Los Angeles herald., 1907-09-23
FREAK NAMES HAVE
PECULIAR ORIGIN
HATRED, SORROW AND HuMoR
PLAY MANY A PART
Black HllsI Are Dotted with Names
Of Claims Recalling Many Ro-
mances Of Bygone
Days

Behind the names of many OF the mines
of every mining district there lies q
wealth of romance and history, both pa
thetic and ludicrous. To the novice in
mining many of the odd names mean lit
tie or nothing, but in hundreds of cases
the name reveals story, sometimes of
heart interest, sometimes hatred, and
sometimes merely a burst of humor from
man who knows the joys of living.
The Black Hills furnish many good ex-
amples of the peculiar circumstances un-
der which many claims are named. A
study of the names of claims in the hills
will in many instances give the keynote
to the character of the manner, for all
uhconsciously the locator of the claim
discloses the trend of his mind when he
gives it name.
One of the best known mines in the
hills is the Holy Terror. Back in the
early days this claim was located by an
old miner who had worked some years
without success. The claim was hard
one to work. When the man went home
in the evening after locating his claim
his wife asked him what he had named
It, He smiled and told her For you. my
dear" and further inquiry drew forth the
fact that he called 1t Holy Terror. An
other man named his claim Gentle Annie
in honor of his wife, while still third
perpetuated the memory Of his wife, who
was noted club woman, by naming his
claim Silent Julia.
Romances Recalled
The hills are dotted with the names of
claims recalling romances of bygone
days. Many a young ambitious man came
here when the mining boom of the sos
was at its height, lured WIN hope of
fortune, and all that remains to tell the
tale is the name of Katie w. or Mabel
E. or Lulu ]. Many sweetheart or wife
in the far away east was honored in the
naming of a claim that it's owner hoped
would prove bonanza. Some few made
good. Witness the Annie Fraction and
the Josie. both of which were named for
the eastern wives of their owners.
In the Galena district there Is a small
abandoned claim known as the Widow,
with which there goes story. Years ago
youth named Hadley appeared from
somewhere with few thousand and with
zeal commenced to sink mis- money in a
hole in the ground in the hope of a vast
fortune. Back in the old home a little
widow waited in vain for the golden
wealth he said was sure to come and the
wedding day that would celebrate it. It
took but short time for the youths
small savings to dwindle away with his
inexperience, and, chagrined and dis
heartened, he put a bullet through his
brain on the site of his blasted hopes.
One prospector who had been "staked"
by an outsider who had difficulty in get
ting even his living expenses secured his
revenge by naming his claim Old Per-
simmon.
Patriots Remembered
Men of patriotic turn of mind have
chosen names of those famous in history,
as Washington, Lincoln, ETC. Each of
the presidents have been remembered
famous generals, all the states, seafaring
heroes, heroes of the Philippines. as
Dewey and Funston. Indian names by
the score are found, as Hiawatha, Min
nehaha, Ramona, etc. Those of sporting
proclivities chose race horses, as Nancy
Hanks, Salvador, Maud s., Joe Patchen,
Red Wilkes. Each of the famous authors
have been remembered, as Longfellow,
Burns, Dickens, etc. One student named
his group Miltiades, Marc Antony, At
tilla and Cleopatra. One man of a pes
simistic vein chose What's Left and some
Left The average business man in NAM
Ing claims will choose a simple name and
use series of numbers as, for instance,
Thomas No. 1, Thomas No. 2, etc. One
man favored his wife by calling his mine
Red-Headed Woman. Two adjoining
claims are known as On Time and Late.
An odd case was known in the case OF
the Hoodlebug claims. which were located
by German and an Irishman, and in
tended by the former to ne called the
Heidelberg. When the Irishman reached
town to record the location he had for
gotten his partners s. lection of a name
and said 1t was something like Hoodle-
bug. which for convenience was the name
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 Whislxers,
She Devil. Crack Brain, Crank, etc.
Some of the gulches have names that
refer to Incidents. Two-Bit was named
because a placer miner declared his first
painful would yield about two bits, while
one gulch expressed the idea of it's To-
Gators mind when he named 1t Go To
He'll Then there are Poor Mans Gulch,
Sheeptail Blacktail, Whitehall Cotton
tail, Poverty and Crooked Arm.