Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1941-09-06
Senator Clark Went Into Wilderness and BY Backing
His Judgment Made Huge Fortune AS Miner, Banker

Inc ialE EEUAboI WntAAm a OAdkA
spent the summer Of 1928 in the land
OF the great adventure of his youth.
He stood pre-eminent among that
rapidly diminishing band Of men who
came to Montana when It was a raw,
new land, and made OF It, through the
development Of its resources, the great
state that it is today.
walked Into winds
Sixty years ago he walked into the
wilderness of the northwest. along
side of a yoke Of oxen, over the al
most trackless prairie and mountain
country from Colorado. And he be-
came one Of the wealthiest men In the
United States.
His trek into this country was along
in 1858, and he came from Central
City. There, a youth Just out of a
Pennsylvania school, he had his first
experience in mining. He worked as
hard rock miner in one OF the gold
quartz mines Of that early day gold
camp Of Colorado Came the news Of
the rich placer discoveries in Montana,
Clark and two others decided to an
swer the summons of fortune. They
bought a yoke of oxen and a wagon,
equipped it with the few stores they
might need on the journey, and start
ed out. The journey was accomplished
In about 60 days.
A few hours after their arrival in
Bannack the news came to that camp
of the discovery Of gold in what was
afterwards known as Jeff Davis gulch,
so named by the ardent secessionist
who had discovered it. Clark yoked up
his jaded oxen and started for the
scene Of the new strike, arriving there
in time to secure a coveted placer
claim A day or two later the little
group of miners who had secured
claims held a meeting, and organized
the district, so as to protect their
rights. Clark was elected recorder of |
the district Books suitable for record |
we're scarce. A former Iowa hotel |
keeper, who had brought his half |
used hotel register along with him /
when he came to Montana, because |
it contained the names Of many guests |
who had not settled their bills, gave |
the book to Clark in which to record |
entries of the mining claims That |
book now part of the Beaverhead /
county records, reposes in the vault /
Of the Beaverhead county courthouse
at Dillon.
When the cold weather came and |
the placer mines could no longer be
worked, Clark had accumulated a
few thousand dollars in gold dust, as
the result of his labor at the sluice
boxes. That winter, tobacco became
very scarce in the little gold camps,
and rose to fabulous prices. The young
placer miner put his gold dust in
saddle bags and made a horseback
ride to Boise, Idaho, looking for fl
nancial adventure. He found tobacco
plentiful there, purchased two wagon
loads Of it, and freighted it across the
through an almost track
less country, to Bannack and Virginia
City. The effort Melted him over
$4,000. That was his start on the
road to fortune, road that he had
travelled most successfully.
Senator Clark was one of the states
most successful bankers and whole
sale merchants, and had his head
quarters at Deer Lodge, when the
quartz properties Of Butte first began
% attract attention. His Deer Lodge
1ank had advanced considerable
money to finance the first quartz mill
,uilt to treat Butte ores, and the own
II of the mill failing. the Clark bank
vas forced to take it over to protect
It's loan. Senator Clark went to Butte
% manage this mill, and this gave
lin an insight to the real value Of
Butte ores. He began to acquire Butte
mining property.
Backed His Judgment
He was one Of the first men Of
substance to appreciate the potential
value of the great Butte ore deposit,
md by backing his judgment Of that
amp, became one of the first op-
.rators in Montana. Many years
passed since that distant day, and
senator Clark became world figure
n finance, with International inter
.sts.