davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1897-12-19

The little log house on West Quartz
street was occupied by Mr.. Ramsdell
and his family from the time the house
was built in August, 1866, until late
in 1870. Meanwhile Mr. Ramsdell
worked the Ramsdell-P Parrot mine and
located a number Of others, some of
which have since become famous, in
Guiding the Alice of Walkerville. MIR.
Ramsdell did not develop the Alice, but
merely did the necessary representa-
ton work from year to year. He did
a good deal of work on the Ramsdell-
Parrot and built the first smelter Butte
ever had That was in the fall of 1866.
Just after he had finished his house
and seen his family. which, since ar
irving from Salt Lake. had been quar-
tered in a tent. comfortably situated
there This smelter was only a small
one and has long since disappeared. 1t
was built in the gulch just below the
Ramsdell-P Parrot mine beside a big tree.
The first copper mined in Butte was
taken from the Ramsdell-Parrot and
run through this smelter. The Rams
dell-Parrot was developed that fall to
a depth of 100 feet. The work was done
by Howell and Jack Harris, to whom
Mr.. Ramsdell paid 81 each per day.
which beats the present union rate in
Butte a few lines. 4 man named
The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1897-12-19
TIE OLDEST IN BUTTE.

had plenty to eat, both for ourselves
and anybody who came along. / re-
member there was a dance in town
that Christmas night. A man called
Doctor Otman, though | never knew
whether he was a regular doctor or
not, had a cabin about where the Bea-
yer block now is. 1t was a large cabin,
all one room. He invited everybody in
town to the dance that night. You
see we weren't exclusive in those days
The dance was free and every man.
woman and child in the town was there
about so people all told. Everybody
took his own grub to the dance and
threw it all in together and made "A
family affair out of it. We had two
fddlers-a man we called Black Hawk
and Bill Owsley. We danced schct-
tische and vesuvienne and polka for
round dances and then we had quad
rifles. We didn't dress up much for
the dance and it wasn't so swell as the
Union club dances, but we all had a
bamg-up good time. There wasn't much
drinking here at that time-scarcely
any, in fact, and there was no disturb
ance
We went home about midnight that
Christmas night and it was as warm
The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1897-12-19

camp. Some of the old timers were
there and others soon returned, but the
town didn't seem the same.
II noticed the difference as soon as
I arrived" said Mr. RamsdeIl II left
my OK team standing in the street
while I went to see Mr.. Talbot When
/ returned the oxen were still there.
but the yokes and the straps were all
gone. / have never seen them since.
/ then realized that | was in a new
Butte. The town was more modern
and advanced. so I didn't take chances
on leaving $4,000 worth of gold dust
unmatched in the little log house any
more. In the new Butte | quit leaving
my. doors unlocked. I put locks on the
little log house. | realized that the old
Butte had gone never to return, and
that the era Of grab had started in"
There were 100 or more houses in
Butte when Mr.. Ramsdell returned in
1876. When he left they were all log
houses, but there Were now some frame
houses. The Centennial hotel had been
built on the site where there is now
going up Butte's six story iron and
steel building. The Centennial, since
burned down. was partly frame and
partly of logs. On the site of the Bea-
Yer block $. Marchesseau had big
store. The building was constructed
partly of stone and partly Of logs.
Mr.. Ramsdell moved his family back
to the little log house and they lived
there through the winter and then in
the spring he built a more pretentious
house. which he still owns. on East
Galena street close to where the Pine
Tree saloon stands.
The little log house has passed out
of the hands of Mr.. Ramsdell Al
though one of the first to arrive in
Butte he never had a title to the lot
and never asked anybody for a deed.
In those early days a man built his
cabin where he pleased and no one dis
puted his claim. When he returned to
Butte in 1876 Mr.. Ramsdell found a
different condition of things He
wasn't sure whether he owned the lit
tie log cabin or not. and couldn't claim
anything more than squatter's right.
II. s. Clark, w. A. Clark and Charles
BielenberG has acquired the title to
the lead which ran under the cabin.
Mr.. Ramsdell. however, sold his right
to the cabin and the lot to Mr.. Sails
bury of Gilmer & Salisbury. who gave
him $4,000 for 1t. From Mr.. Salisbury
the interest passed to j. c. Reed, who
had managed MIR. Salisbury's business
and who died a few weeks ago. The
old log house is now owned by III. $.
Clark and is rented to the Silver Bow
Coal company for stable. Before SELL
ing the place Mr.. Ramsdell built east of
it a barn which cost s1,50e, much more
than the house cost He built ii for
Gilmer & Salisbury and it is now used
as paint shop.
II have heard people tell of the hard
times here in the early days" said Mr..
Ramsdell, but / can't say that | ever
experienced any very hard times.
never had any trouble or any quarrels
in those days. There are few who have
been here as long as l have and have
The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1897-12-19

