Importance of Historical Names

 Area Forest Service and Granite County maps record the names of the Pioneers. miners and investors forever remembered by the areas named after them, such as: Moffat Gulch (L.H. and A.D. Moffat), Research revealed the death A.D. Moffat on December 12, 1926 in Salt Lake City. He was seventy-five years of age. He had been foreman of the Granite Co. Bi-Metallic Mill in Philipsburg for five years according to his January 14, 1927 obituary; Meyers Creek (either Emil or John P. “Cross-eyed” Meyers) and Fusz (Fuse) Gulch and Fuse (Fusz) Lake named for Paul A. Fusz. “Fuse” Lake is mis-spelled on the current maps and should be spelled Fusz after Paul who was a large part of the Sapphire Mine. The Royal Mine has the word PORT added which needs to be removed. 

But an article recently in the Mail reminded me again that mis-spelling on these maps has created a grave loss of history for some sites. I am referring to all the sites North and Northeast of Philipsburg spelled erroneously “Stewart.” The Lake, Gulch and locator and often referenced road should all be spelled Stuart after James and Granville Stuart. Their history does not need to be retold here. There are also those areas not recorded on the maps but forever remembered by the local people such as: Maley Gulch named for Al Maley, rancher and trapper on West Fork and the Ewing Bungalow, for Charles G. Ewing, August B. Ewing, F.B. Ewing and Mark Ewing all from the St. Louis area. The bungalow was a frequent residence of D.A. Jankower, a gemologist and prominent member of the Precious Stones Corporation, from London and New York City. Jankower was the one who “…assisted Lou Moffet and J.T. Pardee in marketing the gems in Switzerland and other foreign markets” according to the Mail, May 13, 1927. 

Sites close to Philipsburg such as Fred Burr Creek were named after Fred Burr. Moses Rumsey and L.M. Rumsey had Rumsey Gulch and the mining camp of Rumsey named after them. Noted in the Mail, June 29, 1900 was the departure of “President Paul A. Fusz of the Granite Bi-Metallic Mining Co., L. S. McLure, and Messrs. William Lange and Edward S. Orr of St. Louis …[on the Drummond] east-bound train for St. Louis. Their hasty departure was occasioned by the news of the death of L. M. Rumsey, one of their business associates.” research also revealed that a telegram on August 21, 1905 was received notifying Lucas that Moses Rumsey had died. 

Of interest is the constant reference in documents to Sapphire as the name of a mining claim, but research at the Granite County Courthouse does not reveal any claim ever patented, with the name Sapphire. It is an important fact that Paul A. Fusz, M. Rumsey, L.M. Rumsey and C. Jagels, incorporated in May 1899, as the Montana Water, Electric Power and Mining Company and acquired the interests of the Flint Creek Power Company according to the Mail May 19, 1899. 

By November 10, 1899 the Mail announced: "After completing the dam and installing powerful electrical machinery in August of 1900: “the use of steam at the Bi-Metallic Mill was discontinued and electricity generated by the waters of Flint Creek seven miles distant was substituted. This major accomplishment meant that when a part of the Mill was broken, the rest of the Mill could continue operation."

This had not been the case when running by steam. On steam when there was a problem the entire steam generator had to be shut down to maintain any one section of the Mill. 

McKay Gulch is spelled Maukey Gulch on the Deer Lodge National Forest map. This gulch is where the MacDonald Mines were located and was possibly named after the well known miner Thomas S. McKay. He was born in Vermont and came to Montana at a young age. He worked in the mines in Butte before he worked at the Hope Mine and managed J.C. McLeod’s properties on Harvey Creek. I found reference to a Walter McKay who advertised for a patent on October 18, 1901 for a 1250 foot vein on the Younce Lode on Harvey Creek. But I have no knowledge regarding their relationship. T.S. McKay died of miner's consumption at the young age of forty-five January 14, 1902 while a patient at the hospital in Warm Springs. He worked for Dr. Peter Mussigbrod at his mines in Garnet until he became too ill to continue. T.S. was buried in the Philipsburg Cemetery with a headstone captioned “here rests a woodman of the world.” Needless to say he was a prominent member of the Woodsman Organization. 

The Board of Geographical Names is responsible for corrections. A very long story and one I have not had the patience to continue to pursue as they believe the spelling has been as it is now for such a long period of time that it should remain as is....so Mt. Amerine continues to wrongfully be spelled Emerine; McKay is McQuay; Royal Mine is Port Royal and all the Stuart sites are Stewart!