The Wolf Point herald., 1920-02-26

Ddnk QlQ WOQQ6TIul DuSlU6SS, Op-
portunity came to Mr.. Millard to go
into the banking business in Omaha,
his home. He sold out his Montana
interests and became cashier of the
Omaha National bank In the course
of years he became the president and
principal owner of the Omaha bank.
Other honors came to him. He was
elected mayor of Omaha and later
United States senator from Nebras-
ka.
Senator Millard has just retired.
He has written for the Montana
Banker the story of his banking ex-
perience in Montana, which is as
follows:
GAS most of those early days of
Montana have been written over and
over again, hesitate to say any
thing but will briefly state some
thing of the early experience 1 had
in getting to Virginia City in the
spring of 1864.
"'It took me nearly four months
from the time l left Omaha until |
reached Alder Gulch on the morning
of the 5th of July of that year. I
had horse to deliver at Summit,
which I had ridden from the Mis-
souri, river, and l recall after 1 left |
Virginia City that there was snow on
the ground most of the way to Sum-
nit.
Bank and Gambling House
81 went to Virginia City intending
to start a bank in connection with
B. F. Allen of Des Moines, Iowa, and
a fot Of
quarters in a clothing store owned
by Hellman & Co. of Omaha, who
had preceded me, and in there I
started q little bank in the name of
Allen & Millard. Next to that corner
where I bought gold dust and slept
on the counter, was what was known
as the Gem Gambling House. 1t +
was a building 100 feet long and
perhaps 25 feet wide There was an
orchestra at the back end of it, bar
at the front and gambling tables be-
tween. 1 think the concern we
started was the first real bank draw
ing exchange on New York at that
time in Montana.
"The population in Alder Gulch
on my arrival was probably not over
six or seven thousand, but by the
first of October that year there were
eighteen thousand or twenty thou
sand people in the canyon, which ex- {
tended from the town of Summit to I
below the town of Nevada, and by 6
fall mining was carried on on prac- I
tically every piece of ground there 1
was in the gulch. Of course, it was 9
all placer mining. t
Gold Dust by the Pound /
'In the following winter I start ?
I'd for the states with about 100 =
pounds of gold dust. We had a sort !
If a stage line from there to Salt =
Lake and I recall it took us about y
nine days to get from Virginia City =
the Holiday stage line, or what :
was known as the Overland Stage
Line, for the east. That gold l car
led as far as Davenport, Iowa, ship n
BED it to New York by express, and =
believe L received in greenbacks :
lbout $3.50 on the gold dollar for +
t. In the spring I went back to a
Montana carrying with me $25, 200 .
If currency sewed in my vest. " "
''The day of my arrival we had s.
What was known as the flour riot II
If Virginia City, many of the miners A.
having had no flour for four or five P
weeks, and what little there was in Al
he town was sold at $100 a pound. 81
about 2 o'clock in the afternoon of is
he day of my arrival a procession dt
# 1900 to 1000 miners, with pole %,
With an empty flour sack tied to the tc
op of it, marched up Wallace street h,
nd hunted for flour. They visited gl
very place where there was any
of finding some and ga h;
hered up quite lot, which they car in
led to a certain building fronting lo
N that street, to be distributed dur h
ng that night. II
Threat of Robbery :.
1t was reported to me during the OF
vening that the little bank 1 had tn
uilt up the street from where 1 pre- ST
iously started in business was go CT
ng to be robbed. All had was in
he little building and four or five
rusted friends stayed with me. We u
ad, 1 recall. the usual number of WI
lrearms. We pulled down the cur co
aims so that none of them could see te
I, but about o'clock 1 went to the ID
eadquarters where they had the 81
our, and was assured by the COM W;
landing officer of that place that ly
e would be protected, which was VIZ
'ue, and nothing ever came of the VIZ
.ory that we would be looted. The ed
our they had gathered up during
lie day was doled out to needy peo- ed
e at the usual price for flour, $28 In
bag. as
During the summer my wife and eli
lildren, accompanied by my wife's VIC
ther, took steamboat at st. Louis thi
Id came up to Cow Island, where OF
met them, and from there we went ou
: wagon to Helena, which had then tel
.come quite a city, where we took In
AGO for Uiro;r;o Ci+u M - 65