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 49
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 49
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 49
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 49
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 49
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 49
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 49
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1906-Mayor. Fred H. Foster: aldermen, George Benninghoff, G. G. Cothron, J. Z. Brewer, Chas. Spear. F. X. N. Rademaker. Martin Gates, R. K. Terrell, Henry Thorsen: clerk, S. F. Morse: attorney. H. A. Groves; treasurer, O. C. Ovren; police judge, Nat G. Carwile.
1907-Mayor. Fred H. Foster; aldermen, G. A. Weed, S. W. Soule, John Staffek, J. Z. Brewer, Chas. Spear, Martin Gate -. George Benninghoff, R. K. Ter- rell; treasurer, Walter Watkins; police magistrate, Frank L. Mann.
The worst fire in Billings' history broke out about eleven o'clock on the night of May 2. 1885, and before the flames had been got- ten under control the whole of block ILI. with the exception of the Park hotel, was in ruins and property to the amount of nearly $60,000 had been destroyed. The blaze was suppose i to have been of incendiary origin. It was discovered in the Farmer's hotel, a two story log building-relic of the early days-which was vacant at the time except for two lodgers. J. W. Cobb and A. N. Thompson. The former narrowly escaped from the burning building with his life, and later died from his injuries.
A very short time after the discovery of the fire the Farmer's hotel was enveloped in a. sheet of flames. Then they spread to the build- ing known as the Daily Rustler office and to J. Hopkins' shoe shop to the east. The efforts of the citizens to stop the spread of the flames were useless, and the fire raged in both direc- tions from the starting point. burning the in- surance office of Lesley Bates and law office of John McGinnis, the Chicago dry goods house,
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HISTORY OF YELLOWSTONE COUNTY.
M. Susman's general store, Mrs. Forsythe's boarding house and Mrs. Matheson's fancy goods store on the east, and Tully & Freese's hardware store, the First National bank and Schiffler & Gordon's tailor shop on the west. Realizing that none of the buildings in the row could be saved, fire hooks were brought into requisition and some of the frame build- ings were torn down in the hopes of prevent- ing the flames from spreading to other parts of the town. This prompt action doubtless saved the Park hotel, separated from th .. burned block by First avenue north. The ho- tel was in great danger, but escaped with little damage. Conditions for fighting the fire were favorable. There was hardly a breath of air stirring, and there was a plentiful supply of water running in the land company's ditch to the very point of operation, which was made use of by the bucket brigades. This water had gotten down as far as the town on the day of the fire.
There were other small losses which would bring the total loss over $60,000.
Hardly had the town recovered from the shock of this fire before another one occurred, and again did block 1TO receive a severe scorch- ing, just a year after the block had been de- stroyed. The fire broke out about two o'clock on the morning of July 25 in a restaurant building on north Twenty-seventh street occu- pied by Jos. Parque. That building and sev- eral others contiguous were destroyed, entail- ing a loss of nearly $10.000. The Yellowstone county court house was destroyed. but the re- cords were saved. The energetic work of the citizens was all that saved the town from de- struction.
Up to this time the only protection against fires was such as was afforded by volunteers, the company organized after the fire of 1884 having failed to maintain an organization. So at the time of these fires buckets and axes were the principal equipment of the unorganized
volunteers who undertook to fight the flames. Insurance companies now threatened to with- draw from Billings, and to restore their con- fidence the citizens made strenuous efforts to obtain adequate protection against fire. There being no water mains laid, a hose company was out of the question, but the people did the best under the circumstances; about fifty men united in the formation of a hook and ladder company, which was organized in September, 1885. This pioneer company did valiant ser - vice during its short life, and was replaced by a hose company when the water works were established.
During the year 1885 Billings made some advancement despite the fact that the boom was no longer bringing in new people and in spite of the severe losses by fire. It was now that the wisdom of the selection of the location was manifest. Had it not been for the fact that the town became the distributing point for an immense territory, there would have been sorry times in Billings during the middle eighties.
A good index of the volume of a business done in a town is its freight handled. During 1885, 80,473,123 pounds, or over 4,000 car loads, were handled by the Northern Pacific railroad at Billings.
