Happenings of American Gem Mining Company

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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