New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-02-27
ONLY THREE STAGE LINES LEFT.
FABULOUS PROFITS MADE By THE OLD
STAGE COACH COMPANIES IN THE WEST

STAGE COACH COMPANIES IN THE WEST
From The Tacoma Ledger.
"The stage coach days are about over In Mon
tana and Idaho" said S. +. Shannon at the
Tacoma last night. with the extension OF the
Northern Pacific branch into Lewiston Idaho
the little sta &c line into that town will have TO
give way. There are but three stage lines left
in Montana, and it is only matter of time be-
fore they will be gone. But those were great
days when the great Gilman salisbury lines
were operating in Montana" and Mr.. Shannon
lapsed into silence a moment AS he Thought Of
the old days when he was auditor OF that line
stationed at Helena.
With the stage coach lines from their infancy
TO their days Of power and then with the rail-
road when ii was finally completed through ~
the Pacific. and now in other business 10 look
back on those earlier and a least equally happy
DAYS has been Mr. Shannon's experience. He Is
intimately acquainted with the heads Of the
Northern Pacific and With that road long
before the present management came 10 the
helm. He is a personal friend Of the old time
frontersman. and withGl good business man
of the later days
Staging now is not what it was in the early
days" he continued. Tine trouble now is that
whenever . stage line begins TO pay. a railroad
IS built and the stages have TO move further
off into the newer sections Of the country.
took a ride up through Okanogan County 10 the
British Columbia line short time ago on the
stages in operation there. and il vas one OF
the worst experiences | ever had. The stages
are little more than mere wagons-not the easy
going six 10 twelve horse teamed luxurious
coaches with accommodate ons for any number
up 10 thirty-six that We had in Montana. The
roads are bad. and one jolts along the trails
expecting every minute that the next will be his
last He arrived at his destination thoroughly
exhausted
But in the old days We had stages. Equip
ment is the word for their furnishings. They
We're as luxurious as ii was possible 10 make
them. They rode like rocking-chairs. on our
lii IS running from Mandan TO Mssoua and
from Corinne over in Idaho to Helena by way of
Deer Lodge, the coaches had accommodations
ior eighteen, tWenty-four and thrty-sx. and
were drawn by teams of six to twelve horses
II was a matter of get-there with them. They
lad the mail contracts, and We're receiving S:,G
for every mile they carried six hundred pounds
of baggage and $50 for each extra hundred
pounds They had a monopoly of that traffic
ana that is what caused the star route nvesti-
cation In 1884. The coaches could carry four
thousand pounds Of express and the same
amount Of mail and baggage. besides their pas
serger lists They averaged eight and third
miles over the entire distance. or nine and a
half miles actual running time This was over
mountains and plains and in all kinds OF
weather. our stages used to leave Bozeman in
the morning and arrive i'm Helena ninety-eight
miles away. in the evening.
Montana was in its stage lines second only TO
California. There will never be another coun-
try such as those two for stage lines The roads
were all good and hard through all kinds OF
weather. and the horses could fairly fly There
was money IN staging then The Gilman Sauls-
out or their stage lines. and | guess that IS true
me mail contracts and the heavy passenger
lsts TO say nothing Of the express made the
pr"fts count up. even after they had divided
with those In charge Of the mail contracts and
after the Government had forced them TO give
up part OF their stealings
There were several hodup by road agents
IN those days, but far as | can remember
and was connected with the lines during the
seventies and early eighties, We never lost any
bullion
Montana has only three stage lines left now
ana these run through rich agricultural dis
ricts Cattle and sheep ranches are abundant
ard the lines are doing good business In a
Few years the railroads will become Jealous Of
them II they are not now. and build through
thelr districts. Then the stage lines will no
only matter OF history All tha lines run out
or Livingston. Mont From Billings Great Falls
and Big Sandy on the Great Northern they run
INTO Livingston. The first two virtually meet
at Utica
In oregon and Washington there are a few
stage mes. but the day for staging has gone"
,oncuded Mr.. Shannon, regretfully
u