Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1927-01-14
(By MRS. M. e. P~LAssMANN)

w gold had been discovered n
w Idaho, there was a rush In
this direction of men who for various,
and widely different reasons sought
to improve their condition by going
West, or, more correctly, to the
Rocky Mountain region, for the Far
West sem its contingent Of gold seek
ers here as well as the East. Most
Of those who made the long trek,
knew nothing of the dangers OF the
Journey, or the life which awaited
them in a mining camp. They had
read that gold vas dug from the
ground, and that seemed to be a
simple matter; just locate your claim,
and then set to with pick, shovel, and
pan. 1t looked easy enough, and
promised to be a shorter way OF ac-
cumulating wealth than through az
riculture or trade. Therefore the farm
and counter we're abandoned at the
call OF adventure, to which, from
ponded.
Some who came here first remained to
aid in building up the state, while others
l IOhlA ~ ~ &ib0 Sa0s Dak 1A*J
for a short time, when they returned to
their former homes enriched, or the con-
trary, by their brief ~sojourn here. OF
these latter Is the subject OF this sketch
George w. Cover was the son OF pio-
neers, his father, Daniel Gower having
gone from Pennsylvania to Rock county,
Illinois, In 1899, where he located 500
acres Of land In the township Of Rock,
south of the home of Francis Willard. The
community was known as Happy Hollow"
which name 1t still retains. Here George
Cover was born In 1872.
At the opening of the Civil War he at
tempted to Join the army, but was refused
because of physical disability. Disappointed
In this, he decided to go to Idaho, and, to-
gether with his uncle. William Young, and
his cousin, Jacob Young, left GAINESVILLE.
| Wisconsin, In March Of 1854 At Beloit,
Wisconsin, they Joined a party with four
covered wagons, a good supply OF 1000,
plenty Of guns and ammunition, and that
unive rsal requisite Of the plainsman, a
stock of whiskey and tobacco.
From Belolt, they journeyed In a south
| westerly direction through Iowa, to Council
Bluff. There they found an enormous crowd
gathered waiting to be ferried across the
Missouri, the charge for this service being
five dollars a wagon" A pile OF money.
says Mr.. Cover which many were unable
to pay and they we're quarreling and
fighting and drinking and gambling and
stealing from one another-anything to
x Nv tAS ~
Luckily the Cover party had the money
to pay the ferryman without resorting to
any Of these means to gain 1t. Ihey
crossed the Missouri at Omaha instead OF
at Council Bluff. Here, az a preliminary
step to leaving civilization, Mr.. Cover had
a tin type taken to eeud his wife, whom he
had left with relatives In GAINESVILLE. He be-
gan to realize this trip would not be IN
attended with danger, and 1t was possible
he might never again see hts family.
Becauee of their fear OF being attacked
lby Indians, several companies united
forming one big train. This WAS a wise
precaution. as they somewhere on the o
came upon the remains OF Z train that had
been attacked by Indians. Eighteen per-
sons we're Killed, wagons burned, and all
provistcns tsken. Mr.. Cover helped to bury
the dead and pile stones over the graves
to keep the bodies from being devoured
by wolves or coyotes.
They tocs the South Platte route to Fit.
Kearney, where they crossed the river,
and kept along the North side Of the
Platte to IT. Laramie. Here they hired n