P a g e 3 G h o s t T o w n s a n d H i s t o r y o f M o n t a n a N e w s l e t t e r Mirium Dalton died in 1838 of unknown causes according to the local history books, and her grave is likely unmarked on the Ashland Farm (northern Maine) where the Big Machias River and the Aroostook Rivers meet near Ashland. William then married Clarissa (Clara) Bradley in Lincoln, Maine one year later. Clara was born in 1811, and was the daughter of Captain Bradley. Clara appeared on an 1840 census, along with 5 boys and 4 girls, who were all from the previous marriage with Mirium. Serena, one of the oldest girls, married John Mills in 1842. Olive and Thomas Neal were also on this census. Back to the Ludlow Farm, Then Onto Wisconsin In 1841, William and Clara Dalton began to sell off the Ashland farm in the north country and moved back to the Ludlow Farm. Their first child together, Mary, was born the same year. And just before Matilda Desmon Dalton was born in 1843 in Holton, Maine, William Dalton would declare bankruptcy. He then packed up the family and moved to Portage City, Wisconsin. 1850 documents at Fort Winnebago show that William and Clara, as well as their daughters Susan Dalton (age 18), Sarah Dalton (age 15), Charles Dalton (age 13), Mary Dalton (age 9), Matilda Dalton (age 7), Alvin Dalton (age 5) and Orrin Dalton (age 3) were present. Susan, Sarah, Charles and Mary are all from William's marriage to his late wife Mirium, and Matilda, Alvin and Orrin were from William's marriage to Clara. The California Trail, Then Back to Wisconsin In early 1851, William embarked alone on the California Trail, leaving his family safely behind in Wisconsin. He spent several years in California in search of a means to make a living for his family. It is assumed that because William journeyed to California less than 2 years after the initial gold strike of the 1849 California Gold Rush, that he was hoping to strike it rich in the California gold fields. Whatever the case, William Dalton returned in 1853 apparently unsuccessful in his pursuits. In 1856, William Dalton received a land grant of 160 acres for his service during the War of 1812 and 1814, which was located near Portage City, Wisconsin, where they lived until Matilda was 14 years old. A few miles away lived the Plummer Family, also from Maine, which included young Henry Plummer who you will hear about later. The Plummers and Daltons were neighbors and friends. During this same time, there was a devastating grasshopper plague in the Midwest, which likely negatively affected the Portage City farm, because they abruptly left Portage City and embarked on yet another pioneering adventure... First Fisk Wagon Expedition (1862): The Montana Gold Rush The Dalton Family left the Portage City farm and moved to St. Cloud Minnesota in 1861. In 1862, William (age 65) and his wife Clara (age 51), along with their children Matilda (age 18), Alvin (age 16), Orrin (age 13) and Margaret (age 3), joined the First Fisk Wagon Expedition, led by Captain James L. Fisk. No children from William’s first marriage to Mirium Dalton joined them. This famous expedition led brave pioneers through the wild, untamed land of what is now North Dakota and Montana, where the Indians were very hostile toward settlers during that time. Just a few months earlier, gold was first discovered on Grasshopper Creek in southwest Montana. The mining camp of Bannack, Montana sprung up along the bank of Grasshopper
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