The age-herald., 1897-11-07

of the seekers for the golden fleece were rude affairs and their interior arrange- ments did not Ibespeak taste for articles of yertu. The minds of men then were warped by the prevailing sentiment, and the introduction of the courterpane. while it was not in itself a seemingly important event at that time, was really the beginning of an epoch. White table cloths and napkins and lace curtains followed, as matter of course when the dormant finer feelings of the people had been awakened from their Hthargy by the introduction of the counterpane, and it cam be said without exaggeration that the day when the first one was disposed of was the beginning of the period thar now finds qhe homes of the people or the Treasure State as comfortably appoint ed and as artistically arranged as the homes of any people tn the land. Such is the moving force of a little thing in history, and of the importance Of little things many a volume has been written by profound students of sociology.
 General Leggat built the first building on what Is now Rodney street In Helena. It was in the spring of 1865, when there was mo Rodney street and the city ftself was 1oca ted 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 thc OK teams plod- ded over the trail, to arrange for its dls- position here, anticipating that if he would lay it by there would come day w1reIn there would be a large demand for it. tn which Inc was subsequently not disappointed. Ee found the storage rates were $4.50 a ton per month, and as he had 100 tons of goods it was a considerable item With him were several Michigan men who knew thing or two about log houses and their colns truction and he furnished them with oxen and had them ito build on the corner of Rodney street and Fifth avenue, opposite on Rodney street the present place of business of William J. Dingee, a large log structure, where he stored his stock, building tent for himself and 1his men. The tent was comfortably arranged, with clean, white walls and a new paulin on tho floor, and after it had been done Generai Leggat bethought himself of the counter- panes in the warehouse. So he procured three, and they were placed on the btlnks within
 flap was open. 1t was not long before that locality, remote as it was, began to be the centre of attraction for many of the ladies who then lived here and who sadly missed many of the little conn forts they had fbeen accustomed to in their ihomes across the plains. The coun- terpanes were the objects of their curl osity it soon afterward developed, and those on the hunks In the little tent were the foundation of more business than many @ lavish window display would be i'm the modern store of today.
 Mrs. James King, who was one of the first women to live in Helena, sometime afterward received as gift the first counferpane taken out of the stock Re- quests for more came in rapidly, and they were taken out of the wareroonis and placed on sale. Several hundred were promptly disposed 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 orders were by no means confined ito the camp Stself.