Territorial Items

Montana became a territory when the geographic obstructions associated with the rugged Rocky Mountains made the larger Idaho Territory unworkable. Its early history is marked by an influx of men to the gold fields of Bannack, Virginia City and ultimately Helena. Northerners with strong ties to the Union and the Republican Party were often at odds with Confederates fleeing the war who held the Republican Party’s principles in distain. Some authors have suggested the famous vigilante movement may have been as much about purging ex-confederates as criminals. As gold mining played out it was replaced by silver and copper mining which required large labor forces for removal and smelting of the ore. This also consolidated ownership creating the very rich and a labor class with strong ties to the Democratic Party and union organization. During this period the Democratic Party won most of the statewide elections and with rare exception sent a democrat as the Delegate to Congress in Washington. The most notable exception being the last territorial election in 1888; when the Republican, Thomas Carter, allegedly with significant help from Copper King and Democrat Marcus Daly defeated Democrat and Copper King, William Clark. In doing so, he overwhelmingly carried the strongly democratic precincts in Butte and Anaconda. This election is felt to have started the famous war of the Copper Kings details of which are presented in another article on this site, Battle for Montana; the Copper Kings’ Influence on Montana’s History.

Ferrotype of Thomas Meagher Territorial Governor 1865-1866

Left: Thomas Carter 1888

Right: Wilbur Sanders 1864,1866,1880 and 1886

Republican Tickets

Samuel Ward’s Delegate Badge to 1884 National Convention

   

Harrison Ribbons 1888