The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-10-06
EDITORS TO TAKE PART |
IN DEDICATION TODAY
Monument in Honor of First
Gold Miners Unveiled
by Pioneers.
GOLD CREEK Is SITE
Shaft Erected Where Stuart
Party First Discovered
PAY Dirt
GOLD CREEK is SITE

MONTANA VIII participate with tl'c
pioneers Int the dedication of the gold
discovery monument at Gold Creek. \
granite shaft will be unveiled on the
site where the gold pans of the for
tune hunters first showed color" in
Montana. The editors and many Mis-
soula people will go to Gold Creek on
the Butte local at $3.50 this morning.
returning on No. in the afternoon.
\. l.. Stone and Granville stuart are
to make the principal addresses.
The monument at Gold Greek was
donated by Mrs. John tMoroney)
Labor in memory of her father Cap
tain Mills. Montana's first newspaper
editor.
Added significance to the dedication
ceremonies will be given by the pres
cnce of Miss Sallic Anderson. daugn
ter OF Rcece Anderson. who was
among the party of gold hunters who
first built sluice boxes along the
creek.
Since the death of her father she
has managed single handed the great
Figure Two ranch in Fergus county.
where she is known us the Cattle
Queen"
One Survivor Of Party.
The discovery of gold was the sec
ond great epoch in the history of
Montana. and the last survivor of the
party of adventures who dipped the
pay dirt from Gold Creek is Granville
Stuart. OF Missoula.
Yesterday. at his home at 223 Eddy
avenue Montana's grand old man
again told of the gold discovery. He
has told the tale many times. but once
more returned in memory to the gold
en- days OF the early fitties recited in
the history of the forgotten sluiccs
ON Gold Creek.
Made Montana Territory
'"rhc discovery of gold was the
cause OF our territory being created"
said Mr.. Stuart. In 1852 a Scotch
Indian named Francois F'inlay, or bet
ter known as 'Benetsec began to pros
pect on what is now Gold Creek, in
Deer Lodge county, and found light
float gold. but as his prospecting was
of a very superficial character. he
found no mines that would pay. The
fact that gold was found there, how
ever. became noised about the coun-
try. and in the spring of 1856 a party
composed of Robert Hereford, Long
or two others. who We're passing
'Ecnetsee' creek on their way from the
Bitter Root valley to Salt Lake. found
more gold than had been PANIED by
Finlay.
The matter rested with that until
The spring of 1858. when Thomas
ADAMS, Reece Anderson. my brother,
James Stuart, and myself searched for
gold in that vicinity and found as
high as ten cents to the pan of gravel,
However, we had neither provisions
nor tools, SO could accomplish nothing,
The Blackfoot Indians We're also har-
assing us and stole four of our horses
We abandoned the country for a time.
but returned in the fall of 1860 to
resume our quest.
Old Workings Remain.
In the meantime during the sum
mer of 1860, d miner named Henry
Thomas came into this district and
began to prospect on Gold Greek about
half a mile west of the present site OF
Pioneer City. Almost unaided he sunk
~ shaft so feet deep in the ground
along the creek, getting a little gold
all the way down. Owing to the great
disadvantage under which he worked,
boNtNeI, polu l OH oniN nlduc ABOUT
$50 Il day. His axe -hewn windass
and four little sluice boxes may still
be seen on Gold Creek.
In the fall of 1860 our party again
prospected the gulches entering Gold
Creek, and found good paying mines.
but did little toward working them.
We had no whipsawed lumber and
few tools. SO all the party but myself
IN, y,r -,
of purchasing supplies from the
steamboat expected up the river that
year Tho summer was lost in wait
ing for the boats that didn't come.
one of the boats. the Chipeway. was
burned. Among its passengers wer"
William Graham, of Philipsburg and
Frank L. Worden of Missoula
Began Mining in so.
Early in the spring of 1867 we be
gan to mme. having had lumber sawed
by hand at ten cents "a foot, and Shov
els packed from Walla Walla by
Worden & Higgins train Of cayusc
pack horses.
>On May we set the first string OF
sluices ever used in Montana and
began to mine by the old pick and
shovel process.
IN 81 my brother and | wrote 10
our brother in Colorado territory, tell
ing him of our rich strike. The result
was that a large number of prospect
ors left there in C. for Deer Lodge
Among the first to arrive was J. NJ
Bozeman, who was killed by the In.
dams on the Yellowstone in 1867. ant
after whom the city of Bozeman was
named.
The first contingent started
stampede from the Pixies Peak dis
trict. in Colorado and from Utah ant
other parties who We're travelling t,
other gold fields IN the Salmon rive
country stopped at Gold Greek. Man.