the passing of the frontier-第7部分

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The　West　has　changed。　The　curtain　has　dropped　between　us　and　its　wild　and　stirring　scenes。　The　old　days　are　gone。　The　house　dog　sits　on　the　hill　where　yesterday　the　coyote　sang。　There　are　fenced　fields　and　in　them　stand　sleek　round　beasts；　deep　in　crops　such　as　their　ancestors　never　saw。　In　a　little　town　nearby　is　the　hurry　and　bustle　of　modern　life。　This　town　is　far　out　upon　what　was　called　the　frontier；　long　after　the　frontier　has　really　gone。　Guarding　its　ghost　here　stood　a　little　army　post；　once　one　of　the　pillars；　now　one　of　the　monuments　of　the　West。

Out　from　the　tiny　settlement　in　the　dusk　of　evening；　always　facing　toward　where　the　sun　is　sinking；　might　be　seen　riding；　not　so　long　ago；　a　figure　we　should　know。　He　would　thread　the　little　lane　among　the　fences；　following　the　guidance　of　hands　other　than　his　own；　a　thing　he　would　once　have　scorned　to　do。　He　would　ride　as　lightly　and　as　easily　as　ever；　sitting　erect　and　jaunty　in　the　saddle；　his　reins　held　high　and　loose　in　the　hand　whose　fingers　turn　up　gracefully；　his　whole　body　free　yet　firm　in　the　saddle　with　the　seat　of　the　perfect　horseman。　At　the　boom　of　the　cannon；　when　the　flag　dropped　fluttering　down　to　sleep；　he　would　rise　in　his　stirrups　and　wave　his　hat　to　the　flag。　Then；　toward　the　edge；　out　into　the　evening；　he　would　ride　on。　The　dust　of　his　riding　would　mingle　with　the　dusk　of　night。　We　could　not　see　which　was　the　one　or　the　other。　We　could　only　hear　the　hoofbeats　passing；　boldly　and　steadily　still；　but　growing　fainter；　fainter；　and　more　faint。*

*　For　permission　to　use　in　this　chapter　material　from　the　author's　〃The　Story　of　the　Cowboy；〃　acknowledgment　is　made　to　D。　Appleton　&　Co。



Chapter　V。　The　Mines

If　the　influence　of　the　cattle　industry　was　paramount　in　the　development　of　the　frontier　region　found　by　the　first　railways；　it　should　not　be　concluded　that　this　upthrust　of　the　southern　cattle　constituted　the　only　contribution　to　the　West　of　that　day。　There　were　indeed　earlier　influences；　the　chief　of　which　was　the　advent　of　the　wild　population　of　the　placer　mines。　The　riches　of　the　gold…fields　hastened　the　building　of　the　first　transcontinental　railroads　and　the　men　of　the　mines　set　their　mark　also　indelibly　upon　the　range。

It　is　no　part　of　our　business　here　to　follow　the　great　discoveries　of　1849　in　California。*　Neither　shall　we　chronicle　the　once…famous　rushes　from　California　north　into　the　Fraser　River　Valley　of　British　Columbia；　neither　is　it　necessary　to　mention　in　much　detail　the　great　camps　of　Nevada；　nor　yet　the　short…lived　stampede　of　1859　to　the　Pike's　Peak　country　in　Colorado。　The　rich　placer　fields　of　Idaho　and　Montana；　from　which　enormous　amounts　were　taken；　offer　typical　examples　of　the　mining　communities　of　the　Rockies。

*　See　Stewart　Edward　White：　〃The　Forty…Niners〃　（〃Chronicles　of　America〃）。


We　may　never　know　how　much　history　remains　forever　unwritten。　Of　the　beginnings　of　the　Idaho　camps　there　have　trickled　back　into　record　only　brief；　inconsequent；　and　partial　stories。　The　miners　who　surged　this　way　and　that　all　through　the　Sierras；　the　upper　Cascades；　north　into　the　Selkirks；　and　thence　back　again　into　the　Rockies　were　a　turbulent　mob。　Having　overrun　all　our　mountain　ranges；　following　the　earlier　trails　of　the　traders　and　trappers；　they　now　recoiled　upon　themselves　and　rolled　back　eastward　to　meet　the　advancing　civilization　of　the　westbound　rails；　caring　nothing　for　history　and　less　for　the　civilized　society　in　which　they　formerly　had　lived。　This　story　of　bedlam　broken　loose；　of　men　gone　crazed；　by　the　sudden　subversion　of　all　known　values　and　all　standards　of　life；　was　at　first　something　which　had　no　historian　and　can　be　recorded　only　by　way　of　hearsay　stories　which　do　not　always　tally　as　to　the　truth。

The　mad　treasure…hunters　of　the　California　mines；　restless；　insubordinate；　incapable　of　restraint；　possessed　of　the　belief　that　there　might　be　gold　elsewhere　than　in　California；　and　having　heard　reports　of　strikes　to　the　north；　went　hurrying　out　into　the　mountains　of　Oregon　and　Washington；　in　a　wild　stampede；　all　eager　again　to　engage　in　the　glorious　gamble　where　by　one　lucky　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