Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1927-04-08
WHEN OLD FORT SHAW WAS M0MTAMA'S
SOCIAL AND ENTERTAINMENT CENTER
(By MRS. NJ. Il. PLASSMANN)

w nth dinners, dances, lunch
nv cons, teas and card playing
w for the officers, and target
practice, drills and inspection for the
privates, and occasional church-going
for both, the list of amusements at
Fort Shaw, in the days when it was
a frontier post, is by no means ex-
hausted.
the officers and their wives, assisted by
some of the non commissioned officers and
the post orchestra, which at one time num-
bered twenty pieces, and was probably the
best musical organization In the Territory.
These entertainments were decidedly
popular among the settlers in the vicinity,
who came for miles around, as to a coun-
try dance, to attend them. OF one of these
amateur affairs Mrs. Roe writes, ut was
surprising that so many of the sun River
and ranch people came, for the night was
terrible, even for Montana, and the roads
must have been impossible in places" This
was In 1879, an unusually severe winter.
Mrs. Roe continues, Even here in the post
there were great drifts Of snow, and the
path to the theater was cut through banks
OF snow higher than our heads. 1t had
been mild and pleasant for weeks, and only
two nights before the entertainment we
had gone to the hall for rehearsal with
fewer wraps than usual. We had been
there about an hour, | think, when the
toIpOIdl VI tUt BuuIu cdult III 10 TtpOTL 10
the officer Of the day that q fierce blizzard
was making 1t impossible for ~sentries to
walk post. His W appearance told bet
ter than words what the storm was. He
had on a long buffalo coat, muskrat cap
and gauntlets, and the fur from his head
down, also heavy oyershoes, were filled
with snow, and at each end of his mus
tache were icicles hanging. He made a
fine, soldierly picture as he brought his
rifle to his side and saluted. The officer
Of the day hurried out, and after a time
returned, he also smothered In furs and
snow. He said the storm was terrific and
he did not see how many of US could pos
sibly get to our homes"
Nevertheless, those who were rehearsing
were willing to essay 1t and all managed
to reach their homes in safety. Those
living in the garrison found their way,
notwithstanding the fierce wind that was
the walk to guide their way; but their
progress was seriously impeded by the
blown snow which filled the path.
Others, however, were not so fortunate.
Major Pierce undertook to see Mrs. Els
mer safely to her home at the suffers
store, and in order to get there they were
obliged to cross a wide space In between
the officers line and the store. Nothing
could be seen ten feet from them when they
left the last fence, but they tried to get
their bearings by the line of the fence,
and closing their eyes, dashed ahead into
the cloud of binding, stinging snow. Major
Pierce had expected to go straight to a
side door of the store, but the awful
strength of the wind and snow, pushed
them over, and they struck a corner of the
fence farthest away-in fact they would
have missed the fence also il Mrs. Elsmere's
fur cape had not caught on one of the
pickets, and gone out on the plains to GER
tain death. Bright lights had been placed
In the store windows, but not one had they
seem"
The fact that the lights were invisible is
| NOT remarkable If thp two wondqrpra con-
tinued to keep their eyes closed, as when
they set out. Such a storm as is here
described cannot be said to be a common
occurrence in Montana, and a winter of
great severity is frequently followed by one
milder than any known in the East. The
winter of 1896 was an instance of this.
Ii is not strange that the settlers in the
neighborhood of the fort should have
fered there that would serve to relieve the
monotony of their existence. They were
no weaklings, and never hesitated to go
forty miles to a dance no matter what the
weather. And this was long before the day
of the automobile, when old Dobbin con-
stltuted the motive power.
Towards the last, there were bona fde
| plays given there by trained actors. In
1880, Katie Putnam and her company came
up the Missouri to Fort Benton, where they
played for one night-not in a theater, for
there was none there-but in a warehouse.
The next day the company started for
Helena, where they had an engagement; but
learning that the Helena opera house would
not be ready for use within ten days, they
stopped over at Fort Shaw, where they
played for a week. Their acting there was
done ON the credit system, the sergeant Of
each company listing the men who attend
ed and deducting what they owed for tick
cts from their next pay. 1t worked all
right, and the actors were not losers: on
the contrary, they realized a goodly sum
from their stay at the fort.
The story is told that Mrs. Gibbon, wife
of General Gibbon, then In m at
Fort Shaw, was the first to bring profess
sional actors to the fort. 1t Is said that
she and her daughter, while passing
through Prickly Pear canyon, noticed a
new cabin there. Going to the door, they
confronted them. She was. as they later