Great Contributors to the Lower Valley: Piche Family

                                                             Photo from Philipsburg Mail 

Joseph Piche was born in Quebec and came to Montana during the mining rush. He worked in Butte and married Louise DeRosia who was born in the state of New York. After the marriage they ran a dairy outside of Butte. As their son Louis remembers the story: “There were twenty-one homestead lots to be drawn southeast of Drummond. One-hundred and fifty miners lined up in Butte for the drawing and his father drew lot number twenty-one. Their 160 acre homestead was located six miles southeast of Drummond. The property was two miles east of the Valley View cemetery. They were lucky enough to get an area that had water on the land.” Research revealed an article in the September 27, 1929 Mail that stated “Joseph Piche returned to Drummond Wednesday from the Gallatin valley where he had spent the last two months.” 

According to Louis (at age 99) the children born to Joseph and Louise were: Irene on March 9 (the year not recalled); she married a man named Pease and died at the age of 92; Gertrude was born on November 29 (unable to recall the year) and married a man named Udall. The marriage lasted one year because he did not work; Vivian was born on November 28, 1908. She married a man named Duell and died just short of her 100th birthday in 2008. Louis was born September 11, 1910; Ray Piche, the youngest and fifth, born on August 8, 1917 at the homestead east of New Chicago, received his education in Drummond and attended Modern Business College in Missoula. 

He enlisted in the Army and served 42 months in WWII. While serving in the Eastern Theater, Ray earned a Purple Heart. Ray, operated a Drummond service station for ten years; bought the Texaco station and ran it for twelve years; the liquor store for another twelve years .Ray married Audrey Hamilton in August of 1951 and she died in 2002. Ray died in Missoula on April 13, 2005. He was survived by brother Louis and sister Vivian Duell, both of Missoula and nieces and nephews. Military Honors were conducted at Valley View cemetery. 

Their mother, Louise DeRosia was born March 9, 1876 at Governor, New York. She moved to Butte, Montana in 1897 and married Joseph on May 10, 1898. Her obituary stated they moved to Drummond in 1909. Joseph died in 1946 and in 1965, Louise moved to Missoula to live with her daughter Vivian Woods and died June 28, 1967. Survivors were: daughters: Vivian, Mrs. Irene Pease of Missoula and Mrs. Gertrude Dodge of Polson; sons: Louis and Ray of Drummond. Internment was in the family plot at St. Mary’s cemetery in Missoula. 

Louis, was educated in Drummond. Then, after attending a barber school in Spokane, Louis bought Jack Peterson’s Barber shop at Drummond, in 1928. He ran the barber shop until drafted into WWII in 1942 at the age of 31. While in the military he served in the 48th Sea Bees and was in Korea. Louis was home on leave when Hiroshima was bombed in August; reported to California and was discharged on September 28, 1945. Louis sold real estate and insurance and in 1960 he worked with the county tax assessor Roy Greenheck and learned reclassification, which was a measurement of land productivity. About that same time Louis built the Big Sky Motel and operated it for six years, then sold the motel to Fred Holland. Louis married Edna Marsh on May 19, 1930. After retirement they lived in Apache Wells, Arizona and Big Timber, Montana. Louis moved to Missoula, after Edna died in 1967. He was a 30 year member of the Kiwanis, a member of the Elks and an avid bowler. Louis was anxiously awaiting his 100th birthday in September when I talked with him in May of 2010. Unfortunately he died in Missoula on July 23, 2010. Louis was buried in the Missoula cemetery. 

 In July of 2011 the Drummond Library received notice that the estate of Louis Piche had provided them a wonderful gift. The Library set up a September Night on September 13, 2011 to focus on Louis’ life and generosity. Louis had been a great friend of the library and realized the struggles they had. The funds were expected to be set up as an endowment and would only be used for extras, never for the general funding. The sum was expected to be about $25,000 a year for the next 25 years totaling about $625,000.

