John Murray
History of Montana,by Joaquin Miller, 1894
May be copied for non-profit purposes.
USGENWEB Montana Archives

John Murray, County Commissioner of Jefferson County, 
was born in County Tipperary, Ireland, June 6, 1843, a 
son of Bartholomew and Emma (Bowen) Murray, natives 
also of that country. The parents were married in their 
native land,where seven children were born to them. In 
1846 the father and eldest son came to America, locating 
in Fulton County Illinois where they were joined in the 
following year by the remainder of the family and there 
the eighth child was born. They resided on the farm a 
number years but their death occurred at Macomb McDonough 
County--the father in 1886and the mother in 1889. Of their 
eight children, two sons and four daughters are still 
living.John Murray, the fifth child in order of birth, 
crossed the ocean to America at the age of five years, 
was raised on the farm in Illinois and attended the 
public schools during the winter months. In 1865, 
filled with the spirit of adventure, he crossed the 
plains to Montana with a freight train, under the 
direction of Captain Nasby. They had a large train 
of oxen and there were twenty seven men in this 
particular outfit but they were joined by several other
trains in crossing the Indian country. At Polo Creek, 
one of the tributaries of the Platte, they were 
attacked by Indians, who captured one of their wagons, 
wounded an ox through the neck, but the emigrants 
then succeeded in driving them off without further 
loss. After arriving at Virginia City, Mr. Murray 
engaged in mining, but, meeting with poor success 
there, two weeks later he went to Warm Spring Creek 
and after spending one month there went to Confederate 
Gulch where he found all the claims taken. In the 
early spring he engaged in prospecting at New York 
Gulch, where he worked the first successful drain 
and during the two years spent at that place took 
out about $15,000.They then supposed the mine was 
nearly exhausted but it has yielded an abundance 
of gold since. Mr. Murray next followed mining and 
merchandising at Indian Creek in St. Louis and 
three years afterward returned to the Warm Springs 
District where he has ever since remained. In 1884 
he became interested in mining with Governor Hauser 
and A.M. Holter,of Helena and they have bought the 
entire district, consisting of about 600 acres. They 
work from sixteen to twenty-two miles and during the 
past ten years have taken out $125,000 in gold. They 
expended $30,000 in putting in the Beaver Creek 
ditch, and $10,000 in building the Indian Creek 
ditch. It is now one of the most valuable properties 
in the state. Mr. Murray is also interested in quartz 
mining, his principal mine being the Iron Mask,from 
which they have shipped large quantities of ore and 
ten car loads lately shipped by them netted from $300 
to $889 a car. They have developed the mine to a 
drift of 335 feet. In addition to his mining 
interests, our subjectowns 349 acres of land in 
the Missouri Valley where he now resides.In 
November 1876 he was united in marriage with 
Miss Annie Sullivan. They have seven children, 
all born in Montana: Mary, Regina, Maud, Bertha, 
Silivian, Lessie and ___.

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