The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-12-21

practice Of medicine. and soon drifted
again into mining speculation. In which
he was very successful. He was one OF
the original discoveries of a mine AT
Esmeralda, where he operated until
1865. amdss.ng a considerable fortune.
He then went to Austin. New, and
thence To Idaho City. Idaho. Not lind
ing matters satisfactory there. he went
to oregon and on to the Kootenai dis
trict In British Columbia. which az that
time was n hourishing camp. He soon
secured a mining claim on a creek not
FAR from Galbraith's ferry. some miles
north OF what In now BOnner's Ferry.
The placers there were phenomen1lly
rich N DR.. Mitchell took out of his
claim $4,000 or more Of gold dust in
three months. With this stake he re-
turned to San Francisco to spend The
winter.
In May. 1865. he returned to the dig
gings. and while on a prospecting trip
he fell In with a jesuit priest and some
liza who reported very rich placers
In the Blackfoot country. He there
fore accompanied them AGREES the
mountains. arriving at McClellan's
gulch. i'm Deer Lodge county. Sept. 3.
1865. He proceeded on to Helena. where
he engaged again I'm the practice of
medicine. In 1866 he located at The
town of Blackfoot.
In 1868 he was elected to the terri
torial council from Missoula and Deer
Lodge counties. In 1869 ne was appoint
ed by the president of he United
States as the commissioner to build the
penitentbary at Deer Lodge and he re-
moved there that year. since which
time he had made that place his reei-
dence. In 1871 he vas again elected to
the territorial council. of which he was
chosen president. In the winter of 1872
he was elected to the legislature. and
I'm 1875 again to the council. n served
once more as president of that body.
He was reelected to hat body I'm 1877.
1879 and 1888; in 1877 he was again pres
ident of the council.
In 1885 ne was chairman of the ter
ritorial democratic central committee.
In 1883 he was named by the convention
as = IN Of the democratic national
committee. and while serving in that
capacity he was appointed a member
Of the committee to notify Grover
Cleveland of his nomination for prcsi-
dent of the United states.
In 1877 DIR. Mitchell and DIR. Charles
f. Muss'gbrod were awarded the con-
tract for the care. medication and
maintenance of the insane of the etaCe.
which contract they have ever since
retained. In 1877 also. during the Neg
Perces war. DIR. Mitchell was appointed
by Governor Potts az surgeon general
OF the state milit a. and. after the bat
tie of Big Hole. General Gibbon APP
pointed him in charge Of the
wounded. the regular surgeon having
become detached from his regiment.
These wounded were brought to Deer
Lodge and cared for at the asylum.
The. buildings Of the institution are
located at Warm Springs. IL miles east
of Anaconda and II miles south of Deer
Lodge. The asylum buildings furnish
commodiouet quarters for the states in
sane. an
During the past eiglt years, i'm Addi-
ton to his many duties as the physi-
clan of the asylum, DIR. Mitchell was
an active s~peculator in the mining in
~terests of the state. in both gold and
oliver properties. He was n heavy
~stockholder in. and a director of. the
Royal mine neal Deer Lodge. and was
deeply interested in many other mining
properties.
In November. 1871. DIR. Mitchell was
married TO Miss Mary Ellen Irvine.
the daughter of Colonel Thomas II. ir-
vine of Richmond. Ky. The doctor and
his wife have had four sons and a
daughter, all Of whom are living ex-
cepting one son. who died while at
tending the University Of Chicago.