Alder Gulch
Encyclopedia
Alder Gulch is a place in the U.S. state
of Montana
, where gold was discovered on May 26, 1863 by William Fairweather and a group of men, including Barney Hughes, Thomas Cover, Henry Rodgers, Henry Edgar and Bill Sweeney who were returning to the gold fields of Bannack, Montana
. They were on their way to Yellowstone Country from Bannack but were waylaid by a band of Crows Indian Camp
. While hiding from the Indians in a gulch they found gold. Unable to keep quiet, the first stampede of miners reached there June 6, 1863 and the population swelled to over 10,000 in less than 3 months. The "Fourteen Mile City" ran the length of the gulch, and included the towns of Virginia City
, Summit, Alder
, Nevada City
, and Adobetown. The people lived in brush wickiups, dugouts and under overhanging rocks. The largest of these temporary towns that sprang up nearby was Virginia City. In the first year Virginia City had over 10,000 people living there making it the new capital city of Montana. Virginia City lost the hold on the title of State Capital to the newest, richer vein, at Last Chance Gulch (Helena), the current capital. The diggings were the richest gold placer
deposits ever discovered, and in three years $30,000,000 was taken from them, with $10,000,000 taken out in the first year. Nowadays, except during summertime, the streets of Virginia City are usually quiet and relatively few visitors find their way to the 16 ton granite monument that marks the spot of that incredible discovery of May 26, 186
Alder Gulch was named for the alder bushes that grew along the creek.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
, where gold was discovered on May 26, 1863 by William Fairweather and a group of men, including Barney Hughes, Thomas Cover, Henry Rodgers, Henry Edgar and Bill Sweeney who were returning to the gold fields of Bannack, Montana
Bannack, Montana
Bannack is a ghost town in Beaverhead County, Montana, United States, located on Grasshopper Creek, approximately upstream from where Grasshopper Creek joins with the Beaverhead River south of Dillon.-History:...
. They were on their way to Yellowstone Country from Bannack but were waylaid by a band of Crows Indian Camp
Indian Camp
"Indian Camp" is a short story written by Ernest Hemingway. The story was first published in 1924 in Ford Madox Ford's literary magazine Transatlantic Review in Paris and republished by Boni & Liveright in the American edition of Hemingway's first volume of short stories In Our Time...
. While hiding from the Indians in a gulch they found gold. Unable to keep quiet, the first stampede of miners reached there June 6, 1863 and the population swelled to over 10,000 in less than 3 months. The "Fourteen Mile City" ran the length of the gulch, and included the towns of Virginia City
Virginia City, Montana
Virginia City is a town in and the county seat of Madison County, Montana, United States. In 1961, the town and the surrounding area was designated a National Historic Landmark District, the Virginia City Historic District...
, Summit, Alder
Alder, Montana
Alder is a census-designated place in Madison County, Montana, United States. The population was 116 at the 2000 census. Alder takes its name from Alder Creek , the site of the second major gold discovery in Montana....
, Nevada City
Nevada City, Montana
Nevada City was one of the two major centers of Commerce in what was known as one of the "Richest Gold Strikes in the Rocky Mountain West", it shared that role with its sister city Virginia City. The town site is located 1½ miles west of Virginia City, Montana on Hwy 287. Today the town is managed...
, and Adobetown. The people lived in brush wickiups, dugouts and under overhanging rocks. The largest of these temporary towns that sprang up nearby was Virginia City. In the first year Virginia City had over 10,000 people living there making it the new capital city of Montana. Virginia City lost the hold on the title of State Capital to the newest, richer vein, at Last Chance Gulch (Helena), the current capital. The diggings were the richest gold placer
Placer mining
Placer mining is the mining of alluvial deposits for minerals. This may be done by open-pit or by various surface excavating equipment or tunneling equipment....
deposits ever discovered, and in three years $30,000,000 was taken from them, with $10,000,000 taken out in the first year. Nowadays, except during summertime, the streets of Virginia City are usually quiet and relatively few visitors find their way to the 16 ton granite monument that marks the spot of that incredible discovery of May 26, 186
Alder Gulch was named for the alder bushes that grew along the creek.
Sources
- Dictionary of American History by James Truslow AdamsJames Truslow AdamsJames Truslow Adams was an American writer and historian. He was not related to the famous Adams family...
, New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1940