The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-10-29

Virginia City. Oct tin so-called
'Historical Directory Of Montana'-the
which is simply a fake advertising cir
cular of the rankest sort-published by
one F. w. Warner at Helena in 1879,
appear the following chronological
items:
April is, 1s65-Flour selling at Wiz
ginia City. Mont. at $45 per cwt.
April II, 1s65-Flour selling at Vir-
ginia City at s11o per cwt.
april IS, 1se5-Flour riots at Vir-
ginia City.
april 49, 1s65-Flour distributed at
Virginia City"
In these four paragraphs is disposed
of the history Of the most intensely try
ing time which the people OF Montana
have experienced since Abraham Lin
coin signed the organic act which Gre
ated the territory, and which was only
second in the seriousness of its conse-
ouences to the vigilante times which
preceded it about one year. The Stand
ard reporter has searched diligently he
pages of the alleged histories of MOI
tana which have been printed, but has
failed to find in any of them the record
Of the incidents and happenings of this
thine which truly tried mems SOULS
and the above, with the necessarily con-
densed reports which appeared in he
only territorial paper of the time, is
probably all that has ever appeared in
print about them.
The "beef straight period" as 1t is still
called by old timers, because Of the fact
that a large moiety of the population
was reduced the use Of beef as the sole
article Of diet during its continuance.
began about the date first above quoted
and lasted until nearly the end of May,
when the delayed trains which had been
"snowed in in the Snake river valley
throughout the winter succeeded in
crossing the range and began rolling
into Virginia City with their welcome
freight, accompanied, and in many
cases beaten, by other Outfits" which
had left Salt Lake City the month be-
fore, also laden with the much needed
staff of life' To behold the eagerness
Of the crowds which lined the highways
to watch and wait for the coming trains
as soon as it was learned that the snow
blockade on the Pleasant Valley-s
wretched misnomer that year-dividt
had been broken was a scene never Z
be forgotten by those who witnessed it.
It Was Great News.
Work was almost entirely suspended
and the road from Virginia City dow
the gulch was thronged with men
women and children-the latter ofte1
laughing and crying by turns in happ,
anticipation of soon enjoying the frs
Square meal" it had been their lot I
obtain for weeks past. Not fey
hitched up light rigs and went out :
meet the trains so as to get small sup
ply of -four in advance of the arrival q
the teams with their precious burden i
the city.
The first big outfit to arrive tr tn
gulch with -four was the OK train c
Bishop John Sharp of Salt Lake CIT,
which had left Pennington, Utah. Apr
g. 1t consisted of % wagons, and al
rived at Nevada May %, and was ur
loaded there. 1t was followed next da
by one of Howard & Livingston
trains, which had been showed in o
Snake river since October, 1864, and
mule train of w. S. Godbe & Co. of Sa
Lake City, which had made the "Trip
little over three weeks. A second
Howard & Livingston's trains. ~hlr
had also been blockaded all winter /
snow, arrived on the Gath; other outn
laden with provender and supplies f.
lowed in rapid succession, and the me
of Montana, with their wives and il
tile ones, began to "eat, drink and
merry again, only remembering tt
starvation episode as nightmare soc
to be forgotten in the plenitude OF ;yoc
things which they were again able 4
obtain and enjoy. The event was NJ
without its lesson to the people, wi
needed it we'll, and for many veal
afterward the man who started upc
the winter without a supply of pr
visions in the house sufficient to la
till the following spring was accounte
very shiftless fellow indeed.
An Eye to Business.
Although it was past the middle
April when flour reached the ma TX
price of s45 per sack, some of the ia
sighted ones began to see the signs
the impending famine many weeks b
Tore that date, and several of t
shrewdest began to take steps accor
lngly. Before the end Of March me;
ures were taken to secure control
all the -four that could be gotten n
Of The manipulators of the corn
laid their plans with shrewdness.
was well know that there was
abundance of flour lying snow bor
In Beaver canyon and on the Sn;
river bottoms.
Most of the flour was but little m
than a hundred miles away. But
tween it and the easily travelled mo,
tain roads of the Sinking Water val
DO lnnSs