The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-03-07

AsAVsASOAAAb Su ACOep Wl1It6 kJS pIS6CAI
state was vet q part Of Washington.
During the intervening time he has
kept a record Of all letters written and
received. The number Of letters
written is between $4,000 and $4,000,
though unfortunately about half of the
letters were burned when the public
library in Butte was destroyed in 1905.
IN addition to the letters. Mr.. Stuart
has q set OF. journals and diaries kept
by him during the early days and
full SGT Of the first newspaper in Mon
tana. the Montana Post. the first issue
Of which was printed on Mr.. Stuart's
birthday. August q, 1864 at Virginia
City. The paper was later moved to
and published in Helena.
Wide Personal Experience.
Mr.. Stuart has not only letters and
other documents. but he has also an
almost inexhaustable fund of personal
experiences from which to draw the
needfyl data. He was here during the
stirring times ST the vigilantes and
was personally acquainted with many
of the bad men, who received sum-
mary punishment at the hands of the
homemade government. He was one Of
tho four men to first discover gold in
this country and was present during
the big strike at Alder Gulch when,
within q short space of time, more than
$160,000.000 in gold was taken from
the 12-mile stretch of gold bearing
soil along the banks of the stream.
The state legislature is fortunate in
finding man with sucn a large stock
OF personal records in his possession.
The fact that Mr.. Stuart has kept the
records in chronological order will ia
cilitate the work.
Native Of Virginia.
Granville Stuart is a native Of vir-
ginia, being born at Clarksburg. Va.
now West Virginia. August q, 1894.
In 1897 the family came west to H.
linois. later moving to Iowa, where
he received his education. After a
previous trip to California in 1S49,
Robert Stuart. his father, took his
sons, James and Granville, to the
Golden state in 1852.
1t was a search for gold that
prompted his father to return to the
Pacific coast. the same inclination
that was inherited by his sons, who
made the early discoveries in Mon
tana. En- route to the coast the fam
lily stopped at Salt Lake city, board
Ing while there with John Taylor, one
OF the II apostles Of the Mormon
church. who later succeeded Brigham
Young as president of the Mormons.
scalifornia to Montana.
The Stuart boys stayed in California
until 1857. when they crossed the
mountains from the Pacific coast to
Montana. On October 10, 1857, they
crossed the continental divide at Mo-
nida. near Dillon. into what was then
Dakota territory.
I'VE rambled around the present site
Of Montana looking for gold and made
our first stop at what is now Pioneer.
Just below Gold creek" Mr.. Stuart said
recently in accounting his adventures
IN pioneer Montana. I'VE wintered
near Dillon and in the spring of 1853
went back to Gold creek looking for
gold and remained there until June"
Tho Mormon War.
Then the Stuarts started back for
Utah but were hindered on account of
the Mormon war that was then in
progress. At this time Colonel Albert
Sidney Johnston was in the territory
with 5000 United States troops and
Brigham Young had Utah under mar
tial law. The men heard of this and
were warned from proceeding to Utah
where Christians were being perse-
cuted on all hands. They returned to
Beaverhead valley to escape the Nor
mon outrages, and wintered in that
section, killing much game, which
they ate unseasoned. @=
Credit for Discovery.
Although there is much contro-
versy about the first discoverer of
gold in Montana. credit is generally
conceded to Stuart for the discovery
at Pioneer creek. in 1851. Search was
made only in the creek bed and no
thought was given to the surrounding |
hills
He remained in Montana, being we'll |
known IN the western part Of the |
state, conducting stores at Philips
burg and Deer Lodge, until 1871, when |
he quit merchandising to enea Sc in |
mining. which he followed until 1879, |
when he went to the lower branch of |
the Musselshell to engage in the cattle |
business. from which he retired in
1887 to take up quartz mining. follow
Ing the latter vocation for four years.
Holds High Offices.
In 1891 Governor Joseph Toole APP
pointed him as state land agent at
which he served two years. For seven
years he was president of the territor-
ial state board OF livestock cOmmis.
sioners and was president Of the live
stock AsaoeiatioA a. sthe terEit0gy. sHes !.