Tireless Worker Without Judgment Sound and Business-like: Dr. Power

                                                                    Dr. W.I. Power 

                                      Photo cropped from group picture in Tex Crawley Collection

W.I. Power was a major contributor to Granite county history. He was born in Farmington, Michigan to Thomas H. and Lydia (Stockwell) Power on September 17, 1860, the fourth born of seven sons. According to “Progressive Men of Montana” “…His educational advantages were very limited, owing to the size and circumstances of the family; and besides a few weeks attendance at the public schools during the winter months for about three years, he obtained nothing in this line except what he worked out for himself- teaching school for a time and with the money earned working his way through higher grades until he was able to take a full academic course at the Michigan Agricultural College at Lansing, where he was graduated in 1885, teaching and selling books during the vacations to defray expenses.” After his graduation William taught one year at Waterford and in 1886 he entered Detroit Medical College. 

He graduated in 1889 and spent a year as house surgeon in St. Mary’s Hospital in Detroit before coming to Granite, Montana. He worked as an assistant to Dr. Sligh for two years for the Bi-Metallic Company’s hospital. Then in January 1892 he moved to Philipsburg and began his private practice there. Dr. Power married Miss Mary Williams Treveaille of Butte on January 27, 1892 in Granite. Mary came to Granite about 12 years before her death on April 5, 1897, when she succumbed to an un-named cause. Dr. Power quickly became involved in the community health issues as observed when he notified the public: “All persons living along streams where water is needed for general purposes are warned not to dump or throw manure or other refuse material into such streams as water so polluted is unfit for general use. W.I. Power M.D., chairman Board of Health for Granite County.” Philipsburg Mail, September 24, 1897. 

The following year Dr. Power married Mrs. Marietta Sewell of Paola, Kansas on September 12, 1898. That same year, Dr. Power was nominated for the state senate by the Silver wing of the republican party. He was defeated by Jerry Connolly by 30 votes. At the end of 1899, Dr. Power went east to study and took a graduate course in the New York City Post Graduate School, specializing in General Medicine. It was expected that he would re-locate his practice somewhere in the east. But obviously had a change of heart, as the May 4, 1900 Mail announced that Dr. Power had returned and was occupying the old office of Dr. G.W. Young in the McLeod-Doe block. He had also bought the C.F. Jacky residence at the corner of California and Kearney streets but the “consideration was unknown.” 

As the public health officer, it was documented many times, how he warned the public about the dangers of the flu epidemic, especially during WWI. Dr. Power served as Mayor for one term beginning in 1908 and served two terms as county coroner. He was a member and held offices in: The Masons, Royal Arch Masons, Eastern Star, Scottish Rites and Algeria Temple of Helena, Woodmen of the World, Lincoln Homestead, Brotherhood of America Yoemen and the Rotary. He was a member of the American Red Cross and served as county chairman for a number of years. In 1908 he was also “secretary-treasurer of the Eureka Mining and Development Company diggings in Quartz Gulch and brought home a few of the large gold nuggets.” Dr. Power ran on the republican ticket for State senator in 1910. The October 21, 1910 Mail carried the following descriptor: “…He has taken a leading position in every line of public or private business he has undertaken. he has been second-class in nothing; first class in everything. He is a tireless worker, with judgment sound and business-like, and therefore a leader in whatever he attempts to do. He has no superior in the extent his loyalty to the interests of the people of this county..” He lost the Senate seat by 6 votes to Democrat A.R. Dearborn (Pharmacist at Doe’s Drug Store). 

The April 26, 1929 Mail carried the sad news that Dr. Power was dead. In continuation of his community service, the Doctor was serving as the president of the State Bank at the time of his death. The cause of death was flu-pneumonia and had happened the day the paper was published. Besides his wife, Dr. Power was survived by a step-son Harry F. Sewell of California and two nephews. Funeral services were held in the Masonic Temple on April 29th and the body was then forwarded to Spokane for cremation.

