Old Missoula

A New Old-Trail Story – Missoulian 12/20/1914

The Henderson Gulch Pioneers’ monument and reminiscences of the historic old placer camp, by Dean A. L. Stone.

“The planting of a civilization, like all experiments, is subject to many mutations, miscarriages and much mistaken toil. As in morals, so in material good, not that which is visible bespeaks all the labors of our Pioneers. This is well illustrated in the numerous cities they builded, now wholly lost, unknown to our people and their geography. Gallatin City, in the esteem of its founders destined to be a great commercial metropolis at the head of River navigation, has now no mark to perpetuate its busy life or designate its abandoned site, but once in our history its fortunate owners were regarded with envy. Bagdad, Geneva, Trinity, Silver City, Emmettsburg, Unionville, Summit City, Georgetown, Springville, Carroll, Beartown, Yreka, Prickly Pear City, Hell Gate, Beavertown, Highland, Adobetown, Cable City, Nevada, and yet others rise up in my memory, the centers of social life, throbbing with industrial activities, the pride of hope of their ambitious denizens.

“Requested recently to locate the site of one of these obliterated towns, and stopping to study for a moment the surrounding topography, I was made conscious by frequent depressions in the earth, that I stood in its unmarked city of the dead. Here, thought I, is a potent illustration of the vanity of human ambition, its struggles and hopes. Where fond mothers and wives in an agony of tears had buried all they held most dear, where fathers and sisters and brothers and sons had seen their precious ones buried from their sight, no visible mark remaining above the waving grasses which alone paid homage to their dead. It was a part of the pathos of history. The inscription on the tomb of Christopher Wren, ‘Si Monumentum requiris, circumspice,’ [if you seek a monument look around you] befits, but does not render full Justice to the labors of our Pioneers. They builded more than is visible to the outer eye.”

So wrote Colonel Wilbur F. Sanders, after a visit to the miner’s cemetery in Henderson gulch, overlooking the old placer town of Emmettsburg, which in 1865 had a population of 800 and of which there remains now nothing but the old reservoir dam and the crumbling walls of a single cabin.

But the wish of the dean of Montana’s pioneers, that these resting places of the men who laid the cornerstone of a great commonwealth might be permanently and appropriately marked, has had its realization in so far as this one burial plot is concerned. For now a handsome marble shaft, appropriately inscribed, rises from the lofty bench which overlooks this famous gulch. On December 9, 1914, the 49^th anniversary of the discovery of gold in Henderson gulch, this monument was formally dedicated with the solemn ceremony of the church.

The site is impressive. Henderson gulch is typical of the treasure clefts in Montana’s mountains which yielded of their store to the Argonauts of 1865. It is a great rift in the mountain wall which shuts in Flint valley on the west. Somber pines clothe its sides and through them the Montana wind sings a perpetual requiem. Great gashes in the walls of the gulch show where the gold-seekers prosecuted their successful quest; the red gravel of these cuts gives them the appearance of great wounds in the bosom of Earth. Their extent reveals the importance of the operations in Henderson, when Emmettsburg was a metropolis and when the drama of mining-camp life became alternately a comedy or a tragedy, according to the mood of the moment.

With the floor of Henderson gulch, Time has dealt more kindly. After more than 40 years, Nature has covered the detritus below the diggings with a carpet of grass and has sought to efface the scars left by man. So there are firs and pines of considerable height growing upon the surface of the more than 5 feet of tailings which were washed down from the hillside above.

Not until one sees the size of these tenderly-bestowed trees does he realize that half a century has elapsed since the placer days which were exemplified in the history of Henderson gulch. We who have lived the Montana life through the days of transition do not stop to think that time has moved so rapidly. Soon there will be left not one of the advance guard which bore the brunt of the early efforts to reclaim the wilderness.

And, on this account, it is important that consideration be given to the thought suggested by Colonel Sanders in the letter, which has been quoted here. It is creditable that at least one of these spots has been marked in enduring marble. And the credit goes to James A. Murray, himself a pioneer of Henderson, whose patriotism gave prompt assent to the suggestion of a monument above Emmettsburg and whose purse provided the funds with which the shaft was constructed.

The example of Mr. Murray is one which should be followed by other pioneers in other gulches until the historic spots in Montana are marked permanently before their precise location has passed from the mind of man. For the men who can furnish this definiteness of location are all too fast taking the journey over the long trail which leads but one way.

It was cold, terribly cold, the noon of Wednesday, December 9, 1914, when Colonel Frank D. Brown led the dedication party up the gulch for the ceremony. Father Meade of the Philipsburg Catholic church; Robert Anderson, a pioneer of the gulch; E. S. Paxson, the artist; H. H. Barnett, the sculptor who wrought the monument – these and two newspaper men comprised the little group. It had been intended to have a reunion of the survivors of Emmettsburg and Henderson on this occasion, but the severity of the weather kept away all except Mr. Anderson.

