The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1901-11-19
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10. 1901.
A TALE OF ONE CITY.


writer's arrival in Butte may serve to
Justify glance backward at the Butte
OF long ago. The 10Th OF November lS7?
was terribly cold day. Passengers
from the South came in by stage from
Red Rock. For three days a blizzard had
ragged. On the 18th Butte was buried in
snow and the streets were deserted. The
thermometers must have been down the
shafts-thev couldn't get low enough on
top. Probably 1000 people composed the
city's population. The merchants were
cheerful and hospitable. No kind OF
weather could chill the welcome :hey
extended to strangers, and thus it hap
pened that every man Who ever came to
Butte in the early days resolved to spend
the rest of his life here if possible. The
business men of Butte We're indeed q
royal band. and SO We're the mining men,
Yet despite the smile on their faces there
was fear in their hearts. Would pay ore
be found below the water level? That
was the all-absorbing subject in Butte.
The Alice was the big mine. and the
water line was near the bottom of the
shaft. Marcus DAILY was surerintend-
ent, and he was full of confidence and
courage. Very little copper mining was
done in thise days, though some high
grade copper ore had been shipped by
wagon to Corinne. Great was the re-
joicing when all doubt was set at rest
Silver mines We're then opened in all
parts Of the district. and in 1881 the total
output was over $4,000, 900. The Moulton.
Lexington, Grey Rock, Bell Burnet,
High Ore, Clear Grit. Gagnon. Original.
Orphan Girl. Bluebird, Nettie. Fredonia
Anselmo and Star West all came to the
front and made Butte famous and pros
Porous. 1t was a period OF rapid growth
and splendid public spirit and had it
not been for the Smokehouse ltigatio
Main street even then would have been
lined with four and five-storY blocks.
1t was the happiest period in the history
of Butte. All men We're friendly; even
elections We're always succeeded by joint
parades. The system of fighting law
suits on street corners had not then been
introduced. and men could differ With
out bitterness.
Butte's silver mining epoch waned
whan the copper industry waxed. Grover
Cleveland and a democratic congress did
the rest. But the change was for the
better Copper was found beneath the
silver all over the west half of the hill
The Boston {; Montana put up a smelter,
and \. Wartenweiler turned out the
first high grade matte. The Bell, Parrot
Butte & Boston, Clark's and Heinze's fol-
lowed in the course of time, each adding
to the swelling fame of Butte. The build
ing of the Anaconda smelter was the
greatest advertisement Butte ever hal
Its immensely and cost gave to the world
an impression that Butte had come to
stay. Il had been intended to build
great silver mill for Anaconda ores. no
copper being in sight near the surface
1t is authentic but unwritten history
that Mr.. Daily. who thought himself rich
with $150.O0O he realized from the Alice.
had almost decided to leave Butte and
settle in Arizona just before the copper
excitement, but previous to his depart
ure TO examine the situation there he tn
sink the Anaconda shaft and wire him
the result. The cipher agreed upon was
Cattle on the hill looking well' if good
ore was struck. and Cattle on the hill
very thin il no change occurred. Within !
that 80 feet Patsy Clark struck the rich
est body OF &c per cent copper glance ever I,
known, and he and Ben kingsbury both
signed the dispatch which told Marcus
to come back where he belonged and see
Glis livestock. In the succeeding Is years
he opened the greatest copper mines on
earth built the largest smelter in the
world, signed checks for labor and sup
plies which exceeded 5000 OOO, 900 for divi- !
sion among the people, and died worth
S2o,00O,00O.
Other prominent citizens performed
well their part in the early days, and all
did what they could. Hon. w. A. Clark
brought in water supply, built a street
railroad, put up the Butte Reduction
works and opened a dozen mines. |
kessler, Mcnamara, Largely, Larrabie.
Hall, J. X. Clark, Judge Davis. the Leg
Cats. McDermott. Meader, Williams, Van
Aant. Lewisohn. Farrell. Migeon, Tibbcy
are honored names, which will live until
the last shovelful of ore shall he hoisted
from the last mine in Butte. And yet Ter
~ not forget that the Days and the
Clarks and the Murrays. with all their
money and power. could not have built
. house or sunk a shaft or shipped a
pound Ut ore but for the loyalty and labor
OF the miners, heroes of the pick and
drill. 1.-THE men behind the guns" Let
ii be here recorded that Butte owes much