The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1937-12-17
THERE were many among Mon
'tana,s pioneers who never killed
an Indian, who never particle

an Indian, who never partici-
pated in the hanging Of an out
Law, who -whacked bulls,
yet who served the state and its people
well and had . large part in the de-
vel0pment Of the commonwealth from
a wilderness into . rich mining, stock
growing and agricultural territory. One
such was DR.. Armistead Hughes
Mussigbrod, established the state;
hospital for. the insane at Warm
Springs in 1877.
Prior to that time DR.. Mitchell, while
engaged in the practice of medicine,
took the contract for building the ter
ritorial penitentiary at Deer Lodge. It
to 1871. After it was finished be served
for several years, as physician and sur
geon for the institution in connection
with his general. practice of medicine
at Deer Lodge. DR.. Mitchell was q grad
uate physician when he first came into
the sBen Ee5 It a 6a,i dSrIng The s,S Se1 IS that 1nini he
communities as far north as British
Columbia, he, never failed to answer a
call for his services. No night was too
dark no trail too long for him to tra7
verse in ministering to the sick Or the
injured. That was his part in the sub
t1gation of the wilderness, and he did
During the campaign against the
Nez Perez Indians he was surgeon
general of the territory and took per-
sonal charge Of the wounded after the
battle of the Big Hole.
DR.. Mitchell was possessed Of an ad-
Montana in 1855 he had practiced med
icine and engaged in mining in Mexico,
in California and in the Fraser river
country of Canada. During the more
than 80 years he spent in Montana, he
was at all times engaged in mining
ait times properties which gave him
excellent returns.
DR.. Mitchell was born in Jefferson
county, KY, Oct. q, 1881. His father,
william Daunton Mitchell, settled in
that state in 1902 and became a farmer
on a large scale, at various times own.
the south. The elder Mitchell sent his
son to the University of Virginia. to
prepare for a college course, and later
he embarked upon a university course
there.
During his junior year he ran away
from college and enlisted in the United
States army for service in Mexican
wal; AS he was not OF age at hat time,
from the army within a few months
and had him sent home. He then took
I'm the study of medicine in Jefferson
college at Louisville. finally gradual
ing. from the medical school of the New
York City university in 1852.
DR.. Mitchell's father was at that time
operating a sugar plantation on the
Brazos river, near Galveston, Tex. The
son., attracted by the gold excitement
in California, decided to go there to
engage in the practice of his profession
and went by way Of Texas to visit with
his father. Leaving there on his way
west, he detoured into Mexico. where
he fingered for a year, arriving IN San
Francisco in the fall of 1858.
There he hung out his shingle as a
medical practitioner. He did not con-
fine himself, however, to the practice
of his profession. From the very. first
he engaged in mining and took an
active part in politics. In 1857 he was
elected a member Of the California
state legislature. In addition to his
mining interests, he also went into
partnership with a man named Jasper
Harold in the operation of a large cattle
ranch. They bought stock from the
overland travellers from the east and
from other cattle growing regions of
the state farther south, and sold them
into the retail markets of the mining
camps, and to men who were starting
smaller herds.
At the time of the gold stampede to
the Fraser river country OF British
Columbia he disposed Of his livestock
and mining interests in California, and
went north. The outlook there, how
ever, was not satisfactory and he re-