davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1935-07-11

it is not to be wondered at that the
year 1850 found a ~16-year-old boy work
ing with freighting outfits through Ne
braSka to Denver, and that the name Of
that boy vas Mcclure.
BY inheritance fearless, by instinct
adventurous, by training a dead shot,
and by inclination a fighter, young
Mcclure, by these traits and by this
sterling honesty, sOOn won the complete
confidence Of his employers and, while
yet but a lad in his teens, he was as
signed to many confidential and peril
Gus missions. One Of these was the
driving of a herd Of cattle from Den
yer to Montana, the route being over
trails dimly blazed and through the
Sioux-infested valley of the Platte,
Swimming difficult streams, fighting
at times against great odds, inspiring
his men always with his own indomit-
able spirit, the youngster accomplished
the remarkable feat of arriving at his
destination without the loss of a man
or an animal.
Five years Of this experience found
Mcclure with an accumulation sufficient
to enable him to have a freighting out
fit of his own. In 1865 he was in the
transportation business between Salt
Lake and the new camps OF Montana
He was successful, but he was not salts
fled. Freighting did not seem to him
to be the right way to make money.
The lure of the placers seized upon
him and he joined in the quest for gold,
Selling his freighting outfit, his first
mining venture was in old Confederate
gulch; this was followed by digressions
into fields of lesser renown and attend
ed by varying success. His rich streaks
were not more i%nfrequent than those OF
the average placer miner, but the pur-
suit impressed him as too uncertain
and he turned his attention to quartz
mining. He associated himself with
two uncles, the P~arkinSonS, and the
later COS found the partners establish
ed in the Unionville district, above
Helena, where Mcclure located INT par
| ~ticularly valuable lode, an extension OF
the Whitlach Union.
But it was haphazard work and un-
satisfactory to Mcclure. He was soor
convinced that success in quartz min
ing depended upon a thorough know
ledge of geology and metallurgy and
having reached this conclusion, he pro
ceeded with characteristic energy tt
equip himself for the pursuit which
was to become his life work, and II
which he was destined to achieve con-
| spicuous success. He went back to Mis-
souri, and studied, studied with all the
energy of which he was capable anc
with such effect that he was able, wher
he returned to Montana, to take charge
of the old Centennial mill in Butte.
The year 1877 found Mcclure ir
Philipsburg, already a mining town Of
fame, where he assumed direction o.
the famous cid Hope mill. Here in thi,
wonderful old property Mcclure found
the field for which he was born; her,
was the place which he was pre-destin
Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1935-07-11

Mcclure picked up q bit of float. He
put it in his pocket and took it home
for assay. The next day he asked
for a bond IN the property. This was
in 1880. There were three owners
Merrill, Holland and E.stell. The bond
was given for 5000; Holland and
Estell would not take stock in pay
ment; Merrill accepted stock merely
because he feared the deal would not
go through if he refused. It Is said
by those who are in a position to know,
that the owners would have accepted
much less than the figure agreed upon.
But Mcclure was not a bickerer; he
either accepted OF rejected and the de-
velopment Of the great Granite noun
tain was begun.
1t was a vast undertaking. 1t must
be remembered that the Northern Pa
cific had not yet pushed its way
through He'll Gate canyon, at the foot
OF Flint creek. The location was re-
mote and inaccessible. Capital was shy
of quartz-mine investment. Dollars
were not easily coaxed for mine devel-
opment in Montana. But Mcclure got
together enough to start the work.
Miners began the attack upon the great
ledge on the summit of the divide.
1t was hard mining; steadily the capt.
tai dwindled, but Mcclure was positive,
and his confidence was mistaken,
though the hoped-fOr results seemed
as far away as when the work was
started. But he knew that, somewhere
ahead in that solid granite mass there
was rich ore. He was determined to
find it. And the miners drilled on and
on.
But even the infectious confidence
OF Mcclure had its limits as a persuasive
influence, and there came a day when
there was no more money available
or in prospect. Mcclure counted up and
found that he had just enough to pay
the men for that shift. This did not
mean with him that the work would
be abandoned, but it looked dark, and
1t seemed certain that the development
would be postponed. There wa dis
enlargement, but no dismay; the ere
was there; he knew it.; it was just a
question Of getting funds to reach it.
There had been no values discover
ed in the work that had been done. 1t
was the hast shift. but the miners
worked doggedly on. Through the day
there had been no change in the con-
ditiOnS underground. The last shot
was tamped home, the fuse was lighted
and the miners prepared to leave the
work which they had pushed sc per
sistently under the determined driving
of the man at the head of the work.
That last shot was fired. 1t threw
bonanza ore upon the muckers' planks.
The Granite mountain was discovered
and Charles Mcclure became in that
moment of the greatest mining men
of his time.
From that evening in 1880 until now
the great Granite mountain fissure has
steadily yielded its wealth of the white
metal into the markets of the world.
1t has made millionaireS Of the back
ers of the plucky, persistent man who
grimly and gamely fought against odds
to Uncover the bonanza which made
Granite mountain a household word.
The mine developed under scientific
management into a model of under
Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1935-07-11

