The Mystery of Minnie

As the only one of the three fenced graves with a name on it, Minnie Neal's final resting place has stood out from the others. With hand-cut diamond-shaped pickets and diamond-shaped finials on the corner posts, it was one of the two most ornate graves in the pioneer section of historic Lincoln Gulch Cemetery.

Over the years, a local legend about the grave said that Minnie was a dance hall girl whose perfume could still be smelled at the cemetery on certain nights. Others have claimed her ghost can sometimes be seen dancing on her grave. Ben Roth, one of the adult co-leads MCC crew that camped below the cemetery while working on projects there last July, even reported they'd heard the tinkling of bells coming from the cemetery at night.

For historians like Lewis and Clark County Heritage Preservation Officer Pam Attardo, the grave represents something of an enigma since there was no information to be found about a woman named Minnie Neal, despite her grave having such relatively ornate treatment. However, since work began on the fences last summer, a story came to light that may reveal part of Minnie's story, including her correct name.

In the Nov. 14, 1936, edition of the Montana Oil & Mining Journal, a person identified by the initials I.K. recounts his thought after a visit to Lincoln Gulch and the grave of one Minnie P. O'Neal.

"In the upper reaches of Lincoln gulch near the site of Old Fort Lincoln is a little burial spot on one of the root-stools of a minor mountain. Here Minnie P. O'Neal is taker her last sleep - God rest her soul," he wrote. "As I stood there musing, in the company with a prominent mining engineer, this thought came to me - it is not how long we live, but how much, for after all, is the matter of dying so important; are we not more concerned about the time and manner of our exit? One who as see so much of the seamy side of life should be ab interesting witness on the great Judgment Day."

Following his comments, a poem recounts the supposed story of Minnie P. O'Neal's death.

Minnie P. O'Neal

We have come from Indiana,

To the mountains of Montana,

'A seekin' gold that nature buries here;

We climbed a rugged mountain,

in our quest to find the fountain,

Giving birth and froms to its golden bier,

We have listened to the stories,

Of Montana's early glories,

And harkened to a tale we here reveal;

For the tale is most impressive,

showing spirit quite aggressive.

It's the story of Minnie P. O'Neal.

None described this comely maiden,

Who with charm was surely laden,

Her grave stone tells a tale of youthful mien:

For her years were twenty-seven,

When she left these parts for Heaven,

Leaving many to keep her memory green.

She had two aggressive suitors,

Both of whom were splendid shooters,

And they vied with each other for her hand;

First it seemed one had preference;

Then the other showed no deference,

All strategy he used at his command.

Things progressed in spritely fashion,

With these rugged men of passion,

'Till the "Scott" seemed to gain an upper-hand;

It may have been frugality,

It may have been rascality,

The "Irish" in the other took a stand.

Then he straight-way shoots the Scotchman,

Like a bungling Irish "Botch-man,"

He slays the comely Minnie P. O'Neal;

When he realized his error,

Then his heart was struck with terror,

So he closed love's triangle with a slug of steel.

And we stand beside her grave plot,

And we muse about this love knot,

We wonder why it could not be untied;

Why they all seemed void of reason,

Could not know that in due season,

The tangled mess would all be rectified.

Here she lies in peaceful slumber,

As we trek here in great number,

Doing homage to Minnie P. O'Neal;

Shall we say our thoughts go deeper,

than the grave that holds the sleeper–

Can you tell me, my brother, how you feel?

While the poem spins a compelling story, there's no telling how much, if any, of the tale it tells is true.

While there was no shortage of Scots or Irish residents and drifters in Lincoln Gulch during the mining days, but since her suitors aren't named, it's impossible to follow that information more information. Additionally, there is no record of such a shootout in the newspapers that regularly reported on the mining camp in 1869. Deaths in Lincoln Gulch were routinely reported in the Helena, Deer Lodge and Virginia City newspapers, and usually involved mining accidents or other untimely deaths. Generally, the Gulch was known at the time for its apparent lack of violent shenanigans. Likewise, the name Minnie P. O'Neal (or Minnie Neal) never appears in any of those publications during or before 1869. Could the lack of coverage be taken as evidence she really was a dance hall girl or "lady ill-repute," whose death may have intentionally gone unreported in a mining camp known for its comparatively law-abiding ways?

Regardless, I.K.'s account of his visit and the poem both raise other questions to which we don't yet have answers.

First, was Minnie's grave was originally marked with a different headstone detailing her full name and age? The existing weathered concrete headstone is similar to those marking other early graves but bears only her name – seemingly misspelled – and gives no indication she may have been 27 years old at the time of her death. If there was a different gravestone - and it seems possible given the work that went into the fence around her grave - what became of it? And where did the concrete headstones come from? Were they installed in the 1860's, or created after the original grave markers were weathered away, based on memories of old timers?

Moreover, which was her real name? At the time, Minnie was a popular nickname for any number of other female first names. Was her last name really Neal, or was it O'Neal? Or maybe O'Neill? During that era, names were often spelled in diverse ways, often phonetically. Or could it have just been an alias for someone looking to find a new life on the frontier? Unfortunately, there is a lack of detailed information about most individual residents of Lincoln Gulch, so we may never know the facts of Minnie P. O'Neal's life and death.

Nevertheless, her grave remains a centerpiece of the pioneer section of the old Lincoln Gulch Cemetery and until more of Minnie's story comes to light, a tragic gunfight and reports of a dancing specter certainly makes for make for a colorful tale.

If anyone has more information on Minnie, let us know.