Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1941-06-20

'ohtana, like every other west
ern mining state, has long list
state published in the early eighties
purports to give the names Of
every village, settlement and city
IN the territory" The list contains
many names that are now only q
memory and few that are not
even that. Among the latter are
larn Hil, which was rated at 100
land Of Butte. ll8; Trapper, 228:
Hasmark. 80: Hoover City, 80, and
Kan Kan, Al.
Ihefe are men who have lived in
Montana for 80 years who have never
heard OF these places and yet these
settlements occupied an important
pace IN the development Of the state
boy came
DR.. c. S. Whitford was reared in
Montana. He saw it develop from a
lew placer diggingS into one of the
greatest states in the American union
IN the matter OF area. wealth, produc-
tlon and natural resources. He lived
In, or accompanied his father on his
professional visits to practically every
mining camp in the territory in the
sixties, and has fund of "reminiscences.
Among the earliest towns in Mon
tana was Nevada City. II was at the
height OF its fame during l863-6i.
thousands of tenGerfeet we're wildly
filing on claims and as these claims
we're very shallow-in many instances
the bedrock was only few feet below
the surface and lousy" with gold-it
was not long before thousands were
IN possession of well-filled pokes of
clean, yellow gold
Miners Were Reckless
This sudden rise from poverty TO
riches put the miners in a state of
wild reckleSSneSs that bOrdered on
frenzy. The saloons were crowded all
night and the games of chance. faro,
stud and draw poker, keno, 81, and the
roulette wheel, with the sky the limit,
caused many struggle and fight for
chance to play. These honest and I'M
sophisticated fellows soon fell victims
to the Sllck-fingered cardsharp. They
took their losses with little regret.
knowing there was plenty more gold
left il their claims, since everyone in
those days imagined the supply was
inexhaustible
Old Nevada City's turbulent and
amazing life, when thousands of seeth-
ing, struggling and moneymad human
beings OF every nationality and country
on earth, swarmed its single street day
and night was probably without paral-
lei on the continent.
few old-time personalities who
have all gone over the Great Divide
were DR.. Ford one-time postmaster of
Butte; Alex Metzel, who owned a
butcher shop in Nevada City; Ezra AL
derman and Hank Palmer, proprietors
OF the Adelph's saloon and billiard
hall; Joe Tlgert, race horse man and
gambler; DR.. Smith, physician, and
Billy Patten, barkeeper at McBurncy
house, in Deer Lodge, In the seventies.
A Mr. Richmond, many years ago,
met his death in most unusual and
frightful manner. He was engaged in
boring holes in logs with a large,
steam-driven auger. Richmond always
wore a long coat, which tapped about
his body like a sheet in the wind. In
some manner the coat became en-
tangled with the auger. No one was
near 10 hear his cry for help, and
the terrible instrument Of death KEEP;
turning, ever drawing him on, until
his body was bent, twisted and crushed
into lifeless, bleeding mass.
Marion McCarty. who has place
in the diary of Bishop futile, was
the elder son of large family. They
worked the placer mines in 1867. He
was about 81 years OF age, very &C.
centric and extremely visionary, anu
sort of religious zealot. He was moody
and taciturn and at intervals given
to OuIDuISIS VI Gledt aliSei "AAa ~
ligiouS excitement.
Once in the summer of 1867, a boy
was with him. His peculiar actions ana
conversation interested and fascinated
the boy. one day he suggested they
take a trip over to Browns creek;
some three or four miles distant ana
south of Nevada City.
This locality is quite rough, with
deep ravineS and rocky cliils. IheE
we're standing upon the edge OF
rayine when he began to quote scrip
ture and shout in a wild, roaring VOICE,
and then. muttering something about
sacrifice" grabbed the boy around the
waist and attempted to throw him
over the cliff. The boy was wearing
a coat several sizes too large, ike an
boys in those rough days, and in the
struggle he slipped out OF the garment
and ran like a Jackrabbit Tor nome.
Soon after McCarty disappeared.
The freaks of fortune and the wnlrI-
iqig of fate of the prospector are often
startling and truly amazing, and no
one ever met the like of that which
happened to wandering Marion NC
Carly. He was next heard OF IN COLO
RADIO, with his grub and blankets, PICK,
shovel and pan, ever on the search
for gold While travelling one day along
an old, abandoned and nearly obllter-
ated trail on the side of mountain,
he suddenly threw down his pack and
commenced to dig in the middle OF
the patch.
There seemed to be no reason, as
surface indications bore no evidence OF
mineral of any nature. However, with
a few strokes of the pick there popped
into view a small piece of float thickly
sprinkled with native gold. At the
depth OF a few feet he uncovered a
two-foot ledge carrying immense val
,IeS in gold, He carefully covered up
his bonanza, then staked and recorded.
When he resumed work the vein grew
wider and richer and soon attracted
capital. He was influenced by sharp
practice, no doubt, to sell for $4,000.
the buyers realizing big fortune from
the mine. Verify, fate has many twist-
ings and turnings. and of unfathom-
able meaning.