The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-04-10
4 LOG CABINS HISTORY
The First Building to Be Erected
in Great Falls.
BULLET MARKED WALLS
Piegans. Crows. Floods and Nsz Perces
Used the Nearby F~ord-John Rock
Shot by War Party Of the
Painted Devils.

HiedI lils, April Ut Is u mdtter
quite commonplace to see in a western
town Of rapid growth magnificent
buildings of stone or brick standing
side by side or perhaps in the same
block with rough log cabins and adobe
structures. The spectacle reminds n
Of q frog which has cast it's old skin
and for q momen sits beside the
slough. In reality the buildings repre-
sent three stages of development, be-
ginning with the initiatory period Of the
city and ending with the present time.
To a certain extent this is true in Great
Falls, 30 years ago a grassy plain; to-
ay. a city of 1900 souls. And yet
despite the short time which has
lapsed since habitation began at this
particular point 1t would be hard to
ind a dozen people here who could say
Just which was the oldest building in
the town.
At the time the Bach-Cory building,
which now contains the Standard Office.
was erected. a little old structure with
walls of groat was torn dow to make
room. That structure was the
hrst permanent home of the Great
Falls Water Power and Townsite COM
pany. 1t was also one of the oldest
buildings in the city. Very nearly the
same time the Lepley building on Third
street, between Central avenue and
First avenue south, was building and to
make room for 1t an old log building,
chinked with 'dobe, was moved around
to face OF First avenue south. This
was another of the Oldest buildings in
the city and at one time was occupied
by II. e. Randall and Jesse L.. Henry
as a real estate building. Either one
OF these would be pointed out by the
average man as the oldest building in
the city.
-
However, these buildings are far out
dated by a little old log cabin over on
the west side of the Missouri river. 1t
stands on the Montana Central right Of
way, Just where the road to the Sun
river bridge leaves the railway and
turns to the west. Its present condi-
ton is rather dilipidated, having been
used as a stable for five or six years.
Its one window is closed with boards.
n the door, hat is, the latest door,
has to be assisted on its hinges. The
curious may find traces of bulletmarks
on its roughly squared logs. although
time has done its best to efface them, |
and Its history may be learned only
from a few old timers and hardly one
OF these can remember 1t all. A few
years hence and the cabin will be re-
moved or fall to pieces and then its
history will be scattered with them.
Away back in 1870, in the winter
months or perhaps in the first month
of 1871, Col. Charles A. ~Broadwater of
Helena, having in view the immense
river traffic up the Missouri and the
consequent immense profits made
through hat traffic. conceived the idea
that a line of steamboat from the
mouth of the Prickly Pear canyon or
from Canyon Ferry to Great Falls and
another line of steamboats, from below
the great falls of the Missouri down
the river to st. Louis, would be a source
Of great wealth and would also serve to
make Helena the distributing point of
Montana in place of Fort Benton. To
get around the falls in the river at
his point he planned to build a rail-
way by which goods could be portrayed.
At about the same time the manager
Of the Nothern Pacific, Henry Willard.
was planning to build a branch of that
road up through the Judith basin from
a point east Of Billings. Each man
had selected in his mind that piece of
land which is now covered by the ma
chine shops of the Great Northern,
north of the Sun river and extending
down the Missouri on its western bank
to a point very near to the present wag-
on bridge at First avenue north.
Willard. probably ignorant of the
Broadwater scheme, was the first to
take action. In the spring of 1871, just
a little earlier than the present month.
he sent a man up from Helena to
No. ia IN ioirA SiI IN ~ HUH |
1t for the railway. That man was Jack
Russell, who is said to still reside at
Helena. In some manner his errand
became bruited abou Helena and came
to the ears of Colonel Broadwater.
Fearing that he would be thwarted in
his portage railway proposition. the
colonel lost no time in wiring John Lar
gent at u river that Russell was on
his way toward was then the sta
ton of Johnstown. for the purpose of
taking up the land north of the onfiu-
ence of the u and Missouri rivers.
The telegram added hat Russell must
be headed of at any cost.
In the meantime Russell had not yet
reached u river. Largent despatched
Robert Lynch and Lucas Conrous to
the coveted land with a load of lumber
n logs for the purpose of house build
~suspecting Russell. The telegram had
been received in the late afternoon:
Russell arrived at the little town of Sun
River in the early evening He told
Largent that he was anxious to get to
Johnstown at once and asked IL Lar
gent could supply him with a guide.
In the world was easier and in
q few minute a nan was found who
knew the country as well as IL he had
made II. The mans name is forgotten
unfortunately, but subsequent
events proved that he was all right. He
o Russell out over the d~arkening
and led him nearly halfway to
They made a circle or two
about Benton lake. 16 miles north OF
this city and fully twice that distance
on the direct route from Sun River.
Finally as the east began to show a
gray streak along the horizon. the guide
brought Russell through the big coulee
the line Of the Great Northern
now runs and down to the Intended
site OF Wizards terminal station.
Lynch and Conrous were already on
the spot and had rough structures put
sufncient to indicate their inten-
tons OF settling on that particular piece
OF n Russell rayed a little but he
helpless The guide was appar-
entity innocent and Russell did not