OCTOBER 2021 Ghost Towns and History of Montana Newsletter From the Big Timber Pioneer Oct. 24, 1929 G R A N T - K O H R S R A N C H "They were a rugged set of men, these pioneers, well qualified for their selfassumed task. In the pursuit of wealth a few succeeded and the majority failed,...the range cattle industry has seen its inception, zenith, and partial extinction all within a half-century. The changes of the past have been many; those of the future may be of even more revolutionary character." Conrad Kohrs, 1913 Dreams of wealth lured the first cattle men to Montana. The range was open and unfenced, and they could fatten their cattle on the lush bunchgrass and push on to new pastures when the old areas were overgrazed. The main obstacles were buffalo and the Indians, and by the 1860's both were fast being overcome. Photo Courtesy of NPS.gov Many of the herds were built through trade with westward-bound emigrants, who gladly swapped two or more trail-worn cows for a single wellfed one. In the late 1870's cowboys drove herds of rangy longhorns up from Texas to the better grazing lands of Montana, adding a Spanish strain to the English shorthorn breeds already established there and greatly multiplying the herds. By 1885, cattle raising was the biggest industry on the High Plains, and Accessed via: www.montananewspapers.org
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 foreign investors and eastern speculators rushed to get in on the bonanza. As ranches multiplied and the northern herds grew, there came a predictable consequence: overgrazing. This and the fierce winter of 1886 -87 caused enormous losses, estimated at one-third to one-half of all the cattle on the northern plains. Many cattlemen never recovered. Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz If the snows of '86-87 foreshadowed the end of open range ranching, the homesteaders, with their barbed wire and fenced-in 160 acre claims, finished it off. Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz The open-range cattle industry lasted only three decades. Few of its pioneering men and women made their fortunes or are remembered today. But from their beginnings has evolved the more scientific ranching of today, with its own risks and uncertainties. That is the legacy of the Grants and the Kohrs, whose pioneer ranch, complete with original furnishings, is a reminder of an important chapter in the history of the West. –Courtesy of National Park Service, to learn more visit: https:// www.nps.gov/grko/index.htm Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz
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 HALLOWE'EN OBSERVED BY MISCHIEF MAKERS Nov. 3, 1910- There was just about the usual number of useless, crazy stunts pulled off by the youngsters of Virginia City Hallowe'en night as were pulled off in other sections of the country. The only difference is that because Virginia City is smaller there was less damage done than in other communities Anyway, there was no necessity for half of the wild stunts pulled off and there was none of the victims who enjoyed it. Just why the young folks can have unlicensed privilege to destroy other people's property one night in the year has never been explained. And this complaint is not leveled at any town in particular, and surely not against Virginia City. People who got up early enough in the morning found a wagon on the schoolhouse steps. Where it came from was unknown for a while, but finally an owner came along and claimed the rig with a considerable amount of profanity and gusto. That, was rather tame in comparison with a stunt which some of the pioneer pupils pulled off on a Hallowe'en night many years ago—it, was the first one after the present schoolhouse was built. The night was freezing cold and they secured a ladder, carried two or three buckets full of water into the cupola of the school-house, turned the bell upside down and filled it with water. Naturally it froze solid, almost, but fortunately did not expand sufficiently to crack the bell. The teacher used to ring the bell himself, never depending upon the janitor to do the work, but there was no bell rang that morning and there were few pupils on hand. Many had helped to fill that bell with water and none attended unless he heard the first bell to call him to school. Virginia City School, MT– 1919 Source: Pac 97.29-2 Montana Historical Society Photos But that is ancient history. The pranks of the other night were along mischievous lines, many of them. One fence was torn down for a number of rods just because it looked easy to tear down. At another place a gate was carried away and the owner is still looking for it. Wandering cows came into a well kept lawn during the night and tore down vines, uprooted plants and berry bushes which had required years to grow. That is only one of the instances of malicious mischief that was practiced. No one wants to accuse the mischief makers of wanting to wantonly destroy property, but there should be a line drawn between meanness and fun. The bunch out Saturday and Sunday night, or at least a part of it, did not consider that any one else in the town had any rights except their own members and their ambition was to see just how much cussedness they could kick up within the shortest possible period of time. -The Madisonian Newspaper (Virginia City, MT), Accessed via: www.montananewspapers.org
