USA > Montana > Yellowstone County > An illustrated history of the Yellowstone Valley : embracing the counties of Park, Sweet Grass, Carbon, Yellowstone, Rosebud, Custer and Dawson, state of Montana > Part 34
USA > Montana > Park County > An illustrated history of the Yellowstone Valley : embracing the counties of Park, Sweet Grass, Carbon, Yellowstone, Rosebud, Custer and Dawson, state of Montana > Part 34
USA > Montana > Dawson County > An illustrated history of the Yellowstone Valley : embracing the counties of Park, Sweet Grass, Carbon, Yellowstone, Rosebud, Custer and Dawson, state of Montana > Part 34
USA > Montana > Rosebud County > An illustrated history of the Yellowstone Valley : embracing the counties of Park, Sweet Grass, Carbon, Yellowstone, Rosebud, Custer and Dawson, state of Montana > Part 34
USA > Montana > Custer County > An illustrated history of the Yellowstone Valley : embracing the counties of Park, Sweet Grass, Carbon, Yellowstone, Rosebud, Custer and Dawson, state of Montana > Part 34
USA > Montana > Sweet Grass County > An illustrated history of the Yellowstone Valley : embracing the counties of Park, Sweet Grass, Carbon, Yellowstone, Rosebud, Custer and Dawson, state of Montana > Part 34
USA > Montana > Carbon County > An illustrated history of the Yellowstone Valley : embracing the counties of Park, Sweet Grass, Carbon, Yellowstone, Rosebud, Custer and Dawson, state of Montana > Part 34
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197
HISTORY OF SWEET GRASS COUNTY.
The 1887 session of the Montana legisla- ture passed an act creating the county of Park out of the eastern portion of Gallatin. Be- fore the passage of this act the greater part of the future Sweet Grass county had been a part of Gallatin county ; now it became a part of Park county. This included the greater part of its area, but small portions of what we now know as Sweet Grass county were taken from Yellowstone and Meagher counties in the formation of the county whose history we are writing.
By an agreement between the Crow In- dians and the United States concluded Decem- ber 8, 1890, and approved by congress March 3. 1891. the Crows agreed to sell to the gov- ernment all that part of their reservation west of a line described as follows :
Beginning in the mid-channel of the Yellowstone river, at a point which is the northwest corner of sec- tion number thirty-six, township number two north, of range twenty-seven east, of the principal meridian of Montana: thenee running in a southwesterly di- rection, following the top of the natural divide be- tween the waters flowing into the Yellowstone and Clark's Fork rivers on the west and those flowing into Pryor ereek and West Pryor creek on the east. to the base of West Pryor mountain; thence due south and up the north slope of said Pryor mountain on a true meridian line to a point fifteen miles due north from the established line between Montana and Wy- oming : thence in a due easterly course on a parallel of latitude to a point where it intersects the mid- channel of the Big Horn river : thenee following up the mid-channel of said river to a point where it erosses the Montana and Wyoming state line.
By this act all of the territory within the present county of Sweet Grass was removed from Indian territory. The executive procla- mation opening this land to immediate settle- ment was signed by President Benjamin Har- rison on Saturday afternoon, October 15. 1892. From this land there had been made about 320 Indian allotments, but the land thus se- lected was in the main low, brushy land, and not the best by any means. The proclamation throwing open the lands had been awaited
anxiously for a long time, and when it came people flocked in in large numbers. That part of the lands lying in Sweet Grass county had been occupied for many years by two men, Thos. Kane and "Dutch Gus." for grazing ground without molestation from the Indians or the government. Now settlers flocked in and these two men were obliged to divide their territory with others. The opening of these lands meant much to the people of eastern Montana. They were both agricultural and mineral. To show the nature of this land, it is said that in 1893 Harrison brothers trailed 500 head of cattle from Big Timber to Trout creek by grazing them down the Yellowstone and up Bridger creek, through grass that cat- tle could hide in and without seeing a fence on the trip.
The year 1892 was a prosperous one for the people of the future Sweet Grass county. The sheep and wool business was good; there was great activity in the Boulder mines; and everybody was prosperous.
We now approach the first attempt of the citizens of the eastern part of Park county to bring about the creation of Sweet Grass coun- ty by the legislature of 1893. At that session Park county was represented in the senate by George M. Hatch and in the house by Paul VanCleve and Thos. S. Ash. The two former were residents of the east side of the county and lent their assistance to the cause of the proposed new county-for which they received the highest encomiums at home and the bitter- est denunciation in the west side of the county ..
