{"product_id":"1881-als-j-b-laurin-laurin-mt-to-henry-elling-virginia-city-mt","title":"1881 ALS J.B. Laurin** Laurin, MT to Henry Elling* Virginia City, MT","description":"Welcome to my listing for:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e1881 ALS J.B. Laurin** Laurin, MT to Henry Elling* Virginia City, MT\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e*Henry Elling was born in Germany December 9, 1842. At the age of 15, he was orphaned and with his younger brother, immigrated to the United States. Henry initially lived in Missouri, where an older brother had previously established himself. By 1863, Henry was working in the mercantile business in Colorado when he learned of the new gold strikes in the Idaho Territory. He arrived in Virginia City, MT in early summer of 1864, and opened a general mercantile store on Wallace Street. Henry soon expanded and prospered with investments in mining, livestock operations, property acquisitions, the franchise for electrical service for Bozeman and, most notably, widespread banking interest. By 1876, Henry was well established as one of the wealthiest men in Montana.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e**J.B. Laurin (1821 - 1896) was one of the earliest settlers and merchants in Madison County, Montana. Despite much formal education in his early years, he was skilled in the finance field and by age 16, had accrued over $12,000. In 1850, he settled in business in (Fort?) Bridger, WY. He then moved to Montana in the spring of 1863. He built the first cabin and what would become a famous trading post, thus founding the village that bears his name. The nearby Alder Gulch gold rush of the 1860s brought thousands of miners to the area, and while most left by the end of the decade, Jean Baptiste Laurin became rich by selling general merchandise to the miners. He used his new wealth to develop the town; one of the buildings he commissioned, St. Mary of the Assumption Church, is still standing and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. He sold his business in 1887 to pursue other interests.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShowing only minor signs of wear and handling consistent with its age. Expected fold creases from posting. No major issues to note. Mostly bold easily legible hand writing. Very clean throughout. Overall, in good to very good condition. You will receive the exact sheet shown in the photos. Will display well in your collection. It measures approx. 7 5\/8\" x 9 5\/8\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e**Shipped securely in poly sleeve, sandwiched in chipboard inside a rigid mailer via USPS Ground Advantage service w\/ tracking**\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Unbranded","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49749390459193,"sku":"Letterhead 3478","price":29.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0742\/3839\/4681\/files\/7264d346-e0b2-4d9a-ad78-88ab61bcaef6.jpg?v=1723573361","url":"https:\/\/jerrysvintagetrading.com\/products\/1881-als-j-b-laurin-laurin-mt-to-henry-elling-virginia-city-mt","provider":"Jerry's Vintage Trading","version":"1.0","type":"link"}