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 59
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 59
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 59
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 59
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 59
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 59
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 59
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The high school course in Custer county is as follows :
First year-Algebra, physical geography, botany, English, composition and declamation ; must elect one of the following: Latin, Eng-
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HISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY.
list words and American masterpieces. Second year-Algebra, geometry, zoology, civics, ancient history, composition and de- clamation. Must elect one : Cæsar, English.
Third year-Geometry, English, English classics, mediaeval history, modern history, composition and debate. Must elect one : Cicero, German, chemistry.
Fourth year-American history, arithmetic, physics, English literature, composition and debate. Must elect one : Virgil. German, Eng- lish history, French history, and assigned read- ings.
The board of trustees are: Kenneth Mc- Lean, pres. : Mrs. Ida E. M.Wiley, sec. : J. H. Truscott. Sydney Sanner, W. E. Savage, J. E. Farnum and Albert Kircher.
The force of teachers for the ensuing year are : R. H. Daniels, principal; Miss Zoe Bel- lew, Miss Winifred Wilson and Mrs. Eva Crane Farnum.
URSULINE CONVENT.
The educational history of Custer county would be incomplete without mention of the Ursuline Convent located at Miles City. This is an institution of which the residents of this county justly feel very proud.
Miles City claims the honor of having the first Ursuline convent in the Rocky mountains. In the year 1877 the town was founded and the winter of 1884 beheld the Ursuline Nuns with characteristic energy and enterprise pushing forward the higher education of the children in the embryo municipality.
The Nuns who made the foundation here were from the Ursuline convent of Toledo, Ohio. The Rev. Father Lindesmith, chaplain of the United States army post at Fort Keogh -that gallant soldier priest whose memory is held so dear by all the old timers in this town -wrote the Nuns in reference to their pro- posed foundation in Miles City, saying that "it
was no use for them to come to Montana un- less they could rustle." But pioneer life in unsettled communities was no new experi- ence to the Nuns and had for them no terrors. They arrived in Miles City, January 18, 1884, and the hearty welcome extended to them that day was but the herald of the warmth, appreciation and generosity which has ever been the share allotted to them by the citizens of Miles City. Nevertheless, the prophetic words of their good friend, Father Linde- smith, were verified and they had to "rustle."
The first school opened by the Nuns was in temporary quarters, a five-room cottage on Palmer street, secured for that purpose at a rental of thirty dollars a month. It was not long, however, before the Nuns had raised a structure of their own and teachers and pupils with joyful hearts moved into the little white building on the south side of the track, com- monly known and lovingly remembered as "the old convent."
There the work was carried on successfully until 1895. In November of that year the convent caught fire. 'The alarm being duly given, was responded to by the Miles City fire department, but owing to an unfortunate accident the city water was not available in sufficient quantities and the convent was burned to the ground. The Nuns and pupils, thus rudely thrust out into the winter snow, found refuge and wel- come in the houses of their many friends until such time as the Nuns were recalled to their Mother House at St. Peter, Montana, and the children in sadness returned to their homes.
Many prominent citizens thereupon sent a delegation to the Bishop of Helena requesting the return of the Nuns to Miles City, and promising liberal aid for the building of the school. In fulfillment of this promise, these kind friends donated a new and more desirable site for the convent. The Nuns then began the erection of the handsome structure whose portals were thrown open on October 5, 1902.
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HISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY.
The people once more showed their apprecia- tion by a welcome warm and true.
Classes were organized at once. Terms- $200 per year for board, laundry and tuition. Embroidery and plain sewing, drawing, paint-
ing. pyrography, elocution and physical cul- ture are taught free of charge to all pupils of the institution. Instruction in music, piano, organ, violin and other stringed instruments, $40 per year.
PART VIII DAWSON COUNTY
CHAPTER I
CURRENT EVENTS.
That part of the great state of Montana with which this work has to deal was at an- early period a part of the Territory of Louis- iana, the history of which has been given in a previous chapter. Later this was successively a portion of the Territories of Nebraska, Da- kota and Idaho and lastly, in 1864 became a part of the Territory of Montana. Of the many counties formed in 1864, soon after the terri- tory was organized, Dawson county was one of the first created and the boundaries were as follows :
Commencing at the intersecting point of parallel of latitude 47 degrees north with the meridian of longitude 108 degrees west and thence along said parallel 47 degrees to merid- ian of longitude 104 degrees ; thence along said meridian north to latitude 49 degrees; thence along said parallel 49 degrees to meridian of longitude 108 degrees; thence south along said meridian of longitude to place of beginning ; and the county seat of said county of Dawson be and the same is hereby located at Fort An- drew.
