Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1883-03-05
FROM FORT MAGINNIS TO
FORT BENTON.
Benton, Montana, Feb. I

Maginnis is situated near the Big
Snowy Mountains in southeasterly
direction from Benton. The distance
between the two places is nearly 10
miles, over country which is spars-
edly settled, what few ranches there
are being in the Judith Basin. /
might have gone roundabout way
by stage through more settled por-
ton of the country, but decided to-
try little experience in "roughing
it." 1 therefore joined a freighting
outfit bound for Fort Benton. The
outfit consisted of five teams, four
wagons in each; each team being
drawn by ten yoke of cattle, making
one hundred head altogether. Each
team carried Is, 000pounds of freight.
Don't imagine that Montana freight
ing wagons resemble your eastern
ones in regard to size, your largest
sized wagon would be but an infant
compared with a Rocky Mountain
wagon which stands, with lite canvae
cover from ten to twelve feet high.
1t was late in the fall and not very
warm. The first night we camped
at the foot of the mountains. Creep
ing under wagon, l rolled up in my
blankets. About midnight / awoke
to find it raining and myself in pool
of water. / scrambled out and sought
another wagon. Before morning it
turned cold; | got up wet and cold
with my clothes frozen. l thought
of my schoolmates, and how we used
to talk of camping out, hunting and
roughing it generally, | wished they
could have been with me; l think
they would have agreed with me that
there was no romance when it came
to be reality. We ate our break
| fast in snow-storm. Bill of fare
Sour dough bread, bacon and hot
coffee. The men were all sold
times" used to roughing in any
shape, did not mind the weather in
the least. | had gone too far to back
out and did not complain for feal
the men would make fun of me, but
l heartily wished l had taken the
stage. The wagons were too full to
afford shelter. 1t showed all day
the next day it cleared off and a:
near as l could judge the mercury
stood 12e below zero. About half
way through the mountains we pass
ed Maiden Gulch and Maiden vile.
lively mining camp of one year
growth, containing some one hundre,
, cabins-the only town on the road
We were three days and a half get
ting through the mountains By thi
time was thoroughly disgusted wit
camp life, but had to make the bes
of bad bargain. After leaving tli
mountains, came into the Judit
Basin, which is fifty miles across
1t seemed as though we had com
into different country and climate
there was plenty of game such .
buffalo, antelope, black and white
tailed deer, prairie chicken and wate
fowl with occasionally a stray ell
The change of our bill of fare VS.
decidedly for the better. The bacc
remained untouched. The trail beir
in good condition, we rolled from tic
to twelve miles per day. On IL
third day after leaving the mountain
we camped on Big Warm Spril
Creek. Leaving the train early Il
next morning and proceeding up Il
stream five miles / came to B
Warm Spring, the sourse of the abo
: stream. The spring covers an ar
of about quarter of an acre al
:, gushes out in volume equal to t,
~ such streams as Barton river, t
D. temperature being little more dh
I'd milk warm. Twenty or thirty TO
i'll below the spring, cold mounta
!. stream joins the warm one, and he
:, | caught fine string of trout, viii
". differ from the New England bro
Ill trout, being much larger and ha
DO spots of but one color, black. r
,o turning to the train, / felt amply
&c paid for my days trip. Fording t
- Judith river, passing the Alkali LaL
NC then skirting the Bell Range a
b. Bear Pale mountains, we reached t
Missouri after thirteen days 10,
to ney. Crossing the river on the fen
,w | arrived in Benton, tough, fat a
- dirty, with experience enough to l.
ne me for sometime to come.
he Yours truly,
'iff E. E. p.