Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1885-03-29
A QUEER WESTERN TOWN
TIE Way 1t Was First Built BY
Mistake
On a Crust of Snow---The Rise and Fall
of the Odd Mining Town Of
Belknap.

DEHNvR, March l2.-Ihe story OF the
town of Belknap has never been fully told,
but it is worth telling RumorS Of the great
wealth to be had for the seekiugin the CGur
dAlene country had reached the outer
world in the fall If 1883, and, being very
persistently kept afoat, gave plain indica-
tons that boom would set in the following
spring. Two enterprising men, who were
entirely familiar with the art of creating
cities, started from Denver in January, and
riding along the snow, bound line Of the
Northern Pacific until they came to point
which looked as if it might be somewhere
near opposite to the promised land of gold
OIL the other side Of the mountains, jumped
of into the snow and claimed the town OF
Belknap. Their reason for stopping at this
particular point was that the engine had
halted there to take in water from tank,
The only structure within hundred miles
Of the place. 1t was not an over promising
site for a town. On the left OF the track
he steep hill, heavily timbered with im-
meuse pine trees, extended skyward at an
angle of ! 5 degrees, and on he right of the
track sloped downward at about the same
incline. The pine trees were so close to-
ge,her in some places that it was almost i'm
possible for these pioneers wading through
the snow, to run the lines for the survey Of
their proposed metropolis. Having, how.
ever chopped down q tree or two, and claim
ed and named their town, they set out In
search OF inhsbi iants, feeling tolerably sure
that nobody would steal the property during
heir absence.
By promises of corner lots they indsced
a sufficient number of laboring men to &C.
company them to the chosen spot from Butte
City, Helena, and other Montana towns,
and, having, at last cleared away an open
ing in pine forest sufficiently large to &C
cummodate few big tents, they imported
Dig gang Of Cinnamon from the Pacific
slope and began in earnest the laying out
Of streets. ShoveEng out anywhere from six
TO ten feet of snow from around the trees
hey sawed the giant trunks as close to the
ground as possible, and in the course Of q
few weeks had constructed Broadway, which
was about 300 yards long and 40 feet wide,
u inning at right angles with the railroad
rack, and First, Second and Third streets,
borrower thoroughlares of varying length,
which crossed Broadway at regular intervals.
1t eng a matter Of dispute whether the
SEC ion of land upon which their town had
re-, located was the property OF the North
erp Pacific Railroad or OF the United States
Government, they entered into some sort of
an arrangement with the railroad, by which
the latter undertook to make the titles OF
lots good in either event.
All was now in readiness for the sale OF
real estate. The Northern Pacific adver-
rised Belknsp throughout the East as the
entrepot to the Cuur Alene country, and
maps of this new city, showing all the de-
sirable building corners, were hung in all
the real estate offices Of Denver, Cheyenne,
Salt Lake, and other important western
centers. A gentleman who had large and
profitable hotel in Denver sold out all his
property here and bought two lots at the
corner of broadway and Second street,
think, for which he paid 81 900 apiece. He
shipped sawed lumber to Belknsp by the
carload, and took out enough furniture to
equip two ordinary hotels. Arrived at Bel
bnsp. he found his corner occupied by trees
of a century's growth. Nothing daunted
be sawed the monster trunks off at the
street level, using the stumps, as a convent
cnt and ready-msde foundation for his new
hotel. Other newcomers did the same and
by the first of March there was such q
sound of saving and hammering as had
never been dreamed of in this primeval for
est. New streets were laid out and shsuties
began to 90 up in every direction.
But now a most astounding and embsr
raising thing occurred. The forest having
been cleared for large space, the rays Of
tie midday sun began to play havoc with
street pavements. What had before appear
ed to be firm foundation began to prove
uncertain. The surface Of the street, and
Of such building lots as had been cleared o.
timber, began to drop out in spots, and il
was then found that the town had been LAID
out six or eight feet above terra firma. Ii
shovelng away the snow, in order to get a
| the foot Of the trees, the builders Of the
town had come upon what they supposed
| to be the ground, but which now proved tc
be mere crust of leaves and twigs aud
fallen boughs and branches resting upon g
| foundation of snow which, as has been said
was from six to eight feet deep. The result
| can easily be imagined. Houses which hsC
appeared TO be on solid ground. we're sud
denly found insecurity balanced in the all
On massive stills, and Broadway was no
longer passable, being thickly studdeC
throughout its length with ungainly tret
trunks. The founders of the town, how
ever, and the owners, having made certain
that they had at last reached a genuine soil
sawed the trees a second time, and REPAIRED
thsir falling buildings. In ten week atte,
after lis inception the town of Belknsp con
tained 4 900 inhabitants, not including tn,
Indians, who came in troops from all diree
tons, supplying the new market with al
abundance of game. There we're seven
teen corner liquor stores ON the Grst o
April on Broadway alone, aud the iounds
ton was being laid for large theater-un
failing signs Of prosperity in the West
But Just atout this time Mr. Thompson
who had hand in the building Of Leadvillt
srved at Belknap, and modestly requested
| to be let into the town company. 1t wa!
then that the authors Of B4lknsp made &
rand mistake. They should have propitis
ted Mr. Thompson had it taken two solo
business blocks to do'it. They, however
gave him the cold shoulder, whersupon b
Immediately jourreyed back half dozs,
miles on the railroad and started town o
his own. The msgnates of Belknap snapped
their fingers at his rivalry, conscious of thu
fact that their relations with the Northern
Pacific Railroad were such that all passeu
gers for the Ceur dAlene would be ticke
ted direct to Belknsp. Such was the case
but it didn't worry Thompson in tn
least. he simply presented every con
duc,or and brakeman on the line Of III
railroad with corner lot, and trusted t
the consequences. The consequences wer,
as satisfactory to him as they were disast
rous TO Belknap Each train man consti
tuted himself self-appointed missionary t
rescue passengers from the horrors Of Belk
nap, and two thirds of the travel was in thi