Frank Morse and Sons

 

Frank D. Morse was president of the Drummond State Bank and served as the republican sheriff of Granite county from 1910 through 1912. Frank’s undersheriff was Sam B. Clark. Frank was elected Constable of the Drummond Township in November 1900 (Philipsburg Mail, November 1, 1900). He was also a deputy sheriff from 1898 through 1902 and 1906 through 1910. He died of a probable blood clot in the heart at his residence near Drummond on November 1, 1922. 

Born in Bradley, Maine on November 7, 1855, Frank came to Montana at the age of 22 and located in Philipsburg. At that time he was engaged in the lumber business. Next he re-located to Elk City and ran a general store for the company of Morse and Brogan. He next mined in Bear Gulch and then located on a 160 acre homestead near Drummond. During the years he added to the acreage for a total of 1600 acres in hay and grain, with many head of stock. The ranch was considered one of the most valuable in the lower valley. 

Frank was married May 5, 1883 at New Chicago to Miss Julia Gasper. He is not listed as a registered voter in November 1912. They had two sons: Verdine B. and Frank M. Both were married and involved in the mercantile business in Hall at the time of their fathers death. Other survivors besides his wife were a sister Mrs. James Rodgers in Helena and two brothers Melvin Morse of Bangor, Maine and George W. Morse of Park City, Utah (not to be confused with Colonel George W. Morse of the Drummond area.) The funeral was held from the ranch home to the Methodist Church in Drummond with Rev. Allan Haldeman conducting the service. He was assisted by Rev. T.H. Parker of Three Forks. Burial was in the Valley cemetery and no pall bearers were listed in the obituary. Frank was a member of the Macabee Lodge in Drummond and a past commander of that society. 

A.A. Peters bought the business owned by the Morse Brothers (The Hall Mercantile) in January 1920 according to the January 9th Mail (But the Morse brothers continued to operate the store.) The Granite County Commissioner minutes in January 1932 noted payments to the “Morse Brothers of $54.34 for supplies” bought by six different persons conducting business for the county. 

The Morse brother’s General Store in Hall was broken into on the 24th or early on the 25th of June, 1924 and a large amount of merchandise was stolen. The robbery was discovered by Frank when he went to open up the store on the morning of the 25th. An inventory of stock showed the robbery consisted of several pocket watches, three pair of shoes, and other small articles. The cash register was opened but they found only pennies. 

I found frequent references about Julia Morse in the papers such as when she returned to Drummond from Missoula May 26, 1927 after being a patient in the Missoula hospital for several weeks. The September 27, 1929 Mail noted that Verdine Morse, Donald Morse, Nevin Morse, Russell Willsey and Robert Miles were visitors in Deer Lodge on Wednesday evening to attend the Deer Lodge chapter of De Molay. 

The December 17, 1949 Deer Lodge News carried the death notice of Julia S. Gasper Morse. She died at her Drummond home. The death notice and headstone are in disagreement on her death date. The newspaper printed on the 23rd states she died on the 17th of December, 1949; the headstone states December 18th. Born May 8, 1861 at Surrey, Hancock county, Maine, Julia was the youngest of 7 children. At the age of 16 she traveled by stagecoach to California to live with her sister Mrs. Rodney F. Phillips. Several years later Julia came to New Chicago to live with her sister Rozenia McPhail. As stated above she married Frank on May 5, 1883. The wedding service was performed at New Chicago by Rev. W.A. Shannon a Deer Lodge pastor. The newlyweds settled on the ranch east of Drummond where they lived for more than 40 years. The remainder of her life Julia lived in Drummond. Julia’s funeral was held at the Methodist Church in Drummond with Rev. Warren Pardun performing the service. Internment was in the Valley cemetery. Survivors were: sons: Verdine B. Morse and his wife of Drummond and Frank M. Morse and wife of Hall; Grandchildren: Donald V. Morse of Wenatchee, Washington, Nevin B. Morse of Drummond, Julia Irene Smith of Long Beach, California, Fern Olson of Missoula, Edith Barker and Phyllis Steck of Helena, Flora Jean Olsson of Hall, Frances Paddock of Victor, Muriel Chartier of Missoula, Revel and Dalton Morse of Drummond; sixteen great grandchildren and several nieces and nephews. 

The 12year old son of Frank and Annabelle McDonald Morse drowned August 26, 1929 in Flint Creek near Hall. Carroll was swimming with friends on the Nelson ranch and as they were getting dressed to return home a Nelson let out a cry for help. Carroll was tying his shoe when the distressed call came and without thinking ran into the water fully clothed to save his friend. Carroll saved his friend and dragged him to the creeks edge where others helped Nelson out of the water. Carrol fell back into the current and went under in an area about 7 feet deep. The friends ran for help and Carroll was found about 30 minutes later. The coroner thought the youngster may have died from heart exhaustion due to the cold water and strenuous exertion, rather than drowning. The funeral was held at the Methodist Church in Hall with internment in the Valley cemetery. Rev. Miss Nellie Phillips officiated. Pallbearers were: Russell Lyon, Fred McRae, Ted Hughes, Glenn Robbins, Robert Miles and Russell Willsey. 

The accident notice and another news article announcing a Hero Award are in conflict as to the name of the distressed swimmer. One gives his name as Fred and the other states Carl Nelson Junior. The family had children by both names, but Frankie (Morse) Fickler states that Fred was the Nelson saved. The Carnegie Hero Fund Commission announced on November 1st that a posthumous award of a bronze medal was given to Carroll for saving his friend and that the medal would be mailed to his father Frank M. Morse at Hall, Montana in Granite County, according to the Popular Standard, November 20, 1930. 

Frank and Julia’s son Verdine Morse died on May 31, 1953 at the age of 68 and was buried in the Valley cemetery. He was listed as a registered voter on November 1, 1912 with the address of: Section 10, Township 10, range 12 W. 

Dalton Morse was the youngest of five children born to Verdine and Wanda Morse. He served in the Army Air Corp during World War II and returned to the Drummond ranch after his discharge. He married Pearl Farman in 1956. Dalton was a fire fighter with the Blackfoot Forest Protective association and worked for many of the local ranchers. When he died on November 13, 2009 at the Granite County Memorial Hospital, Dalton was the last survivor of his siblings: Verdine Edwin, Reul L, Muriel (Chartier) and Francis (Paddock). Wanda also preceded Dalton in death. Memorial services were held at the Drummond Community Hall on January 12, 2010. 

Verdine’s brother Frank and sister-in-law Annabelle McDonald Morse celebrated their fiftieth anniversary with an open house at their home in Hall in June of 1958. All seven of their children and families were present at the celebration. As noted in an earlier story, Annabelle’s mother and father Anna and Jonas McDonald were killed in a train wreck near Caldwell, Idaho on July 31, 1909, while enroute to the Seattle World’s Fair. 

Frank M. Morse died in a Missoula hospital on May 26, 1965. He was born on his parent’s (Frank and Julia Morse) ranch east of Drummond on October 6, 1886. After attending schools in Drummond Frank became the postmaster at Hall from 1913 to 1956. Frank was listed as a registered voter on November 1, 1912 with the address of Drummond. He also operated a mercantile business in Hall during the same period. Frank was a past master of Ruby Lodge A.F. & A. M. and past patron of Margaret Cummings Chapter of OES. Frank was survived by his widow and seven children: Donald V. of Wenatchee, Washington, Nevin W. of Drummond, Julia Smith, Edith Barker and Phyllis Steck all of Helena, Fern Olson of Missoula and Flora Jean Ollson of Hall and their families which included 15 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren. Twelve year old son Carroll preceded him in death. After a service in the Hall Methodist Church with Rev. Robert Lamphere officiating internment was in the Valley cemetery. Pallbearers were: Archie Henderson, Wilford Johnson, Robert Fischer, Robert Conn, Jack Nelson and Tim Hanifen. 

Annabelle Morse was born on April 24, 1887 in Gravenhurst Ontario, Canada to J.D. and Anna McDonald. At an early age the family moved from Canada to Bonita, Montana then moved to Drummond in 1900. She married Frank on June 8, 1908 and from 1913 until her death except for five years (1920-1925) she and Frank lived in Hall. Annabelle died at the age of 96 on October 23, 1983 at the Granite County Nursing Home. Survivors were 6 of her 8 children and their families. She was preceded in death by son Carroll (1929), daughter Edith (1979) and Frank (1965). Burial services were performed at the Hall Methodist Church with internment in the family plot at valley cemetery. 

Frank and Annabelle’s daughter Fern Elizabeth Morse Olson died May 25, 2008 in Polson, Montana at the age of 82. She was buried in the Sunset Memorial cemetery in Missoula. 

 It looks like the Morse Mercantile Store was operated by the Morse family until 1956. I have failed to find anything about the new operators at this time.

McPhails: Prominent Citizen's of New Chicago

Headlines in the April 29, 1910 Mail were: “FIRE IN THE VALLEY; The McPhail Hotel at New Chicago is burned to the ground.” The property owned by Archie and Mary Ann McPhail burned Wednesday evening April 27. The fire was discovered about 8:30 p.m. in the second story of the building. Neighbors quickly gathered to assist and about 35 people worked for several hours. Some formed bucket brigades and others removed as much of the belongings as they could before the roof caved in. The only water available was 50 feet from the house. The barn and other nearby buildings were saved. A few days before the fire an irrigation ditch that ran near the house had been closed off to let the area dry so it could be cleaned out. The cause of the fire was believed to be from a chimney. The building was erected 29 years before the fire after the previous hotel on the same spot had burned down. (This would make the hotel’s original start date prior to 1881.) 

The previous fire occurred in the dead of winter and the temperature was 20 degrees below zero. Archie rebuilt the hotel the next spring as it was a welcome place for the weary traveler on their way to “Old Bear.” 

Archie’s son, R. D. McPhail, assistant cashier at the Drummond State Bank married Miss Grace Hanifen of Garnet during the week of September 20th stated the September 27, 1912 Philipsburg Mail. The ceremony was performed in Butte at the Catholic Church with Rev. Father McCormick performing the ceremony. The attendants were Mr. and Mrs. Noel McPhail. The bride’s parents were Mr. and Mrs. H.T. Hanifen. The couple set up housekeeping in Drummond. 

