Old Missoula

Tots Take A Long Walk.

Seven and Five Year Old Go From Missoula to Deep Creek

The two motherless little children of Mike Kruntzberger [Krenzberger], a placer miner of the Top O’ Deep, aged seven and five years, are to be congratulated upon their nerve, says the Philipsburg Call. The performance which gives cause for this expression was their walk from Missoula where they had been placed in the care of the sisters, to Drummond en route to Deep gulch. They were three days on the road without food or shelter at night.

Tuesday last, foot-sore and hungry, but determined, the little fellows appeared at the Windsor hotel, where after making themselves known and answering a lot of questions, they were fed. That night they were tucked in a nice warm bed by Mrs. Morse, and the following morning the tot travelers were up bright and early and after eating breakfast continued on their journey.

Considerable interest was taken in them by the good people of Drummond, and that they will reach their destination safe and sound there is little question, for the word was advanced over the route to help them along.

The above article appeared in the Helena Independent newspaper on January 28, 1899.

 

Two brief mentions of the people who were likely the parents of the above children appeared in the local Missoula newspaper – see below:

 

A brief line in the Daily Missoulian June 30, 1896, stated the following:

“Mike Krenzberger, a mining man from Top O’ Deep is looking over Missoula.”

 

Another brief mention appeared in The Weekly Missoulian on September 5, 1894:

“At the Rankin [Hotel] Mrs. M. Krenzberger”

 

One of the above children was likely George Jesse Krenzberger. His name can be found in Family Search archives. He was born in Garnet in 1892 and died in Ronan, Mt in 1963. His parents are listed as Micle Jesse “Michael” Krenzberger and Umatilla “Tillie” Erick. He married Maude Ethel (Davis) Krenzberger, of Potomac, Mt. in Missoula in 1917. They were the parents of two children, Joseph Krenzberger and Mrs. Rose Alkire.

No record of a second child who walked to Drummond in 1899 seems to exist. Despite the description given in the newspaper, the second child may have really been a female and a sister to George. Julia Krenzberger is listed in Family Search as a daughter of Michael Krenzberger who was born in 1885 and lived in the Bear Mouth/Garnet area in 1900. She was married in Butte, Mt in 1901. Her age on her marriage certificate is given as 17, her residence as Garnet, and her birthplace is listed as county of Granite. Rather than 5, her age might have been 15 in 1899.

https://www.newspapers.com/image/524908628/?terms=%22top%2Bo%2Bdeep%22

 

New information has come to light from one of George Krenzberger’s relatives, Karen Behan.

The second child who walked from Missoula to Deep Creek was Joseph Krenzberger who was about 12 years old at the time. He was born in 1887. George, his little brother, was about 4 years younger. Julia Krenzberger was not along on their expedition to Top O Deep / Garnet.

 

A file sent to me by Karen Behan describing the Krenzberger history is included below:

 

George Jesse Krenzberger & Family
Early Life
George Jesse Krenzberger was born on June 15, 1892 in Top of Deep, Montana — a small settlement near Garnet, Montana, that no longer exists.
He was the youngest of four children born to Micle (Michel) Krenzberger and Tillie (surname uncertain). His siblings were Julia, Rose, and Joseph.
The June 30, 1900 U.S. Census lists the family living in the Garnet Precinct:
– Micle Krenzberger – Head of household, born September 1838 in Germany; immigrated to the U.S. in 1858; occupation: placer miner
– Julia Krenzberger – Daughter, born November 1885 in Montana
– Joseph Krenzberger – Son, born June 1887 in Montana
– Rose Krenzberger – Daughter, born July 1889 in Montana
– George Krenzberger – Son, born July 1891 in (Montana note different birthdate) List mother as being born in Oregon.
The 1920 Census lists the family in Garnet as:
-George Krenzberger, head, his mother is listed as being from Maine. His profession was quartz miner
-Ethel Krenzberger, wife
-Rose Krenzberger, daughter
The census records indicate George’s mother was born in Oregon, though later accounts differ.
Family Background
George’s mother’s origins remain uncertain. His daughter, Rose, believed Tillie may have been Basque, while George’s son claimed she was Spanish. Not much difference.
When George was young, Tillie left the children and moved to Canada, leaving the girls to care for the boys.
Marriage records list two different maiden names for Tillie:
– Julia’s marriage certificate (Nov. 20, 1902) lists her mother ‘s maiden name as Tillie Larchent
– Rose’s marriage certificate (Feb. 15, 1906) lists her mother ‘s maiden name as Tillie Surek
Childhood Stories
According to George’s son, Joe, Michel found it difficult to care for the boys alone and sent them to an orphanage in St. Ignatius. However, they were too wild, eventually running away and hitching rides back to the Garnet area.
This account is supported by an article by Don Gilder: “Tough Times – Very Tough Tots (1899)” (https://oldmissoula.com/tough-times-very-tough-tots-1899/).
One notorious incident involved George cutting off his brother Joseph’s trigger finger on a dare. They stopped the bleeding by putting the finger in a sack of flour.
Joseph was later exempted from World War I service due to the missing finger.
Tragically, Joseph died on June 23, 1918, in Phillipsburg after complications from having his throat lanced in Missoula.
He was buried in an unmarked grave in Lot 44 #20, west of Sarah Ligget’s grave.
Life in Garnet and Beyond
Michel worked in the company mine in Garnet during the winter, living there with the children. In the summer, he moved them to a cabin he built several miles away, where he placer-mined alone.
George married Maud Ethel and continued mining. When their daughter Rose was young, they moved back to Garnet, living in an abandoned cabin. George worked the mines, while Ethel and Rose made their own “gold strike” when they found a nugget while doing laundry in the creek.
By the time their son Joe was born, the family had relocated to Phillipsburg, where George worked in the silver mines. As mining in western Montana declined, George’s drinking became an issue, prompting a move to Ronan. He also worked for a time in Butte and for the Reservation Land & Timber Company in Ronan.
Family Connections
George’s sisters eventually moved to Vancouver, B.C., to join their mother.
Julia became Julia Krenzberger Metzer, and Rose became Rose Krenzberger Stephens.
Rose’s son, Wesley, later wrote to George as an adult (letter referenced in family records).
George’s mother also contacted him in the early sixties, but he never answered stating that his mother was dead to him.