Ability to Read and Write English

 

Students from Middle Fork School Circa 1928  Top Row L to R: Mary Helen Care, Alice Christensen, Chloe Carey, Cecilia Lyon, Winifred "Fett"  Sandin , Walter Bentz. Bottom Row: T.R. "Bus" Hess, Mary Sandin, Faye Lyon, Harry Bentz

Montana enacted a Compulsory Education Law in 1905 that basically stated that all children between the ages of eight and fourteen must attend a school for at least four hours a day, five days a week for a minimum of sixteen weeks during the year. If the child was of a younger age it was permissible for only two hours a day of schooling. The Law clearly states “The certificate shall be issued upon satisfactory proof of the age of the minor and a knowledge of his or her ability to read and write legibly the English language.” Once that certificate is issued a child over the age of fourteen cannot be mandated to attend school. The majority of students, especially rural were no longer attending school after the eighth grade. Those that were unable to obtain a certificate were forced either to continue attending school until they turned sixteen or break the law. By the 1950’s they had enacted laws that fined the parent daily if the minor did not attend school until the completion of the eighth grade. 

 As is often the case, laws were enacted with out providing the money for schools, teacher and learning material to be provided so it continued to be up to the families to find some way to comply to the law. As early as Granville Stuart time it is documented that he hired teachers to come and live with his family to provide schooling for his children and neighboring ranches. One of those teacher’s, Isabelle Brown, became his second wife in 1890, after Awbonnie, the mother of his children, died. 

 Granite County passed a bond issue to build the still operating school in Philipsburg in 1896 and prior to that Major William Graham and Mrs. Titus are known to conduct educational classes in the town. Rural families were expected to either move to town during school sessions or board the children with family or friends. 

 I have been unable to determine which country school was the first to be established in Granite county. I know the Cow Creek School started in 1912 with funding from parents and interested parties. The Trout Creek School was awarded a certificate that met Standards of Education in 1916, and was proudly supported financially by the surrounding ranchers. I possess a picture of Flint Creek School but have no reference to any date. Spring Creek school was started by the upper Willow Creek families after teachers had been hired by individual families and lived in their homes in the early 1920’s. Although my father states in his writing that he attended Rock Creek school, for his first grade, I believe he meant Spring Creek, as that would have been in 1927, and the first teacher I found a record of for Rock Creek was 1930. Dad (Harry Bentz), then attended Middle Fork School through the eighth grade. 

State funding for rural schools was first established in 1927 under the Common School Equalization Fund and revisited in the 1940’s. Although this still failed to provided adequate money it did begin the advent of one room school houses, usually constructed by the hard labor of the local parents; funded a meager wage for a school teacher (that often was boarded at a close ranch). Some of the schools had families with enough means to provide for the construction of a teacherage next to the school house, which was present at Porter’s Corner and all of them constructed a shelter for the horses to be stabled. Different families were responsible for providing firewood and kerosene for warmth and lighting and hay for the horses. Sometimes the students rode as far as 8 miles to the nearest school. Seldom did parents hitch up a team to bring the children to and from school. Students were responsible for purchasing their books and often shared one book among many students. 

Rural schools were to be closed in 1947, but parents on Ross’ Fork and West Fork were able to find Jewel Ball to teach, Kaiser and Carpp to provide the Ewing Bungalow for housing and the Berry House in the Sapphire Ranch meadow was converted into a school room for eight students. Helen Sanders attended first grade with her sister Naomi a seventh grader. I was in the first grade and my sister Rosalie was in the third. Helen Christensen was in the third and her brother Bill was in the fifth and Wesley Sutherland was in the sixth grade. Rural schools were all closed the next year and parents were given a stipend for gas to drive them to the Skalkaho Junction, now Hwy 1. School Bus service expanded to West Fork Bridge in 1950.

We're Glad We Helped Santa

 Now me and my bud had been pitchin’ down hay 

To feed the cows for a night and a day 

We’d put down a lot, and we had a reason 

It was late in December, and the holiday season. 

We headed for home, and the snow it was deep 

Real tough for the horses, too deep for a Jeep. 

We was makin’ it fine, not too far to go 

When we found this here sleigh, stuck in the snow. 