 Archie A. McPhail died April 6, 1928 at his son Noel McPhail’s home in Los Angeles. Born in Canada on August 31, 1838, to Archie and Christie (McIntosh) McPhail, he came to the United States as a young man. Archie arrived in Montana by way of Pike’s Peak in Colorado and traveled from Fort Bridger to Bannock where he arrived on September 20, 1862. I have been unable to determine if he was the same person referred to as D. A. “Archie” McPhail, married to Matilda Schnepel Wenandy McPhail when she died June 8, 1888. I also found references to Archie McPhail having problems with A.H. Porter in 1893 and that Archie had married one of Porter’s sisters in 1890. 

 Archie’s wife, Mary Ann died in 1923 and a year later he moved to his son’s home in Los Angeles. Prior to that, he had always lived on a ranch near New Chicago that was settled in the 1860’s. He did some mining, but the majority of his efforts were in ranching and raising stock. The Society of Montana Pioneers (1899), stated that his occupations was a miner and stock raiser. The funeral was held in Drummond with internment at the Valley cemetery. 

Allen McPhail “…the oldest citizen of Granite county” died January 23, 1930 at his ranch home near New Chicago at the age of 94. Born at Harrison’s Corners, Ontario, Canada August 3, 1836, Allen went to the gold fields in Colorado as a young man. After living in Denver for two years he moved to Oregon and then Boise, Idaho. In 1865, Allen came to Montana and settled in the Flint Creek valley where he had lived continuously for the past 65 years. When he first settled in Montana, Allen engaged in placer mining activities. Then in 1871 he settled a homestead near New Chicago and engaged in ranching. He married Rozenia Gasper in 1879. Allen was an active member of the Society of Montana Pioneers and had a very nice eulogy written in the paper by “Sandbar” Brown’s son James: …Civilization for one brief moment was halted last week while Time recorded the fact that a peaceful man’s work had been completed. In the interval every beating heart in the little community wailed. Stand Aside! while a monument to a man was being moulded to remain forever in memory! Thus as the warrior used the moment for his trumpet, the peaceful man uses the human heart. Here, then, is his place in the sun, and Death perpetuates it. Internment was at the Valley cemetery. Survivors were; wife Rozenia, son Emery McPhail of Three Forks; Daughters: Miss Nettie McPhail a teacher in Missoula, Mrs. J.R. (Annie) Enman of Hall and Mrs. (Christie) Nakken of Drummond; one brother Chris McPhail of Harrison’s Corner, Ontario and three grandchildren. 

 Rozenia Gasper McPhail died on October 2, 1932 at the family ranch at the age of 86.

One Man Dead Another Hospitalized

 Following is the story the July 15th 1938 Philipsburg Mail headlined: Huebeck Dead, Deputy Sheriff Wounded in Shooting. This is a synopsis of the article: “One man dead and another in the Northern Pacific Hospital in Missoula seriously wounded Tuesday morning as the result of a shooting affray on an upper Willow Creek ranch 18 miles west of here. The dead man is John Heubeck a “hermit” rancher, who committed suicide by hanging himself on a rafter in the attic of his ranch home after wounding Fred Superneau, Granite County Undersheriff, four times, and later engaging in a gun battle with Angus McDonald, Granite County Sheriff. Superneau was wounded when he went to Heubeck’s ranch Tuesday morning to arrest Heubeck on a warrant signed by F.F. Redman, Forest Ranger, charging Heubeck with burning brush without a permit.” Fred knew Heubeck as his ranch was below the Luthje ranch and Fred was married to Anna Luthje, so when he presented John with the warrant and told him he needed to go with him to town, thought nothing about letting John go change his clothes. John came out of the bedroom with a pair of overalls draped over his arm which concealed a short-nosed 38 calibre revolver. John fired four shots at Fred with one creasing his “rib just under the heart, another passed through his right wrist, another his left arm and the fourth lodged in the upper right leg.” Hans Luthje heard the shooting and came to Fred’s aid, rushing him to Dr Knight’s Hospital in Philipsburg and he was then taken to Missoula. Hans notified Sheriff McDonald who notified the Silver Bow Sheriff asking for gas guns and headed for the scene. Butte Undersheriff Joe Boric and Deputy Carruther’s responded bringing the gas guns. When McDonald arrived at the ranch Heubeck fired at him and when he ran from the barn to the house was fired on a second time. McDonald then broke out a window in the house and hearing no shots peered inside to see Heubeck’s feet disappearing into the attic. After calling for the man to come out of the attic, McDonald pushed open the trap door and Heubeck fired again. He had already put the rope noose around his neck. McDonald returned fire with three shots: two going high and one hitting Heubeck in the cheek and then realized the rope had been tied to the rafter as Heubeck fell. 

Heubeck had lived on the ranch for 30 years and was survived by a brother in California. Fred’s wounds healed quickly and he returned to his undersheriff position. Fred was the son of William F. and Bertha Superneau who had moved to Philipsburg from Illinois prior to 1899. The 1910 Federal census show’s the family living in the Roslind district with Maynie, age 9, William Frederick age 7, Richard age 5, Laurence age 2 and Clarice an infant. Their son George died as an Infant in 1899. Fred married Anna Luthje at the age of 29 on March 9, 1927 and they had two daughters: Mildred died at the age of 17 January 1, 1949 and Shirley “Shammie” married Herbert Abbey. Fred worked as a Mill Man and was undersheriff for his brother-in-law Gus McDonald. When Gus went to fight in WWII his wife (Fred’s sister) Clarice was given the position of Sheriff with Fred remaining as undersheriff, until the term was up. Fred died of a CVA (stroke) on January 22, 1963 after being in St. Ann's Hospital in Anaconda for 2 days. All of the family are interred in the Philipsburg cemetery.

Letters From The Trenches in France

Vince Winninghoff wrote letters to his family during WWI that brought the realities of war home. Published in the Philipsburg Mail are the following: 

(August 30, 1918) The other morning they had quite a time around here and the Americans did fine work making the Germans more than pay for our losses which were very light, although a number of fellows were slightly wounded. In one place the Germans crept up real close with a liquid fire apparatus. The Americans heard a noise and just then the Germans shot the fire, but there was no one where they shot. This fire revealed the Boche and the Americans made short work of them, capturing a lieutenant and the apparatus, besides killing a couple and wounding more. The losses the Americans sustained did them more good than harm. It seemed to raise their moral 100 per cent and make them determined to get the Boche…We have lots of companions in the trenches. We have Frenchmen like in the picture. We talk with them and try to learn French and they try to learn English. Then there are the rats. If the allies had as many soldiers in the trenches as there are rats this war would soon be over. One ran up on the end of my gun while I was standing guard, and when you are sleeping rats play hide and seek on you as the little fellows did in the English story about Gulliver. And last but not least are the gray backs. Thousands of them! One sees fellows with their shirts off playing hunt the lice every day. At night while standing guard we hate the rats worse, for then while straining our ears to catch the slightest sound a rat will start running around on No-Man’s Land scaring us because we think it is a Boche. Sometimes as the day is breaking there won’t be a noise: even the boom and crack of gun is absent, then the birds will start singing. How beautiful it is one cannot imagine. And it is hard to realize that war exists. It really seems to me as if there are more birds on No-Man’s Land than any place else on earth…I am writing this in a dugout by candle light, and in a very poor position to write. Your Loving Son, Vince” 

(September 4, 1918 Somewhere in France) Dear Father; Just another short note but active hitch at the front. But it was quite different from the hitches before in that we had a different kind of foe to face. Here the German infantry did not put up much of a fight. Every chance they got they threw up their hands and hollered “Kamerad”. They said their officers went to the rear before the attacks, otherwise they would have been shot if they showed a white flag. But the artillery fire at times was a fright. The Germans threw over shells that would dig a hole big enough to bury several horses in. … The German soldiers seem to have come to realize that the Kaiser cannot win the war and he has lost all ambition to fight. This I believe is true with the exception of the artillery and some of the machine gun men. The latter will often stand at their posts pumping lead into you until you reach them, then they will throw up their arms and holler, “Kamerad, Kamerad”, but they are shown little mercy. This is something to much for anyone to stand, but those who give up decently are treated as men should be. …I saw my first areoplanes brought down. The first one came down in flames. It was an Allied plane and was flying over our lines. I don’t know what struck it, but all of a sudden a tongue of flame darted out behind her. The aviator started toward the German lines then he turned and started to come down. Our ante-aircraft hit a wing and tore it off. The German came straight down. His machine kept spinning this killing the momentum and he came down fairly slow… Well father, I’ll bid goodbye; Your loving son Vince. 

(April 13, 1928) announced the marriage of Vincent C. Winninghoff to Miss Anna (Anne) M. Brooks, on Monday April 9, in Los Angeles, California. Vince, had been working in a U.S. Post Office position in Los Angeles for several years. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Winninghoff, and after graduating from Granite County High School won an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy in either 1912 or 1913 and was rejected secondary to a minor eye condition. Not being able to serve as an American, he served in the A.E. F., in France in WWI. After an education at The University Of Montana he moved to California and is credited in the Family History as "conceiving and designing the automobile transmission and flowing rear axle for automobiles as we know them today." He is also credited with developing the Zip Code System for the U.S. Post Office which is still in operation today.  

William Seelos: WWII POW

 

                                                      William Seelos and "Montana Power"

Granite county demonstrated their patriotic spirit enthusiastically during World War II, just as they had in WWI, and not only lost sixteen of our young men, but had a number captured and held as prisoners of war. William Robert Seelos was one of those brave men. Born to Marie and Sebastian Seelos on May 22,1920 in Philipsburg, he joined his sister Marian and lived the life of a small town boy until his father was killed in a motor vehicle accident on December 21, 1934. This accident happened on what we called “suicide curve’ on Flint Creek Hill and as a child I remember my father pointing out Sebastian’s car mostly hidden by brush far down the steep hillside just west of the hairpin curve, whenever we drove to Anaconda for school clothes. I have to assume William moved into the role of “Man of the House” after this accident and assisted his mother any way he could. 

William enlisted at Missoula, Montana on August 18, 1941 (before America joined the War) as an Aviation Cadet in the Air Corp. He progressed rapidly to becoming a B17 pilot, flying the “Montana Power” and on his 19th mission was shot down when hit with fighter flak on April 3, 1943 while flying to the ERLA Works in Antwerp, Belgium, MACR 15534. William parachuted unto Wuustwezel, north of Antwerp and was immediately captured as a Prisoner of War. He was interned at Stalag Luft I and was liberated at Stalag Luft VIIA (7A) on Moosburg, Germany by Patton’s 3rd Army and returned to Military control on July 6, 1945 He returned home to Philipsburg to spend a long furlough with his mother and after discharge from the Army-Air Corp moved to the Los Angeles, California. 

