THE
January 2014 Vo l u m e I I I I s s u e I
Volume I II I ssue I
In this Issue of The West Old & New ___________________________ The Dumas Brothel in Butte, Montana is over due for some renovation and owned by two brothers who are looking for ways to save this iconic building. Pg. 4 _________________
The Victorian West Ignored the Cult of Domesticity creating an atmosphere in which prostitution became a way of life for unfortunate frontier women. Pg. 6 _______________
He is known as the Father of Montana, The West looks at the life of Granville Stuart. Pg. 8 ______________
Tough Trip Through Paradise - Andrew Garcia’s book gives the reader insight into life in Montana between 1878 - 1879 Pg. 10 ____________
Montana drew miners for its metals and in the process gems were discovered. Yogo Sapphires are coveted and hard to find. Pg. 12
The West Old & New Published by Susan Faye Roberts P.O. Box 10 Hot Springs, Montana 59845 thewestoldandnew@gmail.com
The West Old & New Online magazine Issuu.com & Joomag.com
The December full moon was called “The moon that parts its hair in the middle,� by the Blackfeet Indians of Montana. Photograph by S.F. Roberts
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The Dumas Brothel Butte, Montana First came the miners to work in the mine, then came the ladies to live on the line." Quote from Copper Camp - Writers Project of Montana
The Dumas is an historic American brothel built that served the predominately male population which grew out of Butte's mining boom. It operated illegally for 92 years from 1890 to 1982, making it America's longest running house of "ill repute". The Dumas is the last vestige of Butte's Red-Light district, maintaining its authenticity as a true 19th century brothel. Ellen Baumier, Ph.D., National Register of Historic Places Sign Program Coordinator, noted “It is of national significance for its associations with labor, mining, immigrant groups and social history. Butte prided itself on its reputation as "the most wide open town in the wide open West." Hundreds of saloons, open gambling and a teeming red light district confirmed its renown. Butte's legendary red light district once supported as many as a thousand women who worked in tiny alley cribs, in the streets, in glamorous parlor houses and in scores of brothels. Many have commented on Butte's red light district, among them Charlie Chaplin who, in My Autobiography, describes the women of the district as some of the most beautiful in the world. The Dumas, however, is not only significant as the last standing parlor house in this area of Butte, but also because of its length of operation and as a rare, intact commentary on social history. Indeed, the Dumas is a unique, tangible archive of social history. The building's extremely fragile, in dire need of stabilization and repair. It is an intrinsic and essential the American West where prostitution was a component of nearly every frontier community.� The exterior of the Dumas on Mercury Street. The Dumas was designed and built as a brothel in 1890 and remained active as such until 1982, making it America's longest running house of prostitution. It was the first two-story brick structure built in Butte's famous Red Light District along Mercury Street. Ironically, the Dumas is also the last intact 'survivor' of an area where vice thrived and women worked hard, lived hard, and sometimes died hard. In the early 1970's, the Dumas Brothel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as an "active bordello." It is the last known example of the 'Victorian Brothelese' style architecture remaining in the United States today. The building is very nearly intact from when it was built at the turn of the 20th century. With the exception of some lowered ceilings and paneling from the 1970's, very few architectural changes have occurred at the Dumas. The first owners of the Dumas were the French Canadians Arthur and Joseph Nadeau. Joseph emigrated to the United States in 1868, and in 1878, married Delia, also of French Canadian descent. They arrived at Butte in 1879. Ownership of the Dumas was listed in Delia's name to avoid conflicts with the Nadeau Company's more "legitimate" ventures. From 1888 until 1900, Joseph Nadeau was proprietor of the Windsor Hotel and Restaurant at 13 E. Broadway, in the heart of the more respectable business district. Just a few blocks south of this enterprise, lay the Red Light District, which by 1890, had been established along Mercury and Galena Streets, east of Main and West of Arizona streets. The Nadeaus created the Nadeau Investment Company and by 1922 owned several building in the Red Light District, including the Copper Block, a large brick saloon and hotel, which provided living quarters for area prostitutes, gamblers and others of questionable reputations. The Copper Block, on the corner of Galena and Wyoming streets, just north and east of the Dumas, was demolished in the early 1990's. Upstairs area of the Dumas
