The Kevin review. [volume] (Kevin, Mont.) 1922-1929, 1923-03-08
COVER LOST LIFE
HUNTING FOR GOLD.
MINER, DYING, TELLS GALLATIN
PIONEER OF SOURCE OF
MUCH WEALTH
Starts Across Desert and Perishes;
Remains Identified by a Ring; Fate
of John Bozeman Recalled by GAL
latin Pioneers.


The tragic death of Thomas
Cover, who founded the first flour
mill in the Gallatin valley, and
the killing of John BOzeman, for
whom the city of Bozeman was
named, was graphically told at a
recent meeting of the Pioneer So
ciety of the Gallatin, by Mrs. w. j.
BeaIl, historian of the society, who
has made her home in Bozeman for
nearly 60 years.
In her address Mrs. Beall mention
ed many of the early-day pioneers of
the Gallatin understanding to the
Indians, THE Valley of Flowers
among them John M. Bozeman, after
whom the city is named; Daniel M.
Rouse, William w. Anderson, w. J..
Beall, John S. Mendenhall, Frank F..
Fridley, w. j. Davies, Squire Fitz and
others. Speaking of John M. Boze-
man, she said in part:
Mr.. Bozeman was born in the
state of Georgia. He vas by nature
a pioneer, restless, brave and re-
sourceful, had no conception of fear,
was without culture or education, but
brave to a fault. 1t was due to this
fact that he lost his life. In the
spring of 1867 he and Thomas Cover
started for a trip to Fort C. f. Smith,
which had been established on the
Big Horn in the fall of 1866. Two
or three days later they met a small
party of Blackfeet Indians who APP
peared to be friendly, but they treach-
erously shot and killed Bozeman and
wounded Cover, who returned to the
city a few days later. Bozeman Was
killed April 10, 1867. Thus ended
the life of a brave pioneer for whom
city is named"
Regarding the tragic end of an
of the Gallatin valleys pion-
GERS, Thomas Cover, who started the
flour mill in that section and
who later went to California, the
speaker said:
while Cover was in Riverside,
CAL, an old miner came into the
one day to die. Cover visited
him, and just before the old man
oreathed his last he told Cover how
had discovered the wonderful Peg
Leg gold mine, which is supposed
rom tradition to have been the mine
which the Aztecs drew their
The tradition was well known
o Cover and to every other miner in
California, and he knew that the man
Who found it would be fabulously
So, taking a friend named Rus
ell with him, he started to cross
great desert, known as the Car
SEQ Bad Lands, and by following the
I'D miners instructions, to find the
wonderful mine.
when they got to the edge of the
Iesert the arrangement was made
hat Russell would drive around,
which would take about six hours,
nd Cover would walk across. That
7as the last seen of Cover alive. Rus
ell arrived at the place they were
0 meet, but Cover was not there.
earching parties tried in vain for
lonths to find him.
Identified by Ring
Seventeen years later a surveying
arty working for the United States
Overnment came across the skeleton
f a man buried in a few inches of
and. The sight was not unfamiliar
} them, but their attention was at
acted to a ring on n of the fin
ers, bearing a Masonic emblem, and
hen they made a careful examina-
they found the name, Thomas
over in the ring. One member of
lie party had heard of the strange
of Thomas Cover, and
his instance the bones we're care
lily collected and taken to River
de and were given in charge of
rs. Cover, who arranged for a de-
mt burial. The Peg Leg mine is
Ill lost despite the fact that Death
alley, in which it is supposed TO pc
is now a show place, with
lilroads, autos, hotels and even cit
s within its confines"