This Month in Montana History: April

April 12th 1864, 159 years ago: The American Civil War begins. Montana would not become a territory until three years later and played little role in the Civil War itself. Despite this, several Montanans enlisted in Union regiments during this time, and a company of "Galvanized Yankees," primarily made up of former prisoners of war, were stationed at Fort Benton.

April 1st 1873, 150 years ago: The Coinage Act is enacted, ending silver standard dollars and causing a crash in the silver industry. This crash led to many of Jefferson County's mining operations to close or reduce staff and capacity.

April 1890 (exact date unknown), 133 years ago: The Sunlight vein is discovered by Anthony H. Hedley, five miles north of Whitehall. By 1894, the Sunlight and Golden Sunlight veins incorporated into the Golden Sunlight mine, and Hedley retired in luxury after selling it to the American Development and Mining Company. While the mine officially shut down in 2019, operations are continuing to salvage tailings and prevent pollution to nearby areas.

April 8th 1896, 127 years ago: Seven die in the Hope mines after the hoist catches fire. Among the victims was foreman Martin Buckley, who attempted a rescue. The Hope was already in talks of closing before the incident occurred, but the tragedy hastened the process. The Hope would later reopen in 1902 combined with the nearby Katy mine.

April 25th 1896, 127 years ago: The last issue of the Wickes Pioneer is published. Edited by Robert C. Bailey and originally operating as the Hartford Pioneer, the newspaper barely lasted a year, with the Wickes edition only running for 9 months before canceling due to poor sales and even worse critical reception. In its final issue, Bailey writes "The Pioneer may not have been strictly up to the standard of county journalism, but it is what the people have made it ... It is rather a hard proposition to run a newspaper on fresh mountain air and expectations."

April 3rd 1911, 112 years ago: Boulder holds its first municipal election after incorporation. Leonard Q. Skelton is elected mayor, but both alderman elections result in ties.

April 6th 1917, 106 years ago: America enters World War 1. 40,000 Montanans were called to serve in the US military, with a miscalculation in the draft making Montana contribute the highest number of soldiers relative to the size of its population. Montana also suffered from the most casualties per capita, with around 1,500 Montanans dead and another 2,437 wounded.

April 24th 1959, 64 years ago: A fire destroys the Alhambra Hot Springs. The owner, Willard L. Bompart, had just completed renovations on the building and could not afford to rebuild, resulting in its closure. All guests staying at the hotel lost all their possessions, with only a player piano able to be salvaged.

--Information from The Age, The Age Sentinel, Boulder Monitor, and Montana Sunlight, as well as additional historic sources. Conduct your own research at MontanaNewspapers.org.