The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1926-12-24

TO CAPITALISTS ana ADVISED the central route
to San Francisco. Shortly, this act was
followed by the breaking of ground at
Omaha, amid the rolling of drums and
the blaring OF trumpets. Flags fluttered
above tent villages which today mark cit
les and the ghosts of towns that once we're.
Excitement ran rampant as the steel rails
actually started to creep westward. This
was the picture Of hope that prevailed
where the work was being done, with such
men as Jim Bridger and others possessing
a thorough knowledge of the country to be
traversed and instilling courage and brav-
cry int the hearts of the workers. On the
other hand, back east. where existed but
a vague conception of the West, capitalists
of the nation rested and pOndered over the
project. Hope still languished amid a pic
ture of crude construction camps, with an
absolutely bOundless stretch Of the say
age-infested American desert beyond. Cap
ital refused TO become enthusiastic over
the enterprise. 1t was a discOuraging ana
at times an almost hopeless task.
\ few months ago, / was privileged to
view a pleasing, interesting and an educa-
tiOnal phOtOplay. To some, The Iron
Horse may perhaps have constituted mere
ly another motion picture; but to me 1t
was significant. 1t embodied the silent
dramatiZatiOn of a huge task accomplished
in the face Of most trying and discOurag-
ing conditions, an epoch in the story Of
4 America which has had more to do with
the development of the United States than
any other single event in the history Of the
4 country.
4 1t is now common knowledge, how the
r Union Pacific and Central Pacific cOnstruc-
n ton crews raced in the face Of danger and
death, westward and eastward toward each
= other, in the completion Of that line OF
i 'steel rails which now marks the route
= Of the main line of the Union Pacific sys-
o TEN.
o The First Line Completed
h When, on May 10, 1869, at PrOmontOry
Summit. a short distance west of Salt Lake,
that beautifully polished laurel wood tie
Il was settled into the rOadbed beneath the
# last rail, linking Atlantic and Pacific sea-
q ports, $500 mile apart, there was cOnsti-
4 tuted the successful close Of an undertaking
among the greatest in Importance in the
Although the completion Of the Union
Pacific and Central Pacific lines, shortened
by hundreds Of miles, the distance from
the gold camps Of Montana Territory and
the States. this commonwealth was still
i many long. miles from the route OF the
p steel rails.
10 East-bound traffic and freight, from
y Montana. in those days, had the choice Of
40 two routes. One Of these was by stage or
* freight train from the gold camps to Salt
n Lake. Qater to COrinne, Utah, and Frank
I'M lin, Idaho, when the Utah q Northern had
IN pushed forward that far and another
n was by stage or freight train to Fort Ben
ton, then the head Of navigation on the
in Missouri river.
III Montana's First Railroad
Of The Utah & Northern was the first rail-
G road to connect Montana Territory with
a the outside world, abOliShing forever the
y old stage lines to and from Utah and 9TH
m er southern points. In the early days or
the settlement of Montana Territory, 1t was
q a five-mOnths' trip for freight trains from
points of embarkatiOn on the Missouri riv-
az er in Nebraska, to the gold fields. When
- the Pacific railways were completed, Cor
h rhine, Utah became the starting point Tor
10 the stage lines MOntana-bOund Ihe as
lance from COrrinne to Virginia city, was
cd approximately 500 miles.
ooJ In the early seventies, jay Gould who
was then famous in railroad annals, and
who had acquired a controlling interest II
the Union Pacific system was furtherlng
the affairs Of the Union Pacific and the
\, several other contemplated railroad lines
' i'm the Far West-at least he was vitality
20 interested in the financial part of these
T. programs. 1t was his proposal to bullC
e. the Utah & Northern railroad into Mon
- tana. In this connection, Mr.. Gould con
~ ceived the idea that he might get a lift
~, Nv if the scheme we're laid before the Montana
~ legislature and properly manipulated"
VI The Montana Subsidy Effort
Gould proposed that the -guag'
line of the Utah a. Northern be pushed tC
" Silver Bow Junction and thence. to Butte
and that in return for this blessing, Mon
re- tana Territory issue bonds to the amOuni
1i- of 81. 100000 which would he used as {
IN subsidy for the benefit of those who were
MS building the line. This was the first time
nj that railroad matters had ever come be
me fore q Montana legislature, and Mr.. GOult
with his associates, had an active lobby a
TX Helena during the session OF 1916. Inc ar
.eu guments i'm favor Of the proposal were elO
M quent beyond measure. Yet, despite tn
fact that Montana people and their repre-
StnlMLlNtS III AtElNlaluAts AtAA Guilty. ~
-e9 need Of railroad facilities, this big bundl
ira of debt looked OminOus TO the taxpayers o
rty a territory in which there were only 20,
Az 600 people.
le- The legislative session dealt with thi
'as bonding proposition. 1t was carried in tn
laC Council, but went to its death in the house
the The subsidy was lost, but the road cam
TN through just the same. Its protector
ter could not discount the profits to be de
rived from the first line to enter so lust,
ny a young commonwealth. They had in
nat tended at all ines to build the line, but al
the effort toward q subsidy was we'll wort
md Building the Road
ern In 1873 and 1879 the road was pushed n
OF from Ogden along the base of the WaSatcl
range, until Bear River was reached. Then
nat climbing the Hampton Hill, it descende
,, "a into the garden spot of Utah, the each
IrHS valley. Passing the southern boundary Q
ms Idaho at Franklin, the "steel rails" wend
ma ed their way over table lands and thrOug
ua- valleys, through POrtneuf Canyon, pas
T.. POcatellO, and from the Snake River val
III ley, out over the lava plains for many mile
ms on to the MOntana-IdahO line on the sum
ION nit of the divide.
900 Montana's. First "SteeI Rails"
iif- On the morning Of March 8, 1880, a spe
re cial train of three cars, loaded with visit
Ors, left Beaver Canyon, wendell its way ON
"a = the track, to the MOntan
as line, there to participate In the
u skir e, driving the first spike in Moatan
Az ~. Utah & Northern railway. Their
i1' wa" s as: ~ and rejoicing; a telegraph wiz
was ',fa.gpd to the spike and the hamme
80 n, a. ting offices would hea
'A ne 7s~p.. - champagne were OF
o@0 IA 'ts ~ i>.sa Of the enterprise wa
,eS+ GrAr Vi vuLAsite The speeches wei
NOS cl,snee p, - s3A = :,e~~E1i, generi
ald; agent az : tete1'aL ghe 'te wa
had driven ~ Captain 1suls: = 'con
nts (COntinuee on Agricu.. TN FAR