davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1926-08-13

The Weekly Press, Miles City.
The Glendive Times.
The Yellowstone Press.
The Benton Record, Fort Benton.
The River Press, Fort Benton.
The Rocky Mountain H~usbandman, Di-
amOnd City. (mOved to White Sulphur
Springs).
The Dillon Tribune.
The Mineral Argus, Maiden Fergus
county,.
The Tranchant, Townsend.
The Anaconda Review.
The Great Falls Tribune continuation OF
the Sun River SUM-.
The Sun River Sun (mOved to Great
Falls).
The Jefferson County Enterprise. Boulder
The Daily Town Talk, Butte.
The Daily MOntanian, Helena.
Many, if not the greater percentage OF
these newspapers discontinued publication,
several Of them surviving the vicissitudes OF
several years, while others came into being
with a flourish, prOspered but a short
! season and passed into Oblivion. A few OF
these papers which were started in 1885, or
prior to that date, are still being pub
isned under the same name, and have been
continuously In existence since the time Of
their first beginning. Among these are:
The Dillon Tribune The Daily Enterprise.
| Livingston; The River Press, Fort Benton:
The Rocky Mountain Hustbandman, Great
Falls; The Independent, Helena: The BOze-
man Chronicle; The Butte Miner; b
Great Falls Tribune; The Billings Gazette.
and the Muscular.
The MadisOnian Of Virginia City, is now
published as the MadisOnian-Times and
the Helena Herald, through a consolidation,
has become the Record Herald.
The Industry ReVOlutiOnized
When we look back over the years
that have lapsed since that memoir
liable gold rush. of '63, we see
standing out in bold relief on the
history that has been made, an insti-
tuition which has, perhaps, made more
rapid and revOlutiOnizing strides
than all the rest-the newspaper.
Many of us now "a recall the days
we labOred and sweat on the lever Of
a Washington hand press and burned
midnight oil over a case of BREWER,
bourgeois or lOng-primer.
No, it is not so long ago that the
country editor and publisher wrest-
led over problems of business and
production now entirely eliminated
o as the result of inventive genius,
and varying custom, influenced by an
iever-changing popular demand. The
The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1926-08-13

find him purchasing a lot and erect
ing %thereupOn a log store building
which he had flOOred with whip
sawed lumber purchased at the rate
of Is cents per square foot. Here
he established MOntana's first book
store, and incidentally, the terri
tOry's first printing house,; for,
among other things that accompanied
his wagonlOad of books, magazines
and newspapers, was an army hand
press, which he employed to advan-
tage, as the occasion required. Here
he sold newspapers that were three
and four months old for as high as
SO cents each, and ordinary paper
covered dime novels at $3.50, all
paid for in gold dust.
The First Printing Press
In his later years, this first Mon
tana printer, told of having printed
dance tickets for one dollar each,
the price of admission to the dance
being S25 in gold dust. This print
ing press is believed to have been the
first brought into the Territory and
it now reposes in the state historical
library at Helena, presented to that
institution by w. w. Chiefly, presi-
dent of the Montana Newspaper assO-
citation, who at one time was pub
Usher of the Virginia City Madison
ian.
The First Newspaper
1t was just one year following this
Con August q, 1850, that John
Buchanan, who had arrived in Vir-
ginia City with a meagre equipment,
established the Montana Post, the
Territory's first newspaper. Blu
chanan had published but two is
sues, when this same Daniel TiltOn,
~fOrseeing a wonderful opportunity
for big profit, purchased the plant
and business for $4,000. Under Til
tons management, the business
thrived immensely. The miners.
eager for news of any sort, were
willing to pay almost any price fol
reading matter, and TiltOn took ad-
vantage of this condition.
An Era of High Prices
The paper was published every
Saturday and the subscription price
The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1926-08-13

