Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1942-08-29

Oh K0kU an BAonk4n2y mas Always n&0
deep interest for Montanans familiar
with the history Of their state. Tt was
Alder gulch gold, they remember, that
Sidney EdgertOn used In Washington
to convince the congress that the area
east Of the range Of mountains known
as the Bitter Root, was amply
equipped TO bear the expense of self
government. They remember that for
years all Of the leading men Of the
state were in some manner connected
with the Virginia City area; that
every prominent lawyer Of the terri
tory and later of the state had
SERVED time" In Virginia City.
To read the names of the early day
business and professional men of
Butte and Helena is to read a list of
former residents Of Virginia City. w.
A. Clark, a Bannack as well as q
Virginia City man, trader, freight
er rather than miner-after he had
made his First 81, 000"-built the toll
road between Virginia City and Butte,
the road that gave its name to Toll
mountain. Judge A. j. Davis, banker,
an investor, a broker, got his start
in Montana in Virginia City. Col w.
F. Sanders, George Stapleton, w. Y.
Pemberton, and dozens of others were
community. Virginia City is the site
of the first territory-buflt capitol
building dts Madison county court
house now). Virginia City was the
home Of many Of the outstanding
members Of the Vigilante organization
and also of a large number of road
agents. 1t was the first bonanza gold
camp of the intermountain region;
no one can say positively how much
gold was taken from beneath the sands
of Alder gulch.
A Direct Appeal
1t is because of these facts that
matters pertaining to the past Of the
glorious little mining town that did
SO much for its state and for the west
have a direct appeal to that division
of Montanans who take an interest In
all matters pertaining to the history
of their home state. The facts are not
always obtainable largely because
about the only records that were kept
by mining communities had to do with
mining locations; records of towns
that grew up one year and died the
next were not regarded as important.
In the absence Of recorded history
the trailblazer, a born romancer,
whose stories of his prospective wealth
when I git the capital to work the
lead" would challenge the greatest
achievement Of Aladdins lamp was al
ways ready to supply details out of
whole cloth. Mark Twain is said to
have identified prospector as "a liar
with hole IN the ground"
This elaboration" in connection
with details, has played part in the
history of every important mining
camp, and some Of the COW camps of
the west. Virginia City has been sin
gularly free from it chiefly because |
such men as Thomas Dimsdale, NJ P. |
Langford, Col w. F. Sanders, Judge |
Henry N. Blake, Capt j. H. Mills and
the files of the Madisonian have made |
many Of the facts connected with "the |
mining capital Of the sixties" available |
to the general public.
Among the few points Of difference |
between residents Of Virginia City to-
day-due to the fact that a second |
generation has replaced the old trail |
Dlazers-are the locations Of past and |
gone historic buildings, and the point |
where gold was first discovered in
Alder gulch; this latter difference hobs
up occasionally in spite of the fact
that the A. j. Davis family of Butte,
IN compliment to their ancestor, Judge |
A. j. Davis, erected a monument in
Alder glilch after careful investiga-
ion, on the spot where Henry Edgar
washed out his first pan Of dirt. The
contra element declare that the first
gold was found, not in Alder gulch
put in Moonlight gulch, a shallow de-
preston that runs east and west
through Virginia City; another point
Of difference and one that will, In all
never be solved to the sat
sfaction of those participating, is the
origin of the Vigilante notice "3-7-W."
The spot where he first found gold
N Alder gulch was pointed out by
Henry Edgar during a convention of
he Society of Montana Pioneers in
Virginia City in 1892 Although he had
1een absent from Alder gulch more
han 35 years he was able to walk
iirectly to the spot where that epoch
making event occurred 'on May 26,
1868, at about 4 o'clock" in the after
loon. 1t happened, he stated, ION the
vest side of the gulch at its mar
owed point" At the time of the iden-
Edgar, who lived at Plains,
don't, was the only surviving member
If the Fairweather party who could
,e reached at that time. Colonel San
iers said he believed, however, that
,ther members Of the party we're still
live, but their addresses were UNI
rnown.
fen in Fairweather Party
The members Of the party he said
we're Henry e. Edgar, William Fair
weather., Tom Coover, George OFT and
Barney Hughes"
Barney Hughes, the last time I
leard from him." the colonel said,
was prospecting and mining at the
lead Of the Bitter Root river. Tom
;oover is probably in the northwestern
art OF Mexico or the southern part
Il California" The colonel said he
lad no information regarding the
Of George OFT.
ut is a singular thing" the colonel