Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1935-06-22
OLD MINER WROTE.
OF EARLY EVENTS
HENRY bosses EXPERIENCES IN
PIONEER DAYS MOST INTER
ESTTNG TO LAYETAN
nv ALBERT :. PARTOLLl

Henry Bose, q Montana pioneer of
/ 1865, whose experiences in the ter
rit0Ry until 1872 are described TN his
manuscript, was at Last Chance
| gulch in the early days Of mining
bO0ms and vigfzanee activities His
experiences and acquaintance in ter
rftOriaI days inelmded a wide range
and his observations were made first
hand. Among his friends was Thomas
| Francis Meagx1er, at one time acting
governor, and Of whom Bose says:
II attended banquet that the min
ers and citizens gave TO Gov. Francis
6eagher at the st. Louis hotel. Had q
very pleasant evening. A very large
crowd and fine grub. Mr.. Meagher
made a good impression on all. He was
good looking man, fine speaker, very
gentlemanly. A fine old Irish gentle
man, one Of the very best kind. as my
partner, w. Cunningham, said. But
best of all, to me, he was a soldier; a
general In the northern army. That
caught me. I like him. We made a
long night Of &c and some Of US who
had spent the night and had not in
dulged too much stayed with It and
bid him 'Goodby' and Bon Voyage he
took the Benton stage to go ON board
got to Benton, went on board the boat
and that was the last OF that good man,
that was ever heard here"
Again speaking Of Helena, Bose men
tions that in the fire Of 1868 he received
financial setback when a bakery in
which he had invested burned. On
Hangman's tree near Helena he once
saw two dangling figures as the result
of vigilante justice.
party" Of Mike Flynn, which has gone
down IN Montana history as q humor-
GUS episode In spite Of It's usual nat
ural decOrI1fn. In his manuscript Bose
says that while he was working in the
gold camps near Beartown, Mike Flynn
died and, In accordance with promise
given him by his friends and partners,
Flynn was to have q Christian burial.
Bose sheds light on the entire event
with a few notes prior TO the party.
He says:
zone of our neighbors, a good, young
fellow, got sick and none of our medi-
cine helped him. We had the horse
doctor down from Beartown. BE re-
lieved him some but he fingered on
and we all did our best for Mike Flynn,
who was 8 good fellow, and well ap-
preciated as neighbor." Previously
be notes that I'VE generally cured any
sickness we had with mustang ltniment,
Browns Jamaica giner, salts, quinlne
WORD came that Mickey Flynn died.
A meeting was held and it appeared
that his partners had promised him be-
fore he died that they would bury him
by a priest and in consecrated ground
Now the nearest priest and church
was in Deer Lodge. Mickey had been
strict churchman. OF course, we all had
10 60 to the funeral, as it had already
been printed in newspaper, for we
ost the corpse, but found II again. The |
next day we all felt bad about this, But
he boys wanted TO give Mickey an irish |
wake at Pioneer, near Gold Greek, |
where a saloon was and OF course they
1verdid It. We had great night Of It. i
Some Of the boys didn't get back for
n 10 days.
In the summer Of 1870 Bose visited
Fort Benton and had new expert
nee, when he accompanied q trader
& Fort Berthold aboard the Nellie Peck
Japt. Grant Marsh was In charge OF
he steamer Bose said.
Il had quite an experience for as wei
rot down the river we found an im~
nense herd Of buffalo crossing the Aais-I
our1. The boat had to tie up to let
he buffalo pass AS far as you could
&c were all buffalo. We just sat there.
occasionally someone would empty his
tx shooter 81 g0zne old fellow or young K
me sticking ia the mud When alI had
lassed we went On. II was certainly /
reat sight J