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Joseph's imaginative descriptions of himself reflect the changing times: in 1885 he listed his occupation as "landlord," until 1905 his self-proclaimed title was "capitalist," and in 1905 he listed his business as "real estate." The Dumas is a three level brothel. The lower level (basement) contains smaller rooms or cribs. Originally, a stairway led downstairs from the front side walk. The main level has larger rooms and parlors connected by massive pocket doors, which could be opened to create large parlors for parties, but closed up again to regain the individual rooms. the upstairs (top level) contains several large rooms and suites and a large open balcony with skylights. In 1913, one story addition was built on the rear of the Dumas containing eight cribs, four of which open to "Venus Alley," which once was lined with tiny rooms opening directly into the alley. Prostitutes stood in the doorways of each crib, enticing customers. All that's left of the infamous alley, directly behind the Dumas, is the red brick Basement crib at the Dumas. paving. In its first half-century, 1890-1942, the Dumas used all 43 of its rooms and during busy times, weekends and paydays, ran three shifts of girls. After all, the miners worked 'round the clock' meaning there were three shifts of miners, offering 24-hours worth of "customers." The "ladies" would sit in the windows while the "gentlemen" walked the hallways and window shopped. The prices charged by the girls were negotiable depending on the services requested. For the standard "quickie" charges were .50 to $1 in the early years and by the 1940's the rate had climbed all the way up to $2. In the 1950's a fellow could "get lucky" for a mere $5 bill and when the Dumas closed in 1982 the base price was still relatively cheap at $20. The "working girls" were only allowed to keep about 40% of the fees but some of them did quite well on tips. They would receive tips in many forms such as cash, jewelry, clothes, groceries, furs and sometimes automobiles. Butte women who clerked in the business districts' many dress shops and millinery (hat) stores recall that some of the women of the district often dressed in fine clothes and appeared to be perfect ladies. In January 1943, as part of the war efforts, the federal government ordered all brothels in the US to be closed. It was at this time that the alley and basement cribs were closed, but the Dumas and the other brothels in the Red Light District continued to operate using the waiting room system. The customer would ring the door bell and be escorted to a waiting room where he would be introduced to several of the girls from which to make his choice. To the disappointment of its many customers, Butte's Red Light District, also known as the Twilight Zone, no longer allowed "window shopping." But, many people who grew up in Butte still remember women sitting in front rooms of the houses which face on Mercury Street and tapping on the windows with chopsticks as people passed by. One Butte professional now in his 50's remembers selling the Montana Post, the afternoon paper, which was in the building on the corner of Main and Galena. "We'd pick up our papers in the alley and then race to the houses to sell them because the women there gave us good tips." He recalls the women as "very nice," sometimes offering a cup of hot chocolate on a bitterly cold winter day. Ruby Garret was the Dumas' last madam, or, as she prefers, "landlady," from 1971 to 1982. After the setbacks of the 80's she was resigned to let the building "go to taxes," almost hoping to see the Dumas join its neighbors in demolition rather than have remodeling erase the evidence of its former glory. In 1990, she met antique dealer Rudy Giecek and ultimately sold him the building with the stipulation that he restore it as closely as Break room for the working girls at the Dumas.
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possible to its appearance of 100 years ago. Ruby was a living testimony to the Dumas’ colorful past. She knows the story of the bullet holes in the front door, and the history behind the stories of Elinor's ghost, alleged to walk the Dumas after Madam Elinor Knott committed suicide in February 1955. Her ghostly form, suitcase in hand, has been seen throughout the Dumas' 43 rooms. Ruby knew all the hidey-holes, the secret crawlspaces, and the refrigerator specially adapted to serve as a hiding place for Sandra, a particularly "nervous" but much sought after employee who worked at the Dumas until she was 61 years old. In 2012 Ruby Garrett, also known as Alee Arrigoni died in Missoula, Montana at the age of 94. Garrett owned the brothel until 1982 when her federal tax evasion conviction forced the brothel to close. She did a six month prison sentence for tax evasion, having missed the bullet earlier after being acquitted on charges she shot and killed her husband in June 1959 while he was playing cards. The story goes she walked into the card game and shot him five times, it was noted that no one present recognized, she had been so badly beaten by her husband. The building became a museum and for several years it was affiliated with the International Sex Worker Foundation for Art, Culture and Education (ISWFACE). In 2005 the Dumas Brothel Museum was closed due to financial considerations surrounding much-needed structural repairs and other conservation costs. In 2008 the Dumas Brothel reopened after a fund-raising effort. On June 20, 2012, an announcement was added to the Dumas Brothel Web site in reference to a change of ownership: "Mr. Michael Piche and Mr. Travis Eskelsen, both Butte residents, have purchased the Dumas Brothel from Mr. Rudy Giecek with the foremost goal being the restoration of the building, which we have found to be in critical condition" For information about the Dumas and how you can help preserve this remarkable piece of American History, contact Michael Piche and Travis Eskelsen, at the Historic Dumas Brothel N0. 45 East Mercury Street, Butte, Montana 59701 (406) 299-2702, You can contribute by mailing a donation of any amount to the address above. The brothers are in the process of forming a 501 (c) 3 Non-Profit which will allow for larger contribution's to be tax deductable! Contact them at 406-299-2702 or via email at donations@thedumasbrothel.com The website for the brothel is at : http://www.thedumasbrothel.com/