The whole region was covered with glittering snow, save where the cuts of the placer miners gleamed red in the bright sunshine. Automobiles bore the party to the foot of the hill upon which the old cemetery is located. Then came the climb. It was strenuous while it lasted, but all survived – the veterans in better shape than any of the others.

From the lofty site of the monument the scene which spreads out is impressive. The sweep of the valley is broad; its background is the low range, on the other side of which lie the old diggings of Pioneer, Yam Hill and Pike’s Peak; on either side rise the foreboding walls of Henderson gulch; behind slopes back of the bench. And all glittered in its covering of snow crystals as the December sun turned each into a gleaming diamond for brilliancy. It was a scene well worth the exertion of the stiff climb.

Followed then the formal ceremony of dedication. Father Meade paused as Mr. Barnett removed the veiling from the monument and then recited the ritual of the church. And so the Henderson gulch monument was dedicated. That this ceremony may be repeated in every placer gulch of Montana is the hope of those who have labored earnestly to secure the preservation of Montana history. Among these there is none more zealous than Colonel Frank D. Brown, historian of the pioneer’s society and the agent of Jim Murray in the Henderson monument erection.

After the dedication, a detour was made down through the old street of Emmettsburg. One can yet trace the locations of the principal buildings of the town, but the logs which formed these structures have been removed, all but one cabin’s. That little hut stands, crumbling, at the lower end of the old street. It is just below the site of the old general store of Caplice & Smith, which was the emporium of the camp, and near Fenian hall, which was the rendezvous of the famous Emmett guards which organized to participate in the invasion of Canada, under the command of John Caplice, but which never got below Elkhorn bar. The old dam of the reservoir is yet intact, a long earthwork mound with a crumbling sluiceway.

As he pointed out the various landmarks, Robert Anderson, who was in the camp from the month of discovery until the last pan was washed, told the story of Henderson gulch with graphic intensity. It is an interesting story, as is the tale of every one of Montana’s gulches. And it received added interest from the narration. Anderson’s style is not to be reproduced through the medium of a typewriter. It is too characteristically his own. Only the bare facts can be attempted here.

It was just as cold in December, 1865, when Joe Henderson discovered gold in the gulch which bears his name, as it was on this latest December when the monument was dedicated. The point where the discovery was made is one of the prominent landmarks of the gulch. There were 51 below and 22 above. The gashes in the hillside show where the water was taken out to wash each claim.

Discovery was made later on Elkhorn bar, below Emmettsburg. The rights of the men on the bar and the miners in the gulch became a matter of contention. To settle it, miners were summoned from Pioneer, from Cottonwood, from Bear and from Cedar, and a court was held. The facts were recited and the claims were presented. After all had been heard, the veteran miners decided in favor of the gulch men and they had the water. They worked their claims in common.

Nobody knows how much gold was taken out of Henderson gulch. It is said that John Caplice handled more than five millions in dust while the camp was alive. How much more was banked in Deer Lodge City, in Philipsburg, in Missoula and in Helena, nobody can tell, for the miner is a secretive chap. He doesn’t tell much about his own business.

But from 1865 until 1876 there must have been fully ten millions in dust taken from this old gulch. And there is more of it left there. Plans are forming to work the gulch and the bars by dredge and work is to start next spring.

There were 800 miners in the gulch when it was at its zenith. It was a lively camp. The names on its death roll, the name of its leading citizens and the record of its politics, all substantiate the statement that this was an Irish camp. John Caplice was its magnate and his big Irish heart made him the friend of every man in the gulch. His books carried a good many worthless balances when they were closed, but he never refused a man in trouble. “My dear man,” he would say, “how does it happen that you are in this unfortunate condition?” And the answer, no matter what it was, would always satisfy him. The asked for credit was always extended.

And then there was the incident of the Emmett guards. Colonel Caplice was the head of this organization, which formed when the first news was received of the proposed Fenian invasion of Canada. The guards were armed in a nondescript manner, but they were loud in their declaration that Americans would not tolerate the existence of any trace of royalty upon this continent. They met for drill and sometimes they drilled. But they never went to Canada.

There were three Joe Hendersons, Bob Anderson said. They were partners in the discovery and partners in their claims. “Old Joe,” “Young Joe,” and “Little Joe” they were. The first two were uncle and nephew; the third was not a relative of the others. “He came from New Brunswick,” was Anderson’s comment as he told the story, “and he just naturally took up with the other Joes.”

One of the famous incidents in early Montana history was the duel in Henderson gulch between Matt Walwirk and Dave Cartwright, in which both men were killed. Anderson pointed out the place where it occurred and traced the course of the combatants. He would tell all about the duel, but he didn’t know what it was about. “Nobody knows that,” he said. “Matt and Dave were partners and close friends. Their claim was up the gulch and nobody ever knew that they had a word of trouble until this fight came off.”