The principal event of the year 1886 was the establishment of a system of water works by the Billings Water Power company. This company had been organized and incorporated in the summer of 1885. with a capital stock of $50,000. Work was at once commenced on a canal to supply the water, which was taken from the Yellowstone, carried a distance of 4,000 feet around a rapids in the river at this point, and then emptied again into the river, a fall of thirteen feet being obtained. The canal had an average width of thirty feet. and seven feet of water was conveyed through it.
It took a year to do this work, and in the summer of 1886 a fine brick pump house was built at a distance of one and one-half miles
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from the city, and a Holly system of water works established ..
Owing to the fires of the preceding year the building record for 1886 was a good one. the miserable shacks and temporary structures which characterized the early history of the town being replaced by handsome brick and stone business blocks. A frontage of nearly 1.000 feet of brick and stone building's has been completed during the year ending in the spring, which, the Gasette claimed, was double the frontage of that class of buildings that had been erected during the year in any other town between Fargo and Helena. According to figures furnished by the Gazette, the cost of buildings constructed during the year was $257.400. Among others was a court house.
The population in 1886 was estimated at 1.500, which estimate probably exceeded the facts. During the year 81.326,000 pounds of freight were handled by the railroad at this station. The assessed valuation of town prop- erty was $567,134, of which $341.043 was in real estate, and $226,091 in personal property.
Late in January, 1887, electric lights were turned on in the little city, the plant having been installed by the Billings Water Power company. This year witnessed. also, the or- ganization of the first effective fire company. When the Water Power company installed its plant it put up pressure plugs and installed reg- ular fire pressure machinery, so no longer were the people obliged to fight fire by means of the old bucket brigade. The Billings Fire depart- ment came into existence and continued its or- ganization about one year. Then, in 1888, be- cause of differences between the mayor, E. B. Camp, and the department, the company dis- banded and donated the accumulations of its treasury to the school fund.
The city was then without organized pro- tection for several months, but after an abor- tive attempt by inexperienced citizens to use the hose and equipment upon a burning build- ing, an armistice was effected, and a reorgani-
zation was brought about. This was accom- plished on January 14, 1889, the new organiza- tion taking the name of Maverick Hose com- pany.
There was very little advancement in Bil- lings during the latter part of the eighties. In the matter of population there was a falling off, if we are to place any reliance on the esti- mates during the time mentioned. The census taken by the government in 1890 gave the city a population of 836.
The year 1891 was a memorable one in the history of Billings because of the fact that the first, last and only lynching took place. On Thursday, July 23, two tramps came to town and went to the saloon of Joseph Clancy, on Minnesota avenue, in company with a third man. One of the tramps ordered a number of drinks, and when requested to make settlement refused and began to abuse the proprietor. He was remonstrated with, which apparently highly incensed him, for he seized a beer mal- let and dealt Clancy a murderous blow upon the head. Mr. Clancy's skull was crushed and he died almost immediately. The murderer was arrested and placed in the county jail, the other two men being also taken into custody as witnesses. The story of the lynching which followed is told by the Gasette of July 30:
"Although there had been a growing senti- ment of indignation and execration of the deed of blood by which Joe Clancy's life had been taken and his two little children doubly or- phaned, the sheriff. although hearing rumors to that effect, did not anticipate any trouble that night, nor that a band of masked and deter- mined avengers would demand the delivery into their tender mercies of the red-handed murderer. The sheriff was not prepared to receive them when at the witching hour of night the summons rang out. People in the neighborhood say it was between midnight and two o'clock when they were awakened by the noise of power- ful blows on what sounded like steel
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HISTORY OF YELLOWSTONE COUNTY.
casements. Gib Lane was wakened by the noise, and as the moon was very bright could from his dwelling distinguish a crowd of mov- ing figures about and around the jail, patrol- ling the block and challenging all approaching persons, who having their slumbers thus rudely disturbed came out to see what was going on. A number of gentlemen who had been attend- ing a dance congregated as near the scene of action as the masked guards would permit, but made no attempt at rescue. Sheriff Ramsey says he was surprised at the first call, but knew at once what was wanted. Strong in the belief that the Pauly cells and cages would success- fully resist all attempts at battering them down with such means as a vigilance committee could bring to bear, and that daylight would intervene and save his prisoners, he denied having the keys, which, according to the Times, he had thrown down the well. After some further parleying, the sheriff removed his family and the vigilantes had full swing.
