Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1903-03-11
PASSING OF AN
OLD PIONEER
John {. Murray, an Early Resident
Dies After an Illness Of
Several Weeks.
LONG AN HdNoREo CITIZEN
Helped to Blaze the Frontier Way
Funeral Will Be Held Fri
day Morning.

Another old pioneer has passed
away from the scenes of a long life's
labors and to that other life of peace
and rest, in the Great Beyond, which
is the ultimate reward for honest liv-
ing and upright dealing upon earth.
AT ten minutes past three Tuesday
afternoon, John L. Murray, after suf.
fering from a complication of diseases
for several weeks, gave up the un.
equal struggle and quietly and pain.
lessly passed from earth. Deceased
was born in Ireland in 1927, and in in.
fancy was taken by his parents to the
state OF Maine where he grew to man.
hood. While still young in years he
came westward to the city of st,
Louis, just when emerging from OBJ.
security into the gaze of the world as
a Enthusiastically pushing, progress.
sive western city, attractive to an in.
dependent, ambitious man. In this
place the young Maine immigrant re
manned. engaging in various occups.
tons, until the wonderful discoveries
in the vicinity Of Pixies peak set mad
the worlds gold hunters and with the
teeming thousands who rushed to the
new Golconda, young Murray was
found. For three years he was in
Colorado, following the occupation oil
prospecting and suffering the priva
tons and misfortunes which are CO
incident with a life amidst the noun
tains, thousands of miles from the
commonest comforts of civilization
Driven hither and thither by the few
er OF prospecting, the spring of ga
found him In Montana, digging fol
the precious treasure in Alder Gulch
While in Bannock in 1914. his partner
was no other than William A. CLARK
whose later successes have made him
a figure of world renown. In 1865 lie
moved to Meagher county, settling in
Diamond City or, as 1t is sometimes
called, Confederate Gulch. He mined
in that vicinity, meeting with varying
fortuna until uyhita Culnb,r Cn,;nce
became the county seat Of Meaghel
county and that city became his home
In the seventies he was elected 10 the
raa'1io- 80 r-~h~te JAG --s $4,000
his county in that capacity for two
terms. Hearing of the beauties of the
Judith Basin, he moved to this city
in "a. In 81 he bought the property
on the corner of Main street and
Fourth avenue and the last sixteey
years of his life were spent in that
place, in the peaceful pursuit Of the
merchant. His little store was a sorr
of gathering-in place for the old pio
neers and many are the true stories
of narrowing frontier experience tina
have been told around his stove. Ir
1888 he was married to Miss Belle
Abraham and from this union one
child, John Z. Murray jr., now a LEI
of eleven years, survives to mourn
with his mother, the taking away of {
kind father and a faithful husband.
One by one. the old pioneers are be
ing gathered to their fathers. Hay
ing successfully combatted ever,
hardship, run the gauntlet Of Indian
warfare, endured the privations o
mining camps, suffered from the chill
winds which sweep across the north
ern plain, inspired by the hope and
agonized by the despair which are thu
portion of the %prospector, they are a
last giving away to the foe to which
all must sooner or later bow. Thei
race is almost run. but what an herit
age they have left to their p~osterity
Within one short generation, a track
less wilderness, alive with the enc
mics of civilization, a boundless plain
swarming with the INSTRUCTORS of pro
gress. had been transformed into cen
tiers of civilization and culture. Lei
honor unstinted be to the few linger