Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1936-02-01
Hamilton Man
Early Pioneer
In Bitter Root
ARRIVED At BUTTE IN 1875; NOW
SPENDING WINTER IN
CALIFORNIA


AS the years 80 BY, it is no longer
uncommon 20 find men and women who
have called Montana home for the lest
hau-century. Particularly is this true
OF western Montana, where scores Of
citizens can tell you they were babies
IN the first homestead cabins It is the
man OF woman who came before the
adventurous SOS, the sturdy pioneers
VINO set out ON the trail that pointed
dimly 70 the west, that are the rare
ones today. The pioneers who answered
the call 70 go and look behind the
ranges, they are the precious source
OF story material that for the sake OF
poster1ty should be given every thought.
A few years ago, one OF these rare
characters set out for California To-
spend the winter. He was travelling In
modern automobile prepared to enjoy
rev winter weeks Ia the south, to the
fullest extent. in company with his
VIE ana members of the family He
was A. II. Downing, who landed in
Butte IN 1875 when the biggest min
ing city in the world was lust q one
street western town. He was a bow of
IS when he hit that more or less law
less town OF the western hills He hailed
from Massachusetts,. where both sets Of
ms ancestors had helped in state build
ing since the days OF 1884, several of
them, including his grandfather, tax
ing part IN the Revolutionary war. His
'down-eaSt" accent has never deserted
him. his trip "out here" was made by
RAN to Corinne, Utah, and from that |
town he made his way by mule team
with freighterS and covered wagon
trains.
How "AI' Downing came to a de-
c1sion to look over Montana territory's I
possibilities as q place where youth |
might find itself a definite work. IS
more than interesting. The youngest |
OF four sons and the most adventurous,
with flare for mechanics, he said he /
was permitted to leave school at the
age OF IA, to become an apprentice In
an uncleis machine shop. The first
year he was paid 80 cents per day, the
next year so cents and the third 81.
The fourth year he finished his ap-
premiership, receiving the munificent L
wage OF $1.50 and all the time paying
his own board.
A full-fledged mechanic should have
3 place in the world, the youth de-
3ided, and so he determined to try for
? field in the west. CALIFORNIA; gold
fields sounded like the right goal and
with that IN mind young Al bought a
ticket to San Francisco. Somewhere
along. the line he fell in with Mon (
,ana-bound group of men. Enough said
about California. He headed for Butte 3
and never aSpired further to become
citizen Of the sunny south 3
he can tell some lively, true stories ]
II Butte's early-day dance halls and {
rontler saloons and gambling dens, for (
le spent year in the locality. Then 4
n 1877 he recalls w. A. Clark's call [
o Butte men for volunteers to aid in
the Nee Perez Indians
Downing offered to go. Instead Clark /
Urged him to stay and help guard the
'attle and horses of the whites. So 4
lie went to New Chicago as a cowboy I
o look after the IIarabee herds and S
>thers. His wages for that service q
amounted to $40 month and board,
ometh1ng to write home to Massa- /
husetts about. When the Indians had /
zone back TO their Idaho reservation +
md the battle of the Big Hole had be- 8
ome history, he went back to the
suite country and rented ranch near C
What is now Stuart In winter he worked
It the old Buffalo Hump stage sta h
ion west OF Silver Bow, for Allan | g
'ierSe. The two old-timers still cor {
espond. Mr.. Pierse lives at Great q
falls and is secretary and stakeholder &
n the M. & I. Mining Co. He is al b
ear older than MIR. Downing, both &
iaving birthdays on March &C. Il
1t was in 1881 that Mr.. Downing
anne to the Hamilton section. That \
1as 10 years before Marcus DAILY looked Z
yer the Bitter Roots central valley h
nd decided to build a town and ca11 v
Hamilton. The Massachusetts, man n
ook UP homestead land on the west O.
lde Of the Bitter Root river. He built v
road, the first one on that side, and "
arved out a neighborly cabin home n
-om the forest pines that edged the q
ew fields. Furniture had to be made q
nd his early training as a mechanic N
anne into play Bedsteads, chairs and 81
ableS were made with q hroadax and Il
1iSel. The few scattering neighbors h
managed their cooking by the fire. IL
lace in their rude homes. The down. re
asterner thought a cook stove might Lin
2 handler, so he sent to Salt Lake d;
ity and imported a mo. z" iron bt
sauty which cost him $85. It was the al
ally stove on the west side Of the river ii