Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1936-02-08

ing streets One eastern gentleman upoI
visiting the camp last summer, said i
looked worse than puTgatory visualized
but we liked better, the remark OF
western city attorney who, when writ
ing his wife TO come out, upon Delnl
asked by her what there was in Marys-
vile wrote, my dear, there Is the
scenery and me"
MarysviIle lies 81 miles in a north
westerly direction from Helena, about
two and one-half miles from the sum-
init ridge Of the Rocky mountains.
It stands in a bowl shaped basin
formed by the sources Of Silver creek
Below the town the waters of the basin
unite and flow eastward through a
gorge creating the north branch Of the
Prickly Pear. The Continental divide
lies two miles by the shortest route
over the mountains
All along the trails and roads we
see evidence of those early days, where
rough shod miners struggled for for
tunes and livelihood.
Within its portals one finds scat
tered buildings, the old 60-stamp mill,
the assay office and company house,
stin standing. the old landmarks, the
basis Of stories told by the few remain
ing pioneers Of the camp. The eyes OF
these old-timers light up, and courage
and determination shine forth as they
recount these old. old stories, over and
over again. Their spirit has never died.
My story Is not from books, IL Is
conglomerate narrative Of the stories,
which have been told to me time and
time again by these old-timerS, as they
have sat beside our stove, awaiting the
arrival of the stage from Helena with
supplies or the mail from Silver City.
"Once in the early eighties" or II
SEQ, SEE I"-and we are launched In
scenes which take us back TO those
adventurous early days.
The first settlers who came went to-
PenobScot, the next group 10 Belmont,
and MarySville proper came into being
with Thomas CruSe's fortunate discov-
cry of the Drum Lummon mine.
Everyone in these parts knows the
interesting story Of the uneducated,
20-year-old Irishman, who worked up
wards toward a fortune.
Whether he secured the claim by
jumping George Detweiler's right and
title while MIR. Detweiler was attending
whether he started the TUNE on
Marysville mountain, as 1t was later
called, after sinking a discovery Shaft,
and striking hard rock gave. 1t UP and
continued to work on the tunnel which
he expected would tap the main vein,
at any rate he had mine from which
he took out $144,539 in bullion, and
sold again for 81 100000 to an English
syndicate retaining 1-6 interest.
He established his own bank, mar
ried cultured girl who died year
later, leaving him an infant daughter.
He resided at Helena with her. His
niece, Miss Mary Cruise, presided over
his home with grace and dignity, hold
ing prominent place in social circles
of the city. 1t was said of Cruise, that
among the honored pioneers Of Mon
tana there perhaps Is not another in
stance In the state. where the muta-
tions Of human affairs, were shown In
higher relief or where tnsistency Of
purpose and effort has gained great
er monetary reward"
Nate Vestal is another Of the old
timers colorful figures, whose success
in the Penobscot is told and retold.
From the gold taken out, and the sale
of his mine, he realized more than
100000. He gambled his fortune away
and returned to work at miners wages
in the mill which he had sold Mr..
Cruise.
He was an easy-going, generous
hearted, reckless Spender. He died in
his home at Oakland, Calf.
The interesting part Of Old Marys-
vile, was that 1t contained people from
every profession who were placer min
ing and prospecting IN those early days.
Adventure and excitement brought
them out.
Nate Vestal's mine had the reputa-
ton OF having produced the largest !,
gold bar IN the world. 1t weighed over
$40 pounds and was valued at $50 900. |
The Maygers played an interesting
part in the development Of Marysville. /
William Mayer came to Montana from
st. Louis in 1854. His first mining ven
ture was In Silver creek. He, with sew
erai others, located the first placer
ground in the gulch, organizing the
district and named the gulch Ottawa
after the home of Mr.. Rhodes, a part
ner from Ottawa, Ill In 1866 Mfr May
ger and his associates put in a bedrock
flume and continued to placer mine
until 1876, making as high as $50 day
He was the first to discover the float
OF the Drum Lummon mine, the mine
which was named for a parish in Dub
lin, Ireland, by Thomas Cruise. Mr..
Mayer and Mr.. Cruise built 10-stamp
mill. Later Mayer became convinced
that the Drum Lummon lode was not
properly Staked. He instructed his
brother Charles to move the stakes of
his Iyanhoe lode higher up the noun
tain. He did not calculate the stecpness
OF the mountain and fell short in his
~ AdlocQ q uLl8dblOnl
with the Montana company, over di-
vided apex and they were involved in
litigation for 81 years
Charles Mayer had named the claim
the st. Louis lode after the city of his
birth. Mayer built the first silver
mill in Lewis and Clark
county. The machinery for this was
shipped to Fort Benton from ST. Louis,
Mo-, by boat and hauled by teams to
It's destination
When the English company bought
he Drum Lummon MarysVille grew
md prospered. It boasted / 500 inhabi-
ants and 5000 men employed in and
sround adjacent properties. 1t was
lever Incorporated as a city. In 1895 it
lad three churches, Catholic, Episco-
allan and Methodist: a grade school
nth nine teachers, an opera house.
nree dry goods and clothing stores.
2yr groceries, two drug stores, six ho-
is, two restaurants, three boot and
noe stores, three meat markets, two
araware stores, one bank, one brewery,
Do livery stable, two tewelry stores,
IfIF fruit and confectionery establish-I