Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1898-06-01
OLD TIME STAGE LINES.
There Are Only Three Of Them
Now Running.
Enormous Profits Were Realised by
the Western Companies in the
Early Days Few
HOId-Ups.

1.-THE stage coach days are about over
in Montana and Idaho" said S. f.
Shannon, at the Tacoma. with the
extension of the Northern Pacific
branch into Lewiston, Idaho, the lit
tie stage line into that town will have
to give way. There are but three stage
lines left in Montana, and it is only a
matter of time before they will be
gone. But those were great days when
the great Gilman-Saulsbury lines were
operating in Montana" and Mr.. Shan
non lapsed into silence a momen as
he thought of the old days when he
was auditor of that line. stationed at
Helena.
staging now is not h it was in
the early days" he continued. THE
trouble now is that whenever a stage
line begins to pay, a railroad is built
and the stages have to move further
off into the newer sections of the u
try. / took a ride up through Okano-
gan county 10 the British Columbia
line a short time G on the stages
in operation there. and it was one of
the worst experiences | ever had. The
stages are little more than mere wag-
ons-not the easy going six to twelve
horse-teamed luxurious coaches with
accommodations for any number up to
sc hat we had in Montana. The roads
are bad, and one jolts along over the
trails expecting every minute that the
next will be his last. He arrives at his
destination thoroughly exhausted.
But in the old days we had stages.
Equipment is the word for their fur
nishings. They were as luxurious as
it was possible TO make them. They
rode like rocking-chairs. On our lines
running from Mandan to Missoula. and
from Corinne over in Idaho to Helena
by way of Deer Lodge, the coaches had
accommodations for 1s, "a and Sc. and
were drawn by teams of six to twelve
horses. 1t was a matter of get-therc
with them. They had the mail con-
tracts. and were receiving 1864 for
every mile they carried 600 pounds of
baggage and $50 for each extra 100
pounds. They had a monopoly of that
traffic, and that is What caused the
star route investigation in 1884. The
coaches could carry 1000 pounds of
express and the same amount of mail
and baggage. besides their passenger
lists. They averaged 3 1-3 miles over
the entire distance. or 81 miles actual
running time. This was over noun
tains n plains and in all kinds of
weather. Our stages used to leave
Bozeman in the morning and arrive in
Helena, 9S miles away, in the evening.
Montana was in its stage lines sec
ond only to California. There will
never be another country such as those
two for stage lines. The roads were
all good and hard through all kinds
of weather, and the horses could fair
ly fly. There was money in staging
then. The Gilman-Saulsbury company
is said to have made SIG, COO, 900 out of
their stage lines, and | guess that is
true. The mail contracts and the heavy
passenger lists, to say nothing of the
express. made the profits 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 a part of their stealings.
There were several hold-ups by road
agents in those days. but as far as I
can remember. and / was connected
with the lines during the '70's and
early SOS. we never lost any bullion.
Montana has only three stage lines
left now. and these run through rich
agricultural districts. Cattle and sheep
ranches are abundant. and the lines are
doing a good business. In a few years
the railroads will become jealous of
them. if they are not now, and build
through their districts. Then the stage
lines will be only a matter of history.
All the lines run out of Livingston,
Mont. From Billings. Great Falls and
Big Sandy on the Great Northern they
run into Livingston. The first two vir-
tually meet at Utica.
"In Oregon and Washington there are
a few stage lines. but the day for stag
ing has gone" concluded Mr.. Shannon,
observation-disclosures Ledger.