Ghost Towns and History April 12, 2018 Ghost Towns and History of Montana Newsletter Ends Hunt For Rich Girl Often the hunt for a rich wife ends when the man meets a woman that uses Electric Bitters. Her strong nerves tell in a bright brain and even temper. Her peach-bloom complexion and ruby lips result from her pure blood; her bright eyes from restful sleep; her elastic step from firm, free muscles, all telling of the health and strength Electric Bitters gives a woman, and the freedom from indigestion, backache, headache, fainting and dizzy spells they promote! Everywhere they are woman's favorite remedy. If weak or ailing try them. 50c at all Druggists - Ad from The Bear Paw Mountaineer, 1912 M a i d e n , M o n t a n a “Skookum Joe” Anderson, Jones, Snow, Frank “Pony” McPartland and a handful of others were credited with the discovery of the mines in the vicinity of Maiden. The Maiden townsite was established in 1881. Buildings were constructed among what had previously existed as a tent camp. Where did the name “Maiden” come from?? Some say it was from an early prospector by the name of Maden who put up a sign “Camp Maden” and the I was later added in to create Maiden. Others say the name came from the nickname of the daughter of an early visitor to the town; “the little maiden”. Either way, Maiden was official (although sometimes referred to as Maidenville). The Maginnis Mine, the Maiden today by Jolene Ewert-Hintz Spotted Horse, and the Collar Mine were the best known properties. The ore in the Spotted Horse was known as “high grade” and was found in pockets. Over 53,000,000 in gold
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 was taken from Maiden. Town of Maiden from sketch made when it was on the Fort Maginnis Military Reservation and the commanding officer ordered the citizens to pack up all their belongings and leave.—Courtesy of the Choteau Montanan The town continued to grow and even went after the county seat of Fergus County but was beat out by Lewistown. The population peaked at about 1,200 in By 1882, the town grew to include lumber homes, eight saloons, two clothing stores, five general stores, a butcher shop, a blacksmith, two barbers, a doctor, a hotel, and a restaurant. The local attorney was S.C. Edgerton, son of Montana’s first territorial governor. In 1883, the town’s existence was threatened because it was situated in the Fort Maginnis Military Reservation. In the end, the army relented and reduced the size of the military reservation so Maiden and its mines would be excluded. the late 1880s and dwindled from there. Mines began to shut down and buildings stood vacant. After a couple of fires, not much was left of Maiden. Located about 20 miles NE of Lewistown, remnants of the past can be seen along Maiden’s Montana and Main Streets, mixed in with newer homes as well. Structures are on private property so please be respectful.
G h o s t T o w n s a n d H i s t o r y P a g e 3 I still stand strong as I watch over the town. These days, people come from all around. I think about the years and all I have seen. The members, the students, the teachers, the dreams. I hold my head high when they stop for a shoot. I hope I have shown them the past is not mute. Photo: Masonic Lodge/Schoolhouse– Bannack, Montana Photography and Poetry by Jolene Ewert-Hintz Coulson, Montana was once a little frontier town located on the north bank of the Yellowstone River approximately one mile east of the present day downtown Billings. Landowner John Alderson and a pioneer merchant and farmer named P.W. McAdow settled into the area along the river in 1877, giving the area its first residents and the men who built the town's early foundation. Marking the site where the long-gone town once hoped to thrive with the construction of the railroad but instead withered because of it, a plaque set in the park in 1982 by the Yellowstone Historical Society succinctly memorializes its five-year heyday, from 1877 to 1882. "Born by the River and killed by the Railroad, giving to Billings her best residents, to Boothill her residue, and to the Yellowstone her memories," the plaque reads. Photo: Main Street, Coulson, MT 1882, Courtesy of: The Western Heritage Center Please be sure to share this newsletter with a friend! Get your Ghost Towns of Montana Map! The size of the map is 11 X 17. It features 40 towns with a map on the front side and a little history and specific directions to the towns on the backside. The map is laminated. Visit the following link to order via paypal: https:// www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_sxclick&hosted_button_id=UL6TZCWUUTCWN Or, send check or money order in the amount of $12 to Ghost Towns and History of Montana, LLC, c/o Ghost Towns and History of Montana , P.O. Box 126, Warm Springs, MT 59756 (US orders only, please) Be sure to write MAP on your check. Thank you!
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 Tuberculosis? T o w e r , M o n t a n a There is no medicine that will cure consumption (called such because the patient rapidly loses weight and seems to be “consumed”). It is a waste of time and money to use so-called “consumptive cures”. It is important to breath air that is fresh and pure, to eat an abundance of good food, and to stop heavy work and worry. To obtain the first, the patient must live out of doors. Also, use counterirritation over the diseased spot in the lung with tartar emetic ointment. On December 15, 1873, in Philadelphia, George W. Cass, Charlemagne Tower, Thomas L. Jewett, William G. Moorhead, John K. Ewing and A.B. Nettleton incorporated the Northwest Company for the purpose of mining and milling silver ore from the Speckled Trout Lode located in the vicinity of Philipsburg, Montana Territory. A ten-stamp silver mill was constructed and the settlement that grew up around the operations was named Tower after Charlemagne Tower. Tower was occasionally also known as Stumptown. Other mines opened, and operated until 1893 when the repeal of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act forced the closure of many silver mines throughout the country. The late 1890's and early 1900's saw the gradual reopening of the mines. The World War I years of 1917-1918 saw a major boom in mining manganese, another metal abundant in the area. Manganese was in great demand for the hardening of steel for the war effort. After the war, manganese dioxide was in demand for use in dry-cell batteries and ores from this area were unexcelled for the purpose. Manganese mining continued until 1968. The population of Tower, said to be in the hundreds at one time, gradually declined. The last two deep level mines, The True Fissure and The Scratch Awl, closed in 1971. A few small silver mining operations near the surface continued until the early 1980's. 1880 Stagecoach Rules from Wells Fargo Ash Cakes 1 cup white cornmeal 1/2 cup flour (optional) 1/2 tsp. salt Water Mix dry ingredients. Add enough cold water to make a firm dough. Form the dough into thin cakes. Clear coals from an area of the campfire and lay the cakes on the hot earth. Rake coals and ash over the cakes and let them bake for about five minutes. 1. Abstinence from liquor is requested, but if you must drink, share the bottle. To do otherwise makes you appear selfish and unneighborly. 2. If ladies are present, gentlemen are urged to forego smoking cigars and pipes as the odor of same is repugnant to the Gentle Sex. Chewing tobacco is permitted but spit WITH the wind, not against it. 3. Gentlemen must refrain from the use of rough language in the presence of ladies and children. 4. Buffalo robes are provided for your comfort during cold weather. Hogging robes will not be tolerated and the offender will be made to ride with the driver. 5. Don’t snore loudly while sleeping or use your fellow passenger’s shoulder for a pillow; he or she may not understand and friction may result. 6. Firearms may be kept on your person for use in emergencies. Do not fire them for pleasure or shoot at wild animals as the sound riles the horses. 7. In the event of runaway horses, remain calm. Leaping from the coach in panic will leave you injured, at the mercy of the elements, hostile Indians and hungry coyotes. 8. Forbidden topics of discussion are stagecoach robberies and Indian uprisings. 9. Gents guilty of unchivalrous behavior toward lady passengers will be put off the stage. It’s a long walk back. A word to the wise is sufficient.
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