Of interest, his Philipsburg Mail obituary, May 26, 2005 stated : He died May 16, 2005 in Los Angeles and was 85 years old. He was raised in Philipsburg and attended and graduated locally. He served as a bomber pilot in World War II where he was shot down over enemy territory in Europe and was held as a prisoner of war until the end of WWII. Afterward William moved to L.A. to start a business. He is survived by his wife Mary and many children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. At present I have not identified his children.

Lower Valley Gun and Knife Fight Ended in Death

Philipsburg Mail headlines on December 30, 1910 carried the story that there was a tragedy at the Miller and Lockaby Ditch Camp on the afternoon of the 9th. The camp was located about three miles south of Hall in the Alex Wight field. Between three and four in the afternoon, Miller went after Lockaby with an axe and Lockaby shot to protect himself according to the report that Lockaby phoned in to the sheriff office, from Hall, before he started off on foot to Philipsburg to turn himself in. 

Lockaby arrived in Philipsburg in the early morning and County Attorney Moore and Judge F.D. Sayr took the morning train to investigate. At the time of printing the Mail had no other information as Lockaby did not wish to “make a statement for publication.” 

The January 6, 1911 Philipsburg Mail published the following: “…According to the testimony given at the inquest Geo. A. Miller and William Lockaby, {age 50} were partners in a subcontract on the Thayer Ditch, their camp being located several miles south of Hall. Miller tired of the job and Wednesday evening he and Lockaby settled up their affairs between them, Miller stating that he wanted to go to Idaho. Everything was adjusted amicably between them and all that remained to divide was a lot of groceries amounting to $24 and in which three parties owned equally. Miller did not want the groceries and told Lockaby he could have his share. Thursday morning Miller left camp to take the train to Drummond. On his way to Hall he met two men coming up who had been sent from the lower camp by another contractor to work at the head of the ditch. All three stopped and talked and the two inquired of Miller if he knew of a place where they could stop while working up there. Miller told them they might be able to stay with Lockaby as he was alone in camp. Miller went on to Drummond but on the afternoon train he returned and went back to camp. Lockaby asked what brought him back and Miller replied that he thought it over and concluded that the two fellows should not come to camp and eat up his grub and that he had come back to see that they didn’t. Lockaby started to cook lunch for Miller and while doing so Miller continued to talk about the two men, who then were out on the ditch at work, that he would kill them both before they should eat up his grub and that he would kill Lockaby too, if he took them into camp. The more he talked along this line the more violent he got. Lockaby tried to quiet him but it did no good and finally Miller stepped out of the tent to the wood pile and in a moment came back with a double-bit axe and made a pass at Lockaby who dodged the blow and jumped over the bunk. As he did so he grabbed up his gun and shouted to Miller to let up or he would shoot, but Miller kept on coming with the axe uplifted. Lockaby fired as he run until he had emptied the gun. He saw Miller fall just outside the tent but kept on going until he got to where the other men were at work. He told them what had happened and asked them to go and do what they could for Miller, and that he was going on to Hall to telephone the sheriff and give himself up. 

Miller was dead when the men reached the cabin, they covered him with a canvas and left things just as they were until the coroner arrived. Lockaby sent word to the sheriff from Hall that he was on his way to Philipsburg and arrived here early Friday morning. He went right to the Sheriff’s office and surrendered himself.” 

Judge Sayr acting coroner and County Attorney W.F. Moore went to Hall Friday morning, impaneled a jury; viewed the remains and the scene; and brought Miller’s remains to Philipsburg. The autopsy revealed Miller had been hit four times: once on his watch, one grazed his skull over the left eye, one entered the left breast and one entered the right breast, puncturing the lung. Both bullets were found under the skin on his back. The jury was comprised of: Frank D. “Sandbar” Brown, J.J. Carmichael, J.E. Barret, Peter Larson, William McRen and Napoleon Robishaw were satisfied that Lockaby was justified and had acted wholly in self-defense. “He was promptly given his liberty.” 

Nothing was known about Miller’s relatives so the remains were buried in the pauper section of the Philipsburg cemetery.

How Sandbar Got His Name: Frank D. Brown

 

                                                             Frank D. "Sandbar" Brown

An exaggerated account of this tale was published in the May 4, 1923 Mail that was taken from the Great Falls Leader. Because the story is a good yarn I will quote the entire excerpt: “[this story]…brings us to the name “Sandbar” as attached to Mr. Frank D. Brown. Not vouching for the story, but telling it as it was told to me in the days when every man had something tacked onto the name his folks gave him, it relates to Mr. Brown and the red brothers of the days when scalp locks were more fashionable in the Indian village than short skirts to the rail bird brigade of today. Mr. Brown was rather sudden with a gun in the early time, and also a chief clerk of a large institution, between prospecting and hunting trips. The Henry rifle, predecessor of the present Winchester had just come into use and Mr. Brown grabbed the first one off the boat. The Henry was brass bound, held 16 cartridges of .44 caliber, with one in the barrel, and rim-fire---the cartridges, not the barrel. Mr. Brown was traveling along innocent like near the Missouri River one gladsome summer day and was jumped by about 20 red brothers, all howling for ruddy gore and riding hell bent for a taste of it. Mr. Brown rode his horse across the river at a convenient ford, leading his pack horse. On the side where he came out was a long spit of sandbar reaching into the river and Mr. Brown rode up the sandbar to the bank, tied his horses and walked back to the open. 

Lo! The poor Indian had a cheerful habit of drawing the fire from the white man’s smoke stick and then charging in before he could reload; a very disconcerting habit and predicated upon the proposition that the white man had a single shot rifle and all necessary to success was to dodge the first bullet and then wade in. With 20 Indians coming across the river whooping, Mr. Brown was to be made an example of the habit, the repeating gun not figured in the performance, as the first let a whoop and headed for the white man. But Mr. Brown was a different kind of medicine than the red brother had ever met in his scalping entertainments as he kept right on firing while Indians kept tumbling to the sandbar in a most disconcerting fashion---the charge broke up and the Indians headed for the other shore, with seven down and Mr. Brown still shooting for good measure. 

Then he untied his horses filled the magazine of the little Henry and went on his blithesome way. “Hell”, said Mr. Brown some time after in discussion of the incident when friends commented upon the inequality of 20 Indians to one white man “I could a kivered the whole damn sandbar if they’d just kept comin’!” And thereafter he was known as “Sandbar” Brown---and that is the kind of hairpin “Sandbar” Brown was in the days of real sport!” 

The above article was written at the time Sandbar was elected to be the secretary of the Society of Montana Pioneers. He was the Historian for the Society for many years and was “…pioneer extraordinary as well as plenipotentiary to every ghost city of the west” according to the May 4, 1923 Mail. 

The year of 1875 found Sandbar as a government scout on the ill-fated Baker Expedition down the Yellowstone, Sun River, Prickly Pear, Last Chance, Bear Gulch, Cedar Creek and then one season of “fruitless” prospecting in Utah. In 1878 Sandbar and his wife moved to Philipsburg where he accepted the position of superintendent of the Northwest Company at Tower. He had married Anna E. (unknown maiden name) in Helena, Montana in December 1873. 

Born in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany she immigrated to America as a child. Anna died at the age of fifty-nine on October 6, 1914 at her daughter’s home in Missoula. Frank D. “Sandbar” Brown died January 16, 1931 “of sheer old age” at 2:30 in the morning at the home of his daughter Mrs. Rutledge Parker in the Rattlesnake Valley near Missoula. He was eighty-five years old “and never were years more crowded with action, with adventure, with achievement.” 

According to his wishes “Sandbar” was buried next to his wife in the Philipsburg cemetery.

More Granite County Patriots of the Civil War

Norman Alexander Eddy, born August 14, 1848, died November 21, 1917 in Parkerville, at his daughter, Mrs. Hanley’s home. He was a carpenter and was repairing a home, when he died of probable heart failure. Born in Canada, he came to the U.S. as a small child to live in Pennsylvania. He had lived in Philipsburg with his daughter for only a short time. A member of G.A.R., he displayed the Stars and Stripes of his adopted home conspicuously in his home. He was preceded in death by his wife, survivors were: daughter Mrs. Hanley and Mrs. E.J.M. Williams, of Hall. L.C. Degenhart a G.A.R. Veteran was honorary pallbearer, at his burial in the Philipsburg cemetery. 

First I found an obituary for John Hendrickson Jr., a Corporal in Co. E, Thirty Seventh Regiment, who drowned on February 24, 1900, in the Philippines' while serving for the US in the War with Spain. Then in a very short obituary, the February 1, 1901, Philipsburg Mail, stated John Hendrickson Sr.’s funeral had taken place on Sunday, January 26, 1901, with services at the City Hall, by Rev. H.G. Wakefield. The GAR, Firemen and City and County officials attended the funeral with the Philipsburg Silver Cornet Band leading the procession to the cemetery. 

Thomas Long, born in 1839, died at the home of his relatives in Galena, Illinois in September, 1917. A tinner by trade, he operated a tin-shop in Philipsburg, for many years before he settled a homestead, on Cow Creek, several miles from Hall. He was a G.A.R. veteran and often entertained his small friends with stories of the battlefield. He had a very large collection of valuable curios and every specimen had a story. After a Catholic service, he was interred in the Philipsburg cemetery. 

J.A. Matthews, I know was a Civil War Veteran, but I have been unable to find an obituary of his death. He is discussed through out the “Mettle Of Granite County Books.” 

Paul A. Fusz, was born in Hericourt, France in 1847 to Francis H. and Marie Regina (Tachaen) Fusz, was brought to St. Louis Missouri when he was six years of age. He and two friends ran away and joined the Confederate Army when he was seventeen. He and one of the friends were caught by the Union Army while smuggling quinine and valuable papers for the confederates and they chewed up the papers rather than give them to the Union Army. The friend was hanged, but because Fusz was only seventeen, he was sent to Jefferson City Prison. “One of President Lincoln’s last official acts was to pardon Fusz”. Fusz lived in Granite, Montana from 1889, until shortly before his death, when he returned to St. Louis, for medical care of his pernicious anemia. He was president of the Bi-Metallic Mining Company which included the American Gem Mining Company on West Fork of Rock Creek. Burial was in Calvary Cemetery, beside his wife, who had died 20 years prior, in the family plot in St. Louis, Missouri, on February 18, 1910. Paul is spoken of often in “Mettle of Granite County Book One” and discussed in depth in Book II in the Sapphire Mines Chapter. 

