Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1940-09-28

woman. unmarked INTENDED and
forgotten. Here, as all too fire.
quentIy in so many other places IN
the west, a victim Of violence had
the honor Of starting the town
graveyard However, IN this IN
stance EIIistOn has decided adj
vantage over the neighbOring towns
in that IL had its graveyard some
Is years before the town itself was
started.
Arthur Ashley, who is probably FL
liston's oldest resident, having lived
there SIS years, says little Is known OF
her now. My father who came 10
Last Chance Gulch in 1864, knew her
and talked of her murder quite ire
uuently, but I didn't pay much atten-
tlon. Now, almost every summer, there
is somebody searching for information
of her or the location of her stage sta
tion. For, you see, fortune hunters
gtiu search for her gold"
Just '@The Frenchwoman. her name
is forgotten along with the locatlon
of her grave. Who was she? Where oid
she come fronP Why did she settle
there?
These and many other questions must
20 unanswered for those who knew
her are dead, many Of them buried In
the same cemetery.
It & debatable Just how she hap
nened TO settle there for at that time
fine country was rather sparSely popu-
lated. Undoubtedly, 1t was an excenent
location for the type OF business sne
was running for the two nearest camps
were Helena and BlackfooC Clty, Dull N11
faJ enough away so that travellers felt
like stopping by the time they reached
her place. But considering the WIG
state of the country at the time, Win
fI1a ooId booHn on and an altogether TOO
nIenfifIIl supply of Indians VINO nKeo
nothing better than to raid the WINES
it was by no means a safe place 10 nve.
Neither Blackfoot City or Helena Was
close enough to offer any proIScClon II
case the Indians went on 'ile VIC"
path. ,s poss
II is not known exactly what year
she started in business there but u
must have been some time in the early
sixties. probably about the time tnag
Blackfoot City was booming ana Inc
stage line from Fort Benton 70 Walia
Walla was started. 100
THE main buildings were locageu
about three or four miles east OF Ihe
present town of El1ston at tne looU
If Mcdonald pass, just a short dls-
tance west from where the highway
denartment now has historic pomD
marker for the Mullen trail: Inc parns
and the eating house were just SNORT
distance from the present road put Sne
lived in a log house along the creek,
north of the main buildings.
Here, legends have 1t, were puTle1
her gold which she was co!lectn9
against the day when she Wouiu res aiS
to a more civilized land. For In1s gol9
numerous persons have dug around
tine ruins. and are still digging, but SO
FAR as is known none have fo1no any
thing However, 1t is probable tnaC Sne
did have some gold at least, everything
was paid for In gold in those Gays, !
but people differ as to whetner IIe !
got it or 1t IS stu tnere. SolnIe
even believe that as fast as she got IL i
she shipped it TO her NOME "Aei0F0'
that was. 4..,,
mouse. where liquor was also SOLD, ana
a stage station. She probably dlo nov |
s,nnIv overnight accommodations 10 /
veIv many travellers because IN tnoSe
days stages we're kept moving Gay anu
night, with only a change OF horses
and drivers
Found Dead
Late in the summer of 1867 she was
found murdered in her nome. Ing
Killer had ransacked every corner u
he place in his search for gold. Ihere
ware two SUSPECTS. one the hired man
who disappeared ABOUT ClaI eiiii0 ''iiO
Pete was probably the last man, out
.ida fhe murderer. to see her alive.
from Basin to Blackfoot CITY
along the now forgotten stage roao
ne stopped at her place for luncn. BuSl-
ness detained him for several Gays II
8lackfoot City but on his return along
he same route he again stopped az
1ar r1lace for a meal and short rest,
his Journey short time aIter
Inner. She was murdered that AFTER
pet Pete was Immediately suspected OF
he murder but because OF lack q
violence he never was brougnt 70 IIlsi'
Towever, he was not cleared OF snso
1icion until years later, anu III 'ii0
minds of some never. ~, -,
hort distance from her house, over
ookinp the site of her station. 1nS !
ter became the first Elliston GENE,
erv. The station was abanooteo anu I
'nder no circumstances would any one
,onsider starting up the business alCel J |
Ter death. 1t gradually feH nlOo o 1tsaS
nd, while for years the runs , $500
here as her monument, no one pug d
an an old timers who know its exact 10 |
alton can find it today. AS the runs {
isappeared SO did the wooden grave {
1arker. SO hurriedly placed on neI s
rave leaving hardly more IMAM . S
eoend of the first settlement In Une {
icinity. 80.
Years later. some light was thrown
n the murder when word came from G
rance that a man who was pelhg
yecuted for some crime he had com I
lifted there made last minute con-
sssion of it. The man answered 70 tns s
eneral description Of the Frencnman
no had worked for her at the station '
nd who had disappeared at the Time
the murder. :. .,oors
allan pete of any suspicion. Accord-
10 To the letter the man had stated 7
: had worked for her for some lint. c
hat summer business had been especo c
NV good and he noticed tnat sns
NJ IN a considerable amount OF golo
Iist and watching her as closely as +
oSsible he was convinced mat sne {
sd not shipped it out. Therefore b
Iust have been hidden. some piace I
earby and the only logical place h
ould be Ia the basement OF the house. s