Selling Out for A Song – Irish miners at Cedar Creek
“Selling Out for A Song”
Irish Fail At Cedar Creek – Excerpt from Will Cave ‘Cedar Creek Tales’ article – The Daily Missoulian 7/3/1921
Some members of the better known mining companies: Snowshoe company; Ole Nelson, Knute Salveson (Tom Silverson), George B. Johnston, John Simmonds, Donald (Dan) Stewatr (sic) Stewart, and Elie Ritchott, Cayuse Flume company: Chris Hart, Ed Miller, Mike Farrell, Ed Kinney, Owen Kelley, “67” Bar: Hank Nightengale, George, Fred, Amos and Henry Buck, William Martin, Jeff Talhert. The “French” companies included Eloi Cyr, Sr., B. Lantheir, L. A. Barrette, Eustadhe Barrette, R. A. Bisson, Gaspard Deschamps, Edmund Hamel, A. A. Lalande, Joseph Grenier. . .
Chinamen Succeed the Irish.
In the early days the Cayuse Flume company built and operated a bedrock flume on a large scale for that era, right at the point where Barrette panned out the first “colors.” The members of this company were all Irish. Though they were all experienced miners, for some reason not entirely explained the company did not make it pay, finally selling out for a song to a group of Chinamen. The Chinese “Cayuse” company worked over the entire width of the canyon for something better than a mile up and down, using infinite detail and care, their operations running on for over 25 years.