the passing of the frontier-第9章

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stroke　of　the　pick　a　man　might　be　set　free　of　the　old　limitations　of　human　existence。

So　the　flood　of　gold…seekerspassing　north　into　the　Fraser　River　country；　south　again　into　Oregon　and　Washington；　and　across　the　great　desert　plains　into　Nevada　and　Idahomade　new　centers　of　lurid　activity；　such　as　Oro　Fino；　Florence；　and　Carson。　Then　it　was　that　Walla　Walla　and　Lewiston；　outfitting　points　on　the　western　side　of　the　range；　found　place　upon　the　maps　of　the　land；　such　as　they　were。

Before　these　adventurers；　now　eastbound　and　no　longer　facing　west；　there　arose　the　vast　and　formidable　mountain　ranges　which　in　their　time　had　daunted　even　the　calm　minds　of　Meriwether　Lewis　and　William　Clark。　But　the　prospectors　and　the　pack…trains　alike　penetrated　the　Salmon　River　Range。　Oro　Fino；　in　Idaho；　was　old　in　1861。　The　next　great　strikes　were　to　be　made　around　Florence。　Here　the　indomitable　packer　from　the　West；　conquering　unheard…of　difficulties；　brought　in　whiskey；　women；　pianos；　food；　mining　tools。　Naturally　all　these　commanded　fabulous　prices。　The　price　for　each　and　all　lay　underfoot。　Man；　grown　superman；　could　overleap　time　itself　by　a　stroke　of　the　pick！　What　wonder　delirium　reigned！

These　events　became　known　in　the　Mississippi　Valley　and　farther　eastward。　And　now　there　came　hurrying　out　from　the　older　regions　many　more　hundreds　and　thousands　eager　to　reach　a　land　not　so　far　as　California；　but　reputed　to　be　quite　as　rich。　It　was　then；　as　the　bull…trains　came　in　from　the　East；　from　the　head　of　navigation　on　the　Missouri　River；　that　the　western　outfitting　points　of　Walla　Walla　and　Lewiston　lost　their　importance。

Southward　of　the　Idaho　camps　the　same　sort　of　story　was　repeating　itself。　Nevada　had　drawn　to　herself　a　portion　of　the　wild　men　of　the　stampedes。　Carson　for　its　day　（1859…60）　was　a　capital　not　unlike　the　others。　Some　of　its　men　had　come　down　from　the　upper　fields；　some　had　arrived　from　the　East　over　the　old　Santa　Fe　Trail；　and　yet　others　had　drifted　in　from　California。

All　the　camps　were　very　much　alike。　A　straggling　row　of　log　cabins　or　huts　of　motley　construction；　a　few　stores　so…called；　sometimes　of　logs；　or；　if　a　saw…mill　was　at　hand；　of　rude　sawn　boards；　a　number　of　saloons；　each　of　which　customarily　also　supported　a　dance…hall；　a　series　of　cabins　or　huts　where　dwelt　individual　men；　each　doing　his　own　cooking　and　washing；　and　outside　these　huts　the　uptorn　earthsuch　were　the　camps　which　dotted　the　trails　of　the　stampedes　across　inhospitable　deserts　and　mountain　ranges。　Church　and　school　were　unknown。　Law　there　was　none；　for　of　organized　society　there　was　none。　The　women　who　lived　there　were　unworthy　of　the　name　of　woman。　The　men　strode　about　in　the　loose　dress　of　the　camp；　sometimes　without　waistcoat；　sometimes　coatless；　shod　with　heavy　boots；　always　armed。

If　we　look　for　causes　contributory　to　the　history　of　the　mining…camp；　we　shall　find　one　which　ordinarily　is　overlookedthe　invention　of　Colt's　revolving　pistol。　At　the　time　of　the　Civil　War；　though　this　weapon　was　not　old；　yet　it　had　attained　very　general　use　throughout　the　frontier。　That　was　before　the　day　of　modern　ammunition。　The　six…shooter　of　the　placer　days　was　of　the　old　cap…and…ball　type；　heavy；　long…barreled；　and　usually　wooden…handled。　It　was　the　general　ownership　of　these　deadly　weapons　which　caused　so　much　bloodshed　in　the　camps。　The　revolver　in　the　hands　of　a　tyro　is　not　especially　serviceable；　but　it　attained　great　deadliness　in　the　hands　of　an　expert　user。　Such　a　man；　naturally　of　quick　nerve　reflexes；　skillful　and　accurate　in　the　use　of　the　weapon　through　long　practice；　became　a　dangerous；　and　for　a　time　an　unconquerable；　antagonist。

