The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-06-02
BUTTE'S EARLY DAYS.
The First POStOfice in Town and Its
Interesting History.
HOW MAILS WERE HANDLED
Record of the Murder That Heads
Butte's List of Unsuitable"
cdies Joe Ramsdell's Cener-
osity Not Appreciated.

OF Butte were not much troubled with
agitation relative to the site of the
postofiice. They had a postoffice in
those days, but it was not considered
so almighty important as to call for
any outburst of Indignation when 1t
was proposed to remove il to another
location, as is wont to be the case
nowadays.
The first postoffice Butte ever had
was located just about where the Mint
saloon stands in Main street, a door
above the northeast corner of Main
and Broadway. Back in 1866. when
Butte first rose to the dignity of hav-
ing single tackled upon a building
with the word "Postoffice" in scawly
letters of black paint. there was a big
two-story log cabin at the corner men,
toned, where the newsstand known as
the Blue Room now is. The postoffice
was the first door above that, and
must have stood just about where the
Mint saloon is. At that time all this
section of placer mining country was
divided into three parts, Rocker. Sill
yer Bow and Butte, and the smallest
of these was Butte. The place had
struggling population of about 200. The
fartherest house up the hill stood about
where the Kingsbury block now is.
Down the hill the little settlement eX-
tended to about where Milo'S stables
are. The springs were near the stables,
excellent springs, with good water
enough for the whole town. Nearly all
the houses were built somewhere near
the main road, but the road wasn't as
straight as Main street is now. The
early settlers didn't pay much atten-
ton to lots, and pieces of ground which
you can't get for $1,000 a foot now
were given away then. few got
little off of the main road, and con-
nected with tn . main street oy foot
path. There were one or two little
shanties over near where the court
house Is now. All the houses in Butte
then were log houses.
Before 1864 there wasn't anybody in
Butte. For about a year after that all
the mail that would ever come to
Butte would be as Joe Ramsdell or
Tom Porter or Enos Sheldon or Chester
Humphrey would bring it in from
Deer Lodge or Helena or Salt Lake or
Virginia City, if they happened to
make trip to one of these points.
In the winter of 1865 and 1866 Butte
had got up to a grand total of popula-
ton of between $50 and 200. and a one
armed man began to make regular
stops at Butte. He would come over
from Helena on snowshoes and carry
the mail to Deer Lodge and Beartown,
and after awhile he made an occasion
al trip to Butte also. He used TO
charge 25 cents for each letter deliv-
cred, and the people of Butte were
mighty glad to get letters at that
price, and seldom failed to ask the
mail carrier to have a drink, for peo-
pie drank in those days.
The mail carriers stopping place in
Butte was at Corkery's store, in the
log cabin where the Mint saloon now
stands. There was no regular mail or
stage line then, and there was no post
master in Butte. But people used to
leave letters at Corkery's, and Cookery
would hand the letters to the one
armed mail man and receive the let
tiers that he might have for the peo-
pie of Butte.
1t thus came to pass that Butte's
first murder was committed in Butte's
first pOstoffice. 1t seems that among
the people of Butte who used to leave
mail at Corkerys was Colonel Maree.
The colonel had left dust at Corkery's
number of times to be sent to Gran
VILE Stuart at Deer Lodge, and by
him forwarded in banking form to
Maree's wife in Missouri. Colonel Ma
rec, however. received letters from his
wife which showed that she was not
receiving the money. So he made an
investigation and became convinced
that his money had not gone any far
Their on the road to Missouri than into
Corkerys hands. He mentioned this
to some of his neighbors, but Butte
had never had a criminal before and
did not know what to do about 1t.
The talk reached COrkery's ears. One
evening as Colonel Maree was passing
Corkerys store, Cookery called him in
side and said:
Il understand that you accuse me
of taking the money you send TO your
wife,
Il most emphatically do" returned
Colonel Maree.
"Then you've got to die" exclaimed
Cookery, pulling out gun.
Don't murder me- cried Maree.
Cookery wheeled Marco around and
shot him in the back, killing him al
most instantly.
That was Butte's first dark tragedy.
A precedent was then established in
Butte which has been faithfully fol-
lowed ever since, the precedent that
all murder IS justifiable If there is the
slightest possible excuse for II. Cork
ery was arrested and taken over to
Deer Lodge for trial. He claimed that
he shot Maree i'm self-defense, and he
was acquitted. as so many takers OF
human life in Silver Bow county have
been from that day 10 this. Maree was
buried out near the old stevens hoist,
back of West Galena street. Perhaps
his grave can be found there yet.
Cookery, although cleared. did not
think il best to remain in Butte. and
so sold out his store and all its meager
contents very cheaply to Joseph Rams
dell, father Of Mrs. James A. Tai
bolt.
The trouble led the people of Butte
TO see the necessity of having regu-
lar authorized and responsible post
master. So the government conde-
scended to appoint one and Arson
Ford. in 1866. became the first postmas-
ter of Butte. The government was just
as unwilling then as il is now to pay
rent for postoffice in Butte. AS no
rent would be paid. Mr.. Ramsdell do
mated the use of the log cabin, which
he had bought from Cookery. and so
the first regular postmaster was Arson
Ford and the first postoffice was the
log cabin which stood on the present
site of the Mint saloon. Ii was about
. or 80 feet long and 10 or Is feet wide.
The postoffice stood there about three
wears Meanwhile Mr.. Ramsdell was
getting no rent for it. The govern
ment wouldn't pay rent and Doc
Ford couldu't and il is a matter Of