To think of Germany in connection
with Christmas is to remember the
Christmas tree. We Americans are
proud to have sat at the feet of our
Teutonic friends, and to have learned
from them. as our English cousins have
also learned. how to make the children
vastly happier when the call comes for
everybody to be happy as he can
There is scarcely need to tell that in
the fatherland on Christmas eve houses
everywhere have the Christmas tree in
the principal room. The little people
wait in an adjoining apartment till the
signal is given for them to enter where
the tree is. Then what a rush and how
sweet a picture. There on long table
in the middle of the room stands the
Christmas tree, every branch glittering
with lighted tapers. All sorts of gifts
and ornaments hang suspended in pro-
fusion from the branches of the tree
Indeed, there is an overflow on the ia
BILE on which the tree stands. Every
present Is labeled with the name of the
donee to be- The distribution is a sue
cession of surprises and a continuous
joy.
The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1897-12-19

live me-" said Mr.. Ranlsdeli. Il was
never sick until this winter and now
il is only little rheumatism. / don't
need to go to the Klondyke In the
spring and have no intention of going.
but / believe / could physically stand
the trip as well as anybody
Against the argument Of those who
say that Butte is a town which cuts
life short, in which the healthiest per-
son cannot expect to live many years,
Mr.. Ramsde1l. who came here In 1864.
is a hale and hearty and most con-
Vincing refutation. He has seen Butte
grow from a green and deserted hill to
the barren, busy metropolis of Montana.
He has seen the great copper and silver
mines developed from the grass roots
until they have honeyc0mbed the entire
Butte district hundreds of feet in depth.
He has seen the little log houses of a
third Of a century ago replaced by the
big brick blocks and modern residences
going up on every hand to-day. He
has seen the days of friendship and true
sociability and unlocked doors replaced
by the days of highwaynen and MUIR
derers and graspers for gold He has
seen the entire history of Butte from
the log cabin to the iron and steel
block. He has seen the OK teams re-
placed by the Pullman palace car and
the saddle horse by the electric street
car. He has seen the old winding trail
replaced by paved streets He has seen
all this, he has seen all of Butte. He
rejoices and takes pride in the greaE
progressive, prosperous Butte of to-
day, But who can blame him If &C.
casionally seated amid the comforts
and luxuries of a modern Butte home.
he may turn back a wistful memory
to the green and quiet Butte of long
ago and the ruder comforts, the truer
friendships, perhaps, and the unlocked
doors of the little old log house Of S.?
The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1897-12-19
EncLiSHMEN AT THE THEATER.
English Women ms Race Are the Worsl
Dressed Women ~ the World.

Lillian Bell. who is writing from Lon
don to the Ladies' Home Journal gives
some remarkably interesting descriptions
of the Brtishers. Here. for instance. is
the way she pictures audience at
London theater: THE play was most
amusing. yet my sister and l couldn't
help watching the audience. Such bored
looking set, the women with frizzled hair
held down by invisible nets. mingling
with their eyebrows and done hid ously
in the back. Low-necked gowns, exh bit
Ing the most beautiful shoulders in the
world. Gorgeous jewels i'm their hair and
cleaning all over their bodices, but
among half a dozen emerald. TURQUOISE
and diamond bracelets there would APP
pear a silver watch bracelet which cost
The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1897-12-19

