Some Butte Connections – School of Mines / Montana Mormons / Glendale / Melrose / Rochester / Terrys / Whites / Farlins / Peru Copper Mines
Some Butte, Mt. connections
Here’s an interesting bit of my Montana family history.
My mother was born in Butte in 1917. Her Grandmother, Delpha Terry Davis, was born in Utah and lived for a time in and around Butte (Glendale & Melrose), before coming to Missoula.
Parshall E. White was a cousin of Delpha’s, through her Terry relatives. His parents, Peter White/Susan Terry were also from Utah; the Terrys were a Mormon family since the days of Nauvoo, Illinois. Peter and Susan arrived at Alder Gulch in the 1860s. Peter White was a blacksmith. They had six children, the first 4 born in Utah, and the last two, Parshall and Joseph, were born in Montana.
Their son, Parshall Err White, was thought to be one of the first children to be born at Alder Gulch, Mt. – 1865. From Virginia City they moved to the Twin Bridges, Sheridan, Rochester area. Several of the Whites were involved in Montana mining. Their son George was a prominent mine owner and developer, while Parshall also was interested in mining.
Parshall was also involved in starting the Butte School of Mines in the 1890’s. An article in a Butte Newspaper said the following:
“P.E. White, secretary-treasurer of the Butte School of Mines, is making arrangements looking to the thorough exploitation of the Elgin mine near Rochester, of which he is owner, having recently secured sole control.”
From The Butte Miner, July 3, 1897.
The Butte School of Mines didn’t get up and running full steam until 1901.
A daughter of the Whites, Olive, was married to William Farlin, in Glendale, Mt. The Farlin brothers were well known miners in early Montana. Her husband William was a relative of another Farlin, William L., the famous Butte silver miner, who is credited with starting hard rock mining in Butte, Mt. – in the early 1860’s (Trevona). The Farlin, Mt. ghost town is located near Dillon, Mt.
Parshall White later spent time in Anaconda, Mt. and also in the South American Cerro de Pasco Peru copper mines, likely working for the dynamic A. W. McCune. Control of the big Peru mines was in the hands of several wealthy Americans, including Marcus Daly’s affiliate, James Ben Ali Haggin.