The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1892-06-17

bills were met promptly, and Mr.. Ma
troney got the $110 for his work soone
than he had anticipated.
Then turn came In the tide. TIL,
prosDector. whr h:a ssv..od iu ON Tn.
story Of tie Holy Moses nosted ava!
again. The much talked OF rsilroed dic
not appear. It was told that tho road
would not be built at all. Times wer,
= ard at Creede In midsummer, 1891,
~ cheery Mrs. Miller never shed q
tear.
''It was berry timn. those days." sh.
said: "raspberries, ckberries. I d,
not know how many. I took my boy
and went every day after berries and
made jam of them. knew I could sci
that any time, but didn't sell il the
way l expected to. Before the bcrrie,
were all gone they began to build the
railroad, and then came rush such az
you never saw"
| Meantime. however, Mrs. Miller had
had an eye for real estate speculation.
She had had four logs placed on each
oi four lots, on what is now Cfecde
avenue, including the corner of First
street. There was no town there-noth
ing but willows and creek bottom; the
land had not then been surveyed out fol
| n town, but Mrs. Miller guessed from the
lay of the land that that would be o
good parcel of land to tie to. The four
logs on each lot were laid together ms for
foundations for log houses, and In all
mining camps such foundations are re-
spected rs improvements" sufficient TO
give title. Like improvements were
made in the two lots adjoining her
restaurant. Later in (JulU, having a
little money to spare, she had each Of
the Crecdc avenue foundations raised six
logs higher mt "A cost of $62 50.
'.Thcy laughed at that little Dutch
woman" as they called me, for doing
that, but knew what was about" she
says now.
Then came the fall rush, and Mrs.
Miller, having no money, promised to
pay $500 and got her four little log cab
ins finished. Then she rented her res.
taurant building to ID. X. Smith. who
brought in stock Of general mcrchan-
disc about that time, and she moved to
the little corner building, where she
began taking boardcrs as we'll as selling
meals at all hours. She had a better
outfit for the business by this time, but
the habitucs of the restaurants about
Madison square would have considered
the place rather crude, nevertheless. The
place was neat, however, for mining
camp, and Mrs. Miller kept herself and
boy looking we'll.
Il 1T although II prosperous business
was now opening for her, her real
Il.
had to Il" tho drudgcry of kitchen
fro early morning until late at night,
but now she had to do that and fight for
the rights she had acquired as we'll. The
novclists and some other mining camp
writer's tell of the chivalry of mining
cam,' men, but in an examination of
Crecdc history one finds that it took
mighty long time to develop the chiv-
airy. Mrs. Mllcr's four cabins were
built on II plot 125x125, which was reg
uarly surveyed out in November, 1891,
under orders of tho County Judge of
Sayuache County. There was house on
each lot, but between the corner house
aud the corner was plot about
twenty-five feet square that was vacant.
While Mrs. Miller was still at work COM
p'cHng her cabins, there came a man
who hired n carpenter ut So II day to
build II foundation on Mrs. Miller's va.
cant plot. Mrs. Miller ordered him away,
but he would not 80. Creole louudn-
tnnS in those days consisted Of slender
timhcrS uaiicd together so ~ To- enclose
the space t. be built on, and supported
in some cases by blocks Of wood. Plenty
oi sucn foundations are still to be seen.
Mrs. Miller watched with many apprc-
hen ions the carpenter finish the fouuda-
tiun, but, though worried, she was not
hshcnltcncl. In fact, she stood pat, in
the vcrnacular of the town, waiting her
turn To go II stack Of chips better that
wonld make him draw out in hurry
While the carpenter sawed aud nailed
Mrs. Miller went to the Mcdonald
Brothers, builders, aud contracted with
them to erect n slianty on this manj
foundation. The man had jumped her
claim to the land, but she jumped his
foundation.
They only charged me S25 for build
ing that shanty," said Mrs. Miller, "bul
was SO poor had to give them one oil
my lots mr hy NY old building for puyt
iutN SOlNl Tue lOt Ill lnEtt WttkS LOT
$500. am glad of it. They did we'll
by me-"
Still her troubles were not over, even
though cash became more plentiful. She
accepted an offer of $500 cash for one
OF her lots-thc one where -. r. Smiths
store is-aud at once began work on a
foundation for building that was
planned to be the best in town The
railroad ha | come in November, and
the right of way had taken part of her
claim. TLen street was laid out next
to the right of way, and thus Mrs. Mil.
lors plot rsdueed to 6fty toat IA
depth This had been a benefit, how
ever, for it made possible the building of
a structure facing three streets on what
were now plainly seen to be the most i'm
portaut corners of the new city. The
growth of Crccde ut that time eau he APP
prcciatci only by those who saw oil well
towns spring up in Pennsylvania, the
rush in oklahoma, or some such enter.
Prise. People were coming into camn
by tho hundred every day, aud the rush
for lots to blill on was inupsc ribnblp