"The next event on record was a silent march from the jail to the place of execution, where a telegraph pole on the Northern Pa- cific right of way was selected as the gallows tree, and before the light of day paled the stars a ghastly shape was swinging in the breeze and an unknown murderer had gone to meet his Maker. Twelve hours after the brutal mur- der of Jos. Clancy one at least of his murderers had paid the price. The body remained as the avengers left it until about eight o'clock a. m., when by order of Coroner Chapple it was cut down and turned over to the undertaker."
An inquest was held and the coroner's ver- dict was : "We, the jury, find that the deceased came to his death by hanging at the hands of party or parties unknown to the jury."
There were no papers, money or marks of identification of any kind on the body to tell who he was. After this event all the tramps, which element had been infesting the town for some time, were ordered out of the city.
On August 18, 1891, there was organized
the Billings club, an organization which has been of vast benefit to the city and which is still in'existence.
The matter of reincorporating the city un- der a general law, which had recently been passed, was considered in 1892. A petition, generally signed, was presented to the mayor and city council, asking that the matter be sub- mitted to the voters, was favorably acted upon and a special election called for March 5. At the election the people decided to continue the government under the old territorial charter by a vote of 86 to 32, so no change was made at that time.
An event of some importance was the or- ganization of the Yellowstone Fair association in the summer of 1892, with a capital stock of $20,000. Since that date a fair has been held every year.
Early in 1893 the question of reincorpora- tion was again brought up. At a special elec- tion hekl January II the proposition to rein- corporate was carried almost unanimously, there being only four negative votes. Billings became a city of the second class under this in- corporation. A census of the city taken by S. F. Morse about this time showed a population of nearly 1,600. Only a year before Robert Allen, United States census taker, had found only 1,000 people in Billings and less than 1,500 in Yellowstone county.
The "hard times" period, beginning with the financial crisis of 1893, had a restraining effect on the little city, which had begun to make steps forward during the first few years of the nineties. While conditions were bad enough, Billings escaped with less suffering than did most of the towns of Montana, owing principally to the variety of her resources.
Owing to this fact and to other things the recovery was quicker here than in many other places. The Burlington & Missouri River rail- road built into the city in 1894, which had a good effect. The population was estimated at 2,000 in 1894.
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HISTORY OF YELLOWSTONE COUNTY.
A telephone exchange was also put in late in 1895 by the Billings Telephone company. The company began business with a patronage of forty-two phones. There was also a mild building boom that season. Several business blocks and about twenty-five residences were reported to be under construction in the spring.
Billings continued to advance during the next few years, each year witnessing an in- crease in population and business enterprises. In 1898 the building improvements amounted to $205,000. The federal census of 1900 gave the town a population of 3.221, an increase of nearly 300 per cent in the decade. Of this pop- ulation 1,897 were males and 1.324 females ; 2,617 were native born, 604 foreign born; 3,046 were whites, 89 were negroes, 84 Chi- nese, and two Indian.
A valuable addition to the city in 1900 was the construction of the Parmly Billings memo- rial library, erected at a cost of about $25,000. The library was donated by Frederick Billings, Jr., of New York City, son of Frederick Bil- lings, after whom the city was named, and was given by the donor in memory of his brother, Parmly Billings, who was a resident of Bil- lings in the early days, and who died in 1887. The library was constructed under the direc- tion of a local committee representing the estate, which was composed of the following gentlemen : A. L. Babcock, chairman; I. D. O'Donnell, J. R. Goss, J. D. Matheson and E. L. Boardman.
During the present decade the growth of Billings has been the wonder of the state. From the little struggling village it had always been since the boom it has grown to be one of the principal cities of the state of Montana. It is again properly designated the "Magic City." An idea of this growth can be obtained from the increase in population. A census taken in the summer of 1904 gave the city a population of 5,447; the next year the compilers of the city directory estimated the population at
7,000 ; early in 1907 the same company placed the population at between 12,000 and 13,000.
Many have been the causes of this growth, but the principal one has been the reclamation of an immense tract of land in the immediate vicinity by the Billings Land & Irrigation com- pany, under the provisions of the Carey act. Settlers have poured in and settled upon these lands, and the result has been beneficial to the town. All sorts of new enterprises have started in Billings. It has become a manufac- turing center because of cheap water power; it has a large wholesale trade because of its loca- tion as a railroad center ; its always large agri- cultural shipments are increasing.
