Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1874-08-21
correspondence OF the X .ntuck,aal |
y Z ! ENTFJL LIE.
HOW q Kentucky Carpenter BE.
Came n Nskkinls:ssr, @s
CIAB ORCHARD, JULY oSth, ~.

4 Ic.titN. MI. Il. VI. Black was Dor
in !.au?ci county, Kentucky, in Oct
1850. lie lett home at the age OF sev
!, eEtcei without education or money
went to Somerset, in Pulaski county \
and learned the carpenters trade. i
|, two years Mr.. Black came to Cra
Orchard and worked at lis trade for
YEAR, then went back 10 Ills natiN
county and married The girl OF hi
choice. Miss CUrn, who was raise.
: within Il mile OF his ohi liGmc. He re
maine;I III London, the county seat 0
Laurel, until 1S59, and built tn,
seminary during the time. In til,
Spr;n. OF 1859 he left for Pixies Peal
in Colorado, in company with Il yo,li,.
man named Hackney. At L6aven
worth, Kansas, III company with tire.
others he purchased an outfit, consist
lag oi a wagon and two yoke Of oxen
with cooking utensils. provisions, &c
After travelling into the interior o
KANSAS, .s,'r. Blacks company OF t;v.
men .i,incd forty five others, and or
sanized by eiccting :. captain an
started by the Smoky Hill route ioi
Pixies Peak. This route. is nOtOrio,.
FOR the great s,.ilerin. expci fenced Oh
it that se:s.;OI,; quite Il number having
died from want and exposure. After
two months and i half Ut travel Mr.
Blacks company reached Denver City
without .aoSiny an OK or Il man. The
excitement at Denver was intense:
there were three or four log houses at
Denver at the time, and a great crow
of people, SOME trying to get bac.
While others were SO depressed W
their prospects that it was conlmon to
hear Of suicide.
Ate. remaining in Denver u few
days Mr. Black determined to examine
the gold prospects for himself, and
made a trip o: six miles up Cherry
or.eIE, -,levr. i.., fo..n,a s-..,rcsrIcn WASH
| ing out gold with /: hand-rocker. lie
purchased 4 small amount OF dust and
returned to Denver; this encouraged
his party to stay. In a short time
the news came Of the Gregory tliscov-
cry in the mountains, forty miles from
Denver. This at once determined Mr..
Black, Will, q few Of his party, to
strike for the mountains. III com
pany with Mr.. Hackney he started
with three sacks of t!our, some bacon.
sugar and coffee. Two sacks of the
-four, worth $50 each, were lost in at
teilptimg to cross Il swollen creek
Sir. Black walked al the way to the
mines, carrying his pick, shovel and
gold pan. After reaching the Greg
ory mine be found il to he very rich.
and commenced prospecting and found
q quartz mine, bnt not knowing any
tii:'!g about is value and after work
ing abut six months he abandoned it.
Soon all lrisilnan, by the name of Pat
Casey, came along AMI ''ciaime:lr it,
Immediately had his claim to it record
cd, went to work and made Il million
and Il half dollars by working and
finally selling it.
After abandoning his mine, Mr.. i.
took si:k and returned to Denver
Miierc .e remained for two weeks. and
Was robbed by sil..pcrs selling him Il
gold cl;aili, lie having IL little over Il
hundred dollars, ut Vain Play which
was about one hundred and fifty miles
siu Pixies Peak from Denver. On
his nlii1e after Il laborious
trip, lie tol,ssd i.e was swindlctl.
After prospecting tor some time Mr.. I
Black IetGrned to Denver without
He then left Denver and
came back to Columbus, Nebraska,
eighty miles beyond Uil.aha. lie then
went To the Pawnee reservation to
Nol', ut his trade. Judge tiiliis was
agent Tor the pawnce Indians; and
hin, and Hackney to build
4 house. After finishing it Judge
ellis vas 50 well pleased that he
placed Mr.. Black in his office for the
winter while he went to Washington.
This was in 1859. In the Spring OF
1860 Mr.. Black provided himself with
IN outfit and returned to Denver, and
worked for three weeks at the ear
penter's trade, making seventy five
lollars. From there he went to a fine
park OH Bear creek, thirty miles dis
ant, to cut hay which was bringing
l big price in the mines. He Is
rtry successful in the hay traffic, cut
fDS ttutt HtluHHS9 II W tAC AuhtSEs, " hNaS
{ was eight to ten cents per pouEd.-
He continued at the business until The
winter Of 1868, wlien he went to pur-
hay for the Government, at
which lie made large amount OF
money.
In the spring OF 1864 the Govern
nent wanted to ship lot OF negro
soldiers from Denver to Fort Leaycn
worth. Kansas, and gave Mr.. Black
i,e contract to furnish transportation.
This was a profitable contract; and on
he returns trip he purchased bacon,
lour, ETC., and took it Oack to Denver
md made over three hundred per
,ent. OH the investment. After this
,e engaged his teams to the Govern
nent, and this contract, too was prof
table.
!. In 1865 Governor Evans, Of Colo
ado, WAS the special friend Of Mr.. :
Hack. a Legislature was called to
AXE the initiatory steps to admit the
'crritory as State in the Union. Mr..
Slack was nominated for the Senae
n one of the Districts. He was NO
,oltician, aad when notified that he