The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-12-18

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itiess grazing lands. and of its beau
tiful. sublime mountain scenery. Yet
few Of Montana's Inhabitants really
know how sublime 10 our mountain
scenery. Montana has her lofty noun
tain peaks. her high water falls, her
glaciers and her mirror lakes, which
rival. IL they do not surpass. those of
any other land.
Early In the spring OF 1897 an ANA
teur scientific society of Butte, known
as the Students of Nature, heard of
a marvellous region in the northern
Rocky mountains of this state, where
there were water falls 2,4OO feet high,
mirror lakes whose depths were vet
unknown. and where glaciers abound.
They concluded to view the awe-in-
spring sights with their own eyes, so
set to work to prepare for the trip.
1t was to be a trip of more than 800
miles. each way, over mountain roads
and trails by wagon. pack horse and
on foot, but the boys were determined
and every obstacle was conquered.
So, on h 10th of August. a large
covered wagon. loaded with provisions.
bedding, tents, guns and scientific
equipment, pulled by four horses,
thanked by three saddle horses and
manned by 10 members of the s. of N.
and cook, started north to reach Lake
Mcdonald CTemps lake, and vicinity.
our route was down the Deer Lodge
valley, through Deer Lodge. Garrison,
Drummond, on to Missoula. up through
che Flathead Indian reservation,
around Flathead lake. through Kalis-
pell and Columbia Falls, and then TO
Lake Mcdonald.
The night of Sept. 5 found us camped
at the foot OF Bad Rock hill, three
miles above Columbia Falls, on the
north fork of the Flathead river. We
had been just three weeks coming
from Butte. which was fair time con-
sidering the load wes had. our stock
of provisions had gone down consid-
erably. but we had taken on a large
supply of vegetables. so the load re-
manned about the same. We had turn
ed one horse loose at the Hump the
second day out from Butte. and had
left another with Agent Carter on the
reservation, while one of our boys left
us at Bonner The party now con-
sisted of Harry w. Paxson. Clarence
". Hopkins. Dan A. Mcmillan. Sed-
man Wynne, II. A. Holley. Walter A.
Sherlock. Thomas W. Clayton. A. b..
Tankin, j. w. Gum, tr., and the writ
er. The brute tribe included Bonnie.
a lazy iron-gray; Pete. the most con-
trary horse on earth; Romeo. a sorrel
with a sweenied shoulder, but always
ready to pull; Baby. the pet OF every
one. for she seemed to TAX as much
interest i'm the success of the expedi-
tfnn m anu 80 Nhn hnxra anI NANrla
a little Indian pony w used as a sad
die horse. Curley was our little dog.
who had an Inclination to attack pole
cats.
We had camped early in the after
noon, and as soon as things were 60
ing well around camp. Mcmillan, Hop
kins and l went ahead to see what Bad
Rock hill really was like.
When we saw 1t IL satisfied all the
descriptions the farmers had given, still
we considered il passable by aid of our
300-foot rope and a pair of blocks.
When we returned to camp We ted
the bo-s that whenever we wrote the
name of that hill We would put about
half a dozen dashes before IL. so the
reader might fill in with his imagira-
tion.
Next morning. Sept. 6. the bus!e
sounded at 5 o'clock. Soon all were Up,
preparing for a hard days work. Our
load was packed like a box of sar-
dimes and well dashed down. The
wrecking paraphernalia. which consist
ed of block and tackle. ropes, axes and
picks, to which we added shovels and
some large rope we borrowed, was
made available for u.s.. hopkins and
Holley had gone ahea1 TO clear out as
many of the large boul1ers as they
could, the rest Of the rarty remaining
with the wagon. Finally we attacked
the hill. We had not gained much
ground when one of the wheelers
baked and refused to pull further. The
block and tackle was then attached TO
the tongue and TO a solid old stump up
the hill and the leaders put OF the pull
rope. All was ready and We started.
The Dad went up the hill nicely. al
though the old wheeler. Pete. sat on his
singletree, but he had to go with the
rest of the outfit just the same.
About 500 feet from the bottom of the
hill the road comes to a point Of rocks
which is rounded by a bridge, and past
the bridge the hill grows sleeper. Part
of our boys were behind the Wagon
blocking the wheels with large rocks.
for II the wagon should once start
backward II would land in the river.
some 200 or 800 feet below. AS the
wagon passed over the bridge il quiv-
cred, but stood the strain.
A few more block-and-tackle pulls
and we were at the top and must go
down the other side. which was 50 steep
and rocky that the horses could not
get any possible footing. for, in fact.
the roadbed was solid rock, covered
with small chips of rock.
We now put h two leaders in the
wheel and with the blocks attached to
the hind axle of the wagon started
down the hill. Mcmillan was driving.
Tonkin was by the side of the wagon
and the rest of us were letting the rope
out slowly. Suddenly the wagon start |
ed down the hill. the Inc were in the
air and Mcmillan jumped from his
seat. We hung to the rope, but II went
through our hands. burning the buck
skin of our gloves. The knot on the
rope had reached the pulley; a fearful
strain was on the ropes. the knot went
through. but all this time Tonkin was
busy. for he had caught the lines and
holding on for his life. He sue
ceeded in pulling the horses TO one sid
and cramping the and once