The bill to create Sweet Grass county was to have come up before the senate on the aft- ernoon of February 15, but on motion of Mr. Hatch it was replaced on the general file. The next day, on motion of Senator William L. Steele, of Lewis and Clark county, the bill was put on final passage and defeated by a vote of seven to nine.
The feelings of the people of Livingston and Big Timber over the result are best told
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HISTORY OF SWEET GRASS COUNTY.
by the newspapers of the two towns. On February 18 the Livingston Enterprise said :
The joyful news was received in this city Thurs- day (February 16) afternoon that political perfidy had met its just reward and, notwithstanding the base de- sertion of Senator Hatch and Representative Van- Cleve, Park county's best interests had been sub- served by the defeat in the senate of the bill creating Sweet Grass county. As has been clearly pointed ont in these columns, the bill was not a meritorious one and was demanded only in the interests of Big Tim- ber town lot boomers and aspiring politicians. For this reason it met with the determined opposition of three-fourths of the voters of Park county outside of the city of Livingston.
In this city the feeling was bitter against the county's representatives who shamefully betrayed the trust reposed in them, and a corresponding feeling of relief and joy followed the announcement that they had been foiled by the indefatigable labors of Livings- ton's citizens, who went to the capital at the outset and abated no effort until the result was attained. The news was heralded throughout the city and responded to by a pyrotechnic display that, though brilliant and noisy, but faintly indicated the pleasure of all loyal residents of this section of the county.
The Big Timber Pioneer told another story. March 9 it said :
While we did not get Sweet Grass county, the re- sult of the efforts have been good, and there is no doubt but that the county will be formed at the next session of the legislature. Senator Hatch and Rep- resentative VanCleve arrived home Friday night. They were met at the train by a large and enthusiastic crowd of citizens, who, to show their appreciation of the valuable services rendered them by their repre- sentatives, had prepared a number of bon-fires, which, by the aid of skyrockets and Roman candles, lighted up the town and produced an effect altogether grand.
Thus ended the first campaign for the formation of Sweet Grass county. Closely following this event came the panic of 1893 with all its dire calamities. The only bank- ing institutions of the county closed its doors ; operations in the mines ceased ; business was at a standstill; people could not meet their obli- gations, and disaster followed. Following the panic came the period of hard times, which held the country in its grip for several years. From the effect of this Sweet Grass county did not recover until the late nineties. But during this time the county of Sweet Grass came into existence as one of the political di- visions of the state of Montana.
CHAPTER II
AFTER COUNTY ORGANIZATION-1895 TO 1907.
Immediately after the defeat of the bill for the creation of Sweet Grass county in the 1893 legislature, the people of Big Timber and the surrounding country began their prep- arations for the campaign before the next leg- islature. Not a stone was left unturned, nor a point neglected that might aid in the ulti- mate success of the venture. Senator George M. Hatch, who had led the fighting for the bill in 1893, was a holdover senator, and would represent Park county in the upper house of Montana's legislature. The east siders there-
fore turned their attention to the choosing of favorable men for the lower house, and they were even more successful that they had ex- pected to be. Their work was very clever, as the following explanation of the manner they took to secure representation by the Big Tini- ber Pioncer of February 28, 1895, will testify :
The history of the late political campaign is fa- miliar to all or nearly all. It began with a show of great strife between factions in Big Timber to elect a delegation to the republican county convention. The strife might have been real on one side, be that as it
199
HISTORY OF SWEET GRASS COUNTY.
may, but the proper delegation went to the convention. The convention from beginning to end was run in the interests of the divisionists. Joy. Meyer and Collins were nominated for the legislature, and then the attention of every prominent republican in the state was called to the campaign in Park county. Livingston fell into the trap and knifed the ticket, while the people of the proposed Sweet Grass county elected it, thus giving them prestige and a solid rep- resentation in both branches of the legislature, while Livingston stood in a pretty bad political light and. from a division standpoint, with no representation whatever.
On Thursday, November 8-just as soon as the result of the election was made known- there was organized in Big Timber the Sweet Grass County club, the primary object of which organization was the formation of Sweet Grass county. It was patent to every- body that a determined effort was to be made to secure the division of Park county. The officers chosen were H. O. Kellogg, president : E. C. Hale, secretary ; Harvey Bliss and J. A. Hall, vice-presidents. These officers also com- posed the executive committee.