Charles Weitfle died in the Masonic Home in the Helena Valley, on January 20, 1921. He held the title of being one of the oldest Mason’s in Montana. Born in Germany on February 15, 1826, He immigrated in 1850 and served in the U.S. Navy with an honorable discharge in 1859, then served in the Civil War in the Union Army. He was a noted photographer, receiving medals for work he did for the Union Pacific Railroad in Central City, Colorado. He moved to Granite at the peak of the silver boom in 1892, then, in 1899 he became a bee keeper in Idaho Falls and continued this career until moving to the Helena Masonic Home in 1914. He was the Master of the Granite Masonic Lodge for one term. Charles is memorialized, by his publication of "Views of Granite and Philipsburg and Vicinity", and is spoken of often in “Mettle of Granite County Book One.” 

William Irvine worked the mines over thirty years with his good friend G.B. Ballard. Born in Davis County, Missouri in 1842, he served in the Confederate Army and died from complications of asthma and dropsy at the county hospital, August 13, 1901. He was a miner and prospector. There is no headstone or file card in the City Hall, so he must have been buried in the pauper section of the Philipsburg cemetery.

Civil War Veterans Part Three

Continuing the history of Civil War veterans, Lawrence Pence, died November 14, 1916 of tubercular bronchitis after being ill several months. A native of Ohio, he was around seventy six years old. He was a veteran and member of G.A.R. but there were no record of the regiment or state he served from. A resident of Philipsburg, for about 15 years at the time of his death, he was a miner, had never married and had no relatives in the area. There is no mention of where or how he was buried and there is no headstone or file card on record of his burial, in the Philipsburg Cemetery (Mail, November 17, 1916). 

After serving in the Civil War, J.K. Pardee, came to Granite in 1874, to look at property for Hon. A.B. Nettleton and gave such a positive report of the area, Nettleton paid off the bond he and his friends owed for the property and hired Pardee as the resident manager of the newly formed North West Company, located at Tower. He was one of the many Granite County residents, who volunteered for the Spanish American War. He was a frequent topic in the Philipsburg Mail, in 1899, during the prospecting, promoting and development of the Iron Mountain and Iron Tower mines, in Missoula County. Later that year, J.K. Pardee departed for Sumpter, Oregon, to give attention to the operations on the “Diadem”, a mine he had purchased. His wife Mary (Schoonover) died at Gladstone, Oregon on March 25, 1914 after an extended illness, at over seventy years of age, J.K. took his own life by shooting himself on May 18, 1914: “…due to a spell of despondency over the death of his wife only a month ago and to his defeat in the republican primaries last Friday for the nomination for county treasurer…” The obituary stated that in 1881, Mr. Pardee was a member of the Montana Territorial Council, and voted to divide Deer Lodge County, creating Silver Bow; served one term as Treasurer of Granite County (1897) then moved to Missoula. In 1906, he was Postmaster at Plains being appointed by President (Teddy) Roosevelt. After one term, he retired, disposed of his property in Philipsburg and located at Gladstone, Oregon, where he has been engaged in mining and political interests.. Survivors were: son Joseph T. who worked for the U.S. Geological Survey and wife, in Washington, D.C. He was believed to be about seventy two years old (Mail, May 22, 1914). 

Albert Tinklepaugh was born in Canada June 8, 1845 and immigrated to the United States as a young child to Wisconsin and later Minnesota. During the Civil War, Albert enlisted in Volunteer Company K of Minnesota and received an honorable discharge. He came to Montana in 1880, located in Hall, first on a ranch and then due to poor health opened up a merchandise store, which he operated until a few years before his death. He was Postmaster of Hall and an organizer of the Granite County Bank, in Hall. He was President, of the Bank when he died on June 21, 1920, at his home. Survivors were: his wife, a daughter Mrs. M.C. Ross of Philipsburg, a son, Freeman A., of Hall, a brother, Charles, of Hall and two sisters, Mrs. Duncan Dingwall of Drummond and Mrs. Ella Barker of Rollins, Montana. After a service in the Methodist Church, in Hall, Masonic services were conducted at the Valley Cemetery, by Ruby Lodge Number 36 A.F. & A.M., of. Drummond. 

Francis Thomas, born in Pennsylvania in 1833, was a young married man when he enlisted in The Union Army for the Civil War and was reported killed in action. When the war ended he chose to let the record stand that he was dead and started for the west, with his arrival in Philipsburg, in 1871. The obituary stated he was eligible for a pension, but never applied, nor did he affiliate with the G.A.R. (Grand Army of the Republic). It was assumed he had relatives in Pennsylvania as he subscribed to a small town Pennsylvania newspaper. He died at his home, in South Philipsburg, on July 27, 1921 from infirmities of eighty eight years of age and after a service in the Carmichael Chapel he was interred in the Philipsburg Cemetery (Mail July29, 1921).

Civil War Veterans Part Two

This article continues the details of known Granite County residents that served in the Civil War. 

Joseph Case, who died on March 27, 1930 at the Soldiers Home in Columbia Falls, Montana, was listed as the last surviving G. A. R. Veteran in Granite County, in his March 28 obituary. Born in Flemington, New Jersey on May 4, 1846, he enlisted at the age of sixteen in the Union Army and served with Company C of the Thirty Seventh Regiment in the New Jersey Infantry, the duration of the Civil War, as a Private. Several years after the war he began his trip to the west and in the late 1880’s settled on lower Rock Creek. Joe had a homestead on Rock Creek, that was originally homesteaded by Annie Morgan. Annie found Joe near Rock Creek suffering from an attack of malaria and nursed him back to health. He was supposed to be the heir of Annie’s homestead but she did not make it back to town to sign the papers before her death. The obituary stated he sold his ranch to J.W. Meyers, about 1920 and moved into Philipsburg. Because Joe “Jack” was an ardent sportsman and had supplied the mining camps with fish for years, he was known as “Fisher Jack from the Hogback”. On Memorial Day of 1929, he was the last surviving G.A.R. in the area, so carried the Post Colors and participated in the Philipsburg Parade. Little is known of his family, in the east, except for a niece Mrs. Eliza Case who lived in Brooklyn, New York. The homestead property has been preserved as a historical site and is under the protection of the Missoula Forest Service according to Philipsburg Mail May 22, 2008. 

Eilisee E. Thibault was a Corporal in the 192nd Ohio Infantry and died May 3, 1920. The obituary listed a daughter Mrs. L.P. Conway of Philipsburg and two sons: Eugene of California and A.A. residing in Oregon. There was neither birthplace nor age listed in his obituary. Also, no headstone in the Philipsburg Cemetery or file card at City Hall for any Thibault. Because I catalogued the Philipsburg cemetery before writing this book, I have come to the assumption that many veterans are buried there as paupers, so do not have headstones or file cards. Apparently at the time of their deaths the VFW and American Legion were not aware of their service. 

J.H. Loomis, died March 24, 1914, in Philipsburg and his obituary listed him as a member of G. A. R. He was born at Saundersville, Mass., on November 7, 1840, was a resident of Philipsburg for about 25 years. A carpenter by trade but being in poor health for a number of years he abandoned his occupation. Elected City Treasurer on 1906, he served four successive terms in the office. His wife died at the age of seventy two on March 17, 1912. By his request, the Selish Tribe Improved Order of Red Men performed the burial rites. 

Elijah Powell served his country throughout the Civil War as a member of a Pennsylvania Regiment. He received an honorable discharge, with membership in the Burnside Post No. 22 G.A.R of Philipsburg. Born in Chippewa Township, Beaver County, Pennsylvania on September 26, 1845, he died on December 4, 1899, with survivors: wife (Mary E.), daughters, Lydia Linguist, and Sadie Barrett of Butte; and sons, Charles and Edward of Philipsburg. He worked as a stone and brick mason and when that trade became dull he worked as a miner, until his death from pneumonia. The family resided in the Rosalind district when they arrived in Philipsburg in July 1880, after traveling west via the Missouri River. He was interred in the Philipsburg Cemetery. 

John A. Spencer, a resident of Montana from 1892, collapsed and died while waiting on a customer at his store on lower Broadway on March 1, 1921. Born in Boone County, Indiana on April 9, 1844 (tombstone states 1840), he moved with his parents to St. Paul when he was seven years of age. His first trip to Montana was in 1865, when he became a resident of Virginia City, for twenty seven years and ran a mercantile store. I assume this was right after his discharge from the Civil War, but his obituary does not refer to his military service. Next he lived in Butte, where he also had a mercantile business, for three years then returned to St. Paul, for two years, after which he returned to Butte. He moved to Granite the next year and in 1892, moved his business to Philipsburg. John, served as Master of both the Virginia City and Philipsburg Mason’s and was a city councilman, for two terms. He was survived by a son Clarence C. who recently came from Wallace, Idaho, to assist in the family business, and a sister Mrs. J.S. Yallop, in California. Masonic services were held at the Temple and the Philipsburg cemetery. Research reveals frequent, small ads in the 1895 Mail, stating: “John A. Spencer, near N.P. depot, will take hay and grain in exchange for wagons, carts etc.” 

 I will continue discussing Civil War Veterans in other articles.

Civil War Veterans Part One

The history of patriotism in Montana is well documented. Prior to immigration to Montana a large portion of the population was involved in the Civil War. This is apparent in the disagreement over the name of the first territorial capital. D. Pace in 1962 writes in Golden Gulch: “Varina was the name chosen by some of the Confederate sympathizer’s among the miners;… Jefferson Davis being as much a hero to those whose sympathies were with the south as Abraham Lincoln was to the others, it occurred to the town company to name the new camp after Davis’s wife. ..Judge Giles Gaylord Bissell of Connecticut had been named Judge on June 12, 1863, whose sympathies were just as strong for the northern cause and Bissell legend, states The doctor struck his desk , exclaiming, “I’ll be damned if I’ll sign it that way”. Crossing out Varina he substituted Virginia, allegedly with the further remark that “…no such blot as this shall stain the honor of the camp.” 

