The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1921-05-12
MARK SPOT WHERE FIRST GOLD WAS FOUND
1M LAST CHANGE FIFTY SEVEN YEARS AGO

gulch IN the cap1tal city, mas maze
it's report to the society and fixed
the spot on the site where the Mon
tana club building now stands.
A bronze tablet setting III the
facts of the gold discovery is to be
imbedded in one of the pillars of the
Montana club building.
The members of the commission
who made the report fixing for all
future purposes the exact spot upon
which gold was first discovered in
Last Chance were:
The Commission
George L. Ramsey, president of
the Banking Corporation of Montana
and president of the Helena CONNER
cial club, chairman.
Mrs. c.. B.. Nolan, wife of former
Attorney General Nolan.
Senator T. c. Power, old-time mer-
chant, cattleman and banker in
Montana.
John G. Shober, one of Montana's
early day pioneers.
Maurice Weiss, for many years a
resident of Helena.
The findings of the commission
are formally reported as follows:
The Findings
81. That John Cowan and John
Grab of Georgia, Reginald (Bob)
Stanley of London, England, and d.
j.. Miller of California, a party of
prospectors returning from a STAN
pede to the Kootenai country, and
known as The Georgians,' discover
ed the first gold in Last Chance
gu1ch, on July IA, 1854, on ground
now covered by the Montana club
building.
so. That a mining claim in ac-
cordance with the rules adopted by
the district was laid out covering !
the gulch and from rim to rim and
covering part of the site of the Gold
block and the Montana club building
and the intervening ground and
Main street, Fuller emu and Sixth
avenue east and west.
SO. That the settlement which
followed the stampede to the region
was known as Last Chance gulch I'M
til October 80, following which a
meeting of the miners was held and
the settlement was named Helena.
I'm compliance with the terms of
our appointment and with the facts
found above, we have secured and
on the Fuller avenue front of
the Montana club building a bronze
tablet, 80 by 40 inches, reciting our
findings as follows:
"DISCOVERY OF GOLD IN
LAST CHANCE GULCH
"'On this placer mining claim
gold was discovered on July IA,
1864, by John Cowan and John
Crab of Georgia, Bob Stanley of
London, England, and d. j. Miller
of California, known as 1.-THE
G~eorgians,' who were returning
from an unsuccessful prospecting
expedition to the Kootenai country.
This district was called Last
Chance gulch until October 80,
1864, when it was named Helena.
"'This memorial Of the achieve
ments of these pioneers is erected 1
by the Historical Society of Mon
tana and the Society of Montana
Pioneers.
ISL MONUMENTUM REQUIRIs +;
CIRCUMSPICE.'
1--WE commend the design of the !
and Pioneer societies of /,
he state in settling finally this in
eresting controversy and their pur- :
rose of marking historic spots, and ,
lesire to testify that the labor and !.
responsibility devolved on us has l
,een a pleasure in it's performance" /.
The Last Survivor :
Bob Stanley, the last of the party !
# four "~Georgians" who made the :,
discovery in Last Chance gulch, died :
n London nearly seven years ago. !
lie was the last survivor of the quar- !
ct of argonauts. He wore to his =
a ring made from some of thel =
irst gold taken from the Last Chance !
iscovery. /.
The commission took considerable l
Among the witnesses who :
ppeared and were questioned during ,
he investigation and who stated that 6
hey had talked with John Cowan, y
eader of the party of "G~eorgians'' =
made the discovery, were: ,
81. r. Watson of Camden, N. j., !
n his way to Alaska, an early mer- !.
liant in Helena; John H. Shober, a !.
of the commission, reached :
asst Chance gulch in September, :.
1854, and has ever since been, and !
yet a resident of Helena; Judge !
'. Y. Pemberton, a pioneer of 1863, Z
ia the Missouri river, passed near :
site Of Helena in September, 10 !.
lonths before the discovery, and has g
we'd in Helena most of the time since =
865; Chester E. Worden of Helena, :,
esided here in 1865 and has only :
roken a continuous residence by =
,ampedes to Confederate and other :
ulches; William Shelley, who later q.
lscovered Shelley gulch; Henry Full D
N of Jefferson county, and many !,
u
Hard to Designate =.
"The great change in the contour =
the locality made in the improve I,
ents of the capital city of the state =,
axes it difficult to designate exact 7,
tes. Main street, a little east of y
le thread of the gulch, has been a
lied in from 20 to 80 feet from its u
bed, and the hills to the east =
Id west cut down to the present !"
rect grades. Mr.. Stanley visited 81
elena 10 years after the discovery -
Id leaves of record the fact that ~
} found it difficult to recognize his