The club called a convention to meet at Big Timber on December 22 for the purpose of drafting the Sweet Grass county bill, pre- paring a petition for circulation among the voters of the east side, selecting officers for the proposed new county, and perfecting ar- rangements for the campaign. The convention was called to order in Busha & Bailey's hall by President Kellogg of the Sweet Grass County club. A. C. Logan, of Hunter's Hot Springs, was selected chairman of the conven- tion, and E. O. Clark, of McLeod, was chosen secretary. The primaries for the selection of delegates to this convention had been held in the different precincts of the proposed new county on December 15.
The convention was very harmonious and adopted the following resolutions without di- vision :
Whereas, The people of the proposed county of Sweet Grass, have for several years paid taxes to the county of Park, largely out of proportion to the amount · benefits received, either in the way of roads, pro-
tection for person or property or county bridges, and
Whereas, The established county of Park is be- coming involved financially from year to year, and the expenditures for the years 1893 and 1894 exceed the revenue by $100,000, and
Whereas, The rapid accumulation of debt is largely due to the mileage paid witnesses for attend- ance at the district court and is being rapidly aug- mented by the increased population, the propensity for crime developed by the general financial depression, and
Whereas. We. the citizens of the proposed new county of Sweet Grass, believe that by making a county of smaller area, the necessary mileage to be paid witnesses would be very naturally reduced, the road expenses would either be reduced by making bet- ter roads for the same money, or less money for the same roads, justice would be more easily and cheaply obtained by the tax payer, and the prosperity of the whole body of citizens would be increased, and
Whereas, The taxable wealth of the proposed new county of Sweet Grass amounts in round numbers to two millions of dollars, and the number of voters reg- i-tered at the last election is 500, the citizens are in- telligent, progressive and fairly prosperous, and do not believe in taxation without representation: then be it
Resolved. That we, the representatives of the peo- ple of the proposed county of Sweet Grass. do hereby reaffirm our belief that by the creation of said county we and our children would be largely benefitted in re- duced taxation, better means of communication by interior roads, better schools and a more upright ad- ministration of county affairs, owing largely to our better acquaintance one with another, and be it further
Resolved, That we urge upon our representatives in the legislature of the state of Montana, to do all in their power lawfully to have the bill entitled. "A bill for the creation of the county of Sweet Grass." en- acted into a law. That we herehy express our confi- dence in the ability of our representatives and hereby ratify all that our representatives may do or cause to be done in the premises.
Resolved, That in the work done by the Sweet Grass County club they have been actuated by motives looking alone to the successful passage of the bill creating said county. and we view with favor the reso- lution passed by them disclaiming any claim on any office in the bill.
Resolved, That in order to raise a fund to be le- gitimately used in the creation of Sweet Grass county, that each candidate accepting the nomination from the convention be required to contribute a sum equal to ten per cent of the compensation he would receive in his despective office as salary for the first year's service, and that the said sum is payable on or before Janu- uary 1, 1895.
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HISTORY OF SWEET GRASS COUNTY.
Resolved, That a county central committee con- sisting of one member from each precinct to be selected by each respective delegation shall have power to fill all vacancies, appoint committees, and exercise a gen- eral supervision over affairs connected with the creation of the new county.
Resolved, That the county central committee choose from its members an executive committee to whom shall be paid the money collected from assess- ments and candidates. and who shall pay said money out on orders duly signed and countersigned by the chairman and secretary of said committee.
Resolved, That in view of the adoption of a reso- lution at the precincts outside of Big Timber at a caucus held on the morning of December 22, not to entertain nominations for office of residents of Big Timber, this convention instructs its presiding officer not to present the name or names of any qualified elector of Big Timber, whose name may be mentioned by a member of the convention, to the convention for action.
Resolved, That should we for any cause fail to se- cure Sweet Grass county at the fourth session of the legislature. we maintain our organization and, regard- less of politics, renew the fight at the election to be held in November, 1896.
Although the town of Big Timber was eliminated as a factor in furnishing candi- dates for officers for the proposed new county, there was no dearth of candidates, and there were contests for nearly all the offices. After much ballotting, the following were named as the officers for the new county who should be named in the bill which would be presented to the legislature : Treasurer. E. O. Clark, Mc- Leod; sheriff, Jake L. DeHart, East Boulder ; assessor, W. A. Harrison, Howie: clerk and recorder, G. F. Hudson, Independence ; clerk of the district court, C. N. Skillman, McLeod ; county attorney, Sydney Fox, Livingston ; su- perintendent of schools, L. C. Olmstead. Blake's ; coroner, W. G. Strong, Melville ; pub- lic administrator, R. B. Dunham, Big Tim- ber: county commissioners, J. W. Bailey, Blake's; A. C. Logan, Hunter's Hot Springs; W. P. Franklin, Melville.
J. A. Hall was elected chairman of the county central committee, and the following gentlemen were selected for the other men-
bers of the committee: Geo. M. Hatch, Big Timber; W. P. Franklin, Melville; W. F. Mc- Leod, McLeod; J. W. Bailey, Blake's; W. C. McCall, Grey Cliff : J. N. Kelley, Duck Creek ; G. F. Hudson, Independence; S. Jarrett, Wright Creek : S. B. Roberts, White Beaver; J. Lyon, Upper Stillwater; W. L. Shanks, Howie. On the evening of the 22nd the com- mittee met and selected the following execu- tive committee : J. A. Hall, chairman : Geo. M. Hatch, secretary; G. F. Hudson, J. W. Bailey and W. P. Franklin.
Thus organized, the friends of the pro- posed new county set to work. A petition was circulated, and the number of signers obtained was beyond the highest expectations of the en- thusiasts. Out of five hundred registered vot- ers in the proposed limits of the new county, 457 signatures were obtained. Only five who had been approached with the petition refused to sign. It was estimated that the new county would have a population of 1.500 people and would start out with an assessed valuation of $2,000,000.
On Monday evening, January 7, a meeting was held at the office of Savage & Day to take action with reference to an organization in opposition to the dismemberment of the county of Park. The meeting indicated a unanimous sentiment of the people of Livings- ton against the creation of Sweet Grass county and a determination to make a strong effort to defeat any legislation of that nature.
The bill for the creation of Sweet Grass county was introduced in the house January 14 by Representative William T. Collins, no- tice of intention to introduce having been given January 9.
At the convention A. C. Logan, W. P. Franklin and J. W. Bailey had been named as county commissioners, and their names were incorporated in the bill. The first two named were Democrats, but as the legislature was Republican, it did not see fit to start the
201
HISTORY OF SWEET GRASS COUNTY.
new county off with a Democratic administra- tion, so the name of P. O. Fallang was sub- stituted for that of Mr. Franklin.
On Tuesday, February 19, the bill was considered in committee of the whole house. The discussion was long and interesting. By a vote of 31 to 17 the bill was favorably re- ported. Then the committee rose, the house resumed, and the report of the committee of the whole was adopted.
At the evening session, the bill having been engrossed. was read the third time and passed by a vote of 34 to 16.
The bill was now safely through the house, but it still had to run the gauntlet of the senate. It was reported in that body February 20. where it was read first and second times, and then referred to the committee on towns, coun- ties and highways.
Upon final vote the bill was carried by a vote of 11 to 7, and so far as the legislature was concerned Sweet Grass county was an as- stired fact.
This is the way the Big Timber Pioncer re- ported the receipt of the news in an extra on March 2:
Yesterday there were several in Big Timber who were decidedly blue. They were blue over the delay Not blue because they doubted the ultimate success of right and justice, for we believe that every man, woman and child, with a few exceptions, in the new county of Sweet Grass had helief that the senate would accede to their just demands. This morning the gen- eral feeling was brighter and at ten o'clock, when J .- W. Bailey received the following message. a mighty shout rent the air : "Carbon final passage today. Our bill before the committee of the whole. We have got them." Everybody yelled, hats flew in the air and a most general feeling of gladness prevailed.
At three o'clock this afternoon the news came over the wire that Carbon county had passed the sena.e by a safe majority and that a motion to re- consider had heen lost. The news also came that the senate was at that time considering Sweet Grass county. At 3:45 came the news, "Sweet Grass passed by a vote of II to 7." Then how the people yelled! At the hour of going to press. 5 p. m., anvils are being fired, flags are flying and everybody is happy. This is but a forerunner of the grand ratification meet-
ing which will be held later and of which ample notice will be given.
The bill was signed by Governor Rickards at 10:45 a. m. on Tuesday, March 5. in the presence of State Senator Geo. M. Hatch and wife and little daughter Judy, Mrs. O. M. Hatch and Captain A. C. Logan. By the pro- visions of the bill the county of Sweet Grass came into an official existence on that date.
