Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1937-02-06

Fiftv-seven years of married LIE, all
- n,Ioich have been spent out where
tl1a west begins, was celebrated recently
'11y Mr. and Mrs. Fred M. Kunz, Butte.
Their golden wedding anniversary Wa
a social event of note seven years 90;
At that time they rented Scailut "a i iei,1
and invited in scores OF Irlenus " JTl,i
them in the half-century nia'i 4iiiOi'4''-
milepost. o,.o ,,,orr,ed at
g. InaIis in 1880. Their parents WeIe
German immigrants who setIleo ~, ~
TSieeo,Iri and illinois before the ClVil
no.. Mrs. Kunz doesn't remember much
sbo,,t the war but does recan very
Clearly how she found 40 cents worm
of Tincoln's greenbacks and ran holie
tn her mother, shouting I'm rlch'
start for Helena
Three years after their marriage MI.
Kunz started for Helena. II was KNOWN NLl
then as Last Chance gulcn. ne c Sl1S
founder Of the present OPP o. NOiiA az
funeral home in Helena ,.,.
Mr. Kunz found employment WIN q
uyholesale liquor house owned py l.
Marks. Last Chance gulch was a ro1I
inc camp. Tom Cruise was making MS
millions. The Vigilantes were stu OPP
Grating. Prices were high ana goIo uus0
was king. The pioneers helped one an
other and every mans word was ms
bond. There we're no notes OF l. " y D.
No one ever locked his door.
Mrs RIInz followed her husband 10
Helena in the autumn OF that year
1888. Neither she nor her huSDallo heu
10 ride the stage coaches, however, as
the Northern Pacific was then running
trains as far ~as Helena. The golaen
spike was driven that fan near Deer
Lodge.
my husband wrote me from delenl
that unless I came out he was coming
hacir to ST. Louis" said Mrs Kunz. i
decided to 90 west. But when got TO
Helena / found things in a terrible
mess. It was hard to get place III
which to live, so we roomed here ana
there for some time. In the meantime
NV husband had got acquainted with a
mining man. He happened 70 mentlon
to him one day that he would Ike TO
have q home of his own. We already
had a lot but no money to start build
inp THE mining man promptly offered
to lend my husband the money. We
borrowed 81 $50 from him and didn't
even give him note. We built nice
little brick house next door to the nome
OF Tonn1ie Cruise, who was then mil
uonaire."
Mrs Kunz was amazed at Jne prices
she had to pay for foodStuffs. Flour
and sugar was $500 a sack and kero-
sene was SIPS a gallon. Bananas were
81 a dozen. About that time she met
Mrs. Horsky, mother of the present
Helena family of that name. "Oh, /
don't think prices are so bad, remarked
Mrs. Horsky. You should have been
here 10 years ago when everything had
to be brought in by overland freight.
Move TO Utah
Mr.. and Mrs. Kunz lived several
years at Helena and then moved to
Ogden, Utah. They stayed there only
a short time when they moved back
to st. Louis. But the lure Of the west
had done its work and they came back,
locating in Butte. They arrived here
April q, 1898, and have been continu
Gus residents since Mr.. Kunz worked
at Thine old California brewery, and
later at the Board of Trade. He was
president of the Bartenders' union, an
organization of some 200 members.
Mr.. Kunz is now IS years old. Except
for rheumatism in his legs he is in ex-
cellent health. But the rheumatism
forces him to get about on crutches.
Both he and his wife are well satisfied
with life and cheerful Asked what
changes he would make If he had his
life to live over again he shot back
mot a thingl Not a thingl"
The Greenbacks
The remark of Mrs. Kunz about find