The Livingston enterprise. [volume] (Livingston, Mont.) 1883-1914, 1889-04-06
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From Cooke Cify

Billings Gazette, tends to convey the i'm
preston that via Billings Is not only
furnished the most natural outlet for
our products, but that public sentiment
also, favurs the Billings route.
The question of hOw to overcome ex.
cessive freight rates has with us, been
serious one. 1t cannot be denied that
the development and subsequent pro-
gress of Cooke has in consequence been
unjustly retarded; so much so in fact, it
Is becoming matter of general regret,
that our products cannot go to help swell
the grand total of the output of the
territory. While good wagon road
would in measure overcome present
conditions, the necessary expenditure to
put in repair the one we now have, would
be too great burden for our citizens
alone. 1t is true, as "Quartz' implies,
the Park has always been to our dctri-
ment, though happily not through its
direct management. The fault is, the
too scanty appropriations made by con-
gress, are insufficient to make and keep
in repair the different roads over which
the tourist must travel. And not until
there is an excess in such appropriations,
need we expect any outlay by the gov
ernment to be made on the road leading
from Yancey's to this eastern line of the
Park.
"Quartz' suggests the building of Il
new wagon road from our mines to nearest
point on the railroad east of US. Not
only would such a road he difficult of
construction, and for that reason expen-
slve, but the country over which it must
necessarily pass is so precipitous, that at
best the road could be no improvement
over the one which now traverses the
Park by the way of Cinnabar And since
it is possible that this proposed new road
would neccssitate a lcnger haul by wagon
than our present facilities afford, is it
not also true that the haul by rail would
in like manner, be heightened. 1t seems
it would be SO far as our raw ores are
But aside from wagon roads we doubt
not the much needed relief will soon
reach US through the medium of the
cheaper railway transportation. To some
Of us, the time when this hope would lie
realized, appeared not far distant when
the Rocky Fork r. r. was first agitated
and again, when the Billings Clark's
Fork and Cooke City railway began to
'boom" G? and as the one or the other
Of these roads advanced ION paper)i it was
but natural that among anxious citizens,
some could be found who credited the
projectors of these schemes with absolute
good faith. We hope they are deserving
Of ii. Yet it is doubtful If many seriously
the belief that either of these
proposed railroads was for the present at
least destined to enter Cooke; but instead
that they have their terminus at the coal
banks, many miles to the east of us. We
shall see.
Notwithstanding the almost numbcrless
obstacles with which to contend, the
popular belief has been that when the
,aihoad Came it would be by none other
han the Cinna'ar route Ii for no other
'eason, because it is the most natural
'oute. A trip down the Clark's Fork on
he east, and Soda Butte creek, east Fork
)f Yellowstone and main Yellowstone to
Gardiner on the west, cannot fail to con-
vince even the most skeptlcal of the
superior advantages of the latter route
over those of the former. To say nothing
If the coal along this route, which for
purposes of reduction, is doubtless
lnequalled in the territory, with the
arge custom reduction works in the west
already completed; with branch at
Livingston assured, and the h;thert to
bitter opposition of congress to segresa-
ing narrow stri p from the Park
gradually giving way the problem which
las so long confronted US, is practically
solved. ~.