Klein, Eugene V., 1839-1901

Eugene Klein came west to Montana in 1866, where he worked until returning to his native Iowa in 1874. The lure of the Coeur d’Alene gold strike in 1884 called him West again. He helped build the first roads into Murray, ID and became involved with the unsuccessful Fay Templeton Mine. In 1894 he went to work for the Gem Mine, and then for the Standard as timekeeper and surface boss. A miner, dissatisfied with his pay check, shot Klein in the back, killing him, in 1901.

Klein enjoyed writing. Under the pseudonym Vive Vale, he wrote lengthy articles on the Coeur d’Alene mines for various newspapers, including the Minneapolis Tribune . He also wrote and published under the pseudonym Owen Chase, fiction based on his experiences in the Coeur d’Alenes.

From the guide to the Eugene V. Klein Papers, 1884-1901, (Eastern Washington State Historical Society/Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture Joel E. Ferris Research Library and Archives)