The Powder River County examiner and the Broadus independent. [volume] (Broadus, Mont.) 1919-1935, 1921-10-14
BY Miss Vera Knowles

Halt buried under gravel and over
grown with weeds lies an old circular
stone foundation on the bank of the
Rattlesnake in Missoula. OF the many
people who pass it every day few per-
haps notice it or, If they do, see only
a pile of stones and attach no signi-
ficance to them. But to those who
know, these stones speak with a
voice from the past. They bring back
memories of the coming Of the rail-
way to Missoula, and with it the COM
forts Of civilization. For this old
foundation is all that remains of Mis-
soula's first railroad water tank.
The story Of the building of the
''steel highway" across the continent
crossing the towering mountain
ranges. bridging wide, swift-flowing
streams, subduing hostile Indians,
even penetrating farther and farther
into the wilderness, bringing civili-
cation in its wake, rivals in romance
the tales of early trappers and ex-
plorers.
Troubles With Indians
1t was no easy task assigned to the
early surveying parties to find a way
over the mountain ranges and deserts
through to the coast. In surveying
a path for the great road that was
to link east with west, they braved
the menace of unfriendly Indians,
travelled dangerous passes, endured
cold, hunger and severe hardships.
The surveying party of 1853. of
which Governor Stevens was in COM
mand, was the first official transcon-
tinental expedition since Lewis and
Clark's. The party included, besides
regular soldiers and laborers, engin-
GERS. a topographer, an artist, sur
geon, a naturalist, an astronomer, a
geologist and a meteorologist They
surveyed five lines that were practic-
able for transcontinental road. Gov
ernor Stevens went east with a COM
plete report, and to help in the politi-
cal battle waged before the charter
finally was granted.
Lincoln Signed Charter
Abraham Lincoln signed the char
ter in 1854, and the Northern Pacific
railway was started.
There were to be 10 years of
change and vicissitude before the last
spike was driven and rail highway
from the east to the Pacific complet-
ed.
The Rocky Mountain division was
one of the hardest of the entire line
to construct. The surveys of 1S71-72
had disclosed Is passes through
which it was practicable to build,
but they varied greatly in facility of
approach, and the range of choice
finally was narrowed down to three
the Mullan, the Little Pipestone,
and the Deer Lodge. The Mullan
pass finally was chosen as it gave the
shortest line although it required
long tunnel.
Construction on the Rocky Noun
tain division began at the Mullan
tunnel December IA, 1881. Where
the tunnel was started, the mountain
appeared to be solid granite, and the
engineers believed it would not be
difficult to hew through the rock to
the other side. It was found, how
ever, that the granite extended only
a few feet and that the rest was a
soft treacherous rock with pockets of
crystal formation, and gravel. which
came down in showers upon the
workers. The engineers were baffled
and appealed to Marcus Daily. DAILY
said that he would put the tunnel
through if they would leave him
alone. He brought 800 miners from
Butte and when they had finished
the tunnel was timbered throughout.
Joined at Gold Creek
The road was built from both the
east and the west, the point of juno
ton being at Gold creek, Construc-
ton began at the Columbia river in
1879. The road between Standpoint
and the crossing of the Flathead
river seven miles above the junction
of that stream with the Missoula was
the most difficult and expensive divi-
sion of the entire Northern Pacific
line to construct. Along that point
was a dense forest while the noun
tain rose abruptly from the river,
leaving no place for a road. The
roadbed had to be blasted and dug
out of the rocky walls. A small
steamer piled up and down he river.
bringing materials and supplies. Part
of the work was done in the winter