Treasure State

Why Montana Merits the Name that Has Been Given Her. The State’s Inestimable Natural Resources, Developed and Undeveloped. What Our Pioneers Accomplished. The Origin and Significance of Names of Towns, Rivers, Mountains, Etc.

(By Dr. J. P. Rowe)

Head of Department of Geology at the University of Montana

(Originally published in the Hysham Echo on February 10, 1927)

Montana is known as the “Treasure State.” I doubt if the one or ones who proposed its name fully realized how significant the name is. From the great variety of natural resources found in the state one will see that it was rightly named. Montana, until about a quarter of a century ago was almost entirely a mining state. However, the products of the soil have been gradually coming to the front, and for the first time in the history of the state in 1918 the agricultural products amounted to more in value than the mining products, and, therefore, it can no longer be called a distinctly mining state.

With her vast area of untilled but tillable farming lands; with her immense forest reserves including many varieties of trees, suitable for many purposes; with her almost unlimited water power, most of it yet to be utilized; with her thousands of square miles of thick coal and lignite deposits, almost untouched; with her unlimited supply of building stones and ordinary brick clay; together with mining of almost every kind, why should not Montana be called the “Treasure State?” Out of the forty-eight states in the Union there are but few besides Montana whose natural resources could justify the above name.

M-O-N-T-A-N-A

The first European nation to lay claim to the country now known as Montana, was Spain, but no Spaniard in those early days ever set foot within its present boundaries. In the eighteenth century, however, French explorers and traders pushed their way into the valleys of the Mississippi and the upper Missouri, and in 1742 one of the most venturesome of their number, Pierre de la Verendrye led an expedition far beyond the Missouri and possibly crossed the southeastern corner of Montana. War with England prevented France from following up these explorations, and in 1762 Montana, along with all the territory between the Mississippi and the Rocky mountains, was ceded to Spain.
For the next forty years little attention was paid to exploration of the Far West. The Hudson’s Bay company, in control of all the American fur trade, was willing enough to leave the Indians in undisputed possession of their domain if only the red men would bring their furs to the company.

Lewis and Clark

It was not until after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 gave all of Montana east of the mountains to the United States and left them with a good claim to the territory west of the mountains that the exploration of the Far West was undertaken in earnest. In 1804 President Jefferson sent out an expedition, under the command of Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, to explore a route to the Pacific coast. The party entered Montana by way of the Missouri, up which it journeyed to Three Forks, thence up the Jefferson and Beaverhead rivers, and across the mountains into the Bitter Root valley, from which it left Montana by Lolo Pass. On the return journey, the party divided at the mouth of Lolo creek. Captain Clark returned to the Three Forks, thence across to the Yellowstone, down which he journeyed to its confluence, with the Missouri, where he met Captain Lewis and party. Captain Lewis journeyed up the Big Blackfoot river and crossed over to the Missouri to the Big Falls, explored the Marias river valley, and then made his way down the “Big Muddy” to meet Clark at the mouth of the Yellowstone.

Following the Lewis and Clark expedition, fur traders, free trappers and missionaries began to enter Montana. Trading posts were established up the Missouri and Yellowstone rivers, the most important of which were Fort Union and Benton. The first missionary activity was started by Father P. J. DeSmet of the Society of Jesus, who founded St. Mary’s mission in the Bitter Root valley in 1841. The Selish Indians, who lived in this valley, were the first natives in Montana to receive the teachings of Christianity, and Jesuit missionary labors soon extended over all of what is now Montana west of the mountains. It was still a long time, however, before the Blackfeet, who lived in the northern part of Montana, and the Crow who lived in the southeastern section were to be instructed in the religion of Christ.

Gold Found in Montana

Probably the first man to find gold in Montana was a French half-breed named Francois Finlay, but commonly called Benetsee. About 1852 he began to bring gold to the Hudson’s Bay company just south of Flathead lake and to trade it for supplies. Rumors of Benetsee’s find spread among the mountaineers and in 1858 the Stuart Brothers, James and Granville, entered the Deer Lodge valley and began to prospect. In 1860, they went to Gold creek where they struck it rich. Miners began to flock to Gold creek, but some richer discoveries were made in Grasshopper creek in what is now Beaverhead county, and the city of Bannack soon had a population of several thousand.

In 1863, while the miners were digging out fortunes in gold from the bed of Grasshopper creek, a party of prospectors discovered the vastly richer deposits of Alder gulch, in what is now Madison county. Virginia City, Nevada City and Central City along with the new city of Helena had a combined population of not less than 10,000. The following year Last Chance gulch, in what is now Lewis and Clark county, was opened up and before 1867, not less than $75,000,000 worth to wrest from Virginia City the capital of the Territory.

We have not exact figures for the amount of gold mined in Montana in these early days, but it is probable that between 1862 and 1867, not less than $75,000,000 worth was taken from the earth. During this same period and as a result of the discoveries of gold the white population increased from about 300 to approximately 20,000.

The first postoffice in Montana (United States) was located at Virginia City in 1864. George B. Parker was the first postmaster.

Roads to Montana

In the early days there were two routes by which the pioneer could reach Montana. He might go by the Missouri river to Fort Benton, thence by the Mullan road to Helena and the other camps. The other route was the Oregon Trail, along the route of which Captain Bonneville made his historic trip in 1831. This road left the Missouri river near the southeastern corner of Nebraska and led north-westward across Nebraska and Wyoming through Fort Hall. At Fort Hall which was located in Idaho many miles south of where Butte now stands, the traveler to Montana turned abruptly north and entered the Territory along the route now marked by the Oregon Short Line railroad. Later new trails were blazed crossing eastern Wyoming, proceeding northwesterly into Montana, crossing Bozeman pass to the Gallatin Valley.

In 1867 the Union Pacific railroad completed its line and the old Oregon Trail lost much in favor. Mail and passengers traveled west by rail to Salt Lake City, thence over the trail north into Montana. Heavy freight came for many years by steamboat at Fort Benton. In 1880, the first railroad entered Montana and in 1881 reached Butte. This was the Utah & Northern, later known as the Oregon Short Line. In 1883 the Northern Pacific line was completed and Montana pioneer days came to a quick conclusion.

Until after the discovery of gold in what is now Montana, the territory possessed no civil government. The country east of the mountains had been in turn a part of Louisiana, Missouri, Indian Territory, Nebraska and Dacotah. All west of the Rockies had been successively a part of Oregon, Washington and Idaho. The first country in Montana was Missoula county and was formed by the legislature of Washington in 1861. James Stuart, the first sheriff, congressman from Ohio and chief justice was elected in 1862. No protection was provided for the gold diggings of Bannock and Virginia City and for a few years there existed a state of lawlessness. Road agents and murderers stationed themselves along the route traveled by stage coaches, robbing the miners of their gold dust and murdering and plundering at will. So serious did it become that law-abiding citizens instituted the organization known in history as the “Vigilantes of Montana”, and summary justice was dealt out to perpetrators of crimes.

The fist courts in Montana were miners’ courts and they made their own laws regarding ownership of claims, and miners were also the judges of their laws. Print this post