The Ronan pioneer., 1917-05-11
LITTLE ROCKIES HAD BLOODY HISTORY;
vv@EM CURRY GANG TERR@R1zED DISTRICT

One of the most interesting Sec
tions of Montana is the Little Rock
les country in Blaine county, with it's
gold mines which have turned out
millions, it's adjoining ranges where
in days gone by sheep and cattle bar
ons had bitter and bloody feuds; it's
historic ranches where cattle thieves,
road agents, train robbers-the bad
men" of only a decade ago had
their headquarters; and it's murder
mysteries, for in this section of the
state which, few years ago, was re-
mote from civilization, some crimes
were committed that defied detec-
| ton.
! In early days the Little Rockies
formed a wild, inaccessible district
where many a horse thief, gunman
and road agent took refuge when the
more thickly populated sections of
the state grew unhealthy. 1t was not
until the early COS that much min
ing was done, the first claims of i'm
portance being located and worked
by Bob" Orman and Pike Landusky.
1t was after the latter that the min
ing camp Of Landusky, which in it's
day was one of the toughest towns
in America, was named. Orman and
Landusky took $4,000 out of their
claims in a short time, but they
worked under difficulties because
their mine was on the Fort Belknap
reservation and they were forced to
work for the most part under the
cover of night, sacking the ore and
carrying it on packhorses to the rail-
road, from where it was shipped to
t1ooo tho |
smelter there.
Stampede to Little Rockies.
The news of the strike spread, and
there was soon a stampede to Zort-
man and Landusky. Isolated as it |
was, from civilization, the new min
ing district drew motley crowd of
miners, gamblers and soldiers of for
tune in search of gold and excitement
of any kind. Cowboys, trappers. |
horsethieves and others from the
rivers and ranges came there to |
drink and gamble. Much of the
whiskey sold, it is said, was of local
manufacture, and was a liquid not |
conducive to peace and harmony. |
Gun fights were of frequent occur
renee and human life was held even
more lightly there than in the old
gold camps of the vigilante days.
Ruby Gulch is the richest of the
Little Rockies districts, and the
mines in this gulch built up the camp
of Zortman. A short distance west
is located Landusky, where kid"
Curry and his famous gang of train
robbers had their headquarters. The
Currys and their friends terroriZed |
the country around, and any trouble
with them meant sudden death or de-
parture from the country for the
person involved.
One day Pike Landusky was depu-
tized to arrest kid" Curry for some
infraction of the law, and he went to
the Curry ranch and took him pris-
oner. This was before the "Kid"
had more than local reputation as
a bad man. 1t was said that Landus-
ky, while he had his prisoner hand
cuffed, abused him numerically,
striking him in the face and calling
him names that ordinarily meant
gun fight. Curry called Landusky
coward and told him he would make
him "eat everything he had said" be-
fore he got through with him.
"Kid' Curry Kills Landusky.
A few weeks later Curry walked
into the saloon of Jew Jake, a no.
torious character at Landusky, who
had his left leg shot off in a gun
fight with the town marshal of Great
Falls, George Treat, and used a Win
chester rifle for crutch. Landusky
was in the place and Curry was look
ing for him. Landusky wore an
oyercoat and had Colts ".45" in his
right hand outside pocket, as Curry