Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1937-10-09
Competition Among Early-Day
SaIoonkeepers Was Exciting i'm
Boom Days of Andersonville

In many of MOntana's canyons
and mountains are villages of
! generation long since past. They
are, the ghost towns" Of days
when the territory was young and
dreams and aspirations were
limited only to the imagination of
whatever adventurous soul first
thought of building a city or an
empire, or at least a home of his
own, where in a few short years
he would be a monarch Of all he
surveyed
Fergus county has many of these
ghost cities, whose very remnants are
lost in well-tilled fields, corralS or
garden patches. If buildings remain
they are scarcely recognizable, for
where once the miner, cowboy, soldier
or trapper found joy in games of
chance or quenched his thirst in the
pork is now hung, or, when autumn
comes, wood is piled high to guard
against frosty evenings.
Such ghost city is AnderSonV1lle in
Warm Springs gulch, one and one-half
miles west of Maiden, queen Of all by
gone cities in central Montana Ander-
sonville enjoyed but little of that
evaneScent glory that was Maiden'S. 1t
knew little of the thrill that came to
Maiden, Kendall or Gilt Edge, where /
men spent thousands of dollars in the |
search of gold, silver or other natural I
resources that would bring ease and /
comfort.
History Was Brief
Andersonville enjoyed but brief
history but it must not be forgotten
that it had a postoffice long before
Maiden and that for years an obdurate
government allowed Andersonville to
be the terminus of stage line that
carried mail for the thriving mining
city up the canyon. Maiden never for
got that slur and there are still gray
haired prospectors in the JudithS who
will grow dangerously choleric when
ever it is mentioned.
The town was located Feb. o. 1888,
by Thompson, Pendleton,. Arnold and
others and, as matter of course, was
named Georgetown in honor Of the
first president, whose natal day they
celebrated by founding another terri
torial city. Later through some means
AnderSonville this time honoring
"Skoolum" Joe Anderson, one Of the
discoveries of the Warm Springs min
ing district "SkoOkum" Joe still lives
In the hearts Of many proSpectorS and
If he had lived and written that diary
he started one evening at Billings
there might have been another west
saga. Ollly a. lew AlllCo WC1C Wl1JJCL .
Turing the evening before he died.
BY the fall of 1888 AnderSonville had
4 rapid growth and so log and frame
buildings we're the nucleus Of what
,he city fathers hoped would be a
thriving metropolis. P. Meadow had a ,
wholesale and retail store under man
agement Of A, M. Thompson, who also
vas postmaster. Meadow, however,
old his stock to Higley of Maiden,
md Higley and Thompson opened a !
tore at Maiden, much to the disgust !
# residents of AnderSonville.. 1t was !
1igley who tried the experiment of
trying giant caps in the oven of his 5
,itchen stove and soon after he was !
n the market for a new stove. ]
Fine Liquor Store
J. j. Campbell had a fine liquor store
It Andersonville, but competition was J
'ad. Midway between Andersonville
nd Maiden was the Alpine saloon, and =
caught trade coming and going.
Early in January, 1884, Providence in :
ervened and the Alpine saloon burned. I
t was cold, frosty morning, and when
,harles Holmes, John Peck, Ira Gilman :
nd Ed Toy were precipitated into a 7
ire they were greatly chagrined to find
hat their entire stock of wet goods had :,
cen destroyed. Peck was injured y
When he left the burning building he Z
Vent by way OF the front window and y
ook frame, sash and all with him.
j. D. Thompson had livery stable !
nd sample room" at Andersonville Y
4 the fall of 1888. Sample room does
ot mean anything to the younger gen. y
ration, but in territorial days,
ample room meant exactly what It
rornised. One sampled everything In
,ock. The word saloon had proved to =
e irritating to Kansas drys and the Y
hrase sample room had been dis 9
0vered as a connotation that proved
SIS annoying. Territorial states such
5 Montana observed this amenity q
lther closely.
Ben Dexters sawmin was the pride L
AndersonvilIe. With its Hoe patent 81
wv, it produced 10000 feet Of lumber ca
yery 10 hours, not to mention the 8!
Jingle department that was capable q
10000 during the same time. Be- y
des Ben Dexter was character that o.
ided a great deal to any city's pro- q
am. 81
Robert Mckenzie was AndersonviIIe's 81
llcan. L. P. Williamson was the man ~
'er of the AndersonviIle and Junction SO
ty stage line, and whenever he was 81
unfortunate as 70 80 10 Maiden he r