Tombstones in the Philipsburg Cemetery, Valley Cemetery and newspaper obituaries, attest to the presence of these men who served in the early military and Civil War: John Jeffrey died at his home in Granite, Thursday April 18, 1890 of inflammation of the heart. A native of Cornwall England he came to Canada as a youth. He married Emma Will (?? unable to read) 1878 and they had three children, according to the Granite Mountain Star. There is no mention in his brief obituary about serving in the civil war, but his headstone in the Philipsburg cemetery is a Veterans headstone. 

Veteran, John Hart Williams, born February 16, 1842 near Richmond, Virginia, was the oldest of four children, but his obituary does not identify the names of his parents. His father died in 1848 and one year later his mother moved with the children to Missouri. At the age of nineteen, John enlisted in the Confederate Army and served throughout the war. In 1865 he came west across the plains and located in upper Deer Lodge valley where he took up a ranch on Racetrack creek and engaged in ranching and stock raising, according to the August 29, 1913, Mail. He married Annie Butcher in Colorado in 1877 and they raised one son and two daughters. About twenty years before his death, they sold the ranch and moved into Deer Lodge, for a short time, then moved to Philipsburg, where he worked in numerous positions, in the mines of Granite County. During the winter of 1912/13, he suffered from pneumonia and was not well after that. Seeking medical care, he had traveled to Deer Lodge, in July and died there, on August 26. After a funeral at the Christian Church, he was interred in the Deer Lodge cemetery. He was a lifelong member of the Christian Church; a Democrat; a member of the United Confederate Veteran’s and The Society of Montana Pioneers. Survivors were: his wife Annie of Philipsburg; daughter Miss Lucille Williams of Philipsburg; daughter Mrs. Harry A. Miller of Livingston and son Lytle L. Williams, an electrical engineer in Lewistown, Montana. 

A veteran who was an active person in early Montana history was Reverend George W. Jenkins. Born September 9, 1836 in Minersville, Pennsylvania to English parents, he spent his early years in Jackson County, Iowa, then in 1861, enlisted in Company M, Second Calvary and served until 1864, in the Civil War. He married Sarah E. King on December 28, 1865, at Andrew, Iowa. Employed as a newspaper man, he was granted his license to preach on August 13, 1859. The family came to Montana in 1888, where he spent his first five years, in the Methodist pastorate in Philipsburg and Granite and erected the churches in both places, plus the parsonage in Philipsburg. He also conducted religious services at Rumsey during this time, stated the August 16, 1890 Granite Mountain Star. 

He was serving his second year, as Pastor in Marysville, Montana, when he died four days before his sixty fifth birthday, on September 5, 1901. The Reverend was a member of Burnside Post Number 22 Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) and all the old soldiers of Philipsburg attended his funeral. He was the father of six children: Mrs. G. S. Williams d.1896; Miss Cora, Wm. S., Mrs. D.R. McRae, Mrs. J.J. Carmichael, Miss Belle and foster-daughter, Mrs. C.M. Oates His daughter Maria had married John J. Carmichael, at the Methodist Parsonage with her father presiding on December 31, 1896 and in 1937, she came to Philipsburg to celebrate the fifty year anniversary, of the St. Paul Methodist Episcopal church, her father built, and gave the roll call of all the pastor’s that had served in the church.

Contributions to Granite County: The Boyd Brothers

The four Boyd Brother’s , John (Jack), Charles, Alex and Dave, were born into a family of six children in a ‘hard scrabble farm” near the town of Vankleek Hill, Ontario, Canada in the 1860’s. The brothers worked their way into Montana in 1880 as loggers and lumberman and between 1883 and 1886, according to the family history documented by a descendant Terry Kayes, were involved in building in Granite, Philipsburg, Ovando, Missoula and Anaconda. 

In Granite and Philipsburg, Charles opened up a slaughter house and retail meat market while operating a stage business. Alex was involved in the Livery business and as an avid ballroom dancer built a dance floor on the 2nd story of his livery stable. He was also involved in building the Haverty Garage. Prior to moving to Seattle in the 1908-09 time period, Alex also built a dance floor in Missoula. Charles  built a home and ranch on the Dirty Dick Creek, which is located just south of where the Forest Service buildings are now located. (If anyone knows how this creek was named I would love to hear the story). 

In 1894 Charles (age 34) married Anna Wyman (age 20) from the lower Rock Creek ranch and by the 1900 Federal Census they had 3 children: Clarence A. age 5, Edna age 4 and Carrol age 1. In 1897, Charles Shodair resigned his position as Philipsburg City Council-man and Charles was appointed to fill the position. In 1900, Charles was elected to fill the City Mayor position and served one four year term. Shortly thereafter the family moved to Bend, Oregon where they homesteaded and when he died daughter Carrol took over the operation. The ranch is now a National Historic site. 

The first news articles research found was July 20, 1893 stating “The Charles Boyd and Gus Lindstadt case occupied the attention of the district court last Friday and Saturday and up to late hours that evening. A large number of witnesses examined on both sides. Judge Brantly presided and the prosecution was represented by County Attorney W.L. Brown and Bob Smith, while W.B. Rogers and Judge McConnell appeared for the defendants. The trial was a long and tedious one and a number of pretty spicy remarks were passed between the attorneys during its progress. .. The case was finally submitted to the jury about 10:30 o’clock and in an hour brought a verdict of acquittal for Charles and Gus on stealing cattle from Angus A. McDonald.” Because of other cases I have ran across I am assuming that Charles and Gus ended up with the alleged stolen cattle because as both being butcher’s. The cattle rustler (s) saw the slaughter house as an easy way to get rid of evidence while also making money on the beef. Unfortunately unless they skinned the animal before bringing it to the slaughter house the brand would be there on the hide as evidence of ownership.

Research also revealed where Charles, Alex and Gus sold their interest in the Red Lion District on March 31, 1905 which was around the time all the brothers moved from the area. Alex and Dave moved their business to the Seattle area. I believe descendants of Dave continue operating a ranch in the Ovando area. It appears that Jack was considered a “black sheep” of the family and little history other than his escapades are available and those are absent in the family history.

Bi-Metallic Bullion and Jack Boyd

The Mail, September 1, 1899, headlined a major arrest when John (Jack) Boyd was charged in Butte with Grand Larceny. Boyd was charged with stealing retort from the Granite Bi-Metallic Mining Company where he had been employed as a watchman. The amount stolen ranged from $10,000 to $70,000. It was claimed retort had been missed for the past fourteen months and the company was aware it was being systematically robbed. Paul Fusz had offered Mr. Boyd a $500 reward to discover who the parties were stealing the retort. Detectives were also employed. Apparently Mr. Boyd visited Butte last week and: “…about the same time a quantity of retort valued at about $30,000 was found with Max Meyer which was identified as coming from the Bi-Metallic mill. It was this that caused Mr. Boyd’s arrest. Assayer Meyer has also been taken into custody and it is said the detectives are looking for other parties who are thought to be implicated. Two detectives arrived Tuesday and Mr. Boyd was taken to Butte Wednesday morning. 

The affair has caused a sensation in the city as Mr. Boyd had borne an excellent reputation and is a man of considerable prominence. He is the brother of Mayor Charles A. Boyd of this city and also of the well known liverymen, A.J. and David A. Boyd of this city and Anaconda.” 

The September 22, 1899 Mail stated that John Boyd was released on Bond for $10,000. The bond was put up by Kenneth McRae, Samuel T. Salverson, David A. Boyd and Alex J. Boyd. The outcome of this charge is unclear and failed to produce any more comments in the Mail. 

Then, I found a description of another robbery in the September 9, 1904 Mail: “A bold and desperate attempt was made between 12 and 1 o’clock Saturday morning to rob the bullion vaults at the Granite Bi-Metallic Consolidated Mining Company, where at all times there are stored several thousand dollars of silver bullion. Two men appeared near the retort room at the mill where the vaults are situated and there met watchman George Johnson. They ordered him to throw up his hands and upon his refusal to do so they knocked him down and beat him over the head with the butt of a revolver. The men then carried Johnson to a barn nearby and bound him hand and foot and gagged him also. The robbers then returned to the bullion room, where they met George McGuire, an electrician in the employ of the Montana Water, Electric Power and Mining Company, who had come into the room for some supplies for his department. He also was commanded to put up his hands. McGuire at first thought that the intruders were joking, but they soon convinced him that they were in earnest. McGuire was also knocked down and carried to the barn where Johnson lay bound and gagged. He as well was tied hand and foot and a gag placed in his mouth. 

The robbers then again returned to the bullion room and set to work to effect an entrance to the vaults where the bullion was stored. They had tools with them for breaking through the brick walls to the interior of the vault and tools also for boring the iron portions of the vaults and they worked vigorously at their enterprise for a time. In the meantime Johnson, lying gagged and bound in the barn, somehow managed to work his shoes off and slip the ropes from his feet. He then got out of the barn and gave an alarm. The robbers evidently saw their game was up and quit, leaving their work only started and the tools they had been using on the ground near the vault. They left not only their tools but also a number of sacks they had brought with them in which to carry away their loot. 

James Thompson and Arthur Smith were arrested the next morning, having been suspected of being connected with the affair. Smith has since been released, there not being any evidence against him, but Thompson has so far been unable to satisfactorily explain his whereabouts on the night of the holdup and is still in jail. Hank Noble and Jack Boyd have been arrested, the complaint charging them with burglary, for which they have been placed under $5,000 bonds each. A second complaint charging them with assault in the first degree has been preferred and $6,000 bonds each, making a total of $11,000 each in bonds. Both say they are innocent.” 

The final conclusion was both parties were found not guilty. Did the family name's influence the verdict?

Sacrifice of his life: Findlay McDonald

Findlay McDonald won the election for Sheriff, in 1896, with a vote of 922 against A.S. Huffman’s  905 votes. One of his first major events was when he arrested a man who called himself Robert Granville, May 5, 1897. The populous strongly suspected the man to be John Strader, alias Frank Morgan, wanted in Gallatin County for killing Deputy Sheriff Allen during an attempted arrest. He had exchanged several shots with Deputy Fisher and Dan Berry during a break in of the Berry's house on May 10, according to the May 12, 1897 Citizen Call. 

