׉?4ׁB!בCט  (u׉׉	 7cassandra://KZOoP-uZyA-QYbphOZ32fHWMq1i4RJOO9GvSOU9jISo `׉	 7cassandra://EqZgyITvQ22_NeWtS4cj_Oh9rCjCYDaHO6V8jX2f_gE͉)`s׉	 7cassandra://n_vZaQIT7hQY9AHho9AEzsXz_Z5JXMgG8eQVg_KHpgc(` f*.eVט   (u׈   }\  נf*.eV  ̏	9ׁH #https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/ׁׁЈ׈Ef*.eV׉EQSEPTEMBER 2024
Ghost Towns and History of
Montana Newsletter
From The Fergus County Argus, May 25, 1898
Linderman Cabin
Frank Bird Linderman came to the Montana Territory in 1885, at the age of
sixteen, and initially worked as a
trapper, guide, miner, and assayer.
During these early years
he was in frequent contact with
various Indian tribes of the region,
and began to chronicle
their lives and legends. In 1897
Linderman settled in the Ruby
Valley with his wife and two
daughters in a cabin which he
built on Mill Creek; near the thriving camp of Brandon. Soon afterwards, he
purchased the assets of a failed Sheridan newspaper for $5 and began publishing
The Chinook. Linderman was elected as Madison County’s Representative
to the state legislature in 1903 and 1905, and served as Assistant
Secretary of State from 1905-07.
In 1917, Linderman moved to the Flathead Lake area and devoted himself to
preserving the Old West in words and art. He, along with his good friend
Charlie Russell, also worked tirelessly in the effort to obtain a “homeland”
and treaty rights for the Cree and Chippewa. By the time of his death, in
1938, Frank had authored thirteen books, produced seventeen inspiring
bronze sculptures, and the Rocky Boys Reservation had been established. In
addition to preserving the stories and beliefs of the buffalo-era Indians of
Montana, Linderman had a deep appreciation of our natural resources. He
wrote, “I believe in the cultivation of appreciation for the work and beauties
of nature as a firm foundation for better citizenship.”
Accessed via: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/
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G h o s t T o w n s a n d H i s t o r y o f
M o n t a n a N e w s l e t t e r
Thanks to research work by Celeste River, the energetic leadership of Carol Lee and Dr. Warren Swager,
and the hard work and generous gifts of several volunteers,
the remains of Linderman’s Mill Creek cabin was identified,
the VCPA obtained the deed to the cabin, and it was relocated
to property adjacent to the Robber’s Roost. The cabin has
been beautifully restored and we were thrilled to have Sally
Hatfield, granddaughter of Mr. Linderman, attend the dedication
ceremonies in 2011. Today the cabin not only serves as a
memorial to Frank Bird Linderman, but also provides a wonderful
site for meetings…and as a peaceful spot to enjoy the
natural beauty of the area…and as the perfect place to sit and read one of Linderman’s books.
-Written by Gary Forney, Courtesy of The Virginia City Preservation Alliance at: http://
www.virginiacitypreservationalliance.org/
Bannack, Montana. The Graeter House
Augustus Graeter and his wife, Emily Drury were married
in Nebraska in 1860 and arrived in Bannack in
1862. Augustus immediately set to work mining. In
partnership with A.J. Smith, they constructed the Smith
-Graeter Ditch in 1863 to provide water for mining. The
Smith-Graeter Ditch along with others helped sustain
and contributed to the expansion of mining operations
in Bannack.
While in Virginia City in January 1864, he witnessed the
Vigilantes execute Boone Helm along with Club Foot
George
Lane,
Hayes Lyons,
Frank
Parish and
Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz
Jack Gallagher. In 1897, his company built the A.F.
Graeter gold dredge, which operated along Grasshopper
Creek until 1902. He had other business ventures
as well and was one of the founders of the
State Bank and Trust Co. in Dillon.
Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz
Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz
Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz
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׉	 7cassandra://lYKJRptoOi-O42iViPLK_llIRt8i1LJdvtchk9Xb9-4+%` f*.eV׉E
P a g e 3
G h o s t T o w n s a n d H i s t o r y o f
M o n t a n a N e w s l e t t e r
MINES AND MINING IN PARK COUNTY-continued
From The Livingston Enterprise, January 1, 1900:
Since then the flume has been enlarged, and as it
stands today it has not an equal throughout the
world. While it is without a peer, it is interesting
to notice that at the time of its proposal leading
engineers and men of supposed good judgment
had deemed it an impossibility.
