Montana oil and mining journal., 1940-03-30
Nv GEORGE MARSH

The red flag Of revolt has never
h@en fEamuted in the streets OF
Montana, yet in 1865, the streets OF
virginia City were filled with
hOrdes Of hungry men, with Hour
sack sailed to pole as their ban
ner. as they searched for food.
the Montana of the sixties was tar
from the scene of the Civil war, then
Drawing to q more rapid close than
Montana residents dreamed, but men
in Virginia City faced lar more
~~is1v foe-gtarvation Flour was hoard
a like gold dust and bands OF oeS-
perate men, tramping the poWqety
snow under foot, were Determined 70
find it. These were the flour rlots OF
AS neen SHOWS that winter had prevent
,ed freight wagons from reaching tne
Isolated gold camp. AS avalapie
c-tonlrs of food decreased, hungry resi-
denfS saw the price of flour jump from
SSg to $50 per hundred pounds. Near
starving men searched cellars, unoe5
floors. and IN haystacks for concealed
81 Rpa9 zen in normal times, the necessities
~ life brought fabulous prices. 20
dav-oId newspaper sold for one or CW0
dollars IN gold dust and was pasSeu
Ssso,1o hand 10 hand until tt was torn
IN 1ieces A cat was worth SlOO because
SS1e town was overrlm with mice. 10
bacco. ounce for ounce, was worm Illt
ssrne as gold. At the then currenC
T~-ice for gold, $18 per ounce, tobacco
was priced at $288 per pound IN golo
dust or $500 In greenbackS. -.
Freighting operations between. Sale
take and Virginia City we're almost
suspended during the latter part OF tlle
ysirter of 1866. One large flour tram
arrived at the foot Of the Snake river
divide but was unable to cross the pass.
THE cold was intense, the snow Wa MaS
deep, and the oxen, unable 70 Lnlu
0rass pertShed by the dozens. Mean
xhi1e fhe situation in Virginia City
was becoming acute. Potatoes, peatlS, t
dried meas. and other substitutes 1or
SInayr were almost exhausted. Many
neople were already living on peer
straight" ss r1our
Some unScupulouS merchants OooA Oo,A
advantages Of the situation ana Cne
SsstresS St Of the people and held their
sfoclr Of food for whatever price they
cnSIId extort. About Washington's birth
Sav 1855. came the first rapid increase
IN the rrice of flour. The price PEI
hundred pounds jumped from $50 70
x4D and kept mounting until 1t reacneo
$160 There was no fixed price and Che
market fluctuated with rumors OF
abundance and scarcity. .,,
Tyhen came q time, early In Aprll,
1885 when flour could not be had at
any price. There were stocks OF flour
IN the town but the owners saw a
chance to get rich by cornerlng bne
available supply. This angered the clt-
igens and precipitated the flour rloIs.
The miners took matters INTO Jnelr owl
hands as they had done once peIorss
when they hanged Henry PlurnIner anu
- outlaws
The outraged residents organlzed
themselves for q public conJrol OF InS
flour supply. The streets were tnrOngeo
with anxious men when the marcnerS
began parading up and down Wallace
street with a flour-sack nag as Inc
symbol Of their purpose.
Some of the riovers thougnt Iilse the tt,e
caurp. Three men entered the clothing
tore ON Content corner and began
ndckinQ up suits of clothing. The mer-
chants about to be robbed sent mes
senger for Neil How1e, q deputy sner-
If. for aid. HOwie went 70 tine SIore,
drew his revolver, and Is reported py |
an eyewitness, Hugh McQuade, TO nave
said:
aGentlemen, this uprising is to get
nolrr and pay a reasonable price for
e. 1t Is not to sack the town. The first
man that steals from store or saloon
viii be shot or hanged. The same men
mat fought for law and order q few
months ago are prepared to fight Tor
& now" The clothing was dropped and
word was passed through the dense
,rowds in the streets that pifering
would result In death.
Sanders Cautioned Crowd
Col Wilbur Fiske Sanders advised
he crowd to conduct it's search for
Tour In an orderly manner and to
distribute the confiscated supplies to
he needy citizens equitably. A rumor
vas heard that a wagon loaded with
Tour had gone TO Colonel Sanders
acme. An armed searching party was
dispatched 10 the Sanders residence
where they were met at the door by
Mrs. Sanders who invited them to
,earch the house and take all over q
)an of flour they could find. The group
eft but returned the next day to search
n vain for hidden sacks.
Guards were stationed ON the roads
% see that no flour was removed from
ne town as the groups searched every
tore and house In the community. (
some of the hiding places were unique