Sheriff Fransham arrived from Gallatin County and though not certain he was the same man, took pictures of the prisoner in the Granite County Jail, to show to person’s that were known acquaintances of Frank Morgan/John Strader. When arrested he had two six-shooters strapped on him “in self improvised scabbards” made from the boot tops of a sheep herder working for Davis and Williams, a few miles south of Garrison, who the day before had been robbed and roughly handled by Granville and his associate. The sheep-herder identified him, as one of the men who held him up and gave a good description of the other who escaped. It was determined by all, the man by whatever name, was a rough one and probably wanted for other crimes, if he was not the person who killed the deputy. At a hearing before Justice Berry of Drummond, he waived examination and was bound over to the next term of district court. 

Findlay was defeated by George Metcalf, for Granite County Sheriff, by one vote and the election results were contested in 1898. The case was set for a hearing on December 7, with D.M. Durfee as Findlay‘s attorney and W. Brown, the attorney for Metcalf. The election results were found to be correct and Findlay turned his office over on January 1, 1899. He ran again for Sheriff, on the Democratic ticket in 1904 and won, against Republican J.D. Kennedy, by a plurality of 161 votes. Findlay, was not the Democratic nominee, for sheriff in 1906; Robert McDonel, was and he lost to J.D. Kennedy. 

The year 1911, saw the former Sheriff Findlay McDonald, summoned by death. He died on Sunday March 5, 1911, after being an invalid for almost three years. On July 22, 1908, Findlay risked his life to stop a run away team in Drummond and was dragged for a number of blocks and severely injured. He saved the life of the lady driving the team, but “it may be said that it was at the sacrifice of his own life”. 

Findlay, the son of John R. McDonald and Margaret McPherson McDonald, was born in Glengary County, Ontario in 1859. He was fifty one years, ten months, and nineteen days old, at the time of his death. Raised on a farm, he attended school in Alexandria, then moved to Saginaw, Michigan and worked in lumber. After a couple of years he moved to Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin and again worked in the lumber industry. Next his interest turned to mining, with a move to Leadville, Colorado. Then after about three years he returned to his native land in Canada, and married Miss Mary McDonald, at St. Fenian’s Catholic Church, in Alexandria. They came west to Butte, on April 8, 1886, and arrived in Granite in 1888. 

He was responsible for helping to organize and was the first President of the Granite Mining Union, when it was founded in 1888. The next move was to Black Pine, with employment as the mine foreman, until 1896, when he was elected Sheriff of Granite County. His obituary states that he was re-elected in 1900 and 1902, being at the time of his death, the only sheriff serving three terms, which as stated above is not correct. Survivors were: his wife Mary, daughter Catherine (married to Arthur Lindstadt Jr., at that time a druggist in Butte). 

The next news article, found March 27, 1914, was: “Mrs. Findlay (Mary) McDonald has taken over the Royal Café in the Doe Block. Mrs. McDonald enjoys a wide reputation for excellence in the hotel business and no doubt will have a large patronage at her new location.” Previously, Mary McDonald, had operated the Stephens Hotel dining hall when Findlay died and apparently decided to expand.

Born in Alexandria, Ontario, in April of 1861, as Mary McDonald, she married Findlay and arrived in Philipsburg in 1889. She died July 4, 1927, from pneumonia and the funeral was held from her daughter, Mrs. A.W. Lindstadt’s, home on July 6. Survivors were: daughter Mrs. A.W. Lindstadt, four grandchildren: Catherine, Jean, Marian and Lois Lindstadt; three brothers: and one sister. She was interred next to Findlay in the Philipsburg cemetery.

A Rich History: The Metcalf Family

                     George, William, Lee, Cleve, Margaret, Molly, Robert and Sarah Metcalf circa 1920

George Metcalf, who leased and then bought John Yandell’s ranch was born to English parents in Brigham, Utah, March 4, 1857. George had four brothers and five sisters and left home at the age of fourteen. First he worked the mines around Utah for one and a half years then moved to Idaho and worked as a freighter using ox teams between Idaho and Montana. In 1876, George started his own freighting business in Virginia City, Montana and operated it until 1880 when he returned to Idaho where he freighted between Wood River and Challis. During this time he met Sarah Richards and after their marriage on September 18, 1880 in Malad, Idaho, they moved to Marysville, Montana in 1882. Next he worked a short time for the Anaconda Copper Company and then took a contract with the Butte and Gallatin Railroad Company in 1888. 

The family then moved to Philipsburg where he built a branch railroad from the depot to the Bi-Metallic Mill. He then engaged in hauling for the Bi-Metallic until 1893and it is believed that they moved back to Malad for a short period during this time period. It was during this time that the family moved to the Yandell Ranch on Trout Creek. 

Their children are as follows: George Leo, known as Lee born October 8, 1881, in Malad (d-1949); William E. born in 1883 (d-1950); Margaret in 1884 (d-1988); Mary known as Mollie born in 1887 (d-1984); Cleveland A. born in 1889 (d-1972); Robert D. born 1892 (d-1973), plus in the Philipsburg cemetery are C.E who died at the age of six months and twenty seven days on October 14, 1891; William Baby without a death date; Charles Baby without a death date and Baby Roy without a birth or death date. 

During George and Sarah’s lifetime they were very active in the Granite county society as evidenced from all the entertainment and organizations they participated in. George served as Sheriff from 1888 to 1902; served on the School Board in 1900 and in 1904 was elected as the State representative of Granite County. He won the State Senate seat in 1906 and served through 1913, when he lost the seat to the Pharmacist, A.R. Dearborn. George was a member and President of the Trout and Rock Creek Grazing Association in 1916 and for several years was President of the Philipsburg State Bank which he retired from in 1922 due to his health causing him to give up an active business life. 

He traveled to California for medical treatment and after having surgery failed to improve and died on May 20, 1923. His body was returned to Philipsburg where his funeral was held at son William’s home with burial in the family plot containing his infant children. 

After George’s death, Sarah’s daughter Margaret and her husband Reuben Huffman lived with her and she spent her winters in Idaho and California until 1938 when she returned to her ranch home and died there on May 28, 1938 after a brief illness. Internment was beside her husband and infant children in the Philipsburg cemetery. 

The Metcalf ranch, now consisting of 3,600 acres was sold in 1938 to Bill Studdert and became known as the Tee Bar Three ranch. In September 1957 Gary Cooper bought a “substantial interest in the 13,000 acre Tee Bar Three ranch” according to the September 20, 1957 Philipsburg Mail. Then the Mail stated on May 19, 1972 that the Flint Creek Land Company had bought the Tee Bar Three ranch comprised of 12,400 acres on April 1. The seller was Mile T. Quinn who had bought the ranch from Studdert in 1971. 

The Metcalf children became active members of the community with Cleve partnering and operating drinking establishments including the Club Bar which he bought from his brother William (George Cartier Building). The two brothers owned the Sanitary Meat Market and bought the City Meat Market in July of 1920. Margaret and brother William operated the Metcalf’s Confectionery beginning in 1908. Robert operated The Philipsburg Cash Grocery until he sold out to Vatis Page in 1918 and then lost about $30,000 from a fire in his M.D. Warehouse later that year. He won the mayor election in 1928 and served in that office for twelve years. He then moved to Arizona and when he returned bought a feed and grain store on lower Broadway. This later became the Sparky White and then the Bowen’s Service station. As evidenced above by this short synopsis, a large portion of Philipsburg business was owned and operated by the Metcalf family and their descendants continued this pattern for another generation.

The Weinstein, Hardy and Yandell Feud

Headlined in the New Northwest August 27, 1880 was a shooting at Hasmark over a lot that the well known businessman, Weinstein stated he owned. Apparently Weinstein planned on building a cabin on it. Wm. Hardy, who had recently bought Tom Patterson’s Saloon apparently offered Weinstein $40 for the lot and when Weinstein said he would sell it for $100, Hardy decided he had as much right to it as Weinstein and would “jump it” then proceeded to fence the property off. This action created a real fracas and resulted in John Yandell interceding, a fight breaking out and Hardy being shot, dead. 

According to the September 3rd New Northwest Coroner’s Jury proceedings Weinstein went to retrieve some tools and returned with Mr. Gillies and Mr. West “seemingly to build a house”. He pulled down one panel of the fence Hardy had put up and Hardy standing in the window of his house told him not to come on his ground (the lot in dispute), and was holding a gun. Hardy then came down to the area in dispute and repeated the command: “Do not come on my property.” Weinstein and his men then walked off the property and stood in the road. Jack Yandell then came running up the road and said “Weinstein hold the lot.” Then Yandell and Hardy began to “tussle” over the gun. The gun discharged; Hardy struck Yandell with the gun and Yandell fell out of the lot and ran across the street toward his cabin. “Hardy, meantime returned to his house, went in, closed the door and stood in front of the window in the west wall, the lower sash of which was raised about two and a half feet from the sill…” Yandell then came up the street with a gun in his hand and standing in the shelter of the house corner, raised his gun and shot without aiming his gun. 

Witnesses saw Hardy fall backwards from the window. The Coroner’s assessment written by Dr. C.N. Bowie stated: “William Hardy came to his death from a bullet penetrating the left breast two and a half inches to the right of the left nipple, the said bullet penetrating the heart, ranging obliquely upward and backward passing out of the body one inch to the left of the spinal column.” 

Dr. Bowie treated Yandell’s injuries which included a gash on the head about five inches long, a fractured skull; a lacerated tongue and loss of teeth. All witnesses present believed that Yandell was delirious from the head injury when he fired the fatal shot. 

Hardy had been in the Territory a long time where he was first employed by Caplice & Smith then worked for the Algonquin and most recently bought the saloon. It was believed he was in his forties. 

The next information found regarding Yandell was a September 12, 1889 Mail article describing “The invitation dance given by John Yandell at the residence on his ranch in upper Flint Creek Valley was one of the most pleasant social affairs that have taken place in this vicinity for many months. About twenty couples responded to their invitations, and not one had reason to regret being present. The night was perfect, and the drive from town to Mr. Yandell’s place, a distance of six miles over good roads, was also a rare treat to the many who seized the opportunity. Everything that Yandell could do to make the affair a success and for the comfort of his visitors was done. Good music was furnished for the dancers and a spacious floor provided. At 12 o’clock supper was served and not often have we had the chance to sit down to a more tempting spread…” 

On July 30, 1897 a notice was in the Mail that the Yandell ranch was up for a three year lease. and that John Yandell had departed Philipsburg for Seattle where he was seeking treatment from his Cousin Dr. Yandell for his ailments that had bothered him for some time. George Metcalf took up the lease in September of 1897. 

February 18, 1898 Yandell’s obituary was published in the Mail and stated he had been buried in Seattle about 10 days prior. John Sharp Yandell was born in Mississippi in 1840 and joined the Confederacy to fight in the Civil War. After the surrender of General Lee, he emigrated to Montana and had been involved in mining and ranching for the past 30 years. His only kin were the cousins in Seattle. 

The 320 acre Yandell ranch was advertised for sale by Henry Yandell M.D., beginning in July, 1900 and was bought by the current leaser and new sheriff George Metcalf according to the November 1, 1901, Mail.

Name Sake's of Henderson Gulch

As the story goes: “Big Joe”, “Little Joe” and “Young Joe” were the three men associated with the gold strike in the area now known as Henderson Gulch. The were Uncle, nephew and a man not related. 

Joseph (Young Joe) Henderson had lived in the valley for 61 years when he died on June 26, 1926. His obituary stated that he was born at Rothesay, New Brunswick, Canada on October 17, 1846. At the age of 18 he left New Brunswick by ship at St. John’s for Panama. He walked across the isthmus of Panama, then took a Pacific coast ship to San Francisco. From there he traveled to Boise and onto the Kootenai Lakes in British Columbia. With a companion Dick Prince (the namesake of Princeton) he walked to Blackfoot City in the summer of 1865. By autumn they were in Henderson Gulch, where his uncle (with the same name) had mining claims. 

By 1871 Joseph had staked claim to a homestead and “preempted” tracts of land near New Chicago. Ivy Blood Hill (1962) stated that Young Joseph Henderson and Angus McPhail took up land on the east side of the valley where the ranches of William Enman and William Wilson were located at the time of her writing in 1962. In 1881 Joseph and the McPhail brothers drove a herd of cattle from Yakima, Washington into the valley. Young Joseph’s obituary stated this was the first herd of cattle in the area. Whether all three brothers (Angus, Archie and Allen were involved in the cattle drive is uncertain.) At some time Angus and Joseph sold their land to Archie and Allen. I do not know what happened with Angus as there is no record of burial either at Philipsburg or Valley cemetery for him. 

In March of 1878, Joseph (Young Joe) returned to New Brunswick and brought a new bride, Isabella Rebecca Henderson back home with him. They were married on March 12 and came by rail to Ogden, Utah and then by stage to Deer Lodge. Isabella Rebecca was born in St. John County, New Brunswick on November 17, 1850. She was the eighth of ten children. Joseph and Rebecca had six children. One died as an infant, but I do not find a marked grave for the baby. 

When Rebecca died on August 14, 1925, she was survived by Joseph, sons George (1881-1947) and Jesse (1883-1969) of Hall, Charles (1885- 1945) of Pennsylvania and Miss Mary (Hall) and Mrs. M.R. (Renee Henderson) Henderson of Hall; and five grandchildren. She was also survived by three sisters in Canada. 

Rebecca whose maiden name was also Henderson was an original member of the Methodist, Episcopalian Church in Hall and her Christian burial services were held there by Rev. Allan Haldeman, with burial in the Valley cemetery. The burial services for Joseph were also held at the Hall Methodist Episcopalian Church the next June, with Rev. Haldeman officiating. Music for his service was furnished by the Hall Choir composed of Mr. and Mrs. L.E. Talbott, Charles L. Clawson and Miss Elva Talbott. Joseph served one four year term as a county commissioner and did not belong to any organizations, except the Vigilantes during the territorial days, according to his obituary. 

I know that Rebecca and Joseph’s son Jesse married Glee Eloise (1887-1981) and they had children: Minnie Isobel (Pohlman), (1914-2005), Archie and Joseph. Young Archie married Margaret Bradshaw on September 1939. She was born to Charles and Elizabeth Bradshaw on June 3, 1916 in Utah and moved to the Drummond area at the age of three. When Margaret died on August 8, 2007, her and Archie were living in Lolo. Survivors were: husband Archie, sons: Richard of Idaho, Jim of Hall, Gordon of Texas and daughter Debbie of Lolo and brother Darrell Bradshaw of Drummond. 

I have not found any evidence of his uncle Joseph (Big Joe) Henderson or the unrelated Joseph (Little Joe) Henderson in the newspapers or Granite county census or cemeteries. 

Minnie Isobel Henderson was born on March 26, 1914 to Jesse and Eloise Henderson on their ranch near Hall. She graduated from Drummond High School then Dillon Normal School and received a Bachelor Degree in Education from The University of Montana. She taught kindergarten and first grade in Missoula for many years. She married Dolphy Orvin Pohlman at an unknown date. He preceded her in death. Minnie died on March 29, 2005 at the age of 91. She was buried in the Valley cemetery near her husband and parents. Survivors were: daughter Pearl Eloise Symonds of California and son, Dolphy O. Pohlman Jr. of Butte; five grandchildren and brothers: Archie and Joseph Henderson.

Rumors at The Ball

The April 1, 1881 New Northwest carried the details of a shooting that occurred in Philipsburg on March 25th. Deputy Sheriff McTague with the assistance of John Sullivan brought into Deer Lodge, “Elisha Reed who had shot and killed Eugene Garland. Both Reed and Garland were married men and Mrs. Porter had been living at the Reed residence. Apparently, at the evening dance, Garland danced with Mrs. Reed and also with Mrs. Porter. (This would have been shortly after Mrs. Porter became a widow due to her husband being shot and killed by Harry Conn). Reed continued drinking after the dance was over and wanted Garland to tell him what Mrs. Porter had said about the Reed family.”

Garland told him nothing was said and went on about his business. The next morning while Garland (who worked at Morse’s Butcher Shop) was busy delivering meat to the neighboring mining camps, Reed continued being upset and drinking. He finally found a person that knew nothing about the disturbance, who loaned him a gun on the pretense Reed was going to Georgetown to hunt mountain lions. 

Thomas McKay, a sworn witness in the murder stated: "About 1 o’clock p.m. March 25, 1881 Eugene Garland came in from peddling meat. I saw Reed coming up the street. Reed pulled out a six shooter and said to Garland: “I want you to get down and I will make you swallow the words you said last night.” Reed followed Garland into this room with the pistol in his hand. I heard them talking and in a minute I heard the pistol go off. Saw Reed come out with the pistol in his hand and exclaiming --- ---. Reed and Garland had some words last night at the dance. Reed had been waiting for Garland to come home all the forenoon. Reed had been drinking. I saw Reed and Garland talking this morning. Apparently Reed, his wife and Garland attended a dance the night before. After consuming a fair amount of alcohol a Mrs. Porter dancing with Garland made some comment about Reed’s wife. When Reed asked Garland about it the comment was denied. This angered Reed and he went looking for a gun the next morning. Reed found a person who knew nothing of the argument and was loaned a gun to go hunting lion’s at Georgetown. After the shooting Reed went from the scene of the shooting with pistol in hand to Mrs. Bradshaw’s where his wife was. Mrs. Bradshaw told Reed she was not there. While he was still talking to Mrs. Bradshaw the Deputy sheriff arrived and disarmed and arrested Reed."  

Almost immediately the citizenry became incensed about the cold blooded killing and the sheriff was concerned his prisoner may be lynched so he and John Sullivan put the whip to the team pulling the buggy with the prisoner in it and “had a keen run for the greater part of the distance for 12 miles, when night came on” and they moved the prisoner under the cloak of darkness to Deer Lodge. Reed was housed in the Deer Lodge Jail until the trial. 

An inquisition was held in the back room of George Morse’s Butcher shop with the following juror’s present: D.B. Jenkins (Foreman), E.D. Holland, George H. Kidder, N.H. Connolly, Charles Kroger, W.T. Allison. Their judgment was that “Eugene Garland came to his death by a pistol shot wound feloniously fired from the hands of Elisha Reed.” 

The May 20, 1881 New Northwest stated Elisha Reed escaped from jail on May 19 and the May 27 edition explained how it had happened. Jailer Lytle had left the jail without securing the cell door. Reed was found by James D. France who came to Virginia City from South Boulder stating that he had corralled Reed on the 13th of June and asked Sheriff Plattner in Virginia City to assist in bringing him in. Reed was returned to Deer Lodge according to the news accounts of June 17, 1881. Reed, during his escape had mailed letters to his mother and wife with instructions to send their replies to a Red Bluff address, so he must have planned on hiding in that area. 

Tried by a jury of his peers a verdict was returned Wednesday morning at two a.m. Reed was found guilty of murder in the first degree stated the New Northwest December 16, 1881. Reed, a father of three children, was sentenced on December 23, 1881 to twenty years in the Deer Lodge State Penitentiary. 

 Moral of the story. Be careful what you might make people think you are talking about while dancing at a ball.

Yreka, Reynolds City, Top o' Deep and Silver City

 Obviously Yreka was named prior to Garnet as the December 23, 1881 New Northwest carried an article about a robbery there. The headlines were: “Skipped-waiting for a verdict-in the woods.” With the following article: “Some weeks since the sluice boxes of McKivitt & Childs, Yreka, and the boxes of a Chinese company on McGinnis gulch were robbed, it will be remembered that Henry Jensen was arrested and confessed participation and that two other robbers, supposed to have the bulk of the money, escaped. On Tuesday Jensen’s case was called in court and nine jurors impaneled. When court met Wednesday morning and was ready to proceed with the case, Sheriff Strang came in and reported that the prisoner had just escaped. Undersheriff McTague had been walking Jensen and Ryan about the building and gave Jensen permission to go to the water closet while he locked Ryan in the cage. Jensen passed out of sight a moment and skipped. Although the alarm was instantly given and active search instituted Jensen is still at large and his case has been continued until next term. It was an inexcusable piece of carelessness that he was permitted to escape. Jensen has run with the Indians a great deal and is likely to make good his escape. He evaded the officers for weeks when wanted some two or three years ago and has friends who will help him." Extensive research has failed to produce any more information on Henry Jensen. 

