JANUARY 2022 Ghost Towns and History of Montana Newsletter From the Montana Labor News, Butte, Jan. 4, 1934 T O U G H E S T T O W N I N T H E W O R L D Photo Courtesy of the Stumptown Historical Society Accessed via: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov Among the "ghost" towns of the Treasure state, in whose balmy days flourished the romance of hard and fast living there is probably none which will live longer in the memories of the pioneers of northern Montana than McCarthyville, which is acclaimed by Montanans who sojourned there, to have been "the toughest town in the world." McCarthyville was a city for a period of only 18 months. For the most part a railway construction camp at the time when the Great Northern Railway company was building its line into the mountains of Northern Montana, its population, always Arabic in disposition, wandered away, following the rails that Jim Hill was then laying toward Puget Sound. The garish, false-fronted frame dance halls, saloons and stores were wrecked for the lumber and the sturdier log buildings succumbed to the elements. Today, this "wild and woolly" camp is represented only by a quartet of untenable cabins squatted on the little prairie far below the Great Northern grade. The town was started by Eugene McCarthy and a partner whose name was Will Hardy. Mr. McCarthy is one of the pioneer characters of Kalispell. In an interview given by him a few years ago, McCarthy told, in brief, the story of the establishment of the town. In the course of his story, he said: Workers clear a snow slide near McCarthyville in the 1890s.
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 “We really started the town in September platting it into lots and filing the plat in the courthouse at Missoula. The contractors put in their headquarters and in a few days we had a city started. At that time there was a state law providing that liquor could not be sold within two miles of a construction camp except within an incorporated city. So we incorporated. A little while later the county attorney arrested the whole town—that is all the saloon keepers—but the case fell through because the town was incorporated. I was elected mayor and I believe I was the youngest mayor in existence. I was just over 20 years old. Now I guess I’m the oldest mayor in the country, in point of service, because my successors never qualified and according to law, I'm still the King. Before winter came McCarthyville was a complete city. We had a city government, although I don't believe there was a single ordinance on the books, a post office, sidewalks, Red McConnell's dance hall, three hotels, a dozen short order houses, three stores besides the company's commissary; in fact everything to supply the necessaries and luxuries of life as it was lived thereabouts. That town in its balmy days was a real, live settlement. It was a place for rough men and there was nobody else there. From Cut Bank west, there was no other town and we were the metropolis of miles of country full of working men. All the supplies for the camps went out from McCarthyville and all the men from the camps came in for their pay. Winter and summer the construction on the big grade from the summit down was pushed and the camps held from three thousand to four thousand men. That made an enormous payroll for one town. Any man could get a check any time for what was due him, so there was always big money circulating in the town. McCarthyville also had the company hospital and in the winter of ninety and ninety-one that was the busiest place in the young city. Laborers were scarce in the west, so the company brought them out from the east, most of them picked up in cities. They would come by train to Cut Bank and from there on, would have 60 miles of hiking across the prairies and over the summit.” DIED LIKE FLIES "It was about as tough a jaunt as any man would want and it was a whole lot more than most of these city-bred fellows could stand. They weren't used to the altitude and hardly any of them had enough clothes. They would start out from Cut Bank, in the dead of winter, and usually they'd get caught in a blizzard out on the flat. Then a couple of days later they'd wobble into McCarthyville and drop into a bunk with pneumonia. Well, there wasn't many of 'em lived through. Buryin's got too frequent and we begun to take notice. Not that they bothered us much in the way of attending services, because we didn't have no time for funerals and anyway, there was no minister in town. I think that was about the only institution we ever lacked, though. It got so that every morning just at daylight a big Swede that Workers stand by their locomotive in the 1890s. Photo Courtesy of the Stumptown Historical Society
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 was acting as nurse would haul out a big sled on which there was loaded a body wrapped in a blanket. Then he'd start off up the creek to perform the obsequies by digging a hole in the snow and rolling the corpse off the sled. After this had been going on for some time, my partner. Will Hardy, said to me, ‘I’m goin' to kill that Swede; he's gettin' on my nerves with his everlastin' funerals at daylight.' 'No,' I said, 'we don't want to get the Swede—the doctor's our man.” What was left of McCarthyville in the late 1890s. Photo courtesy of the Northwest Montana Historical Society DOCTOR QUITS HIS JOB "This doctor had come from Great Falls, where we understood, he had built up a fine reputation as a veterinarian. He had a contract with the construction company to look after the sick and injured men for a dollar per man per month. But these men who had just come in weren't on the payroll yet, so we figured it out the doctor wasn't doing much to bring them back to the full vigor of youth. Hardy agreed with me that the doctor probably was to blame for all these sudden demises, so we organized a committee of prominent citizens to go to the hospital that night. The hospital was right in town and at that time was one of the poorest buildings there. It was a low, log cabin, no floor, and the only window was a hole covered with a canvas flap.” DROPS “SWEDE” WITH A PISTOL "We went over in a body and I knocked at the door. The Swede opened it part way and then when he saw who it was he tried to shut it but Hardy reached over my shoulder and tapped him with the butt of a gun. He dropped like a beef. Then we cast a glance about for the doc, just in time to see his heels following him through the window. The canvas dropped and that was "curtains" for him. McCarthyville never saw him again. Then we had another doctor and the death rate was much decreased.” -Excerpt from The Bozeman Courier, April 23, 1926, Accessed via: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/ Come Listen to our New Podcast! https://ghost-towns-and-history-of-montana.castos.com/ In 1886, a petition started circulating and was signed by many residents of Bannack and surrounding towns asking for an increase of mail service. The once tri-weekly service was upgraded to six times a week. The post office for Bannack was once located in the Turner House pictured. Bannack's post office closed its doors for good in 1938. Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz
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 Mathilda Dalton Mathilda Dalton, Montana Historical Society Photograph Archives Epidemics were a terrible danger in all mining camps. Not only were diseases and their causes not well understood, but miners were careless with their water sources and the streams needed for placer mining quickly became polluted. Typhoid, spread through contaminated water, was particularly common. The Dalton family learned about this danger firsthand. The Daltons were natives of Maine and came west from Wisconsin traveling with the first Fisk expedition in 1862. The family of six settled at Bannack. Granville Stuart nicknamed Mathilda “Desdemona” after the character in Shakespeare’s Othello because “she was beautiful and so good.” Edwin Ruthven Purple in his gold rush narrative Perilous Passage describes “Dez” as tall and magnificently formed, and one of the belles of Bannack. One smitten lad supposedly blew out his brains for her. Another spurned lover, however, said that everything she ate went to her feet which were unusually large. The Daltons moved to Virginia City the following year in 1863. Mathilda Dalton, at twenty, was the oldest child; her three siblings were much younger than she. The family had hardly settled at Virginia City when Mathilda fell victim to typhoid. Mrs. Dalton nursed her daughter through the illness, but then fell ill herself. Her husband also contracted the disease. Mathilda was still recovering in January 1864 when both her mother and her father died. There were few options for single women, and men greatly outnumbered them in the gold camp. Mathilda was left to care for her three younger siblings, and so she decided to marry. She and her husband, Zebulon Thibadeau, returned to Wisconsin and later relocated to Wallace, Idaho. Both Mr. and Mrs. Dalton are buried on Boot Hill, Virginia City’s first cemetery. The Daltons’ lonely graves are the only marked burials, except for the five road agents. Because of the stigma attached to the five, most families moved their loved ones’ graves to Hillside Cemetery across the ridge. By that time there was no one to move the Daltons, or who remembered where they were buried. It was not until the 1920s that Mathilda’s children returned to Virginia City to mark their grandparents’ graves. –Ellen Baumler Photo Courtesy Montana Moments Blog Ellen Baumler is 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. She lives in Helena in a century-old house with her husband, Mark, and its resident spirits. To view and purchase Ellen’s books, visit: http://ellenbaumler.blogspot.com/p/my-books.html
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 Kate Perry: First Woman in Camp On August 11, 1905 the Philipsburg Mail published the following letter: Lewiston, Illinois, July 31, 1905; I have been contemplating to write you for some time. You of course will not know me but I hope some of the old settlers will, if any are left after years of toil. I made quite a little money there. When I went up to Philipsburg, it was not much of a town, nothing but a mining camp. There were no women there. I had some cows and a horse. I built myself a shack on the side of the hill and it was the first building of any kind there. The men lived in tents and in holes dug in the hillsides. I peddled milk to them and would gather up their wash and take it home to wash. I got twenty five cents a piece for shirts and sold thirty dollars worth of milk a day. Two holes cut in my shack served as a door and window and I hung a blanket up to each. I slept on poles stuck through the shack and pine boughs thrown on them and a buffalo robe over them; that was my bed. I had no pillow. The roof on the shack was made of poles and pine boughs and dirt thrown on top and I cooked by a log. Philipsburg, Montana, 1870 by John Venandy, Courtesy of www.mtmemory.org Now mind there was not another woman in the camp or within twenty miles of me. When I relate this story here now they ask me were you not afraid of the men? No indeed, God Bless the miners, a better class of men never lived. I was treated like a queen. I lived there until fall and then took my cows and horse to better range for the winter. By that time the camp had been laid out in lots and had quite a good many buildings and the town had been named after the man who laid it out. If I knew that you would appreciate it I would give you my history from the time I arrived in Montana. I will say this much, that after all of my hardships and after having many cows and horses and a ranch, a schemer came along, he was the Pony Express man and persuaded me to marry him. Then the first thing was to sell out and take the money in gold dust and come to my old home where I now live. Perry sent the gold dust to Philadelphia to have it minted. As soon as it arrived, $18,000.00 he took it and skipped and I have not heard from him since. This was thirty years ago and now I am seventy-five years old and have nothing left but my old hands to make a living with. I will send you a copy of my marriage certificate. It reads as follows: Territory of Montana, County of Deer Lodge SS.; The undersigned, Justice of the Peace, did on the 27 day of January A.D. 1868 join in lawful wedlock L.S. Perry and K.C. Coyendall with their mutual consent in the presence of Henry Adams and John H. Bell. Signed John B. Van Hagen, Justice of the Peace, Philipsburg Township, Deer Lodge County, Montana. Will you please answer this letter and tell me what that town is and if there is anyone there that knew me. It would give a great deal of pleasure to a poor old forsaken woman. signed Kate Perry
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 There was no follow-up in the Philipsburg Mail. Much of her early life story, however, is given in a 1906 story about her in the Canton Weekly Register, which reveals that her maiden name was Owens, and that she immigrated to Illinois with her grandparents when she was just a child. Her census records indicate she was born in Indiana to a father born in Ireland and a mother born in Ohio, and newspaper obituaries indicate her given name was Catherine. After a brief and unsuccessful marriage at age 16, she crossed the plains to Pike's Peak, Colorado. From there she appears to have joined the exodus of many Pikes Peak "goldrushers" (among them, W.A. Clark) to Montana, and, in the summer of 1867, she landed in the silver boomtown of Philipsburg. By winter, she had apparently moved to winter quarters in the lower Flint Creek Valley, since on December 14, 1867 The Independent newspaper stated that travelers who stop at Gird's Ranch will be treated "most hospitably" by Mrs. Dustin. Kate was apparently at one point married to a man named Dustin. Gird had a ranch on Lower Willow Creek near Hall, as well as at the mouth of Gird Creek near Stone, with a roadhouse at the latter ranch (see Flint Chips No. 35). Another service needed by the new residents along Flint Creek was mail delivery. The March 1, 1868 Weekly Independent states: "The Philipsburg and Helena Express runs as regular as a clock-arrives at this place precisely at 11 o'clock, and departs at 2 p.m. on Friday. Perry has for sale all the late eastern, western, northern and southern publications, including the LaCrosse Democrat, Illustrated. He will deliver in person all letters, packages etc., entrusted to his care.” While running her way station for the hungry or weary traveler at Gird's, Kate made the acquaintance of Mr. Perry. On Feb 22, 1868, Correspondent K.D.C. of the Deer Lodge Independent reported the first wedding for which we have record in Philipsburg: I was surprised not to see the notice of our energetic expressman L.S. Perry's union to the amiable Mrs. Kate F.A. Dustin, in your last issue. They were joined in the holy bonds of matrimony at the 'Traveler's Home,' near this place, on the 26th of last month, by his Honor, J.B. Van Hagen, Justice of the Peace. I always entertained a high opinion of friend Perry's good sense, and I must say it is not in the least lessened, but 'muchly' increased by this last act of his; for no one can, without experiencing it, imagine the difference between a cheery smile, a hearty welcome and a fond embrace from the being we prize the most on earth, at the conclusion of a hard day's ride across the hills and snow drifts of this northern clime, to the coarse 'helloa is that you' from the bachelor landlord of some of our way-side inns. Friend Perry, we do not blame you much for arming yourself with that shot gun when you started from town on last Monday morning, but if the boys had 'smelt the mice' one shotgun would have been 'nowhar; they'd have taken the chances against half-dozen of 'em to have wished you and your blushing bride 'much joy at the proper time.' We will leave the deciphering of the final paragraph to the reader, noting only that the "Traveler's Home" where they were married was located at or near what became "Porter's Corner", a short distance south of Philipsburg on the road to the Cable mine, at the mouth of "Travelers Home Creek", which flows into Flint Creek from the south at the junction of Highway 1 and the Skalkaho Highway (MT38). Barn at Porter’s Corner by Jolene Ewert-Hintz
