The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-12-17
.BUTTE'S PIONEER WOMAN
Mrs. Butler Came to Montana in
the Early Days.
FORTUNES WON AND LOST
There We're Pioneer Women as Well as
Pioneer Men-Mrs. Butler Was
Ono of the Early
Settlers

Much has been said and written about
the pioneer men Of Montana, and but
little has been told of the part the
women played in the blazing of the
trails into this state. Men preceded
women into the wilds of Montana by
only year or two at the most-this
deals with the whites, of course. There
Is legend which tells us that an In
dian woman discovered Montana In
about the year 14I6. This, however Is
not regarded as authentic history, and
the story is told only to entertain chill
dren who would rather listen to fairy
tales than a discourse on some dry
subject.
Take the women out of the pioneers
camps and progress in the direction OF
good government would be roughlocked,
ambition would vanish, patience cease
to exist and contentment would be re-
placed by discoura cement, and in short
order the men would relapse into a
state Of semi-savagery. Go 10 the griz-
zled old trail blazer and ask him to re-
late some pleasant incident in his early
life In Montana, and invariably his
memory will take him back to the days
when the women frightened the mining
camp by their presence The days an
tedating the advent of women into
Montana were devoid of that real
pleasure which makes frontier life &C
tually delightful.
Thirty-fiYe vars ago there were but
few white women in Montana. But
those who happened to be here were
the best women on EARTH as the old
timer puts 1t. Those were the days
and times when every woman in Mon
tana was regarded in the light OF an
angel and was held in the highest es-
TEEN. Woman was the guardian angel
of the frontier. She 1erited the re-
spect of all, she demanded it. The
conditions are similar to-day to an
extent, but now there are more men
and more women in Montana, and, of
course, while all good women command
the respect due them, there are men
who look LpCn women as matter-of-
fact proposition and let 1t go at that.
This is because there are men in this
state, the same as in other states, who
are here by the grace of ill-Eortune. In
the days of "a they had a peculiar and
effective way OF disp sing OF men who
dared to insult a woman. Wife beaters
were unknown. To insult woman
meant unceremonious exit from the
presence Of good men Besides, even to
the credit Of some OF the most vicious
desperadoes, q woman's name and hon
or were held to be more valuable than
the gold which men of all classes had
faced great danger to find in this far
off country.
There are a very few women in Butte
history Of this state cannot be cor
rectly written without mention Of these
few women. That's where they've got
the edge" on the rest of the women.
Mrs. J. Fl. Butler is one of the fav-
ored few Her career in Montana is an
Interesting page Of the history of pto-
neer days She came here in "a, and
spent the winter Of that year in Emf
grant gulch. She and her husband
headed party from Fort Bridger She
was then Mrs. James william Woods.
and had come from California, intend
ing to settle III the Sweetwater coun-
try and engage in stockraising. At
Bridger news of the discovery of gold
in Bannack reached them and they
formed a party of about 30 men and
women and started for the rich dig
gings. About Is miles from the Yellow
stone river, in Emigrant gulch, the
party went into camp for the winter.
as some of the men had found indica-
tions of good placer ground, and, in
fact, it afterward turned out to be
very rich. That was the beginning OF
mining operations in Emigrant gulch
which in time made the historic old
creek famous all over the world.
'Those were exciting times said
Mrs. Butler in conversation with a re-
porter for the Standard. II enjoyed
them, though, and will always recall
them with a feeling of JOY inter
mingled with more or less pride, for
it was, after ALL an experience enjoyed
by but few ladies' We Travelled through
country infested with savage Crows
and on many occasions / thought that
my last day on earth had arrived. But
fate was kind to our party and very
cruel to those who preceded us on the
Journey. 1t was no uncommon sight TO
see alongside of the trail newly made
graves which marked the resting places
of those who had fallen victims of the
sayages attacks. There were Indians
in front and behind us. but we escaped
their attacks. We reached Emigrant
gulch in November of the year 1864.
and settled in a place which ! think
is the prettiest site for a city that can
be found anywhere in this state. l
fell in love with the spot. 1t is beau
tiful dell, set at the foot Of towering
mountains whose bases meet at the
eilvery stream that winds Its course