The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1897-12-24
THE EDMONTON ROUTE
It's Opening Would Mean Much
for Montana.
1T is THE BEST TRAIL
Business Men of Great Falls Take Steps
to Divert Part of the Klondyke
Traff1c-It Will Benfit the
Whole State

the city council chamber the following
representative business men of the
city: Paris Gibson, F. e. French, r. F.
Jockey, w. c. Conrad, Matt Dunn, w.
2. Wren, Harry Sommers, G. F. Rim
ker. II. Q. Chowen. Z. Crutcher, Kyle
Brice. John Shennon. w. F. Brown, r.
J. Fitzferald, s. r. Jensen, II. r. Han
sen, w. b. Roberts, A. w. Kingsbury
and the Standard reporter 1t was
stated that the purpose of the meeting
was the investigation of the Edmon-
ton overland route and it's feasibility
together with the formation of plan
IL the route was feasible for the di-
verting portion of the Klondyke rush
through Montana to the benefit of all
of its cities
On motion w. G. Conrad was placed
in the chair and the meeting settled
down to business. Richard Jockey,
formerly of Helena was present and
when called upon by the chair he stat
ed that he had been over on the coast
recently and had been an eyewitness
OF the rush there for Alaska. AS a re-
suit Seattle was booming and Tacoma
nearly as much. while even Spokane
had scheme of her own for sending
people to Dawson City. 1t had struck
him there that with little work, Mon
tana could demonstrate to the world
that she had the best route of any of
them, especially better than the Spo-
kane route, or even the ocean route 1t
was by way of Edmonton and the Mac
kenzie river. There was no doubt that
there was gold on this as we'll as on the
other side of the range, and it only
needed fairly easy road to make it
known. A proper effort on the part of
Montana people would bring a good
number of the argonauts through Mon
tana, and thus create a demand for
Montana products.
AT the present time, of course, the
raj slII tar f%,s I, Ir,,.
haul, and We're advertising the ocean
route. but it would not be hard to
demonstrate that the other was prefer
able. 1t was but % miles from Edmon-
ton to the Mckenzie river, and thence
to Dawson the way was easy and the
cost of transportation but slight. 1t
was the cheapest and easiest road and
would compete successfully with the
Seattle line which cost a man 81 900
Since he reached Great Falls and talk
ed the matter over, he found that peo-
pie took great interest in it. They
We're not all dead by long ways, and
if they took hold of this matter they
would find that it would increase the
value of real estate, improve business
and the whole state, and particularly
Great Falls, would be better off FOR It,
AT the same time, it would not take
much money, probably none at all, and
it was a matter in which Montana WAS
directly interested as many of its cit
liens were going there themselves az
soon as spring came.
He was followed by w. CT. Conrad,
who said tbat he vas II, naseassion ~
the information that inside of the next
two months there would be direct
communication between Lethbridge
1,,as 49,. i, ,,,a tiala r,,nning a lin. ~
+uaan Eaoopton and Atbabasoa iand
mo Fron, there he traced tba ro,,ta
tn Dawson ritv in detail He believed
that q WAGON trail vas antiraIv nrae-
tinahia T,.,antv ,,aars aao he had
,aada a roaa tbyo,,gh r. sadaIa ,alsa
come eoo ar I'M miles ana II Was iuet
&C aas,y ~ MAKO roaas thara 40 N s,aa
IN iris eonn1rv He could ramamhar
the time when Won could NOT for 81 no
dav hive a man 70 take yo,, from,
Panton 70 whore The narrow gauge rail
wav crosses the Marias bnf when he
80. oraars for that country ara ha
Sond ha had always found that there
vas wav If a wagon road could he
mada then II vas no trick at All to 90
thara With sadaIa horses and mach ami;
vols datacbmant of mounted no
lioa wara now an the trail and that
$50 a,,;aanca tbat n wa. not ir,nacca
bla and in addition he knew that the
trai1 nod axistad for Years nossihIv
Am An effort an the mart of the neonIe
~ Montana ~ omen This lire ,vo,,ld he
s.ostah1a and II could not cost then,
n.tbing
Matt T,unn said that there wore few
,,aa,o1a bara Who w,ara ,nrob acoraintad
p,ith a1harta Int n Iy.s . fact tbat
-. ,,s.,s 49, +ba sa,a,a 80 t;o,, -
this tta+ Maritaha ala 10 Minnaano,is
ta1anhona iina ~ Edmnn1nn meant :,
1i,a ~ Daxyson The Edmonton neonla
,.,.,.o f,iandI,y toward Great Falle and
sha,e ..ara ,,ora thar WILLING "a come
i,aIs WOW hut n was NECESSARY for
Tnaat Ea,1s ara Montaua ~ 40 son,a-
co ~ naanIa THROUGH tha state who
1rara an their wav "a Alaska They
shanta ali u-orl, tooatbar He fbougbt
AZ, I1oclxay.e scheme very feasible
Tha Trail was an old one and Calparv
and Edmantop are doinp their hest r.
anan II nm For ms RI baIn would he
,aara1,y a ,nattar IF ooad hnsinass and
far orr own nrof,t
mr. rrutehar said that ha uarsonallx-
1-,o,, bn+ ya,.v little Of the Northwast