Melrose, Butte

Melrose is a neighborhood of Butte, Montana, United States, located at 45.6847ºN, 112.63ºW. Melrose lies off Interstate 15, Big Hole River Valley, and is an outfitting hub for fly fisherman using the Big Hole and Wise Rivers.

The tiny stage stop along the Big Hole River that would become a terminus for the railroad and a shipping/receiving point for the Hecla Consolidated Mining Company and to the entire Bryant Mining District consisting of Hecla, Lion City, Greenwood, Norwood, and Glendale. settled as early as 1870, three families shared the valley, Jefferson McCauley, John Stone and William Bowe. In 1875, William Bowe bought out two squatters giving them a combined total of 250.00. William Bowe pre-empted 160 acres (0.65 km²) of land and subsequently added 80 acres (320,000 m²) of Desert land. William built himself a modest home in 1875 and later purchased a structure in Rocker which he took apart and rebuilt at Camp Creek (later Melrose), establishing himself as a Stage Stop and Hotel Entrepreneur. On December 25, 1876, William was married to Lucina Phillips who had recently divorced Adam Fleser of whom Fleser Mountain was named. She brought four children from this marriage and settled with William Bowe in their Hotel/Stage Stop on the Big Hole known then as “Camp Creek”.

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With the railroad nearing, William Bowe platted the Town site of Camp Creek and named it “Melrose” in honor of his Stepdaughter, Melrose Fleser. Most people would know her as “Rose” and upon her death, her headstone would simply list her as “Rose”. She was laid to rest in the “Melrose” cemetery. William Bowe would begin selling off lots of this newly platted town and Business houses and homes quickly sprang up as the railroad inched closer and people started flooding in to work the mines of the Hecla Company. The railroad arrived at Melrose in the spring of 1881.

There have been many theories about how Melrose was named. One such theory involved Henry Knippenberg whom arrived in April 1881 to act as General Manager of the Hecla Mining Company located at Glendale. Myth states that because of Knippenberg’s influence and position, he had say in the naming, however Henry arrived on the scene long after Melrose was established. The privilege of naming the new town of Melrose belonged to the man who not only owned the land but also platted the town site and that was William Bowe. Also worthy to note, one of the earliest, if not in fact the earliest inscriptions in one of the autograph books kept by Rose Fleser, (Jacoby Lowney collection and relative to Melrose Fleser and the Bowe Family) states simply, Melrose, M.T., Feb. 10, 1880, signed only as “my dear loving Friend.” [of course the significance here is the date as written, clearly shows her at Melrose, M.T. in February 1880. Family legend passed down through the generations mentioned Melrose Fleser and the town’s namesake. Legend combined with documented facts such as names and dates clearly point to reasonable assertion that the Town’s Father, William Bowe named his beloved community Melrose after his much loved Stepdaughter, Melrose Fleser. Melrose would later marry Sherman Vance and they would have children. Melrose died in 1897 and was laid to rest on the hilltop overlooking the town that bears her name. Her grave records the name, “Rose” however her name was “Melrose'.

References

http://www.glendalemontana.com Jacoby Lowney, Mining Historian

Coordinates: 45°37′55″N 112°41′04″W / 45.63194°N 112.68444°W / 45.63194; -112.68444