It　is　a　curious　fact　that　the　great　Montana　fields　were　doubly　discovered；　in　part　by　men　coming　east　from　California；　and　in　part　by　men　passing　west　in　search　of　new　gold…fields。　The　first　discovery　of　gold　in　Montana　was　made　on　Gold　Creek　by　a　half…breed　trapper　named　Francois；　better　known　as　Be…net…see。　This　was　in　1852；　but　the　news　seems　to　have　lain　dormant　for　a　timenaturally　enough；　for　there　was　small　ingress　or　egress　for　that　wild　and　unknown　country。　In　1857；　however；　a　party　of　miners　who　had　wandered　down　the　Big　Hole　River　on　their　way　back　east　from　California　decided　to　look　into　the　Gold　Creek　discovery；　of　which　they　had　heard。　This　party　was　led　by　James　and　Granville　Stuart；　and　among　others　in　the　party　were　Jake　Meeks；　Robert　Hereford；　Robert　Dempsey；　John　W。　Powell；　John　M。　Jacobs；　Thomas　Adams；　and　some　others。　These　men　did　some　work　on　Gold　Creek　in　1858；　but　seem　not　to　have　struck　it　very　rich；　and　to　have　withdrawn　to　Fort　Bridger　in　Utah　until　the　autumn　of　1860。　Then　a　prospector　by　the　name　of　Tom　Golddigger　turned　up　at　Bridger　with　additional　stories　of　creeks　to　the　north；　so　that　there　was　a　gradual　straggling　back　toward　Gold　Creek　and　other　gulches。　This　prospector　had　been　all　over　the　Alder　Gulch；　which　was　ere　long　to　prove　fabulously　rich。

It　was　not；　however；　until　1863　that　the　Montana　camps　sprang　into　fame。　It　was　not　Gold　Creek　or　Alder　Gulch；　but　Florence　and　other　Idaho　camps；　that；　in　the　summer　and　autumn　of　1862；　brought　into　the　mountains　no　less　than　five　parties　of　gold…seekers；　who　remained　in　Montana　because　they　could　not　penetrate　the　mountain　barrier　which　lay　between　them　and　the　Salmon　River　camps　in　Idaho。

The　first　of　these　parties　arrived　at　Gold　Creek　by　wagon…train　from　Fort　Benton　and　the　second　hailed　from　Salt　Lake。　An　election　was　held　for　the　purpose　of　forming　a　sort　of　community　organization；　the　first　election　ever　known　in　Montana。　The　men　from　the　East　had　brought　with　them　some　idea　of　law　and　organization。　There　were　now　in　the　Montana　fields　many　good　men　such　as　the　Stuart　Brothers；　Samuel　T。　Hauser；　Walter　Dance；　and　others　later　well　known　in　the　State。　These　men　were　prominent　in　the　organization　of　the　first　miners'　court；　which　had　occasion　to　tryand　promptly　to　hangStillman　and　Jernigan；　two　ruffians　who　had　been　in　from　the　Salmon　River　mines　only　about　four　days　when　they　thus　met　retribution　for　their　early　crimes。　An　associate　of　theirs；　Arnett；　had　been　killed　while　resisting　arrest。　The　reputation　of　Florence　for　lawlessness　and　bloodshed　was　well　known；　and；　as　the　outrages　of　the　well…organized　band　of　desperadoes　operating　in　Idaho　might　be　expected　to　begin　at　any　time　in　Montana；　a　certain　uneasiness　existed　among　the　newcomers　from　the　States。

Two　more　parties；　likewise　bound　for　Idaho　and　likewise　baffled　by　the　Salmon　River　range；　arrived　at　the　Montana　camps　in　the　same　summer。　Both　these　were　from　the　Pike's　Peak　country　in　Colorado。　And　in　the　autumn　came　a　fifththis　one　under　military　protection；　Captain　James　L。　Fisk　commanding；　and　having　in　the　party　a　number　of　settlers　bound　for　Oregon　as　well　as　miners　for　Idaho。　This　expedition　arrived　in　the　Prickly　Pear　Valley　in　Montana　on　September　21；　1862；　having　left　St。　Paul　on　the　16th　of　June；　traveling　by　steamboat　and　wagon…train。　While　Captain　Fisk　and　his　expedition　pushed　on　to　Walla　Walla；　nearly　half　of　the　immigrants　stayed　to　try　their　luck　at　placer…mining。　But　the　yield　was　not　great　and　the　distant　Salmon　River　mines；　their　original　destination；　still　awaited　them。　Winter　was　approaching。　It　was　now　too　late　in　the　season　to　reach　the　Salmon　River　mines；　five　hundred　miles　across　the　mountains；　and　it　was　four　hundred　miles　to　Salt　Lake；　the　nearest　supply　post；　therefore；　most　of　the　men　joined　this　little　army　of　prospectors　in　Montana。　Some　of　them　drifted　to　the　Grasshopper　diggings；　soon　to　be　known　under　the　name　of　Bannackone　of　the　wildest　mining…camps　of　its　day。

These　different　origins　of　the　population　of　the　first　Montana　camps　are　interesting　because　of　the　fact　that　they　indicate　a　difference　in　the　two　currents　of　population　which　now　met　here　in　the　new　placer　fields。　In　general　the　wildest　and　most　desperate　of　the　old…time　adventurers；　those　coming　from　the　West；　had　located　in　the　Idaho　camps；　and　might　be　expected　in　Montana　at　any　time。　In　contrast　to　these；　the　men　lately　out　from　the　States　were　of　a　different　type；　many　of　them　sober；　most　of　them　law…abiding；　men　who　had　come　out　to　better　their　fortunes　and　no