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 McTague Once Filed for Record a
Notice of Location of the Entire
State of Montana-An In
teresting Paper.


when people who had not 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 gone 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 considera BILE 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 it 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
affldavits in 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 We're telling their ex-
periences in the claim jumping business.
One of them told Of what is probably
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. 1t is
duly filed, with it's affidavit attached
and is recorded upon page 1876 of book
No. 4, records of quartz locations,
which is open at any time for inspection
at the office of the county clerk andre
corder of Deer Lodge county. The rec
ord was filed on March 2, 1889, and the
only thing that looks squeamish about
it 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: @
... Npttce OI LOCATION ana ueCldFatOry
statement of discovery and claim to
quartz lode mining claim.--State of
Montana, lode mining claim, United
States mining district. &a:5aF f..
Thesundersigned ! who is al icftize n. of
the United Statas,, herebysdeel and
gives notice to all persons concerned,
that he did on the 22d .daysof February,
A. d, 1883, discover a quartz lode or
vein, bearing gold silver, ,seinnabar,
or nd fl.a,.s ,1,,a 1,Jn
metals and deposits to be known as the
State of Montana quartz lode mining
claim, and did on said day duly locate
and claim, by virtue of chapter six of
title NXXI1, of the revised statutes of
the United States, 300 miles in a west
erly direction and 500 miles in an east
erly direction from the center of the
discovery shaft cat which shaft this
notice and 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 800 miles in
length along said vein or lode, and 500
miles in width.
This lode is situated in the United
States mining district and 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 fDakotaS on the east, and Idaho
territory on the west.
This location is distinctly marked
on the ground, SO that it's boundaries
can be readily traced, by penitentiary
set at the discovery shaft and by sub
Stantial guards, or wooden monuments
1.-THE exterior boundaries of this loca-
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
to the British possessions. some of
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 than to re-
main in territorial oblivion; thence to
the place of beginning.
1.-THE undersigned intends to hold this
claim under and according to demo-
cratic principles, and ito record this no.
tice in the county recorders office of
said county"
There is. of course, much more to this
remarkable record in the way of print
ed legal phraseology but the essential
points are as given. The record is rec
orded by w. F. Furay, who was county
SSleIh anu iecpTuef loi the occasion.
The cause for all this fun was the adj
mission of Montana into the union as
a full f1edged state, the enabling act
having been approved on Feb. %, 1889,
the day upon which Mr.. McTague says
he located the claim.
So that. after all, if Tom McTague
has located the entire state of Montana
and has performed his representation
work, the claim jumpers have but little
chance at the best.
The man who is accused of having
discovered this record lately is Dave
Morgan. He ran across it accidentally
while looking through the old books.
DOCTOR ia nas safe for avtra o+;p.,s