About this Blog
The purpose of this Blog is to share and seek information on the history of Granite County, Montana. In a few cases our topics will lap over into adjacent counties as mining districts especially do not respect the later boundaries imposed by politicians! It is a project of members of the Granite County Historical Society, an organization founded in 1978 by the late Barry Engrav of Philipsburg and now comprised of 8 members dedicated to preserving and interpreting historical documents, artifacts, and sites in the greater Philipsburg area. Our goal is to interest current residents, folks with family roots, and those with an academic interest in the area to add their knowledge to this blog as an ongoing project to deepen and in some cases correct the narrative of the people and events that shaped history in this part of Montana.
The recent explosion of scanned historical documents onto the internet is making it possible to greatly speed up historical research, refine historical chronology, and deepen historical interpretation. Perhaps we are entering into a "golden age" of research into our past!
Anyone with an interest in the Philipsburg area or Montana history is invited to discuss the topics of our posts, as well as their own data and sources, which we hope will create an ongoing dialogue about the area now known as Granite County.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Nelson Bennett of the Gold mine is my great grandfather. I will be visiting Phillipsburg next week. Anyone have any information of Nelson or Willard Bennett?
ReplyDeletePlease respond: tmwight@att.net
When was Nelson in Granite County and which mine was he involved with? I find a Caleb Bennett as Manager at Combination in the 1900 Federal Census. Do you know when Nelson or Willard were in Granite County. The Bennet name sounds familiar to me as a child.
DeleteWillard and Nelson Bennett were operators of the Royal Gold mine during it's heyday. Willard was the mine superintendent and Nelson ran the mill. This mine is the original site of the stamp mill we have erected in Philipsburg as a demonstration of vintage milling technology.
DeleteThe Royal mine is located in the headwaters of Boulder Creek east of Maxville.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteMy name is Bryan Lamkin and I am a professor of history at Azusa Pacific University in southern California. I am working on a book on 19th-century Irish immigrants who lived in the American West, based on a large database of letters, diaries, and reminiscences that I have collected over the last decade. One of the immigrants I am including is Francis "Frank" Elliott, who died in Beartown, MT in 1875. I have attempted to borrow volume 3 of The Mettle of Granite County, but no library is willing to loan it, nor can I find it for purchase in a bookstore. I notice that vol. 1 is provided in this blogsite, but cannot seem to locate vol. 3. Might you be able to provide me with a copy of volume 3 or indicate how I might purchase this book? Thanks so much.
ReplyDeleteThe Books are for sale at the Granite County Museum in Philipsburg. I have looked through all the books and nowhere have I discussed Frank Elliott. I have not looked him up in the census, though. Also another source would be go online to Chronicaling America which is a Library of Congress website for old newspapers. Put in Montana for the State and in the search put Frank's name. If he was spoken of in most of the newspaper up to 1924 it will come up. The New Northwest was an early paper at Deer Lodge and The Philipsburg Mail began publication in 1887. The Philipsburg and Drummond Call and Citizen Call are not online but are available at the Montana Historical Society Archive research Library. I hope this helps.
DeleteThanks very much. Appreciate your help.
DeleteGood website.
ReplyDeleteDo you have any info on Bill and Jewel Ball? They were ranchers out by Rock Creek and very strong supporters of high school sports. I know they left Pburg sometime in the late 1970's or early 80's and moved to Paradise California. Stopped in to visit them there once but since lost them. I know they would be gone now.
They were from Iowa I believe.
I spent 1967-1971 in Pburg and graduated from high school there. I still have some family in the area.
Liked your article on Dora. She was a good teacher but boy was she strict although you could get her to smile once in a while.
Victor Barta was the school super when I was there.
