OK Solberg: 00:00

Want again welcome you to The 405 Coffee Break, guys. Beautiful day. Get you a cup of coffee, glass iced tea, or bottled water. Let's see what's happening.

OK Solberg: 00:07

Hey. Look at this spring wheat. $6.32 a bushel. I called Chandel myself, and yesterday, it jumped 19¢. But today, worth $6.32. Going in the right direction, 550lb steer calf $5.06 a pound, on the top end, a 100lb fat lamb in Billings $2.92. $2.92, just like the GM 6 cylinder engine. But guys, there's more, much more.

OK Solberg: 00:39

Hey. Hey. Do you like history? I know for a fact many young people despise studying history in school. At least some do. Now you might think, how do I know that? Because I was one of them. I'm sorry, but it's true. I was there in school to hang out with my friends, not learn.

OK Solberg: 01:03

But in 1st John 1:9 it says, If you confess your sins, he is faithful and just, to forgive you of your sins and cleanse you from all unrighteousness. Again, 1st John one nine. So I confessed my sin.

OK Solberg: 01:22

I love history now. What about you? History. History. Did you realize the old Great Northern Hotel burned down in 1971? Did you realize the underpass in Malta was begun in 1952, completed in 1953? Did you know in February 1977, there was an attempted bank robbery in Hinsdale, Montana? Did you remember the Mustang Lanes? The bowling alley right here in Malta. It burned down in 1999.

OK Solberg: 02:00

Oh, yes. History is fun, and it's much more relevant to each of us if it's something, someone, or someplace we know. So today, it's Montana history. Tomorrow, it's local history, but today, history. Now to start out with, this might sound odd, but stick with me.

OK Solberg: 02:22

I am looking for a person who was born on 03/07/1977. Do you know anyone? Let me know if you do, please. 03/07/1977. That'd be 03/07/77. Hey. Does that number ring a bell? 3-7-77? I'll tell you what, if you get pulled over by a highway patrol, look on his badge. Those numbers are printed right there in plain sight.

OK Solberg: 02:58

So let's look at the history of that series of numbers. Sit back children and draw close to the fire. Let me tell you a story. In May 1863, a small exhausted group of prospectors led by William Fairweather were not chasing riches. They were running out of luck and simply trying to remain alive.

OK Solberg: 03:27

After months of failed prospecting and even being forced out of Crow territory, the men camped behind the unremarkable creek in what is now Southwestern Montana. While most of the party hunted food, you gotta stay alive. Right? Gotta eat something. Fairweather and another man idly panned the stream for gold just hoping for enough gold dust to buy tobacco.

OK Solberg: 03:57

Instead, they struck one of the richest placer deposits in North America history. Now placer simply means that the gold has been carried to a surface area by erosion, aka a creek or a river. The men agreed to keep the discovery a secret. They were so serious about it. They made a pact.

OK Solberg: 04:21

Then they quietly returned to the boom town of Bannock to gather supplies. But guess what guys? Word got out. It spread faster than the prairie fire on the July 4. Within weeks, a sprawling settlement called Fourteen Mile City sprang up along Alder Gulch.

OK Solberg: 04:41

It wasn't a single town, but a chain of camps including Virginia City and Nevada City. Guys, listen. In under three months in under three months, the population exploded to 10,000 people. In the next three years, over $30,000,000 of gold was extracted from the creeks and streams. Well, with wealth or better yet with gold comes greed and the sinful nature of mankind begins to surface.

OK Solberg: 05:18

Because the boom happened so fast, there was no functioning legal system. A loosely organized gang sprang up and they were robbing everyone of their gold. Can you imagine? Well, this brought about the Montana vigilantes. Now we've all heard of the vigilantes.

OK Solberg: 05:37

Well, some were good, some on the other hand were bad. But what happened is this, once they suspected an illegal act, well, they often hung them right on the spot, but the vigilantes had another method as well. If they didn't find the person they were looking for, they'd leave a note on a cabin door and those numbers would be written. That meant get out of town, get out of the country or we're coming for you. Speculation has it that the numbers indicate the size of the grave, three feet wide, seven feet long, and 77 inches deep.

OK Solberg: 06:19

That is the hypothesis, but no one knows for sure. But just let me ask you a question. One question. Have you ever tried to dig a hole in the mountains with a shovel? I have, and I find it rocky and dense.

OK Solberg: 06:36

So just ask yourself this question. When these men went to bury a man, a man they didn't like for that matter, do you think they would take the time to dig a grave a little over six feet deep in rocky soil without a backhoe? Just saying. But nonetheless, the numbers stuck. Still to this day, you can find the numbers 3-7-77 on the badges of Montana Highway Patrol.

OK Solberg: 07:05

The Montana Highway Patrol, in adopting this early symbol, honored the first men in the Montana territory who organized for the safety and welfare of the people. Just thought you'd like to know. So now one last thing and then I'll go. Find me a person who was born on 03/07/1977. They'd be 49 years old.

OK Solberg: 07:31

Go out and find them. Let me know. So until next time, as you go out there, remember now, don't be bitter.