The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-02-17

est and of value to compile the blogra-
phies of the pioneer women OF the state.
The story of the struggles of the mon IN
those early days has often been told. Inc
part the women had in that history has
not been chronicled. The idea met with
favor, the biographies of many OF Mon
tana's pioneer women were prepared and
were part of the exhibit. The biographies
we're returned after the fair and have been
stored away in dusty corners. Inc bi-
ographies we're never published, yet they
contain so much of general interest and
permanent value that 1t would seem al
most a crime not to place them before
the public 1t may be that some time all
will be publishe | IN a little book. Mean
while the STANDARD has Obtained the
consent of the Silver Bow county com
mittee to publish the biographies that
have been prepared of the pioneer women
of this county.
The compiler for this county was Mrs.
j. II. Russell, who. in introducing the
matter that follows, says:
Among the busy throngs of this county
at the present time if the "O.d Timer" is
not conspicuous by his absence, 1t GER
tainly cannot be claimed that he Is at all
prominent by his presence. Although
what is now Silver ow county was IN
1864 second oniy to Virginia City IN the
then territory of Montana, in population,
gold dust and miners morals-or more
properly speaking lack of morals-yet in
recent times there is but vestige left oil
those busy thousands who mined by day
and drank aud gambled by night; who
took the treasure from the generous earth,
and as generously gave il up again; who
focked TO the golden fields from. no one
knows where, and upon the exhaustion OF
treasure, disappeared as mysterl-
ousy as they had come. WHAT
contradiction of all the laws oil
social stability and permanence OF homel
Where less than 30 years since multitudes
strove, fought, laughed, cried and lid,
there remains not now sufficient num-
Der TO fairly represent the moving. wan
dering human herds. These iinerant
miners looked only for the gold that could
be had, IL not Tor the asking, at least for
the taking. They knew nothing OF tho
hi lden treasures that we're locked IN
chemical mbrace, and required the magic
hand of science TO free 1t from It's base
combinations. When the free gold van
ished, they, too, took wings and left too
few behind to tell who they were, from
whence they came or whittier they had
gone. To the inquirer at tins day they
real-as n dream. Only the memory, and
that in an lndistinct and general way, re-
mains to tell that such numbers and such
characters did IN fact exist.
But of the women of these times-and
they have been the subj ct of our search
even less than of the men can be learn cd.
This is attributable to tho fact that the
transient fortune hunter was rarely en-
numbered by his wife or female relatives,
and as n consequence women were decld-
eddy rare. Inquiry would leave the i'm
pression-though il might be erroneous
that the greater proportion OF pioneer
women were adveuturesses, attracted by
the wondrous magic of gold. These, like
the wandering miners, have left scarce n
trace OF their lives or identity. There
were, however, in those wild and furious
times, women of staunch and honest wo-
manhood, and Montana's pioneer history,
II not tho history of these women. is prin-
cipally the history of the men who were
sustained and encouraged by these bravo
souls. OF these women, very few have
been found, aud have submitted a few
facts of what must have been busy and
eventful lives.
MRS. AMERICA a. FoRBIs.
Twas born in Stanford, Lincoln county,
KY, on the 25th of September, 1917.
My ancestors for several generations
were southern planters, and | grew up on
my fathers plantation where | was born.
My lineage is American of Scotch origin.
My maiden name was America Perrin,
and was educated at lsctto Fem ale COLI
lege at Cynihiana, NY. On December -,
1856, was married to Johnathan Frank
lin Forbis, who was also born III STAN
ford, KY, and who knew mo from IN
fancy.
In January, 1911, we left our native
state, and then began our painless west
ward march. We first settled in Platte
county, Missouri, then a new state with
unknown resources, where we spent 20
years, carving out of the wilderness a
home, a farm. for we were farmers by ma
ture, i'm a locality which from 1851 to 1864
was the common battle ground of the re-
bellion, harrassel 10y both sides, protected
by neither, and the theater OF the most
appalllng scenes of fratricidal warfare.
Our farm horses were taken for cavalry
uses, our produce for the commissary, our
lands devastated. and we were finally
driven to again resume our westward way.
May Is, 1851. we started with ORLEANS
for Oregon via Idaho, which then in-
cuded the territory embraced in Mon.
tana, and after four months travel
through the country, infested by the war
like Sioux, under the chief, Black Kettle
we arrived at Virginia City, IN Alder
gulch, the present county seat of Madison
county. Sept. i, 1854.
EmIgraut trains, westward bound, In
those times were compelled 10 travel to
gether for protection against the lad ans,
and whie crossing the plains of Nebraska
our train was so long that one enI could
bo saau frpr, pfEpr II ,Iias ,f
murdered travellers were often seen lying
by the roadside, partly devourel by wild
animals. Work animals died in great
numbers from drinking alkali water, ant
carcasscs fairly in heated the way TO the
bewildered pilgrims. But we became SC
accustomed 10 carnage, that We could de
tect tie stencil of the decayny hum m