 It’s a real fancy rig, loaded plum full of stuff. 

And with night commin’ on it was gonta be tuff. 

The guy in the red suit said his chargers had flown, 

And left him a’ sittin’ out there in the snow. 

We shook out our ropes, and tied onto the sled 

We knew where to find him a good soft, warm bed. 

We took care of the horses, then helped him unload. 

We left the sleigh there, headed out for the road. 

We got in our bunks, and we sure slept tight. 

We didn’t wake up ‘till it plum turned daylight. 

The stranger had gone, and so was the sled. 

But the boxes and bags was all stacked on the bed. 

 He left us a note sayin’ thanks for the lift. 

If we’d look in the boxes, we’d all find a gift. 

My brother and me, we each had a surprise 

And the things for our sisters sure opened their eyes. 

 There was pearls for our mom, and a hat for our dad. 

It turned out to be, the best Christmas we’d had. 

Sometimes we’re just guessin’ about how things will go. 

But we’re glad we helped Santa, when he was stuck in the snow.

                                                                                   (Authored by George Melvin Owen [1916-1999]) 

 Melvin was one of eight children born to Charles and Geneva (Schenck) Owen. Charles and Geneva moved from Wyoming in 1910 and leased the newly bought 600 acre Groth Ranch, originally owned by R.R. McLeod, 2 miles south of Philipsburg. He traveled to Chicago to buy 100 head of cattle and always raised exceptional ones under the name Treasure State Herefords. One of his off-spring, Melvin married Ida Berry on November 1, 1942 and they had seven children: Carma, Ted, Kathleen, Cheryl, Charles, Douglas and Judy. I do not find any Montana information about Melvin after his marriage (in Arizona). He was living in Arizona when he died in 1999. 

 I am privileged to have in my possession from the courtesy of Charles grandson, Don Scott, a booklet written by Naomi (Owen) where she shares these facts with her grandchildren:

Happenings of American Gem Mining Company

While discussing John Lucas I was reminded of many interesting facts about The American Gem Mining Company and the people who provided the financial investments for the operation such as Auguste B. and William Lane Ewing. The Philipsburg Mail on March 8, 1901 stated “Yield of sapphires on Rock Creek 35 miles south-west of Philipsburg for 1900 is 200,000 carats with 1,200 carats fit to cut.” Articles of incorporation for the American Gem Mining syndicate are on file at the Montana Historical Society and show the filing date as August 9, 1901. The capital stock was $300,000 and distributed as follows: D. Jankower whose address was listed as Philipsburg and was a noted gemologist from New York and London had 299, 996 shares; Paul Fusz whose address was Granite had one share; Moses Rumsey of St. Louis, Missouri had one share; Auguste B. Ewing of St. Louis one share and Charles McLure of St. Louis one share. The corporations five directors were: Jankower, Fusz, Rumsey, Ewing and McLure. Although often cited as investors W.E. Knuth of Helena and L.S McLure of San Diego are not listed in the filed corporation papers. 

 I will speak about the Rumsey family in a later article concerning the Rumsey mill. The Ewing family were from a prominent branch of Scottish people who immigrated first to Ireland and then to America in the 1700’s. Auguste born April 6, 1839, was one of William L and Clara Berthold’s eleven children. He married Mary Causland September 8, 1869, and they had eight children. His brother, William was one of at least two William’s that “went west” and was born in 1843. He married Mary Fleming in 1885. He became a banker and organized the State National Bank in 1885 and was on the Board of Director’s for years. He was the 25th Mayor of St. Louis from 1881 to 1885 and died in Vincennes, Indiana June 4, 1905 with burial in Calvary Cemetery. They had one son who is listed as William. 

The reason the Ewing name was so well known was the family built the Ewing Bungalow. This massive log structure was built on the Yellow Dog Sapphire Claim located on a five acre island of the West Fork just south of the Sapphire ranch upper meadow. The living room measured twenty feet wide and thirty feet long with two bedrooms and a stairway to the south; a full log sitting porch across the east end and a lean-to kitchen off the west end. The north wall had a solid West Fork River rock fireplace, floor to ceiling and a large “Old Fir” log split in half for the mantle with fir logs holding it in place. The wall logs were caulked with newspaper dipped in water and tapped into place then a small quarter round placed into the space. 

I know all of this because while my family was leasing the Sapphire Ranch in 1952 my parents bought the Ewing Bungalow from Walt Kaiser and Charles Carrp who were current owners of the property. The valuation was $3,000 and was occupied by the Bentz family until it burned down in 1959. This property is currently owned by Kenny Lutz and others and most of the beautiful trees are cut down and a large portion covered with gravel to withhold the weight of Kenny’s large heavy mining equipment. 

Communications in the Lucas files at the Montana Historical Society, disclose that the Ewing family in St. Louis were often concerned about the Huppmobile being cared for. It was used when they arrived to visit in the summer months. Registrations are on file from 1915 to 1924 for the vehicle. In the fall of 1918 and 1919 the staff such as Dan Smith in Philipsburg were reminded to put the vehicle up on blocks and remove the battery for the winter months. There is also a telegram sent on May 23, 1922 that directed Smith to “send the Huppmobile to Butte for painting - same color. Will send top material. Have ready by June 25.” Then on May 25 a second telegram requested “have huppmobile valves ground, seats repaired and other repairs you think necessary.” A third telegram on June 2, 1922 stated “Do not have top for Huppmobile lined.” These telegrams were all from C.G. Ewing. 

The Hupp Mobile was built in Detroit Michigan from 1909 through 1939 by the Hupp Motor Company. On August 31, 1934, “J.C. Yob states C.G. Ewing died Wednesday. He was the son of the original owner of the Philipsburg Mining Company. He was unmarried and is buried in St. Louis.” was published in The Philipsburg Mail.

 As I review the researched documents in my possession, items I hope that are of interest to the public come to my attention. A book titled “ LEDGER” was loamed to me by Edward Bohrnsen that had grocery lists dated July 26, 1905. A tool inventory for April 1 (of unknown year) for “Sapphire Property” and “sawmill outfit” Freight bills for E.R. Thompson; R.R. McLeod; John McKinzey (sic); L.P. Keely; S.H. Yerllnwood (sic), and W. M. Lawrance from July 29 through August 6, 1905. There are also notes for hay and eggs bought from E. Amerine for April, May and June 1906. This included three tons of hay for $21.00, twenty one dozen eggs for $4.20 on April 28; and ten more dozen on May 6, plus twenty seven dozen on May 30, for a total of $27.20. On June 1 they received more hay with the stack measuring thirty seven feet over, twenty seven feet wide and six feet long, plus eighteen dozen eggs for a total of $24.60. 

Other examples in this ledger are: American Gem received from Ike Sanders: June 9: 30 lbs of butter (20) $6.00 30 doz. Eggs (20) $6.00 June 16: 60 doz. Eggs (20) $12.00 22 lbs. Butter $4.40 June 23: 29 lbs Butter $5.60 June 30: 25 lbs. Butter (20) $5.00 30 doz. Eggs (20) $6.00 Total $45.00 Items of this sort are listed through 1907 from Amerine and Ike Sanders, plus lists titled Basin Gulch: Detter to ranch and Sapphire Camp: Detter to Ranch in 1907 which includes beef, eggs, tea, coffee, sugar, maple syrup and vegetables from April through October, totaling $506.52. Another page stated Sawmill: Detter to ranch and Morgan: Stoney Crick (sic) from June through October 1907 that includes staples, coal oil, nails, oats, wire screen, beef and vegetables for $182.58. 

There is a stable bill for horses staying overnight at Carmichaels from April through June 1912 which consisted of two to four horses almost every night. Obviously employees were riding to and from the mines and Philipsburg at a fairly steady pace. The amount of stable charges was questioned by C. Ewing when the bill was sent to St. Louis, as the charge was $2.00 a day per horse, for a total of 78 horse days. Entries for 1912 show supplies previously bought from Amerine were now being bought from Downing.

Lumber hauled from the sawmill to the Sapphire diggings was also listed for 1910 totaling 10,339 board feet. The next entries are for August through October, 1929 listing produce and again, through October of 1930 and 1931, which was probably bought from a vender coming from the Bitter Root Valley. A separate list is included for “Ewings.” Then in 1932 the produce is broken down into “for Company” and “Bohrnsen Bill.” The 1933 lists are again for “American Gem” and “for Mr. Ewing.” 

The year 1934 included fifty doses of Blackleg Aggressin. Edward Bohrnsen believes these were given to the calves his father bought and took to Willow Creek. The list also has one castrating knife and paid Bowles $10.00 for a colt on June 28, 1934. The 1935 list begins on March 25, buying bowls, plates and cups and on May 14 paid $5.00 for one broke horse. The entries end on November 17, 1935 for seventeen lbs. of cabbage and twenty five pounds of rutabagas for $1.35. 

The very last page of the Ledger stated: “the 8th of November took 1 violin lesson.” This notation is in Henry Bohrnsen’s handwriting. 

Finances were a frequent topic in the correspondence in 1918: “April 26, 1918 …see if you can get them (sapphire pickers) for $1.50 per day” stated a letter from Ewing to Dan Smith. On May 6, 1918 Ewing to wrote to W.T. Terrell, “hospital fee with Dr. Casey is $1.50 per season for each worker.” On September 4, 1918 is the document “….owing to unrest in the camp it was necessary to raise the wages 50 cents on the 15th of last month” wrote Terrell to Ewing. Ewing instructed Dan Smith on September 27, 1918 to “….tell Bohrnsen to do the work necessary on the 1600 feet of flume, this year.” Then on October 2, Smith stated “Mr. Bohrnsen was in yesterday and said he expected to operate for 2 weeks yet and then do some flume work” in correspondence to Ewing. On January 3, 1919 Ewing writes to W.T. Terrell, “….Please instruct Varholic the watchman at the camp to gather up the matrasses [sic] which are in the main log cabin and string them up to the ceiling so that the rats cannot get at them.”

Doesn't Cost Me Much to Live

Years ago, acreage, north of the current Munis Gravel Pit and just south of Andre Lane after the Fred Burr curve, was occupied by a happy man, named Sid Willis. My memory of Sid is him sitting in any friend’s house visiting and smoking a roll-your-own cigarette. Sid wore a large cuff in the bottom of his blue jeans and he would either put the ash from the burning cigarette into the cuff or flick it onto the thigh of his jeans and rub it into the denim. Sometimes the jeans were so well “ashed” that I am certain they would stand on their own. He loved to say, “It doesn’t cost me much to live…I feed myself, my horse eats grass and my dog eats horse turds” and then he would throw back his head and give a “Har Har Har” type of laugh. 

His Stetson hat had seen many years and the crown was sweat stained with many spots on the brim tattered. It was usually pushed back with his unruly hair hanging onto his high forehead. I so wish I had a of picture of this old codger to share with all of you. In Ray Ham’s book “Horses and Saddles” Sid is spoken of frequently as “Canner Joe” because he was the person that came when contacted to dress the dead animal. Sid then took the meat and bones to the dog food cannery. He also sold the skinned hides to the tannery for the making of horse hide robes. Ray said “Canner Joe was one of our local colorful characters. He was a clown in a way and didn’t even know it. One time he was in a saloon and a woman from back East was there and she was looking right at him, just cracking up a-laughing. He looked down to see if his fly was open; he didn’t know what she was laughing at. She finally stopped laughing long enough to say “ Where do you get those overalls with bow legs?” Ray goes on to say “Canner Joe was out to our place one night and he’d been drinking. We went out to the barn and he grabbed Smokey (wild buckskin colt) by the tail. Any other time, Smokey would have kicked him but this time, for some reason he didn’t. Canner Joe just hung on and laughed his goofy laugh, real deep: Yuk Yuk, Yuk.”

