The Virginia City Flour Wars

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Virginia City, Montana is the county seat of the area in which I live–the place where I go to renew my vehicle registrations and vote. Visiting VC is literally like stepping back in time with its wooden sidewalks and historical buildings. As one of the earliest mining areas in Montana the area has a rich and colorful history and today I’m going to tell you about the Virginia City Flour Wars.

Virginia City in January when I went to renew my car registration. Come summer these sidewalks are teeming with visitors.

It began in the winter of 1864 when Virginia City was almost two years old. In September, residents, many of whom were new to the area, were encouraged to stockpile provisions in case of snow blocking the passes during the winter months. At that time flour sold for $26.50 per 98 lb. bag. By December all the passes to Salt Lake City and other destinations were blocked by heavy snow.  Despite being snowed in, the price of flour actually dropped in February 1865, going as low as $22 a bag. In March, however, the passes were still badly drifted in and impossible to traverse, and the residents became concerned about the diminishing store of flour. Prices rose sharply, going up to $47 a bag in March.

As the miners ran out of flour, and merchants continued price gouging, with prices rising to $100 a sack, a group of 438 armed citizens, led by a man on horseback waving an empty flour sack, converged on the town. The group was divided into six patrols, each with a leader, and tasked with searching every home and business and collecting all available flour. People tried various methods to hide their flour, under floors, hidden in barrels beneath other commodities and, in one case, hidden under a haystack. The flour hunters managed to secure 82 sacks of flour which they stored in a building known as Leviathan Hall. The vigilante Flour Committee kept records and promised to pay the owners of the confiscated flour $27-$30 per sack, depending on the source of the flour.

The day after the flour raid, the precious commodity was re-distributed. Each man who affirmed he had no flour could buy up to 18 pounds. More were sold to those with families. As the supply dwindled, the amount a person could buy dropped to ten pounds. Two days after the flour raid, the people from whom the flour was taken were paid in gold for the commodity. A month later, the first supplies of flour arrived in the area and the great flour shortage was over.

 

 

Jeannie Watt
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Jeannie Watt raises cattle in Montana and loves all things western. When she's not writing, Jeannie enjoys sewing, making mosaic mirrors, riding her horses and buying hay. Lots and lots of hay.

26 thoughts on “The Virginia City Flour Wars”

  6. I love how small historic towns have such interesting stories and that folks like you share them. Thank you!

  8. We spent the night in Virginia City, MT many years ago and truly enjoyed our time there. WE were traveling with another couple and had a very enjoyable time in all the various locations we revisited history in Montana. It was very informative and eye opening.

  13. I love towns that have maintained their early character. Our’s has maintained its 1800 character on Main Street with many older houses on the side streets. The town dates from the 1700’s, but fires destroyed much of the main part of town several times.
    Thank you for an interesting story, and one that could have gone wrong so very easily. Even though the vigilante group was a bit strong armed with ferreting out the flour, they did parcel out the flour fairly. Their paying back everyone shortly after supplies were again coming in, shows how “honest” they were about the whole episode. It could have all gone so very differently.

  14. As noted by Patricia B., this riot was organized and equitable. Would that folks in our day and age took note and followed suit instead of protesting violently.

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