There were no settlers in the county at this time. though there were a number of soldiers
at the fort, and a county organization was not effected.
The county of Dawson was again created in 1869 and the county seat as named in the enabling act was located at Fort Peck. The boundaries remained the same as in 1864. No organization was effected at this time and the county of Dawson was attached to the county of Choteau for judicial and other purposes.
For countless ages this vast territory had been the hunting ground and stronghold of the various Indian tribes and its fertile plains and bunch-grass hills had been the feeding ground of innumerable herds of buffalo and great bands of elk, antelope and deer.
With the occupation of this virgin terri- tory by the military in 1876-7 and the scatter- ing of the great bands of Indians that had heretofore made this their stronghold, the white settlers soon became cognizant of the wonderful richness and fertility of this section and immediately moved westward and started settlement in this new domain. In 1877, a number of cantonments or temporary posts were established along the Yellowstone valley, and in the vicinity of these cantonments where they would be under the protection of the sol-
24
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HISTORY OF DAWSON COUNTY.
diers, settlements were started. After a time, as the Indians became more peaceable and the settlers became more daring and confident, settlements were established at greater dis- tances from the posts and in a short time this great territory which had been the homes of the Indians and wild animals, was dotted with settlements of white men, and the Indian tep- ees of former years were displaced by the log cabins and painted houses of the white men.
Among the first to settle in what is now the county of Dawson, were George Grant and J. L. Burns on what is known as Burns Creek. William Crane on Crane Creek and a man col- loquially known as "French Joe," who settled on Fox creek. These men located here in 1878 and it was nearly two years before more set- tlers moved to this great county. About 1880, a number of settlers braved the dangers of the frontier and made settlements here, and among them were, Emmett Dunlap, George McCone, N. . R. Brown, Henry Harpster, William Brake, Frank Fletcher and Warren Surrine.
When the route of the Northern Pacific railroad had been determined upon and it be- gan its march westward. the town of Glendive was started and the first influx of settlers came in. In 1881 when the railroad was completed to the town of Glendive, and this town had reached the proportions of a small city, the set- tlement became rapid and in a short time the population and wealth of this section had grown to such an extent that county division and organization became a paramount ques- tion.
While the county had been created for a great many years, no county organization was ever effected and it had been attached to Cus- ter county for judicial and other purposes.
In September 1883, a bill was passed by the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Mon- tana, recreating the county of Dawson, ex- tending the southern boundary line ten miles south of the original line, and provided for
its organization by naming the county officers. and made Glendive the county seat.
In 1884, the building used as a court house was found to be too small and inadequate for the growing business of the new county and a contract was let by the commissioners for the building of a new court house to cost $25.000. This substantial brick structure with jail ac- commodations was completed in 1885 and was at that time one of the best court houses in the state.
The year 1883 marks the passing of the buffalo in this section and the trade in buffalo hides and meat which had heretofore been one of the chief industries in this section, had gone forever, and the raising of stock became the paramount industry in this county. The fer- tile plains which had formerly been dotted with herds of buffalo and antelope, became the feed- ing ground for thousands of head of cattle and sheep. Large droves of cattle were driven here each year from the southern ranges or from the ranges farther east, which had be- come overstocked. Alnost before the settlers here realized it the Yellowstone valley and Dawson county in particular had become noted as a feeding ground and hundreds of eastern capitalists invested in cattle and sheep and sent them to this fertile range where they increased and waxed fat. The stock industry suffered a set back in the winter of 1886 and 1887, when thousands of head of stock perished on the ranges, and this section did not recover from the bad effects of that winter for several years. Up to that time no thought had been given the proposition of winter feeding and few were in a position to feed their cattle dur- ing the winter. The large owners suffered more severely than the "Granger" or small rancher, as he had a few acres of ground from which he cut hay and in that way was able to save many head of stock that would otherwise have perished. This was a valit- able lesson to the stockmen and since that time
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HISTORY OF DAWSON COUNTY.
they have made provision for feeding their stock in the winter if necessary, although it is seldom necessary in this section where the winters are comparatively short and not se- verely cold. It also had the effect of cutting down the size of the herds, and, while the number of head of stock in this county is as great as it ever was, they are owned by a larger number of people and the county has benefitted by it.
The husbandry of sheep has become one of the most important industries of this section of the state and there are at this time nearly 400,000 head of sheep in this county valued at a million and a quarter of dollars. From five to eight million pounds of wool are an- nually shipped from this county, and with the increased prices of mutton and wool during the past few years, the sheepmen have become wealthy.
The affairs of Dawson county have always run along smoothly and there have been but few happenings worthy of historical record since the formation of the county.
In February 1893, the county of Dawson lost about half of its territory when all that portion of Dawson county north of the mid channel of the Missouri river was cut off and created into a new county named Valley coun- ty. This still left Dawson county with 13 .- 227 square miles of territory and it is yet one of the largest counties in the state, being nearly as large as the combined area of Rhode Island, Connecticut and New Jersey.
During the year 1894, the desire for im- proved facilities for crossing the Yellowstone river took public expression as an issue in the November election of that year. The people desired that the county should own the bridge and the question of issuing bonds was decided by a vote of 336 for, to 125 against the propo- sition. Bonds were issued in the sum of $39,- 000 and the contract let for the construction of the bridge which was completed. in Febru- ary, 1896. The bridge is 1.236 feet from
bank to bank with a draw span 326 feet long. In 1899, the ice gorged above the town and when the gorge broke the ice rushed down the river with terrific force and carried away the middle span of the bridge. The board of county commissioners at once advertised for bids for the construction of a new bridge and in 1900 the present bridge was completed at a further cost of $25,000. The new bridge was built eight feet higher above the water than the former one and now Dawson county boasts of having the best and largest bridge across the Yellowstone river.
While many of the small valleys of this county had been utilized for raising hay and grain for many years, the great agricultural possibilities of this section has recently been brought to the notice of the settlers and rapid strides are being made in the matter of re- claiming and utilizing the fertile soil. Num- erous small irrigation ditches have been built and the result has been so encouraging that more land is being tilled each year and the yields are enormous. The government has re- cently let contracts for the reclamation of about 80,000 acres of semi-arid land in the Yellowstone valley. A dam is being built across the Yellowstone seventeen miles below Glendive and the water will be taken from that stream at the mouth of Thirteen Mile creek. The ditch will be forty feet wide at the bot- tom, about eighty miles long, and will water that section known as the wishbone of the Missouri. The water will cost the settlers from twenty to twenty-five dollars per acre to be paid in ten annual installments and the gov- ernment agrees to maintain the dam and head gates permanently. The dam is of the over- flow design and will always retain sufficient water to supply the canal at the lowest stages of the river. Of course, navigation above this point will be intercepted, but the progress of natural conditions, as regards modern trans- portation methods, will serve to offset any ob- jections against the construction of the dam.
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HISTORY OF DAWSON COUNTY.
With railroads and electric lines in close pros- pect, there will be no necessity for steamboat navigation.
A strip of territory forty-six miles east and west and about seventy miles north and south is now being surveyed by United States surveyors in the eastern part of Dawson county which will be of inestimable value to the rapidly incoming population, as this terri- tory has never been surveyed.
A company has been formed for the pur- pose of colonizing that portion of the county known as the Redwater divide which contains about 900 square miles of territory, of which more than half can be farmed without irri- gation.
The assessed valuation of all property in Dawson county since its organization in 1883. has been as follows :
1883, $840,034; 1884. $1.236,754; 1885. $1,350,000, approximate ; 1886, $1,500,000, ap- proximate; 1887, $1,089.350; 1888. $1.464,-
326; 1889, $1.743.797; 1890, $2.406.481 ; 1891. $3.058,719: 1892, $3.396.341 ; 1893, $2.207.256: 1894. $2,086.751 ; 1895. $2,075,- 414: 1896, $1.719,013: 1897. $1.994.299 ; 1898. $2.183.831 : 1899. $2, 152.459: 1900, $2.548,279: 1901, $2,945,942; 1902, $3,973,- 535; 1903. $5.066.818; 1904, $4.863.498; 1905, $4.934.728: 1906, $5,159.598, an in- crease over 1905 of a quarter of a million dollars.
With all the incontrovertible advantages that Dawson county offers for the selection and establishment of permanent homes and for the successful pursuits of diverse industries, its inherent and visible wealth, the salubrity of its climate, the superior characteristics of its people, moral, intellectual and refined, with the beneficial influences of splendid schools, and religious institutions, there is no place in the state that presents greater opportunities for the accumulation of wealth than are to be found within its borders.
CHAPTER II
CITIES AND TOWNS.
Glendive has been aptly named the "Gate- way of Montana," or "Pearl of the Yellow- stone," and its location and commercial en- vironments entitle it to either of these cogno- mens. Nestling in a natural amphitheatre, surrounded on almost every side by pictur- esquely rugged hills, through which the broad, majestic Yellowstone river sweeps its way, the charming little city of Glendive appears to the traveler from east or west like a veritable oasis. In its miniature valley location, the famous river skirts the western limits of the town, and presents a feature of interesting change with the seasons of the year. In the summer time.
when the beauties of nature are at their best, the scene from some neighboring elevation as the sun sinks to rest beyond the undulating horizon, is enchanting in its kaleidoscopic hues, while in the autumn the tints that fall on crag and hill are as soft as nature's painting on a shell.
The idea of building a town at the present site of Glendive was conceived by . Major Lewis Merrill, U. S. A., H. F. Douglas and others in the year 1880, when the Northern Pacific railroad commenced to stretch itself in this direction. The prairie a short distance east of town was first selected and a small set-
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HISTORY OF DAWSON COUNTY.
tlement was started there in 1880, but the railroad swung around and came out on the flat where the town now stands. When the Yellowstone Land and Colonization Company laid out the present townsite in the summer of 1880, the old town was deserted and its few inhabitants immediately took up their abode in the new town.
In 1880, Douglas Mead & Company, who had been running a sutler store along the right-of-way of the railroad while it was building, started the first mercantile establish- ment in the new town, and were soon fol- lowed by Weeks and Prescott, and Jones and Schaefer, who also engaged in the mercantile business.
The railroad was completed to the town of Glendive in the spring of 1881 and a large influx of settlers followed its advent. New business enterprises were launched and the town soon assumed the proportions of a small city. Douglas Mead & Company. the first merchants, erected the first substantial business block in the city in 1881. Among the new business enterprises started in that year were : Hardware store by Hurst & Company ; hard- ware store by Wm. Lowe; drug store opened by H. S. Davis, and a number of wet goods emporiums. In 1882 the first church, the Methodist, was erected in the growing town.
Up to and during the year 1883. the prin- cipal industry in this section was the killing of the buffalo for its hide and meat, and the vol- umne of business from this industry alone amounted to several hundred thousand dollars per year. In 1883 the population of the thriv- ing town was estimated at 1.500 people. but quite a large percentage of these were, how- ever, people who floated around and worked a short time in a place.
The stock industry, which has started in 1881. had been constantly growing, and in 1884 had assumed gigantic proportions. The place of the buffalo hunter had been filled by the cowboy, and large herds of cattle and
sheep fed on the nutritious grasses where for- merly the buffalo and antelope held full sway. The town of Glendive being situated in the center of one of the largest grazing sections of the west, became the outfitting point for thou- sands of stock men and the volume of busi- ness amounted to several hundreds of thou- sands of dollars per year.
The first disastrous fire in Glendive oc- curred on the 24th day of March, 1887. The fire was discovered about two o'clock in the morning between Gassman's jewelry store and the barber shop. and an alarm was immediately given. A strong wind was blowing at the time and before assistance arrived the fire had gained great headway. The barber shop and jewelry store were consumed in a short time and the flames spread rapidly. the citizens be- ing unable to confine them to the burning buildings. The structures being mostly frame, burned rapidly and fiercely, and the heat was so intense that water could only be thrown from a distance, without any material effect. The fire was undoubtedly the work of an in- cendiary. The losses were as follows :
Richmond, $500; barber shop, $100; Gassman, jewelry store, $1.000: Merchants Hotel, house and fixtures, $6,000 ; H. S. Davis, drug stock, $1,500, no insurance; A. J. Davis, four buildings, $3.000; Henry Dion, $500; Oswald & Co., building. $2,000; Lee Bros., $1,500: Harry Helms, $2,000; M. Farrell, $300; Ed. Butler, building, $1,000; Wm. Lyons, fixtures, $100; Poutet & Gallagher, building, $500; stock, 1.500; clothing stock fully insured.
