More Settlers By Unknown Author

 

“Degenhart (Lee) owned a livery stable in town and other property he took up land two miles from town on Flint Creek and bought a couple sictions (sections) he married Miss Mary O’Niel (O’Neil) a daughter of John (Hugh) O’Niel (O’Neil) a miner and prose (prize) fighter. he fought Con Oran (Orem) 84 Rounds one time Oran (Orem) was a blacksmith.  Degenhart (Lee) raised three boys. Joe – Frank and Chris one girl Lena. Chris owns the ranch now. Mr. Lucas Parker came from Missouri and located on land ajoing Phillipsburg south afterwards he surveyed town lots and it was named Parkerville he located in 1876. Mr. frank Durfee came east in 1878. started a saw mill down on Rock Creek at mouth of Stoney creek. hauled lumber with ox teams. he quit the lumber business and located a ranch two miles west of town on Rock Creek Road (now Marshall Creek). Nick and Hans suthje (Luthje) located on ranches on upper willow creek Archa (Angus) and Alick (Alex) McDonald on willow creek. in the 80ties Mr. Eli Holland and James Estill discovered the Granite Mine 5 miles from Phillipsburg S.E. of Phillipsburg on top of Granite Mountain in the 70tys they sold it to L.M. Rumsey and Mr. Fuse (Fuze)-Charles D. McClure Charles Clark, all from saint lojis (Louis), M.O. for $40,000 then left & Mr. Holland and Estell located in Deer Lodge and started a livery stable I heard. Mr. Holland, wanted some meat he would woak up towards Tower or Stumptown in the clipp of Rocks a mile from Town & Kill a mountain sheep for his winter Meat the town of Granite in 1890 had a population of over 2,000 several saloons, and a bording Houses, three Groceries stores. John W. Hall and John Hickey had 10,000 contract, had several teams hauling wood to Granite Hoist and Mill and ____Houst John Hall also had 50 head of Pack horses & mules packing cord wood out of places. that cost to Much to build roads among large boulders. They would cut second groth timber, make trails & shovel snow on It & Pack it down Pack a cord of wood to 5 head mules or horses. Pack it to Mill & Mine Frank Durand came from Ruby vally with 75 head Mules. got a contract to Pack wood for the Granite Mountain Mining Co. Finely the Granite Mining company built a Mill on Fred Bur (Burr) Creek called it Rumsey. They ran a tunel from Mine to Mill for ore to treat at the Mill. Syrus, Morgan took a large contract to furnish wood to the Rumsey Mill, he cut the wood in summers gulch and huled the wood in half Mile of the Mill he built a track out of wood got ore car wheels he built two cars, to haul wood had a switch in the middle the loaded car would pull up the empty one. The N.P. Rail Road built a spur from Phillipsburg to Rumsey a distance of eight miles to haul fraight to Rumsey. they are now ghost towns Granite and Rumsey. When the price of silver droped the sapphire Mines on west Fork of Rock was discovered by a man called cross eyed Myers and a Man name Johnson got hold of it located other claims on Cole creek and other gulches brought water from Stoney Lake by flumes and ditch, also ditches out of small strams that ran into westfork Rock creek the Company Known as the American Gem Mining Co. some seasons they took out 4 four tons of sapphires___” I have typed this article as the author did; corrected spelling when I recognized names. The spelling of Phillipsburg was changed in 1909, so the article was probably written prior to that date. More later…..