Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1935-09-12
Last Chance Gulch Was Rich
D;g9;ngs; Discovery Made by
Four Miners in Spring of 1864

straight for camp And so the gulch
became known as Last Chance before
the discovery was made.
They reached the right spot one af-
ternoon ON or about July Is, and made
their camp on what is now the business
center of Helena. That evening they
put two good holes down to bed rock,
n on each side of the creek When
bed rock was reached the hole on the
north side was found to prospect well.
Several flat pieces of gold that would
weigh half a dollar were taken out.
There was no mistake about it, the
little nuggets fell into the ringing pan
with a music peculiarly their own, a
sound grateful to the ears of the four
wanderers. The gravel prospected to
the top OF the ground, and they were
experienced enough to know that at last
the Goddess of Fortune had smiled on
them. Long into the night they sat
around the camp fire, too excited over
their find to turn in. Within each
bosom had bloomed the hope of making
a stake, and of seeing friends and
kindred again, and when they slept
it was to dream of civilization and Of
enjoying a good square meal. Last
Chance gulch, which was to enrich
many miners, had been discovered"
The news of the strike travelled
abroad quickly, and in a few days
several hundred miners were at the
scene of the discovery. The first min
erS' meeting was held July 20, seven
days after discovery. The gulch was
officially christened Last Chance. At
this meeting claims were limited to 200
feet up and down the gulch, from sum-
nit to summit. Miners were allowed to
hold one claim by presumption and
by purchase, and each member of the
discovery party were allowed to hold,
in addition to 200 feet by presumption,
100 feet as a discovery claim, and had
prior rights as regards the use of gulch
water.
The first cabin was erected in the
middle of September of that year, 1864,
the second cabin was built above 1t by
Robert Stanley and the third by G. j..
Wood, o the present site of the Cans
q Klein mercantile house. BY October
/ there we're five cabins in the new
camp.
About this time Captain James L.
FiSk'S first Minnesota expedition ar
rived in Last Chance gulch; also the
expedition in charge of Captain Holmes,
and a number of the members of both
expeditions elected to remain in the
new camp. At the first election, held
in October, 1864, 200 votes were cast
and about this time three commission
ers were empowered by the miners in
meeting to lay out the town and adopt
rules for the redemption of lots and
occupancy. During the winter follow
ing discovery lis cabins were erected
in Last Chance gulch. and in February,
1865, SCOTS addition to the town plat
was surveyed east of Main and north
of Broadway streets.
A second miners meeting was held
on October 80 for the purpose OF Or
ganizing the town. After the appoint
ment of the commissioners the meeting
considered a name for the new mining
metropolis. The light-hearted DISPOSE
lions of those in attendance was evi-
denced by some of the suggestions.
P~umpkinville, Squashtown, Tomahawk,
Tomah and other mirth provoking
names were suggested. John Sommer-
vile suggested the name of Helena,
and this name and Tomah went before
the meeting for decision, Helena win
ming by two votes, otherwise the name
Of the capital Of Montana would have
been Tomah.
OF the discoveries, John Cowan, af-
ter realizing a small fortune from his
placer claims, went to Georgia, the
state of his nativity, and afterwards
pioneered in the Black Hills; d. j.. Mil
Ter, who had been a miner in California
in 1849, also went south. and when last
heard of IA in Alabama, while John
, Crab sold his interests in Last Chance
prospected for a time on Nelson gulch
without much success and a year Or
two later returned to his home in the
east.
The early commissioners of Helena
were given wide latitude. They were
given carte blanche in the making Of
laws, and all disputes regarding proper
ty rights were to be referred to them
for settlement.
Sommerville, who was responsible for
the christening of Helena. was a tall,
jovial frontierslman, who had brought
his wife from Minnesota with him.
When Montana became a territory and
the various counties were organized,
Governor Edgerton appointed him
first treasurer Of Edgerton (now Lewis
and Clark county. In suggesting the
name, Sommerville said it meant a
place far in the interior Of the country,
and his home town. "the best county
seat, in the best county, in the best
state, was named Helena and Som
merville, perhaps because he had a
nice way Of putting things to a crowd,
had his way. He returned to his home
in Helena, MINI, to spend the rest OF
his life.