inquiry it was searching. He investigat-
ed thoroughly; he approached his prob
lem from all angles. When he had CON-
pleted his study, he knew what he was
about and he either rejected the prop
osition or adopted it. When he had
adopted and approved a property, he
knew no rest until he had demonstrated
by development the correctness of his
theory regarding it. Obstacles which
would have dismayed an ordinary man,
he brushed aside as if they we're moth
ing. He had his goal set and he worked
straight toward it. He did not drive
blindly at it, but he worked intelligently
and effectively; he planned his cam
paign and he followed his plan through
thick and thin.
Charles D. Mcclure wa not born to
the mining business, but he was born
to the frontier, and of q race of from
tiersmen. It was in Carrolton, Mo,
that he first saw the light. The year
of his birth was 1874. For two gen.
eratiOns his fOrebearS had been in the
vanguard of the westward advance;
their names are prominent in the
records of more than one state and al
ways they figured with distinction.
They were pioneers Of pioneers, Injured
to hardship, trained to advance, drilled
never to retreat. Born of this fighting
blood and in an era of knight-errantry
Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1935-07-11
HUGE GRIZZLY IS
CAUSING ALARM
BEAR is MAKING GHOSTLY REC
ORD FOR HIMSELF; MAKES
NIGHTLY RAIDS

A grizzly bear, old enough TO have
accumulated plent of knowledge is
establishing somewhat Of a record as
a more or less harmless inhabitant
of the Benchland country, southwest
of Augusta. In fact, his record is be-
coming a bit tinged with the antics
commonly attributed to ghosts. When
the fishing season fist opened q
Great Falls angler was trying his
luck, accompanied by a water spanie,.
The deg was chasing gOphers or
whatever ii is that dogs are always
chasing, and the fisherman was fish
ing when the dog nearly upset the
angler by trying to hide behind his
legs.
The angler swore at the dog, then
happened to glance over his shoulder
and saw a large grizzly slowly passing
down the road. Lacking a gun, the
angler forgave the dog and returned to
town to tell of a big grizzly which had
little fear OF men or dogs.
Parties spending week-ends in cabins
in tn eBenchmark section found they
were unable to keep garbage dumps
covered. One party covered garbage
dumps every night, to find the debris
scattered all about the yard the next
morning. Men with rifles kept a
watch. But the men tired, slept and in
the morning found the grizzly had Wis
tied the garbage dump and left I'M
observed.
Recently a m member of a cabin
party was awakened by q noise on a
screened window. A bright moon out
lined the head and shoulders OF the
Benchmark bear as he looked the party
owe from his vantage point in the win
dow. His forepaws rested lightly on
the screen. AS the woman awakened
the rest of the party the grizzly dis
appeared. Investigation showed one
huge claw had broken the screen. A
muddy track on the w~indOwsill showed
where the other paw rested.
The record being established by the
Benchmark bear leaves hunters with
mixed emotions, opinions and consid-
cradle doubt. Some experienced hunt
ers say they would like to await cold
weather before trying for the pelt Of
the big fellow. They feel he should
not be shot now. They hope nobody
will have to kill the grizzly until his
pelt is good.
Some inexperienced nimrods are
ready to shoot at the grizzly any time.
The veterans advise they use a heavy
rifle, in fact, the old timers counsel
several rifles if the hunters are novices.
A few think they would like to be on q
horse when the shooting starts. All a
horse needs is one look at a grizzly
and the horse leaves for far away
places without urging.
Then, there are the folks who try
to keep a sanitary camp, only to have
the grizzly scatter things all about the
place. They are considerably vexed.
Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1935-07-11

