The Saint Paul globe., 1897-12-06
MoNTANA,s CoUNTERPANEs.
An Incident Of the Early Days in
the West-PiIIOw Shams Followed.


New light is being thrown on the early his
tory of Montana day by day, for the making
of history and the recording of it in times
when there were no newspapers and when
the rush for gold left little time for atten-
ton then to the desires of generatio - 10
come were altogether different matters, says
the Helena Independent. Just now there is
in Helena man who did more, perhaps,
to advance the early community in a social
way than any other man who came into the
territory He is Gen. Rod d. Leggat, of
Butte, and the distinction he earned in those
days of struggling for gold a-s ~ sordid
barter and trade was the pioneership in the
importation of counterpanes into the new
country. In the beginning of the history
of the territory there were few of the little
comforts of home that make the difference be-
tween a cabin and a house. The huts of the
seekers for the golden fleece were rude af-
fairs, and their interior arrangements did not
bespeak a taste for articles of Yertu. The
minds of men then were warped by the
prevailing sentiment, and the introduction
of the counterpane, while it was not In it
self seemingly important event at that
time, was really the beginning of an epoch.
White tablecloths and napkins and lace cur
tains followed, as matter OF course when
the dormant finer feelings of the people had
been awakened from their lethargy by the
introduction of the counterpane, and 1t can
be said without exaggeration that the day
when the first one was disposed of was the
beginning of the period that now finds the
homes of the people of the treasure state as
comfortably appointed and artstically ar
ranged as the homes of any people In the
land. Such is the moving force of a little
thing in history, and Of the Importance of
little things many volume has been written
by profound students of sociology.
Gen. Leggat built the first building on
what is now Rodney street in Helena. 1t
was in the spring of 1865, when there was
no Rodney street and the city itself was To-
Gated far below what is now that avenue in
Last Chance gulch. He had brought to the
territory from st. Louis a large stock Of
staple merchandise, and. after unloading it
at Fort Benton, had come on ahead, while the
OK teams plodded over the trail, to arrange
for its disposition here, anticipating that If
he would lay it by there would come day
when there would be a large demand for it,
in which he subsequently not disap-
pointed He found the storage rates were
$4.5O a ton month, and, as he had 100 tons
of goods, it a considerable item. There
were with him several Michigan men who
knew thing or two about log houses and
with oxen and had them build on the corner
of Rodney and Fifth avenue. opposite on Rod
ney street the present place of business OF
William ]. Dingee, a large log structure,
where he stored his stock, builling a tent
for himself and his men. The tent COM
fortably arranged, with clean white walls
it had been done Gen. Leggat bethought
himself of the counterpanes in the ware
house. So he procured three. and they were
placed on the hunks within.
The weather was warm and The tent flap
was open. 1t not long before that To-
caity, remote as it was. began to be the
who then lived here and who sadly missed
many of the little comforts they had been
accustomed to in their homes across the
plains The counterpanes were the objects
of their curiosity, it soon afterward devel-
oped, and those on the hunks in the little
tent the foundation of more business
than many a lavish window display would
be in the modern store Of today.
Mrs. James King, who was one OF the
first women to live in Helena, some time
afterward received as a gift the first coun-
terpane ever taken sut of the stock. Re-
quests for more came in rapidly, and they
were taken out of the warerooms and placed
on sale Several hundred were promptly dis
posed of at a profit, and the demand did
not cease even when the last one had been
sold for the news had gone abroad and the
camp itself.