Among the manufacturing concerns are a beet sugar factory of a capacity of 1,200 tons of beets per day, erected in 1906 at a cost of $1.500,000 ; two packing houses and cold stor- age plants, a brewery, a flouring mill, three brick plants, one marble works, a creamery, two broom factories, a cornice factory, one line plant, a Pintsch gas works, two candy fac- tories, two bottling works, four cement and concrete works, three cigar factories, one glove factory, three harness manufactories and one mattress factory. Billings whole- sale houses are represented by the fol- lowing : Five meat, three cigar, three grocery, three liquor, two hardware and one sash and door.
Among the other things the people of Bil- lings point to with pride are its six public schools, its eleven churches, its thirty-four se- cret and fraternal societies, library, hospital, sanitarium, seven banks, building and loan as- sociations, two daily newspapers, theaters, seven hotels, sixteen restaurants, five lumber companies, a sheet iron works, three bakeries, two express companies, dye works, insurance company, 100-acre nursery, commercial club, two business men's leagues, chamber of com- merce, a woman's club, two telephone compa- nies with nearly 2,000 subscribers, two steam
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HISTORY OF YELLOWSTONE COUNTY.
laundries, a water works system, an electric light plant, sewerage system, three green houses, its paid fire department, its free mail delivery and rural free delivery routes, its forty miles of six-foot sidewalks, and in fact everything but its depot.
The assessed valuation of the city at the present time is $3,500,000; it has a bonded debt of $50,000.
At the present writing (spring of 1907) there are in course of construction buildings which will cost nearly $1,000,000. Among these are the Y. M. C. A. building, $100,000; Masonic temple, $85,000 ; St. Patrick's Catho- lic church, $50,000; opera house, $60,000; Northern hotel addition, $40,000; Smith building. $40,000; new electric light plant, $125,000 addition to the present plant, $100,- 000; apartment house, $25,000; dwellings, $250,000; and many others of smaller cost.
In the city are six public school buildings and there are 1,850 children of school age.
Billings has the following church organi- zations: Congregational, Methodist Episco- pal, Protestant Episcopal, Catholic, Baptist, Presbyterian, African Methodist Episcopal. Christian Scientist, Christian, and Salvation Army. The following history of the Congre- gational church, the first organized in Billings, is taken from the Billings Gasette of October 6, 1899 :
The Congregational church was the first church organized in the city. It was started in the spring of 1882, and is, consequently, as old as the town. Hon. A. Fraser, Col. Lucius Whitney and Mr. Edgar B. Camp were the first trustees and incorporators. Rev. Ben- jamin F. Shuart, a missionary of the Congregational church, was the pastor. He began his work in the early spring of 1882 without a church. a congregation or a home, preaching the first sermon in the town.
In the latter part of that year the trustees, acting for the young church, had a small frame structure, "20×32, with twelve foot posts, six windows and one door," erected on the lots where the present church building stands. This structure was of the crudest kind, not ceiled or plastered, the cracks being stopped with battens. At the back of this building a "lean-to" of two rooms was built, and this served the purpose of a parsonage, so that the reverend gentleman could walk
out of his bed chamber into his pulpit, after counting the stars through the roof of his "lean-to" at night. Such was the birthday of the church.
In 1883 Hon. Frederick Billings, of Woodstock, Vermont, donated $12,000 for the erection of the neat and commodious building. The Minnesota & Montana Land & Improvement Co. and the owners of the Foster addition donated the lots, the church raised the rest of the funds necessary, and October of that year saw the dedication of a beautiful church which cost $14,000, and work begun on a comfortable parsonage.
About this time Mr. Shuart resigned, and Rev. A. Stryker Wallace succeeded him as pastor, taking charge of the work November 1, 1883. Mr. Wallace was pastor for eight years, resigning his office in October, 1891. Mr. Wallace is perhaps more fully identified with the history of the church than anyone else, while Mr. Shu- art may be called its founder. In August. 1892, Rev. Chas. Hall Cook became the pastor. His pastorate lasted 18 months. On February I, 1894, Rev. Preston B. Jackson took charge of the work. remaining until the fall of 1896. On May 15 of the following year Rev. W. D. Clark succeeded Mr. Jackson in the pastorate, and is the present incumbent.