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 In the summer of 1868 local newspapers note that Kate was thrown from her horse and seriously injured while riding along the Mullan Trail near Gold Creek. Perhaps shortly after that event the Perrys moved away from Montana, back to her old home in Illinois, because no more mention of them is made in the Montana papers, and Perry's operation of the Pony Express route also ends that summer according to Dan Meschter's book on early mail routes of Montana. The precise timing of the "schemer" making off with her gold is uncertain, but the 1880 census shows her reversal of fortune - Kate was by then a servant in the home of Sarah H. Davidson in Lewiston, Illinois. The 1900 census shows her living alone. No divorce papers have been found. Parade in Philipsburg, Montana, between 1893 and 1906. Courtesy of Archival Photos of the University of Montana Searching census records gives one possible answer to what became of L.S. Perry. In 1900, a Leverett S. Perry was living in Fremont, Colorado, running a livery stable, which would fit for a former Pony Expressman. Post Office records show that in the 1880's, he had become the Postmaster at Fremont, which would also fit for a mail deliverer fresh from Montana. The 1900 census records state Leverett S. Perry was born in Kentucky in 1836, making him 6 years younger than Kate. They further show that by 1900 L.S. had been married for four years to Amanda, 12 years his junior. A 29 year old child Merton and a 17 year old child named Mogene lived with them. "L.H. Perry", who shows up in the 1880 census as living in Fremont, is also Leverett Perry, since "L.H. Perry" is also listed as having a son named Merton. In 1880, Perry was married to a woman ten years his junior named Sarah. If by chance the Montana Pony Expressman L.S. Perry, and Leverett S. Perry of Colorado are the same man, one can only hope that Kate's money was put to good use in the livery stable. On April 30, 1908 The Illinois State Registar stated: First woman to cross plains Mrs. Kate Perry, pioneer resident of Fulton county, dies at age of 80 years. Lewiston, Illinois, April 29, -Mrs. Kate Perry of this city, the first white woman to cross the plains and reach Pike's Peak in the early days, died here at the age of about 80 years. -Granite County History Blog The purpose of the Granite County History Blog (https://granitecountyhistory.blogspot.com/) is to share and seek information on the history of Granite County, Montana. In a few cases our topics will lap over into adjacent counties as mining districts especially do not respect the later boundaries imposed by politicians! It is a project of members of the Granite County Historical Society, an organization founded in 1978 by the late Barry Engrav of Philipsburg and now comprised of 8 members dedicated to preserving and interpreting historical documents, artifacts, and sites in the greater Philipsburg area. Our goal is to interest current residents, folks with family roots, and those with an academic interest in the area to add their knowledge to this blog as an ongoing project to deepen and in some cases correct the narrative of the people and events that shaped history in this part of Montana. The recent explosion of scanned historical documents onto the internet is making it possible to greatly speed up historical research, refine historical chronology, and deepen historical interpretation. Perhaps we are entering into a "golden age" of research into our past! Anyone with an interest in the Philipsburg area or Montana history is invited to discuss the topics of our posts, as well as their own data and sources, which we hope will create an ongoing dialogue about the area now known as Granite County.
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 REMEDIES FOR DIPHTHERIA As diphtheria was spreading throughout Glendale in 1879, the following home remedy was published in the Helena Weekly Herald on May 1… Glendale, MT., April 18, 1879. To the Editor of the Herald. Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz As the diptheria is now raging in some parts of our Territory, I trust that you will allow me through the columns of the Herald to give a few simple remedies that have come under my observation: The first and simplest is to bind raw fresh beef on the outside of the throat. It is said that the beef will turn green in a short time. Beef is preferable to pork, yet the latter is sometimes used. Second– Procure some pitch tar, (not coal tar,) put a little on hot iron, invert a funnel over the smoke, and let the patient inhale as much as possible for about five minutes, six times a day. During the intervals let the patient have a small piece of ice to keep as near the roof of the tongue as possible. Third– Dissolve a teaspoonful of sulphur in a wine glass full of water, and give it as a gargle; instead of spitting out the gargle, it should be swallowed. If the fungus is too nearly closing the throat to allow the gargle to be used, put sulphur in a quill and blow it down on the fungus, and as soon as it has shrunk sufficiently let the gargle be used. Or put sulphur on live coals and let the patient inhale the fumes.— From our friends at History of Glendale, Beaverhead County, Montana, https://www.facebook.com/ historyglendalemontana 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 932 Anaconda, MT 59711
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