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FRIDAY, DECE:MBER 1.6, 1:921
JOSEPH KING RECALLS THE
BUFFALO DAYS IN THE BASIN
Editor, Fergus County Argus.
Dear Sir: I have been a consistent
reader of your paper sinc~ the
summer of 1882 when I paid Chas.
Fell three dollars for my subscription
to the Mineral Argl.ls, to be issued
at Maiden. However, some time
elapsed before the paper put in its
appearance, but it finally came. We
-have been subscribers ever since, although
the paper has changed its
name, and also its owners.
Great changes have taken place in
Montana since the lJalmy days of the
cowman and "puncher." The conditions
which now exist were undreamed
of at that time, and to one
who has seen this country in the
early days, and it looks it its present
state, it seems nothing short of
a fairy tale.
Jon the fall of 1881 I saw for the
first time, the creek bottom on
which Lewistown now stands. Here,
two little cabins stood, close together,
and partially protected by a
stockade, and to tllis place, numerour
"Red River" carts, with Iudian
ponies hitched to them, and loaded
with buffalo meat, came from the
Bad Lands, where buffalu . were
pler!tiful. .
Behold t.his Same place, since then.
named Le l'iStOWll! Beh'llf1 it in the I'
evening from the hill at the head of
Main street, and see the grand ii-I
lumination of this street for its entire I
length; also the rest of the city, i
equally well lighted, almost bewild-I
ering one when trying to associate
the two places as being the same. ' I
This same progress can be seen in I
many cities tb rougllOut the state, to'
say nothing or the splendid homes
all over the conntrr--the fine graded
roads, and the .\Jest of bridges, built
to last rorever', barring destruction
by the elements. All this is a reality
here in a good sized neck of the
Northwest, where a. quarter of a century
ago the opinion of able men
was that never would we have a rail-'
road into Fergus county; that it
would \never be anything but a stock'
countr·Y. . The transformation is
purely ph"e!lOmenal and I have been
ar.e tlJ.R.".;'.;' fortunate enaug);!. to 'V":
"'f)flS"~'e wonderful shifting of scenl' •.
~" j last 40 years.
../> nGfit· teams did. the hauling at
til.it time from Fort Benton, the head
of na.vigation. Years later, the
hauling was done from Billings,
which was built up when the Northern
Pacific railway built through the
Yellowstone valley in the early '80's.
Still years later" the principal freight
""rnA fr()m flrMl.t. Falls. the city hav-ing
beeJllalil-outby-the Hon. Paris
Gibson (latel' U. S. senator) following
the building of the Great Northern
railway by James J. Hill. Today,
trains come to and leave Lewistown
in five different directions and .are
all well patronized.
In the fall of 1881, a school was
established on Spj'ing creek, with
Mr. Edward Brassey as teacher and
a dozen half-breed chlUren in attendance.
The schools of 'Lewistown
now rank among'the best, if not the
best, in the state, employing a large
corps of experienced teachers, and
equipped in a first class manner.
The Junior High school, now being
huilt, and the new High school, one
~lllit of which was completed last
year, represent the last word in
:;chool construction. I recall that in
1879, while attending school at
Diamond City, then the county seat
,of Meagher county, three pupils, my-
self included, constituted the school
attendance. I doubt, if at that time,
·'t~rp wPJe a half dozen schools in
entire Meagher county. '-'- '-
. Reedsfort was the first post office
-here, Major Reed acting as postmaster,
the mail being brought twice a
week. Later it was increased to
t,bree times a week. The mail was
kept in a beer-case on the floor in
rt. corner. When a post office was
10cated at the place named Lewistown,
Reedsfort was discontinued.
The little old log building still stands
on its original site.
The only weekly papers to be seen.
ill the territorial days were the Hel- i
('lna Herald and Independent, the
Rocky Mountain Husbandman and
tLe River Pre8S from Fort Benton.'
MOllt.hly statements were unknown,
:~, nose days, the business maR
waitea the whole long year for his
money, and losses were comparatively
small.
Doctors, in order to make a living,
were compelled to keep a drug store
along with their .practice, as there i
were few deaths other than from ac- i
"k;lent or acts of violence. 'The ceme-,
"l.e.y was started by graves for sui,
dd'es arid outlaws that were killed,
and for some years Lewistown was
cdticized for the manner in which
the burial grounds were kept.
