Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1939-12-02
COVER JOINED
GOLD SEEKERS
PIONEER CAME TO MONTANA DUR
ING GOLD RUSH OF EARLY
DAYS
Forty Wagons in Train, With Four
Mules and Four Armed Men Accom-
panying Each Wagon; Travel in
Small Numbers Dangerous.

When il became known that gold
had been discovered in Idaho, there
was a rush In this direction Of men
who, for various and widely differ
ent reasons sought to improve their
condition by going west, or, more
correctly, to the Rocky mountain
region, for the far west sent its
contingent of gold seekers here as
well as the east. Most of those who
made the long trek, knew nothing
Of the dangers of the journey, or
the life which awaited them In
mining camp.
They had read that gold was dug
from the ground, and that seemed to
be a simple matter; Just locate your
claim, and then set to with pick, shovel
and pan. 1t looked easy enough, and
promised to be shorter way of &C
cumulating wealth than through ag-
riculture or trade. Therefore the farm
and counter were abandoned at the
call Of adventure, to which, from earli-
est days men have willingly responded.
Some who came here first, remained
to aid in building up the state, while
others contributed to the same end,
but only for a short time, when they
returned to their former homes en-
riched, or the contrary, by their brief
sojourn here. OF these latter is the
subject of this sketch.
George w Cover was the son of
pioneers, his father, Daniel Cover hav-
ing gone from Pennsylvania to Rock
county, Illinois, in 1889, where he To-
Gated $50 acres Of land in the township
of Rock, south of the home of Francis
Willard. The community was known as
Happy Hollow which name it stin
retains. Here George Cover was born
in 1912.
At the opening of the Civil war he
attempted to join the army, but was
refused because of physical disability.
Disappointed In this he decided to go
to Idaho and, together with his uncle,
william Young, and his cousin, Jacob
Young, left GAINESVILLE, Wis, in March,
1854. At Beloit, Wis, they joined a
party with four covered wagons, good
supply of food plenty of guns and
ammunition, and that universal requi-
site of the plainsman stock Of whisky
and tobacco.
From Beloit, they journeyed in a
southwesterly direction through Iowa,
to Council Bluff There they found an
enormous crowd gathered waiting to
be ferried across the Missouri, the
charge for this service being SIS a
wagon. "A pile of money" says Mr.
Cover, which many were unable to
pay; and they were q1arreling and
fighting and drinking and gambling
and stealing from one another-any-
thing to get across the river and be on
the way" Luckily the Cover party had
the money to pay the ferryman with
out resorting to any of these means
to gain it. They crossed the Missouri
at Omaha instead of at Council Bluff
Here, as a preliminary step to leaving
civilization, Mr.. Cover had tin type
taken to send his wife, whom he had
left in GAINESVILLE. He began to realize
this trip would not be unattended with
danger, and it was possible he might
never see his family again.
Because of their fear of being at
tackled by Indians, several companies
united, forming one big train. This
was a wise precaution, as they some
where on the road came upon the re-
mains of a train that had been at
tackled by Indians. Eighteen persons
were killed, wagons burned and all
provisions taken. Mr.. Cover helped to