Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1940-09-21

the Mother Lode country-that from
tier life that men like Mark Twain
Bret Harte and Joaquin Miller were
to make immortal in prose and poetry
Perhaps Marcus knew the origina
"Outcasts of Poker Flat; perhaps he
was there the day Mark Twain go
the original inspiration for his Jump
ing Frog" story.
Neither Marcus DAILY nor Thomas
Murray got rich in Calaveras county
but Marcus was on his way. He had
seen what riches a man could make II
he hit it lucky and he had a peculiar
genius for geology. He left Calaveras
county to go to the booming Comstock
Lode country of which Virginia City
New, was the capital. There he had
the good fortune to get work with the
two leading mine operators, George
Hearst and j. B. Haggin. 1t was about
the time that Marcus met him that
George Hearst passed around the cigars
to announce the birth of his only child
Willie, who was to make newspaper
history during a stormy career that is
now drawing to a close.
Walker Bros, bankers Of Salt Lake
City, heard about Days work for
Hearst and Haggin and they offered
him more money to come and work
for them. They heard rumors of rich
mines in Montana and hired Marcus
to be their agent. That was IN 1870
and in 1872 Marcus married Miss Mar
garet Evans of Salt Lake City.
The Walkers sent Marcus to walker
vile, Mont, to inspect several silver
properties, which he was to buy if he
considered them of value. One Of these
was the historic Alice mine and Mar
Gus purchased it for 5000, keeping a
one-fifth interest for himself. A year
later he sold his interest for $4,000.
Made Systematic Survey
At this point DAILY was ready to take
his profit, more money than he had
ever expected to have at one time,
and return to California, for Butte did
not promise to be an outstanding
silver camp. However, before leaving,
he decided to make a systematic in
spection of all the properties in the
Butte district. 1t was while doing this
that he ran across the Hickey broth
ers, Edward and Daniel, who had man
aged to sink a 65-foot shaft in their
claim but could not go farther be-
cause thew had run out of money. It
was known as. the Anaconda mine and
DAILY bought it for $4,000. He knew
he had good property but he didn't
think 1t was going to turn out to be
the greatest copper mine the world
has ever known.
To raise funds to develop the Ana
conda, Marcus went to his old en-
ployers, Hearst and Haggin. With them
and one other party named Tevis, he
formed the Anaconda Mining Co. He
was still interested In his property only
as a silver proposition, but when he
had sunk his shaft to 100 feet he dis
covered he had a copper mine wheth-
or he wanted it or not. At the 400-foot
eVel there was a vein of copper richer
than man had ever seen before. In
The next few years DAILY became a
nulti-millionaire. He built the smelter
and the city of Anaconda and rail-
road to carry his ore from the mine
% the smelter.
Between the years 1881, when the
Anaconda company was formed, and
1900, when Marcus died, he crammed
INTO his life more activity than most
men do in their entire lives. He had
bitter legal and political wars, he built
lis company to unprecedented heights
If power, and he also managed to
nave a lot of fun.