The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-03-25
IN 5OZEMAN.
One of the Oldest Landmarks Is Being
Demolished.

One of the Oldest Landmarks Is Being
Demolished.
Special Correspondence Of the Standard.
Bozeman, March 21,--One of the best
known land marks in BoZeman is be-
ing taken down and the materials with
which it was constructed will be used
principally for fire wood. The old Nc
Adow mill, located on the east side of
Bozeman on Broadway street, 7tas
built by two old-timers. Thomas Coover
and W. P. Meadow, in the year 1864.
One of its builders, Thomas C1over,
figures in the history of Montana as
being one of the party of discoveries
who found and named that famous
placer, known to all miners in the West,
and probably the whole world, the re-
nowned Alder gulch. He was also
with Bozeman when he was killed by
Indians in the latter part of the sixties,
on Twenty-Five Yard creek. In fact
Coover and Bozeman had started on a
trip to sell flour made by the Meadow
mill to one of the posts and had just
gone into camp the first night when
the Indians appeared and tried the
Friendly act" The two white men had
a Winchester rifle with them, but it
missed fire in some way when the In
dams made their attack, which result
ed in the killing of Bozeman and the
wounding of Coover
William Meadow and Thomas Coo
yer We're mining partners in Virginia
City in the early sixties. and after
amassng considerable wealth came
over to the Gallatin valley and con-
structed and placed in condition for
operation the first Touring mill in
Montana, which, strange to say, is
now being torn down by one of its
builders. w. p. Meadow. The building
was quite large one, especially for
those early times. costing about $4,000.
The -four was ground by the burr sys
TEN, that is one stationary stone with
one revolving on top. two stones con-
stituting a run These burrs each
weighed about 500 pounds and they
and the other machinery had to be
freighted from Corinne at about 80
cents per pound, and as there were
two of the runs" and considerable
machinery, the freight bill was a large
one.
The power was furnished by water
wheel, the water being brought by
means of ditch from Sourdough creek.
This mill was run for several years by
its builders and ground wheat into -four
for all the inhabitants of the Gallatin
valley and surrounding country. The
business at first was a prosperous one,
| as flour was high and prices good. and
there was practically no competition.
After a few years Mr.. Coover sold out
his interest in the mill for about 100000
and went to California and entered into
the fruit growing industry, where it
has been lately rumored he lost his life
under peculiar circumstances. With
| the growth of the territory and the
coming of railroads, new machinery
and later processes for the manufac-
ture of flour put the millers, who had
failed to keep pace with the times, in
the background. and gradually and
surely their trade was lost. This was
the case with the Meadow mill If the
owners had put in new machinery and
kept abreast Of the inventions as they
came out, there is but little doubt
that this mill would have been running
to-day instead of being a rotten. ehast-
ly ruin. Since this mill was construct
ed, others have sprung up in different
parts of the Galiatin valley-the first
| one, called the Springhill mill, which
| is also an institution of the past, then
| the Thomas mill, near Springhill was
| built about 1879, and destroyed by fire
| three years ago. Next was the Shed &
| Christ mill, on the West Gallatin river
near SalesVille. Nelson Story bought
! Shed & Christ out and moved the struc-
| ture from the West Gallattn to the
mouth of Bridger canyon, and it now
| forms the main part of Story & Co, IS
| mill. The last institution devoted to
| the making of the staff of life was the
Bozeman Milling compny's mill.
Once upon time, but not so long ago