The Powder River County examiner and the Broadus independent. [volume] (Broadus, Mont.) 1919-1935, 1921-03-25
CARROLL GHOST CITY OF THE MISSOURI RIVER, AND STORY OF
THREE MEN WHO BUILT FAMOUS DIAMOND FREIGHT COMPANY

A fascinating chapter in the his
tory OF Montana might be written on
her ghost cities" Places that SO
years ago were marked ON the maps
Of the territory as thriving towns
and mining camps have, in many in
stances, disappeared so completely
that their names are not known to-
the present generation of Montan-
ans, and in many instances the spots
that they occupied could not be point
ed out by any living man. Others
survive in the forms of weather-beat-
en-, time-decayed groups of log cab
ms, bending beneath the weight OF
many years.
Few there are left in the state to
day who feel any stirring of remem-
brance In such names as Carroll,
Beartown, Yreka, Yogo, Bagdad. &C.
neva, Montana City, Unionville, Trim
ity, springville, Beavertown, High
land, Adobetown, Cable City, Ophir
and score Of others. Yet time was
when each of those mentioned was
known as prospective metropolis,
throbbing with Industrial activities:
the pride and hope Of ambitious resi-
dents.
Among the ghost towns of Montana
mentioned above, few had greater ex-
pectations than Carroll. located on
the south bank Of the Missouri river
In a bend about so miles above the
mouth of the Musselshell river, on
the northern boundary of Fergus
county. The name does not appear
on modern maps, and the nearest
point to where Carroll stood is the
-
as Wilder's Landing.
Carroll, which had an existence of
only few years. was established by
Matt Carroll, after whom it was
named; E..G. Maclay, George Steele
and Colonel Charles A. Broadwater,
owners Of the great Diamond r.
Transportation company, In its day
the greatest freighting concern be-
tween the Mississippi and the Pacific
coast. It represented the second eff
fort to found successful rival ia
Fort Benton as a freight debarking
point for Missouri river steamboats,
from st. Louis. Sioux City and other
down-river points.
The town of Carroll was built in
1874, at time when river traffic
had assumed great, proportions. In
1865, due to low water in the river,
steamboats, bound for Fort Benton
with supplies for the gold camps had
been unable to ascend farther up the
river than the mouth of the Yellow
stone, and had unloaded at trading
post conducted by Major F. D. Pease
who died few months ago. Colonel
Broadwater, who had charge of &C.
tual freighting operations for the Dia-
mond R, took several trains of wa
CONS and went down to Pease's post
near Fort Union, to bring back the
freight from the steamboats, to Hell.
ena. He located fords. built grades
up and down the river banks, and
built road along the line that the
Great Northern follows today. Il
was while on this trip to the mouth
of the Yellowstone with his Wagon
trains that the idea Of road from
some point lower down the river thar
Fort Benton. south across through
the Judith country, to the gold
camps of Last Chance, Diamond City
and Virginia City, first occurred t
Colonel Broadwater. He felt that II
would be an easier trail to trave
than the road from Fort Benton tt
the gold camps, and would also b
shorter. Another great advantage
was that debarking place lower
than Fort Benton could be reached
earlier in the season and later in tht
fall by steamboats, than Fort Ben
ton. The arguments were exactl,
the same as those advanced for thu
establishment of town at the mouth
of the Musselshell. But 1t was nine
years before he and his associate!
put his ideas into effect and establish
cd Carroll.
Men Who Built Carroll.
The three partners who were mos
active in the operation of the grea
Diamond r company and who estab
lished Carroll were among the out
standing men of Montana half cen
tury ago. Unfortunately history o