The Cult of Domesticity & True Womanhood The Cult of Domesticity or Cult of True Womanhood was a prevailing value system among the upper and middle classes during the nineteenth century. This system emphasized femininity, with the woman's role within the home and family. "True women" were supposed to possess four cardinal virtues: piety, purity, domesticity, and submissiveness. The women and men who most actively promoted these standards were generally white, Protestant, and lived in New England and the Northeastern United States. Although all women were supposed to emulate this ideal of femininity, black, working class, and immigrant women did not fit the definition of "true women" because of social prejudice Physically, "true women" were delicate, soft and weak The characteristics of "true womanhood" were described in sermons and religious texts as well as women's magazines. In the United States, Peterson's Magazine and Godey's Lady's Book were the most widely circulated women's magazine and were popular among both women and men. True Women were supposed to devote themselves to unpaid domestic labor and refrain from paid, market-oriented work. Consequently, in 1890, 4.5% of all married women were "gainfully employed," compared with 40.5% of single women. Women's complete financial dependence upon their husbands proved disastrous when wives lost their husbands through death or desertion and were forced to fend for themselves and their children. The division between the domestic and public spheres had an impact on women's power and status. In society as a whole, particularly in political and economic arenas, women's power declined. Of course, the oldest profession in the world prospered in this system of idealization. Some of the women in the American Revolution who followed the Continental Army served the soldiers and officers as sexual partners. Prostitutes were a worrisome presence to army leadership, particularly because of the possible spread of venereal diseases. Some, however, encouraged the presence of prostitutes to keep troop morale high. In the 19th century, parlor house brothels catered to upper class clientele, while bawdy houses catered to the lower class. The West Old & New Page 6
At concert saloons, men could eat, listen to music, watch a fight, or pay women for sex. Over 200 brothels existed in lower Manhattan. Prostitution was illegal under the vagrancy laws, but was not well-enforced by police and city officials, who were bribed by brothel owners and madams. The gold rush in the west attracted gambling, crime, saloons, and prostitution to the mining towns of the wild west. Widespread media coverage of prostitution occurred in 1836, when famous courtesan Helen Jewett was murdered, allegedly by one of her customers. The Lorette ordinance of 1857 prohibited prostitution on the first floor of buildings in New Orleans. Nevertheless, prostitution continued to grow rapidly in the US, becoming a 6.3 million-dollar business in 1858, more than the shipping and brewing industries combined. By the US Civil War, Pennsylvania Avenue had become a disreputable slum known as Murder Bay, home to an extensive criminal underclass and numerous brothels. So many prostitutes took up residence there to serve the needs of General Joseph Hooker's Army of the Potomac that the area became known as "Hooker's Division." Two blocks between Pennsylvania and Missouri Avenues became home to such expensive brothels that it was known as "Marble Alley." In 1881, the Bird Cage Theatre opened in Tombstone, Arizona. It included a brothel in the basement and 14 cribs suspended from the ceiling, called cages. In the late 19th century, newspapers reported that 65,000 white slaves existed. Around 1890, the term "red-light district" was first recorded in the United States. From 1890 to 1982, the Dumas Brothel in Montana was America's longest-running house of prostitution. New Orleans city alderman Sidney Story wrote an ordinance in 1897 to regulate and limit prostitution to one small area of the city, "The District", where all prostitutes in New Orleans must live and work. The District, or Storyville, became the most famous area for prostitution in the nation. Storyville at its peak had some 1500 prostitutes and 200 brothels. In the West, the harsh Puritan sanctions were not as "practical” as in America’s more conservative eastern counterpart. Women who plied the trade in the west were labeled by miners as "ladies of the line” and "sporting women", while the cowboys dubbed them "soiled doves.” Common terms included "daughters of sin”, "fallen frails,” "doves of the roost,” and "nymphs du prairie.” Other nicknames for these women were "scarlet ladies,” fallen angels,” "frail sisters,” "fair belles,” and "painted cats.” Historians have estimated that prostitutes made up 25% of the population in the west, often outnumbering the "decent” women 25 to 1. Usually, painted ladies were between the ages of 14 and 30 with the average age of 23.
