Four Georgians
Encyclopedia
The Four Georgians were a group of gold
prospector
s that are traditionally credited for opening the Last Chance Placer of Helena, Montana
. They were John Cowan, D. J. Miller, John Crab, and Reginald (Robert) Stanley. Of the four, the only actual Georgian
was Cowan, who hailed from Acworth, Georgia
. The other three came from Alabama
(Miller), Iowa
(Crab) and England (Stanley). It has been speculated that they were named "Georgians" not from where they came from, but because they were practicing the "Georgian method" of placer mining
.
In 1864, they left the Alder Gulch
prospects of Virginia City, Montana
Territory, heading north to find richer prospects. After prospecting the Little Blackfoot River, they crossed the Continental Divide
to Prickly Pear Creek, finding no gold, they moved further north. Still finding little gold after six weeks of hard work, they returned south to a place that they had earlier named Last Chance Gulch. It was so named because the group had decided if good gold could not be found there they would give up on the whole area.
On July 14, 1864, they dug two prospect pits on Last Chance Gulch upstream from their earlier efforts. Both pits revealed flat gold nuggets and gold dust. Eventually, Crab and Cowan were sent back to Virginia City for more supplies and the Last Chance bonanza began. In 1867, the Four Georgians sold out their claims. It was said that they needed a heavy wagon to haul just their gold dust back to civilization.
A Georgian genealogist suggests instead that the "Four Georgians" were: John Cowan, his nephew Frank Cowan, Henry Rusk, and Bill Palmer. These four are indeed all Georgians, knew each other, and mined gold in Montana. As Cowan is listed in both lists, it is probable that all seven men were among the group that opened the Last Chance Placer of Helena, Montana for mining.
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
prospector
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...
s that are traditionally credited for opening the Last Chance Placer of Helena, Montana
Helena, Montana
Helena is the capital city of the U.S. state of Montana and the county seat of Lewis and Clark County. The 2010 census put the population at 28,180. The local daily newspaper is the Independent Record. The Helena Brewers minor league baseball and Helena Bighorns minor league hockey team call the...
. They were John Cowan, D. J. Miller, John Crab, and Reginald (Robert) Stanley. Of the four, the only actual Georgian
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
was Cowan, who hailed from Acworth, Georgia
Acworth, Georgia
Acworth is a city in Cobb County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 20,425. Acworth is located in the foothills of the North Georgia mountains along the southeastern banks of Lake Acworth and Lake Allatoona on the Etowah River.Acworth's nickname is "The...
. The other three came from Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
(Miller), Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
(Crab) and England (Stanley). It has been speculated that they were named "Georgians" not from where they came from, but because they were practicing the "Georgian method" of placer mining
Placer mining
Placer mining is the mining of alluvial deposits for minerals. This may be done by open-pit or by various surface excavating equipment or tunneling equipment....
.
In 1864, they left the Alder Gulch
Alder Gulch
Alder Gulch is a place in the U.S. state of Montana, where gold was discovered on May 26, 1863 by William Fairweather and a group of men, including Barney Hughes, Thomas Cover, Henry Rodgers, Henry Edgar and Bill Sweeney who were returning to the gold fields of Bannack, Montana...
prospects of Virginia City, Montana
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...
Territory, heading north to find richer prospects. After prospecting the Little Blackfoot River, they crossed the Continental Divide
Continental Divide
The Continental Divide of the Americas, or merely the Continental Gulf of Division or Great Divide, is the name given to the principal, and largely mountainous, hydrological divide of the Americas that separates the watersheds that drain into the Pacific Ocean from those river systems that drain...
to Prickly Pear Creek, finding no gold, they moved further north. Still finding little gold after six weeks of hard work, they returned south to a place that they had earlier named Last Chance Gulch. It was so named because the group had decided if good gold could not be found there they would give up on the whole area.
On July 14, 1864, they dug two prospect pits on Last Chance Gulch upstream from their earlier efforts. Both pits revealed flat gold nuggets and gold dust. Eventually, Crab and Cowan were sent back to Virginia City for more supplies and the Last Chance bonanza began. In 1867, the Four Georgians sold out their claims. It was said that they needed a heavy wagon to haul just their gold dust back to civilization.
A Georgian genealogist suggests instead that the "Four Georgians" were: John Cowan, his nephew Frank Cowan, Henry Rusk, and Bill Palmer. These four are indeed all Georgians, knew each other, and mined gold in Montana. As Cowan is listed in both lists, it is probable that all seven men were among the group that opened the Last Chance Placer of Helena, Montana for mining.