The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1909-07-11
Introduction Of Artificial Watering Of Land
Marks Beginning Of Bitter Root Progress
GEORGE WARD TELLS HISTORY OF IMPROVEMENT
Pioneer Of the Great Valley Relates Interesting Story Of
His Arrival in the District and How the Compare
lively Barren Land Has Been Turned Into
Great Agricultural Centre.

reconstruction were lessening and dy-
railroads were rapidly throwing their
magic carpets of steel to make the
east and west as neighboring back
yards. people were coming westward,
not looking for gold now, but for
lands no longer adventurers
and treasure seekers but settlers
still, all these things were about I,
be and not yet quite accomplished when
Mr.. Ward drove his wogan over the
divide and down into the Bitter Root
valley. Nothing shows this state of
affairs better than a recital of the
names of the white settlers in the val
ley in July, 1881, as given by Mr..
Ward, who says that there were ten
Indians for every white man then"
Beginning at Stevensville and running
back UP the valley, Mr.. Ward names
the following: John Lancaster, locat-
ed three miles south of Stevensville;
Cortez Goff, j. A. J. Chapman, John
Lunphray, John LaFountaine and
John Robnson-the last three all liv-
ing on the Burnt Fork, Hank Flan-
tL6etll, billy SLIdHBC, JOlll WO
"Shirt Collar Bill' Turnage, the Park
house family, j. l.. Humble, still liv-
ing and now one Of the most promi-
nent bankers Of the valleys capital,
M. L. Lockwood, Elijah Chaffin,
Jack Slack, Joe Blodgett. Jacob
Goff, Lyman Blodgett, Milt Chaffin,
John Summers now living In Missoula
Oscar Judd, the Wilson family. chip
Moore Mike Prntz, Tom Sheridan,
Frank Tudor, sterney Blake, Joe
Pardee, whose homestead was where
the DAILY residence now stands, and
Anthony Chaffin. On Girds creek re-
sided w. p. Fam, Gus Nelson and
Jacob Sheriff.. Milt Eastland lived
west Of the river from where Hamil-
ton now is On up the valley lived
the Lathrop family, "Old Man" Har-
rs who died the year Mr.. Ward came,
Henry Clay Chambers, Phil Meagher,
Jack Sullivan, Jack Quirk, Frank See,
Brigham R1odget-Sleeping Child has
now been reached-W, B. Harlan, Al
exander Stewart, known as "Squealing
Alex" on account of his high pitched
voice, and BILLY" Edwards, whose
home on Rye creek was the last at
the upper end of the valley.
Running down the valley from Stew
ensville, the settlers were Steve and
Tom FreWen, Jim Harris Tom Har-
ris Ed and Dudley. Bass. A man
named Childs lived where Florence
now is and Bob Linder kept a "stop-
ping place" on the One Horse creek.
Next came Peter Whaey, the jamie
son family, Perry and Tom McClain,
James Conlon, father of District Court
Clerk Tom Conlon of Missoula, the
Buckhouse family and "Old Uncl> |
'Iige" whose other name is now un
known and whose business was to
conduct another stopping place" /
The Trip Out.
An experience full of adventure and
hardship was the trip made by Mr..
Ward to Montana from Missouri in
1881. On April Is, of that year, be-
hind a mule team, he left Lawrence
county for the west, dissatisfied with
his present condition and disheatened
by hard luck in his old home. AL
though starting alone, the wagon did
not lack for company. Soon says
Mr.. Ward, I'VE picked up four more
wagons and at times our train con-
tanned from so to 100''
The caIvacade passed through Kan
sas, into Nebraska and up the Platte
along the route of the Union Pacific
into Wyoming and out of Wyoming
by way of Cheyenne and Laramie
City. Then Mr.. Wards party for
sock the train for side trip to
northern Colorado. I'VE never expect /
ed to see them again. says Mr.. Ward
in telling the story, "but on our way /
back we overlook them, camped be-
tween 40 and so miles west of Lar (
annie City. They were in distress; one
of the night guards, a young Ger
man, had mistaken boy of the train
for coyote and had shot him. When /
I returned the boy was still living |
and nobody had examined his hurts.
I looked his injuries over and saw
that he must die and after his death /
we moved on.
Into Montana,
by way of RaWlins over Pacific /
Springs we reached old Mt. Pelier and
by way of Soda Springs--in Idaho I
noW--we came to Fort Hall and Eagle +
Rock, now Idaho Falls / remember
that there was nothing but a store /
there then. BY way of Market Lake
and through Campbell's Station on
the Utah Northern. we passed through |
Beaver caslvon over the divide into
the Red Rock country and from there
by way of Grasshopper and Bannock
on into the Rig Hole mast the bat
tlefield, into Ross's Hole and the Bit
ter Root where we landed on July
%. 1881.