This issue OF the Madisonian was publish
ed at q time when almost open hOstilities
existed between the cities OF Helena and
Virginia City, growing out OF the removal
Of the state capital to the former place. It
30 happened that q number Of the country
newspapers then published in the Territory
had supported the Helena faction. Thus,
Editor DeyarmOn was given to much sar-
casm In his editorials. For instance, we
find in this issue OF November IA. 1874,
the following comment directed 20 the
.BOzeman VI Courier:
eve are in receipt OF a shabbily printed
h~alf-sheet extra entitled the Avant Courier.
It halls from the town Of BOzeman in Gal
latin county, which Is its only redeemine
feature. We would like 70 say 3 cheer.
ing word FOR the enterprise-but its LIa.
appearance dampens our ardOr, and we lee
that it would be labor In vain 20 expeno
words Of announcement ln behalf Of tNs
thing. We would like 10 extend 90 ite ed.
itOr our kindest wishes, for we have 3 fe.
fined Christian feeling for the lowest o.
human worme-but IS would be loves Ia.
Dor lost on our part 90 do 60. we mas
hoped when the Courier rose from the cess
g would begin life anew-bc pursle4 OF.
hopes are blo8le0-tneV are nIDto ln gu
bud The Avant Courier ie again 81 81
The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1926-08-13

Thomas Deyarmon established the Madi-
sonian IN 1878, and was then considered
one Of the Territory's leading newspaper
men. He was at the helm Of the publica-
ton for several years. Eventually the
plant was sold, but the paper continued in
Virginia City until the time Of its cOnsOL-
dalton with the Times not many years ago.
Present-day publishers win scan with
much interest the table OF rates appearing
on this front page. The subscription
price is listed at $500 per ye@r. Advertis-
ing was So per column inch, with cheaper
contract rates; while One-hah-inch cards
brought 500 per insertion and legal no.
tees IS cents a q
There is a marked contrast between the
front page Of the newspaper Of 20 and the
weekly publications now published "a Non
.tana's towns and cities. Noticeable most
OF all ie the lack Of display headings, no
matter how important the news dispatch.
In those days only the most important ol
disasters or events were counted a1 Buluc-
lent reason for breaking up the regular
single-line heading makeup Of che paper.
Another feature that would seem odd ll
the present ere. ID the pEe9ence 81 muel
display advertising on the mont page. and
the prominence giVcn % poetry in the neW'
ecL1M18s
The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1926-08-13

of Montana TerritOTy-the seething
center of the New EldOradO-Virgin-
ia City.
If we compare this simple picture
of the frontier with the present Mon
tana, it's railroads, its agriculture, its
industry and commerce, its educa-
tional and r~ecreatiOnal facilities, it's
many cities of business palaces and
beautiful homes, we may realize
what energy and enterprise have ac-
cOmplished in the last sixty years.
1t is not within the scope of this
little sketch, nor is it the purpose, to
trace step by step the material
growth of Montana, nor it's develop
ment in detail along lines of modern
civilization and culture, but rather
to point to a few milestOnes of pro-
gress in the history of one of Mon
tana's greatest institutions h e
newspaper.
Virginia City In 1868
Virginia City was at the zenith of
its fame in the years 1868 and 1854.
It was then that the thousands of
pilgrims were thrOnging in from
The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1926-08-13
Scattered far and wide,

