The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1918-07-25

just the same Clark. to his old friends
And this suggests something. Their,
is one thing about Senator Clark that
stands out above all others-his feel
ing for the old timers and pioneers
who with him braved the rigors OF
the frontier He has always taken
the deepest interest in the society of
pioneers of Montana, an organization
which embraces all those who came to
Montana in the very early days. on
more than one occasion he has drop
nous business affairs and made an
ocean and transcontinental trip to at
tend its meetings.
Montana's First Syndicate.
To return to Clark's activities in
, JEFF Davis gulch. He needed water
to work his placer. So did Henry
Lovewell and several others. So they
formed little syndicate, probably
one of the first organized in the ter
ritory to dig ditch with which to
bring water to their sluice boxes.
None of the syndicate share owners
had much money; possibly enough to
buy provisions, and the capital of the
organization was represented very
largely in Drawn and muscle; the
very best substitute for money in the
matter OF digging a ditch, So Clark
and his associates got out with their
shovels and dug the ditch which they
needed. They used it to good effect
and with 1t separated the gravel from
the gold that lay on the bed rock of
Jen Davis gulch. Afterwards, ac-
cording to this hotel register record
which reposes in the vaults of Beav-
erhead county, they sold this ditch
and water right to w. r. Vandruff.
Other men worked in the ground
sluices of Jeff Davis gulch who have
made their impress on Montana.
Judge Lott Was There.
Judge M. H. Lott, who lives at
Twin Bridges, located claim No. |, on
Dorsetts bar. 1t developed into
fairly good placer claim. Judge Lott
became very active in the
organization Of the Vigilantes. He
had lived in California. In the placer
gold days. and had been one of the |
miners who helped to rid that state |
OF the highwaymen; in fact he was |
a member of the California Vigilantes
There are men who insist that it was
Judge Lott who suggested the forma-
ton of the Vigilantes, and certain it |
was he who administered the Califor-
MIA oath to the Montana men, and
swore them to rid the young commun-
ty of the robbers He has lived at
Twin Bridges for many years, is ro-
bust and active in his old age, and
enjoys the esteem of his fellow men
such as do few men, Judge Lofts
claim was recorded in the hotel regis
ter on July s. 1868, just four days af-
ter the district was organized w. b.
Dance also recorded claim on the
same day.
The oldest deed in the state in ex-
stence was drawn in connection with
the sale of jeff Davis gulch placer
claim. The deed is on record in the
hotel register record of Beaverhead
county.
The gulch was named by a confed-
crate soldier, who had come to Mon
tana when Price. the southern gem
eral had been defeated. His army
vas scattered to the four winds and
some of the fugitives kept on retreat
ng until they came to Montana. The
iouthers We're 50 numerous in the
'oung territory that for a time there
vas doubt as to whether the unionists
we're in control. The diggings flour
shed for few years. but when the
,ravel was worked out, the little town
hat had been built up was aband-
med. The greatest monument to this
llmost forgotten gulch is the colos-
al fortune of Senator Clark, who laid
is foundation there.