An occasional dance during the
winter months offered social diversion:
Word was sent a week or so
ahead to those invited, and congenial
gatherings resulted. The homes
being scattered, and far apart, often
madt:,. a distance of t.wenty-five or
tIth<fy\ miles, to be traveled by horse
and wrLgon. This was done. even in
zero 1\;eather. The old fasJ;l.ioN!d
quadrille was the main dance IUld it
was m'<lrning before the gy.Jnering
broke UP. (
Object Description
| Rating | |
| Title | Joseph King recalls the buffalo days in the [Judith] Basin |
| Description | Great changes have taken place in Montana since the balmy days of the cowman and "puncher." The conditions which now exist were undreamed of at that time, and to one who has seen this country in the early days, and as it looks in its present state, it seems nothing short of a fairy tale. |
| Creator | Joseph King |
| Genre | newspapers |
| Type | Text |
| Language | eng |
| Date Original | 1921-12-06 |
| Subject (keyword) | Fergus County; Judith Basin County, Montana; |
| Rights Management | No copyright restrictions |
| Contributing Institution | Lewistown Public Library, Lewistown, Montana |
| Publisher (Original) | Fergus County Argus newspaper |
| Geographic Coverage | Judith Basin, Montana. Fergus County, Montana. |
| Coverage-date | 1880's |
| Digital collection | Central Montana Historical Documents |
| Digital Format | application/pdf |
| Physical format | |
| Digitization Specifications | Canon MX310 300dpi |
| Full text of this item | JOSEPH KING RECALLS THE BUFFALO DAYS IN THE BASIN FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1921 Editor, Fergus County Argus: Dear Sir: I have been a consistent reader of your paper since the summer of 1882 when I paid Chas. Fell three dollars for my subscription to the Mineral Argus, to be issued at Maiden. However, some time elapsed before the paper put in its appearance, but it finally came. We have been subscribers ever since, although the paper has changed its name, and also its owners. Great changes have taken place in Montana since the balmy days of the cowman and "puncher." The conditions which now exist were undreamed of at that time, and to one who has seen this country in the early days, and as it looks in its present state, it seems nothing short of a fairy tale. In the fall of 1881 I saw for the first time, the creek bottom on which Lewistown now stands. Here, two little cabins stood, close together, and partially protected by a stockade, and to this place, numerous "Red River" carts, with Indian ponies hitched to them, and loaded with buffalo meat, came from the Bad Lands, where buffalo were plentiful. Behold this same place, since then named Lewistown! Behold it in the evening from the hill at the head of Main street, and see the grand illumination of this street for its entire length; also the rest of the city, equally well lighted, almost bewildering one when trying to associate the two places as being the same. This same progress can be seen in many cities throughout the state, to say nothing of the splendid homes all over the country – the fine graded roads, and the best of bridges, built to last forever, barring destruction by the elements. All this is a reality here in a good sized neck of the Northwest, where a quarter of a century ago the opinion of able men was that never would we have a railroad into Fergus county; that it would never be anything but a stock country. The transformation is purely phenomenal and I have been one of those fortunate enough to witness the wonderful shifting of scenes during the last 40 years. Freight teams did the hauling at that time from Fort Benton, the head of navigation. Years later, the hauling was done from Billings, which was built up when the Northern Pacific railway built through the Yellowstone valley in the early '80's. Still years later, the principal freight came from Great Falls, the city having been laid out by the Hon. Paris Gibson (Later U. S. senator) following the building of the Great Northern railway by James J. Hill. Today, trains come to and leave Lewistown in five different directions and all are well patronized. In the fall of 1881, a school was established on Spring creek, with Mr. Edward Brassey as teacher and a dozen half-breed children in attendance. The schools of Lewistown now rank among the best, if not the best, in the state, employing a large corps of experienced teachers, and equipped in a first class manner. The Junior High school, now being built, and the new High school, one unit of which was completed last year, represent the last word in school construction. I recall that in 1879, while attending school in Diamond City, then the county seat of Meagher county, three pupils, myself included, constituted the school attendance. I doubt, if at that time, there were a half dozen schools in entire Meagher county. Reedsfort was the first post office here, Major Reed acting as postmaster, the mail being brought twice a week. Later it was increased to three times a week. The mail was kept in a beer-case on the floor in a corner. When a post office was located at the place named Lewistown, Reedsfort was discontinued. The little old log building still stands on its original site. The only weekly papers to be seen in the territorial days were the Helena Herald and Independent, the Rocky Mountain Husbandman and the River Press from Fort Benton. Monthly statements were unknown, and in those days, the businessman waited the whole long year for his money, and losses were comparatively small. Doctors, in order to make a living, were compelled to keep a drug store along with their practice, as there were few deaths other than from accidents or acts of violence. The cemetery was started by graves for suicides and outlaws that were killed, and for some years Lewistown was criticized for the manner in which the burial grounds were kept. An occasional dance during the winter months offered social diversion. Word was sent a week or so ahead to those invited, and congenial gatherings resulted. The homes being scattered, and far apart, often made a distance of twenty-five or thirty miles, to be traveled by horse and wagon. This was done even in zero weather. The old fashioned quadrille was the main dance and it was