The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-08-27
OLD TOWN THEIR MECCA
Montana Pioneers on Their Way
to Virginia City.
WILL BE A GREAT UNION
Comrades Who Have Not Met for Years
Will Shake Hands-Eght Hun
dred Trail Blaze Will
Be Present.

For the next three days the Mecca
for the old trail-blazers of Montana
will be Virginia City. 1t is estima ted
that 600 to 800 pioneers will journey to
the old Montana town and those who
can't go there will have the old town
and the old days constantly in their
thoughts
The pioneers will find it easier going
than in the old days. They won't have
to go by bull team or take camping
outfit along. They will go part of the
way by railroad and the rest by COM
Portable stage over a well-traveled road
with trail clearly blazed.
1t will be a great union. Men who
have not met in a quarter of a CEN
fury will shake hands once more, visit
the old scenes and the old spots and
tell the stories of the old days. I'm
doubleday information will be brought
to light about the old Town and the old
days that has not been generally
known before, for the meeting will re-
fresh memories and all will have a tale
to tell.
Quite party will go over from Butte
this morning. Among these will be Mr.
and Mrs. j. X. Clark, DR.. and Mrs o.
b. Whitford, A. H. Barrel, exMayor
William Thompson Colonel John H.
Curtis, Frank Beck, T. b. Mulvaney
and w. w. Cheeley. Mr.. and Mrs. Fay
cite Harrington and George w. Irwin
expect to go tomorrow or Tuesday
morning. Those who go this morning
will take the Northern Pacific passen-
ger at 9 o'clock for Twin Bridges and
stage it from there. Those who go Mon
day morning will leave by the North
ern Pacific at 7:15 and take the stage at
Norris. Those who go Tuesday will
leave at 7:15 and take the stage at Twin
Bridges.
The Bozeman cornet band has been
engaged for the entire meeting and
will be on hand Monday evening. Head
quarters will be established at the Au-
ditorium and the exercises will begin
with an informal reception and an ad-
dress of welcome by Mayor Bennett on
Tuesday evening at o'clock. On
Wednesday there will be held business
meeting of the Pioneers association at
the court house at 10 a. m. and at 2:30
p. m. Hon. w. F. Sanders will deliver
an address at the same place. At $50
D. m. the members of the association
and invited guests will be rendered a
banquet. They will assemble at the
Auditorium and then adjourn to the
Masonic nan ana Inc tOQSe room OF the
Elks, where the tables will be laid. The
banquet will be followed by a grand
dance at the Auditorium.
Henry Edgar, one of the surviving
members of the Fairweather party,
which discovered gold in Alder gulch, is
expected to be present. Colonel Sanders
is of the opinion that the other mem
bers of the party, except Fairweather
himself are still living. To a Helena
Independent reporter he said the other
day:
when last heard of Barney Hughes
he was prospecting and mining at the
head of the Bitter Root river. Tom
Coover is probably in the northwestern
part of Mexico or in the southern part
of California. The other member of
the party was George Orr, and / do not
know what has become of him.
1T is a singular thing" added Colo
mel Sanders, that several persons
named Barney Hughes have assumed
to be the one and only Barney Hughes
who was a member of the Fairweather
party So far as I know no other
member of the party has had his title
as discoverer of Alder gulch assailed
l believe the genuine Hughes, as l said
before, was at the head of the Bitter
Root river, but whether he is in that
part of the country now or not 1 am un-
able to saw"