The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1937-06-04
Ohm (Professor) House wandered
over the northwest for is years
= before he finally reached Mon.
fomo In 1868 nrrr3n1 that TINA

over the 10c- 10 ye2x3
before he e. finally Eeachsd Mon.
he pr0spected and mined for gold
in California, Oregon, Washington and
Idaho, but he never made what could
be called o real stake. During the win
ter Of 1S69-70 he and several COM
panions went trapping and hunting in
the Musselshell country, and just when
they were about to dispose lisp S;as OF It th tSs
C~lendenning b Powers trading post at
the mouth Of the Musselshell and clean
up several thousand dollars, the In
dams attacked them, drove them from
their camp, killed their oxen, stole their
horses-stripped them slick and clean.
House returned to mining and for
many years afterwards was prominent
In the development Of western Mon
tana's mineral resources. In fact he
erals that Judge Frank n. Woody, one
of Montana's most widely known pio-
neers, dubbed him professor" and the
name stuck to him. House was active
in both Idaho and Montana until 1899,
when he bought a group Of claims at
Wallace, Idaho, and transferred his
where he lived until his death.
House was born in Knox county,
Ohio, in 1881. In 1850 his family emf
grated to ~Pleasantville, Pike county,
Illinois. There, House said afterwards,
he got so shook up" with the ague
that he couldn't stand it any more, and
in the spring of 1858 he started for
oregon. He joined a party Of 80 which
plains. House took with him several
oxen which he owned and drove to
a wagon, and a herd of colts. They left
the Missouri river, where Omaha is
now located, May 80, 1853, and arrived
in the Willamette valley of Oregon in
October.
Placer Mined at Gold Beach
There House sold his oxen for from
$35 to $40 a team, disposed Of his colts
took q Job splitting rails at 81 a hum
bred and his board. He could turn out
200 rails a day and thought he was
getting along pretty well.
In February Of 1854, he went to
Portland, and from there took a steam
er to Gold beach, located several hun
dred miles south Of the mouth OF the
for 9 time, but was unable to make
enough money at it, so established a
woods camp and made shingles for a
while. Then he and three companions
started down the coast afoot. Federal
troops held them up at Smith river
because of the hostilities of the Rogue
river Indians and there they remained
until the troops had defeated the war
From there House and his compan-
ions continued on down the coast to
the Crescent City landing. All supplies
for that region were brought up the
coast by boat from San Francisco, and
then were carried inland with pack
trains. House and his friends stayed Tor
a time at what were known as Sailor
diggings and then started across the
was from 40 to 60 feet deep in the
mountains and frozen hard. Tall trees
were sticking up through the drifts.
Around them the snow had melted
away so as to form a funnel shaped
hole. Houses hat blew off and into one
of those holes and he had to climb
down the tree to recover it and then
trail.
Worked Claim On Shares
The party eventually reached the
mouth Of the klamath river, and from
there struck out for Scott river, q trib-
utary stream to the klamath. From
Scott river they trekked to French bar
where 400 miners were working. House
and his companions were too late to
get ground, however, so kept on to
Whiting hill, where they camped for
the summer and placer mined.
At that point a man named jackson
owned much mining ground, and he
gave House and his companions the
privilege Of working a claim on shares,
to make a grubstake. It. was q bar
claim. The men sunk a hole four feet
square and 81 feet deep the first day,
and took out $3.50. The next day they