The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1920-09-23

the hospitality of their cabin, where
| spent a very pleasant evening with
them.
Ten years later on my first visit
to the great Comstock lode, Sam
Jones was superintendent of the
Crown Point Milling company, which
was then controlled by his brother,
the senator, his brother Ed, having
passed away in San Francisco.
Starts Return Trip.
Upon my return to Boise / traded
two of my cayuses and a round sum
in dust for a pair of stout horses,
purchased some blankets, NM bacon
and a few other articles to make q
moderate load and started on my re-
turn. / retained one saddle animal
for my assistant and / drove the
team. The third day after our de-
parture we had a fearful storm which
lasted several days but we managed
to get over the range two or three
days before it was closed for the
winter.
We returned to Virginia City,
where I quietly stored my goods and
chattels for a short time. / found,
however, that there was a reason
ably good supply of the weed" at
that place, and / concluded to re-
load and go to Helena. En- route
l had the pleasure of taking Christ
mas dinner with Captain Parkinson
and his wife, by their kind invitation.
They were then living near Boulder
on the road to Helena, and a square
meal was a delightful luxury in those
days, particularly when accompanied
with such gracious hospitality.
Upon arriving at Helena / unload
ed my goods in a warehouse exca-
waited at the back of a store belonging
to q Mr.. Lefevre, whom l had known
in Iowa many years before. The char
acter of my goods was known only
to him.
Helena Quiet.
Those were quiet days in Helena,
and the winter was very severe. When
the Sun river stampede took place
l concluded to take a chance with
many others and upon arriving at
the Dearborn river l received unfav-
orable reports as to the discoveries,
and the weather being intensely cold
l concluded to return to Helena. A
number of stampeders were severely
at that time, and there was
suffering.
Tobacco in Helena was at that time
very scarce, and they were asking as
high as SO a pound for it, but the
retailers would buy only a small
quantity at a time to supply their
immediate requirements. Expect
ing and hoping that a new camp
would be opened somewhere in the
| quietly traded off more of
my tobacco, a box at a time, for other
goods, in order to make up a general
of merchandise, and abide
time for a stampede. In March
he stampede came and Reynolds City
IN Elk creek, a tributary of the Big
3lackfoot, was the newly hearalded
Colorado.
/ found a pack train of mules at
Helena, owned by a Spaniard by the
name of Joaquin Abascal, which /
hired and started with a general as
5ortmeDt of merchandise to the new
camp where I spent the spring and
summer with reasonable success.
Bonner and Welch, a well
1nown firm, were amongst my COM
there, and for a few months
t was a very lively camp.
Meets Old Timers.
The merchants ~replenished their
itocks by purchasing from pack
rains that came in from the west,
tut in order to have a suitable va
iety we were obliged to make occa-
ional purchases at Helena. / made
trip occasionally horseback by
of the Nevada creek valley and
he old camp of Blackfoot. During
ne of these trips 1 met ON the traih
DING into Elg Creek, Hon. Hiram.
Knowles, who had with Messrs. Clag-
and Dixon, also well known at
orneys, recently arrived from Neva-
a, and were located at Helena
Concluded on Agricultural Page