Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1913-01-21
The LURE OF COLD
Romance and Tragedy of the Old
Bonanza Trail.
A ROAD TO WEALTH AND CRIME

1t Led to the Richest Deposits Of Gold,
In Relatively Small Territory, Ever
Discovered-Days of Strenuous Life
and Frenzied .-awIessness.
The Bonanza trail began at Fort
Laramie, Wyo. 1t ran east Of the Owl
Creek mountains, west Of the Big
Horn mountains, in northwest direc-
ton to Livingston and Bozeman, then
forking to the present Helena and Vir-
ginia City. In war and Indian depart
ment annals it is known as the Boze-
man trail Immediately, however, it
was given the more romantic name,
and for the best Of reasons. 1t led to
what were the richest deposits of gold,
In relatively small territory, that the
world had ever seen.
Out Of Alder gulch and Last Chance
gulch, within 200 miles of each other
In Montana, was taken, In ten short
years, considerably more than $780,
100000 In pure gold. 1t was anybody's
fortune, and the wonderful luck of the
California gold diggers a few years be-
fore reused men to brave every hard
ship for these prizes.
1t did not matter at all that these
gulches were 1000 miles from the
nearest railroad and that other gold
fields were far easier to reach Here
was the great Ell Dorado, and with
out a qualm the gold seekers hurried
into the unknown territory, defying
Red Cloud and every other Indian, out
law, renegade and holdup man.
How many lives were sacrificed along
this trail to wealth will never be
known. All that is certain Is that
there never was another chapter In the
worlds history like this. The long
road into the mysterious country and
the settlements of mining camps grew
up almost In single night. There
were only FIVE men in the little party
when Bill Fairweather washed" the
first pan in Alder gulch and made dis
covery even more wonderful than any
In the paimy days of California or
even in the later era Of the Klondike.
Two years later Alder gulch, at one
OF the Bonanza trails two ends, was
among the most picturesque places in
the country. The world was ransacked
for men and women to give perform
ances at the theaters, to offer free en-
tertainment to the patrons Of the vari-
GUS resorts. The gold hunters, gorged
with prosperity, wanted amusements.
Fine restaurants were opened and food
brought In at great expense from be-
yond the seas. The smallest money
was twenty-five cent pinch of gold
dust, taken from pouch. 1t bought
less than a copper cent does In any
part of the United States today.
Meantime an unending stream Of
people poured into the new country.
1t is estimated by some that 10000 In
all took the trail at Fort Laramie.
The days of the trail were those Of
frenzied lawlessness, and many are the
picturesque stories that have come
down. Over the big road disputes
about cards were of daily occurrence.
The man who started an argument did
so with the knowledge that 1t was his
life or the other mans. for he was call
ing into question the "honor" of the
shark" Swindlers sold mines"
fought with their proposed victims and
killed without conjunction.
Armed robbers ran off stock, stole
horses from one class of immigrants
and sold them to another. AS the
horse was the sole means Of transpor
tation and valuable beyond human life.
"hoss stealing" was set down by the
districts" as a crime punishable by
death. There were few courts, and
such as there were were miles from
the trail. A jury would hence be at
once impaneled among those present,
the man tried and IL found guilty hang
ed to a tree without ceremony.
Hotels fiourished and were prosper
GUS beyond imagining. for every one
spent money, and there was much
Haunting. In the higher grade estab-
lishments beverages were served In cut
glass; champagne was common. Every
resort was crowded with people. The
newcomers frequented these places In
quest Of information. paid Is cents for
a glass Of beer made from barley
grown by the ex-Confederate soldiers
at Bozeman and sold to the Virginia
breweries for cents pound, and not
enough could be received to supply the
demand. Table board cost 81 day
Tor the very cheapest and II one aaep
h chair In the hotel lobby at night.
| when the rooms were all rented, he
! paid $3.50 for the privilege.
/ Gold was the only medium Of ex-
| change. A pinch Of it, between the
| forefnger and the thumb, as has been
said, counted % cents There would
be a tendency with some men to take
| Just little bit more. When that ten
dency was noticed in a man he was
| given hours to leave town-and 1t was
seldom over two hours. The wise man
| did not stand on ceremony or protest
he "vamoosed," in camp vernacular.
The newspapers Of the city sold for
Is cents copy, red hot from the press,
and full Of news OF lynchings, new dig.
| gfngs, "clean ups" "hold ups" bad
men" and gossip of breezy charac
ter. Ham and eggs to order cost $3.50
Eggs were worth 30 cents apiece and
an ordinary meal of deer or buffalo
meat, with potatoes or coffee and
bread, was never less than $50. A
man was very poor to get down to fare
so coarse as that.
, 1t made no difference what man
might have been back In ssthe states:r
IL he was ION the square, in Virgins