The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-02-05

\ guard was kept day and night
I throughout the trip. ana the IL head Il
! oxen and the horses when turned loose
I after days march would wander
/ about IN the bunch grass. which i'm
! those days was over foot hich IN the
! summer time, and az dusk they would
an come in close 10 camp and he near
. their masters an night. \ picket rope
i was never used In those days as moth
4 ing could drive the stock from the
/ camp fire after darkness The party.
/ after crossing the mountains east Of
/ Fort Lemhi came down Horse Prairie
/ creek. and followed up Red Rock cree
. until they came 10 the OLD salt Lake
and Deer Lodge trail At the point
where the TRAN left Beavcrhead river.
/ near the present site OF Dillon. they
I missed the trail. which went over the
/ hill. they Keeping on down Beaverhcad
/ 10 Beaverhead rock. from whore they
went over To the StinkinEwater. now
/ called Ruby creek. They had run out
( of provisions at the present site ~
I Dillon. having only a little -four left
/ and they had baked this and divided
. the bread among them. on July /. an
antelope was killed and that was their
supper ON July there were only
seven curlcWs brought in by the hunt
: crs. this being all the eleven men had 70
/ eat that day. and now they campod.
July 8. on the South Boulder. without
n q
The next morning was July g. and
/ Thursday they killed one Of their oxen
as "A last resort. and dried the meat
before pushing on. The meat was dried
/ on a wooden rack erected over the
camp fire. the process only taking
/ few hours time. The hunters of The
party had had no luck but bad luck for
some days. but had plenty Of FRESH
meat from that time on as there was
game everywhere along the trail. They
reached the jefferson at Point Of
Rocks. near the present site of White
han. and RATED Their liver on the 9Th
and eth. on the Nth they started du"
north. up Whitehall Deer creek. and
over on the North Boulder TO point
near where Bcrkin's ranch is, and they
spent the afternoon there drying elk
meat.
on the 9th the little party went nor'h
! across the range Of mountains between
the waters of the Boulder and the
Prickly Pear running across three
Flathead Indians here. These were the
only Indians seen since leaving Fort
I Lemhi. and the party now stopped 10
learn. n possible. from the redskins
where they were or. more property.
where Deer Lodge was. All of these
streams. valleys ana mountain ranges
encountered since leaving Fort Lemhi
were nameless. There was but one
place known TO them and that was
Deer Lodge. Where was IT. The In
dams could not understand them, hut
after much effort they. by signs, CAV"
them to understand that IL they would
camp there an Indian would come at
sun up the next morning who could
talk" and 50 they went into camp.
The guard was doubled that night.
but the Indians were honest ana next
morning. true 10 the word, they were
visited by two Indians at sun up and
as the redskins came up one OF them
stopped and said in good English.
We'll. n that isn't Jack MendcnhalL"
Mr. MonderhalI looked AT him and had
10 confess that the Indian had got tho
best OF him, when. pointing 10 one or
Mr. Mendenhalrs horses, the Indian
said. And that is one Of Van Etten's
horses" After being lost and wander
ing over mountains and valleys FOR six
weeks this was most startling To be In
troduced to yourself by an Indian in
this manner. lie proved to be Louis
NandelburE. a half-breed, who had
met Jack Mendcnhall in Salt Lake city
in 1855 and who had remembered well
the days. seven years before. when he
had known Mr.. Mendenhall at Camp
Floyd That afternoon was spent In
the Indians camp. near by, and on the
nth and 18th the party was IN camp
on the hcadwaters or Ten Mile creek;
the 18th they camped on the Little
ltlaCkftof. Wnefe NUllelN iNdi iA'n
crossed the main divide. at the site 81
Mullens' tunnel. and on the 18th they
arrived at Gold creek, whore the first
gold was discovered in Montana. Her"
was a small store kept by man OF
tho name Of Warden. Granville Stuart
and his brother Jim, Fred Barr and !
few others making up this camp.
Then Mendenhall and Mcnefee hired
Fred Burr for $50 20 return to Fort
Iemhi for the provisions which they
had cached. Mendenhall accompanying
Burr The entire white population 81
Montana was only about 20 souls NJ
this time Deer Lodge was the only
other settlement and this party was
one OF tho largest which had ever on
tered the territory.
That fall there were probably more
than thousand men in the state.
Bannark city. the first great gold
camp. was a city Of about 500 inhabl-
tants and mining had become what 10
has confined TO be 70 this day, the
principal industry Of the state. Ban
mack was discovered In this manner.
While returning 20 Fort Lemhi Men
deuhaI and Burr met John White and
party az the forks Of Horse Prairie
creek and told him 20 stay there until
they returned from Fort L-mhi. which
was "A half days Journey beyond. and /
they would return with him 10 Deer
Lodge. lie did this and after their re-
turn the first camp was made NJ Grass
hopper creek and John White was 50
pleased with the LOOKS Of the Eulch /
that he decided 20 stay and prospect /
for n few days and then follow Men |
deuhall and Burr into Deer Lodge. He I
did this and reaching Deer Lodge q /
few days later he told ~ rich placer /
dlrgings which NJ had found and the 4
rush which followed ended in BennaCk I
city being built the first great gold /
Geld ~ Montana
Mr. Mendenlal stayed I'm Deer /
Lodge that summer. going o. salt Lake /
city in the fan and returning 70 Ban /
mack in December with stock OF |
merChaDdisa which ne sold out there |
that winter. In the spring OF lS63 he /
Ieft one Stieknay i1 charge OF his store /
al EaunacE while hn went u FOr- Ben /
.rn. down the Missouri 10 Omaha and /
from there 90 Denver for the purpose 1