Visit this time line for a historic perspective on prostitution in the world. http://prostitution.procon.org/ view.timeline.php?timelineID=000028 The book on the right by Annie Seagraves is an excellent source of stories about the early women of the west who worked as prostitutes. http://www.amazon.com/SoiledDoves-Prostitution-Early-Women/ dp/096190884X
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Granville Stuart Pioneer, Gold Prospector, Businessman, Civic Leader, Vigilante, Author, Cattleman and Diplomat. The man on the left made major contributions to the state of Montana in its early history. Granville Stuart born August 27, 1834 played a prominent role in the early history of Montana Territory and the state of Montana. Widely known as "Mr. Montana", Granville's life spanned the formative years of Montana from territorial times through the first 30 years of statehood. His journals and writings have provided Montana and western historians unique insights into life in the Northern Rockies during the second half the 19th Century. Granville and James, along with nine other travelers, were heading east when Granville fell seriously ill in southern Idaho. Granville was too ill to travel so James stayed with him while the others went east. By the time Granville recovered, it was too late in the year to continue east over the Rocky Mountains. The brothers could not winter over in southern Idaho nor could they seek refuge in Salt Lake City because of the ongoing conflict between the United States and the Mormons called the Mormon War. Instead they befriended a former fur trapper Jake Meek who wintered a small cattle herd in the Beaverhead Valley. On October 10, 1857, Granville and James Stuart and Jake Meek crossed Monida Pass 200 miles north into the Beaverhead Valley and what was to become Montana Territory in 1864. They established a camp along the Beaverhead River near present day Dillon, Montana. Others were already in the valley. Many former fur traders had adopted the practice trading one good cow or oxen for two trail weary animals on the Oregon Trail during the summer. They over wintered the animals in the Beaverhead to get them healthy for the next summer. One of these traders was French-Canadian Richard Grant, father of Johnny Grant who established the Grant Ranch in Deer Lodge in 1862. For three years, the Stuart brothers traded cattle, horses and other goods between the Big Hole valley, the Beaverhead Deer Lodge Valley and Fort Bridger in Southern Wyoming. In the Fall of 1860, along with their friend Reece Andersen, the Stuarts decided to move north into the Deer Lodge Valley. They established a camp on Gold Creek (Benetsee Creek), where in 1852 a French prospector, Francois Finley (Benetsee) had discovered gold. In the Spring of 1858, while doing a bit of prospecting along Gold Creek, the Stuarts along with Reece Anderson found enough gold to make them want to return. In 1861 the Stuarts decided to settle permanently in the Deer Lodge Valley along the Clark Fork River and Mullan Road. The road gave the Stuarts good access to supplies at Fort Benton 187 miles (301 km) to the east and from Walla Walla 433 miles (697 km) to the west. They built a small cabin along Gold Creek. Many other prospectors joined in the rush to the Deer Lodge Valley in search of gold in the early 1860–1862. Johnny Grant in 1859 built a cabin at Little Blackfoot Creek and later in 1862 a ranch at Cottonwood Creek. Those prospectors that congregated along Gold Creek called their community "American Fork", while at the other end of the valley, Grant called his growing community Cottonwood. With the discovery of gold in Alder Gulch in the Summer of 1863, most of the inhabitants of the valley moved south to Virginia City including the Stuarts. However, the Stuarts wanted to sustain a presence in the Deer Lodge area. In 1864, James Stuart organized a company and employed Colonel Walter W. deLacy to survey and plat a proper town on Cottonwood Creek. The town was christened Deer Lodge, Montana. Granville Stuart, from a young age kept copious notes, diaries, and journals. He routinely kept copies of most all his correspondence, much of which is preserved today by the Montana Historical Society, a society he helped found in 1864. He wrote several books on Montana and its pioneer history. His writings are considered to be seminal works on the history of the western United States. Over the course of his life, Granville Stuart served in a variety of public offices. At one time or the other he was the President of the Deer Lodge Town Committee, Chairman of the Deer Lodge County Commission, a trustee in numerous school districts, the College of Montana Montana's first, and the Montana Territorial Prison. He served five terms on the Montana Territorial Legislative Assembly. He was a Lieutenant Colonel in the territorial militia. In the 1890s, he was a State Land Agent. He was the head librarian in the Butte Public Library between 1905–1914. He was a founding member of the Society of Montana Pioneers formed in 1884 and served as its president in 1886. The West Old & New Page 8
Tough Trip Through Paradise One man’s experiences in Montana between the years of 1878 - 1879
