The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-02-06
State Of Montana.


friend in need to those he had known
in early days. and 10 those whom he
had not met until long after he had
blazed the trail by which they were
enabled to more easily make the jour
ney to the famed land OF gold.
All Of the pioneers Of Montana knew
Mendenhall.
The advent of Captain MendenhaU
and the members of the party with
which he came was practically the be-
ginning Of the settlement Of this coun-
try" said Col. w. +. Sanders yester-
day. In the early days he was quite
an active and quite an important fac
tor in the building up Of the country.
He remembered his friends and en-
deared himself to them by his liberal
ity under circumstances when IL did
the most good. During the past few
years his health seemed to fail him.
and he gradually grew worse so that
his death did not come as an entire
surprise. He made considerable mon
ey, and leaves his family well provid-
ed for, ! think"
James GouTiev knew him as long AGO
az any Of his associates Of the early
days in the state. For 10 years Mr..
Gourley was with him in business i'm
the Gail1tln valley He first met him
at Bannack in 1862
He has been identified with Mon
tana as much as any man in it," said
he. He always had ample means, and
he never failed to help a man along
the road J do not think IL is an eX-
aggeration TO say that he has pre-
served the li,tle homes of more famil-
les than any man in the state or ter
ritory He did that by judicious eN-
tension of credits and transformations
deeds Of kindness to all whom he
deemed worthy Of assistance
"Mendenhall came to Montana when
HI was unknown That was in the fan
OF 1862. He and his party came in by
way of Salmon river. They met some
sort of misfortune, and lost everything
they had in the way of provisions.
They got little wheat somewhere
along the line, and that. with the fish
and game they obtained along the
trail. was all they lived on for some
time. Up where Lump Gulch now Is
they met a half breed Indian ramed
John Enos. who told them the way
10 Deer Lodge, then the only settle
ment in this part Of the country. Tie
branched out and in the fall Of 1864
went up into the KOOtenai country
But he soon after settled down i'm 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 furnished all the outfits that went
in there for that purpose. The firm i'm
she early days was A. Lamme q Co.
but ali the original partners are now
dead, and the house was more lately
John s. Mendenhall & co.
Il 90 not know Of a man who had
more friends and for better cause.
He married Mrs. Smith. a daughter
Of the wife of Commodore Achilles
Lamme. an aunt of the wife of Judge
Frank Henry OF Bozeman."
Captain Nondenhall came TO Mon
tana from Utah. where for some time
he and G. u. Jacquemin, who IS now
in the tewelry business I'm Helena.
were associated together. Mendenhau
and Jacquemin were both young fell
lows, for 1T was then in the SOS. They
had gone to the territory with the mil
itary expedition sent out by President
Buchanan to quiet the beliigerent spir-
it of brigham Young and tho latter
day saints who had succeeded In run
ming all the United States Judges and
other civil officers who were not Nor
mons out If the country. The men
met at Camp Floyd, being connected
with the quartermaster's and suffers
departments OF JohnSOn'S command
Mendenhall was with the Fifth infan-
try and Jacquemin was with the 10th.
Mr.. Jacquemin was then with the Jew
elry department. Afterward both Of
them secured positions IN salt Lake
city keeping books and conducting
mercantile enterprises.
'Mcndenhall was an adventurous
spirit" said Mr. Jacquomin last even
ing, land he conceived tho idea that
he would 20 up into Idaho-aU This
part Of the country was Idaho TO us
then-to hunt for gold. 7 went back
to st. Louis on n visit about the time
they started hut ! received a letter
10
party. and urging me 10 come along.
He was with l.. I. Manaffee Bud
Meadow old man Perkins and others.
I did try - follow him. but at Snake
river we found we couldn't cross on
account Of tho high water. and we re-
manned at Fort Hall for a time. and
turned mp into the Boise basin. whore
we turned our efforts 70 the same end
and did not come to Montana for some
time afterward.
But everywhere that MendenhaU
went he was Al There never was a
man who made friends more readily or
kept them any more steadfastly than
he"
In early DAYS there was told le-
Ccnd about the connection Of Nenden-
han with ono q the many lost Culches
well regulated mining camps all over
the country. Wherever there was
gold or the prospect Of gold, there was
the usual lost cabin" or lost gulcl."
or mysterious blue bucket mine" u
is nct likely that Nandenhau ever
credited the stories. but IL Is said that
he me-. n party Of pr1spocto~s once
looking for one Of the many myths Of
that day and helped them on che way.
going with them a part Of the journey
ont ~ the spirit ~ adventure that pos
sas~e7 him.
y was when h was or Ms way %
Montana. according = some II the au-
th0r.tias. when lie came upon r Y.
He1'ey-tho Johnny T5aaloy'' who
was attorw9rd sheriff Of Ch0teau
county and = now superintendent and
rraog~-r of the Yukon TRANSFORMATION
company I'm Alaska. and who was one
NJ the truly famous characters OF early
Tays-with 81 party = miners who
r-a~a looking for the ruIeN NJ gold th7t