Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1929-05-16

the Missouri and more than half of the
early pioneers made their way to Mon
tana ON the bosom of its turbulent
waters.
In 1903, the vast domain out of which
have since been carved IA of the finest
states of the Union changed from
French to American ownership. Ma
poleon, lusting for conquest, transferred
to the United States in what is called
the Louisiana Purchase everything
owned by France west of the Mississippi,
and prosecuted his wars with the pro-
ceeds.
President jefferson, with far-sighted
sagacity, determined that the nations
new possessions should be investigated.
In 1904 he dispatched Captains Lewis
and Clark on a mission of exploration
up the Missouri, with instructions to
push on over the continental divide
until they reached the Pacific. This
expedition not only produced an &C
curate and graphic survey and clinched
our title to this great empire but it
bequeathed to posterity one of the
greatest Of Omance and adventure that
has ever come out of the west. The
most thrilling portions OF their journey
were those experienced in what is now
the state Of Montana. Their diary is
lllllllOl "a diilOAiS ~ AAoVAOAA . I'LL
Early Settlements
Western Montana was settled through
the lure of gold. 1t was a half-breed
Indian, Beneetse, who is said to have
first discovered the precious metal, but
it was James and Granville Stuart,
poking around in the sands of Gold
and developed the earliest operation,
that of placer mining. Shortly there
after, gold was discovered in a creek in
Beaverhead county, and Bannack as
sumed the rough semblance OF. a town
while its citizens tOiled with pick and
pan in the shallow waters of its wealth.
giving stream. Here too was reared the
first skeleton of organized government
and here was located the first terri
torial capital.
But its life was short. Within a
year, sensational news came from Alder
gulch, SO miles to the east, and there
was a stampede for the new "diggings."
Here wa founded Virginia City and
hither was moved the captain a
handbag.
Unheard of wealth poured out of AL
der gulch for 20 years dating from 1868.
Fifteen thousand sourdoughs lined both
banks of the little stream that had
proven a veritable Golconda. At least
five million dollars a year was recov-
cred from the Sluice-boXeS of this
mushroom settlement. And after the
white men had quit, the Chinese came
in and took. another small fortune for
their "pickings."
Last, but by no means least, an the
electric dredger, which scooped up the
tumbled gravel of the gulch and, from
1898 to 1922, recovered at least S10,000,-
600 in gold from the sands so crudely
worked by the pioneers.
And the end is not yet. Today prof.
ects are afoot for further electric dredg-
ing operations and for the development
Of rich quartz claims in the adjacent
hills. +.
From 1862 to 1882 it is estimated that
5000, 600, 900 was panned from the
gravelly bottoms Of MOntana's many
creeks.
Priestly Pioneers
Even ahead of the miner came the
missionary. 1t was in 1910 that Father
de Smet penetrated to the Bitter Root
valley, west of the continental divide,
and on the first Sunday in October,
1841, amid impressive ceremonies, es-
tablished st. Mary's mission. AS the
historian puts it, with hundreds of
Flathead Indians present, "a large cross