Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1940-01-13

Had Population Of Nearly 1000.
Up in the range Of mountains
between the Big Hole and the Wise
rivers In Beaverhead county, and
about eight miles west OF the Ore
g0n Short Line town Of MeEr0se,
stands a lone farmhouse near an
immense heap of Stag, all that re-
mains of the once prosperous min
ing and smelling town of Glendale.
Glendale was a rather important
point in the late seventies and the
early eighties, had a population at
one time Of close to LOCO, and
from it was shipped out millions
of dollars worth of silver, copper
and lead.
II had churches, a bank, stores, no.
tells, livery stables, ,laundries, wholesale
houses, numerous saloons, of course
and even a brewery. Today nothing
remains but the heap of Stag to mark
the site Of its smelter, and one house
which was built for an official of the
mining company and which is now oc-
cupied by a farmer.
In its day Glendale was a modern
town, as nearly modern as a mining
town remote from the railroad could
be- although it was contemporary with
It's creation followed by several years
the discovery of the rich Trapper lode,
which was found in 1872 by William
Spur and James Bryant and was
named the Forest Queen.
Spur and Bryant were partners and
it was afterwards learned by Bryant
that Spur located the claim in his
own name No work had been done
upon the claim and when it was open
for relocation the following year,
Bryant organized a party to go on a
go on up the gulch and relocate the
claim This was in the summer of 1878.
Found Outcrop of Lode
The party went up the gulch, made
their location and camped for several
days during which time their horses
strayed away. While looking for them,
one of the party, Jerry Grotevant, sat
down upon a log on top of what is
now Trapper hill Accidentally he
kicked over a small boulder and found
the bottom of 1t to be covered with
he found the outcrop of the lode.
Carrying some samples back to camp
he convinced the others that he had
found a bonanza. Picking up tools
they went to work, and sent one of
the party to Bannack to record the
location Of the Trapper lode. The news
soon spread and a rush followed which
resulted in the stalking out Of many
claims in that district and the start
ing of the town OF Trapper. Rich ore
was shipped from the Trapper mine
to die down, the lode was worked out
and in 1878 the last citizen packed his
traps and moved away
However, before this time, many
other mines had been located and
were worked to a considerable extent,
including the Cleve and Avon, the
Minnie Gaffney, Hecla, Elm Orlu,
Keokuk. Altai and Atlantis, the Cleo
patra, the Fissure group, the Marc An
tony and Adriadne, and the Franklin.
Then the new town of Lion City, in
the same district, was started.
Built Copper Refinery
The Hecla Mining Co., which had
already obtained a foothold in the dis
trict and which had built a small
Smelter further down the gulch which
was given the name of Glendale,
bought the Cleopatra and the FiSsure
group in the spring Of 1877, thus Sc
curing the whole face of the noun
tain, and during the following year
expended 100000 in the erection of a
10-stamp mill, teaching works, cupelo
furnace, two chloriding furnaces, a
copper refinery, boarding house, black
smith and carpenter shops, engine and
boiler house, ore house, powder mag
azines, concentration, LOO feet OF snow
sheds leading to the Atlantis and the
True FissJre mines, hosting works at
the Atlantis and various other struc-
lures.
The concentrator was located about
half mile up the gulch from the
sTnelter and the ore was brought TO
it by means of tramway several miles
in length over which the ore cars were
operated by mules. The aggregate prod
uct of the mines in 1873 was $785 900,
and for a number of years they were
constant producers, adding millions of
ounces of silver to the wealth of the
territory, besides thousands Of tons Of
lead and copper.
No Plat of Village
Up to the summer Of 1879 there was
not q plat Of the village of Glendale
In record and the owners of lots had
to rely on possession rather than legal
rights. From 1878 to 1885 the business
circle was made up as follows:
Physician s-Schmaulhausen g. NO
BILE; lawyer-C. w. Tutner; 1eweler-
j. @. Keppler; preachers T. Lamb,
Baptist, and o. w. Mentzer, Methodist;
hotels Burnett House, John ]. Bur
nett; Glendale House, John Cannovan;
Hash House, All Boon; Avery House,
II. III. Avery and @. o. King; livery
and feed stableS-John b. Reynolds,
Ely Murry; meat marketS-Rote q
GermanSon, Stanley g. Taylor, Levi
Cartier; wagon shops-H. Stewart,
Fred Dawson; bankerS-N. Armstrong
81 Co.; blacksmith shopS-T. j. Weller
g. Co.. Hecla Con Mining CO., e. Muir
ray, Avery 81 French; saloons. @.
Metlin, A. H. Foster, Littlefield & Co.,
Peck g. Fairfield, Grotevant 81 Forty,
Bateman 81 Wells, N. L.adoux, w. j.
Parkinson, T. Rhodes, Peter Wagner;
brewery - Frank Gelg; restaurant =
John Mannheim; laundry-Sam Woo,
Flung Gee; general merchandise
Thomas 81 Armstrong, John Wells, q.
w. Perkins. II. S. Pond, a. J. Kinney,