Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1907-12-12
ODD NAMES OF MINES
Peculiar Titles Given to Some of
the Black Hills Claims.
WHIMS OF PIONEER MINERS.
Many of the Early Prospeetors Select
ed the Names of Wives or Sweet
hearts, Which Stand Now as Remind
era of Romanees of Bysone Days.

ed the Names of Wives or Sweet
hearts, Which Stand Now as Remind
era of Roranees of Bysone Days.
Behind the names of many of the
mining claims and mines of every min
ing district in the west there lies a
wealth of romance and history, both
pathetic and ludicrouss The Black
Hills furnish as many and as good ex-
amples of the peculiar circumstances
under which many claims are named
as any locality in the country.
One of the best known mines in the
southern hills is the Holy Terror. Back
in the early days this claim was To-
Gated by an old miner who had work
ed some years without success. The
claim was q hard one to work. When
the man went home in the evening
after locating his claim his wife asked
him what he named it. lie smiled and
told her, For you, my DEAR" and her
further inquiry drew forth the fact
that he had called it Holy Terror. An
other man once named his claim Gen
tie Annie for his wife, while still a
wife, who was a noted e.uhwoman. by
naming his claim Silent Julia.
The hills are dotted with the names
of claims recalling romances of bygone
days Many young. ambitious man
came here when the mining boom of
the eighties was at its height, lured
with hope of fortune, and all that re-
mains to ten the tale is the name of
Katie W. or Mabel L. or Lulu ]. Many
a sweetheart or wife in the faraway
east was honored in the naming of q
claim that its owner hoped would prove
a bonanza Some few made good. Wit
ness the Annie Fraction and the Josie,
both of which were named for the
eastern wives Of their owners. They
are in the Bald mountain district and
have produced thousands of dollars for
the locators
IN the Galena district there is a
small abandoned claim known as the
Widow. with which there goes a story
Years ago a youth named Hanley ap-
peared from somewhere with few
thousand and with zeal commenced IA
sink his money in q hole in the ground
in the hope of q vast fortune. Back
in the old home little widow waited
in vain for the golden wealth he said
was sure to come and the wedding
day that would celebrate it. 1t took
but short time for the youths small.
savings to dwindle away with his in
experience, and chagrined and dis
heartened, he put bullet through his
brain on the site Of his blasted hopes.
One prospector who worked diligent-
ly on a claim which was staked by an
outsider and had difficulty in even get
ting his living expenses secured his re-
venge by naming his claim Old Per
slmmon.
Men of patriotic turn of mind have
chosen names of those famous in his
tory, as Washington, Lincoln, etc.
Each of the presidents has been re-
membered, famous generals. all of the
states. seafaring heroes and heroes OF
the Philippines. as Dewey and Fun
/ ston. Indian names by the score are
/ found. as Hiawatha, Minnekahta and
/ Nanoma. Those of sporting proclivi-
/ ties chose race horses, as Nancy Hanks.
Salvador, Maud S, Red Wilkes, Joe
/ Patchen Favorite authors have been
remembered as Longfellow, Burns and
| Dickens. One student named his
| group Miltiades. Mark Anthony, Attila
/ and Cleopatra.
| One man of n pesslmistic vein chose
/ What's Left and Some Lef The aver
/ age business man in nan ing claims
will choose simple name and use
] series of numbers, as for instance,
| Thomas No. /. Thomas No .. etc. One
man favored his wife by calling his
claim Red Headed Woman. Two ad-
joining claims are known as on Time
and Late.
An odd case was known in the name
of the Hoodlebug claim. which was To-
Gated by a German and an Irishman
and intended by the former TO be called
Heidelberg When the Irishman reach
ed town to record the location he had
forgotten his partners selection of a
name and said it was something like
Hoodlebug, which for convenience.
was the name recorded.
The Prodigal Son lived up TO its
name by bankrupting its locator. who
returned to Iowa at the behest of the
father who had put up the funds for
the venture Among the names that
doubtless conceal stories never known
are Old Whiskers. She Devil. Crack
Brain and Crank.
Some of the gulches have names
that refer to incidents. Two Bit was.
named because placer miner de-
clared his first painful would yield
about two bits. Then there are Poor
Mans Gulch, Sheeptail, Blacktail,
Whitehall, Crooked Arm. Poverty and
Prosperity. Cor st. Louis
Republic.