Montana oil and mining journal., 1937-07-03

Years before the white man came
to the northwest the Indians used
70 carry their sick to the place
now known as Hunters Hot
Springs, 20 miles east of Livingston,
ID bathe in and drink the hot and
healing waters. The hot springs
were in Grow country, and at GER
tain periods of the year hundreds 0k
the members Of that tribe would
cannn there. Even the wild ami
mails were partial TO the place. In
the early days herds OF elk num-
bering In the thousands have been
seen to go past the cool waters OF
the Yellowstone river TO drink az
the hot springs.
The springs were of course known 70
the white travellers through the re-
gion but the first OF those TO look upon
the place from a commercial stano-
point and with an eye TO tner 1lIuLe
DEVELOPMENT, was DR.. Andrew JACK
son Hunter, in the summer OF 1864
He and his wife and family were at the
time travelling with an emigrant train
from the states into Montana territory.
The doctor had left the wagon train
to hunt, when he came upon camp
of hundreds of Indians at the springs
which afterwards bore his name. 1here
were MANY sick among the req men,
and these invalidS the doctor saw car
ried into the pools Of hot water by
their companions, to be benefited by
their medicinal and curative qualities.
Before continuing to Bozeman WITH
the wagon train, DR.. Hunter SCaked
claim which took in the ground upon
which the hot springs were located. "
was seven years later when he returned
there to begin the development Of the
SPOT as a health resort and san1tarlum,
but he hung onto the ground during
all those years. He lived to see hum
ter's Hot Springs one Of the most
widely known and best patronized eS-
tabIishments of its kind in the inter-
mountain region, but the years ne ana
his family labored there were years De-
set with both hardships ana dangers
Practiced Medicine in Missouri
DR.. Hunters home had been In Cal
loway county, Mo. There he not only
practiced medicine, but owned land ana
Slaves. The Civil war took his slaves
from him, and without them MS farms
were only hare fields. Facing the rum
which had overtaken him With the
courage of a pioneer, he loaded his
wife and three small children into
wagon. and on April 2, 1854, started
for California. With scores OF other
outfits they trekked over the old Can
fornia trail which followed the PlatCe
river. On the Platte below Denver they
encountered a camp Of 500 wagons
filled with excited emigrants bound
for the gold fields. Many of them orig
tnalIy had started for California as
had the Hunters, but having heard OF
the new diggings at Virginia CITY, mao
decided to come to Montana instead
of going on to the coast. Hunter, too,
changed his goal from California 70
Montana, and with party made up OF
9 . azf
Hunter and their own three children,
left the Platte river just o day behind
a wagon train bound for Bozeman over
the Bozeman trail, and guided by John
NJ. Bozeman. They followed 1t all the
way through.
Hunters wagon tram crossed Wind
river July 4, by swimming the horses
and converting the wagon beds into
boats on which to convey the members
of the narty and their provisions and
equipment. July 20, they crossed the
Yellowstone river in the same manner,
reaching the present site Of Livingston
July 80. Coming up Wind river the
wagon train came upon a party OF
freighters, the members Of which had
been masSacred by Sioux Indians. The
next morning the Hunter party met
a band of Indians and thought a SIM
liar fate awaited them.
n yQQ1lS Ale1l1 ndAliC0 FSANA
teered to leave the wagon train and
meet the Indians to determine their
intentions. If the Indians were hostile
it meant his death. The fears OF the
party we're allayed, however, when the
Indians shook hands with Porter and
acted friendly. The Indians remained
with the wagon train for some distance
and one of them tried to steal one OF
the Hunter children, a boy, by carry
ing him out Of camp rolled IN olan-
ket. He would have succeeded had not
the lads sister seen his feet sticking
from the blanket roll as the Indian
started to leave camp, and gave the
alarm.
It was while the wagon train was
camped along the Yellowstone that Dr..
Hunter went on the hunting trip which
led him to the hot springs and where
he found the several hundred Crow
Indians camped. The training OF the
white doctor told him the value OF the
discovery. He believed that he mad
found a gold mine different from the
pick and shovel kind, and so staked his
claim After doing so he continued on
up the valley with the wagon tram
and arrived in Bozeman Aug. 4. There
they overlook the BoZeman party be-
hind which they had been travelling all
the way from the Platte river. They re-
mained there long enough to witness
the erection of the first house built In
Bozeman, by Bozeman and two COM
panions named Beal and Rouse.
The Hunter party continued on 10
Virginia City. From there DR.. Hunter