Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1940-01-27

population to hold elections in 1884
were Beaverhead, Deer Lodge, Jeffer-
son, Madison and MiSSoula. Dawson
and Big Horn did not have a solitary
voter, and in that respect were not
so well off as the famous New York
month complete voting machinery had
to be set up for one lone voter.
When First Census Was Made
BY 1870. however. conditions In Mon
tana had begun TO assume more solid
basis. In the wake of the prospector
and miner, as has always been the
case, the homemakerS had begun to
come and farming, livestock raising,
business and industry were beginning
10 make inroads of importance in the
life of the territory.
At the beginning of the year James
M Ashley, who had been a member
of congress and who had been chair
man of the committee on territories in
the house of representatives, thereby
having the honor of reporting on the
bill to create Montana territory, was
governor. He gave Montana its name.
He was succeeded, July Is, 1870, by
Gov. B. F. Potts. Therefore the work
of making the enumeration in 1870
was conducted during the governor
ship Of these two distinguished men.
United States Marshal Wheeler was
in charge of the count. The data pre-
served In the national bureau OF the
census shows that he did very good
lob in spite of the newness of the
country and the changing conditions
of population.
1870 Population 20,5SS
The census gave Montana territory
a population of 20,595. The centers OF
population were Virginia City, then the
capital in Madison county; BoZeman
in Gallatin county, Helena IN Lewis
and Clark county, Diamond City In
Meagher county, Deer Lodge City in
Deer Lodge county. and Fort Benton
in Chouteau county.
When an enumerator was picked to
have charge of the count in 1880 a
wise choice was made IN the appoint
ment of Hugh McQuaid.
Hugh McQuaid had one clerk the
late MasSena Bullard, and McQuaid's
pay for his work in connection with
the lob was the meager sum OF $500.
That was all he received; except he
was permitted to frank his kilograms.
There were telegraph wires in Mon
tana in advance of the railroads. There
we're no extras. Yet for this meager
sum he furnished the most complete
of records and very fine data about
the territory.
McQuaid worked 80 enumerators
during the month of June and with
them he covered the entire territory,
the only modes Of conveyance being
stage. cayllse or ''Shanks ponies" In
1920 it took 243 enumerators in one Of
the three districts of the state.
The largest Job Of any Of the 80
enumerators was that given the
enumerator in Dawson county, which
covered one-sixth of the whole terri
tory. He had his headquarters at old
Fort Buford on the Missouri river In
what Is now Roosevelt county.
One instruction to deputies was TO
report daily" Tom Irvine, sheriff OF
Custer county, covering a large portion
of southeastern Montana, wanted 10
know How in hi" he could do it
when there was but one poStoffice in
his whole district which extended from
the mountains almost to the state line.
In 1880 Helena was the largest city
in the territory, distinction 1t has
never since enjoyed, except politically.
1t had a population around $780, while
Butte had 3,4O0. Then, as now, every
wanted to make a big
showing and McQuaid had a lot Of
trouble pacifying the various places be-
cause they did not have as many
people as they wanted.
There were ii counties m 1880, and
the population was divided among
them as follows: Beaverhead, 2,712;
Chouteau, 3O5B: Custer, 2,5l0; Dawson,
1870; Deer Lodge, 8,876; Gallattn, 6643;
Jefferson, 2,464; Lewis and CLARK, 652l;
Madison, 1918; Meagher, 2,T44, and
Missouia. 1853. There were only six
towns with a population Of 1000 or
mora