Scattered far and wide,
BY mountain, stream and sea"
Newsgather1ng in the days of Mon
tana's first newspaper, was the most
complex of problems. There were
then no telegraphic lines within the
Territory; no railroad came within
1900 miles of Virginia City, and
the few western newspapers that
found their way into the editorial
sanctum of the Post were of little
value to the editor. The telegraphic
news was CLEANED from Salt Lake
newspapers as they arrived through
the overland mails. 1t was a slow
moving process that required utmost
patience. The type was set by hand;
the printing was the product of a
hand press. And, yet, withal lex
cepting the isolated locatiOn), this
equipment of Montana's first news
paper plant was on a par with that
of many of those farther to the east
in those days.
This vas the beginning of Mon
tana's newspaper industry. And, it
was here, too, that the first Montana
book was printed. It. was in the Of
flee of this same post, and under
the direction of this same Daniel W.
TiltOn, that was printed the first
edition of 5000 copies of Thomas
Dimsdale's history of the Vigilantes,
This little paper-cOvered volume
sold for $1,000 in gold dust or 1925
in coin or greenbacks.
The MadisOnian
The Post was followed into this
virgin newspaper field by various
publications during the short space
of a few years, the most impOrtanr
of which was the Virginia City Madi
sOnian which came into being under
the guiding hand of Thomas Deyar
mon in 1873, and continued as a yer.
creditable newspaper for man,
years. 1t still survives, a consOlida
ton with the Times, and published
: as the MadisOnian-Times, by ThOma
Castle, and it cover its field as thor
Oughly as any newspaper in the state
? At the recent convention of. tn
ciety of Montana Pioneers, I wa
e fortunate in securing the loan O
; three early copies of this newspape
from Thomas ThextOn Of Ennis, Nor
tana, who was carrier boy for tn
Z paper when it was started.
e MOntana's Newspapers in 1885
! AS population and settlements
t the Territory increased, new news
papers came into being. In 1885,
= just % years after the establishment
= of the Montana Post" the TerritOT
had already acquired quite a news
: paper history, for o than siXt
d publications had been, from time
time, started in the camps and OthC
The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1926-08-13

hand press has been replaced by mod
ern, pOwer-Operated cylinder presses;
those cases of lOng-primer have given
way to the typesetting machine; that
preferred advertising space on the
front page is no longer for sale, and
in place of the modest fOUr-page pub
LEGATION, today, even the smallest
hamlet boasts of its creditable paper
Of eight pages OF more.
The Press Association
A more complete revolution could
scarcely be conceived. And, when
the members of the Montana Press
association gather in Billings next.
month for their fOrty-second annual
convention, they will come from
places Of business, almost without
exception, representative of an equip
ment more l~abOr-saving, more ex-
pensive and more efficient than is de-
signated by any other enterprise Of
their community. It was vastly diff
ferent with those pioneers Of news
paperdOm who convened at the
courthouse in Helena, February To-
1885, for the sole purpose Of organ
izing the Montana Territorial Press
Association. Yet, these Old-timers
were newspapermen in every sense
of the word. In their particular
sphere and era, they occupied fully
as important a niche in the scheme
Of public affairs as do the managing
editors of Our states leading publ
cations today.
They, too, had the interests OF
their profession at heart, and the
modern publisher today enjoys his
certain tranquil conditions and gen
eral business welfare, as a result, to
no small extent, of the far-sighted-
ness Of the pioneer "scribes'' who sat
in conference at Helena, that winter
CCOnunued on Agricultural PageJ
The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1926-08-13
Following IS Of more than ordinary inteFe

following IS OF more than ordinary interest:
MARRIED
CLARY-FORD=At Sun River on the 9Th
inst, by the Rev. Hugh Duncan, Mr..
Thomas Clary to Miss Nary Ford.
Thomas Cary was one Of the most
famous and most capable wagon bosses
at the head Of outfits working 90 and
from Fort Benton and inland points. he
was a noted pioneer Of overland trans
p%OrtatiOn 10 Montana Territory,
In the Territorial news items appears
q notice from Fort Benton which Says
eft is the intention Of Power & Bro, and
j. G.. Baker & Co, % run a steamer next
season, suited 20 the Upper Missouri, 70
ply between Bismarck and Benton"
And
nlt Isl q rumOr at Benton taat i've men.
three teams, g number 81 loose horses. and
three hundreS robes had been captured in
the Whoop-Dp country By Her Majesty i
Mounted Police"
The Madisonian in 1873 was a very neal
q rearn9 neWsropeft and exceptionally
ven 1A A1e makeup ana se1e
rNoNe 4
The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1926-08-13