This was a serious blow to the growing town, coming as it did, just on the eve of the. hard winter of 1886-7, but the people of Glendive were possessed of a large amount of energy and integrity, and instead of becoming discouraged. they put their shoulders to the wheel and in a short time had overcome all ob- stacles and were again enjoying the prosper- ity of the old days.
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HISTORY OF DAWSON COUNTY.
For a number of years prior to 1896, the Yellowstone Land and Colonization Company had had considerable dispute in regard to the title to the townsite which they had laid off and sold in 1880 and 1881. The Northern Pa- cific Railroad Company claimed the land as being a part of their grant and the following gleaned from the records of the county clerk of Dawson county will be of interest :
"From memoranda and information at hand it appears that the Yellowstone Land and Colonization Company, in the years 1881 and 1882, claimed all that portion of section 35, township 16, north of range 55, east principal meridian, lying east of the Yellowstone river, by prior right and occupancy, and while lands adjoining were claimed by this company by purchase from individuals filing upon the same under the act of congress of July 17, 1854, granting lands to persons under and by virtue of Sioux Half Breed script, it does not appear from the records or information at hand that the Yellowstone Land and Colonization Com- pany received any deed, grant or otherwise, either from the government or any per- son claiming the same, any right to said sec- tion 35. whatsoever.
"Nevertheless, deeds were issued by the Yellowstone Land and Colonization Company to subdivisions of section 35, township 16, north of range 55, east M. P. M. until a pat- ent was issued by the United States to the Northern Pacific Railroad company, January 15, 1896, after which time all parties holding deeds from said Yellowstone Land and Coloni- zation Company were obliged to repurchase said lands from the Northern Pacific Railroad Company, or its grantees, or forfeit all right and title thereto."
In October, 1902, the proposition of incor- poration which had been agitated by the resi- dents for some time, was voted upon and car- ried by a large majority. Prior to this time it was thought that the county government was sufficient for all needs, but the town had
reached that point where it was necessary for local improvements which could not be secured under the old system. Sidewalks, graded streets, fire protection, and water system were needed. Since incorporation many changes have taken place, many new and handsome res- idences have been built, lawns improved, streets have been graded and many blocks of cement walks have been laid, and many new business blocks erected.
In December, 1902, the Glendive Fire De- partment was organized with the following members : Jerry Cain, chief ; Frank J. Lucas, assistant chief ; Eugene Crotean, foreman hook and ladder company; Frank Parrott, assistant foreman of hook and ladder company; J. H. Pennington. foreman hose company; Ray Lowe, assistant foreman of hose company : Otto Carlson, steward; members: Steve Brittner, W. D. Nuens, H. A. Sample, C. A. Parcher, J. S. Gillis, F. H. Hudson, Clark Brooks, C. A. McIntyre, J. F. Dawe, E. P. Hockinbeamer, C. A. Banker, George Quilling, Frank Spar- ger, H. B. Read, H. J. Case, A. E. Anderson, John Hagan, Wm. Hurst, Dr. Donahue, Har- ry Stubbs, Stanley Guy, Gabriel Ruff and Donald Mack.
The town experienced a sixty thousand dollar fire in February, 1903. The fire started about two o'clock in the morning and the or- igin was unknown. On account of the scarc- ity of water little could be done to stop the spread of the fire and in a short time only the ruins were left.
The losses were as follows: T. F. Hagan, owner of buildings, $25,000, insurance, $11,- 500; G. D. Hollecker, merchandise, $30,000, insurance, $16,000; C. F. Bean, postoffice fix- tures, $600, no insurance; A. S. Foss, photog- raphers' supplies, $1,000, no insurance; G. F. Goodhue, household furniture, $600, no insur- ance; I. O. O. F. and other secret societies, $1,000, no insurance ; Davis & Farnum, drugs, $700.
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