The Philipsburg mail., 1899-01-27
Work Being Actively Prosecuted on Number
Of Our Most Important Properties.
TALK OF QUIGLEY RESUMING
Operations at the CunO-MO0se Lake a
Promising Copper COuntry-P Philips
burg's NameSake Awarded Med
al-Granite to the Front.

Granite is rapidly assuming It's fur
mer life and activity, and the busy
little city on the hill will soon again
become worthy rival of Philipsburg,
both in business and social affairs.
During the palmy days of its early
history the residents of Granite looked
upon Philipsburg as way station
which it was necessary to pass in Or
der to reach their city, and Granite
wholesale merchants endeavored to
convince local dealers of Philipsburg
that it would be to their advantage to
buy their goods at Granite instead of
Butte or Helena, and some did not
even exclude Chicago. The town of
Granite was looked upon as the me-
trOpolis of the county and the largest
city in the state west of Butte. No
larger stocks of merchandise, nor of
better quality, than thoss carried by
merchants of Granite could be found
anywhere in the state. Every branch
of business from banking institutions
down to the public loan office was rep
resented, and all did fourishing
business. More comfortable and ele-
Santly furnished homes than those To-
Gated at Granite could not be desired
by the most eXtravagant, and the So
clal good feeling among the residents
will ever be among the pleasant recol-
lections of those who had the fortune
of living, at least for time, in the
pleasant little city from which our
county derived its name. 1t was in
deed a splendid business town; its
streets and business houses were well
lighted by electricity, and the tourist
and traveller could here enjoy the same
comforts as in Chicago or any other
city equipped with all the modern
conveniences. Here one could buy
foreign and domestic exchange for any
! desired amount, or deal in mining
stocks and other securities as readily
as if in New York. Everybody was
prosperous and doing we'll. All earned
good wages and spent their money as
easy and with the best Of grace know
ing that the snpply furnished by the
mines was good for many years to
come.
This was before the crash. Early in
the spring of '93 it began to be whis-
pered about that if the price Of silver
dropped below the 70 mark the mines
would be closed down, but no great
amount of attention was paid to the
gossip by the residents generally, and
the time passed without any notable
change until the 1st of July, 1893.
when the announcement was made
that the orders had arrived from the
home office of the companies at ST.
Louis to suspend operations.
Here begins a new chapter in the
history of Granite. When it was
learned that the instructions were to
bulkhead the mines and lift the pumps
every resident of Granite at once re-
allied the result, and after becoming
reconciled to their fate, those who
possibly could departed for other
places, and the little city soon pre-
sented an entirely different view
Merchants removed their goods, and
the elegant plate-glass windows were
boarded up. This continued until the
inhabitants of Granite numbered about
fifty people. mostly women and chill
dren, and the town, which at one time
had population of nearly 5000, pre-
sented site of desolation and des-
pair.
During the summer of '9S the re-
action set in, and the consolidation
Of the Granite and Bimetallic COM
panies was the first encouragement re-
ceived looking toward a resumption of
the mines. Soon thereafter the new
company began to employ few men,
and the Bimetallic mine was being
overhanled and put in shape for work.
The mill at Clark was thoroughly re-
paired, and the gradual resumption
followed. A plant has been construct
ed for the purpose of concentrating
the ores from the Granite and BIZ
metallic dumps, and excellent results
are reported. The boilers at the Gran
lte mine, after suspension of nearly
six years, have again been fired, and
the few residents who remained and
devoted five years of their lives to pa
tient endurance have just cause for
rejoicing. With the resumption of the
ruines the town of Granite is gradu-
ally recovering, and some of its for
mer life and activity is returning.
Several months will undoubtedly pass
before any great amount of it's former
prosperity will be noticeable to a
marked degree, but the close of the
present year will find Granite one of
the hveliest mining camps in the
state