Tough Trip Through Paradise 1878-1879 is the autobiography of Andrew Garcia, a man of Hispanic descent who was born in El Paso, but moved north to Montana in 1876. He wrote down his story in his later years, but never seriously sought publication due to a combination of disapproval from family members and fear of his story being exploited by dime novelists. The book covers Montana from 1878 through 1879. Garcia served as a herder and packer for the U.S. Army in Montana in the Yellowstone and Musselshell country, working for Colonel Samuel D. Sturgis' "Boys in Blue" out of Fort Ellis from 1876-1878. He was present during the Nez Perce War. The book begins in 1878, when Garcia left his job with the army to go into business with a man named Beaver Tom, trapping beaver and trading for buffalo robes. While trading with members of the Pend d'Oreilles tribe, Garcia met and married a Nez Perce woman known among the Pend d’Oreille as In-who-lise ('Broken Tooth'; The first book cover with Andrew Garcia as the focal her original name, Kot-kot-hy-hih, means White Feather), who had been point. with Chief Joseph's tribe when they ran from the U.S. Cavalry. The book includes Garcia’s reproduction of her firsthand account of the final engagement with 7th Infantry at the Battle of the Big Hole. In 1928, Andrew Garcia met historian L.V. McWhorter, who was researching the Nez Perce Indians. Garcia offered to provide information about the Nez Perce War of 1877 he had learned from his first wife, a Nez Perce woman called In-who-lise; McWhorter accepted the offer and the pair of them continued to correspond by letter until Garcia’s death in 1943. Garcia continued to write throughout that time; his manuscripts include much of his life story from the 1860’s through the 1880’s. Garcia worked on his manuscript late at night, after working on his ranch all day. The manuscript which Garcia wrote was several thousand pages long, and he declared to McWhorter that his intention was to produce a three-volume work titled In-who-lise. When Ben Stein obtained the manuscripts, they had been packed away in dynamite boxes for safekeeping. According to one of Andrew Garcia's great-grandsons, Doug Garcia, the manuscript telling his story was not welcomed by many members of the family. Andrew Garcia's wife did not want to know about who had come before her, and one of his daughters-in-law, Evelyn Gladys Garcia, strongly objected to the coarse nature of the story; furthermore, Andrew's grandsons were punished for trying to sneak and read it. In 1960, the family sold the papers to Bennett H. Stein, who ultimately edited portions of some of them to create Tough Trip through Paradise 1878-1879, which was published in 1967. The manuscript remained in the possession of the Rock Foundation (founded by Bennett Stein and Hugh Galusha to keep the papers safe); after Stein's death, Dorothy Bradley (then the head of the Rock Foundation) made the decision to house the manuscripts at the Park County Museum after Stein's death. The foundation retained ownership of the materials, which were subsequently moved again in 2004, this time to the Montana Historical Society. The Rock Foundation was subsequently dissolved, at which time ownership of the Ben Stein research collection (including Andrew Garcia’s manuscripts; materials and drafts used in Ben Stein’s writing process; and correspondence and miscellaneous manuscript materials belonging to both men) passed to the Montana Historical Society. As of November 2012, the collection is open to use by researchers. Comments about Garcia and his book by Donald Gilbert y Chavez Located at the following website: http://www.franksrealm.com/Indians/mountainman/pages/mountainman-andrewgarcia.htm
The Hollywood movie, Little Big Man, starring Dustin Hoffman, was based not on an Anglo muleteer, as the movie suggests. Rather, it was actually based on the true story of Hispanic pioneer, Vaquero rancher, farmer and trader, Andrew Garcia, during the time of the 1877 Nez Perce war. He was not known as Little Big Man by the Indians, rather he earned The West Old & New Page 10
the name, The Squaw Kid, derived from the 9 years he lived in Indian country with three Pend d'Oreille Indian wives named, In-wholise, Squis-squis, and Mal-lit-tay-lay. Little Big Man was actually the name of an Indian warrior. Over the next six years in Musselshell, Montana, he observed the last wave of Buffalo extermination and final throes of effort by the Plains Indians to resist their own extermination at the hands of the new Americans. His nine years with Indian wives, mentioned above, were his most meaningful and final connection to the wild and beautiful, natural order of his world that apparently centered him. Although the second half of his life was spent in what many people would describe a western paradise with his white wife, Barbara Voll, raising four healthy sons on his 667 acres of beautiful, forested Montana ranchland, what prompted him to begin writing was the fact that he was never again quite so happy as when he lived amount the Indians in the open wilderness. He died in 1943, having resisted efforts to publish his work out of fear that the true history of his time would be corrupted. His greatest fears were realized a quarter-century later, when Hollywood indeed, changed and distorted his story and actual history in the movie, Little Big Man. For a paper back edition go to: http://www.amazon.com/Tough-Trip-Through-Paradise-1878-1879/ dp/0893012505
On the Goodreads website you will find 82 ratings and 16 reviews of the book. http://www.goodreads.com/book/ show/824127.Tough_Trip_Through_Paradise_1878_1879
If you like watch this thirty minute video by the Montana Historical Society on Andrew Garcia and his book.