Wolle in “Montana Pay Dirt” spells the Camps name as Eureka and describes Yreka as a gambling town, where the gamblers “often cleaned up more gold at their games than the miners did from their claims.” The April 7 and 14, 1882, New Northwest carried articles about a dead stranger found near Yreka in a deserted cabin on Days Gulch, a tributary of Elk Creek. Thomas Geagan found the body “in an old vacant cabin in Day’s Gulch.” Geagan on the 14th gave the following story: The man had spent the night with Schott and Geagan on Elk Creek about the middle of November. He stated he was a native of Scotland and had been working for the N.P. railroad near Edwardsville. He was known there by the name of “Scotty.” The body when found was ‘loathsome in the extreme, the arms and face being entirely denuded of flesh, supposed to have been the work of rats.” An inquest was held by G.W. Brock who was Justice of the Peace and Acting Coroner. The jury consisted of: Charles Schott, James Brennan, Patterson Armstrong, Alexander Hiland, Alexander Pearson and John Dolan. The verdict returned was in accordance with the above facts. 

I did not find a lot of references to either of the mining camps of Silver City and Reynolds, except The Missoula County News on February 17, 1886 stated: ”Mr. Tibbett, the agent at Drummond has three men at work at The Golden Gate at Reynolds City (five miles from Beartown). Assays are 163 ounces for gold and $10 for silver. Loomis and Stone own a very large and promising property next to the Golden gate."  

Wolle (Montana Pay Dirt) states they contributed to the “nearly $2,500,000 in gold taken out by 6,000 miners while the district was active.” References are made to frequent violence in claim jumping and that a meeting was held at Reynolds City in 1865 where an effective mining code was drawn up, alleviating the violence. November 28, 1865, Montana Post stated” “[an unknown person] amused himself, the other night [in Reynolds City] by profusely sprinkling one of the hurdy-gurdy floors with snuff, or cayenne pepper, or both. The girls stamped, and the boys stampeded; stamping and snuffing and sneezing and swearing, were momentarily the order.” 

Another Montana Post article from Virginia City stated that more than half of Reynolds City burned during a fire on the 18th of July 1867. The fire broke out at 3:15a.m. in Sam Ritchies butcher shop on Main Street in the center of town. The flames spread quickly to the two log buildings on each side; Boswell and Jones dealt in general merchandise and Johnny Gordon ran a saloon in the other log building. The flames then spread to the German shoemaker’s building, according to the Montana Post, August 17, 1867. 

Reynolds City population was never more than 500 but it yielded more than $1,000,000 in the two years it was active. The camp was named for Jack Reynolds an early miner who found “pay dirt” there, according to Cheney in “Names on the Face of Montana.” The post office for Top O’ Deep was established in January 1893 through August 1894 and Tillie Kreuzberger was the postmaster.

Coloma: Another Mining Dream and surrounding Camps

                                     Copied from hand drawn map in Wolle , "Montana Pay Dirt"

 Located about two miles from Garnet, the Coloma area was still being mined, when I researched it in the early 2000’s. The Fessler family owned claims at Coloma and continued to hold their inheritance. “Names on the face of Montana” spells the name Coloma, other literature I have found spells the name Colomo and Colma. The mining camp had a post office open in 1895 with Anna Richards as postmaster. The last year the post office operated was 1908. In 2010 the University of Montana, Archeology Department in Missoula was involved in an exploratory dig on Myrna Fessler Leipheimer’s claims and had many historical artifacts in their possession. Professor Timmons was the archeologist involved in the dig. 

Wolle, in “Montana Pay Dirt”, states she gleaned her information about Coloma from J.T. Pardee’s U.S. Geological Survey reports created in 1917 and 1918. The Granite County Map dated March 1987 shows Colomo, the Mammoth mine and Colomo cemetery in Powell county, but it is located within two miles of the Garnet ghost town, so was usually discussed in the newspapers of Granite county. Wolle stated “Several mines were located in 1886 along the main divide on Elk Creek two miles southwest of Garnet, and these have been worked sporadically, producing in aggregate $40,000 to $50,000 in gold. The camp of Coloma was liveliest at the turn of the century, while the Mammoth and Comet mines were in operation, and an estimated $200,000 was taken from the Mammoth property. Since then, the camp has been virtually deserted. 

Development of the Comet mine, …in 1905, by the Quantock Mining and Milling Company, resulted in small returns of gold. In 1916 a tunnel was bored to crosscut the Mammoth and other veins…. (and) in recent years most of the claims had been tied up in litigation (1951).The Pearl on the divide between Deep Creek and Bilk Gulch was reported to produce $20,000 in gold and copper.” 

Fifer, in “Montana Mining Ghost Towns” states that in the Coloma district, placer discoveries created a major rush in 1865, on Bivins Gulch and Elk Creek which caused the creation of Coloma, Reynolds, Springtown and Yreka mining camps. This reference states no more than $100,000 of free gold was mined, even though they had a ten and twenty stamp mill at Coloma. 

I found references referring to mines in Coloma on October 30, 1895, in the Philipsburg Mail copied from the Missoulian stating C.C. Eckert and E. Simpson had returned to Missoula last week from the Mammoth Mining Company property in Coloma. “They found the property all there and everything in good condition so far as the real and personal property is concerned. As yet Mr. Parker, who was to have been in Deer Lodge yesterday to adjust some claims against the company has not yet been heard from, but it is expected, that the claims will receive the proper attention and be disposed of in a few days.” 

 From 1930-1941, August Erickson was in the Garnet area and in his diary speaks frequently of working at Coloma, especially the Mammoth claims. I found earlier references to the Mammoth Mine on September 22, 1905 when the Drummond Call carried an article that identified the claim with a work force of about 20 men under the able management of Major R.L. Hornbrook. Development work was being done and the property was expected to put thirty men to work when the mill was opened. In that same issue was an article detailing that J.W. Moss the well known store keeper of Coloma was accompanied by Mr. and Mrs. Eastey and Mr. and Mrs. Fred Askman of Garnet to Lake Placid, in the upper Blackfoot country, on a hunting and fishing trip. 

The September 22, 1905 Call, stated the development work was being supervised by Mr. H. Salisbury. The group was comprised of 14 mining claims and owned by Philadelphia capitalists with Mr. H. Sieble Jr. the president. The development work consisted of an incline shaft bored to the 400 foot level. There were main levels at the 200 foot and 400 foot levels with development being carried at both of these levels. They were running a cross cut in the direction of the Mammoth mine (which belonged to the group) that would be 800 feet to reach the lead in the Miner’s Dream, believed to be one of the best claims. This would also assist exposing the lead in the Grouse, another promising claim of the group. There was a Huntington mill on the property that would handle between 15 and 20 tons of ore a day. 

September 29, 1905, the Call announced “several good properties around Coloma: the Clemantha, Cato, Crystal Springs, Valley” and others discussed below.

The September 29, 1905, Call news paper stated that Mr. James Parker, of New York, the principal owner of the Mammoth Mine was “in camp briefly this week.” Ike Warner had a contract to furnish five hundred cords of wood for the Mammoth Mine, and had ten men cutting wood. 

Above these articles was a full column detailing the Mammoth Mine: “The Mammoth Mine…is the most developed of the Coloma properties, and has quite a history. In a general way, it may be stated that it was first opened by an incline shaft, about 350 feet deep. From this there were large quantities of high grade ore extracted most of which was oxidized ore, of which there is still a goodly quantity left in the mine. Later, at a point of about 400 feet from the incline shaft, a new shaft was sunk vertically, a distance of 270 feet, in the contact between the lime and the granite. From these two levels were run one at a depth of 150 feet, and the other from the bottom of the shaft. From the 150 foot level there have been taken out large quantities of high grade sulphide ore, and there is now exposed in this same level several thousand cubic feet of ore of the same rich character… The property now belongs to the New York-Montana Gold Mining Company, and is under the management of Col. L.C. Parker, of Deer Lodge. Under his efficient management the lower level has been advanced about 500 feet and an intermediate level has been run between the upper and lower levels. Most of the intermediate level which is about 200 feet in length, is in fine ore and the bodies are large. Altogether there is about 2,000 feet of levels, all of which are connected through upraises. There are thousands of tons of ore exposed, much of it of good shipping value, and if the ten stamp mill …was in commission, there is enough ore uncovered to keep it running for two years. The mine is well equipped with machinery, having a commodious shaft house, a large gallows frame built of 14 X 18 timbers, a cage is used for all hoisting; there is a 60 and a 25 horse power boiler; a 35 horse power engine; an Ingersoll air compressor, by which the drills are operated, and which also furnishes the miners with fresh air. There are at present 13 men employed, but when the mill is placed in commission, ..this force will be more than doubled.” 

The majority of the Call newspaper was dedicated to the mines and had lengthy articles about all the work being done. I do not know who the writer was, but he obviously had an interest in the mines as each article detailed in depth the mining processes being carried out. A new lease was being granted to Al Lawery (sic) and Nick Thienes for the Nancy Hanks in October 1905 and Messrs. C.D. and Dan McPherson and Dan McIntosh, who had a bond and lease on the Daisy group of claims, “lying between Garnet and Top O’ Deep, have opened up a strong lead ...and claim to have 18 inches of good shipping ore. The Daisy Group, which consists of the Goodwin, Goodenough and Daisy claims belong to the Spenceley brothers, and is one of the well known properties of the Garnet district. There were about forty tons of ore in the bins of the Daisy and this ore has been reduced to about twenty-five tons by screening, and will be shipped now….Only three men are working at the present time, but it is understood that this number will be increased in the near future, and if the lead just opened up holds out, the Daisy group will soon be ranked with the regular shippers of the district.” 

Fred Askman and Dave Blackie had shipped a car of ore from their lease on the Crescent and netted a “goodly sum.” J.D. Sullivan and T. Kearns shipped sixty tons of ore from the Robert Emmet mine to Washoe sampling at Butte. The “ore was a very good grade.” Messrs. Dalberg, Nevlin and Harrington, lessees on the Red Cloud, were ready to ship sixty tons of ore to Butte and Charles Boggs (sic) had given up his lease on the San Jose. He was going to join McPherson “in working the Little Dandy during the winter.” 

By 1907 a new mining company had been formed named the Butte-Coloma Gold Mining Company with capitalization of $1,000,000 and the par value of one dollar per share. William Bailey employed by W.A. Clarke is the Company President. With a new infusion of money the mining dreams continued.