles;" and Mormon rangers were stationed throughout the country, patrolling the roads and passes, and arresting all "Gentiles" as spies, and surreptitiously condemning them to death. Being hemmed in on both sides, and with but few provisions, the Stuart party began to cast about for some loop-hole for escape. A man named J. Meek, who was a trader with the emigrants, advised them to go with him and others about 400 miles north, to Beaver Head valley, at the head of the Missouri river, and to winter with them there. Having no other alternative, and being of an ad- venturous disposition, they determined to do so. Before starting, the problem of supplies presented a serious ques- tion for them to solve; but finally, in spite of Brigham's prohibition, a kind-hearted old Mormon secretly sold them provisions enough and amunition to last them through a portion of the winter, which he delivered to them at midnight ; and by morning they were well out of

he wanted. The average scope and conduct of the genuine miner's life was simple and direct. He bent his back all day, more than all day, sixteen hours in the twenty-four sometimes, beside the slushing, dripping sluice-box, pick or shovel in hand; from daylight till starlight, if we except the shortest sort of an hour for his beans and bacon, he strained his eyes toward the bedrock, looking for nuggets; then, pick and shovel on his dripping shoulder, gold-pan tilted to one side under his arm, showing a little yellow seam on the edge of the bottom, his great, long gum boots whetting and whipping together with a creak as he strode on up toward

the country. Finding plenty of wild game on the way, they managed to get through safely. During the latter portion of the winter, however, they had to subsist almost exclusively on wild meat, and that without salt.

By this time they had discovered that the country was a mineral one, and they tried to do some prospecting, but their tools were limited to an old shovel, a piece of a pick with a willow handle, and a tin pan. They found good prospects, but the lack of facilities and embarrassment by the Blackfeet Indians prevented them from doing any mining.

They decided to go to Fort Bridger, 114 miles east of Salt Lake, with the few horses they had left, and sell them there, and get another outfit and return to their dis- covered gold-mining places; but on arriving at the fort they found that the army had moved on into Salt Lake valley, whither they followed them. Here, however, they ascertained that they could not outfit sufficiently well to warrant them in returning at once; and they sold their horses to the soldiers and camp-followers, and went to Green River, Utah, and engaged in trading with the In- dians and California emigrants until the fall of 1860.

During this year they returned to Montana and located at Benetsi's Creek, at the lower end of the Deer Lodge val- ley, and continued their prospecting. They were still in adequately equipped, and the Indians stole most of their horses; but in the fall of 186t they succeeded in obtaining a whipsaw and picks and shovels packed in Walla Walla, 425 miles distant. Their flonr was brought from Salt Lake, 500 miles away, in another direction. Their first mining adventures were not very renumerative, as they operated only in the gulches; afterward they found better diggings on the hillsides and in the bars, and they con- tinued to mine here during the years 1862-3. In the gen- eral history of Montana contained in this volume, Mr. Stuart and his brother James have the credit of being the first discoverers of gold in Montana.

In the meantime a younger brother had come West to

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his cabin, his fellows following along at inter- vals, stopping now to twist the dirty water from a draggled sleeve, now sitting down on a way- side boulder to take off a boot and remove a rasping gravel stone, lifting his great bearded face now and then toward the hazy horizon as if he thought an Indian might be coming with the darkness.

So, at length the last man got to the cabin where the leader was drying, weighing and sack- ing the dust. Silence, absolute silence, was the rule or practice. No one asked or seemed to care how much. One drew his sheath knife, sharpened it on a jamb of the boulder-built

Colorado, and had been written to come to Montana, as it was a better gold-mining country than Colorado. The let- ter being shown to parties in Colorado, a Montana fever was started there, and men in considerable numbers started for Deer Lodge. Some of them hecame lost, seat- tered about and found other diggings. Mr. Stuart relates many interesting events in the early history of these dig- gings, which are substantially incorporated in the formal history of Montana, in this volume, and is the author of some published accounts, as "Vigilantes" and "James Stuarts's Expedition to the Yellowstone."

