This Month in Montana History

October 3rd, 1825, 197 years ago: Thomas J. Galbraith is born in Pennsylvania. He became the first elected Judge for the Fifth Judicial District of Montana in 1889 and served until 1893.

October 17th, 1855, 167 years ago: The Judith River treaty is signed by representatives of Piegan, Blood, Blackfoot, Atsina, Salish, Kalispel, and Kootenai tribes, making areas in the northeast and southern Montana, including what would become Jefferson County, common hunting ground.

October 13th, 1863, 159 years ago: Travelling merchant Lloyd Magruder is murdered outside of Alder Gulch. This is one of the earliest known robberies staged by road agents, which would lead to the formation of the Alder Gulch Vigilante Committee.

October 4th, 1888, 134 years ago: A fire in Boulder destroys a saloon on Main Street, with other residential buildings caught in the flames. Without a fire department, the flames were put out by a volunteer bucket brigade. The cause of the fire is unknown, but the flames originated in the home of a Mr. Cain.

October 24th, 1888, 134 years ago: The Wickes Tunnel opens. The tunnel was built to link the smelter in Wickes to other mines throughout Jefferson County and Helena. When the Alta mine closed down in 1896, the smelter was moved to East Helena and the tunnel became obsolete.

October 18th, 1893, 129 years ago: WC Child dies at his ranch outside of Montana City. His ranch, the largest in Montana, will go on to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

October 20th, 1894, 128 years ago: Following two cage failures at the Comet mine, a fire destroys the hoist shed and hoisting frame. Reports claim that there was no known cause of the fire, and "there is some belief that it was of incendiary origin."

October 19th, 1935, 87 years ago: A 6.2 magnitude severe earthquake hits Montana. While Helena was the epicenter of the quake, tremors could be felt as far as Washington and Wyoming.

During the quake and its aftershock on the 31st, the bell tower atop the Old Red Schoolhouse in Clancy was damaged and removed to prevent further accidents.

October 1 st 1957, 65 years ago: The motto "In God We Trust" is first published on the United States dollar, replacing "E Pluribus, Unum."

Information gathered from The Age, The Age Sentinel, Boulder Monitor, and Montana Sunlight, as well as additional historic sources. Questions? Comments? More information to share? Visit The Jefferson County Museum, 5 N. Main Street, Clancy, MT, 59634, Tuesdays and Fridays 12 PM to 4 PM and Saturdays 10:30 AM to 4 PM, or call to schedule an appointment at 406-224-5106 or conduct your own research at MontanaNewspapers.org.