Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1942-02-21
.ESLER DEVELOPED
QUARTZ MINING
in EARLY DAYS

The great game Of quartz MINING
which has produced fabulous amount
Of money IN Montana during the pagt
rs years, had a very humble starr
and some day. perhaps, the men he
hind this industry win put a bronze
tablet on the wall Of the statehouge
at Helena to the memory OF AIfred
M. Esler, who discovered and heIna6
to develop the first quartz mine fn
Montana
Eslers mine, the pioneer quartz pro
Queer IN the state, was named the
Legal Tender, and was located IN the
Argenta district, In Beaverhead county
It Is not TO be confomded with the
mine OF the same name at CIanrv
which was operated for so many vesrs
by the late Thomas G. Merrill. the
silver exponent.
Born at Carthage
Esler was born in New York state
at Carthage, in jefferson county IN
1887, and became a merchant at Boon
vile. In 1854, attracted by the reports
Of great mining wealth in Montana
he made the trip overland by OK teams
With his brother-in-law and their
wives. After five months of STEADY
travel they reached Bannack. then
capital of Montana, where the two
men divided their effects. Esler tool~
two yoke Of oxen for his share he
traded his oxen for a placer claim
which proved worthless. Later In the
season Governor Edgerton gave him
he appointment Of Justice Of the peace
At Bannack. With this office and bv
keeping boarders, he and his wife {
managed to live. The following spring {
lis wife died. In that year he ENGAGED
n prospecting and was fortunate
enough to locate the first silver mine
discovered in the territory, the Legal S
Tender, above referred to.
All that summer Esler worked hard
mining ore from his shaft. and IN :.
he fan he started with a six-horse
7agon load Of ore and crossed the
lains with 1t, shipping 1t to a smelter
Swansea, Wales, and accompanv- :
lg 1t across the ocean. The ore was I
Oh, and the showing he made with =
resulted IN the formation of a com 4
any, to whose stockholders he sold
lree-fourths of the stock in the pron- d
'ty. In the spring Of 1865 he returned II
} Montana to develop his mine. Gov re
Tor Hauser was at the time inter tt
ted In a st. Louis company which m
Tilt smelters. Esler gave him 500 OO0 "a
build smelter and smelt 200 tons II
ore. The smelter was successful, and vi
forwards Esler built two smelters and
refinery. af
Oes to Occur d'AIene st
After becoming interested in a num- at
T of mines In Montana with VARYING We
ccess, including the Parrot mine at re
lite, which he was largely instru- az
entail in developing, Esler transferred CO..
efforts to Idaho and acquired an ne
terest IN number Of rich prospects
at afterward became famous mines. ere
Guiding the Emma, Badger and Last SCI
lance mines, and he engineered the baa
al which resulted in the develop hal
mt of the Bunker Hill and Sullivan hol
IS properties, which had more to wa
with the exploitation of the Occur The
Alene district than any one other bel
terprise. gun
n 1892 the Badger mill was blown
by striking miners, five men being I
led and is seriously injured. Esler 1T
ltroled the property and two of his tina
'thers we're in the mill at the time {
the explosion. The miners struck smi
higher wages and the property was fin,
SEQ down. The dynamiting took
ce when the mine opened up again g
n str1kebreakers. The strikers were for
a dangerous mood, and on one &C. MIA,
ion 100 Of them were searching for maj
er with the avowed intention of in
ing him One Of his brothers was hoIi
en- prisoner from the mill by the
kers after the explosion and the r
er escaped by hiding in an excava- a q
/. The one who was made prisoner
J not seriously injured. Several of