Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1940-02-10
BERRY JUICE WAS
INK FOR PIONEERS
FLOUR WAS SOLD AT 81 A POUND
WHEN CHARLES RUMLEY
FIRST CAME WEST

FIRST CAME WEST
In the spring of 1865 the great
Civil war was nearing its close, but
all kinds of business was deranged
and society was still unsettled.
Adventurous Americans turned
their gaze westward. So, Charles
Rumley, who had made a trip TO
Oregon I'm 1852, and who had re-
turned east In 1864, had little
trouble to persuade his heroic wife
and daughters TO accompany him
ON his return by the Missouri
river route.
The family left st. Louis on the
day that President Lincoln was buried,
by the steamer Twilight. The voyage
that season. owing to low water, was
long one, occupying rs days, full of
interesting incidents, connected with
visits to Indian camps on the lower
river, and the sight and slaughter of
out its spice Of danger, for the In
dams on the upper Missouri were hos
tile, and the upper works of some of
the returning boats were riddled with
shots from hostiles along the river
banks One of these returning boats
was so disabled that the Twilight was
obliged to take aboard some Of its
passengers This, with the long voyage,
caused a shortage of provisions and
the passengers were on short rations
before reaching Fort Benton.
When the boat reached the mouth
of Marias river it was learned that 10
woodchoppers had been killed there
by Indians only a few days before.
Fortunately, all the passengers reached
Benton safely except one young man
who died from eating toadStOOls, which
he mistook for mushrooms, that he
insisted upon eating though warned
against eating it by Rumley.
From Fort Benton the family took
passage to Helena, already populous
and thriving center of mining indus
location between Fort Benton and
Virginia City, fast becoming the bust
ness center of Montana, which, by act
of congress, while the family was en-
route, had been created a separate ter
ritory. with its first capital in Ban
mack. A sensation was caused in Hell
ena social circles by the arrival of
the Rumley family and the first APP
pearance OF Mrs. Rumley and her
daughters at the little log Methodist
church, on Cutler street, over which
Rev. A. M Hough, a brother-in-l
of Jay Gould, had recently become
pastor. Thenceforth no social enter
tainment was complete without some
of the Rumley family. No bet
ter residence for the family could be
found at first than little log cabin
rented from Uncle John Thorburn,"
whom all the early settlers of Helena
will distinctly remember.
Rumley was not long in finding
profitable employment as an assayer. /
The discovery of quartz mines in Trout |
creek created a wonderful craze dur |
ing the summer of 1865, to invest in !
the mines of that district. One res
taurant proprietor in Helena was so |
by these discoveries that he 1
borrowed money at the rate Of / per-
cent q day to invest in the Trout creek |
pres, but lost it by investments IN |
the mines, which by mill process we're /
'olInd soon to be improbable to work. 1
But business was brisk, new placers
we're being worked while other pros
oectors were hunting for the quartz
veins as the goose that had laid the
GOLDEN egg. Rumley was soon able to
ocate his family in more comfortable
quarters, house Of his own on Bridge,
now State street, opposite the Reinig
tore.
Prices were phenomenal; furniture
vas mostly homemade and high priced.
7umley brought to Helena the first
Regulator clock, and in 1885 brought
he first piano at a cost of $500 in
,old. A list of prices paid for table
upplies in those early days would as
onish and appall a housekeeper of
he present day, and they we're In
,old dust. cash down. Greenbacks
we're at so percent discount, when
AIKEN at all. In the spring of 1865,
lour for a short time was 81 per
,ound Before steamboats, could reach
fort Benton or freight trains could
ome from Salt Lake in the spring,
here was generally a short supply Of
ONE very necessary articles and then
'rices rose to dizzy heights. The supply
4 ink gave out, and such letters as
we're written were written with juice
the wild gooSeberry, which some
oresighted Helena housewives had
aimed the previous autumn. But the
eople used less, and appreciated what
hey got more, so that the average
ras maintained In 1872 Rumley built
smelter for Bohm 81 Co., at Argenta,
nd afterward superintendent 1t. Fol-
wing this he superintendent the erec-
lon and running of a Smelter IN Hell
ma during its brief and profitable
xistence
When the general government es-
ablished an assay office In Helena,
t the request Of many prominent men
( both parties, and with the approval
( all, Rumley was selected IS super
atendent. and continued in charge for
everal years, receiving special COM
1endation from the head of the de-
artment at Washington. A subsequent
1ange OF administration gave the po-
ltion 10 another, Ia days preceding
he enactment OF the civil service law
During Cleveland's administration,
.uInley secured position Ia the assay