The Ronan pioneer. [volume] (Ronan, Mont.) 1910-1970, 1917-10-05

Death claimed the first man to
plant an apple tree in the territory
of Montana when the grim messen-
moned Henry Addoms, aged rs, one
OF the Well-knoWn early pioneers of
Montana.
The left wing of Prices army had
just started for Montana when Henry
Addoms, just out of the confederate
army, reached the territory from
Missouri and joined in the stampede
to Last Chance gulch, whose wonder
| full placer deposits were calling min
ers.
His people were among the best
known and most influential in his
native commonwealth and he was
the possessor of very fine educa-
ton. In that vast horde of men that
rushed into the new mining district
he stood out as man Of training and
was honored by being chosen the
first clerk and recorder of what is
now Lewis and Clark county.
In the early sixties Mr.. Addoms
was one of the prominent men of
the early community at Helena and
his counsel was sought on many sub
Jects concerning the pioneer day in
depreciation of mining law. He was
one of the magnates of the Rimmini
mining district in the early days and
his income from the mines in that
district, together with that from 9TH
er mining properties gave him the
standing of one we'll to do.
Later in the rush of the tide of
adverse events Mr.. Addoms lost prac-
tlcally everything but his CHEEKY dis
position, and one of his delights was
to talk of the days in Helena, when
he owned most of the town.
Mr.. Addoms was fond of relating
how he was an interested spectator
at the first hanging by the vigilantes
in Helena at the famous "Hangman's
tree" and Of the scenes attending the
stringing up by the vigilantes of the
bad men of the territory, four men at
one time being swung from the tim
bers of bridge on the outskirts of
the camp.
1t was in his prosperous days at
Helena that he planted the first APP
pie tree in the shadow of Mount Hell
ena. He always had great faith in
the possibilities of fruit raising in the
treasure state and was greatly in
terested in the development of the
industry, which now possesses large
orchards from where apples are
shipped every fall in commercial
quantities.
He settled in Butte 35 years ago,
when the camp was coming into fame
as a silver mining community. He
was always partial to silver mining
and hoped to see it again one of the
principal industries of the state. The
coming back of the price of silver
fulfilled prediction dear to the old
pioneers heart. His glory had been
in the heydays of the white metal,
and it was common sight to see the
old-timer each day making his way to
the boards of Butte brokerage offices
to learn the quotations of silver. Mr..
AddOms in the years gone by was a
mining associate of Robert Hale and
10 these two old trail-biaers credit is
given for the opening of the Rimmini
silver district
In the closing years of his life he
was engaged in the second hand ma
chinery business in Butte. He died
suddenly, due to hemorrhage of the
lungs. No one was with him at the
time and his lifeless body was found
lying in bed one morning recently.
He was buried in Butte, in COM
pliance with a request that he wanted
his body to be inferred in sight of
some of the silver mines he loved so
we'll.