Jewell was my 1st grade teacher in a one room cabin at the sapphire ranch on the west Fork of Rock Creek. Later they moved to the Staninger Ranch (which is now the Ranch at Rock Creek) and then to the Rupp/Shoblom Ranch at the base of Marshall Creek Hill on Willow Creek. I know they are both deceased but do not know where they are buried. In my Cemetery records they are not there. This record was completed by me in 2005, so they could have been buried there after that. I do not remember them moving to town after the Shoblom ranch was closed so that must have been when they left the country. I moved away in 1961 but have kept close contact as I had my father there until 2003 when he died and still have close classmates. I will look to see if I can find any obituaries. Loraine Bentz Domine
ReplyDeleteAnybody has been able to locate old photos of Frank Dean "Sandbar" Brown's home before he and Anna moved to Philipsburg and his newly wed daughter and her husband took over the ranch? Frank (Francis) D. Brown seemed to have lived on a ranch at the mouth of Brown’s Gulch on Upper Rock Creek, I think in Missoula, Montana. I would appreciate some help in getting this information. My email address is: kolaetos@gmail.com Thanks in advance, Kolaetos van Langeveld
ReplyDeleteSandbar's place was located at the mouth of Brown's Gulch which is about 3 miles north of the Skalkaho Highway 38. You turn right right after crossing the West Fork Bridge which is about 10 miles from the beginning of the Highway around 7 miles south of Philipsburg. I believe the original ground was a mining claim. When I was a child I frequently rode horses in that area and there was still a falling down cabin at the site. John Werning married my half-sister's grandmother Mae Kammimura after Minnie died and they moved to town after selling the ranch to the people across the highway which I think was Faye LeGrow at that time. The combined properties were named the Eagle Canyon Ranch. After many owners it is now a resort Dude Ranch called the Ranch at Rockcreek and probably the largest employer in Granite County. The address is Carriage Lane which comes off of the upper Rock Creek road. The address is Philipsburg. Frank did not move to Missoula until after Anna died and he needed help from his oldest daughter who lived in Missoula. That is how all of his papers became the property of the Metcalf Library in Missoula. I have never found a picture of Brown's cabin but have not went through all of the papers at the Metcalf Library.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your thoughts, this blog is great. It is really useful and easy to understand. Hope everyone gets the benefit. Thanks for sharing your Knowledge and experience with us.
ReplyDeleteWhen planning for a new kitchen, it’s a smart move to choose your worktops and then build from there. Astrum Granite houses a broad selection of Kitchen Worktops, Quartz Countertops & Kitchen Countertops. We offer vast range of Granite Worktops, Quartz Countertops, Marble Kitchen Worktops.
I'd like to get in touch with the person or people running this blog. I'm working on a series of mini documentaries on some aspects of Granite County and I'd love to include you and your writings in my production.
ReplyDeleteTim
DeleteThis is Loraine Bentz Domine. We have talked at the Stamp Mill. Originally Ted Antonioli and I co-authored the Blog but have been doing it alone for the past 6 years or so. Most of the articles in some form have also been published in the Philipsburg Mail. You can reach me at loraine.domine4@gmail.com or 503 804 4734
I am researching my great great grandfather, John McLeod, who lived in the Philipsburg area between 1872 and 1916. I have looked at the Pburg Mail and found some interesting details about his life and that of my great grandfather, John Charles McLeod. I would like to find out the year he came to Montana. Can you recommend sources that might have such information? I checked the 1870 US Census, which lists him as a resident of Calais, Maine, which I don't think is accurate, based on family history. Thank you so much for your help! I really enjoy reading your blog. Laurie McLeod Nock
ReplyDeleteHe is listed in the 1900 and 1910 census in Philipsburg. The 1870 census in Calais, Maine is correct. Born in New Brunswick he immigrated to Maine then after his wife died he came with his son to Montana according to my writing from an obituary in "Mettle of Granite County Book One." If you email me at loraine.domine4@gmail.com I can send you copies of the census and what archives has written as his story. There are 16 pages regarding newspaper articles in the Library of Congress site. I researched his history in the microfish articles at MT. Historical Library in Helena when I wrote the book that cited his obituary from the Philipsburg Mail.
DeleteMy born name is William King Kaiser Herman Kaiser my Grandfather , Michael Kaiser my Great Grandfather of Phillipsburg Mt then they moved to Bosie Idaho , then to San Diego, ca .
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDelete