Trapper City and Lion City  1872-1878

Discovery of the "Trapper Lode" was made in 1872 by William "Billy" Spurr, naming it the "Forest Queen". He was partners with James Bryant in this discovery, or so James thought, as James later learned that Billy Spurr had recorded the claim in his own name. Spurr never started any development on the Forest Queen so the following year, James Bryant returned to the area with a group of men while on a "Hunting Expedition" and proceeded to search out the lode discovered the previous year.

  James Bryant and his men camped for several days at a spring just above the presumed prospect site. According to one  account, they located Spurr’s claim. As the men were about to leave, they realized that their horses had decided to get a, "head start", so the men split up and headed off in search of their horses. Jerry Grotevant stopped to get some rest on what would later become known as Trapper Hill and as he sat on a log, he kicked over a rock which he discovered had silver on it. Grotevant searched and came upon the outcropping of what would later become the Trapper Lode.  Forgetting about the lost horses, he hurried back to camp to tell the guys of his discovery and at once they all started in on staking their claim. One of the men, Bill Hamilton, reached Bannack to record the discovery and word quickly spread  as a group of Bannack prospectors headed that direction.

Image Courtesy of Jakoby Lowney
Hecla Mining Company and Hecla showing Company's operations on Lion Mountain. Henry Brown, Photographer 1880
 

Everyone wanted a part of the riches this area had to offer so Noah Armstrong, who had some men working at Birch Creek in Madison County, sent a group of his men to that area and the Cleve and Avon Mines were quickly discovered. Throughout the summer, many prospectors headed for the Bryant Mining District at the head of Trapper Creek and quickly uncovered many promising lodes. Trapper City, the area’s first settlement, was well on it's way to being established including a hotel, several saloons, a whore house, general store, butcher shop, livery stable, and cabins lined up and down both sides of Trapper Creek being bridged to form the main street of town. The town boasted a population of about 100 to 200 people. A post office (Burnt Pine) was established in 1873 with James L. Hamilton serving as postmaster. John Cannovan, owner of the Trapper City Hotel and livery stable would become postmaster following Hamilton.

As the various mines and properties were being developed, there was a need for a road to connect the mines to the main artery of travel along the Big Hole River. The area was still wooded, so the miners cut there own road to the valley. The district was producing good ore from the start and reportedly was shipped by ox-team to the Central Pacific Railroad at Corrine, Utah and then by rail to San Francisco to Swansea, Wales.

 

As mines were being developed on Lion Mountain, Trapper city started to decline and by the summer of 1878, most everyone abandoned the town and moved to the new mining settlemnent of Lion City, at the base of Lion Mountain. Jerry Grotevant, one of the discoverers of the Rocky Mountain Trapper Load, owned a white mule, and it strayed away from camp at Trapper. Joe McCreary went toward what would later be named Lion Mountain in search of the mule.  He came across what he thought was a mountain lion standing on a cliff . In a panic, he hurried back to camp only to return with others who discovered that the Lion was actually a mule. And from that point forward, Lion Mountain was so named. Lion City was so named for the mountain it bordered.

Hecla Mining Company logo adopted 1877 showing Company's operations on Lion Mountain.
 

 

 Mose Morrison remained at Trapper City and eventually gave up hope and packed his things and went to Lion, leaving Trapper a deserted mining camp.

At it’s peak, Lion City had a population of five to six hundred, mostly miners and merchants. Three saloons, two whore house,  a school house, two hotels,  Noah Armstrong and Co. as well as Thomas and Armstrong ran General Merchandise stores which were branches of their Glendale establishments.

Snow Sheds covering stairs leading to the Hecla Mines.                                           Images Courtesy Jakoby Lowney