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 Mules in the Mines Mule Train on 1100 foot level, Rarus Mine, Butte. N. A. Forsyth, photographer. Montana Historical Society Photograph Archives, ST 001.163 As electricity came to the mines in Butte in 1915, mules were phased out. Miners were sorry to see them go as they added so much personality to the dangerous work. Some mules loved the miners’ rough caresses and others would bite or kick and wanted no human attention. Hundreds of mules worked in miles of tunnels beneath Butte. Mules went below loaded vertically on the hoist, head down. Once there, they never again saw the light of day until they retired—if they were lucky. Now Kate–she was a kicker. No stall could be built around her that she wouldn’t destroy. She could kick any electric light hung within ten feet of her and when she needed new shoes, the blacksmith would not approach her until she was hog tied and strapped down. Then she would try to kick the shoes off, and sometimes did. Miners called her hind feet “sudden death” and “six months in the hospital,” respectively. Everyone loved Babe, one of the smartest mules to ever work in Butte. Babe loved tobacco. If she saw a miner smoking a pipe during lunch, she would stand close so she could inhale the smoke. Babe was never bridled and took verbal directions. But she complained with looks and groans if asked to pull more than four ore cars in a string. Sharkey was a thief who knew how to find the men’s lunch buckets. He would often sneak away and work the top off of some poor miner’s dinner pail. Every mule had its own personality and most had at least one miner who missed it when it went to mule heaven at the end of its long road. -Ellen Baumler 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 August 23, 1922- Parties from Galata report an opening at that place for a strenuous and competent hotel man. The former proprietor of the hotel at Galata was doing pretty well in a business way until a wild and wooly cowboy came along and pulled his whiskers, a familiarity which he resented by closing the establishment and seeking a field where such pleasantries are not included in the entertainment expected by guests. – The River Press (Fort Benton, MT), Accessed via: www.montananewspapers.org Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO WOULD ENJOY THIS NEWSLETTER?? The digital version is FREE to all and we love to share! Just have them send us an email at ghosttownsofmontana@gmail.com with MAILING LIST in the subject line. They’ll also receive our quarterly digital magazine. Thank you!
6 Publizr Home