Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-01-30
IN GRANITE COUNTY.

P~hilipsburg Mail: Granite is rapidly as
Stunning it's former life and activity, and
the busy little city on the hill Will soon
again become @ worthy rival of Philips
burg, both in business and social affairs.
During the palmy days of it's early his
tory the residents of Granite looked upon
~Philipshurg as a Way-statlon which 1T was
necessary to pass in order to reach their
city, and Granite Wholesale merchants
~enGeavored to convince local dealers Of
PhilipsburG that it would be to their adj
vantage to buy their goods at Granite in
stead of Butte or Helena, end some did
not even exclude Chicago. The town Of
Granite was looked upon as the metropo-
lis of the county and the largest city in
the state west of Butte. No larger stocks
of merchandise, nor of better quality,
thar those carried by merchants of Gran
lite could be found anywhere in the state.
Every branch of business from banking
institutions down to the public loan Of
flee was represented. and all did a flour
ishing business. More comfortable and
elegantly furnished homes than those To-
Gated at Granite could not be desired by
the most extrGVagant, and the social feel
ing among the residents will ever be-
among the pleasant recollections of those
who had the fortune of living, at least
for q time, in the pleasant little city from
which our county derived its name. 1t
was indeed a splendid business town; it's
streets and business houses were well
lighted by electricity, I'M the tourist and
traveller could here enjoy the same COM
forts as in Chicago or any other city
equipped with all the modern conven-
fences. Here one could buy foreign and
domestic ex~changefor any desired amount
or deal in mining stocks and other securi-
ties as readily as if in New York. Every
body was prosperous and doing well. All
earned good wages and spent their mon
ey as easy and with the best of grace,
knowing that the supply furnished by the
mines was good for many years to come.
This was before the crash. Early in the
spring of 90 it began to be whispered
about that if the price of silver dropped
below the 20 mark the mines would be
closed down, but no great amount of at
tention was paid to the gossip by the resi-
dents 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 his
tory of Granite When it was learned
that the institutions were to bulkhead the
mines and lift the pumps every resident
of Granite at once began to realize tho
result, and after becoming reconciled to
their fate, those who possibly could de-
parted for other places, and the little city
soon presented al entirely different view.
Merchants removed their goods, and the
elegant plate-glass windows We're board
ed up. This continued until the inhabi-
tants of ranite numbered about fifty
people, mostly women and children, and
the town, which at one time had a popu-
lation of nearly 5000 presented a site of
desolation and despair.
During the ummer of '9S the reaction
set in, and the consolidation of the Gran
lite and BLmeta1lic companies was the first
encouragement received looking toward a
resumption of the mines. Soon thereaf-
ter the new company began to employ a
few men, and the Bimetallic mine was be-
ing overhauled and put in shape for work.
The mill at Clark was thoroughly repair
ed, and the gradual resumption followed.
A plant has been constructed for the pur-
pose of concentrating the ores from the