He continued mining for several years at various places, some of which have turned out to be rich in gold. During most of this time, in connection with his brother, he also had stores at Deer Lodge and Phillipsburg. In 1871 they quit merchandising and coufined themselves mostly to mining until 1879, in which year our subject en- gaged in the range eattle business, and continued the same for ten years, in eastern Montana, on the lower branches of the Musselshell river; and between Indian depredations and the white cattle kings he led an active and exciting life.

Retiring from the active supervision of this business iu 1887, he again engaged in quartz-mining until 1881, and he holds many mining interests to the present time.

In 1891 he was appointed by Governor Toole as State Land Agent, and filled the office for two years. He has also been School Trustee for sixteen years, was seven years president of the State and Territorial Board of Live Stock Commissioners, and for several years was president of the Live Stock Association of the Territory. For five terms he was a member of the Territorial Legis- lature; has served as a director of the State prison, and has held numerous other public offiees. It was in March, 1894, that he was appointed by the President of the Un- ited States (Cleveland) as United States Minister to Para- guay and Uruguay, South America, and he is now serving in that responsible position.

fireplace, and then yanked down the "sow- belly," laid it sidewise on the table and began to saw off slices; one took the now empty gold- pan, and, pipe in teeth, assaulted the month of the flour sack. One, the youngest generally, and also pipe in teetli, took a rifle from the bnek-horn rack above the fireplace, and, after looking carefully to see if it was capped and primed, sauntered forth to lead in the picketed horse, bringing a load of dry wood or sage- brush on its back for the breakfast fire as he led in the pony.

Supper ready, they sat down on their heavy stools, all silent still. Tired men are very

Mr. Stuart is still an active citizen of Montana, and has been an important factor in the common weal of the State. He is a Democrat and has been actively interested in the movements of public interest, particularly in edu- cational matters, during all his long residence in Mon- tana. His peculiarly active life and experiences have made him a shrewd diplomatic and efficient representative of the product of the earlier influences of our Western fron- tier. His life has been replete with denouements of in- terest and excitement, and his association with the classes and influences which surrounded his life here peculiarly fit him for the position to which he has been recently appointed.

JOHN B. LAURIN, the pioneer settler of the Ruby valley and the founder of the town of Laurin, the county seat of Madison county, forms the subject of this article.

John B. Laurin is a native of Canada. He was born in St. Martin, twelve miles north of Montreal, August 21, 1821, and is of French descent. His parents, Paul and Margret (Charthran) Laurin, were both born in Canada. The father was a merchant and farmer. He died at the age eighty-nine years and his wife passed away in her seventy-ninth year. They were devout Catholics. Their family was composed of thirteen children, seven of whom, four daughters and three sons, still survive.

John B. was the sixth born in this family. Ile was reared at his native place, his boyhood days being spent at work on the farm and in the store with his father. When he was sixteen he began learning the tanner's business, and after working at it three years opened a leather and shoe supply store in the city of Montreal. This store he conducted two years. His next venture was in the Serefena Hotel, which establishment he ran tive years, with fair success. In 1849 he crossed the plains to U'tah. There he opened a store and also en- gaged in the stock business, raising, buying and selling, and for eleven years had a large and remunerative trade with the Indians.

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human. They all know that silence means rest, rest of mind as well as body; and let it be written down that these big men rarely quar- reled, even under the most adverse fortune.

Their tea was strong as lye and black as soot, and served in tin cups usually worn at the belt. Each man used the sheath or "crevassing" knife worn at his side, and sometimes they had homemade forks made of sharpened little sticks. Their plates were of tin, and, after a meal, turned over, so that the little chipmunk or Douglass squirrel or woolly-tailed wood rat might leave his tracks on the convex bottom instead of the concave inside. This plate was