The same issue of the Gazette gives the fol- lowing history of the Methodist Episcopal church :
The first services held in Billings by a minister of this denomination were held in 1882 by Rev. W. W. VanOrsdel. Then in June, 1883, Rev. F. A. Riggin, superintendent of missions for Montana, and Rev. G. C. Stull. pastor at Miles City, came together and held meetings. In 1884 a class was formed with R. R. Crowe as leader. Rev. Geo. Comfort, of Bozeman, was pre- siding elder, and Rev. S. E. Snider was appointed pas- tor, who continued until July 9, 1885, when he was succeeded by Rev. J. L. Guiler, under whose pastorate the present brick church was erected.
The class was small in numbers, and it was a hard struggle. hut with faith in God they triumphed. In 1887 Rev. Jacob Mills succeeded Rev. Geo. Comfort as pre- siding elder, and Rev. W. A. Shannon became pastor in charge, and in 1888 he was followed by Rev. Jas. W. Tait, who at the end of the year was obliged to leave on account of his wife's health. Rev. Geo. Comfort succeeded to the pastorate in July, 1889, continuing until April 1, 1891. He was followed immediately by Rev. O. H. Sproul, of South Dakota, who remained until August 4. 1892. Then Rev. Geo. C. Stull had charge of the work until Nov. 12, 1893, when he was taken up by Bishop Fowler and made presiding elder of the Helena distriet.
At this time Rev. F. A. Riggin was presiding elder of the Bozeman district, who secured the services of Rev. J. W. Jennings, of Nebraska, who remained in charge until August 8, 1894. Rev. J. W. Bennett be- came presiding elder, and Rev. Philip Lowry was ap-
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HISTORY OF YELLOWSTONE COUNTY.
pointed pastor, continuing until August 22, 1895. Then came Rev. John Hosking for one year, who was fol- lowed by E. C. Avis, who was expelled from the ministry by the annual conference. At a request of many leading citizens Rev. Geo. C. Stull returned to take up the work under the appointment of Bishop Cranston, remaining until April, 1898, when he responded to his country's call, going to Manila, P. I., as chaplain of the First Montana regiment of volunteers. From April to September, 1898, the charge was vacant, when Rev. Jacob Mills assumed the pastorate by appointment ' of Bishop Mallalicu.
The following history of St. Luke's Epis- copal church of Billings was prepared for this work by a bishop of that denomination :
Billings was born in the summer of 1882 on the approach of the Northern Pacific railway. The first services of the church were held here in the fall of that year and in early winter of 1883 by the Rev. Wil- liam Horsfall. I visited Billings for the first time on the 18th of February, 1883, and by the courtesy of the Rev. Mr. Shuart held services morning and evening at the Congregational church. which had just been built. During the summer and fall of that year the Rev. Frank B. Lewis came down from Bozeman once a month and held services and prepared the way for the coming of a permanent missionary.
On the first of January came Rev. Alfred Brown . from Kansas to take charge of the Billings and Liv- ingston churches. He resided at Billings and went twice a month to Livingston. The mission was named St. Luke's after St. Luke's church of Rochester, N. Y., which gave several hundred dollars toward the building of a church. Services were first held here in the old railway station building, then in an empty store, then in the parlor of a hotel. Obliged successively to relin- quish these places, and there being no other to be se- cured Mr. Brown was obliged to make an effort to build. Lots were given by the townsite company on south 29th street. Ten or twelve hundred dollars were raised by subscription, and in 1886 our first church in Billings was occupied for services.
Mr. Brown remained a little over four years, and then because of ill health gave up his work. He was succeeded by Rev. Chas. H. Linley, who came to Mon- tana from Nassau, in the Bahama islands. He re- mained three years. His work was especially marked by the starting of services at Red Lodge, which in 1891 came into prominence as a coal mining camp. Ours was the first regular service held in that place. Mr. Linley was succeeded by Rev. Herbert G. Sharpley. who came to us directly after his graduation from the theological seminary and his ordination to the diacon- ate. His stay was only about fourteen months. He was succeeded by Rev. Chas. H. Rainsberg, who had pre-
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