A story I have heard frequently is that the author Dan Cushman moved to Philipsburg to be close to his dear friend Sid Willis. This was supposed to be during the time Dan was researching the book “The Old Copper Collar” which was published in 1957. I found where Mr. and Mrs. Dan Cushman had a baby boy on March 13, 1953 in Great Falls and were expected to return to Philipsburg to live during the summer. The baby named Stephen James joined Bobby and Mary Lou. 

Sid lived in Granite county for more than fifty years before he was sent to the Cheyenne Soldiers’ Home in Wyoming. He lived in Wyoming for six months before his death at the age of eighty-four, during the first week of April, 1971. The house he lived in is still standing, though deteriorating rapidly. Each time I drive by I check to see if it is still standing. The chimney fell off a few years ago and I doubt the logs will stand up much longer 

 Born in England, where he received an inheritance, Sid came to the U.S. as a teenager. He served in the Army during WWI, then settled south of Philipsburg, buying the property with his inheritance. The obituary stated “there were no known survivors.” The funeral was conducted by the Wilson Funeral Home and pallbearers were: Ford Johnson, Bob McKinley, Adolph Andre, Forrest Merrifield, Barney Pickett and John (Pat) McDonald, with internment April 5, in the Philipsburg cemetery. This Sid Willis should not to be confused with Sid Willis the owner of the Mint Bar in Great Falls who was a friend of Charlie Russell.

Little Notoriety: John R. Lucas

                               John R. Lucas cropped from group photo in Tex Crawley Collection

Researching history I see many names written about that were important to the mining industry, but have never read anything speaking about John R. Lucas. Yet in the papers donated by the Antonioli family to Montana Historical Society Archives are 2.5 linear feet of documents having the perfect penmanship and signature of John R. Lucas on them. He was Superintendent for a number of years, in the St. Louis Mining Companies of Philipsburg. 

 An extensive grocery list for the Montana Grocery Company in Philipsburg on April 28, 1916 not only is neatly typed but also has the pencil written prices of the products as the order was being filled by the store. Examples are: 25 pounds of dried apples for $1.22; 100 pounds of onions $3.50; 50 pounds of corn meal $1.65 2-24#. (This must indicate that instead of 50 pounds the order was filled with two 24 pound containers); 5 cartons of matches for $1.00; 120 pounds of bacon for $22.00. All the available grocery lists demonstrate the food provided to the miners was hearty, nourishing and plentiful. They also indicate John supervised every facet of the business and finances. 

Lucas being astute in all the mechanisms of the mining business and the political world is apparent through out the documents preserved at The Historical Society. He kept Paul Fusz informed almost daily of the election results and squabbles over contested elections, such as when the shift bosses were accused of coercing the miners while voting. This issue was not debated at length in the Lucas documents but was a hot issue in the newspaper. James McGowan of Hall filed a contest with the District Court on December 6, 1904 when he lost the vote by seven votes to James Schoonover. The complaint stated the 200 Bi-metallic employees had been coerced, threatened and intimidated. Staff had told them that they would lose their jobs if they voted Republican or for George Metcalf. “Taking testimony before Justice is waived on account of repeated efforts of defense to block proceedings--the promised investigation causes much uneasiness in certain quarter”, was the headline over a full column article in the December 30, 1904 Mail. 

 Apparently Judge Connolly the county counsel and Judge Durfee who was Schoonover’s counsel were both unable to be present on December 27 for the scheduled hearing. Under the law, cases had to be certified by the Secretary of State before the Legislature convened. The papers in the case were forwarded to Helena. Mr. McGowan insisted he had an abundance of evidence to prove every one of the charges alleged in the complaint. Obviously the surprise was on McGowan, as Schoonover was seated and no follow-up article was printed in the January news. The Mining Company and Lucas were very concerned that the local and State legislators be Democrats and included letters of recommendation for appointed positions such as Game Warden. 

