The Bozeman weekly chronicle., 1888-12-26
MONTANA's GREAT ENTERPRISE
The Completion Of the Rocky Fork As
sured. Steel Moving Westward.
Copper Producers to be Made Happy by
an Unlimited Supply Of Good Goal.

As announced elsewhere in this issue,
final arrangements have made to i'm
mediatelv complete the Rocky Fork 4
Cooke City Railway. The steel for the
first section of forty six miles is now
moving westward as fast as wheels can
carry it and will be laid within the next
sixty days. With the opening Of spring
this road will be pushed on to Cu,ke
City, and thus open up another great
mineral producing camp, which we pre-
dict will rival Lead vile or Butte. About
one year ago Dennis Ryan, Of st. Paul,
who had contracted with the Rocky
Fork company to build its road, became
financially embarrassed and failed to
carry out his contract. Stimuli
taneous with this set back, rival bill
was introduced in congress asking for the
right of way, on which to build road,
which would parallel the Rocky Fork.
This bill finally passed, and as natural
result delayed the projectors of the
former road in occurring financial aid to
complete their road. We cannot call to
mind parallel case, where a great and
deserving enterprise has been carried
through q successful issue, in the face Of
40 many difficulties as has beset the
path of the Rocky Fork Railway. Its
projectors have been assailed by almost
the entire press of the territory. The
new channels have been manipulated
against the enterprise in an effort to
poison the minds of the people and in
fluence public opinion, that assistance
might be rendered to rival and danger
our legislation. The CHRONICLE has
from the first stood by and defended the
managers of the first enterprise first,
because it was two highly respected
citizens of this territory, putting forth
their energies in Herculena effort to
build a railroad from junction with
the Northern Pacific to Cooke City. Sec.
ond, because it knew if these efforts were
crowned with success, several millions
of eastern capital would flow into Mon.
.tana, open up our mines, create indus.
tries, employ labor and consume: our
products. Third, because we deemed it
our duty and the duty of ali good citizens
to assist, foster and encourage every en-
terprise calculated to open up and i'm
prove our great territory in the lifetime
of the present generation.
There is no doubt but what Montana
will derive more benefit from the com
pletion of the Rocky Fork & Cooke City
Railroad, than from any other line o
railroad that has been built here, or tha
may be built in the years to come. tt
Walter Cooper, of this citv, is due til,
credit of organizing this enterprise
Samuel Word, of Helena, became inter
ested, as he stated in speech at Boze.
man, Through the kindness of Mr.
Cooper" For five years these gentlemen
have worked increasingly to complet
this great work and through them Nj
Plat, of Ft. Dodge, Iowa, Mr.. Brown, u
Des Moines, Mr.. Hubbell, of s,
Paul became interested and were tn
incorporators of the company. MI
Cooper and Mr.. Hubbell were selecte,
to go to Washington to secure right Q
way by the aid of congress, through tn
Crow reservation. Congress allowed tn
com pany but two years in which to CON
plete the road and before the expiratio
of that time q rival company wei
!, granted the same rights. The Crow II
l dams have shown more grateful apprec
alton of energy, and higher sense
: Justice than congress in this matter. f
they have steadfastly refused to rati
j the act of congress granting the riv
bill right of way through their reserv
ton.
In conclusion we congratulate IL
Rocky Fork people on their great succe
and venture the assertion that no 9th
J. company of men could have stood
IL their enterprise with such stubbo
j. determination, in the face of obstacl
: that often seemed to outsiders ansu
u mountable. Surely they have develops
's courage and staying qualities equal to
81 Hannibal or Napoleon and deserve 81
d cosa with its best rewards