morning before the gathering broke up. Before coming to the Basin, my father and his family lived in ???? now owned by Mr. Olson, near Moore, through buffalo hunting parties, that the Judith basin was a great country for lots of grass and good water. After much advice for and against moving, my father final decided to come here. In August, 1881, he and John Tresch, who now resides near Glengary on Beaver Creek, started from Diamond City to come here to locate. Finding conditions as represented, and well satisfied, they returned to make filing in the land office at Helena. After a cabin was built and livestock located, the family went into self-imposed exile for a long time to come. At that time we were 500 miles from the nearest railroad station; 100 miles from Fort Benton which had the nearest store with a full line of merchandise and eight or 10 miles from our nearest neighbor. The nearest post office that first winter was Oka, and trips were made there once a month with an ox team on account of the undependability of horses. In February, 1882, it took a week to make this trip owing to the severe snow storm which made it impossible to travel but a few miles a day. Stops were made at Ubet, later a great stopping place, at Buffalo creek with John Day (later the Wm. Gordon ranch), the I.B. Dawkins ranch, now owned by Mr. Olson, near Moore, and one night was spent in the open, without any serious inconvenience. The homecoming with mail and supplies was enjoyed by all, in the warm cabin. In the fall of 1882, a fire burned over all the ground between Spring creek and to about the place where Garneil now stands, leaving a few patches of ground here and there unburned. Fires kept breaking out in the timber along the Snowy Mountains up until Christmas, which were put out by the settlers or campers. A large strip was left unburned near Rock creek, and our cattle were wintered there very successfully among many herds of elk. I could not mention any especial hardships endured by us. The one cow we milked furnished milk for the one-year old baby brother, the family doing without for several weeks. Early in the spring, additional cows were broke to milk. There was always a great sufficiency of buffalo and elk meat, and the absence of potatoes or other vegetables for five months at a time did not seem to trouble us, knowing they were not to be had, and that everyone else was situated the same. The winter of 1881-82 was very mild and short, the previous winter being very disastrous in Montana, when much stock and many buffalo were frozen or starved. The disappearance of the big herds of buffalo, and their reduction from tens of thousands to a few hundred, scattered here and there, soon solved the problem of trouble with the Indians. In a little over two years, the red man became unable to make his living on the old hunting grounds and submitted to live henceforth on Indian reservations under the control of an Indian agent, appointed by the government. The settlement and occupation of the public domain became much easier and safer thereafter, and many of the forts were soon abandoned. Large herds of cattle, driven in from Texas, onto the spacious ranges of eastern and Central Montana soon stocked the same. In later years many sheep were driven in from California and Oregon, and many horses were brought across the plains from Missouri and elsewhere. Families settled along streams and on other favorably locations, started new homes, which at first consisted of only a log shack with a dirt roof and a dirt floor, settled here, to grow up with the country, and are now counted among Montana’s prosperous citizens. The people of early days were known for and wide for their generous hospitality. Gladly did they share what they had with strangers who might come, weary and hungry, making them feel welcome and at home. I recall an instance in which the bedding was insufficient for the number of men; consequently one was detailed to keep the fire going during the night, thus keeping the rest comfortable. The evenings were spent at games or telling tales of hair-breadth escapes of hold-ups, mixed with the usual amount of wit and humor, into the late hours of the night. I cannot recount one instance where favors thus shown were ever returned with ingratitude. Up to the arrival of railroads into the Judith basin, very little, if any, farming on dry benches took place. The confirmed idea prevailed, that it could not successfully be done. The early day’s cowman did not desire to invest in what seemed to him valueless land, and was satisfied with the use of it. The sheepmen, shrewdly, with better foresight, systematically appropriated the water courses and springs controlling the range. This was all done very quietly, and too late to conditions, the cattlemen saw their mistake. The railroads being put in operation, started homesteading on the nice level benchlands. Their phenomenal success of growing good wheat crops of the best hard wheat was a strong inducement for others to follow the movement. In this manner about all the available public land was located on, and even the “Bad Lands” became appropriated to private ownership. Thus, with the range closed up, came to an end, or practically so, the livestock enterprise of this once great range country. The memory of the past we shall ever cherish. We are proud to claim it our own. It can never repeat itself, and fortunate, indeed, were those who were permitted to live here then, and have the rich experiences of the past, in building up such a magnificent commonwealth, beyond all comparison. It fills me with sublime gratitude for all things, and I hope that the great future ahead will reward all honest efforts made with the greatest of success. The experiences of the more or less distressing conditions at present should serve as a reminder in times to come to everyone. Joseph King. |
| Local Identifier | SC 6.288 |
Description
| Title | King, Joseph 1 |
| Type | Text |
| Contributing Institution | Lewistown Public Library, Lewistown, Montana |
| Digital Format | application/pdf |
| Digitization Specifications | Canon MX310 300dpi |
| Full text of this item |
FRIDAY, DECE:MBER 1.6, 1:921
JOSEPH KING RECALLS THE
BUFFALO DAYS IN THE BASIN
Editor, Fergus County Argus.
