Glacier County chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1931-1940, 1940-04-12
Al Moog, Born at Silver Bow
In 1866, Revisits Old Home

not serve in the higher attitudes; the
science Of baking must be learned all
over again in the Rockies.
Mrs: Moog and her daughters came
to Butte ION the lam"-ran away from
Indians, Chief Josephs tribe w. A.
Clark was responsible for the fear when
the Nez Perez invaded Montana. He
came tearing up to the Moog stage
station near Stuart, on badly winded
horse and asked for a new mount. He
was in a rush to get to Butte to or
ganize the citizens, under authority of
from a redskin attack, he said. He was
given a fresh horse, and for years
afterward was famed for the fast ride
he had made from Deer Lodge to Butte
Albert Returned to Ranch
Mrs. Moogs' husband decided that
he didn't wish to have his family ex-
posed to possible massacre. So he
rushed them up to Butte. Little Albert.
who came up to Butte with his mother,
went back to the ranch with his faith
er, for company. He knows something
OF the prickly sensation caused by the
impression that every sound may be
due TO a ,redskin hiding around the
corner with a tomahawk.
Mrs. Moog bought all of the lots
fronting on Broadway. from Hamilton
street east to the alley back of the
First National bank. Her restaurant
was located at what is now No. Tin
the Henderson and Beilenberg block
She charged rs cents for meal. Later
on OKeefe. of the Saddle Rock, who
went to Anaconda when the smelter
was built. was to succeed her and cut
the price to 25 cents
Mrs. Moog was not only a restaurant
keeper but also dairy keeper Al re-
members when the Butte district was
covered with trees, grass and under
brush; when alder and cottonwood
grew along both banks of Silver Bow
creek. to shade the Strawberries that
rlpened in the grass that also bordered
the stream
He does not remember when Butte
moved to Silver Bowie was only
years old then and knows about it only
from others. But he remembers when
about 1875 after Farlin had announced
that the black rock of the Butte hill
carried silver values Before Farlin's
disclosure, Butte had dwindled to a
point that caused the people to do
their marketing in the Highlands"
which proves that Silver Bow had
dwindled quite bit also: at one time
that camp had 1000 placer miners
gathered about the banks of the stream.
Silver Bows first Prayer"
Silver Bow claims the honor of hav-
ing been the scene of the first PRAYER
in this district. Two miners had a little
cabin north of the creek They had to
cross the stream on log. One night
they went to the tavern together. The
temperate one went home early. The
other remained at the barroom. When
he hadn't returned by midnight his
partner went out to look for him AS
he neared the creek his ears were
Saluted by many holy words formed
into plea. His partner had started
home with jag on" and fell off the
log into the creek.
The Moogs were not only pioneers
of Silver Bow but of Montana also.
Fred Moog came to Virginia City in
1864. When he decided to remain he
sent for his wife She came all the
way from Denver with babe in her
arms. by stagecoach, at a cost of $3.50
which is said to have been a low rate
for those days. In 1865 they decided
TO try the new placer diggings at Silver
BOW When mining began to slow up
Fred Moog.- who was a chemist by
profession, decided to get a farm. He
bought one ''for five burros" 1t was
located three miles north of Stuart
station and numbered 16O acres. 1t
was identified, before the railroads
came, as being located 40 miles this
Lodge river" French crossing meant
neither bridge nor boat Simply that
waded or drove across.
Ranch Was Stage Station
The Moog ranch became a stage
station for the Ralston-Dadow stage
line. The Gilman Salisbury stageline,
in competition with the Ralston-
Dadow line, also stopped for meals
horses on hand. The stages required
from four to six horse teams. When
the stage drove up, six fresh horses,
harneSsed, were waiting to take the
place of the tired team
Ralston was the owner of the ground
which was bought as a site for st.
Patricks school. He and his wife were
drowned in the Big Hole river
ourros; L. A. Barnard got the adioin-
was blind deal. L. A. Barnard owned
the MisSoula gulch placer locations in
Butte. and his brother, A w. Barnard,
owned the farm adjoining the Moogs.
L. A. offered to trade the gulch for
the farm. Placer miners were already
at work on the little stream. A. w.
decided he couldn't lose anything: he
had only squatter's rights on the farm |
So he made the trade Missoula gulch
mines paid well enough to justify the
new owner in expenditures to bring
IN water from the Big Hole to wash
gold. On Alabama street, between Mer-
curry and Silver, on the west side of
the street, there is a strip of ground
about seven feet wide between the
sidewalk and the nearest residence
yard; that strip, which is left Of many
lots: too small to build on, belongs
to the Barnard estate, it is stated. The
estate also owns many other acres near
the gulch below Platinum street.
Fred Moog died in 1867 and Mrs. |
Moog eventually married her neighbor,
MI. barnard. He 1t was who brought
her to Butte to escape the Indians and
who encouraged her to enter the res
and dairy venture.
Young Albert Moog attended the
Butte schools and graduated in min