FEBRUARY 2025 Ghost Towns and History of Montana Newsletter From The Daily Missoulian, Feb. 4, 1909 Bannack– Part 4 Accessed via: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/ Bannack placer mining picked up again in the spring of 1866. Because water was needed to flush out the placer deposits, the first miners in the gulch ignored gravel that was too far from the creek. Now, ditches were built to extend the workings beyond the streambed. Prospectors could access more rich earth by sluicing the hillside and upper gulches. Gold mining continued for several more years. But miners working manually couldn’t reach the deposits on the bedrock, which were anywhere from 10 to 50 feet beneath the surface. A mere sluicebox and shovel wouldn’t do. According to Dave Alt: “During the spring of 1895, the first gold dredge in the United States, an electrically driven model, started work at Bannack. Another followed in the fall of the same year, and two more machines arrived in 1896.” Eventually, five dredges labored in Bannack. A gold dredge sits on a barge and uses a long chain of steel buckets mounted on a conveyor belt to scoop the gravel bed of the stream down to bedrock. The gravel is then flushed through sluices to recover the gold, and the leftover gravel is dumped. As it bites its way along, the barge floats on a small lake of its own making. Ponds created by this method of mining are still visible on Bannack’s south side. It didn’t take long for the dredges to remove most of the remaining deep placer gold from the Grasshopper Creek area. In some places bedrock was too deep even for the dredges to Wagons of a by-gone era stand silent in Bannack (Photo by Rick and Susie Graetz)
P a g e 2 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 get to. Some rich deposits might still exist, out of reach, owing to the expense of recovering them. Although hard-rock mining continued to take place downstream from the town site, once the dredges ceased, the population dwindled again. Remnants of the mines and parts of the mills that crushed the ore out of the rock and earth still stand as silent reminders of Bannack’s last fling at gold mining. By the late 1940s, most residents were gone. No longer were there stores to buy groceries in, doctors to visit, a school to attend or post office to pick up mail. Soon, Bannack was abandoned, and the first territorial capital of Montana gained ghost town status. But this was not a place that would crumble and sink into the dust. Concerned folks in southwest Montana joined together to preserve what was left. Ray Herseth, Bannack State Park manager from 1972 to 1984, credits Elfreda Woodside, an active and dedicated board member of the Beaverhead County Museum Association in Dillon, as being the historic mining town’s main champion. She was instrumental in convincing the primary landowner to sell his property to the museum. Vinola Squires, a director of the museum, recalls from the records, “Chan Stallings, a longtime Bannack resident bought the Bannack real estate of the 1. B. Haviland Mining Company at a public auction in Butte on Sept. 25, 1953. He then offered to sell the property to the Beaverhead County Museum, and on Nov. 4,1953, the transaction took place. On Jan. 23, 1954, the Beaverhead County Museum Association transferred ownership of the land to the State of Montana for a public park, historical site and recreational area for the generous sum of $1.00. If the state had failed to follow through on the commitment, the title would have reverted back to the association.” Later in 1954, Bannack State Park was created. Today, thanks to the leadership and caring of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and the nonprofit Bannack Association, more than 50 of the original buildings remain. This wonderful place is preserved for all to stroll the streets and linger on the doorsteps of our heritage. Provided Courtesy of: University of Montana | Department of Geography | Rick and Susie Graetz Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz Originally published on THIS IS MONTANA, an uncommon website. By means of photography, essays, maps, and much more, the University of Montana presents a vivid portrait of the beauty and uniqueness of the Montana. Check out more at: https://www.umt.edu/this-is-montana/ default.php
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 HISTORY OF PARK COUNTY-continued From The Livingston Enterprise, January 1, 1900: Our sheep will, in a healthy condition, clip from five to eight pounds of wool which, since 1883, has ranged in price from 8 to 30 cents per pound, while during this period of time, taking into consideration the ups and downs in the raising of sheep and wool, their success has been established, and this industry is fast taking the place of that of cattle, owing to the quick returns and small capital required in the beginning. Experienced sheepmen here claim that even if the price of wool should go down to ten cents they would realize more from this industry than any other branch of stock-raising. Statistics show that since 1891 there has been a