Andrew Garcia
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QarZyzoDihs
Every Solstice in the small town of Hot Springs, Montana a group of people create this labyrinth with candles and mason jars. People can come to the Towanda Garden and walk the labyrinth for hours as the longest night of the year descends. A large bonfire and musicians are an adde d bonus.
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Montana Sapphires Yogo sapphires are a variety of corundum found only in Yogo Gulch, part of the Little Belt Mountains in Judith Basin County, Montana, United States, on land once inhabited by the Piegan Blackfeet people. Yogos are typically cornflower blue. They have high uniform clarity and maintain their brilliance under artificial light. Because Yogo sapphires occur within a vertically dipping resistive igneous dike, mining efforts have been sporadic and rarely profitable. It is estimated that at least 28 million carats of Yogos are still in the ground. Jewelry containing Yogos was given to First Ladies Florence Harding and Bess Truman; in addition, many gems were sold in Europe, though promoters' claims that Yogos are in the crown jewels of England or the engagement ring of Princess Diana are dubious. Today, several Yogo sapphires are part of the Smithsonian Institution's gem collection. Yogo sapphires were not initially recognized or valued. Gold was discovered at Yogo Creek in 1866, and though "blue pebbles" were noticed alongside gold in the stream alluvium by 1878, it was not until 1894 that the "blue pebbles" were recognized as sapphires. Sapphire mining began in 1895 after a local rancher named Jake Hoover sent a cigar box of gems he had collected to an assay office, which in turn sent them to Tiffany's in New York, where an appraiser pronounced them "the finest precious gemstones ever found in the United States". Hoover then purchased the original mother lode from a sheepherder, later selling it to other investors. This became the highly profitable "English Mine", which flourished from 1899 until the 1920s. A second operation, the "American Mine", was owned by a series of investors in the western section of the Yogo dike, but was less profitable and bought out by the syndicate that owned the English Mine. In 1984, a third set of claims, known as the Vortex mine, opened. The term "Yogo sapphire" is the preferred wording for gems found in the Yogo Gulch, whereas "Montana sapphire" generally refers to gems found in other Montana locations. More gem-quality sapphires are produced in Montana than anywhere else in North America. Sapphires were first discovered in Montana in 1865, in alluvium along the Missouri River. Finds in other locations in the western half of the state occurred in 1889, 1892, and 1894. The Rock Creek location, near Phillipsburg, is the most productive site in Montana, and its gems inspired the name of the nearby Sapphire Mountains. In 1969, the sapphire was codesignated along with the agate as Montana's state gemstones. In the early 1980s, Intergem Limited, which controlled most of the Yogo sapphire mining at the time, rocked the gem world by marketing Yogos as the world's only guaranteed "untreated" sapphire, exposing a practice of the time wherein 95 percent of all the world's sapphires were heat-treated to enhance their natural color. Although Intergem went out of business, the gems it mined appeared on the market through the 1990s because the company had paid its salesmen in sapphires during its financial demise. Citibank had obtained a large stock of Yogos as a result of Intergem's collapse, and after keeping them in a vault for nearly a decade, sold its collection in Yogo Sapphire 1994 to a Montana jeweler. Mining activity today is largely confined to hobby miners in the The West Old & New Page 12
area; the major mines are currently inactive. The Yogo dike is a narrow subvertical sheet-like igneous body. It varies from 2 to 26 feet thick and extends for 5 miles (8.0 km), striking at an azimuth of 255째. There has been considerable debate over the years as to the depth of the Yogo dike and how many ounces of rough sapphires per ton it contains. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Delmer L. Brown, a geological engineer and gemologist, conducted the most thorough scientific exploration up to that time, concluding that the dike was at least 7,000 feet (2,100 m) deep and that the concentration of rough sapphires was not constant throughout the deposit. Brown found that the dike had intruded into a pre-existing fault that had been a conduit for groundwater circulation. Brown showed that the unique characteristics of the Yogo sapphires are related to their geological history. Most sapphires are formed under low pressure and temperature over geologically short periods of time, and this is why most non-Yogo sapphires have imperfections and inconsistent coloring. Yogos show crystalline A brilliant cut purple Yogo sapphire. Only about two The first sapphires found in the United States were discovered on May 5, percent of Yogo sapphires are purple. 1865, along the Missouri River, about 14 miles east of Helena by Ed "Sapphire" Collins. Collins sent the sapphires to Tiffany's in New York City, and to Amsterdam for evaluation; however, those sapphires were of poor coloring and low overall quality, garnering little notice and giving Montana sapphires a poor reputation.
