Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1927-11-11
(Rv AL SCHAK)

Asst POWDER BILL and Pack
X er John were the men You want
IL ed to see in the old days, if you
were after a sack of flour or a slab
of sowbellv. Bill and John were
hackers whose caravans plodded from
the landing at Fort Benton to the
mining town of Wallace, in Idaho,
and they handled freight and parcels
for the intervening towns and ranches.
East Powder Bill and Packer john
picturesque names in a picturesque
era. William Periman and John Ed
wards were the names by winch men
knew them later, after steel rails had
brought a wild sort of civilization.
Along the old trails that led through
tungles, over precipitous Mountains
across rushing torrents and down WING.
ing CANYONS, those sturdy pioneer irelgns
handlers supplied the essentials Oh nv
to the white men of the outpost settie-
ments. And the trails trod py Felinla
and his pack horses were erased by tne
streets and highways upon which ms
daughters ride today.
In a S~tagecoach
One of his daughters, MRS. Al smith
fives in Missoula. She came 70 Montana
In a stagecoach. held In her mothers
arms. In pioneer days. making q "Trip
from Utah In a rollicking, ruInb.lng,
lI,rchine old wagon was Just going m
where, like riding a Pullman Tor the
same distance at the present stage IN
our region progress. There seemed TO
he nothing unusual in taking along a
baby In arms on such a 1aunt.
Five years before making this Journey
from Utah in completing the trip from
Missouri, where the babe was born, Mrs.
Periman had ridden a saddlehorse from
Waitesville, Wash, to the vicinity OF
Dr1lmmond. If a woman followed her
husband into this region, she had 10 ex-
pect hardships. If she had a good horse
she considered herself fortunate. me
trip over the mountains took "a DAYS OF
hard riding.
East powder Bill came into western
Montana in 1866, and his wife came a
wear later. Their ranch, still known as
the old Periman place. was situated near
the original site of New Chicago. 1t was
aft the ranch that Mrs. Periman's journey
from Missouri ended IN April, 1873.
Pioneer Lives
The man Of the house spent most OF
his time with his packtrains, making
Ions trips to Fort Benton and to Wal
lace. and shorter ones to the smaller
II Adlllbo "a hOt
led the usual life Of a pioneer mother.
Three Youngsters, numerous horses, the
milk COWS, the pigs, and the garden
were all tina she had to attend TO, De-
sides the churning, cooking. sewing ana
other housework. So when East powder
Bill was away with his ~packtrain 1t was
impossible for her to leave the ranch.
Game the year 1877, when Joseph ana
his Nez Perces started out to avenge the
misdeeds Of the roguish whites. Mrs. Al
Smith was five years old then. just a
little tike in pigtails, but she has a vivid
recollection of those days. AS usual, her
father was away with the packtrain, and
her mother was alone with the kiddies
and the ranch stock.
All the settlers were alarmed at the
threat of an Indian invasion. There
were no troops between them n the
oncoming redskins, and when the call
went out to hasten to Deer Lodge, they
lost no time in banding together there,
where their number and a hastily erect
ed stockade of heavy planks gave them
a greater sense of safety than they would
have had If they had remained scattered
over the country in their ranch cabins.
Not Afraid
But when the ~neighbors came up and
stopped to urge Mrs. Periman to hurry
along with them, the little woman re-
fused to leave her home. She would
not 90 while her husband was out on
the packtrail. There would be no one
to TAX care of the ranch. she declared.