never seen any real hard times. I have
always had plenty to eat and plenty
TO give 70 anyone who might come
along"
mis- son, who sold il 10 Marcus Daily fer
the Walker brothers, Who organized the
Alice conf aHH ana still e~H the mine
The deli-ParrcI he owned until re-
Gently. His suit with ". a Clark three
years ago is Well remembered lie had
leased the mine II v. \. Clark and in
some way things 50 developed that he
seemed likely to lose the mine and ev-
erything else rs had 10 Mr.. Clark. The
mine was ta b- put I'M at auction by
Mr.. Clark. but Mr Ramsdell sold the
mine L. Marcus DAILY. WhJ now owns IL.
The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1897-12-19

stage line from Butte to Dillon and
they rented the little log house from
MIR. Eamsdell. He built for them a
little frame bench-out. an addition
which sliil stands just west If the log
house. and in it Gilmer & Salisbury
stabbed their horses.
There as a great change in Butte
when Ntr. Ramsdeh moved back IL Il
in fS76 fr m his ranch near Deer Lodge.
The town was not large as yet. but II
had just begun 70 grow to the proper
lions II the new Butte-the Butte of
to-day He had been one of the last
10 desert IL when the placer mining
gave Unit and when he returned In a
f-u short years, there seemed II be an
entirely different class of people IN the
The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1897-12-19

themselves to what they wanted to eat
But nothing was ever stolen. Once, L
remember, we had 100000 in gold dust
in sacks. Near the stove there was a
trap door down into kind of cellar
MY wife, who was banker for the fam
lily. put the sacks of gold dust in with
the potatoes. We were gone on a trip
to Helena for several days and left
the gold dust there with the doors wide
open. Nothing was ever stolen in those
days and there were no hold-ups.'
DO you remember your first Christ
mas in this house?'
Il don't remember anything particu-
lar about that Christmas. We always
The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1897-12-19

and balmy as May We didn't have to
wear wraps. But the next morning
1t began to snow and it didn't stop
showing until there was six feet of snow
on the ground all over Butte. There
was more snow here that winter than
] have ever seen here since and il last
ed until April. out on the fat the snow
was deeper than six feet and l had
lot of oxen out there. They couldn't
get down to the ground to get anything
to eat and / had no hay and no barns
l paid man named Wage $1,000 for l.
tons of hay u keep my cattle from
starving. | had ~ head Of oxen at
the time and ! didn't lose one. but
would have lost them all but for this
hay
The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1897-12-19

not over $40. and spoiled the effect of all
the others.
English women as race are the
worst-dressed women in the world. | saw
thousands of them in Piccadiliy and Re-
gent streets and at Church Parade, IN the
park. with French-heeled slippers over
coiored stockings. And as to sizes.
should say mines were the average. There
are some smaller. but the most are larger.
THE Prince of Wales was in the box
opposite to ours. and when we were not
looking at him we gazed at the impassive
faces of the audience. They never smiled.
They never laughed The subtlest points
in the play were unnoticed. yet ii is one
which has had a record run. and bids
fair to keep the boards for the rest OF
the season."
Cora Tanner is contemplating re-
vival of Alone in London" for next
The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1897-12-19
IT'S THE OLDEST IN BUTTE
Once 1t Was Cabin but 1t Serves in Modern Days as
Poor Apology for Bill Board.

n N the north side of West Quartz
lSN street, little west of Main
Ne street and just two doors east OF
~ the Quartz street fire station,
Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1897-08-21
LOYAL TO HER COUNTRY.
She Sent Six Sons to the War and
Lost Them All.

Lost Them All.
Mrs. Wiser, widow of John Wiser,
died few days ago in the little town
of Sardinia, N, Y, at the age of 90 years
months and 0 days. She was a ma
tive of France, but she did much for her
adopted country.
She was the mother of IS children, 10
of whom grew to adult age. Six of her
sons and two sons-in-law enlisted in the
union army early in the rebellion, and
the six sons lost their lives during the
war.
Tho Wiser boys are remembered by
sheir neighbors as strapping, we'll
built country fellows, ranging in age
from 16 to 81 at the beginning of the
war. They all enlisted in New York
regiments, the One Hundred and Six
teenth and Forty-fourth and one other.
Three of them went at the first call for
troops, and two of these were killed at
the battle of Bull Run. Uncomplaining-
ly the mother sent out the others, one
after the other, to meet the same fate
One was in the list of missing after
Pine Hill one fell victim to the fever
in the siege of Charleston. The young
est survived until almost the close of the
war, and fell in the campaign of the
Wilderness. The young minister who
preached her funeral sermon said:
"She had no cause to repeat Nathan
Hale's regret that he had but one life
TO give for his country, for she gave
six lives toward the preservation of the
union."-N. Y. Sun,
Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1897-08-21
HIGHWAY DRAINAGE.
without 1t Road Building Cannot BE
Mnde n Success.