John was born April 15, 1866 at St. Louis, Missouri and came to Montana in 1892 to accept the assistant superintendent position with the Hope Mining Company.. In 1897 John married Madge Short. She died after giving birth to their son John J. in 1898. In 1903, John accepted am assistant supervisor position at the Granite Bi-Metallic Consolidated Mining Company. Ultimately, John had charge of the American Gem Sapphire Mines on West Fork, the Basin Gulch Placer Mines, the Hope properties and other company interests, according to the Mail April 20, 1917, because when Paul Fusz died in 1910 all the responsibilities including the Combination Mining Company became John’s concern. 

John was seriously injured on September 23, 1914, when his horses ran away, and left him suffering from head, shoulder and back injuries. Documents show his resignation as Director of Henderson Mining Company, February 15, 1915. Then on November 24, 1916 was a copy of telegram to John P. Meyers in St. Louis stating: “Due to the serious illness of Mr. Lucas he is not able to sign any checks….request authority for Mr. Holmes or myself to sign checks to pay the bills.” 

John traveled to Long Beach, California for treatment in a sanitarium there. His health did not allow him to return to his position and he died at Long Beach, California on April 14, 1917. John’s body was returned to Montana and escorted by the Missoula Lodge of Elks on the train to Philipsburg. They were met at the depot by the Philipsburg Elks and escorted to the Philipsburg Masonic Hall where the Philipsburg and Missoula B.P.O.E. performed a burial service. Requiem High Mass was on Monday at the Catholic Church with internment at the Philipsburg Cemetery. Survivors were: son, John J., working at The Anaconda Copper Mining Company.

The Outcome of Booze Versus Brothers

On December 22, 1899, The Philipsburg Mail carried the ghastly story of the Johnson brother’s quarrel. Apparently the three brothers had lived in the Antelope area about 4 miles west of Philipsburg for several years and were from Finland. They made a living by cutting timber into railroad ties and chopping cordwood. “About 4 o’clock Wednesday morning, John Johnson, a Finlander, accompanied by his brother Herman appeared at the sheriff’s office and informed Sheriff Metcalf that he had shot and killed his brother Jacob and had come to give himself up. …Johnson informed the sheriff that the brother Jacob had been to town Tuesday and returned to camp late very intoxicated and with a bad temper. He swore he would kill John and arming himself with a broadaxe, proceeded to chop his way into the cabin. John told him, if he would lay down the axe and come in to bed everything would be all right, but if he did not let up with the axe he would shoot. Jacob continued to chop and was making good headway when John got the rifle and shot through the door. The chopping ceased and when John and Herman opened the door to investigate they found their brother laying there, mortally wounded. They carried him inside and laid him on the bed where he soon expired. After hearing the story, Sheriff Metcalf locked John Johnson up, and in company with George W. Opp drove to the scene of the tragedy, where the dead man was found, as told by the brother. Another Finlander was found asleep in the cabin, and on being awakened informed the sheriff that he knew of no trouble and had heard no shooting. He did not know that a man was dead in the cabin or that anything out of the ordinary had taken place during the night. A coroner’s jury, composed of J.D. Hartwell, F.C. Walker, Frank Freschlag, Wm. Clawson, Archie McDonald and G. W. Opp visited the camp and inspected the premises…. It was found that he ball had entered the body on the right side of the abdomen and came out in the back near the left kidney.” 

John Johnson was about thirty years old and his brother was two years his senior. The Mail learned from John that he and his brother quarreled frequently due to Jacob’s temper when he drank. Jacob was the teamster and brought the product to market while the other two brother’s did the chopping.

 John’s trial was set for March 12th 1900, at which time he was tried for the killing of his brother.   Both the Johnson brother’s and many of the other witnesses spoke very poor English and so most of the testimony was given through an interpreter. Many people were called before a jury could be convened and so after 3 days the short trial began and a verdict was returned after one hour of deliberation. “The courtroom was packed when the jury returned with the verdict and when it was known that John Johnson was to go free there was joy among the Finlanders, who all seemed to favor John Johnson…The jury evidently took the view that the defendant had acted in self-defense when he fired the fatal shot that took the life of his brother.”