Historic Superior received stock of Yellowstone elk

The Great Fire of 1910, also known as the Big Blowup, had a tremendous impact on what would later be known as Mineral County – the towns of De Borgia, Henderson, Taft and Haugan were completely destroyed in what is believed to be the largest fire in United States history.

However by 1913 the soon-to-be county was recovering. On April 1, F.H. Mitchell, foreman of the A.C.M. company visited Missoula to report that the mill in St. Regis would begin production and the next week would see the logging train begin to haul logs to the mill.

“There will be full crews both at the mill and in the woods and a long run is anticipated,” an article in the Missoulian stated.

On March 9 in Saltese “a rich strike” of copper ore was made at the Black Traveler Mine, which had been “worked intermittently by the present owners for a long number of years.”

Al Reef, manager of the mine, brought samples to Missoula from the new find and the Missoulian reported “no assays have been made on the material, but it will probably run over 10 percent copper with some silver values.”

Not only was the economy beginning to once again pick up, social life was resuming as well. On March 29, a “hop” was held in St. Regis featuring the musical styling’s of “Tamarack Murphey,” who had performed in Saltese the prior year.

“This will not be strictly a bachelor affair – that is others besides bachelors will assist in the entertaining – but it is expected that the ball will be something out of the ordinary because of those who have the arrangements in charge,” the Missoulian reported in an article entitled “St. Regis Society Thoroughly Aroused.”

The landscape of Mineral County was still isolated. The railroad was the most reliable form of transportation and in the spring “dig-out parties” were held in order to clear the roads of snow and debris from the winter.

“It was almost like an island,” Kay Strombo of the Mineral County Museum said.

Although the county was isolated and island-like, it was not exempt from the diminishing herds of large game animals in the late 19th and early 20th century. A combination of harsh winters, the Great Fire of 1910 as well as over-hunting created smaller and smaller populations of game animals such as elk, animals which residents of the area relied upon for survival.

One area of Montana was saved from this – Yellowstone National Park.

Due largely to the Yellowstone Protective Act of 1894 which “prohibited the killing of any animals within the park and provided penalties for offenders,” the large game animal population of Yellowstone consistently increased while the rest of the states populations dramatically decreased.

With that in mind, a demand for the restocking of animals to areas that were depleted began and in 1912 Yellowstone National Park began to transport elk throughout the northwest.

“One hundred six elk were shipped from the park to the state of Washington and thirty-one went to Glacier Park. The state of Montana captured five carloads near the town of Gardiner and shipped them to various parts of the state,” District Ranger Leon Evans writes in “A Summary of the History of the Yellowstone Elk Herd.” “Although a few elk had previously been shipped from the park to zoological gardens and parks, this was the beginning of the practice of removing part of the surplus from the Yellowstone herd for stocking less fortunate areas.”

The policy of removing the surplus was extended to the early months of 1913 and in Superior, the newly formed Superior Rod and Gun Club participated in the program.

Formed in 1913 by William Fletcher, the group met in a Superior Barbershop and its members were comprised of local sportsmen.

“The club has a good start and soon expects to have all the sportsmen around Superior enrolled as members,” a brief from the March 11, 1913 Missoulian reads.

The Superior Rod and Gun Club worked with Yellowstone National Park to acquire a carload of elk to be released at Ashmore (what is now the Sloway area). The elk arrived in Superior on March 5 and according to a receipt from original documents of the club, a transportation fee of $25 was paid to have them shipped.

According to Evans report, over 500 elk were shipped during 1913 throughout Montana in an effort to repopulate the areas where game animals had been depleted. It is unknown how many elk were brought to the Superior area, but in the same Missoulian brief from March 11 the following was reported.

“The elk, unloaded here last week, have been seen several times on the hillsides and are said to be in good condition.”

Further documentation shows a long lasting relationship between the Superior Rod and Gun Club and entities such as the Department of Fish and Game and The Montana Sportsman Association. This relationship continued to stock elk in the Superior area as well as ensured the elk had suitable winter range.

This small group of sportsmen in the soon-to-be area of Mineral County began the rich history of hunting for both sport and survival in the area – a tradition that is still seen today.

Special thanks to the Mineral County Museum for providing multiple documents and photographs for this article. The Museum’s collection relies on donations from the public and individuals willing to donate artifacts from the past are encouraged to contact the museum at 822-4626.