The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-12-18
GREAT LEAD PRODUCERS
Interesting Chapter in the His.
tory Of Beaverhead County.
STAMPEDE FROM HAMMOCK
Mine Was Discovered by Accident
The Prospectors Stumbled on the
Property Owned by the
Hecla Company.

Glendale and Lion City. products OF
the famous lead mines of Lion hill. a
stately mountain whose summit reach
es an elevation of IL. 900 feet above sea
level. These mines are operated hy
the Hecla Mining company, of which
Henry knippenberg is the head and
manager. The story of the discovery
OF these great cad producers is the
most Interesting part OF the history OF
Beaverhead county. and but little is
known by the outside world concern
ms the organization Of the only ex-
clusively lead mining in Mon
ans
In the summer of 1872 Jerry Groto-
want. Joe McCreary. Charles De Lor-
inner and James Bryant left the vipoud
district on a hunting and prospecting
trip in the mountains in the vicinity
OF Lion hill. then unnamed. The year
before these men had been I'D near
the head of Trapper creek, and knew
mat the country abounded in game
beaver, cheep, deer and lions A few
miles from where Glendale now stands
n men lost their horses. The flies
Oda tuaI summer.
and the horses stampeded. Jim Bryan
started on up the creek and. being tir-
ed, ne sat down on a rock. Looking
ABOUT him he was attracted by a piece
OF rock which looked like good ore.
he broke IL and was convinced tina,
IL contained silver. Further investi-
gation OF his surroundings revealed the
ract mat he was sitting on the crop
pings OF a big ledge Of the kind of
ore he had broken. He didn't find the
horses that day. Instead he FASTENED
back TO camp and told the story of his
md TO his comrades. The rock was
assayed. it's value being $500 ounces of
silver to the ton. The men soon were
at work taking out ore. In a short
time Bill Hamilton. who had been
given the contract, packed out on
mules $40. 900 worth of ore TO a point
down the creek from where IL was
hauled in wagons to Corinne and there
put on cars and shipped to Denver.
That was the preliminary to a success
sion of strikes in the vicinity.
Soon the news spread and there was
a stampede from Bannack and other
camps.
When IL Started Up.
Among those who were first on the
ground was Noah Armstrong. one OF
the best known citizens Of the West.
now in business in Seattle. He was
in the development of the
of the state i'm and about
Diamond, and among his parapherna-
ia was a complete sampling outfit.
lie saw by a superficial survey of the
surroundings that he was in the midst
OF a great lead region. He therefore
a and in the game. and IL his
luck failed him in his search for .'crop-
for which that district was IA
nous. he was particularly fortunate
m obtaining options on a number of
properties there. His next
move was east. and he went to ndian
apolis and organized the Hecla com
Dany. those most prominently identi-
led in II being Mr.. Knippenberg. Vice
Hendricks n a couple OF
lther capitalists named Allen and At
Sins. Charles l.. Dahler of his state
vas also interested IN the company.
In the fall of that year the Cleve
nine, just below the town of Hecla.
md but half a mile from Trapper,
vas discovered by Ben Harvey and
Doc Day. Grotovant and McCreary
we're the first to discover ore on Lion
ill and the day Of the discovery
marks the date of the naming of that
mountain.
Grotovant had a white mule and one
lay 1t strayed away from Trapper.
oe McCreary left Trapper and started
~ towards the big hill in search OF
he mule. He had got as far as a
lif OF rock just above where the
iecla bunk house now stands. He
boxed up and there, browsing neal
edge of the cliff, was the lost mule.
oe turned and ran down TO Trapper
told Jerry that he had seen a big
mite mountain lion. Together Joe
Jerry returned to the cliff, and
here they saw the old mule. The
was on Joe. and ~henceforth the
was known as Lion noun
Subsequent events proved it TO
e an appropriate name, for II was
that the hill was the sporting
of many mountain lions.
Trapper soon sppng into promin-
nee and James l. Hamilton, now of
ute, where he owns much valuable
al estate. was the first postmaster. :
he turned the office over to John !
anovan. now OF Anaconda. who con
the business for Uncle Sam In
with a hotel which was ,
as the Tnpper City hotel. He !
so ran a livery stable. ,
Harvey and Day discovered the At !
ntis and Alta mines on Lion hill ard J
oh Mcconnell and Mr.. Dewey. after '
Dewey's Flat was named. Dis !
'vered the Cleopatra. and later sod {
20 Taylor & Pease. who in turn. II {
reported. sold II to the Hecla q
for se5. 900. Bannack parties !
ruck the Sheep n True F.ssure I
ines on the same hill. }
They Became the HecIa.
subsequently, all of these mines rass- !
into the possession OF the Hecla I
mpany. In the next year tire com q
ny erected a 25-ton smelter 10 miles I
Hecla. and Glendale sprang into y
1stence. John LOneley ran the first 4
'arding not In the new town. 1t y
bod on the site OF the old Cannvan :
use. built a few years later. All Of =
e teams and wagons that could 20 !
essed into service were used to Raul .
e ore from Hecla to h smelter. .
lere were at one time so teams on
e road betwee the mine and smelter. Z
ter the 'dea Of a tramway suggested y
elf. The smelter and concentrator -
rned TO the ground and a 5O-ton !,
lelter replaced the old one and The :,
ncentratior vas erected at a point :,
miles ahQEp Whfnh =