The Bozeman weekly chronicle. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1883-1889, 1884-01-30
THE BANQUET.
Speeches and Toasts of De.
lightful Evening. A
Splendid Spread.
On the Occasion of the Compile
ton of the Bozeman
Tunnel.

Tunnel.
When a person attends supper til
first thing that attracts his notice gene,
ally is the spread. On the occasion G
the tunnel banquet last evening, the sup
per given at the Park restaurant, unde
the superintendent of Mr.. Wood, tn
caterer was unusually fine. Fresh oys
tiers, quail-on-toast. salads, pastry am
abundance of wine loaded the two Ion:
tables. Mr.. Wood and his efficient corp
of walters deserve great praise for thei
attention and courteous bearing.
THE GUESTS.
Almost fifty guests sat down to tn,
tables. They composed the business
men, the professional men Of Bozeman
and the honored guests: Col. Dodge
Chief Engineer of the Rocky Mountain
division of the Northern Pacific Railroad
Col. Muir, the maker Of Mullan ant
Bozeman tunnels; Engineer Becker ant
A. H. Hogeland, his assistant, engineers
of the Bozeman tunnel and projectors o
the overhead line at the Bozeman tun
mel; Engineer Van Welt, the first en-
gineers in Montana under Col. Dodge
whose perfect work at Mullan tunnel to-
day stands as a monument of his skill
Superintendent Turner, Of the Bozeman
tunnel, in charge since the work was
begun in February llth, 1882; Book.
keepers Daniels and Young of the tun-
mel, and Attorney Ford, of the \. P. r.
R. of St. Paul.
Gen. L. S. Wilson presided in his
usual able and easy manner.
THE SPEECHES AND ToAsTs.
Gen. Wilson arose, and after briefly
stating the object Of the august occasion
in fitting terms, offered toast to the
Northern Pacific Railroad" and called
upon Mr.. Ford to respond. In elegant
language Mr. Ford stated that it gave
him great pleasure to be in the beautiful
city of Bozeman, that it had an assured
future of greatness. He spoke of the
new management Of the great railroad.
and praised Vice-Presldent Cakes in fit
ting words, and closed BY admonishing
the citizens of Bozeman to make their
interests identical with those of the rail-
road company.
Mr.. Koch then arose and offered
toast to "Col. Dodge and his able assist
ants"
Mr.. KoCH's SPEECH
was one of unusual eloquence. Koch
said that while it was really unnecessary
to accompany his toast with a speech, as
naming it would be enough, yet there
were SO many new things to be said, that
he could not in justice leave them all to
the Northern Pacific people. He then
spoke in substance as follows:
"The route We have travelled over to-
day is historic ground. Ordinarily our
valleys are 80 wide, our prairies and up
lands so broad, our mountain wilder
nesses so vast, that what few historic as
sociations We have are not enough to go
around. Few, if any, attach to any one
particular spot. But there are few To-
ca]ities SO situated geographically, that
events necessarily concentrate there, and
of .theseSthe Bozeman Pass is one. l
think Col. Dodge will admit that the
pass is a difficult one to avoid. He
searched faithfully for some other route
for the railroad, but fate was too strong
for him. and he had to come to the Boze-
man Pass.
The first discoverer of the Rocky
the Frenchman, de Lercn-
drye, probably crossed that pass li0
years ago. Clark, the companion of
Lewis, in theirmemorable journey to the t
Pacific, travelled over it on his return
Journey eighty years ago, using probably
The very same Indian trail, which leads
,o-day right over the tunel. The fur
raiders of st. Louis followed year or
;wo later in his track, and one Of them,
Emanuel Lisa, with his followers, came
lcross this pass on his way to establish
settlement at the Three Forks. This was
he first, though by no means the last, |
attempt to build city in that locality,
out the Blackfeet proved to many for
him, as have the mosquitoes and the
llkali for his successors. For a number
If years bands Of traders and trappers
reversed these mountains. Parties of
hem crossed and recrossed the Bozeman
Pass, but they left no mark, no perman-
mt impression on the country. They
we're here to-day, there tomorrow. with
10 permanent abiding place.
But different class Of men were COM
ng,
hear the tread Of pioneers, of nations yet
to be,
Che first low wash Of waves, where soon shall
roll a human sea.
These were the sturdy farmers Of the
West, just as restless and just as brave as
he hunters and trappers, who had gone
before them, but they came with diff
erent purpose. They came to lay the
oundation for state, to build them
chool houses, and they and their des-
'endants are here to-day. 1t looked for
! little while as if Bozeman Pass was the
gateway by which these men We're to
inter Montana, but soon it was closed
md darkness settled over the Yellow
tone. For a while the few who had
uttered had enough to do to maintain
against the blood-thirsty
3lackfeet, the fierce Sioux and the
Crows. But gradually they
aimed strength and began to push party
lfter party across the pass into the Vel
owstone country, SO long closed.
There also began to appear among us
PARTIES of railroad engineers, the pioneer
If that higher civilization which can
,nly come in the advent of railroads.
But our hopes were raised high, only to
be dashed to the ground A financial
loud settled over the east, and total
darkness seemed to settle over Montana.
We were ready to despair, but it soon
an,,pa rcd that the old sayinUs uaS tr,,a