ground development; a shaft more than
thousand eight hundred feet deep
is entered at the one thousand foot level
by a tunnel three miles long. The great
ore body has shown no sign Of exhaus-
ton; in its miles of levels the great
mine yet holds vast bodies Of workable
ore The low price of silver caused the
cessation of operations at the mine;
water fills its depths to the height of
the drainage tunnel. Some day the
market may warrant the resumption Of
work here.
But always the Granite mountain and
the marvellous wealth it produced will
remain al a monument to the man who
found it in the face of difficulties. He,
through his keen insight, contributed
to the wealth of Montana more than
$25, 000, 900. His whole record is con-
structive; he has risked more than any
other mining man in Montana, but 1t
has been no haphazard risk: it has
been the venture of the far-seeing man,
Of the man who knows. Montana owes
much to Charles D. Mcclure, who first
saw her soil as a freighter and who
became one of her greatest men.
Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1935-07-11

FOREWORD

The following story was written
by Dean A. L.. Stone, of the
School Of Journalism, University
Of Montana, in 1912. Due to
the revival of the mining industry
In and around Philipsburg, the
publishers are reprinting this
article through the courtesy of
Dean Stone. 1t first appeared in
The Muscular and was later
published in book form, under the
title Following Old Trails"
Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1935-07-11

sources in the district failed; always
the Hope has made good it's name and
has kept alive the confidence of the
Philipsburg people, whom I regard as
the Quickest lot of folks in Montana.
1t is a remarkable mine, the Hope, and
its mill is a wonderful institution . It
has produced a vast amount Of wealth
in the long years of its almost uninter-
rupted operation and it has graduated
some remarkable men-but none great
er, none entitled to higher place in the
esteem Of Montana, than Charles D.
Mcclure.
He took up the movement Of the
Hope mill just as he took up everything
elSe-with a determination to win. 1t
was while he was winning with the
Hope that his attention was directed to
the Granite mine, then a mere prospect
in the forbidding granite region over
looking the Flint creek valley. Mcclure
had been looking over the country, but
with characteristic conservation, had
said nothing.
He had learned a lot. All of the min
ing in the district had been in the
secondary Foundations; after a year of
study. Mcclure prospected away from
this into the older rock. That pros
PcCtiiiS Hiduc Vic 0ldlliIc uiouillGlll
mine.
DR.. Josiah M. Merrill was the assay
er at the Hope. He soon acquired q
respect for the new superintendent; it
was he who first directed the atten-
ton of Mcclure to the prospect on the
hill. Merrill was n of the owners of
the Granite mountain location. 1t was
not a promising prospect. The outcrop
was large, but there was nothing to in
dictate anything more than low-gra6e
mineral. The country, itself. was for
bidding. Rugged, precipitous, crowd
ed with huge boulders, supporting no
vegetation but its clothing of lodge
pole pine-there was little to tempt the
miner or to invite the prospector. There
had been a short tunnel and a 50-foot
Wine driven. this represented all the
work that had been done IN the proper
ty. None of the owner had much con-
fidence in the prospect.
Illustrative of the estimation IN
which it was held, l was told, the other
connected with the early history of
Granite mountain mine. The 50-foot
Wine referred to had been sunk by
contract; the contractor vas to receive
a quarter interest in the property for
his work. When he had finished, Hol-
land, n Of the ~locators, measured the
Wine and found it one foot short. APP
plying for the stock, which was to be
his payment, the contractor was told
to finish the job. Rather than sink
that other foot, he let the whole thing
go by default. Thus lightly he threw
over his shoulder a quarter interest in
the greatest silver mine the world has
ever known. 1t would be interesting
to know just how he felt a few years
later.
In his prospecting on the surface,
Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1935-07-11
(By DEAN A. L. STONE)


