Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1903-12-16
ANOTHER PIONEER GONE.
Alfred Butts, Aged Eighty.Three, Died
Friday Night-Buried Sunday.

Last Friday night as the clock
struck twelve. Alfred Butts. aged SO
years. died at the home of his neph.
ew. Frank Moshner. On Sunday af.
ternoon Rev. Albert Pfaus conducted
the funeral services at the undertak-
ing rooms of George Creel. and an
hour later the year-worn body of the
old man was placed in its last resting
place under the sod. Soon a marble
slab will be placed at the head of his
grave, carved with the dates of his
birth. 1920, and of his death, 1903, and
perhaps inscribed with sentiment of
respect and tender regard. But no
monument will ever tell. nor could 1t
tell, the true story of the living of
this old man. now gone to his fathers.
In 1S4S, by the merest accident,
James w. Marshall, while digging a
race-way for mill. picked up some
stones which, upon being tested, prov
ed to contain gold. In order to be
sure that it was the precious metal,
some of 1t was sent to Sacramento to
be thoroughly tested. From that city
the news soon spread around the
globe and then began an immigration
into California such as the world had
never before seen. The ships pass
ing around Cape Horn and up the
Pacific coast to San Francisco, were
crowded; steady procession stream
ed across the mountains and prairies,
caring nothing for snow, rain, hurri-
cane, heat. cold, wild beasts, or the
fiercer wild Indians. They came from
across the Atlantic, after a time. even
distant Asia furnished its quota.
Living in Central Missouri, Alfred
Butts, 20 years of age. in the full Wig
or of healthy. ambitious young man.
hood. heard of the gold strike and was
one of the first to leave his home for
the distant Golgonda. He suffered
all of the privations of that terrible
trip across the continent; but sound
in body and strong in hope. he arriv.
ed at the very place from which the
excitement started, the place of Col
onel Sutter in 1S49. He was thus one
of the very first of that vast horde to
left home it was doubtless with the in
tention Of digging a comfortable sum
from the California hills and then re-
turning to his eastern home. But the
years passed by, his success was in
different, and ere long the Golden
state had claimed him for her own.
Unlike many, who soon tire of seek
ing for the elusive gold and turned
their attention to other occupations,
the subject of this sketch continued
to delve into the mountain sides for
the ever promising pay rock. For ov-
er thirty years he worked in the hills
of California and Oregon. He suf-
fered the usual vicissitudes of the
miner and prospector. Once or twice
fortune smiled upon him and he had
a competence for his old age. But
the hills ever beckoned him back, and
the money which he took out of one
tunnel, shaft or cross-cut was gener-
ally put back into another. But the
advance of years at last compelled
him to lay down the pick and shovel
and seek that rest which his long life
of hard labor deserved
Ten years ago he came to Montana
and for seven years made his home
with Isaac Butts, seven miles from
Lewistown. Over three years ago he
moved into the home of his niece.
Mrs. Frank Moshner. and from that
time to the day of his death, remain
ed there, receiving the best of care
and attention.
Alfred Butts was among the last
of that advance guard of civilization
which blazed the way through the vir-
gin west for the oncoming millions.
No army of conquest ever did such a
work as they, for, through their In
domitable courage and their indiffer-
enoe to danger. an empire, vast in ex-
tent and limitless in resources, was
added to the empire already establish
ed in the new world. Honor and
glory such as Is the share of heroes
and true benefactors OF the nation
should be theirs. When one Of the few
remaining gives up the struggle OF
life and passes over the Great Plain
to the Treasure State of the Eternal
Beyond, il is fitting that we should
dwell for a moment upon the story Of
his deeds and accomplishments before
his name passes forever from our
minds,