Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1929-05-30

uSudl llllllP ndppeIeQ-une people DIT
Bannack heard Of the new strike and
Bannack was deserted for Alder gulch.
alder gulch was phenomenally rich;
in fact, there is reason to think that
for its area it was the richest placer
ground in the world, over $50, 1000, 900
being recovered here in the first three
years of its operation.
I'm September, 1864, a party of
Georgian miners, lead by John Cowan,
began mining operations in Last
Chance gulch. A village sprang up in
the gulch, called CrabtoWn, but for
t~unately this was 500 changed to the
much more euphonious Helena.
Time does not permit to speak of
the gold discoveries of the Fraser river
and Of Cariboo in British Columbia in
SO, nor of the Argonauts who won their
way to California, camped at the foot
OF Gold Hill, and discovered the Com
stock lode.
Briefly, 1 think, one may safely say,
that there have been no important
mineral discoveries in the Rocky noun
tain territory that directly or indirectly
are not traceable to the influence OF
Marshall's find in January, 1848. Prac-
tically the mineral production of the
NNoO AAo0 y Olltll dlld paw Olld6C dl
Coloma Mill. Not only the material
evidences of mining do we owe to the
California discovery, but the law under
which we operate Jul mines as outlined
in the A. G. May 10, 1872, is merely a
codificatiOn of the amazingly wise pro-
visions laid down by the distinct rules
and regulations of California. Under
this common law of mining evolved
by the heterogeneous placer population
of the California gold fields, the min
eral development of the west has grown
and flourished exceedingly.
Do Their Own Thinking
From the ideas of independent self
government, developed by the miners
meeting of early western days, the peo-
pie Of the western states have grown
accustomed to doing their own thinking
and their W legislating, with the re-
suit that today it is the states of Cali
fofnia, Montana, Oregon, Idaho and
Washington that are leading the ma
ton in advanced legislature of various
kinds.
"Of the stimulus given to agricul-
ture by the arrivals in California, al
of you know, the two basal industries
must ever thrive hand in hand; they
are supplemental and complemental
each to the other. The narrow strip
of country comprising the influence OF
her own mines and OF mineral discOv-
cries, melted by. them, developed NOR
agricultural land throughout the Unit
ed States than has been developed by
any other means. And as was said by
the Westminster Review Of the Cali
fornianS 80 we might say of the people
of the Pacific slope, They made Their
country first the treasure house anc
then the garden of the world Out
growing and In many cases out-livine
the initial impulse afforded by the
gold seekers, agriculture has gone or
extending to other fields and eXchang-
ing the products of the soil Of n state
for the product OF the mines IN another
when WI turn to transportation we
find the influence of the mining in
dustry even more potently displayed
Gibhon, IN his Decline and Fall Of the
Roman Empire credits the Romans
with being the most remarkable road
builders in the world, but in the sc
years following the discovery Of gold
California built more miles Of gOOC
road Than the Romans had built In IL
centuries throughout their entire en-
pire. AS the immediate need OF the
'forty-niners' became urgent, a railroad
was built across the Isthmus; steam
ship lines were established to connect
the Atlantic with the Pacific coast and
the Facific coast with Australia and
the Orient. Railroads, first the ole
Union Pacific and then others were
built across the plains and owe OF
through the mountains, and just as In
this district, the railroad came In re-
spouse to the demands of the miner
for cheaper supplies and smelter COM
m%unication, SO the network Of railroads
which is becoming closer and closer
mesEed over the face Of our western
empire, owes Its existence TO the miner
al discoveries. Mining and transporta-
ton have ever been partners In indus