these printers, as was often the case
with mechanics of the "Old school"
were a happy goOd-hearted crew, who
gave little thought to the morrow,
sQuandering their earnings in the sa-
loon and dance hall, as fast as they
received them.
Among the distinguished people
who were e~ditOrially contributors to
the columns of the post, were Col
Onel Wilbur F. Sanders, Judge H. N.
Blake, Judge ChumaserO and Cap
tain James H. Mills. A few weeks
after purchasing the plant, TiltOn
sold a third interest to Benjamin
Dittes. Other newspapers entered
the field from time to time, but this
original enterprise continued and
flOUrished in Virginia City until '68
when TiltOn sold out to Dittes and
the latter moved the plant to Helena.
The Old Stone Building
An editorial in the Montana Post
in the issue of June 10, 1865, gives
an account of the removal of the
paper and it's equipment to it's new
home in a comfortable stone build
ing, which still stands in the old
town, and a picture of which is repro
duced herewith. The editorial read
as follows:
"On the 9th inst, we babe adieu to los
walls with mud roofs and entered into the
handsome and c~OmmOdiOus stone building
erected on Jackson street, to the rear of
and adjoining the City Book store, whicl
/ sdestined to be used as a general print
ing office.
Leaning back in a room 80 by 20 by 10
lighted by four gothic windows, and look
ing as clean and white as a printing Offfc
should. The floor is Of five-inch battens
tOngued and grOOved. Beneath our fee
is the stOrehOuse for goods and material
above US are two roofs; the lOwermOst fiat
covered wit hgravel a foot deep, and en-
closed between fire walls rising Is inche
above the tOists. From the top Of these
springs a quarter-pitch roof. The Who'll
edifice is fireprOOf, and the appearance
solidity and finish Of the structure reflect
the greatest credit on the contractor, M
Singleton; the masOns, Messrs. Perry an
Smell; and the carpenters, Messrs. r. De
lacy and David Van Dewirken.
Recalls Days Of Stampede
1T is just two years from this day ths
the stampede from Bannack struck Aide
Gulch at the foot Of the branch crOssin
Jackson street, some rods below us. I'll
place was then a wilderness, without
house, a cabin, or even a wigwam. ThOs
who had tents pitched them; others mad
wakiups Of the brush, and many laid dow
with the star-lit heavens for a canopy. II
gulch was then covered with a growth {
alders and willows, so thick that passae
across was in most places an athletic fei
Of No small magnitude; but the fire an
the miners have left it bare Of the La
: bush long ago.
"Of the first discoveries and the tW
hundred and fifty enterpris,ng men WI
settled here at the time Of the Great Stan
pede,' very few now remain in town. Man
Of them have made their fortunes and gOI
home; Will eOf the rest, some have fOuI
5 their graves in these mountain wilds, ar
I others are
The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1926-08-13

was $500 per year. An estray no
tice brought a $40 bill or $40 in gold
dust, while the minimum price for
political announcements was $40.
Letterheads commanded a price of
from SIS to $40 per half ream, and,
a job of 200 ball admission tickets
brought the neat little sum of $25.
When the news of Lincoln's assassin
alton reached Virginia City, handful
extras were eagerly sought and pur-
chased It SO cents a copy. The rate
for display advertising ranged from
as high as $500 per column inch to
a slightly lower scale for month
ly and yearly contracts.
The Early-Day Printers
Fabulous prices these might seem.
On the other hand, the expense con-
nected with conducting a printing
house in those days was likewise
enormous. For instance, printers
received $1.25 per thousand ems for
hand composition (and there was no
such thing as a typesetting machine)
1t was nothing unusual for an or
binary printer to receive as high as
500 per week for his services. But
The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1926-08-13