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 Josephine Doody Josephine Doody, Courtesy of Glacier National Park On the way to isolated Harrison Lake, in the wilderness area on the southern border of Glacier National Park, lie the ruins of a secret cabin. The area is extremely difficult to access because you have to cross the Middle Fork of the Flathead and there is only a short time when it’s not frozen or deep. The remote cabin was home to Josephine Doody, a woman even more notorious than Calamity Jane. And unlike Calamity, the events of her life are not disputed. John Fraley, in his book Wild River Pioneers, details Josephine’s adventures. Around 1890. Josephine shot a man in Colorado, she claimed in self-defense. Awaiting trial, she fled to MacCarthyville, Montana, a railroad town along James J. Hill’s Great Northern Railway. There, as a dance hall girl, she met Dan Doody who fell for her. But Josephine had an opium addiction. So Dan kidnapped her, tied her to a mule, took her to his homestead on the Flathead River and locked her in to dry out. Josephine survived and took up moonshining. Dan kept a tiny cabin where she could hide when the revenue officers of Colorado lawmen came looking for her. James Hill built a siding to the Doody place, and the engineer would blow the whistle once for each quart of moonshine the engineers wanted. Dan was one of the first park rangers at Glacier, but was soon fired because he liked to poach the game. Photo Courtesy of Glacier National Park Dan Doody, Courtesy of Glacier National Park He died in 1919, and Josephine stayed in the two-story homestead, keeping guest rooms and leading occasional fishing parties. She died in 1936 after a long, colorful life. –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
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 Seven-Up Pete Who was Seven-Up Pete? Peter McMahon was part of the first party to discover gold in Silver Bow Creek. The Anaconda Standard reported (October 21, 1906) that it was Seven-Up Pete who said the creek looked like a Silver Bow glinting in the sunlight, and gave the name that we continue to use to this day. Pete was evidently a well-liked character around Butte. When people asked how long he’d been in Butte, he would say, “Do you see that butte over there? It was a hole in the ground when I came here.” McMahon got his nickname playing the card game of seven-up back in Kansas, where he allegedly never lost, except once, and that under threat of a club. He was born in County Clare, Ireland, June 29, 1833, and came to America at age 16 in the wake of the Irish potato famine. He made his way from New York to New Orleans to St. Louis, with, he said, 15 cents in his pocket, and he cut wood for his breakfast. He worked as a riverman, railroad worker, and butcher, and as a scout in New Mexico for the army in the war against the Comanches. He mined at Pike’s Peak, Colorado, before heading to Bannack and Virginia City in 1863. When he and the Parker party (G.O. Humphreys, William Allison, Frank Ruff, Bud Parker, Peter Slater, and perhaps others) came to what is now Butte, he said he found the first gold, running $1.65 to the pan—a goodly sum in those days, enough to buy several days' or a week's lodgings or three or four nice dinners in a restaurant. Pete also claimed to be the first to crush quartz for gold in Butte. Pete McMahon was a miner who lived in the Centennial Hotel in 1885, and was presumably burned out when it went up in flames in 1888. He worked as a carman [miners out there – what was that?] at the Green Mountain Mine in 1891 but disappears from the directories beginning in 1893. –Richard Gibson Sources: Butte Bystander, April 15, 1897; History of Montana, 1739-1885, by Michael A. Leeson. Richard Gibson is a geologist. His career has ranged from analyzing kidney stones to 35 years in oil exploration. Butte's history, architecture, and people captured his interest like he thought nothing could, and have expanded his life significantly. He’s still passionate about geology, but now he’s passionate about Butte, too. His book "What Things Are Made Of" came out in March 2011; his writing blog focuses on it. The Butte History blog contains interesting stories discovered in Butte, Montana, which are documented in "Lost Butte, Montana," from The History Press. Check out more great stories from Richard by visiting his sites: http://buttehistory.blogspot.com/ http://butte-anacondanhld.blogspot.com/ https://www.verdigrisproject.org/butte-americas-story
