One poor fellow, while in the willows at Beaverhead, being mistaken for a beaver, was accidentally shot by his comrade. He lived several days, and was carefully nursed by his slayer, who was greatly grieved at the occurrence. The stampeders came in with pack animals. Colonel McLean brought the first vehicle to the Gulch. The stampede reached the Gulch on the 6th of June. The course of the stream was marked by the alders, that filled the Gulch so densely as to prevent passage, in many places. Some people camped on the edge of the brush, about three-fourths of a mile above the town, accidentally set it on fire, and with a tremendous roar, the flames swept down the creek, and burned up the entire undergrowth.
Almost immediately after the first great rush from Bannack—in addition to the tents, brush wakiups and extempore fixings for shelter—small log cabins were erected. The first of these was the Mechanical Bakery, now standing near the lower end of Wallace street. Morier’s saloon went up at about the same time, and the first dwelling house was built by John Lyons. After this beginning, houses rose as if by magic. Dick Hamilton, Root & Davis, J. E. McClurg, Hall & Simpson, N. Story and O. C. Matthews, were among the first merchants. Dr. Steele was first President of the Fairweather District. Dr. G. G. Bissel was the first Judge of the Miners’ Court. The duty of the Recorder’s Office was, we believe, performed by James Furgus.
Among the citizens were S. S. Short, Sweney and Rogers, (discoverers,) Johnny Green, Nelson Ptomey, Judge Potter of Highland, Jem Galbraith, Judge Smith, (afterwards banished,) W. F. Bartlett, C. Crouch, Bixter & Co., Tom Conner, William Cadwell, W. Emerick, Frank Heald, Frank Woody, Marcellus Lloyd, Washburne Stapleton, John Sharp, Jerry Nowlan, E. C. Stickney, Frank Watkins, T. L. Luce, (Mechanical Bakery,) Robinson and Cooley, the first bakers, (open air,) Hugh O’Neil, of fistic fame, Jem Vivian, Jack Russell, the first man who panned out “wages” in the Grasshopper Creek, Sargent Tisdale, W. Nowlan, of the Bank, Tom Duffy, John Murphy, Jem Patton, Jno. Kane, Pat Lynch, John Robertson, Worcester Wymans and Charley Wymans, Barney Gilson, and many others.
The first name given to the present capital of Montana, was “Varina,” in honor of Jeff Davis’s wife, but it was soon changed to “Virgina.” Dr. (Judge) G. G. Bissel was the first man that wrote it Virginia. Being asked to head a legal document with “Varina,” he bluntly said he would see them d——d first, for that was the name of Jeff. Davis’s wife; and, accordingly, as he wrote it, so it remained. From this little circumstance it will be seen that politics were anything but forgotten on the banks of Alder Creek; but miners are sensible men, in the main, and out in the mountains, a good man makes a good friend, even where political opinions are widely different. The mountaineer holds his own like a vice, and he extends the same privilege to others. The theory is, “You may drive your stake where you darned please; only, if you try to jump my claim, I’ll go for you, sure.”
That is the basis of the mountain man’s creed, in love, law, war, mining, and in fact, in everything regulated by principle.
Of course a number of the roughs came over when the Gulch was settled, prominent among whom was Cyrus Skinner. Per contra, “X,” was among the early inhabitants, which fact reminds us of the line in Cato’s soliloquy,
“My bane and antidote are both before me.”
The celebrated “Rogues Antidote,” aforesaid, has, however, survived all the renowned Road Agents of the period alluded to. The true Western man is persistent, tough, and hard to abolish. Fierce, flighty spirits, like Lord Byron—when they get into trouble—say:
“Better perish by the shock,
Than moulder piece-meal on the rock.”
The motto of the Mountaineer, put into similar shape, would read: