Aaron Dunn (1851)
Encyclopedia
Aaron Dunn, one of the pioneers
of the northwest was a prominent citizen of Deadwood
. He was a native of the province of Ontario
, Canada
; having been born on the banks of the St. Clair River
, a few miles from the city of Detroit, Michigan
, on the February 16, 1851.
, and as a young man in his thirties, moved to the America
and took up residence in New York
, then later moved to Canada
, where he was engaged in the lumber business until 1856, when he moved to Minnesota
.
There he became a pioneer of Mower County, where he was engaged in lumbering and farming until 1870, when he repeated his pioneer experiences to a certain extent by coming to what is now the state of South Dakota
. He moved to the city of Sioux Falls, where he passed the remainder of his life. He died in 1885.
His wife, whose maiden name was Isabella Carnathan, was born in the north of Ireland
, and her death occurred in 1870. They were the parents of twelve children, Aaron having been the fourth child.
, and his early educational advantages were somewhat limited. He started forth by himself when only ten years of age.
At that time, he started for the Red river district of Minnesota
, but the Indians
were a source of constant menace at the time and the adventurous lad decided it would be best not to attempt to personally annihilate them, and accordingly turned around and went to the southern states
in 1862. This was the same year that the Minnesota massacre occurred.
.
During the American Civil War
Aaron was in various southern states, from Missouri
to Tennessee
. He was too young to enlist in the Union service, but as a troy
performed his part in forwarding the cause. He drove an ambulance
for some time, carried dispatches and was employed in the sutler's department, and thus witnessed a number of engagements.
In 1863 he was at Cape Girardeau, Missouri, at the time of the battle there, and he continued in the south until the end of the war.
, where he was employed for a time, then going to New Mexico
. In 1866 he made his way to Montana
, making the trip via the Bozeman Cutoff and Forts Kearney and Smith.
At Brown's Springs, on the dry fork of the Cheyenne River
. The party of which he was a member had a conflict with the Indians, losing seven men, while afterward the party had several other conflicts with the band, another member being killed.
They arrived in Bozeman
in the latter part of September, and thence Mr. Dunn proceeded to Virginia City
, where he passed the winter. In the spring of 1867 he started forth on a prospecting
tour, making his way into the now famous Coeur d'Alene
district of Idaho
and there meeting with fair success.
He then went to Philipsburg, Montana
, where he took charge of the mill of the Imperial Silver Mining Company, which he placed under successful operation, while it had previously proved a failure. While under his charge eight and one-half tons of silver represented the product of the mill. He remained with this position for a period of eighteen months and then moved to Rochester, in Madison County, Montana
, where he leased mines and operated the same for the ensuing two years, with good success.
He then went to Trapper City, where he operated the Trapper mine for one winter, after which he went to the city Butte
, where he was offered a quarter interest and a salary of ten dollars a day to sink a shaft to a depth of one hundred feet in the Hattie Harvey mine. He accepted the proposition, sunk the shaft to the stipulated depth and then ran a level from the bottom a distance of one hundred feet, when he struck an immense body of ore running twenty-eight per cent.
It was copper, but as thirty per cent was the lowest that would at that time justify working, owing to the enormous charges for freight, the development did not proceed till some time later. It should be stated that this mine is now one of the most valuable portions of the great property of the Boston & Montana Mining Company, Limited. Leaving Butte, Mr. Dunn started for the Black Hills
, in the summer of 1876.
Upon reaching Fort Benton
, then the head of navigation on the Missouri river, he found that he had arrived a few hours too late to secure the last boat for the season, and in company with one companion he purchased a skiff, in which they floated four hundred and fifty miles down the river, traveling most at night and seeing Indians almost daily, this being shortly after the great Custer massacre.
At Carroll, Montana, they found a steamboat
, on which they took passage to Bismarck
, from which point Aaron and his party came through with ox teams to the Black Hills, arriving in Deadwood
in October, 1876, and having managed to avoid attack from the Indians while en route. He passed a month in mining in Deadwood Gulch and then joined the stampede to Wolf Mountain, but the prospects there turned out a failure and he returned in a few weeks to Deadwood.
This mill was started in operation the last day of December 1876, and though there has been no little dispute as to the matter of the first mill to be put in operation, Mr. Dunn gives the assurance that this one is unmistakably entitled to the distinction. The Bald pulverizer had been started previously and run a short time, but was not a stamp mill.
Mr. Dunn did the amalgamating in the stamp mill mentioned for the ensuing seven months, and he then engaged in prospecting
and in speculating in mining
properties, while for a time he ran the Standby mill, at Rochford
, and was also identified with the operation of several other mills, at varying intervals.
Up to the time of the writing of Doane Robinson
in 1904, about forty thousand dollars had been expended in the improvement and developing of these properties, while about three thousand tons of ore had been shipped to the smelter, the returns being from eight to twenty-three dollars a ton, while the ground is acknowledged to be rich.
He also has interests in properties near Custer, where he has passed some time in prospecting, and there he had found a belt five miles long and three wide, carrying all classes of silvanite and telluride
ore
, while he predicted that the same district will equal the famous Cripple Creek
district, in Colorado, in which latter he also has some interests.
, milling
, etc., and is known as one of the best amalgamators in the Black Hills
. In 1885 he looked over mining properties in Nova Scotia
, Vermont
and South Carolina
for Boston
capitalists and in 1890-1991 performed for them a similar service in Colorado
and Idaho
.
In his latter years he devoted practically his entire attention to the developing of his several properties, and was one of the prominent and popular mining men of the state. In 1902 Mr. Dunn made a trip to his old home in Minnesota
, that being his first visit there in forty one years.
In politics he gave his allegiance to the Republican party
.
Settler
A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. Settlers are generally people who take up residence on land and cultivate it, as opposed to nomads...
of the northwest was a prominent citizen of Deadwood
Deadwood, South Dakota
Deadwood is a city in South Dakota, United States, and the county seat of Lawrence County. It is named for the dead trees found in its gulch. The population was 1,270 according to a 2010 census...
. He was a native of the province of Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
; having been born on the banks of the St. Clair River
St. Clair River
The St. Clair River is a river in central North America which drains Lake Huron into Lake St Clair, forming part of the international boundary between the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Michigan...
, a few miles from the city of Detroit, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, on the February 16, 1851.
Family History
His father, Aaron Dunn, was a native of EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and as a young man in his thirties, moved to the America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and took up residence in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, then later moved to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, where he was engaged in the lumber business until 1856, when he moved to Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
.
There he became a pioneer of Mower County, where he was engaged in lumbering and farming until 1870, when he repeated his pioneer experiences to a certain extent by coming to what is now the state of South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
. He moved to the city of Sioux Falls, where he passed the remainder of his life. He died in 1885.
His wife, whose maiden name was Isabella Carnathan, was born in the north of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, and her death occurred in 1870. They were the parents of twelve children, Aaron having been the fourth child.
Life
Aaron Dunn passed his boyhood days under the conditions of the pioneer epoch in MinnesotaMinnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, and his early educational advantages were somewhat limited. He started forth by himself when only ten years of age.
At that time, he started for the Red river district of Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, but the Indians
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
were a source of constant menace at the time and the adventurous lad decided it would be best not to attempt to personally annihilate them, and accordingly turned around and went to the southern states
Southern States
Southern States may refer to:*Southern United States*Southern States Cooperative*The independent states of the South in the North-South divide*The independent states of the Southern hemisphere...
in 1862. This was the same year that the Minnesota massacre occurred.
War
Aaron's brother, James C., was at the time a member of Company B, Fifth Minnesota Volunteer Infantry, and at the first outbreak of the Indians at Redwood Ferry, forty-eight of his company engaged in the conflict, and of the number only twenty returned, seven of them being wounded while twenty-seven were killed, the other to complete the number engaged being the captain of the company, who was drowned while crossing the Minnesota riverMinnesota River
The Minnesota River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately 332 miles long, in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It drains a watershed of nearly , in Minnesota and about in South Dakota and Iowa....
.
During the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
Aaron was in various southern states, from Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
to Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. He was too young to enlist in the Union service, but as a troy
Troy
Troy was a city, both factual and legendary, located in northwest Anatolia in what is now Turkey, southeast of the Dardanelles and beside Mount Ida...
performed his part in forwarding the cause. He drove an ambulance
Ambulance
An ambulance is a vehicle for transportation of sick or injured people to, from or between places of treatment for an illness or injury, and in some instances will also provide out of hospital medical care to the patient...
for some time, carried dispatches and was employed in the sutler's department, and thus witnessed a number of engagements.
In 1863 he was at Cape Girardeau, Missouri, at the time of the battle there, and he continued in the south until the end of the war.
Travels and Prospecting
Then he returned to the north and remained for a few months. He then went to ColoradoColorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, where he was employed for a time, then going to New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
. In 1866 he made his way to Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
, making the trip via the Bozeman Cutoff and Forts Kearney and Smith.
At Brown's Springs, on the dry fork of the Cheyenne River
Cheyenne River
The Cheyenne River is a tributary of the Missouri River in the U.S. states of Wyoming and South Dakota. It is approximately 295 mi long and drains an area of...
. The party of which he was a member had a conflict with the Indians, losing seven men, while afterward the party had several other conflicts with the band, another member being killed.
They arrived in Bozeman
Bozeman, Montana
Bozeman is a city in and the county seat of Gallatin County, Montana, United States, in the southwestern part of the state. The 2010 census put Bozeman's population at 37,280 making it the fourth largest city in the state. It is the principal city of the Bozeman micropolitan area, which consists...
in the latter part of September, and thence Mr. Dunn proceeded to Virginia City
Virginia City, Montana
Virginia City is a town in and the county seat of Madison County, Montana, United States. In 1961, the town and the surrounding area was designated a National Historic Landmark District, the Virginia City Historic District...
, where he passed the winter. In the spring of 1867 he started forth on a prospecting
Prospecting
Prospecting is the physical search for minerals, fossils, precious metals or mineral specimens, and is also known as fossicking.Prospecting is a small-scale form of mineral exploration which is an organised, large scale effort undertaken by mineral resource companies to find commercially viable ore...
tour, making his way into the now famous Coeur d'Alene
Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
Coeur d'Alene is the largest city and county seat of Kootenai County, Idaho, United States. It is the principal city of the Coeur d'Alene Metropolitan Statistical Area. Coeur d'Alene has the second largest metropolitan area in the state of Idaho. As of the 2010 census the population of Coeur...
district of Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
and there meeting with fair success.
He then went to Philipsburg, Montana
Philipsburg, Montana
Philipsburg is a town in and the county seat of Granite County, Montana, United States. The population was 914 at the 2000 census. The town was named after the famous mining engineer Philip Deidesheimer, who designed and supervised the construction of the ore smelter around which the town...
, where he took charge of the mill of the Imperial Silver Mining Company, which he placed under successful operation, while it had previously proved a failure. While under his charge eight and one-half tons of silver represented the product of the mill. He remained with this position for a period of eighteen months and then moved to Rochester, in Madison County, Montana
Madison County, Montana
-National protected areas:*Beaverhead National Forest *Deerlodge National Forest *Gallatin National Forest -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 6,851 people, 2,956 households, and 1,921 families residing in the county. The population density was 2 people per square mile...
, where he leased mines and operated the same for the ensuing two years, with good success.
He then went to Trapper City, where he operated the Trapper mine for one winter, after which he went to the city Butte
Butte, Montana
Butte is a city in Montana and the county seat of Silver Bow County, United States. In 1977, the city and county governments consolidated to form the sole entity of Butte-Silver Bow. As of the 2010 census, Butte's population was 34,200...
, where he was offered a quarter interest and a salary of ten dollars a day to sink a shaft to a depth of one hundred feet in the Hattie Harvey mine. He accepted the proposition, sunk the shaft to the stipulated depth and then ran a level from the bottom a distance of one hundred feet, when he struck an immense body of ore running twenty-eight per cent.
It was copper, but as thirty per cent was the lowest that would at that time justify working, owing to the enormous charges for freight, the development did not proceed till some time later. It should be stated that this mine is now one of the most valuable portions of the great property of the Boston & Montana Mining Company, Limited. Leaving Butte, Mr. Dunn started for the Black Hills
Black Hills
The Black Hills are a small, isolated mountain range rising from the Great Plains of North America in western South Dakota and extending into Wyoming, USA. Set off from the main body of the Rocky Mountains, the region is something of a geological anomaly—accurately described as an "island of...
, in the summer of 1876.
Upon reaching Fort Benton
Fort Benton, Montana
Fort Benton is a city in and the county seat of Chouteau County, Montana, United States. A portion of the city was designated as a National Historic Landmark District in 1961. Established a full generation beforethe U.S...
, then the head of navigation on the Missouri river, he found that he had arrived a few hours too late to secure the last boat for the season, and in company with one companion he purchased a skiff, in which they floated four hundred and fifty miles down the river, traveling most at night and seeing Indians almost daily, this being shortly after the great Custer massacre.
