Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1928-04-06

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IN A new country exchange often takes
the place of legal tender. This was
= the case in Utah. where for some years
theater goers purchased admission with
farm produce. In the mining districts Of
what is now Montana. where there was
almost no agriculture-not enough, in
fact, to supply the few towns n mining
camps-gold, in the crude form OF dust
or nuggets, was the medium of exchange.
1t had the advantage over a sack OF po-
tatoes, cabbage or turnips in being less
bulky.
On the other hand, potatoes and the
like were not apt to be stolen, while gold
was always a temptation to a thief, 1t
could so easily be carried away unde-
tected. Every day while mining was the
chief industry here, thousands Of dol
lars worth Of gold was washed from the
earth. or extracted from quartz. This
was generally known, and because OF the
impossibility Of secrecy. nee out of the
ground 1t became a problem each miner
was called upon to solve. how his gains
could be safely concealed.
There were no banks in those days and
no safes. Merchants and those earning
wages were called Upon to face the same
difficulty as the miners In safeguarding
their receipts. Gold was then at a pre-
MUM; few greenbacks-the paper money
Of the day-hnding their way into the
territory.
II a man went to q store to make 6
purchase, he carried with him a buck
skin bag OF gold dust. the exact quantity
1t contained unknown even to the pos
SCISSOR. After the conclusion of his pur-
chasing, he drew out his buckskin purse
n threw it unopened on the counter
| Tho v,,nrebnvf nNannl ~ a,,V+{oI ~ 49,
tain amount Of the glittering grains or
to his scales, and having taken what hi
claimed was due him, returned the re.
mainder to the purse, INT the purse tc
the customer, who could not count the
change and thus verify the accuracy Of
the transaction. The merchant hac
every opportunity to cheat and undoubt-
eddy did SO in innumerable cases. 1t was
very easy to manipulate the delicate
scales in his own favor. Then, too, such
a tiny mount of the dust constituting
a dollars worth, a trifle might be spilled
on the counter without detection.
The tendency to profit from this means
or exchange vas not confined to mer-
chants. I have been reliably informed
that n man whose official duty it was
to collect money, made a tidy sum from
receiving 1t In gold and turning 1t over
W. N1AC al klCCAiDdtho, llsIll-
self retaining the large premium.
Every day when the miner returned tt
the shack, lodging house, or dugout thai
was his temporary home, he carried Will
him the days earnings. Perhaps severa
parties knew o much he took with
him. Could he trust them every one
Evidently not, for the miners devised al
sorts of hiding places for their dearly
gained treasure. They were unable Il
turn it in to a bank and go away will
the reasonable assurance that they NIGH
rest secure in the knowledge their golt
was safe.
Often the gold was buried, either by {
thief or the owner. / have already tole
of the nuggets, gold chains, ETC., my lit
tie sister and q playmate dug up nea.
one corner Of our house in Bannack. II
this instance the gold was cached by
thief, n recovered by the owner, thanks
to the children. One. can imagine tn,
excitement of the latter, as they brough'
one shining article after another to tn,
surface Of the ground. They were play
ing at being miners but young as the,
were, understood that although golC
nuggets were often made into chains, tn,
miners did not wash out the perfected
article.
Nuggets varied greatly in size. A let
ter to the Montana Post dated July 8
1865. tells Of one:
THE largest nugget taken from an,
gulch in Montana, was thrown out IL
the shoveling on the Sd inst, at MI
Maxwell's claim, No. 5 above discovery
Nelson gulch. The nugget is valued a
over $4,000" And the writer iocularl'