At the present time the mining town of Horr and
its coal works are undergoing a general over-hauling, remodeling and enlarging, all under the supervision of
Ware B. Gay, of New Jersey, whose ability is not questioned throughout the east as to being an expert mining
promoter. It is evident from the present outlook that the town of Horr in a very years will be one of the
leading commercial centers of Park county.
TRAIL CREEK MINES
Of the numerous valuable deposits of coal in Park county, none deserve more favorable attention
than those embraced within the Trail Creek district. These measures are situated in the Belt range of mountains
about midway between the Cokedale and Horr mines, and distant from Livingston about twenty miles
in a southwestern direction.
These lands cover an area of over 12,000 acres, including the properties of individuals and the odd numbered
sections reserved for the Northern Pacific Railway company under its grant. Coal was first discovered
in the Trail Creek District some time during the seventies, by M. M. Black and a few others; but no effort to
develop them was made until 1884, when Byam Brothers opened a mine by driving a tunnel one hundred
and eighty feet upon the coal vein. Since that time, development work has been going on continually, and
the facilities for coal production have been doubled by the recent advent of the Trail Creek railway.
MOUNTAIN HOUSE COAL MINES
According to the graphic description of these mines by G. C. Swallow, mining engineer of England, we find
them located seventeen miles southeast of Bozeman and at the termini of the Trail Creek railway, which is
about eight miles in length. These mines extend a distance of one and three-quarters miles from northwest
to southeast in the high ridge on the northeast side of Trail creek, containing about three hundred acres.
The coal is of the lignite formation, which has a vast development in this part of Montana. Seven beds of
coal are observed in this property throughout a formation not more than 300 feet in depth. It is so exposed
as to be easily mined, while the strata of rocks, once covering these coal beds, are tipped up to an angle
of some 40 degrees by the Earth’s upheaval, thus enabling the easy drainage and operation of the same.
Natural Bridge on the Boulder
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G h o s t T o w n s a n d H i s t o r y o f
M o n t a n a N e w s l e t t e r
Nearly all of the hanging walls of these coal beds are of strong sandstone and the roofs are so inclined as to
need but little support and slight expense, which latter is readily supplied by the abundance of timber in
the surrounding neighborhood.
H. Bush in the Stoping of the Sowash Mine
By the inclination of the beds, one-third more coal is found than in
horizontal beds. The seven beds have an average thickness of 70
feet, yielding more than 46 feet of solid, workable coal. The coal is
free from all injurious substances, such as the sulphides of iron and
lime; but some of the beds contain small masses of native resin, like
amber, which increase the flame and heat, while some of these
coals will cake and make a good coke.
Building brick and stone are found in abundance in various localities
along the bench lands. It can be obtained in quantities sufficient for
the demands of any city.
Limestone is prominent in the western wall of the lower canyon of
the Yellowstone, about four miles above Livingston. Here can be seen a solid wall of it one mile in length
and one thousand feet in height. The lime produced is of a superior quality, exceeding that of any other locality
in eastern Montana, and by its location on the Park Branch railway it promises to be the main supply
for the various active mining districts.
Fire-brick and tile are found in large deposits at Cooke City, or the New World Mining district, Horr and near
Livingston. It is equal in character to the Starbridge, England,
product. These deposits have only been worked to a limited extent,
and are only waiting for the demand to waken their slumbering
resources.
Marble has been discovered in the foot-hills of the Yellowstone,
or Snowy mountains just opposite Cinnabar. It is susceptible of
receiving a high polish, and has been developed sufficiently to
prove its value, should an effort be made, or capital secured for
its development.
BEAR GULCH
About five miles east of Gardiner and on the southern boundary of Park county is located the most wideawake
gold mining camp in the state of Montana today.
The first placer gold in Bear Gulch was discovered by Uncle Joe Brown in '66. Placer mining continued to be
worked to a limited extent until '84, when Major Eaton put in operation the most powerful hydraulic apparatus
for placer mining in the world at that time. The water had a vertical fall of 400 feet through 1200
The Guest House of H. Bush
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FP a g e 5
G h o s t T o w n s a n d H i s t o r y o f
M o n t a n a N e w s l e t t e r
feet of piping 12 inches in diameter. It would drop from
a little giant motor through a nozzle 6 inches in diameter.