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 THE LEGEND OF HENRY PLUMMER The story of Henry Plummer, the Road Agents and Vigilantes is surrounded in myth and mystery. Some modern authors have proposed that the sheriff was innocent of the crimes that he was accused of and hanged for. Unfortunately, we will never know the whole story. This version of the events that occurred here was taken from the book “The Vigilantes of Montana” by Thomas Dimsdale. Dimsdale was the editor of the Montana Post newspaper in Virginia City and his account of the Vigilante movement is still the primary source used by authors today when researching the Vigilante activity of 1863. Though true name or alias is disputed, Amos Henry Plummer is an enigma in the Old West. In 1852, Henry Plummer resided in Nevada City, CA where he served as local baker and city marshal. Five years later, he was charged with second degree murder after shooting the husband of a woman he was involved with. Plummer was sentenced to ten years in San Quentin. It was there that he met Cyrus Skinner, who was doing time for grand larceny. Because of a supposedly “fatal illness,” Plummer served only 6 months before returning to California. Plummer was in and out of law enforcement for a couple years following, during which time he nearly killed one man and did kill William Riley at a house of ill-repute on October 27, 1861. He was incarcerated, but escaped by literally running out the door. He hid with friends in Carson City and then went to Idaho. Plummer again became a wanted man after killing Patrick Ford. Plummer met up with his old friends and ended up in Bannack, where he was appointed sheriff. He lived a public life of virtue and generosity, marrying Electa Bryan, and even providing the first Thanksgiving dinner in Bannack in 1863. After three months of marriage, Electa left for Cedar Rapids, Iowa where her parents lived. Henry Plummer was the leader of the Road Agents, also known as the “Innocents”. Their password to identify each other was “I am innocent.” The Road Agents had spies and snitches in many businesses and gold camps of southwest Montana. When they got word of a gold shipment or a stagecoach passenger carrying large sums of money, they promptly relayed the information to gang leaders. Such wealth seldom reached its destination. Plummer and his deputies infiltrated every decent group and endeavor in the mining camps- except the Masons. Plummer’s gang consisted of about 25 of the meanest roughs in the territory and reportedly killed 102 prospectors between here and Virginia City during an 8-month period in 1863. They stole millions of dollars worth of gold, which is still believed to be hidden in these hills…
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 The majority of people in the camps were hard-working, good people who grew increasingly weary at the growing violence and open disdain for law and order. After the robbery and senseless brutal killing of Dutchman Nicholas Tiebalt, Road Agent George Ives was tried by a miner’s court in Nevada City. On Dec. 21, 1863, the first Vigilante action was taken when they hanged George Ives by the neck. Organizing quickly, the Vigilantes went to work. In an early scouting party they met Red Yeager, carrying with him correspondence from Road Agent George Brown to the Street in Bannack by Jolene Ewert-Hintz Skinner’s Saloon by Jolene Ewert-Hintz Deer Lodge band. After capture and questioning, Yeager named Plummer as chief of the band. Both Brown and Yeager were hanged from a cottonwood tree along the Ruby River. Things were getting hot for the Road Agents. The Vigilantes knew they were going to run and acted quickly. Late in the evening of Jan. 9, 1864, Vigilantes from Alder Gulch arrived in Bannack with news from the Virginia City company and their request for cooperation. The next day, three groups of Vigilantes individually apprehended Henry Plummer and his two deputies, Ned Ray and Buck Stinson. The three companies met at the gallows built by Plummer himself at dusk. While his partners were hanging to die, Plummer begged for his life and then stated that he was “too wicked to die.” His last wish was granted, and he was given a good drop. At the age of 27, Amos Henry Plummer died at the Bannack gallows on January 10, 1864. – Courtesy of the Bannack Association, to learn more visit: http://bannack.org/bannackassociation Bannack Gallows by Jolene Ewert-Hintz
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 SOURDOUGH MINE- April 17, 1937- A new mining development project in the Helena district is the work being done by the Sourdough Mining Co. at the Sourdough Mine, formerly the Golden Curry Property, near Elkhorn. This mine has been a substantial producer of crude pyritic gold ore, and is located one mile west of the famous Elkhorn silver property. The Sourdough company acquired a lease on the Sourdough property in 1936, and the company has had a crew of men at work since last October. The main tunnel of the mine has been opened up, and the company is now engaged in exploring the property at depth by diamond drilling. Electric power is available at the mine, and the drilling is being done with an electric diamond drill with capacity for deep drilling. The Sourdough property is owned by the Golden Curry Consolidated Mining Co. of Helena. The lessee company is composed of Gust Carlson and various associates in Montana and Minnesota. Lars Carlson is president of the Sourdough Co., and the mine work is under the immediate direction of Gustaf Stenborg. -Accessed via: https:// chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/ Sourdough Mine, 1937, Photographer Unknown, Courtesy of www.mtmemory.org 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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