The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-01-01
As TO CLAIM JUMPING
Nobody Seen Leaving Town With
Guns.
A REMARKABLE LOCATION
Tom McTsgue Ones Filed for Record q
Notice OF Location OF the Entire
State OF Montana-An In
teresting Paper.

Midnight last night was the hour
when people who had not a mining
claim, and wanted one. were supposed
to get in their work on the claim that
some other fellow located but failed to
do his annual representation work on.
This method of obtaining mining prop
erty is what is known as ''claim jump
ing" and in years gon by men defend
ed their claims with guns. OF late
years. however. there have been very
few killings as the result of claim jump
ing. 1t was said yesterday afternoon
that a considerable number of men in
tended to take possession of neglected
prospect holes when the clock struck the
hour of IL. but so far as is known claim
jumping last night was limited to the
less valuable claims, whose original
owners either abandoned them inten-
tionally or left them. not caring a snap
whether they were jumped or not. No
body was seen going out of town with
guns in their belts. and 1t is reasonable
to presume that no trouble has occurred
about the exchange of mining claim
ownership at midnight.
During the past few weeks prospect
ors and claim owners have filed their
afidavits i'm great number OF annual
representation work performed. by vir-
tue of which affidavit they are entitled
TO hold possession of their claims for
another year.
A group of gentlemen at the court
house yesterday were telling their ex-
| periences in the claim jumping business.
o. 80 A- A~Il - Ia fa EAbn II
the most remarkable quartz location in
the state. or any other state. perhaps.
The location Is made in conformity
with the law in every respect. IL is
duly filed. with its affidavit attached
and Is recorded upon "a 166 of book
No. 4. records of quartz locations,
which is open at any time for inspection
at the Office of the county clerk and re-
corder of Deer Lodge county. The rec
ord wa filed on March 2. 1889. and the
only thing that looks squeamish abou
II Is that it is written in red ink. and
the page is marked with blue pencil
marks. which are not at all necessary
for a legal record.
The record is nothing more nor less
than the location of the state OF Mon
tana as a mining claim. The location
was made. so the records say, by Tom
McTague. That part of the record
which is interesting reads about as fol-
lows:
Notice of location and deciaratory
statement Of discovery and claim to
quartz lode mining c~laim.-State of
Montana, lode mining claim. United
Statesf mining district. ~
The undersigned. who u a citizen OF
the United States. hereby declares N
gives notice to all persons concerned,
hat he did on the 22d day OF February.
A. ID. 1889. discove a quartz lode or
vein, bearing gold, silver. cinnabar,
lead, tin. copper and other valuabl
metals and deposits. to be known as the
state OF Montana quartz o mining
claim. and did on said day duly locate
inc claim. by virtue of chapter six of
title XX\II, of the revised statutes of
the United States. 300 miles in a west
erly direction and 500 miles i'm an east
erly direction from the center of the
discovery shaft lat which shaft this
notice inc statement is posted). and $50
miles on each side from the middle or
center of said lode or vein at the sur
face: Comprising in all 500 miles in
length along said vein or lode, and 500
miles in width.
This lode is situated in the United
States mining district n is a reloca-
ton of the Territory of Montana. The
adjoining claims are the British posses
sions claim on the north; the Wyom-
ing territory claim on the south: the
two Dakotas on the east, and Idaho
territory on the west.
This location is distinctly marked
on the ground, so that its boundaries
can be readily traced, by a penitentiary
set at the discovery shaft and by sub
stantial guards, or wooden
The exterior boundaries OF this oca-
ton are distinctly marked by posts or
monuments at each corner of the claim.
so that it's boundaries can be readily
traced. viz: The penitentiary. whose
inmates are DESTROYS of receiving execu-
tive clemency: thence running northerly
whose people desire annexation: thence
running easterly to the two Dakotas
whose people are now celebrating with
us on this glorious occasion: thence
southerly to Wyoming. who is knocking
at the door: thence westerly to Idaho
which desires a better fate han to re-
main in territorial oblivion; thence &c
the place of beginning.
THE undersigned intends to hold thi,
claim under and according to demo
cratic principles. and to record this no
tice in the county recorders office OF
, said county"
There is. of course. much more to thii
remarkable record i'm the way of print
ed legal phraseology, but the esser'tia
points are as given. The record is rec
orded by w. +. Furay, who was count!
clerk and recorder for the occasion.
! The cause for all this fun was the ad
; mission of Montana into the union Al
: a full fedged state. the enabling &C
, having been approved on Feb. %, 1881
/, the day upon which Mr.. McTague say
: he located the claim.
SO hi after all. IL Tom McTagu'
has located the entire state of Montana
q and has performed his Representative
work. the claim Jumpers have but littl
chance at the best.
The man who is accused of havinl
discovered this record lately is Dav
I Morgan. He ran across IL accidentall
while looking through the old books.
!. noctor "a gas safe for extractin,