every point of the compass, wildly
filing on claims. And, as the "dig-
gings' were mostly shallow, and the
gold, in many places very plentiful,
it was but a short time till hundreds
were in possession of bullying pOkes
of clean, yellow gold.
To most of those who were thus
fortunate, this was a sudden rise
from poverty to riches, which was, as
is usually the case, followed by a
state of wild -recklessness. Saloons
and h~urdy-gurdy houses, of which
there were many, were crowded
night and day, and the various
games of chance with as many clev-
er "sharps'', took heavy toll without
mercy or respect of person, but
leaving little regret, for the gold
was plentiful, and each evening al
ways brought a new supply.
There are few left who know and
it is difficult for the rest of as to
conceive the true picture of this tur-
bulent and amazing life that marked
Virginia City sixty-three years ago,
when thousands of struggling, seeth-
ing, mOney-craZed human beings
gathered from the four corners of the
earth, swarmed that single street
day and night. 1t was a life, per
haps without parallel at anytime OF
anywhere on this continent.
Arrival Of Daniel W. TiltOn
Picture this street, if you can, one
bright summer day in '63, wheI
young Daniel W. Tilton, 24-year-OlC
native of New York state, stepped
- --a4. 49,
his fortune in a new business and OF
this new frontier.
Perhaps TiltOn's few months so
jOurn in Colorado had hardened hin
to the scene that here confronted him
At any rate, we are told he was ap
parently unmOved by anything Othe
than a determination to establish
himself in a business way. Thus, VI
The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1926-08-13

The Helena Era, (Real Estate JOurnaD
The Montana Stock and Mining Journal.
Helena.
The Pick and PlOw, BOzeman.
The Avant Courier, BOzeman.
The BOzeman Times.
The Gallatin News, BOzeman.
Teh BOzeman Weekly Chronicle.
The BOzeman Baptist Bulletin.
The New Northwest, Deer Lodge.
The school TyrO, Deer Lodge.
Thu Butte Miner.
The Daily and Weekly Inter-MOuntain
Butte.
The Frontier Index, Butte.
The Real Estate News, Butte.
The Montana Christian Advocate, Butte
The Atlantis, Glendale, (Beaverheat
county.
The Messenger, Sheridan.
The MissOula and Cedar Greek Pioneer
MissOnla.
MissOula County Times, MissOula.
The Livingston Tribune.
The Daily Enterprise, Livingston.
The National Park Pioneer, Livingston.
The Livingston Gazette.
The Billings Post.
The Billings Herald.
The Daily Rustler, Miles City.
The Daily Gazette, Billings.
The Montana Stock Gazette, Billings.
The Yellowstone Journal, Niles City.
The Daily Press, Niles City.
The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1926-08-13

centers of population. A partial list
of these follows:
The Montana Post, Virginia City.
The Montana Democrat, Virginia City.
The Tri-Weekly Republican, Helena.
The Virginia City Republican.
Montana Capital-Times, Virginia City
The Capital Fact, Virginia City.
The MOntanian, Virginia City.
The M~adisOnian, Virginia City.
The Rocky Mountain Gazette, Helena.
The Helena Herald.
Montana News Letter. Helena.
The Independent, Deer Lodge, (mOved tC
Helena.
The Weekly News Letter, Helena.
The Morning Capital, Helena.
The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1926-08-13

journalistic field, but crippled and without
its former backing. II it survives the
coming winter, it win do well, and may
survive"
Again, in the same issue, the following
editorial "sQuib' sets forth the virtues
Of the Muscular:
1.-THE last number Of the MissOulian-the
.~eKpOunder OF the mysteries and miseries
Of Hellgate Canyons out in a partially
new Typographical frOck, and Turk says
IL be could only sell out again for q few
hundred dollars, he would be enabled 20
print quite q 'peart little country paper.
For q strictly village newspaper, the Mis-
eOulian now presents an appearance Of be-
ing under the absolute control Of a com
mon printing shop blacksmith. It's a shade
neater than IL was. That's about al. we
are pleased 20 note even this little BIT OF
improvement 90 the art We delight tn hon
orlnE. M ever the citizens Of Helena DO
contributo % raise 9 subsidy fund.- we NAV
look FOX a handlul ol new types 1n tAt
MlgeCulian'8 FORMS capped with @ rev
pairs az cheap pautsloong, made ont q
imported cotton ctotN,
among the items Cl neWg anp@EinE 90
RMS COPY OF En0 virginia. CITY na0eEs E#f
The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1926-08-13