Up Granite mountain from Philips
burg leads enc of the most interest
ing Of Montana's old trails. 1t is a
quiet-enough trail now. One may
travel up and down from Philipsburg
to the town Of Granite at the noun
tain's top and back again and not
meet a soul. But time was when this
was a busy highway. 1t was tenn
ing with life its entire length. Great
teams strained up the long grade,
laden with supplies for the thousands
Of people whose home was in the pic
turesque town, whose buildings found
resting places between the great
b0ulders of granite or else upon
shelves which were dug out of the
mountain Side-peOple whose living
depended upon the great silver mines
OF he mountain, the most wonderful
producers Of the white metal ever
known. Passenger cOnveyances moved
more rapidly up and down the won
derful old mountain, moved yer
what was probably the finest noun
tain road In the whole west-a verit-
able boulevard for smoOthnesS and
constructed upon a grade which was
as easy as possible when the attitudes
Of It's terminals are considered.
1t was an experience never to be for.
gotten, to travel the old Granite noun
tain road in those days. 1t wa.
thoroughly busy, every foot of it, an6
it was busy for nearly every one of Tho
"a hours which made up the day; some.
times the folks wished for more hours
1t seemed impossible to crowd into tn.
allotted number the amount of bushes.
which had to be done. Along the trai
ran the cable line, whose suspended
cars transported the silver ore from
the wonderful mines on the mountain
to the mills at the base Of the great
old hill. Ceaseless was the movement
of the endless line of cars and dowr
below the great stamps beat incessant.
ly upon the stream Of ore which pour.
ed beneath them, hammering out III,
Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1935-07-11

Some Of them are about in the mood to
swat the grizzly over the nose with a
shovel. Students Of psychology hope to
be on hand to get the bears reaction.
Mature note for amateur hunters
the Benchmark bears right forepaw
measures approximately 8 inches In
width, placing him distinctly in the
heavyweight lass.)
Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1935-07-11

Keep a few sheets of white blotting
paper In serving table drawer. When
water is spilled on dining room table
a blotter will dry it up very easily
and quickly.
The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1935-12-19

and never can't can only equip workers with eh'
things they use to support themselves IN the ii'A
| iteIv diversified forms of daily work.
"Industry alone has led in efforts TO start .le
wheels of employment turning. In one year No.
. snent above its income more than the enormous
emergency expenditures of the government ltSen'
Tic efforts have succeeded to remarkable Degree
Tbis mornings newspaper carries Washington
| comnlaint that employment is not increasing as
| fos+ as production. Here is the same old order
I avain-measuring the employment situation OF the
country against one-sixth of the nations work In
E5rstrar employment has kept pace with production.
IIf industry could give work to those ll,eeo,O0o
Innomnloved (if there are that many, 1t would
have done so long ago in its own interest," Wltnout
boiro asked. But these unemployed are In very
email mart the workers of industry They belong
mostly to the other groups that perform fve-sixths
- the nations work And all of these groups de
nerd ON fun employment for their existence
.qrbe matter is too serious to permit misleading
statements to pass and we submit these facts in
the interest of sraight thinking and common sense
II is a fact that there has been much
loose talk and much misinformation has
been published in the newspapers, during
the depression period, dealing with gen.
eral conditions and with unemployment.
Groups seeking to serve their own purposes
have magnifed the unemployment situa-
ton, for example, by publishing and circu-
lating absurd figures as to the number OF
unemployed. !
II is practically certain that the number
of the country's unemployed has never
been more than one-half of the ridiculous
figures cited by spokesman for these
groups. Another impression created in the
public mind by this propaganda is that
there was time when the country had no
unemployed This, of course, is not true.
AT. the peak of the boom the country had
from one to two million persons who were
without employment or had no regular
employment. 49,. &c. t, - S.;
These and other false impressions about
nationwide conditions are as baseless and
foolish as the attempt to place all respon-
sibility for unemployment on manutactur-
ing, and as the demand that industry find
employment for all the idle.
In his speech Mr.. Cameron has done Il
great service for all honest intelligent citi-
zens, who want facts about conditions, and
do not propose to be ,misled by the propa-
ganda of groups seeking to serve selfish
ends by creating false impressions about
existing conditions. .,..
The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1935-12-19
SHAWS CREEK

