Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1903-10-28
MUST CHANGE
OUR BOASTS
Arrival Of the Railroad Will Neeess'
tate a Change in Our STOCK
Phrase to Outsiders.
AS THE olp.TiMER SEES u
From the Biggest Town on OF a Kali
road We Have Become One OF the
Smallest on One.

1t were as il the Maker OF the days
had gone through his entire stock and
picked out the sunniest. balmiest, the
altogether most perfect one to be
found and sen IL down to us here IN
the Judith Basin and Lewistown last
Sunday. The sun shone with a dill
gence just sufficient to drive away
all suggestion of chill and yet with
a precision which he exercises only
in his autumnal mood. ~refrained from
shining uncomfortably warm. The
wind, TO show his good fellowship,
slackened his pace to an almost i'm
perceptable movement and not a
cloud appeared all of the day long to
feck the cerulean.hued canopy, which
seemed to end with the mountains Oh
the four sides of the city.
AS if to show their appreciation OF
the splendid day offered at a time
when the cares OF business would not
prevent the luxury of being out OF
doors, the larger part of Lewistown's
population sought the open air and
very naturally the place of attraction
was. for all. the same-the little cou-
lee south of town back of the new
high school building, where the rail
readers Ito whom all days look alike)
were putting in a bridge. The hill
was fairly alive with people; babes in
their little carriages, pushed by moth
er or father, g~ray-haired grandfathers
and grandmothers, people of both SEX
es and of all ages, sizes and condi-
tons. drawn together partly by the
beauty of the day and mostly by the
common interest in the coming OF the
railroad.
The railroad is coming" had been
heard for months, but still it was not
here. II was in Garneill, Moore, Glen
gary. but Lewistown yet maintained
her splendid isolation The whistle
OF the locomotive could be heard in
the stiffness OF the evening as IL came
across Rock creek bench, but the
headlight could not yet be seen CON-
ing around the curve above the Gene
terry in Lewistown. And, then, per-
haps il wouldn't get in here at all.
There was talk of II stopping at Moore
or Glengary. Experience had taught
us that railroads are elusive, you
think you have them but you haven't.
You have a fleeting memory OF en-
phatic promises, double column heads
in the local papers. but the steel rails
had never yet wound their sinuous
and cleaning course into the city,
and you were skeptical.
But here il is, not in the newspa-
pers, nor in the promises of surveying
parties, but around the hill, along the
fiat. across Main street and rapidly
vending its way to its terminus on the
other side of town. And n source OF
conversation is shut off; whether we
really wanted ii or not and whether
or not ii will be good for us or III, we
have ii.
Right royal welcome was it given
by the youngsters and by others, the
sun OF whose lives had not yet passed
the meridian. 1T means progress.
We are now out of the wilderness and
into the world" they say exultingly,
They are right, for the railroad was
the inevitable result of the progress
which is hurting the world forward
with tremendous strides these siren
nous days. Here was a county great
or in size and in natural resources
Than many kingdoms-an empire
within itself, which the forerunner OF
commercial development had never
touched. For fields less fair by far,
railroads. hundreds of miles long, had
been built. Probably there was nc
area in "the.United States of such size
and so wonderfully endowed with the
potentialities of a great and rich coun
try which had not been penetrated by
the iron horse.
We'll. it will make quite a change
and something akin TO a sigh followed
this comment of the old-timer. III
will be a little hard to become accus'
toned to- he continued, and while
the railroad has its advantages; will
add 10 the commercial Importance OF
the town and increase the comforts OF
travel into and out of the place. II
also has its disadvantages. II is rob
bling us of our individuality. Most
any town can have a railroad, but
there are mighty few of two thousand
inhabitants which al claim an exist
ence fifty miles away from a railroad
What has always tSen the central
thought of our Boosting to the outside
world, of our wonderful prosperity
growth and future? Nothing more MOI
less than that all of these wonderful
achievements of ours have been &C
complished fifty miles from a railroad
With what satisfaction have we rolled
that phrase under our tongue. Sec
our big stores. note the volume o.
our business. and. fifty miles from
railroad. But. now, where is our glor,
gone From one of the largest towns
of Of the railroad we have suddenly
become one of the smallest towns OF
a railroad. Looks to me that We arr
progressing backwards" concluded
the old-timer.