The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1891-07-04

morous neighboring papers dubbed 1t
was undoubtedly growing. To be sur
it was a new town. G. n. Dickinson sup
piled it with a mutton a week and about
once a month he slew a beef. The boys
also did their own washing for the most
part. although John Gazcr and wife
kept a small laundry and did quite d
thriving business. There were no the.
atrical performances to pass away time
and yet it seldom hung heavy. Bands OF
strolling Indians passed through occas.
ionally and the untamed cowboy rioted
in glec through the streets, unnoticed
and undisturbed. Then too, the valley
was once a crossing point for the herds
Of wild game proceeding on their way to
the judith basin. AS late as 1884 a buff
falo was killed at Bullshead lake but this,
it is believed. was the last wild one ever
seen in this portion of the country.
ANOTHER EPOCH IN II cITy's HISTORY
was reached on May 18th of 1881. 1t
was the issuing of the first number of
the Great Falls TRIBUNE. the pioneer
paper of the city. The paper was, in the
language of the write up" "a neat four
page. seven column sheet. edited by Will
Hanks and devoted to the growing inter
ests of Great Falls" The local adver-
tisers appearing in the first number are
WI. Pratt, now mayor Of Whatcom.
Washington: Howard Crisis, blacksmith;
William Warner, who conducted a hotel
and livery business: Gibson 81 Wcstcr-
welt. Bcachley Bros. ~ Hickory. news
dealers and %stationcrs; the Great Falls
Lumber company. Ira Meyers and +. G.
Maclay. proprictors. and the Great Falls
meat market, kept by &. y. Dickinson
On June ith the advertisement Of \. NJ.
Hotter ~ Go. appears, and September
18th those of the Cataract Roller mill
and of Chowcn a. Jensen. The paper of
June 18th also contains a stirring ac-
count of an accident with which several
Cclcstials met. Declining to leave the
town. Il number of the boys treated them
to a boat ride on sold Muddy" The
boat Unexpectedly upset and the almond
eyed martyrs received Il bath. probably
the first since their birth. The lesson
proved a salutary one, and no Chinese
have shown up since.
HARMONIOUS PLACE.
Great Falls seems always to have been
a singularly harmonious place. The edi-
tor remarks in a November issue: 'One
feature observable among the
present population is their evident faith
and confidence in it's future. There is
an absence of the grumbling and dissat-
so generally manisfest in other
Accounts of men implicated in
shooting scrapes" occur. but it is late
any actual killing is to be seen.
AS an indication of his great confidence
the city the editor makes a prediction.
when from his dusty sanctum
he overlooked the ragged little town of
some 200 or 300 people. he fancied his
prophecy open to disbelief. He says:
Il predict the town of Great Falls will
have LOCO inhabitants by November l,
1886" and so certain does he feel of its
that he offers to back his predic-
ton by a new hat. In 1856 the talk of a
bridge over the Missouri began to
become deafening and the 9th Of the
first month of this year was made
memorable by the filing of the articles of
Incorporation OF the TOWNSHIP company.
THE BUILDING GOES RIGHT on.
All this while the town was building.
looked "a little scraggy yet, but there
we're faith and money behind it and so it
vent right on.
About the first of 1887, the people be-
gan to realize that the town was bound
20 be a city. Corner lots jumped from
en- acre prices to $1,000 and $1,000 each.
The paper town" was fast d~tstancing all
competitors. Everybody knew the rail
Dad vas a sure thing. and public cXpec-
knew no bounds. Buildings and
business houses began to go up on every |
tide.
Among the improvements this year
we're the wagon bridge over the Missouri,
he railroad bridge, Phil Gibson's Office, |
wo store rooms by William Albrecht. a
,rick block by w. S. Wetzcl, store build
ngs by Robert Vaughn and G. ~. Wer-
leck, the Roberts Winters block, the
Masonic building by l.. &. Phelps, the
block, j. H. Meningitis brick
block, and the Central block by II. ID.
MinOt. 1t was estimated that the i'm
,rovements of the year amounted to not
ess than S324,9OO. 1t was during this
rear also that the improved machinery |
Of Ira Myers e. CO., was set in motion.
About the middle of August the city di-
was issued by W. j. Kasson
and it contained 962
A COUNTY SEAT AND RAILROAD.
During September, 1887, the bill max
ng Cascade county and Great Falls a
seat was passed. Great %rejoic-
ng ensued. On Wednesday, October
9th, the first engine on the Manitoba,
low the Great Northern, steamed into
sight. By the middle of the next July
the Montana Central was completed to
With the railroad a new era be-
gan. The town grew and thrived but
it's history since then is well known to
all.
Among the pioneers of Great Fall Hon
Paris Gibson must ever be given the
precedence. 1t is stating the matter
zone too strong to term him the father
Of the city. When asked for data re-
garding these earlier days his statement
SO lucid that it was deemed the part
of wisdom to insert it entire. 1t is as
follows:
HON. PARIS GIBsoN's STATEMENT.
! came here first in May Of 1882. At
that time there were no settlements on
the present TOWNSHIP on the east side of
river nor within ten miles on the