A RELIC OF
'68-An account
book Of Daniel
w. TiltOn, pub
Usher Of h e
Post. showing
purchases from
Hall g Simpson.
This was found
years later in tine
vicinity Of the
old stone build
ing, and is the
property Of Mr..
Thomas TheXtOn,
Of Ennis, Mon
tana. Items list
ed In this book
give some idea
Of the cost Of
living In those
days. Sugar was
So cents per h.;
soap, 60 cents a
bar; salt 4Oc q
h.; coffee &1.O0
q H.; pickles,
] $3.50 a bottle;
butter $1.25 a lb.
and other items
at like prices.
The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1926-08-13
(Bv DAN R. CONWAY

I" HE location of the town was in
the upper valley of the Madison
river, at the head Of Alder
Gulch, elevated on a slOping hillside,
and with a background that was
rocky and sparsely wooded. 1t had
one lone street which was lined on
either side by false-fronted, and, for
The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1926-08-13

( h e o part,
crudely constructed
business houses. It
had many houses
that were builded
after as any diff
ferent fashions, the
more substantial of
these being of logs
or adobe. In it's
day, with a popu-
latiOn of a few
thousand souls, it
W a S, perhaps, as
lively and wicked a
place as this cOun-
try ever knew. 1t
~
The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1926-08-13

Manufn ~ uorfiwPeltaa m1a mn.
.g A 30 No p FolF 49, raua %
Bee r,aulrn go aiaags h1W nirnaH.
40 40 80 msle rurnisA oood BE-.
hsslF aas1atd 10 paoEediy a ~
aaa ael uisa De dos ~ II yc-
uah 70 n1tc euTJhciy ptsand aioai
.you 80 ssuehs1 eareuef Von 40.
cgiasae eool m.aaqr narg bora
iare Esasani ui1nseu 30 toupl1v arl
10y naaiusr 81 hcne
We vigada s,.it nsiro.1 u.a -
iUF annr go aegr uc a. ~ trpu D,
o Mdf 80 ~ ataa sEura g iasas
.yan. aherutTlnuci 80 mnu1 ~ 81.
% ~ aoarhssihE t1heI. gEh e. n-aa
polir sueaiiaa ~ tfaa.rh1f-l-wn ihs
Nus g. -u-n- wv
The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1926-08-13

Anady a. euf s~qaununce lsgya .
vddl i Biachuoodl auui often % a.
ihli a riairauan. fi.rushcmnf ulil
% hnrna had % 1e roAi-i muinI
hn ruuautso. Al "a ua-sai b. Or
op'ainA, siWag ot ssaoeiss assl
On n iuTsnag aisr s7socl Do ~
sshhys ~ - burn Pui uad~r h'
darn ios fh louTn-y. Tey stqF-i 90
10 hsrti aia csn1h mo GipnEtlq'
orsscj. o - MA lru anpanda dla
y ah Of asasfoAs na asaiaT ~
laIi 10 ~ blini viii ne 10 ~ b 0rafst
eon aHi ufrn rrorr-kdi0 phu anus
hesaf ~ Gnh on isI rlaie ~ anl
uah lu sidnlad prJstcs 90 hsoi
II ui1g snd % AshtoI qHd
rHcLs. - rED RI
The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1926-08-13


nv Loudon nmcs pablsaes q htirl
daiod 81 Ep-ruat, 6-piaaber ~. t-y.
inE uhai '1hc rurc1ani rr7sirra q a.
naiie has TITS yeur nroiucri q uins
uhiri ull ruin aHi hasT mtnsain OK
81 ns-hiEi1d rpuaiuis Baadu ta.l
Iug u- uawjaice o. neniiy an ue no.
iuG rdiagcs : have astni ur opliaani y.
fa'ls ON unh ahoml elmriacaniaci-
psalaHt cgs rfEcalinrs, tuaiaeenA AMI
bil rn " ,hippiue-hoires ald ~ No.
ooas. std 40 sew uuauimaus uiat q1l
eaaid hasr % 81 iniL 70 De uines o.
tgsrw''s r-nsr aiou- mnfau eqa1 ~
o-u epiaaeu b iLli q 90 auA rsseu-
d. sr ~ ID q
uHs ria<
Fipu
ea.r