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Mabel C. Olson
Superior, Montana
Interviel vith J.
00
(Jim) King, Lozeau, Montana.
(Mr. King's anecdotes are apt to be a bit touched up to
give them interest. However, his memory is keen.)
Just over the hill from Verde Creek is Sunrise. I
recall a lucky strike made there in the early days. The
discovery brought Z,000 miners. 1,ach locator was allowed
but OO feet in length for his claim. They took out about
zr131,600 a day, using only pick and shovel. That was about in
1885 or 1886. Laborers got 418 a day wages. But there were
a hundred men looking, to one man working.
Supplies were brought from Virginia City, "ontana,
packed on the backs of the mine=. Some made a business
of packing in that way, and got .1;100 for a sack of flour.
The first store was at A. P. Johnston's, and he has told me
he often ot a dollar a nound for it.
Alfred Lozeau and his breed wife came from Walla Walla,
Thshington. They stayed in Superior over -night when they
came here, and in the morning bought subraies for all their
money but one dollar. Then the,T were all ready to go, Old an
Lozeau said, "Well, we got one dollar left; you can't buy
anything with that."
His wife chuckled and said, "Yes, we can: one drink of
whiskey anioce."
So they had their drink, and starteh East. They got
to the place called the :7ilwaukee Ranch now, about even
miles east of Superior, and Loze.u, struck b— its beauty,
Mbel C. Olson
Superior, Montana
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said, "We stop here."
They settled there, with just scuatter's rights, of
course. L zeau killed two or three deer for his wife, then
set out afoot to make a living nacking, at first on his back,
from Virginia City to camps on Cedar Creek. He swam the
flour over the l'issoula River, using horses for that. The
next year he 1 -ought horses for his nacking.
At that time there were only trails through this pert
of the country. The road came in 1890. The Northern
Pacific steel was laid that year, too, but there were no
trains through until the following year.
Tlenry Reslir was running a butcher shop, William Mc
Bride wgs a carpenter, and !:r.s. William ITcBride had a bakery.
Frank P:lareau and Dan (Diudonne) Lajeunesse each had a saloon
in Iron Lountain.
The Anador railway was laid 43 years ago (1896).
worked on it. They bought a Passenger engine from the
Northern pacific and ran it every day, with a crew of five
men. l'hey spent a million dollars on the Amador property,
though the books show that two million dollars worth of stock
was sold. I don't know what became of the difference,
though Probably J. T. ITcKinnon, the general manager and pro-
moter of the mine, would.
dhen the Anador road was ready for operation, the
Northern Pacific organized a free observation trir, to
interest Easterners. They picked up a train -load of
Le'Del C. Olson
3uParior, 1:entana
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naesengers in New 7°7'1: and Chicago. 'Ihen these •reorle got
to Iron "oun÷air a- manir as could piled into the car waiting
for thole on the siding which the iLriadoi- kert in Iron Yountain
for its own use, and ruffed un Cedar Creek. Those who
couldn't find roo-,_ in the train went by any means they
could secure, riding eome on horse -back, some in wagons,
and some even walking the eleven and some -tenths miles
traveled by the train. It was a rare sight for these city
folks.
Ur T:oose Creek there were a number of Chinamen. Six of
then. I remember, died of scurvey, after living on fish all
winter; they didn't realize the need of vegetables. They
stayed to thenselve-, the Chinamen, and could get along with
less necessities than the whites. In their mining, they
were slow, but made every move count.
One time, ur Cedar Creek, five Italians caught an owl
and made a mulligan of him. They began to get sick, and
"Doc" Bowers came to look them over. They told him, "Kill
big -eyed chick; we get sick." Bowers was more of a lawyer
than a doctor, as I recall him. e was a real doctor, but
drink got the best of him.)
This incident gives an insight into the early miner's
reaction to good fortune:
Two n-rtn3rs had made a big stake. One of them had re-
marked that if h: eve- made good, he was going to blow five
dollars on a "crack-up" meal; he was tired of living on bacon
end beans. When the two got into the restaurant, they argued
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Sun2rior, Tontana
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hotly aF to a menu fitting to celebrate the occasion.
Finally, one of them said, "Bring on five dollar's worth
of beans and bacon."
'Dolphe Lozeau used to play for the dances in the
Thomas (Ordean) TTotel, and Pete 7armon would clog. Harmon
was prett7 handy with his feet.