steady increase of ten per cent on each previous year’s flocks today showing 200,146 head in Park county. AGRICULTURE. Previous to the advent of the first railroad in 1882, agricultural pursuits were limited by the demands of home consumption. Owing to the abundant supply of water for irrigating purposes, bountiful crops have been produced throughout the county. The specialties are most kinds of grain, hay and vegetables, while experiments in the growing of the hardier domestic fruits have proven a success in every case. As the surface is principally mountainous it is safe to say that three-eighths of the county’s total area can be brought under cultivation by the judicious use of irrigating facilities. The last decade has noted a marked change in the industrial pursuits, and diversified farming is rapidly establishing itself as the surest means of a livelihood from this source. The former large numbers of cattle and sheep, grazing at will on the vast pasturages, have been found to be more profitable when kept in smaller herds and flocks. As a result those engaged in diversified farming have never experienced the total failures and losses peculiar to the life of specialists in any one of its many branches. The agricultural wealth of this region is of much greater importance and extent than generally estimated. Within trading distance of Livingston there are 100,000 acres of fertile, cultivatable land—enough to make over 600 quarter section farms, which in the east would make a rich and populous country—in fact, the agricultural land alone is a sufficient guarantee to make Livingston a town of great commercial importance. The fertile lands within Park county may be summed up in the valleys of the Yellowstone and Shields rivers and their many tributaries. Starting for the Shearing Sheds.
P a g e 4 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 PARADISE VALLEY extends from the lower canyon of the Yellowstone to the second canyon, a distance of forty miles, and averaging from ten to fifteen miles in width. It is almost surrounded by the Snowy or Yellowstone range on the east and the Belt range on the west. The earliest settlers in this valley were among the first in Montana who indulged in agriculture. In the early sixties, when gold seekers traversed this region on their way to Emigrant Gulch, a few straggling settlers could be found who were reaping gains from their agricultural pursuits. Until the advent of the railroad in 1882 it was only found profitable to supply the growing demands of the different mining camps and few trading posts; but since then, there has been no limit to the call for any of the agricultural products. The ranchers, today, cannot supply the demand for their produce, the markets of Livingston, the National Park and the many coal and mining camps throughout the region still find the importation of foreign products a necessity, while many acres of unclaimed land lie smiling at the homeseeker who so leisurely, and unknowingly passes by these golden opportunities while on his trip to Wonderland. All of the products of the cool, temperate zone are raised with great success, while during the past season the rancher has realized an average of 25 cents per pound for butter and the same for eggs per dozen, potatoes ranging from one to three cents per pound and all garden truck going at extravagant prices. Whatever may have been the financial state of the rancher when first taking up his residence here, none of them are now lacking the funds to enjoy life as a model agriculturist should. Many of their homes are even grandly furnished, and though some choose the picturesque log-house for his dwelling, the interior furnishings surprise residents from the older states by their taste and comforts. SHIELDS RIVER VALLEY Corralling Sheep. empties into the Yellowstone about six miles below Livingston, from which it extends in a northwesterly direction a distance of some fifty miles. The river rises in two main sources, one being fed by the perpetual snows of the Crazy mountains and the other from those of the Belt range and, like the Yellowstone, is fed throughout its course by many beautiful mountain streams, Rock and Flathead creeks being of no small volume and importance. Its average width is about twenty miles, including the valley proper and the bench lands, thus making a total area of 640,000 acres. The valley proper is very fertile and is much less liable to the early frosts than any other locality in the state east of the Rocky mountains, while the bench lands, extending toward the Crazies, are a paradise for the growth of winter wheat, as the mountain snows lie here throughout the winter, affording entire protection to grain sown in the autumn, allowing it to mature in the early summer before the need of artificially supplied moisture is felt. On the other hand, to the west the
