The Powder River County examiner and the Broadus independent. [volume] (Broadus, Mont.) 1919-1935, 1920-11-26
ONES IMPRESSIONS
FROM EffETE EAST
EXPERIENCE OF INVESTIGATORS
REVEAL CONDITIONS RE-
NOTE FROM RAILROAD


zine tells of experiences encountered
by live women investigators, sent to
Jordan by the governments child
welfare bureau. The purpose of the
visit was to gather information about
the children living in the homestead
district of eastern Montana. The
writer If the article is Miss Viola
Paradise, member of the party. AL
though she has chosen the name of
"Alibi' in referring to Jordan, the
facts in the story prove that Jordan
is the town under discussion.
Extracts from the article as it ap-
peared in Scribners are given here:
The government had sent five of
us out into the plains and badlands
OF eastern Montana for statistics and
other information about children in
new homesteading country. The
warning in Washington OF possible
hardships presaged adventure.
When We left the train in the west
ern railroad town and found, not an
old fashioned covered wagon to take
us to our headquarters, but instead
an automobile stage, our first feeling
was disappointment. Our second
glance at the outfit reassured us.
Battered, gray with alkali dust, the
wind shield Opaque except for a
small patch in front OF the driver, it
had an encouraging air of rakish late
middle age, Anything might happen
in such a car 1t carried an equally
reckless trailer for baggage. furn;-
tnre. foOdstuffs. lumber and ether
things.
T., f,,s,,
to our headquarters, leaving behind
us railroads. telephones. electricity,
bathtubs and other stigma of what
is sometimes called civilization, and
We We're soon plunging along a rough
twisting trail, across the hot, scar,
rolling, treeless plains, in and out
among fantastic buttes, past gro
tesque wind sculptured rocks, thru
coulees and dry creek beds. l sat
next to the driver, a weathered young
gaint, whose casual manner of driv-
ing grew out OF intimacy with every
rut in the road. Without Stacking
his speed, he would, every now and
then. fake out a eigaret, strike a
match on the wheel and get light,
the rushing air to the contrary not
Withstanding.
Why are he reads nlowed and
not the tields?' I asked him after a
while, puzzled at the deep burrows
through which we We're twisting.
Not plowea at all,' he laughed.
It's like this. The cars and the
freightins outfits gouse EN- out.
When the ruJs get so deep that We
stick on high centers, we move over
a little and start some new ones
Shortly before dark we reached
Alibi, a little town With a main stree,
and a cross street. and number or
houses. A school. a butcher shop,
three drug StoreS---one OF which con-
tainea the postotfice-,Wo or three
general stores, a hotel. a restaurant
two boarding houses one OF which
advertised table board and livery,
and was kept by a man named Hash
"a barber shop kept by al eN-sheep-
shearer, the newspaper office and the
,toNn pump We're the leading features
iof the street. The side street boast
ed a garage. small brigh blue jail
IA slack smith shop and the Grand ho.
tel Back shor. distance Oh the
prairie stood Alb : amusement hall
We located" - Tie Grand hotel
a small clean new D,ilding. With nt
modern conveniences except puml
in the lobby" which was attached
10 a sink, which drained into pai
beneath.
We went to a garage. IN search o
two autos with which We planned tt
cover such parts OF the country a.
were accessible hy car.
\ dark haired blue eyed man nam
I'd Steve informed MS that the Saragt
had only one car at the time. bu
that he might be able to get anothe
for us as an Accommodations. Hi
partner. an even younger man calie'
Jack, thought that Wallace's ca
might he used. The rates were s.
for each car. We gasped a little a
the price, thinking that their eN
1reme youth might be responsible TO
eNaggeration. but we We're told tha
Gasoline cost % cents gallon an
had to he hauled ninety miles h
stage. but since the cars We're want
ed by the government, Il specia
price might be made. How 'Dou
that. Jack:' We'll, anything vii
be all right with me, Steve Ate
more preliminary hesitations they de
cided that Fifteen dollars day an
you feed the drivers would be d fai
: price. "You see," continued Jack
, the drivers food won't cost 70
anything. AnybOdy'n give You
= meal in this country. unless its a
l food e:cr cost-you as much as do
5 easterner Arc there amt any {
+ those that won't. Why. if driver
: lar a day, I'd give it back to you.
We compromised on sixteen dOllal
r a day for each car, and the drivers
D feed themselves.
The next morning the sky W;
: black with clouds, and l hastened
: the garage to say that if it was goir
e to rain. we'd postpone our first tr
!, until he mex day.
e Came the astonishing reply: &C
Il quit your kiddin'!"
& Beg pardon?" I was puzzled.
$ Don't kid us about rain," he We
L. A.