Made n Success.
There is one fault frequently com.
mitted in the use of the road machine
there is an insufficient escape allowed
for water. Those who operate the ma
chimes object to being bothered by bars,
or the so-called thank you, marms." -"
So these are not being put in their
places as they should be.
If there is n short sag to be filled.
it can probably be done from ma
terial at the sides by using drag
scrapers, then dress up with a road
machine, or if the soil is stiff clay OF
muck, haul on gravel, rock, shale or
sand, if they are available. If not, the
embanllment should be raised to an
extra height to give quick drainage.
The worst feature in the working OF
the roads is that they are made the
cutters of the county.
The ditch on thesupper side of the
road gathers all the water from the
fields above the road and carry it to the
foot of the hill; the ditch on the lower
side gathers all the water coming from
the road, and between the two our road
systems are being washed out.
Drainage can and should be provided
to get the water outside of the road linn,
it's at short intervals. Water is a poor
road material. Keep it from getting
on the roads where possible.-Kenyou
(Mich,) Leader.
Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1897-08-21
A USE FOR TRAMPS.
In the South Weary WrnREIes Is Com
PEELED to Build Roads.


Visitors to the south have probably
noticed that there are several southern
states in which tramps are rarely seen.
The reason why these states have such
immunity from tramps, while Msssa-
Shusetts is overrun with vagabonds of
the criminal class, is simply TO be found
In the different methods of treatment
Of such criminals. In these southern
states, where tramps are so seldom
seen, it is the uniform practice to put
all suspicious characters at work upon
the construction of public ROADS
throughout the states.
When a state has more roads that
need improvements than money with
which to effect these improvements,
the employment of tramps as roadmak-
ers has been found to work to the sat
isfaction of the general public. A Grim
inal class is kept out of mischief, while
at the same time the value of the taxa
BILE property of the state is increased.
Farmers are benefited by being able
to get their produce to market with
far less trouble and delay than were
formerly expected as aSmatter of course.
The state secures good roads at little
expense.
OF course, the tramps do not care to
work day after day, toiling away upon
the state highways; but whenever they
are caught within such state they
cannot help themselves. The conse-
quence is that after few years of this
system the great majority of tramps
give the state wide berth.-Boston
(Mass.) Advertiser.
Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1897-08-21

during most of the battle. Her mag
niticent home, situated close to the
heavy fighting, was converted into
hospital soon after the battle opened.
The colonel says that when he applied
to Gen. Forrest for orders that dashing
cavalryman told him to report to Mrs.
McGayock. He did as directed, and
when he reached the house found its
fair mistress ministering to the wound
ed and washing the blood from the
dead. Her skirts were splashed with
blood, and her bare arms were as bloody
as though she had stuck them into
buckets OF crimson fluid. GO get me
Yankee was the imperious command
she gave to the Alabama colonel, when
lie told her he had been ordered by Gen.
Forrest to report to her.
"'Alive or dead?' ironically inquired
the colonel.
"'Ailve, of course was the quick re-
sponse. What use have l for Il dead
IaAltee?
without further ado the colonel
galloped back to our lines, and in Il
jiffy all that remained of the army
were made acquainted with Mrs. Nc
GavoclS's order for a live Yankee. The
colonel soon succeeded in capturing one
and marched him to the McGavock man
sion, without the least idea of what
use his trembling prisoner was going
to be put TO. Mrs. McGavock eyed him
closely for an instant when he was
ushPred into her presence, and then
broke the silence and relieved every
body's feelings by ipquiring of him:
Can you peel potatoes?' The Yankee
gleefully told her that he could. Then
come to the kitchen with me- was her
next command. You people are try
ing to kill all of our boys, and those who
survive the day will want something to
eat tonight. My cellar is full of po-
tatoes, and you can begin now and peel
on them until night comes. Then you
can help me cook them. You have freed
all our negroes, and now that you are in
my power, L will make you do the
work my slaves would do but for the
conduct of your sort of people,
"And the colonel says the way that
Yankee shed his coat and got down to
peeling potatoes. would have distanced
the modern machine used for that pur-
pose."-St. Louis Republic.
Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1897-08-21

