Granville Stuart, Montana Cattle Baron (Part 1)
Granville Stuart was born in Clarksburg, Virginia, on August 27, 1834, of Robert and Nancy Currence Hall. In 1838, the family moved to Iowa. Granville and his brother James played with the Indian children who lived there. They attended school in a one room schoolhouse. In 1851, Granville, James, and Robert Stuart, and family friend Reilly set out for California.
Granville saw evidence of the many victims of cholera along the way, but their small party didn't encounter any special difficulties. He saw the famous Independence Rock, the Sweetwater River, and Fort Bridger. Going west they followed the Humboldt River through Nevada, down to Lake Tahoe. From there they followed the Truckee River until they reached the Sacramento Valley in September 1852.
Granville and James joined two other men near the Feather River. Granville was as thrilled at the sights as he was to dig for gold. He had never seen mountains, pine trees, and canyons. He also enjoyed the wildlife, especially the clever woodpecker. He respected and admired the Indians that lived nearby for their ability to hunt game and make do in primitive conditions.
In June of 1854, Granville and James, Rezin Anderson, and John L. Good headed for Yreka, California. They didn't have much luck, but Stuart sure enjoyed the scenery. He encountered a bear for the first time when it fished for salmon in a nearby stream. Never having eaten salmon before they quickly captured one and enjoyed the feast.
In June of 1855, Stuart and several others headed up the Klamath River on a prospecting trip. Some Indians shot at them and would not leave them alone, so they went back to Yreka. As it turned out, the Indians were in the midst of a full scale war with the whites, that became known as the Rogue River Indian War. Granville enlisted with the volunteers for a short time.
In June of 1857, James and Granville decided to return to Iowa to visit their family, but they never made it. They followed the Humboldt River for approximately 300 miles, with little mishap. Though it was desolate country, it was well known for Indian troubles and Stuart's party always kept an eye out. They continued northeast, cutting through south-central Idaho through the area known then and now as the City of Rocks. Just east of there Granville fell deathly ill. It took him seven weeks to recover. In the meantime war had broken out between the Mormons and the United States. Troops were patrolling and Mormons volunteers were scouting. Stuart couldn't go West or East without fear of being arrested as a government spy.
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