Archives West Finding Aid

From approximately 1927 until early 1932, the major stockholders and directors of the Blackfoot Gold Mining Company were Mark S. Welch, J. A. Walsh (who later became superintendent of the Wilma Building in Missoula, Montana), and M. L. Smith. The company's mining properties were located in the Ogden Mountain district of Powell County, Montana. By February 1932, the holdings of the Blackfoot Gold Mining Company, including deeds, easements, and paperwork were transferred to George T. Salzman, a mining engineer. This transfer occurred, at least in part, to satisfy debts incurred by the Blackfoot Gold Mining Company.

In 1934 the Blackfoot Gold Mining Company was purchased under execution sale and the new owners formed a new corporation under the name Western Montana Gold Mining Company. The directors of this new corporation were H. D. Morse, Elliott C. Pellens, and William P. Dillon (also a clerk at the Missoula Hotel). Elmer E. Hershey served as the attorney for at least the initial organization of the Western Montana Gold Mining Company. Hershey began his legal studies in 1889 under Judge Bickford of Missoula. He served a term in the Montana Legislature in 1895-96, was a member of several important committees, and helped formulate the codes of the state. In correspondence dated December 21, 1934, the Western Montana Gold Mining Company formally announce its ownership of the Blackfoot Gold Mining Company's holding, explained the results of ore assays, and described plans to recondition the existing mill.