Gem Mountain Sapphire Mine is 22 miles west of Philipsburg at the south end of the Sapphire Mountain Range on Skalkaho Pass. The mine as been in business since 1892. They produce sapphire gravel concentrate, Montana Sapphire Gemstones and Jewelry. The business digs up the dirt for you, wash, concentrate it and bring it to the store by the dump truck load. Everything you need to go about finding your own sapphires is at their store. They recommend that you wear your play cloths because they are a hands on kind of place. It will be the Dirtiest, Good, Clean, Family Fun you'll ever have. The store front is located in downtown Philipsburg, Montana. During the summer months you can go out to the mine site and look for your own sapphires in the dirt. It is a wonderful way to be outside and having fun in the sun.
Gem Mountain 201 W. Broadway Philipsburg, MT 59858 Phone: (406) 859-GEMS (4367) Toll Free: (866) 459-GEMS (4367) info@GemMtn.com The raw gems found in gavel at Gem Mountain Mine.
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Feathers - Canvas - Stones Canvas Prints - Oils Acrylic Award winning artist Marla Brown-Robbins has been capturing the western essence in art for more than 30 years. (406)-741– 2059 www.western-art.com The West Old & New Page 14
Fire Cat paint on rock by “Ma” Marla Brown
Multimedia Artist
LoriAnn Hancock Leather - Clay -Fabric - Paint
Custom order a one of a kind crafted leather handbag (406) 741– 5177
To the left detail leather work on red shoulder purse.
Shoulder purses Various size pouches
A Historic Archive in Butte,
The Butte-Silver Bow Public Archives was established in 1981 through a city-county ordinance. It is the official repository of all non-current records of Butte-Silver Bow Government. The archives also accept other archival material such as written, typed or printed records, photographs, tape recordings, maps, film or other material of historical significance that may be donated by private individuals or groups that pertains to Butte-Silver Bow County. They provide public access to the materials encouraging schools and organizations in the community to use of historical documents in learning environments. They have been an asset to the preservation community in Butte-Silver Bow by providing information. The county is now located in the Butte Anaconda National Historic Landmark District. The Butte-Silver Bow Public Archives is housed in a former 1900 Butte Fire Department station located in uptown Butte. The historic building retains its original wood and maple floors, lath and plaster walls and ceilings, fire station characteristics and accessories (bells, call system board, ladders, and clothing), trim and base board, doors, windows, and other character-defining architectural features which contribute to the historic character of the building. The Archives recently outgrew the building’s current configuration, and with planning and design, seek to increase the usability of the existing building for archival storage, research areas, and exhibit and office space. A condition assessment report summarizes the building’s inadequacies and created a list of recommendations for the preservation, restoration, and adaptive re-use of the building and subsequent protection of the archives. The total project has a four million dollar price tag to stabilize the building and provide an archival sound storage and research space. The collections of the Archives are comprehensive, interrelated and provide dynamic insights into the history of the second industrial revolution (the electrification of America), and the history of copper mining. Home of the world's largest copper deposit, Butte was once one of the most radically and ethnically diverse settlements in the West and was the wellspring of the western labor movement. The records in the care of the Butte-Silver Bow Public Archives provide essential information on a number of subjects in the American West, including the history of technology, political history, environmental history, the history of women and minority groups, and labor history. For a complete list of collections, contact the Archives. The Butte-Silver Bow Public Archives priority of making its collections publicly accessible is number one. The archives provides assistance to all in house visitors, has a professional staff that will research requests. The Archives collections all have finding aides available in house and future plans to house them on line. Nearly 5000 researchers visit the facility every year. Researchers are conducting genealogy searches, academic research, research for film, articles and books as well as property and land. The Archives staff will provide on site professional assistance with questions and concerns about document conservation and collections management. The Archives staff will assist document cleaning, document repair, photo repair and special handling of rare items. The Archives objective to assist the preservation community in Butte-Silver Bow is met through public and class room presentations, through tours to historic sites and requests to have historic documents brought into the classroom. Teachers and school officials should contact the Archives if they have questions regarding our services, the use of historic documents, learning tool or field trip scheduling or to arrange a visit to the Archives. The West Old & New Page 14
Monologues by the Demimonde of Butte’s Red Light The play “Scarlet
Ribbons,” featuring monologues by some of Butte’s sportin’ women, circa 1890s, opened Thursday June 7th in 2007 in the Dead Cat Café of the Covellite Theatre in Butte, Montana. In these fictionalized stories seven women shared how they rebelled against the “cult of domesticity,” and “true womanhood,” to make a living in the wild mining town of Butte. Each woman giving a different perspective on the events that led her to Butte’s Venus Alley. Morgan, a young Irish girl, explains how she met the man of her dreams at Butte’s dating service for Irish immigrants. Sarah, a widow after a mining accident, tries to balance her moral duties as a mother with three mouths to feed. Ruby, a freed slave, verbalizes her struggle with the reality of freedom. Bonnie, who has fallen into alcoholism after being jilted and having her son taken away tries to reconcile life’s trials. Chin Lee, addicted to morphine, recites the story of how she came on a contract to America. Babette, dissuaded from her true calling, muses over women’s vanity and dangerous powers, while Maddy reminisces on life in the mining camps of the west as she prepares to leave her tenure as madam of the Dumas. After the first production another character, Jesse a mail-order bride, was added to the cast. The show ran for three nights with a matinee performance on Saturday and the house was packed every time. The play was a pass-the-hat fundraiser with the profit going to the Citizen’s for Preservation and Restoration of Butte to help defray the costs of the restoration of the Dumas Brothel and raised $1,300.00. The play has been produced twice since 2007 at the Silver Dollar Bar in Butte. “Scarlet Ribbons,“ was written by Susan Faye Roberts.
