The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1886-01-06
VERY PROSPEROUS COUNTY
Jefferson's Resources as DE.
scribed by a Resident.
sf,IJRCE OF WEALTH
Placer and Quarts Mining--Stock-
Raising and Agriculture--Health-
giving Spas. Etc.

Jefferson County, Montana IerflCOry
was organized in 1868. Many changes hav'
been made in the boundary lines since thai
date. They are at present constituted al
follows: commencing at the southeast
corner of Lewis and Clarke County. on tht
Missouri river Ia point few miles below
tie town of BedforO; thence up Said Mis-
souri river to the mouth OF the Jenersor
river: thence up said Jefferson river to
Parsens Bridge across said river (Parsen's
Bridge is a few miles below Silver starr
thence westerly along Parsen's toll road
leading to Butte City, to the point where
said road crosses Fish Creek thence uE
Fish Creek to the head of Belcher's Ditch
thence in a direct line to the forks of Little
Pipestone Creek, near the site OF Parsen's
old toll gate; thence up the North Fork o.
Little Pipestone creek to it's source; and
thence in direct line to the nearest point
OF the summit of the Rocky Mountains
thence along said Rocky range to the Bald
Mountains at the head OF Ten Mile Greek
or tho eastern boundary OF Lewis and
Clarke County thence easterly along said
boundary line to the place OF beginning
THE JEFFERSON COUNTY LINE
on the west runs within four miles OF the
city of Butte, and on the north within a
mile and hall OF the city OF Helena. The
county is located in the center OF the most
populous counties in the Territory-Lewis
and Clarke on the north, Meagher and Gal
latin on the east. Madison on the south
and Silver Bow and Deer Lodge on the
nf oil r
square miles. The leading industries OF the
county consists of placer and quartz min
ing for gold. silver, copper, lead and other
valuable minerals, the dairy business, stock
raising and agriculture. The lands OF Jeffer-
son county may be classified as follows
Lands along the margin OF the streams,
where blue joint, timothy and other grass
es grow luxuriautly. that furnish the best
quality of hay; bench lands, where the
nutritious bunch-grass grows, upon which
the herds subsst and fatten, both summer
and winter; and foothiil and mountain
lands most uf which are beautifully round
ed off and covered with bunch-grass knee
high when MA tured; Others, and gener-
ally those that are most broken up and
rocky, produce an abundance of timber Tor
mining and domestic purposes. Upon the
latter however. there are very many parks.
located amidst the timber. that furnish the
very best summer grazing for the herds.
FIRST SETTLEMENT OF THE COUNTY.
The first whit persons to come into what
is now known as Jefferson County were a
party of prospector- from Bannack. in
1862. They discovered paying digQ - at
the mouth Of Cataract Creek, that empties
into the Boulder, about eight miles above
the town OF Boulder This mine was after
wards worked by Granville Stewart &
Brothers and Reese Anderson. The next
party was a small company from Fort
Benton, of whom Mr.. Wilson Butts, still a
resident OF the county, engaged in stock
raising and farming on the Jefferson Valley,
near Fish Creek, was one. They discovered
the rich placers on the Prickly Pear in
1863, called Montana City (where the eight
mile house now stands). They all left on
the approach OF winter. The next year,
'84, the great stampede took place from
Alder Gulch to Last Chance (Helena)
Many OF the stampeders, failing to get
CldIIIl6, FeIuEucu W UIlo COuACvs anu AAo
settlement may we'll date from that time.
Among the earliest settlers we can name
but few. Prominent among them at the
time was William Berkins (now County
Commissioner Of Meagher County,, Mana
ger OF the Diamond r fast freight line,
then engaged in freighting goods from
Corinne to Virginia City and Helena. He
probably built the first house within the
present county limits, which wac located
where the overland road crosses the
Boulder River, within half mile OF the
town of Boulder. The Diamond r wintered
their stock in the valley. The next house
was built by widow by the name OF
Greene, at the crossing OF the Little
Boulder, where Mr.. George A. Douglas now
lives. Captain and Theo. Parkinson and
A. G. Clark brought the first band OF cattle
into the county in '64, it being the second
band brought to the Territory and
wintered them in the valley. They
built a small dug-out for their hcrders
Among others that the stampede brought
in was James Riley, afterwards locator and
proprietor OF the Boulder hot springs. who
died three years ago with the smallpox
James Poore, who still resides in the val
ley; Mr.. Barckley, first Territorial Treas
urer, and first Postmaster appointed in
the county, and many Others. who after
wards divided up into prospecting parties
and scattered over the county.
John Quinn was the first settler in Lower
Boulder in 1864, on the ranch his famil,
now lives on, and brought with him about
fifty head OF cattle. Others soon followed
among them Ed, Ryan, William Mulvey
John Brady, A. C. Quaintance, William
Rogers, b. F. Hopes, Phil Smith, Coz
Clark, Richard Dunn, Patrick Wickhan
and Ed. Cardwell, all OF whom are still liv
ing on their ranches and have grown ricl
from the product Of their dairies and farm
and the increase OF their stock.
King & Gillett were the first to locate
ranch in Crow Creek valley, in 1864. The
built the first house near the crossing &
Crow creek and opened trading posi-
Enoch Wilson, Doc. Bembrick and tn
Nave family, still living there, were anon
the first settlers.
HdTTlSOH JoEuoH was ouC VI WV SnA hCe
settlers in the southern portion OF til
county. He located a ranch on Fish creel
il 1865, and is still living there in excellel
health, honored and respected by all VIII
know him. John Paul was among the fir
settlers of Pipestone creek. He owns lar
property interests there. Lou Randa
Poney Faulkner and Major Brooke we
among the first settlers OF White Tail De-
creek.
As has been stated, the Prickly Pes
Valley. in Jefferson County, was first Sc
tied by the prospectors who discovered Il
placers at Montana City. Among the oil
est settlers still residing there are H.
Hill, merchant OF Clancy. Nat. Merrima
James Sites, Mrs. Francis Harvey, Jol
4 RadcliH, AL. Axe and Dominick Freyler.
The first settlement in the northeaste
part OF the county was on Beaver Cree
Among the earliest there. and in fact
the county, were Mr.. Beatty, Mr.. Filso
and old man Edmonson, the father Of Il
notorious Edmonson brothers. They st
tied there in '64.