SHAWS CREEK, Dec. &c.
S. Fullbright will preach at the
Camp Ground next Sunday at 3
D. m. Everybody is invited to at
tend.
Mrs. Ethel Merrell visited
friends and relatives at Fletcher
Sunday. :.
: Mrs. Carrie jOwsns, who died. at
here home at Tuxedo last Satur-
day, was given burial at the Camp
Ground cemetery last. =,
Sheriff NJ. N. Orr and wife and
granddaughter, marguerite Fran
els Reece, we're recent visitors OF
his sister, Mrs. Victoria Clayton at
Ivy RIDGE
their daughter, Gladys, visited the
home of Mr.. and Mrs. Edgar Mer-
rill last Sunday night at Upper
Shaws creek. =,
Clarence Sigmon and family
have" moved from this settlement
to the home of Miss Ruby owens.
near the Bright Water falls. ,
A surprise wedding occurred
last Saturday when Miss Naomi
CLAYTON was married to Lloyd
Coblc of Fontana. She had been
spending a few days with her
aunt, Mrs. B. f. Orr In West
Laurel ark and was married in
Hendersonville on her return
homo
The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1935-12-19
Wales Christ :ii.'il: :;
Cards; Colorfuf
Those of King And Queen
Rich in Sentiment

LONDON, Dec. 10. CUP)-
King George and lis family mean
to get ready for Christmas in
plenty Of time.
Early this fall the Royal family
chose Christmas cards.
Hundreds of copies of the cards
are being printed for there are
hundreds of people, who, for dip
lomatic or other reasons, must be
remembered. 49,.
The kings card fittingly repro
duces the scene in Westminster
Hall when, accompanied by the
Queen. he received last May the
congratulations of parliament on
the silver jubilee of his reign.
That was the occasion when the
king with tears in his eyes. hu-
manly referred to "my dear wife"
The queen, as usual, has chosen
floral design. The card shows a
bunch of may blossom and other
wild flowers in a blue eartten-
ware bowl. 1t is entitled From
a Country Hedgerow," and inside
there is a verse: -
Natures riches glad and fair
Bringing sweetness everywhere,
JOYOUS gifts Of sun and earth
Filling hearts with song and
mirth."
St. James's Palace, his own
home, is the theme of the Prince
of Wales's card. A bright blue sky
with cloud effects makes brill
liant background for the dull red
nalace walls with a group Of
The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1935-12-19
NEWSPAPERS OPINION
COUNTRY SLUMS

In any discussion of the provision of adequate
housing in America, too many people think only in
terms of eradication of city slums. But all talk OF
decent housing in North Carolina should be based
upon knowledge of the fact that the average value
of land and buildings per North Carolina farm is
only s2,069.
If this is the average value of lands and build
ings on all FARMS big and little, in the state as de-
termined by the 1885 Census of Agriculture, what
must be the value of the buildings alone on the
least valuable of these farms? How many of them
contain more novels in which human beings live
without benefit of plumbing electricity or even
window glass?
By no means are all the slums in the cities. We
hear more about them because they are more cas-
lily seen, more crowded, more dramatic in their
busting poverty. But if many of the houses oc
cupied by humans We're collected together from the
farms of North Carolina, they would make SUCH a
sldh as no city would tolerate, terrible are the
conditions that some cities do tolerate.
Decent housing is by no means city problem.
Indeed often the slum is at its worst upon the open
land-News and Observer. '.'
The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1935-12-19

Speaking of punctuation, there
is reason for it, and there is a
system to it. The reason for it
is to make the meaning of SEN
fences clear, and the system is to
use it when-and only .Bhen--it
is needed to make the meaning
of sentences clear. Some of our
leading periodicals today are econ.
omizing so severely in the use of
punctuation that you have to
read some of their sentences two
or three times before you can fig
ure out what they mean. And that
isn't any better than sticking in
so much punctuation that it holds
up traffic.
The public official who issues
a marriage license to an intoxicat-
ed couple, and the magistrate or
the minister who marries such a
couple, are neither fair nor kind
to that couple. 1t is the duty of
the state land of the church to
protect the people even from
themselves. :,
Russ Afford, new license clerk
at Waukegan. Illinois, notorious
for its large number of gin mar
riages at all hours of the night,
says that hehceforth licenses will