Gilpin observer., 1906-05-10
GENERAL FRANK HALLS ADDRESS.
Delivers a sp|sddId Talk Before the Chamber
Of Commerce Tuesday.


now f1ourishing association of Boosters
for Gilpin county, after an absence of
nearly a quarter of a century, l find
that many important changes for the
better have taken place. In standing
once more upon familiar ground and be-
fore old-time companions, a cloud of
memories arises, all of them pointing to
the inception of discovery and embrac-
ing thousand vivid recollections of the
days when here among your gold-ribbed
mountains was built the rude Cradle of
the State from which sprang, in due
course, a figure of Colossal Importance,
not only to the dwellers in the Rocky
Mountains but to the American Repub-
lie, and measurably to the world.
1t has been written that the minds of
the aged dwell mostly in the past ; those
of young men on the future. AS many
of your members are pioneers, am sure
they will pardon my dropping briefly
into Renaissance.
The first memorable event of my per-
sonal experience as a gold hunter in
these practically unexplored wilderness
es of the Louisiana Purchase, was of a
small party toiling wearily over the
rough and rugged road leading through
the Golden Gate to the scene of John
Gregory's discovery in the Gulch which
bears his name. At that time Central
City had neither local habitation nor
a name. The site on which was subse-
quently built the most active and pros
porous community in the land was vir-
gin soil, in the conditions fashioned by
the ruler of the Universe. Within its
boundaries boiled shirts, creased trous-
ers and plug hats were unknown. Even
the fame of Pat Casey and his irrepres-
sible night hands remained as develop
ments for the future. There were neith-
er laws nor regulations for the govern
ment of the thousands who had plunged
headlong into Black Hawk and Noun
tain City. The historic figure of John
Rankin's bob-tailed OK which hauled
marvellous loads of gold-bespattered
quartz from the hill that bore it's name,
was only locally ilustrious. There were
neither stage lines nor mails; newspa-
pers sold for twenty-five cents apiece;
saloons ran wide open down the gulch
where multitudes of miners were sluic-
ing. If one man shot another in fair
stand up fight it was pardonable crime,
but if any one stole anything from a mi
ner's cabin, punishment was both swift
and severe.
Dear old Jack Langrishe and his his
tronic followers who entertained US dur
ing latter decade of years in the mon
umental pile of unhewn logs christened
the Montana theatre, had then no foot
ing here. Henry NJ. Teller had not then
abandoned the Democratic party in
which he was born, for the Republican,
which was just coming into existence
as National power. Nor had the civil
war been declared. Abraham Lincoln,
the mightiest figure of modern times,
was just acquiring prominence through
his debates with Stephen A. Douglas,
the Little Giant of Illinois. In all the
vast stretch Of country between the
Missouri river and the Pacific ocean,
comprising more than half the territory
of the United States, only two states
California and Oregon-had been adj
mitted to the Union.
When the pioneers Of discovery began
opening mines in the county of Gilpin,
in all the American Republic, California
excepted, there was not produced gold
enough to fill the decayed teeth of its
population. When dentists needed gold
they melted coin. The greater part of
our national holdings of that metal was
of foreign mintage.
The cost of the great civil war which
followed our advent, cost Abraham Lin
coins administration something over
three thousand millions of dollars.
This was about the figure of our ma
tional debt at the close of that tremen-
duous struggle. The treasury was bank
rupt and the situation, viewed from the
White House, appalling. How was this
enormous obligation to be paid? A
question which no one could answer.
After the restoration of peace Schuy-
Ter ColfaX, then Speaker of the House
of Representatives, called upon the
president and said: Il am going to the
Rocky Mountains. What shall l tell
the miners out there for you?" Then
followed the dictation Of the eloquent,
appealing message which many of us
heard delivered at the corer of Main
and Lawrence streets in 1865, stating
the necessities of the country and beg
ging the miners to lend all possible aid
toward the restoration of the credit of