The Anaconda standard., 1899-12-10

county, resides mild-mannered, pleas
ant-spoken old gentleman, by name
John Vanderbilt. Not many of the
present generaaian who did not know
would suspect tAat beneath the unob-
trusive and unassuming exterior of this
man, now in the sunset of his career,
Is hidden the spirit of an argonaut, the
spirit of the hardy pioneer of the early
COS Fewer still would guess that the
quiet, unostentatious man, following
the humble occupation of carpenter and
joiner, bears direct relationship to one
of Americas most illustrious families
of financiers. Yet both are true. John
Vanderbilt, third cousin of William K.
Vanderbilt and the late Cornelius Van
derbilt. was a conspicuous figure in the
early settlement of the state and helped
to blaze the trail and lay the founda-
tion of the present prosperous COM
monwealth Of Montana
There is not much about John Van
derbilt to suggest his real personality.
Being small Of stature and soft-man-
nered as woman, one would not ex-
pect to find in him the qualities of in
trepidity and venturesomeness that
characterized the Montana pioneer. But
five and sixty years, though they have
turned his hair to silver. have not bent
his figure, and when one looks into the
steel gray eyes that still see to read
newspaper without the aid of spectacles
one can read in them determination and
@oI,J
honest men feared and respected in the
days that tried mems characters. He
was one on whom the vigilance COM
mittee relied heavily when honest and
brave men were needed and he passed
through all the vicissitudes of those try
ing times and came out unscathed.
Mr.. Vanderbilt was born in New York
state, his father being brother of
Commodore Abraham Vanderbilt, the
first of the line of financiers who have
brought luster to the name. John Van
derbilt's father was not as successful
as his brother in a financial way, which
may have been responsible for the fact
that young John. emigrated at an early
age. But whether it was this or a spirit
of adventure that actuated him, he
came west in 1859 to Kansas. The fol-
lowing year he crossed the plains to
Colorado and the year 1862 saw him in
Montana, where he remained till 1872, 1
when he returned East He only came
back to Montana last summer, as he
says, to spend the rest of his days here.
During his 10 years in the territory
pations, which included farming, min
ing, prospecting and building. He was
probably the first to swing a cradle
and bind sheaf of wheat in Montana
He built many of the first buildings at
Virginia City, which are now historic
relics of the golden past, delved for the
yellow metal and was a member of Jim
SteWartS party that made the memoir
able expedition to the Yellowstone the !
year of the discovery of gold in Alder
gulch. He knew George Ives well. for
Ives was member of that expedition, !
and he says Ives was as good and as
courageous man as he ever knew, at |
that time. Later when Ives became a
desperado and he member of the vigil
lantes, he participated in Ives hanging |
at Virginia City. His name is insepara-
bly, linked with all the stirring events
of that eventful period.
While in Butte a few days ago Mr..
Vanderbilt related to the Standard the |
story of his coming to Montana.
Il left Prairie City, Kan, in the
spring of '6O,' said he. There were |
three mule teams in the train and 20 |
men, all told, in the party. I paid $40 |
to have my outfit hauled, with the un- |
derstanding that should walk half the
way We travelled the old Santa Fe |
road and reached Denver Colo, on the
's5th Of May without especial incident |
a the road aside from the killing of |
two of the party by the accidental dis
sarge OF musket. l packed from
Denver up to Central City, where I had
a cousin engaged in building I worked
for him at the carpenter trade that
summer and, among other buildings
we put up a theater where Jack Lam
grfche and his company played the fol-
lowing winter. put in the winter mak-
ing frames for scenery for the theater,
ana sometimes l went on and acted a
little. The spring and summer of 81 I
put in at carpentering again, and in the
spring of '62 I made up my mind. to
pull up and go to California.
1T was on this trip that I met with
one of the most regrettable experiences
of my life. 1t was my introduction to
the lawlessness that ruled the West in
those days, and it made an impression
on me that 1 have never gotten over.
1t also had good deal to do with NV
coming to Montana instead of going to
California, as I intended
There was a man at Central City
who had stock of boots and shoes, He
wanted to go to California, so bought
a team and prepared to go with his
stock. There was also Colonel r. O.