At Carroll, Montana, they found a steamboat
Steamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
, on which they took passage to Bismarck
Bismarck, North Dakota
Bismarck is the capital of the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Burleigh County. It is the second most populous city in North Dakota after Fargo. The city's population was 61,272 at the 2010 census, while its metropolitan population was 108,779...
, from which point Aaron and his party came through with ox teams to the Black Hills, arriving in Deadwood
Deadwood, South Dakota
Deadwood is a city in South Dakota, United States, and the county seat of Lawrence County. It is named for the dead trees found in its gulch. The population was 1,270 according to a 2010 census...
in October, 1876, and having managed to avoid attack from the Indians while en route. He passed a month in mining in Deadwood Gulch and then joined the stampede to Wolf Mountain, but the prospects there turned out a failure and he returned in a few weeks to Deadwood.
Black Hills Stamp Mill
In January 1877, Mr. Dunn secured employment in the first stamp mill erected and placed in operation in the Black Hills, the same being owned by M. E. Pinney and Robert Lawton, and being located on two cement claims, called the Alpha and Omega.This mill was started in operation the last day of December 1876, and though there has been no little dispute as to the matter of the first mill to be put in operation, Mr. Dunn gives the assurance that this one is unmistakably entitled to the distinction. The Bald pulverizer had been started previously and run a short time, but was not a stamp mill.
Mr. Dunn did the amalgamating in the stamp mill mentioned for the ensuing seven months, and he then engaged in prospecting
Prospecting
Prospecting is the physical search for minerals, fossils, precious metals or mineral specimens, and is also known as fossicking.Prospecting is a small-scale form of mineral exploration which is an organised, large scale effort undertaken by mineral resource companies to find commercially viable ore...
and in speculating in mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
properties, while for a time he ran the Standby mill, at Rochford
Rochford
Rochford is a small town in the Rochford district of Essex in the East of England. It is sited about 43 miles from Central London and approximately 21 miles from the Essex county town, Chelmsford...
, and was also identified with the operation of several other mills, at varying intervals.
Other Mining Properties
Since 1877 he was interested in mining properties in Spruce Gulch, about two and one-half miles distant, by road, from Deadwood, and there was the principal owner in nineteen full claims.Up to the time of the writing of Doane Robinson
Doane Robinson
Jonah LeRoy "Doane" Robinson was a state historian of South Dakota who conceived of the idea for the Mount Rushmore National Memorial.-Early life:...
in 1904, about forty thousand dollars had been expended in the improvement and developing of these properties, while about three thousand tons of ore had been shipped to the smelter, the returns being from eight to twenty-three dollars a ton, while the ground is acknowledged to be rich.
He also has interests in properties near Custer, where he has passed some time in prospecting, and there he had found a belt five miles long and three wide, carrying all classes of silvanite and telluride
Telluride (chemistry)
The telluride ion is Te2−. It is the final stable member of the series of dianions O2−, S2−, and Se2− ....
ore
Ore
An ore is a type of rock that contains minerals with important elements including metals. The ores are extracted through mining; these are then refined to extract the valuable element....
, while he predicted that the same district will equal the famous Cripple Creek
Cripple Creek
Cripple Creek may refer to:Places* Cripple Creek, Colorado* Cripple Creek, VirginiaSongs* "Cripple Creek ", traditional folk song* "Up on Cripple Creek" by The Band* "Cripple Creek Ferry" by Neil Young on the album After the Gold Rush...
district, in Colorado, in which latter he also has some interests.
Summary
Mr. Dunn had made a careful study of miningMining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
, milling
Mill (grinding)
A grinding mill is a unit operation designed to break a solid material into smaller pieces. There are many different types of grinding mills and many types of materials processed in them. Historically mills were powered by hand , working animal , wind or water...
, etc., and is known as one of the best amalgamators in the Black Hills
Black Hills
The Black Hills are a small, isolated mountain range rising from the Great Plains of North America in western South Dakota and extending into Wyoming, USA. Set off from the main body of the Rocky Mountains, the region is something of a geological anomaly—accurately described as an "island of...
. In 1885 he looked over mining properties in Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
, Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
and South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
for Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
capitalists and in 1890-1991 performed for them a similar service in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
and Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
.
In his latter years he devoted practically his entire attention to the developing of his several properties, and was one of the prominent and popular mining men of the state. In 1902 Mr. Dunn made a trip to his old home in Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, that being his first visit there in forty one years.
In politics he gave his allegiance to the Republican party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
.