P a g e 8 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 lost limbs to this form of play. Danger made the game that much more fun.26 These strong and resilient children of the mining camps grew up to become the backbone of Montana. Mollie Sheehan Ronan vividly recalled from a very early age that Montana’s “dry, light sparkling air” invigorated her “and gave zest to living.”27 While unusual hardships and dangerous conditions sometimes put them at high risk, the freedom these young pioneers enjoyed made them singularly independent individuals. In this way, mining camp children and their descendants helped define the character of today’s Treasure State. NOTES: 19. WPA Writers’ Project, Copper Camp: The Lusty Story of Butte, Montana, The Richest Hill on Earth (1943; reprint, Helena, MT: Riverbend Publishing Co., 2002), 8; Ellen Baumler, “Devil’s Perch: Prostitution from Suite to Cellar in Butte, Montana,” Montana: The Magazine of Western History 48 (Aut. 1998): 17. 20. (Virginia City) Montana Post , 31 Dec. 1864; Roberta Deed Sollid, Calamity Jane: A Study in Historical Criticism (Helena: Montana Historical Society Press, 1958), 9-10. 21. Gilmore, We Came North, 60; Ellen Baumler, “Catholic Hill” (at http:// www.metnet.mt.gov/Special/Quarries%20From%20The%20Gulch/HTM/Catholic%20Hill.pdf, accessed May 5, 2011). 22. Sallie Davenport Davidson, reminiscence, 1928, Small Collection 606, Montana Historical Society Research Center Archives, Helena. 23. Davidson reminiscence, Small Collection 606; Butts, “The Forgotten Pioneers,” 3. 24. Great Falls Tribune, “Parade,” 9 Oct. 1949; Ellen Baumler, “Historical Reflections,” Montana The Magazine of Western History 50 (Aut. 1982): 75. 25. Dillon (MT) Examiner, 9 Aug. 1916. 26. Maury Mulcahy, personal communication with author, Apr. 2006. 27. Ronan, Girl From the Gulches, 51. Ellen Baumler was an award-winning author and Montana historian. A master at linking history with modern-day supernatural events, Ellen's true stories have delighted audiences across the state. The legacy she left behind will be felt for generations to come and we are in debt to her for sharing her extensive knowledge of Montana history in such an entertaining manner. To view and purchase Ellen’s books, visit: http:// ellenbaumler.blogspot.com/p/my-books.html My/Donor Information: SUBSCRIBE TO THE GHOST TOWNS AND HISTORY OF MONTANA NEWSLETTER! Renewal? Y/N Send a Gift to: NAME____________________________________ NAME___________________________________ ADDRESS__________________________________ ADDRESS_________________________________ CITY______________________________________ CITY_____________________________________ STATE__________________ZIP________________STATE_________________ ZIP________________ Yearly subscriptions are $19.95 (published monthly). Please make checks payable to Ghost Towns & History of MT, LLC and send with this clipping to P.O. Box 126, Warm Springs, MT 59756 Diphtheria took the lives of many children at Elkhorn, Montana, in 1889. (Photograph courtesy of Larry Goldsmith.)
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