The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-10-08
aflH SALT LAKE HERALD: SATURDAY. OCTOBER 8, 1898

Iowa it was decided TO visit Pixies
Peak in search of gold While en- route
they were attacked by Indians, and in
the ensuing scrimmage she received a
bullet wound, but was rescued by her
brother. She was started east in hopes
OF recovering her health, as the long
confinement caused by this wound had
greatly impaired her health.
| When about 800 miles east of Denver
Fthe freighting train was surrounded by
Indians and all We're made prisoners.
Her brother, she supposed. had been
killed in the attack. and she was car
RED away by the Indians. She, in COM
mon with the Others was pronounced a
| bad spirit and condemned to DEATH
but before this was carried into effect
they We're rescued by United States
| troops and returned to Denver. Shortly
after her arrival their home was de-
stroyed in the great flood that swept
away the major portion of that city.
She now found employment as a cook
on freighting train operating between
Denver and the Missouri river, and u
of these perilous journeys were made
by her.
In company with her brother, who was
saved, she left Omaha in 1865 for Mon
| tana, then in the throes of the gold
excitement, using the BoZeman cutoff
route. One night on Powder river they
were attacked by Indians and had the
misfortune 10 lose their guide. But,
being well provisioned, they decided to
proceed, trusting to luck in keeping
the trail. Such did not prove to be the
case, however. and they lost the same
in the bad lands" of North Dakota
and for four days We're without a drop
of water, the liquid from canned fruit
being their only means of quenching
thirst, or, at least, attempting to do so.
Their lips were parched and swollen
and even their tongues refused TO act
They finally arrived at Virginia City,
however, when almost Immediately
thereafter her brother was seized with
mountain fever. For the first time in
her life did she despair. Flour was
worth 800 per 100 pounds, and potatoes
$35 a bushel. The snow was too deep
to permit of freighting provisions from
Salt Lake, and their supply was far
from being sufficient TO last until
spring. She rented the team ION
shares" to a wood hauler. thus insur-
ing fuel at least Going from cabin to
cabin, when her brothers condition
would allow. she performed odd jobs of
cooking and sewing, and doing all
within her power to make comfortable
the not few sick miners, thus manag-
ing to barely keep the wolf from the
door. Christmas morning on opening
the door of their cabin there stood a
sack Of flour, with a card bearing these
words: Merry Christmas from the
miners in remembrance of your many
kind acts and cheerful words"
Her brother, upon recovering, de- |
cided to return east, but as the mines |
were paying well, she determined to re- |
main. resolved to fight the battle of /
life alone, and was enabled to save quite !
a snug sum from the fees received as !
a nurse. Removing to Helena, where
her reputation in that capacity had pre-
coded her, she found ready employ
ment under a leading physician. In the
fire which consumed Helena the next /
spring, however, her savings and eff
fects were lost, and in common with
many others she found herself penni-
less. She next engaged as a cook at a
Silver City mine. remaining there a
year. but again returned to Helena,
where she was married to Nat Collins,
A mining man.
Taking up their residence near Silver
City, where Mr.. Collins had some min
ing property, they built their first cabin
home. Sitting in the door of the cabin
one afternoon, chatting with neigh
Dor, their attention was attracted TO
The mountain side by a peculiarly shap-
ed boulder.
in two with a sledge, revealing to the
naked eye both virgin gold and silver.
They determined to locate, if possible,
the main body of quartz. After two or
three months fruitlesS search Mr.. Col
ins abandoned hope and returned to
lis placer claims, which he worked
With Indifferent success. The neighbor,
Tommy Cruise, the Helena banker, Ia
ocred for two solid years, when sue
,ess finally crowned his efforts, and L
hus was Montana's most famous gold
nine discovered. Mr.. Cruise, few
ears later. sold the Drum Lummon
nine to the Rothschilds of London for
i 100000 cash, and during its career it
las produced between $l5, 1000 900 and
&c, 900, 600 and to this day is operated
n an extensive scale.
The Collinses finally gave up mining
md started raising cattle on a small .
anch near Helena. They prospered
rom the outset and soon moved to
'Orthern Montana, locating near the
resent city of Choteau. Mr.. Collins
ecame sick, but Mrs. Collins managed
he ranch with great success, and the {
Wo were Well-to-do before long With :
he building up of the town of Choteau :
hey established city residence {
here and took up q far larger body of
and on Willow creek, and have since +
pent their winters in the city and the !
ummers on the ranch, both of which
omes are quite commodious and ele- r
antly furnished. Mr.. Collins health :
as been very poor for years, and the
uccessful management of their affairs 7
) due solely to the business ability OF f
he cattle queen" A daughter was s
orn of their marriage, and it is said a
ne little lady inherits her mothers :
we for outdoor life, and bids fair, I
hould the occasion require, to prove an t
bic successor. h
In describing his first shipment of c
attic to Chicago, a quotation from the d
'rovers' Journal of that city may s
rove interesting. In an October, 1891, n
'sue, it says: Mrs. Nat Collins of s
hoteau, Mont, is here With a train {
,ad of cattle that sold at $3.659$4OO. X
Irs. Collins enjoys the unique distinc- 7
on of being the first lady cattle ship I
er to the Chicago market C
The circumstances leading I'D to this
range event in her life follow: There q
cling no railroad in northern Montana n
that time, it was customary TO sell D
leir yearly output to agents of COM II
ission houses, who would drive them e
large droveS to the nearest railroad Il
alton and ship them east Feeling
lat they were not receiving enough
n their stock, they decided to ship a
ad east themselves. Mr. Collins felt
mself physically incapable of making L
lie long trip on a freight train, and
lie only alternative was to either send
cowboy or Mrs. Collins along with
lem. Mrs. Collins decided to make ! W