Western Gal Speak Weekly blog on Contemporary & Historic Montana
http://thewestoldandnew.wordpress.com The West Old & New Page 18
Montana Reading - Online The Great Falls Tribune This is the online presentation of a 125-day series of mini-profiles of famous and infamous Montanans. The series commemorates 125 years of publishing the Great Falls Tribune. The articles will appear on the Montana section front Mondays through Saturdays, and on the Sunday Life page on Sundays. Additions will appear here after appearing in the newspaper. http://www.greatfallstribune.com/multimedia/125newsmakers4
The Granite County History Blog The purpose of this blog is to share and seek information on the history of Granite County, Montana. In a few cases our topics will lap over into adjacent counties as mining districts especially do not respect the later boundaries imposed by politicians! It is a project of members of the Granite County Historical Society, an organization founded in 1978 by the late Barry Engrav of Philipsburg and now comprised of 8 members dedicated to preserving and interpreting historical documents, artifacts, and sites in the greater Philipsburg area. Our goal is to interest current residents, folks with family roots, and those with an academic interest in the area to add their knowledge to this blog as an ongoing project to deepen and in some cases correct the narrative of the people and events that shaped history in this part of Montana. Anyone with an interest in the Philipsburg area or Montana history is invited to discuss the topics of our posts, as well as their own data and sources, which we hope will create an ongoing dialogue about the area now known as Granite County. http://granitecountyhistory.blogspot.com
Montana Moments A blog of funny, bizarre, and interesting episodes from Montana history. The recent explosion of scanned historical documents onto the internet is making it possible to greatly speed up historical research, refine historical chronology, and deepen historical interpretation. Perhaps we are entering into a "golden age" of research into our past! http://ellenbaumler.blogspot.com/
Cowgirl Blog - Montana’s #1 Political Website Political Gossip, Satire, and Analysis from MT's Capital City "...an uncanny knack for sharp insider information..."--AP "...amazingly accurate inside info..."--Politico.com "...a viral sensation..."--Markos Moulitsas, Daily Kos "Among the best state-based political blogs in the nation."--Washington Post http://mtcowgirl.com/
Montana Ranch Girl blog http://mtranchgirl.wordpress.com/ Places Between Spaces. A Montana blog by Photojournalist Lynn Donaldson http://placesbetweenspaces.com/ The West Old & New Page 19
Long Night Moon is another name for December’s Full Moon . Photograph by S.F. Roberts The West Old & New Page 20
Here is your chance to read stories of life in contemporary Montana which were published this year. S.F. Roberts has written essays about wakes, happy hour, animals, bull riders, life in general and the characters in a small town on a western Indian reservation.
Download it today! https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/362785
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Ebooks by S.F. Roberts available on Smashwords.com, Amazon and Kindle
Anthology of short stories written around the Montana landscape. $4.99
In 1910 the Flathead Indian Reservation was opened to homesteaders. Read real stories about life on the high mountain prairie. $1.99
An eclectic collection of short stories written over the period of twenty years. $4.99
The best of The West Old & New. Stories from the first year of publication of the magazine. $1.99
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/westerngalspeak Photograph at the top of the page is of an old car junkyard in Missoula. Photograph by S.F. Roberts
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Visit the Western Gal Speak blog on contemporary and historic life in Montana http://thewestoldandnew.wordpress.com The West Old & New online magazine at Issuu.com or Joomag.com Follow publisher Susan F. Roberts on Twitter Visit The West Old & New on FB
Venus Alley in Butte, Montana. The actresses from the play, “Scarlet Ribbons,� pose with metal cut outs depicting the ladies of the night behind the Dumas Brothel on Mercury Street. Photograph by S.F. Roberts