Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1940-05-11

the following conversation TOOK place
Montana Has No Meaning"
Mr.. Wilson, Massachusetts: II move
to strike out the name Of the territory
and insert Idaho. Montana is no
name at all"
Mr.. Doolittle, Wisconsin: IT hope
not. hope there win be no amend
ment at all. Montana sounds Just as
well as Idaho
Mr.. Wilson: ''It has no meaning"
Mr.. Doolittle: ut has meaning; it
refers to the mountainous character Of
the country"
The amendment was rejected, but
upon Mr.. Wilson's renewal, Mr.. Doc
little yielded; whereupon Mr. Harding
Oregon, remarked: II think the name
Idaho is much preferable to Mon
tana.' Montana to my mind, signifies
nothing at all. Tdaho,' In English, sig
nifieS the gem of the mountains This
is mountainous country, and the name
idaho is well understood In significa-
ton and photography in all that coun-
try, and I prefer 1t to the present
name"
The title was amended by striking
out Montana" and inserting idaho"
and the bill passed. On the same day
the bill passed the house of repre-
sentatives against the strenuous oppo-
sition of Mr.. Ashley, who preferred to
defeat the measure rather than permit
the name to be changed. The bill was
approved, however, and was signed by
the president on March 8, 1853, and
on that day became a law.
Sidney Edgerton was appointed chief
justice of Idaho by President Lincoln
but, at the time Of his arrival at Ban
mack on sept. 10, 1853, the SHOWS IN
the mountains and the condition OF
the trails prevented him from reach
ing the seat Of government Of Idaho,
then situated at Lewiston. He, with his
party, including Wilbur F. Sanders, his
nephew, and their families, were COM
PEELED to stop at Bannack for the win
ter, and thus it happened that those |
who represented the executive and tu- /
d1cial branches of the territorial gov
eminent were separated by many miles |
of mountain wilderness that was prac-
tically impossible during the winter. 1t I
proved to be entirely impossible to eS- /
tablish the court or TO carry out its I
DEGREES.
Local order was enforced In an I'M
certain manner by the miners courts,
acting. without authority of law In
order to attend the first session of the
Idaho legislature in Lewiston during
the winter of 1863-1864, legislators were
to traverse hundreds of miles
and to undergo severest hardshipS.
There was widespread dissatisfaction
and public sentiment became aroused
towards dividing the Idaho territory
for more satisfactory administration.
1t was first proposed to divide along
the summit Of the Rocky mountains,
but because of the impossible charac-
ter of the Bitter Root range 1t was
finally agreed to establish the divid-
ing line between the two territories
along the crest Of the Bitter Root
mountains.
One Sunday morning, early In 1854,
the male portion of Bannack was
gathered upon the main street engaged
n discussing the partition. One Con
0rem, a pugilist of note who had come
rom Colorado, where he had worked
Is a blacksmith, and, was mounted on
/ wagon, held forth upon the hard
hips of the country in a political way.
so potent was his oratory that his
hearers moved then and there to take
lction for the division of Idaho and
he formation Of a new territory, the
eat of which should be Bannack. It
vas decided to send Sidney Edgerton
asst. Twenty-Five hundred dollars in
,old nuggets was subscribed to defray