This force was sufficient to bend an ordinary iron
Bear Gulch Mining Camp
bar double. This mode of development continued until
'85, when work was suspended owing to a disagreement
among the property holders.
James Graham and Uncle Joe Brown discovered the first
quartz in 1870, but owing to the difficult mode of transportation
it remained inactive until '84, when Major
Eaton put in a five-stamp and saw mill combined. This
work came to a standstill in '86 from the same cause as
the previous workings.
The gulch now remained quiet until '90, when Edgerton & Jewell, of Helena, opened up the old mill by a fivestamp
addition, working it success fully until the crisis of '93, when the camps again and for the second time
in their history, took on a state of inaction, remaining in this way until July 28, 1898, when H. Bush arrived. It
was at once evident that he possessed all the zeal and enthusiasm for the establishment of a foundation for
the mining industry of Bear Gulch—one that could breast any of the former difficulties which had existed
there previously, and at the same time a foundation
that would accept no standstill in its industrial
development that would in the least have
cause to impede its progress. He at once bonded
the Legal Tender of the First National bank of
Helena, for $150,000, and in less than 60 days he
made his first purchase in the Sowash mine. The
next purchase was the Revenue, from George
Phelps, a mine whose richness has exceeded the
wildest expectations of its former owner. From
George Welcome he now purchased the Keets, West Point, W. W. Dixon, North Star and Norse. As soon as
quartz mines were purchased Mr. Bush at once put experts at work to develop them, and at the same time
prove to the world at large that his judgment in such line of work is faultless. Shortly after getting his quartz
interests underway he turned his attention to the purchase of 40 acres of placer ground from Joe Brown, and
has just completed a ditch three thousand feet in length, furnishing water for hydraulic mining that is second
to none in the state. Thus it has been, while each month new mines are added to his store of hidden wealth.
About ten days after Mr. Bush first set his enterprises on foot he had the old stamp mill increased to a twenty-stamp,
with new vanners and tables to conform with his ideas of what a stamp mill should be. His next
Building Scene in Bear Gulch Mining Camp
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G h o s t T o w n s a n d H i s t o r y o f
M o n t a n a N e w s l e t t e r
move was an order for 2,000,000 feet of the best lumber that would go into mills, buildings, etc., and,
never has there been any delay in the development work caused by a lack of material. Since then he has
completed and furnished his Guests' House, a building which alone stands with out a peer in the state as
to completeness of accommodations and grandness of interior furnishings.
In March, 1899, he laid the foundation for his new
Revenue stamp mill, with a ground area of 93x120
feet and height of 103 feet, the foundation of which,
alone, contains six hundred perch of stone. The construction
work required about 400,000 feet of lumber,
and it is safe to say that it is the finest stamp mill in
America, taking into consideration its water advantages
and situation at the mines where everything
Foundation of the Revenue Stamp Mill
is handled by gravity, requiring the labor of two men for the operation of forty stamps.
Leading from the mine about five hundred feet above is a tramway which discharges into a 200 ton pocket.
From here the ore runs into a Cammett crusher which discharges it into a 500-ton pocket. The ore is
now fed by eight automatic feeders into the eight batteries of five stamps each. From here it passes over
the plates which strike the free gold, and onto a series of eight tables, the middlings of which pass onto a
similar number of Frue vanners. These tables and vanners separate the heavy metallic particles from the
lighter sand or waste, which are in their turn shipped to the different smelters in Montana. All of the
dump cars of this mill are supplied with an automatic device, an invention of U. S. James, the construction
superintendent, which unlocks the door, dumps, then closes the door and returns for another load of ore.
The ore passes through the chutes by gravity, down over screens where the fine particles are separated
from the coarse large rocks and passes directly into the crushers, where it is crushed and prepared for the
stamps. From the stamp plates the Pulp passes by gravity onto another device planned by Mr. James, being
so constructed and manipulated by certain machinery that it can be distributed to any battery by the
will of the operator. In close proximity to this is situated a dial, with numbers thereon corresponding to
the numbers of the different batteries. By moving a lever the ore, as it comes from the crusher, can be
dumped at any group of stamps by will of the operator, giving the great advantage of supplying them with
sufficient ore to keep them busy continuously.
The eight plates that catch the free gold are of copper and silver plated.
After the pulp passes over the tables and vanners the concentrates then pass into a pit 7x10 and 8 feet
deep, in which are placed an automatic sampler, through which it all passes. This is so constructed
that a uniform sample can be obtained at all times.