P a g e 5 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 bench lands extending to the Belt range cannot be surpassed as stock ranges, exceeding any other locality in the state for the advantages furnished in this branch of agriculture. Settlers in this region have not lost hope in the location of a railroad that will pass up this valley and connect with the Great Northern at Benton, on the Missouri river. The only bugbear to a more rapid settlement of this region is its distance from market and railway facilities, consequently stockraising is the leading industry. Meyersburg is a small village with a post office. It is situated on Flathead creek, and in the center of the great industries, and promises to be a town of great importance in the advent of the proposed railroad. IRRIGATION. The success of agriculture in a distinctly arid region, like the valleys of the Yellowstone and Shields rivers, where perennial streams flow from snow-capped peaks, is a self-evident proposition. Here, the high altitude renders irrigation necessary as far as a certain crop is concerned; although trusting to the rainfall, alone, in favorable seasons part of a crop can be realized. But this latter fact is not the object to be considered. No settler thinks for a moment of trying to cultivate the soil until he has provided his irrigating ditches, the construction of which is only a work of comparatively small labor; while these agricultural lands are in close proximity to streams with swift currents and a constant descent. Threshing Scene on the Bench Lands of the Crazies. When once the irrigating ditches are made, the settler can bid defiance to the exigencies of the season. He no longer watches the clouds with painful, anxious wondering; for if his crops need moisture he turns the water into the dead furrows and they are supplied. When they have had enough he dams up the mouths of the dead furrows and allows the water to flow past his fields. There is no fear of floods, as summer rains do not visit these valleys in the dry season, consequently his crops have just the required moisture. Owing to the adopted mode of farming in this region there is no ebb and flow to the tide of emigration as is common on the great plains, or any of the sections where the crops vary according to the rainfall, and at the profit or loss of the settler. Comparatively speaking, there, the settler makes his farm as widereaching as possible in the hope that he may recoup his losses in a fortunate year. He is in a certain sense a gambler, staking everything upon luck, with the chances against him. On the other hand, by irrigation, permanent success lies in limiting the operations to a comparatively few acres, and in cultivating these carefully and safely and at small expense. The farmers of Park county know that their system of irrigation is one of the most perfect in the world, for where light expense and an abundance of water and the fall is found there only can exist model irrigation farming. Read More in Next Month’s Issue!
P a g e 6 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 Dearborn Crossing Cemetery Part 1 The Dearborn River country in Lewis and Clark County is an area rich in cultural history where physical remains abound if you know where to look. Buffalo jumps, pictographs, and stone arrow points illustrate Native Americans’ use of the abundant natural resources. One overlook, according to locals, was an eagle-catching site. Below, a stone cage—still intact—housed captive eagles until they molted. Then the birds were freed and the feathers collected. The area saw crews building the Mullan Road, completed in 1860, and heavy traffic between Fort Benton and Helena on the Benton Road from the mid-1860s to the advent of the railroad in the mid-1880s. The settlement of Dearborn Crossing sprang up to serve stagecoach and freight traffic and included a large hotel, livery, general store, and other businesses. The historic Dearborn Crossing Cemetery served the early settlers. It sits on a high, flat knoll overlooking the Dearborn River about a mile from the present Highway 287 Bridge. It is a beautiful, peaceful place. But the cemetery’s silent residents could tell tales of early-day violence. Nothing remains of the hotel and other businesses at the site of Dearborn Crossing, which served travelers along the Benton Road from the 1860s until the 1880s and the advent of the railroad. Dearborn Crossing Cemetery, on private property, once served the local community. In 1866, Charlie Carson and Louis Marcotte went out one morning to fetch the stage horses. Piegan Indians ambushed them. Marcotte A few tombstones like this one of Gus Cottle, survived by hiding in a gulch, but Carson was killed. He was the first person buried in the Dearborn Crossing Cemetery. In 1878, Gus Cottle and several others were also killed by Indians and buried here. Not all the graves are marked. A fence, built by property owners in 1960 to protect the tombstones from cattle, surrounds a portion of the cemetery. Depressions in the ground, however, indicate that there are unmarked graves outside the fence. Victims of murder, accidents, and sickness speak to the hardships of Dearborn pioneers. Most intriguing among them are William and Hattie Moore whose shocking one of four killed by Indians in 1878, recall the hardships of early settlers.