Dear Sir: I have been a consistent
reader of your paper sinc~ the
summer of 1882 when I paid Chas.
Fell three dollars for my subscription
to the Mineral Argl.ls, to be issued
at Maiden. However, some time
elapsed before the paper put in its
appearance, but it finally came. We
-have been subscribers ever since, although
the paper has changed its
name, and also its owners.
Great changes have taken place in
Montana since the lJalmy days of the
cowman and "puncher." The conditions
which now exist were undreamed
of at that time, and to one
who has seen this country in the
early days, and it looks it its present
state, it seems nothing short of
a fairy tale.
Jon the fall of 1881 I saw for the
first time, the creek bottom on
which Lewistown now stands. Here,
two little cabins stood, close together,
and partially protected by a
stockade, and to tllis place, numerour
"Red River" carts, with Iudian
ponies hitched to them, and loaded
with buffalo meat, came from the
Bad Lands, where buffalu . were
pler!tiful. .
Behold t.his Same place, since then.
named Le l'iStOWll! Beh'llf1 it in the I'
evening from the hill at the head of
Main street, and see the grand ii-I
lumination of this street for its entire I
length; also the rest of the city, i
equally well lighted, almost bewild-I
ering one when trying to associate
the two places as being the same. ' I
This same progress can be seen in I
many cities tb rougllOut the state, to'
say nothing or the splendid homes
all over the conntrr--the fine graded
roads, and the .\Jest of bridges, built
to last rorever', barring destruction
by the elements. All this is a reality
here in a good sized neck of the
Northwest, where a. quarter of a century
ago the opinion of able men
was that never would we have a rail-'
road into Fergus county; that it
would \never be anything but a stock'
countr·Y. . The transformation is
purely ph"e!lOmenal and I have been
ar.e tlJ.R.".;'.;' fortunate enaug);!. to 'V":
"'f)flS"~'e wonderful shifting of scenl' •.
~" j last 40 years.
../> nGfit· teams did. the hauling at
til.it time from Fort Benton, the head
of na.vigation. Years later, the
hauling was done from Billings,
which was built up when the Northern
Pacific railway built through the
Yellowstone valley in the early '80's.
Still years later" the principal freight
""rnA fr()m flrMl.t. Falls. the city hav-ing
beeJllalil-outby-the Hon. Paris
Gibson (latel' U. S. senator) following
the building of the Great Northern
railway by James J. Hill. Today,
trains come to and leave Lewistown
in five different directions and .are
all well patronized.
In the fall of 1881, a school was
established on Spj'ing creek, with
Mr. Edward Brassey as teacher and
a dozen half-breed chlUren in attendance.
The schools of 'Lewistown
now rank among'the best, if not the
best, in the state, employing a large
corps of experienced teachers, and
equipped in a first class manner.
The Junior High school, now being
huilt, and the new High school, one
~lllit of which was completed last
year, represent the last word in
:;chool construction. I recall that in
1879, while attending school at
Diamond City, then the county seat
,of Meagher county, three pupils, my-
self included, constituted the school
attendance. I doubt, if at that time,
·'t~rp wPJe a half dozen schools in
entire Meagher county. '-'- '-
. Reedsfort was the first post office
-here, Major Reed acting as postmaster,
the mail being brought twice a
week. Later it was increased to
t,bree times a week. The mail was
kept in a beer-case on the floor in
rt. corner. When a post office was
10cated at the place named Lewistown,
Reedsfort was discontinued.
The little old log building still stands
on its original site.
The only weekly papers to be seen.
ill the territorial days were the Hel- i
('lna Herald and Independent, the
Rocky Mountain Husbandman and
tLe River Pre8S from Fort Benton.'
MOllt.hly statements were unknown,
:~, nose days, the business maR
waitea the whole long year for his
money, and losses were comparatively
small.
Doctors, in order to make a living,
were compelled to keep a drug store
along with their .practice, as there i
were few deaths other than from ac- i
"k;lent or acts of violence. 'The ceme-,
"l.e.y was started by graves for sui,
dd'es arid outlaws that were killed,
and for some years Lewistown was
cdticized for the manner in which
the burial grounds were kept.
An occasional dance during the
winter months offered social diversion:
Word was sent a week or so
ahead to those invited, and congenial
gatherings resulted. The homes
being scattered, and far apart, often
madt:,. a distance of t.wenty-five or
tIth |
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