The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1924-02-07
BY Martha Edgerton Plassmann

II ATE in February of 1873 |
visited Montana in company
- with my cousin, Col. Wilbur
F. Sanders who had been sent east
on business. The Union Pacific
railroad, then recently completed,
carried us through the same coun-
try we had traversed ten years pre-
viously in covered wagons drawn
by oxen.
Either on account of the season,
or the newness of the railroad, we
had but few travelling companions
in our Pullman only three that
l recall, one of these being a veal
thy San Francisco girl returning
from Europe, where she had out
ragged the conventions by going I'M
chaperoned, and two Englishmen.
One of the latter was a sociable
gentleman of a scientific turn of
mind, a Fellow of the Royal Geo
graphical society, as we learned
from his card. He was interested
in everything he saw, and spent
many pleasant moments finding al
titudes: a~scertaining the tempera-
ture. ETC., with all sorts of curious
instruments, and carefully noting
the results of his experiments. His
friend, however, was the typical
British tourist. All day long he
sat in the comfortably heated car,
wrapped about with steamer rugs.
reading the railroad guide.
He never removed during the
day the plaid cap he wore. Pos
sibly he slept in it. AS for any
thing going on about him, he paid
no attention to it. The sleeping
car conductor of those days felt it
incumbent upon him to entertain
the passengers. He brought them
books and pictures, and enlivened
the journey with conversation. But
did he venture to break down
the barrier this Briton had erected
between himself and all mankind
with one exception, his friend.
At stated intervals the F. R. G..
S. would enter the a from the
outside platform, where he spent a
good share of his time, and cheer
lily remark to the swathed one
"Isn't it about the hour for 'alf
and 'alf?" and strange to say, it
always was, the porter o~bligingly
dispensing it, u%ndeterred by any
prohibition enactment.
And again, on one notable occa-
sion, the scientific gentleman hur-
ried in to say "The conductor tells
me this is the highest trestle in
America. We are just coming to
it." Without laying down the
guide book, or manifesting undue
interest, He of the Rugs languidly
turned his eyes without, then wear
lily stated, ooh, we have better than
that in the old country" and re-
sumed the guide book.
At Corinne, Utah., we left the
train, as this was the initial point
of our trip northward. The sole
hotel in town was a wretched, I'M
plastered frame shack, and the food
was execrable. One corner of the
small dining room was closed to
the eye of the curious by a dingy
red curtain, behind which the Chi
nese cook functioned. Approach
ing this hidden shrine the waiter
for there was but one would
shout the order in stentorian voice
that could have been heard a block
away, but did not venture to raise
the curtain. Not alone the cook,
but everyone in the dining room,
knew what you had ordered; moth
ing was left to idle surmise.
In this hotel | stayed for a cou-
pie of days, while Colonel Sanders
went into the country to see n OF
his clients, a Mormon bishop. |
had at first a fireless room, and it
being the coolest time of the year,
the wolf robe that covered my bed
was white with frost in the morn
ing. Later, I had a spacious apart
ment containing a stove, but as it
was above the bar-room, and the