P a g e 7 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 deaths in 1885 were ruled murder-suicide. But was that what really happened? -Ellen Baumler Dearborn Cemetery Part 2 The deaths of Hattie and William Moore caused much speculation. The couple married in 1872 and ranched along the Benton-to-Helena Road where they also kept a stage station. In the fall of 1885, Hattie moved to Dearborn City, some ten miles from the ranch, so their three children could attend school. Teachers usually boarded with their students’ parents. Thus teacher J. C. McConnell came to board with Hattie. She and McConnell soon became the subject of scandalous gossip. Hattie’s rented home suspiciously burned to the ground and the family barely escaped. Hattie and William quarreled over McConnell. William demanded that she and the children return to the ranch. McConnell gave Hattie a .44 British Bulldog “pocket” revolver to take with her for protection. In the meantime, a second arson fire destroyed the Dearborn City hotel. An investigation revealed that McConnell was the arsonist. However, he was never prosecuted. In February 1886, soon after Hattie’s return to the ranch, the Moores placed their children at St. Peter’s Mission, paid for three years’ tuition, and began divorce proceedings. On February 25, travelers discovered the bodies of William and Hattie amid the signs of a violent struggle. Hattie lay propped in a doorway. Her husband sprawled nearby on top of a Winchester rifle with one shot in the breast, another to the head. The coroner theorized that during a quarrel, Hattie drew her revolver; William grabbed it and threw it outside. Hattie went for the Winchester, fired at her husband, missed, and fired again, hitting him in the breast. A struggle ensued. William shot his wife in the side, staggered toward her and embraced her. Hattie’s bloody finger prints were smeared across his shoulders. He then stood up and shot himself in the head. Widely publicized as murder-suicide, the coroner’s jury actually found the Moores died “by their own hands or at the hands of others.” Several years later, on December 7, 1889, at a Helena hotel, J. Hattie Moore. Courtesy Charleen Spalding, via Gayle (Moore) Tadday William Moore. Courtesy Charleen Spalding, via Gayle (Moore) Tadday C. McConnell put a .44 Bulldog to his temple. Was it the same gun he gave Hattie? McConnell may have had money troubles, but he was implicated in the two arson cases and there were suspicions about his complicity in the Moores’ deaths. McConnell took the answers with him when he pulled the trigger. –Ellen Baumler 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
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 Territorial Governor’s MansionVirginia City, Montana When President Grant named Benjamin F. Potts of Ohio governor of the Territory of Montana in 1870, it was to this modest home that the new governor came to begin serving his appointment. Virginia City was then the territorial capital, and this small residence served as the “governor’s mansion” for the first three years of Pott’s twelve-year stint (a longer term than any other territorial governor). Potts was a large and powerfully built man, who must have appeared gigantic in this diminutive dwelling. The unassuming frame house, demurely adorned with decorative bargeboards and perched on a terrace bordered by a balustraded stone wall, has changed little since it was built in 1864 by J. M. Lewis. Lewis, who was its first occupant, also built the houses next door on either side. - National Register of Historic Places in Cooperation with the Montana Historical Society. Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz Would you like to receive our digital quarterly magazine for free? Just send an email with MAGAZINE in the subject to ghosttownsofmontana@gmail.com The old Grant schoolhouse became a community center when a new school was built. Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz 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 99 Lampert Ranch DR, Anaconda, MT 59711 ©2025 Ghost Towns and History of Montana, LLC. All rights reserved.
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