A monster demonstration occurred on March 9, upon the arrival of the train from the west bearing Senator Hatch, Captain A. C. Logan, C. T. Busha and J. A. Hall, the men who were largely responsible for the forming of the county. The last three named had been the lobby for the bill. Nearly the whole town of Big Timber turned out to meet them. Anvils were fired and cheer upon cheer rent the air. Banners had been prepared and stretched across the streets. They bore in- scriptions, "7 to 11," "Welcome." "Sweet Grass County," etc.
The campaign had been a bitter one. Wa- gers had been freely offered and as freely taken between the people of the two sections of Park county over the result, and quite a sum of money changed hands.
Sweet Grass county was created with the same boundaries it now has and was taken from Park, Yellowstone and Meagher coun- ties, the first named giving up by far the larg- est share. The boundaries are given in a former chapter.
The act provided that Big Timber should be the county seat of the new county, until after the general election of November. 1896, at which election the permanent county seat should be selected by the voters. Sweet Grass county was to be attached to, and form a part of, the sixth judicial district. The act also provided for the distribution of the indebted- ness of the three counties from which the new county had been formed and for the amount of this that Sweet Grass county should as-
202
HISTORY OF SWEET GRASS COUNTY.
stime ; the indebtedness to be reckoned at the close of business on the first day of March, 1895. These several indebtednesses were to be adjusted by having the county commissioners meet with the county boards of the other coun- ties as follows: Park county, March II ; Yel- lowstone county, March 18; Meagher county, April 1. The amount then determined to be due the old counties was to be settled by issu- ing warrants.
The political machinery of the new county of Sweet Grass was put in motion on Sattır- day, the 9th day of March, 1895, when County Commissioners J. W. Bailey. A. C. Logan and P. O. Fallang held an informal meeting at the law office of A. G. Hatch. At this initial meeting there were also present County Clerk and Recorder G. F. Hudson and County At- torney Sydney Fox. There were no official proceedings at this meeting, but arrangements were made for a special meeting to be held March 15. The county officers established temporary offices in the Medley building on McLeod street.
At the special meeting of the board, held on the 15th at the office of A. G. Hatch, J. WV. Bailey was elected chairman of the board. Constables and justices of the peace were ap- pointed for the different precincts. On the following day the county was divided into three townships, Stillwater. Melville and Big Timber. The commissioners rented' from Mr. Hatch a building for the use of the county of- ficers. On the 23rd a room was rented front WV. L. Shanks for a court room at a rental of $50 per term of court.
The matter of the adjustment of the in- debtedness that Sweet Grass county was to assume was early taken up, in accordance with the provisions of the bill. In order to give a clear understanding of the adjustments with the several counties, we shall here reproduce the section of the bill relating to the settlement.
That the indebtedness of the three respective counties out of whose territory the said county of Sweet Grass is hereby created as the same shaft exist
at the close of business on the first day of March, 1895. shall be apportioned respectively between each of said three counties and the said county of Sweet Grass by deducting from the then existing debt of each of said three first named counties respectively all monies be- longing to each county, or in the possession or under the control of each respective county treasurer ; the excess of value between the value of county buildings, bridges, real estate or other county property that will remain in and belong to each of said first three named counties after the creation of Sweet Grass county, and the value of county buildings. bridges, real estate and other property, if any, that may remain in and be- come a part of Sweet Grass county, if the greater value belong to one of said three first named counties respectively shall be deducted from-but if the greater value shall belong to Sweet Grass county, shall be added to-said indebtedness. Said values to be esti- mated by the cost of such buildings, bridges and real estate, as shown by the county books, depreciation at 31/2 per cent per annum from date of construction on all buildings and bridges to govern such estimate of value, and the actual value of all other property as the same may exist on the first day of March, 1895, and the respective remainder as to each of said first named counties shall constitute the net debt of each for the purpose of division, and shall be divided between each of said three respective counties and said county of Sweet Grass, in proportion as the taxable property of that portion of each of said respective counties, em- braced in the said county of Sweet Grass bears to the entire taxable property of each county respectively -taking as a standard therefor the assessment of each county respectively for the year 1894-provided that each respective county treasurer of the said three first named counties respectively, shall at the time of the said adjustment of debt make out and transfer to the county commissioner of Sweet Grass county lists of all uncollected taxes and delinquent tax payers ; that no delinquent taxes due any of the said old counties respectively shall be considered in said ad- justment, but the same shall be collected by the county treasurer of each county respectively. and when col- lected, the pro rata share there estimated upon the basis of adjustment aforesaid, shall be turned over from time to time to the treasurer of Sweet Grass county.
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