Directly over the batteries is built a track, extending the entire length of the building, and upon which is
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placed a crawl which is used in case of a breakage of any heavy machinery.
This crawl is brought into position and the broken parts hoisted upon
a car, which takes them to the machine shop for repairing. The
battery blocks are set in the ground to a depth of fourteen feet and rest
on solid hard pan, each one having independent bearings. In operating
the stamps with ninety drops per minute, at a distance of five inches, the
blocks have never settled the slightest degree from the original.
The water for the plant is taken from Bear creek by a ditch with a head
of 347 feet and furnishes 500 inches of water.
There are two engines, the smaller one being situated back of the larger
one, and supplied with sufficient horse-power and so connected by
steam pipes and belts that in case of any disability of the larger engine
the burden can be placed upon this smaller contrivance and the work of
the mill move on uninterrupted. For convenience these engines and boilers
are situated above all other machinery, consequently the former
have a downward pull and are more firmly held in place thereby, being directly supplied with 280 horse
-power boilers. In front of the engines are situated water taps to which are attached a fire hose with
sufficient pressure to throw a stream of water over the entire building, and is sufficient in volume for
all emergencies. A fire gong is so situated in the mill that all occupants can sound the fire alarm, and by
different openings and stairways they can either get out of the building or to the fire.
Mr. Bush deserves much honor for this valuable addition to the mining machinery of Montana, while in
it are combined originality and the proof of his judgment of what the future of the mining camp will
be. Experts acknowledge that this mill is the most complete stamp mill in the world.
THE SOW ASH MINE
is in direct communication with the old stamp mill, and is developed by over 300 feet of cross-cut, exposing
two veins thereby, one with a development for a distance of over 400 feet along its strike,
showing a vein from five to thirty feet in width about 90 feet below the surface, while the other vein,
encountered by this crosscut is of a more silicous nature, with a development of 175 feet in length
along its strike, showing a width of from five to fifteen feet. Stoping operations have only just commenced,
there being 200 or more feet of backs yet to stope. It is above the first vein's development
that practically all the ore up to date has been extracted. –Read more in next month’s issue! Accessed
via: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/
G h o s t T o w n s a n d H i s t o r y o f
M o n t a n a N e w s l e t t e r
Residence of J.P. Sennott
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G h o s t T o w n s a n d H i s t o r y o f
M o n t a n a N e w s l e t t e r
Marysville Road
Have you ever driven the road out to Marysville? Here's the history of this scenic route.
The road began as a railroad grade for the Montana Central.
In 1887, the Northern Pacific and Montana Central
railroads raced to complete branch lines to the
Drumlummon Mine and Marysville up the narrow canyon.
The Northern Pacific’s line ran along one side of
Silver Creek while the Montana Central ran on the other
side, in the valley. The Northern Pacific won the race
and successfully blocked the Montana Central from entering
Marysville by refusing to grant it access through
its trestle. The Northern Pacific’s route was indeed a remarkable
feat of engineering. The tracks clung to the
mountainsides, crossing deep gulches, all the while
climbing, climbing, until it reached the famous mining
camp. The final trestle made an eighteen degree curve
into town, swinging the train dramatically over the gulch.
The Montana Central, unable to gain access to the trestle, built a depot about 1½ miles below Marysville,
but it was too far away and thus not profitable. The Montana Central abandoned the line just a few years
later in 1889. The original wagon road to Marysville lay below the Montana Central grade. Once the railroad
had been abandoned, travelers began using the abandoned grade and it eventually became the
Marysville Road of today. The Northern Pacific’s spectacular trestle dominated the town until 1925 when
the railroad pulled up the tracks and removed it. In 1931, a Marysville resident widened the former Montana
central grade into its existing configuration. Lewis and Clark County and the Montana Department of
Transportation have worked together to improve it. –Ellen Baumler
Photo Courtesy of https://digital.denverlibrary.org/
Construction workers in sack suits and overcoats, hold
shovels and pose on a Helena and Northern Railroad (a
Northern Pacific short line) trestle under construction in
Marysville, Montana.
Ellen Baumler was an award-winning author and Montana historian. A master at linking history with modern-day supernatural events, Ellen's
true stories have delighted audiences across the state. The legacy she left behind will be felt for generations to come and we are in debt to her for
sharing her extensive knowledge of Montana history in such an entertaining manner. To view and purchase Ellen’s books, visit: http://
ellenbaumler.blogspot.com/p/my-books.html
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