The Madisonian. (Virginia City, Mont.) 1873-1915, 1896-02-08

John EnOs, who told them the way to
Deer Lodge, then the only settlement
IN this part of the country. He branch
ed out and in the fall of 1864 went up
into the Kootenai country. But he
soon after settled down in the Gallatin
valley, where the most of his life was
spent. He did more to build up the
Yellowstone country than all the rest
OF the people put together, for he fur
nished all the outfits that went in there
for that purpose. The firm in the
early days was A. Lamme 4 Co.. but
all the original partners are O
dead. and the house was more lately
John S. Mendenhall & Co.
II do not know of a man who had
more friends and for a better cause.
H married Mrs. Smith. a daughter
of the wife of Commodore Achilles
Lamme, an aunt of the wife of Judge
Frank Armstrong, of Bozeman."
add Mendenhall.
Capt. Mendenhall came to Montana
from Utah, where for sometime he and
c. b. ~Jacquemin, who is now in the
jewelry business in Helena, we're asso-
ciated together. Mendenhall and JAG
quentin were both young fellows: for it
was then in the SOS. They had gone
to the territory with the military ex-
petition sent out by President Bu-
chanan to quie tthe belligerent spirit of
Brigham Young and the latter day
saints who had succeeded in running
all the United States judges and other
civil officers who were O Mormons
out Of the country. The men met at
Camp Floyd, being connected with the
qsartermaster's and suffers depart
ments of Johnson's command. Mend
entail was with the Fifth infantry and
Jacquemin was with the Tenth. Mr..
Jacquemin vas then with the jewelry
department. Afterward both of them
secured positions in Salt Lake CITY
keeping books and conducting mercan-
tile enterprises.
In early days there was told a legend
about the connection of Mendenhall
with one OF the many lost gulches that
have disturbed the serenity of we'll
regulated mining camps all over the
country. Wherever there was gold. or
the prospect OF gold, there was the
usual "lost cabin" Or "lost gulch," or
mysterious "blue bucket mine" 1t is
not likely that Mendenhall ever credit
ed the stories, but it is said that he met
a party of prospectors once looking for
n of the many myths of that day and
helped them on the way, going with
them a part of the journey out of the
spirit Of adventure that possessed
him.
1t was when he was on his way to
Montana. according to some of the au-
thorities, when he came upon ~. Hea-
ley-the Johnnie Healey'' who was
afterward sheriff of Choteau county
and is o superintendent and mana
ger of the Yukon Transportation Com
pany in Alaska, and who was one OF
the truly famous characters of early
days-with a party of miners who were
looking for the gulch of gold that was
supposed to be somewhere in the re-
gion drained by the Malheur river, in
eastern Oregon.
The members of the Healey party
were without food. and had not eaten
for two days. Mendenhall told them
to help themselves and they did. He
journeyed with them for a time, but
soon tired of the pursuit of the elusive
phantom, and turned back toward Mon
tana. And it is said hat he never re-
GREETED his course.
The lost gulch was one Of those that
contained a stream running yellow over
a bed of golden boulders. The country
has been pretty thoroughly gone over
since, but the gulch has never been
found.
R0VAY RoLsnn 0ovv1l~r.