It is finished! After many years living in the valley of deep darkness of Alzheimer's John Henry Magnus wearisome from pain passed away December 3, 2020. John was born April 30, 1935, in the family farmhouse on the Biraird Place near Laurin, Montana, to parents, Victor and Martha (Salomonsen) Magnus, who ranched in the Ruby Valley and operated the Farmers Union Co-Op for eighteen years in Alder.

From an early age John was fiercely independent and helped with the milking and daily ranch chores. He often brought calamity to his babysitter; his older sister fondly known as Sis. John was an extremely competitive athlete in football, basketball, and track. He also was active in chorus, and student council. He graduated from Sheridan High School in 1953.

John married Shirley Redfield and they shared sixty-six years of an adventurous life together. John had a photographic memory and could do almost anything he put his mind to, but mining was his passion. He and "Shirls" moved to Butte and Anaconda where John worked for the Anaconda Company but after a few years quit the company and moved back to the Ruby Valley area. He and his uncle Nels contracted out to various underground hard rock mines.

Those vertical shafts under the headframes were the beginning of John's practicum of his mining degree that would continue for years through field work, hard work, and of reading and studying. At one point in his life, he was offered an "honorary degree" from the School of Mines, known now as Montana Tech. He formed many wonderful friendships from the Bureau and Montana Tech.

John loved everything Ruby Valley from water skiing the Ruby Reservoir, hunting game in the Upper Ruby with the Salmonsen cousins, fishing, baseball, golfing, bowling, volleyball, and horseshoes. As a competitive group, family volleyball was more like a family feud. Most of all John loved prospecting in the Tobacco Root Mountains.

Summers would find John and Shirley packing up their children, Marilyn, Michael, and John Jr. (John-o) and moving up Indian Creek and working as an independent small miner in the Red Pine, a hard rock operation. They would live in the rustic cabins that had no electricity, running water, indoor plumbing, refrigeration, only a wood cookstove. John would oversee the underground operations or the process of extraction of hard metals, the milling where the gold, silver, copper, and other ore were crushed and refined and trucked to Helena in concentrates. He also would assay or analyze the ore to determine its composition or quality.

Good years would find John and family joined by a few miners and of course Uncle Nels, from the Butte area, employed to help with the underground mining. They would be provided not only a wage but a cabin and meals. Mealtimes often found not only miners, but friends, family and investors from around the country joining the table. Shirley would often cook the little "brookies," caught from Indian Creek, and no one left hungry declaring how good the food was! It must have been they returned year after year. Investors often pitched tents on the banks of the creek and were reticent to leave and return home, enjoying the mountain man like living.

Gold was thirty-five dollars an ounce and it took many refined concentrates to not only make a living in the summer months but the winter months as well and employ a crew. Some years John and family had only themselves to mine, mill and run the family mining endeavor. As times begin to change so did the Montana small independent miner as greater restrictions were placed upon them. It was about this time John began to look elsewhere for mining opportunities and he found himself traversing the jungles of Brazil mining diamonds and semi-precious stones.

Wanting to be closer to home John then developed, designed, and built a mill up Rochester Basin about ten miles above Twin Bridges, Montana, to work the Watseca Mine from the 1860's. Eventually he and his investor partners sold the property.

Like most of John's mining activities, it was usually a family affair. The Green Campbell found sons buying stove pipes, metal leggings wrapped in leather to protect them from the abundant rattlesnakes. The Red Pine found the family contending with bears raiding their refrigeration, a cooler made in the stream next to the cabin. Winter snowfall called for plowing some years six feet or more.

Life for John as a small independent miner in Montana was a world of promotion. He had to find investors willing to put capital up front to start the mining process. John was the "real deal" as they say, he truly promoted honesty and returns on their investments. John's reputation lead to his consulting work in the mining world. His last mining promotion was his beloved Alder Gulch.

Being an avid sports fan John loved to watch his sons play football, basketball, baseball, and track. John taught his daughter Marilyn not to throw like a girl in softball. He also loved watching his grandkids and rarely missed a game. He was extremely proud of grandchildren, Gayle, Michael, Jennifer, Shelly, John III (Jake), Jonathan and Ryan. They discovered those Grampa competitive genes run deep!

He could tell the best jokes, play the meanest game of pinochle, and he and his dance partner, wife Shirley were like swans on the dance floor. He loved music and Cadillacs, playing pool and playing craps. In later years John and Shirley would pull their camper south and he would prospect the deserts of Arizona and Nevada.

John founded and organized the Montana Independent Miners Association. He lobbied for their livelihood and the 1872 mining law! He published and distributed an "Independent Montana Miner" newspaper. John lived his life courageously seeing what changes needed to be made and acted upon his convictions, refusing to sell his mining claims to a foreign country despite the offer of wealth. He believed America belonged to us with the rights of freedom and responsibilities to make our community and nation a more just and gracious world.

John lived by the golden rule, posting a sign in his office "whoever has the gold makes the rules!" Often, he would pan for gold and come home with nuggets almost as big as your thumb. If there was gold in "them thar hills" he would find it.

It was with great sorrow and heavy hearts we bid our farewells and promised to meet again on the streets of gold in the New Jerusalem. For in the book of Revelation it says the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.

We, his family, await the day when we shall meet on the streets of gold in the New Jerusalem! What a heavenly destination and especially for a miner and geologist!

John is survived by his wife, Shirley, daughter Marilyn Walter (Tom) of Sheridan, son Michael Magnus (Sue) of Bozeman, son John-o Magnus (Angie) of Butte, brother Vic Magnus (Carol) of Richland Washington, and special cousin Birdie of Helena. Grandchildren Gayle (BJ), Michael (Shaleena), Shelly (Patrick), Jake (Katie), Jonathan (Yera) and Ryan. Great grandchildren, Madeline, Kaleb, Jaxon, Yerita, Sophie, Paige, Parker, Cooper, Henry, Piper, Ava, and twins Fiona and Lincoln, and one in the oven due on John's birthday April 30! Brothers-in-law Robert Redfield (Eileen), Keith Redfield, sister-in-law Betty Rampy (Lee), and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins. Preceding him in death were his parents, Victor and Martha Magnus, his father-in-law and mother-in-law, Ralph and Clara Redfield, brothers Nevin (Maxine) and Lindey (Laura) and sister Mary Ann (Carlton) Duncan, granddaughter Jennifer.

He leaves us, his family, a legacy and a challenge from a life well lived--before us walked a giant of a man, " Big John."

Family services will be held Tuesday, December 8, at 11:00 a.m. at Mountain View Chapel in Twin Bridges. Interment will be at Taylor Cemetery, Alder, Montana.

Memorials can be made to Taylor Cemetery, Alder, Montana. A very special thank you to the Beehive Homes in Butte and staff for loving and caring for John. We also extend our deepest gratitude to his angels, Luchy, Tamika, and Jovan. God bless you!!

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Published by The Montana Standard on Dec. 8, 2020.