dwell upon; and the owner of such
place will be much more highly respect
ed in the eyes of passers-by.
1t takes so little of ones time and ef-
forts to make these inexpensive i'm
provements about ones home that the
wonder is that more is not done. Get
the children interested in such work
as this about the home, and they will
soon learn to love it and be proud of it.
When these feelings are entertained for
the home on the part of the boys and
girls, we shall see fewer of them leav-
ing the farms for the uncertain life
of the cities.-Country Gentleman.
Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1897-08-21
II. & O. improvements.

The work of Strengthening the track and
reducing the grade at Tabbs Station on the
second division of the Baltimore & Ohio
railroad was recently completed, and the
first train to use the new line was No. j, the
New York and st. Louis flyer. A heavy
grade and three bad curves have been elm
mated by this work. A mile east, at Meyers
Hole, similar improvement has also been
completed after months of work. Several
reverse curves and a nasty and dangerous
dip are done away with at this point. Near
Myers Hole, at Tablers, the alignment of the
track is being materially changed, and, as in
the other two improvements, bad grades
and sharp, annoying curves are being re,
moved. This part Of the work will be done
in sixty days and then series CT very dan
gerous places will have been entirely re-
moved. This work in its entirety means the
hauling of several additional cars in each
freight train, besides reducing the danger
of derailments to almost nothing. The sec.
ond division, running from Cumberland to
Brunswick, will soon be in first-class con
dition and more cheaply operated than
ever
Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1897-08-21

During the Tennessee Centennial and In.
ternational Exposition at Nashville, Tenn,
low rate special tariff has been established
for the sale of tickets from Cincinnati and
other terminal points on the Queen & Cres-
cont Route.
Tickets are on sale daily until further mo-
tice to Chattanooga at $6.75 one way or 81 20
round trip. from Cincinnati, the round trip
tickets being good seven days to return
other tickets, with longer return limit, at
5000 and at $3.50 for the round trip.
These rates enable the public to visit
Nashville and other Southern points at rates
never before offered. Vestibuled trains Of
the finest class are at the disposal of the
passenger, affording a most pleasant trip
and enabling one to visit the very inter
esting scenery and important battle-ground
in and about Chattanooga, Lookout Noun
tain and Chickamauga National Military
Park Tickets to Nashville to visit The
Centennial can be repurchased at Chatta
nooga for S3.4O round trip. Ask your tickle
agent for tickets via Cincinnati and the Q
& G. Route South or write to
W. G. RINEARSON, Gen'l Pass'r Agent
Cincinnati, O.
Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1897-08-21
GATHERING EVERYTHING UP.

yards from the hospital. Here we dug
hole about two feet deep in the earth,
and, after wrapping the pillow cases
and bed tick in blanket, we consigned
everything pistols, watches
and money--into the excavation and
covered all with dirt and carefully re-
placed the green turf. The enemy never
appeared, and few days after the
scare every man who was able to walk
or ride left the hospital and set out to
join the army, leaving the citizens OF
Lexington to care for the wounded.
Now l am just as certain of the fact"
added the old soldier, with great earn
estness, "as am that the stars shine,
that not one single man connected with
the affair ever went back to the spot
where we buried all that stuff. The
wounded soldier who gave up the belt
containing $1,000 died, and afterward
saw the old warden and two others
who were connected with the foolish
nesS in Prices army.
"After reaching the street in front of
the hospital, we tnrned to the right,
with our backs to the river, and some
200 or 900 yards further on we turned
to the left. and it was in the first little
vale or ravine that we encountered that
the stuff was buried. am sure that
we buried several hundred dollars and
considerable quantity of valuable
jewelry in that hole on that frightfui
night, and for SO years it has ofte1
been a matter of wonder with me as
to whether or not anyone has ever
stumbled upon the stnff.-Kansas City
Star.