Jamestown Weekly Alert, 1886-01-14, p.5
Jamestown Weekly Alert, Jamestown, 1886-01-14, p.5
Summary
A brief, credited to the Bismarck Tribune, reporting that east-bound trains carried miners leaving Butte "with barely enough money to return to their friends in the east" — because, although the Butte mines paid handsomely and distributed great sums in wages, miners had flocked there in such numbers that many could find no employment. A concise 1886 snapshot of Butte's labour oversupply: the boom that drew Irish miners west also spat many back out. Context for why migration to Butte was a gamble in exactly the years the family's circle was moving.
Places
- Butte, Montana (subject)
- Jamestown, North Dakota (origin)
- Dakota Territory / North Dakota (origin)
Themes
Story threads
Tags
- evidence_supporting
- context_setting
Source type
news_item
Related sources
Transcription
transcription: complete · confidence high
The Bismarck Tribune says: On yesterday's east bound train were a
number of miners, who, notwithstanding the reported good times at
Butte, were leaving that place with barely enough money to return to
their friends in the east. The mines at Butte are paying handsomely,
and a vast amount of money is distributed among workmen; but the
miners flocked to the place in such numbers that many were compelled
to leave without employment.