In 1863 it was that Mr. Laurin came to his present location in the Ruby valley, Montana, his arrival being on the 15th of July. He was among the first settlers in this beautiful valley. Here he at once opened a miner's supply store and soon found himself doing a successful business. Prices were high and goods iu demand. In 1865 he sold flour for $160 per sack of 100 pounds, and he gave a good horse for a firkin of butter. The pioneers lived chiefly on beef and bread. When the land was sur- veyed he took a homestead and a pre-emption claim, to- gether amounting to 320 acres, and afterward from time to time as he prospered he added to his landed estate un- til he became the owner of 1,700 acres, in different parts of the valley. He continued in the mercantile and stock business until 1886. For forty years he was a successful merchant, a portion of the time conducting two branch houses in connection with his main business. As above stated, he founded the town which bears his name. From 1867 until 1886 he was its Postmaster, and until 1875 he ran a hotel in the town. His stock business has already been referred to. At one time he had as high as 7,000 head of sheep, and he also had large droves of Shorthorn cattle. He still owns some fine horses of the Clydesdale breed.

Mr. Laurin was married June 9, 1855, to Mrs. Adaline Boothe, a native of Canada and the danghter of Antone La Gris. She started to cross the plains with her husband, Mr. Boothe, in 1854, and while on their journey he was accidentally shot, on the 16th of October, and died on the 22d of the same month. Her only child by her first hus- band died at the age of nine months. She and Mr. Laurin have reared fourteen foster children, who are all alive and doing well. Both Mr. and Mrs. Laurin are members of the Catholic Church and have liberally aided in its advancement here. Politically, he is a Democrat.

Few, if any, are more fully acquainted with the history of this part of the country than is Mr. Laurin, he having been here during all its early exciting times. Indeed,

always turned right side up with a bang. ] don't know why: perhaps to make it clean! Yes, it was washed sometimes, on Sundays. But in a place so new, where there are so many streams coming down the mountains, laughing and lisping a thonsand pretty stories of gold, fortune, far-away home-ah! sometimes the miner's Sundays were months apart, and so the plate was not a bit worn of its thin tin coat by being too much washed.

In the autumn of 1863 Thompson and Blevins came into the mines of Idaho from Eugene, Oregon, with a wagon-load of cats. A small consignment of this remarkable merchan-

one of the "road agents" was tried in his store, was con- victed and was taken out and hung near by. While he was landlord of the hotel at Laurin he entertained nearly all the pioneers of the State. and both he and his good wife are as highly esteemed as their circle of acquaint- ances is wide.

JOHN A. SUMMERS, a prominent aud successful stock raiser of the Bitter Root valley, was born in Taney county, Missouri, August 22, 1849. In an early day his ancestors came from England to the colony of Virginia, and they were Loyalists during the Revolutionary war. The grand- father of our subject, John Summers, was born in Virginia, but in an early day removed to Kentucky, where he was among the brave pioneers. His son, Henry L., the father of our subject, was born in that State in 1824, was married in Missouri to Miss Mary Olive Samuel, a native of Ten- nessee, and they had seven children. Although of Sonth- ern birth, Mr. Summers was a Union man during the late war. His death occurred in 1861, from the effects of a severe cold. His wife is still living, aged sixty-two years.

John A., their eldest child, received his education in the public schools of his native State. At the age of eighteen years he began learning the blacksmith's trade, and two years afterward made the journey to Montana. He came by rail to Corinne, and walked the remainder of the distance, paying $10 for the privilege of joining a party, who carried his blankets for him. After arriving in this State Mr. Summers worked as a journeyman at Deer Lodge for three years, receiving $5 a day; next conducted a blacksmith shop at Blackfoot City two seasons; traveled through Oregon and California; in the following spring returned to Montana; conducted a shop at Missoula one year; followed that occupation in Corvallis from 1875 until 1883; and in the latter year came to what is now the town of Grantsdale. Mr. Summers purchased 480 acres of his present farm, and has since been successfully engaged in raising, buying and selling cattle. He has

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dise was forwarded to Bannack, Montana, and gold "like hot cakes" at prices ranging from one to four ounces, according to "sex, age and condition of servitude." It is told on good authority that in a cabin where a cat was kept, the men, on rising from the table, no longer turned down their tin plates in preparation for the next meal. But do not misunderstand me. The cat was there to catch mice, not to polish up the new tin plates with a little red napkin.

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An illustrated history of the state of Montana, containing biographical mention of its pioneers and prominent citizens, Part 34

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