The Grant County herald. (Big Stone City, Grant County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1883, 1879-12-20

Leadville afforded sleeping accommoda-
ton for twentytour guests divided into
three companies, each OF which occupied
the attic for the time mentioned.
The name of this hotel was. The City,
and its site is now covered by the Grand
Hotel. an Chestnut street Mr. Harris
kept tins hotel until the Fourth Of July,
1878, when he opened the Grand. which
had been built around and over the little
City. The Grand was kept by Mr.. Har
ris until the 14th Of last December, when
he sold it to Mcssrs Walsh 4 Co, the
present propnetors, for Sli, ,l2O cash.
This sum was the net result Of Mr.. Har
ris's first eighteen months hard labor in
Lcadyille. beginning on a capital Of tit
teen cents.
Not long ago a reporter Of the Lead
vile CHsronjcle visited Mr.. Harris with
the view OF learning all that he might
about the early settlement Of Leadville.
From his account much of the foregoing
information has been obtained. In re
ply to a pertinent question n regard to
the men who had made fortunes by DIS
covering mines, Mr. Harris answered as
follows: oh, yes, | know them all.
There was August Rische; he came from
Fairpay, and was the worst played d-out
man | ever met He was q shoemaker
by trade, but never did anything about
this camp, but dig for earbonates. His
entire wcaIon consisted OF pick and spade
and a faithful old dog, the latter being
his only companion. The two lived to-
@cthcr in a dug-oui about mile up Cali
tornia Gulch. The dog and August were
sure to show up as often as once a week
for bacon, etc. Although shard up, he
seemed to have friends. It was hut Il
few days before he made the discovery
OF the Little Pittshurg that | was talk
ing with him, and he said it was mighty
thin forage. He would keep digging till
he struck it. If ii took till the end Of time.
He did and to-day Is worth, at the least
calculation, S3O0,o0O But lie is the same
old Aug Tom HOOK was another shoe
maker. lie too came IN camp dead
broke lie sold out little too s@On, and
is now obliged to live on the interest Of
S110,O0O worth Of government bonds.
And there was Pete Finnerty, who DIS
covered the Little Glfses mine. lie came
II camp with mule team, paid fer end
wholly bis own, He kept little board
ing house III a log shanty during the VIII
ter g. 1877. But things went slow with
him, and he Went out prospecting. 1t
was about seven months ago that he
struck the Little Chief, and il worth to-
day about halfa million, ii round num-
Der. The Dillon boys were prospecting
partners Of Finnerty They are notworth
to-day but a little over 100000 each
lIalleck and Cooper discovered the Car
Donate mine in October. 1s1.. They
were laborers and had become accustom-
ed TO rough life. Now they are worth
100000 each \ man 10y the name of
Woods-an old miner from Lake Snperi
or-discoyered the Iron mine. In fact,
he was the first man Who made The first
discovery of carbonates IN this camp.
But he did not know the value Of msdis-
covery, and sold out to Letter for ABOUT
S5O, ,00O,
The progress of Leadville prior to De
cember I, 1878, was surprising, but its
wonderful advance III every possible di-
rection since that date is simply amazing.
1t seemed then that the city might pos
sibly reach population of ten or twelve
thousand in a twclvcmonth, but no one
could have foreto}d that within four
months, and those the most unlavorable
of the year, the number Of its inhabitants
would be augmented by 1t least four
thousand. 4 steadily increasing stream
Of fortune hunters poured il through al
avenues Of approach, defying the storms
OF winter, and adding their capital, en-
terprise and energy TO the restless activi-
ties Of the camp. The rapid growth and
the increasing prosperity Of Leadyile nat
urally gave birth 70 active speculation.
During December and January merchants
commanding large capital, in their eager
ness TO secure eligible locations, paid
large prices for lots on upper Chesnut
street and Harrison avenue. This gave
impulse to a real estate mania which soon
affected the whole camp. Lots held at
only $50 to $l1O last fall suddenly
jumped to $1,000, $4,000 and even S4 900
each Many were mad at these figures.
Real estate throughout the town felt the
influence, and buying and selling was the
order Of the day. Real estate agents are
now almost as numerous as lawyers. Lot
jumping, or more properly, lot squatting,
outside the placer-claim limits, became a
regular occupation with many small
operators. Long streets Of foundations
and skeleton frames sprang up in night.
The whole slope lying between upper
Chestnut street and Fryer hill is now
covered with foundations, frames and
buildings in al stages OF growth. It be
came tacitly understood that the actual
construction Of a building should give an
fn a M
pctus to abin-building, and log houses
sprang up like Jonah's gourd. As fast
as completed they were sold Or rented at