Montana Vigilantes Saga Quieted by Rescue in 1884
In 1884 near Little Prickly Pear canyon in Chouteau county, vigilantes Joe Fleck and Harry Flicker faced an outlaw, Fred Schneider, who held them at gunpoint. The road house keeper intervened and Schneider was hung briefly before rescue by two youths and later jailed in Helena. The tale blends frontier violence with Montana politics and a glance at normal school debates and county-basis reforms.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Fred Schneider
Little
Prickly Pear Canyon
Rocky
Chouteau County
Pike Sandusky
Joe Fleck
Harry Flicker
Helena
Flick
Flicker
Chicago
Joe
Wood Street
Canyon
Great Falls
Schneider
Little Prickly Pear Creek
Road House
Lion Creek
O. K
James Ralston
James McKiligan
Fort Benton
Little Prickly Pear Canyon
Little Prickly Pear
Big Medicine Rock
Montana
America
House
Senate
Missouri Corn Tale and a Captain Doane Decision
A Missouri River corn shipment, considered damaged and lethal to livestock, prompts Lt. and Captain Doane to test feeding two mules. After their deaths, Doane allows the Reas to fetch two sacks of corn outside the barn for soil ground meal and local meals. The captain notes the corn’s deadly potential for horses and praises the misuse of the grain.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Ellis
Missouri River
Rea's
G. C. Doane
Doane
MN Fea S
Gallatin City
ReaVs Shotgun Stand Off With Blinky Johnson in 1864 Montana
In Virginia City during 1864 William Rea defended a Missouri Hotel sign dispute with a double barrel shotgun when John Johnson pressed to remove the sign. The standoff cooled as Johnson bluffingly claimed vigilante backing, and Rea threatened force to defend his rent stake.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Matt W. Alderson
Montana
Gallatin County
John M. Bozeman
Virginia City
William Rea
Virginia
Plains
Missouri
Johnson
Union Hotel
Rea
Missouri Hotel
Capt. Williams
X. Beidler
Doc Steele
First Montana gold nugget donated to state history library
The nugget that sparked Alder Gulch mining and Montana's founding was presented to the State Historical Library by Mrs. Granville Stuart. Her brother-in-law James Stuart found it May 21, 1862 on Gold Creek near the Rockies, saved in a buckskin purse.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Alder Gulch
Montana
State Historical Library
Granville Stuart
James Stuart
Gold Creek
Main Range
Rockies
Stuart
Virginia City
Powell
Blake
Also Mentioned on This Page
Outlaw
Ebert
Milwaukee
Legislative Bureau of the
Montana Newspaper Association
Helens
State House
McCone
Franklin K. Lane
Department of the Interior
United States
Supreme Court
W. H. Nichols
Billings
Fletcher Maddox
Cascade County
Judge Pickett
QO. A. Bergeson
William Muth
Lewis and Clark
Brad H. Franklin
Mineral County
John R. Page
Granite County
William
Gallatin Valley
Logan
Three Forks
Puss Rea
Fort Ellis
Nicholas
Paris
Germany
This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!