Walwirk was a big man; he weighed about 220 pounds. Cartwright was a small man; he didn’t weigh 150. In February, 1874, Matt came down from the claim and went to Philipsburg. Dave came down afterward and stayed in town. When Matt got off the stage when he came back from the Burg, he went to Ferguson’s and got his dinner. Ferguson’s was the hotel. He had had his dinner and Ferguson was just going to the door to empty the dishwater from his pan, when Dave came up with a six-shooter in his hand and asked if Matt was there.

Matt was sitting behind the stove and Dave saw him. Dave raised his gun and fired at his partner. Ferguson, however, was too quick. He grabbed the gun just as Dave fired. Ferguson had a couple of fingers shot off, but Matt was not touched by the ball.

The shot attracted the notice of the camp. There was a rush to the scene and the miners sought to pacify Dave. A messenger was sent to Deer Lodge for Dr. Mitchell, to dress Ferguson’s wound, and the incident was thought to be closed.

Matt left the place and went across the street to Hank Nerling’s butcher shop, where he got a single-shot gun, a derringer, from Nerling and returned to the street. Right in front of the blacksmith shop he met Dave.

“We might as well settle this now,” he said, and fired point-blank at Dave. The derringer ball tore a hole in Cartwright’s chest, entering a little to the right of the breast bone. Dave fell as he drew his gun. He raised himself on his elbow and fired three times at Walwirk, each shot taking effect. The most serious wound was in the groin, the bullet ranging up into the body.

When Dr. Mitchell arrived, Dave was dead. The bullet had not gone clear through his body. Dr. Mitchell said if it had come out the back the man might have lived, as the blood would have drained off. But the hemorrhage suffocated him. Matt was taken to Deer Lodge, where he died the next night. He would not tell what the trouble was about. He said he was glad he had killed his man and that was all he would vouchsafe regarding the affair. Both men were buried in Deer Lodge; they are not listed in the names on the monument.

Two other men met violent deaths in Henderson. Jimmy Jones was shot in a fight with a man named Wilson in 1872. Ah Hoy, a Chinaman, was hanged by a vigilance committee after he had been convicted of robbing a till in Ferguson’s hotel. He was detected through the two silver coins which had been in the money drawer, all the rest of the loot being greenbacks. There has been some question as to the justice of this execution but Anderson declares it was fully justified. “We found him with the goods on him,” said Mr. Anderson, “and when we got through with him he was dead enough for all practical purposes.” Ah Hoy’s body is the only one buried in Henderson gulch which is not in the cemetery marked by the monument.

There is another Chinaman, Ah Suey, who is yet mining in Henderson. His cabin is below the site of Emmettsburg, near the settlement which was called the “Middle Town.” For more than 40 years he has been gophering in the gulch and taking out enough dust to support himself. Ah Suey was much interested in the plan for the monument. One day as Colonel Brown was on a trip up to the cemetery, Ah Suey stopped him.

“You fix-um glave yard?” he asked. And then, “You put Ah Hoy there?” Upon receiving a negative answer, he expressed approval. “Ah Hoy no good,” he said. And so Ah Hoy lies in a grave unmarked except by the “Hangman’s Tree,” which rises on the bank opposite the memorial monument.

The monument is appropriate in design and artistic in execution. It is a white marble shaft, mounted upon a concrete base. It faces the south and upon its front is sculptured in bold relief the pick and shovel of the placer miner, above a gold pan. Beneath this emblem is the list of names of the miners whose bones rest there in that secluded cemetery, overlooking the scene of their last earthly activity. These names, with the dates of the deaths, are: Pat McHenry, 1867; Thomas Roach, 1867; James Fletcher, 1867; James Grimes, 1867; William O’Hara, 1868; Ed McClusky, 1868; James Jones, 1872.

Upon the west face of the shaft is this inscription: “To the known and unknown dead of Henderson gulch this monument is dedicated. James A. Murray, December, 1914.”

The epitaph is inscribed on the east side: “God sent you here to make the wilderness a state. This done, He called you home, but left your work for inspiration.”

Such is the pioneer monument in Montana, to the memory of the men who carved a commonwealth from the wilderness. Other monuments should follow. There are other pioneers who have prospered and who, as Mr. Murray has done in Henderson gulch, should raise shafts of some sort to commemorate the services of their former associates who were less fortunate than they, but who gave all they had to give, their lives, in the quest which brought, ultimately, civilization and order to Montana. There could be no finer Christmas gift to this state than the assurance that permanent recognition will be given to the deeds of the pioneers who sought gold in Montana’s sands and, failing in their attempt, left behind them the record of having done the best they could and of having given the best they could.

 

The above article appeared in The Missoulian on December 20, 1914.

https://www.newspapers.com/image/349148712

Historic Context – Montana DEQ

http://deq.mt.gov/Land/AbandonedMines/linkdocs/59tech

John Caplice Tribute by Major Martin Maginnis – See Contributions to the Historical Society of Mt., Volume 6