The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1927-08-05

rN THESE days of railroads, autc-co-
bileS and flying machines, the trip
from Billings to Great Fails is only
a matter Of hours. People drive from
either point after supper and transact
business and return home before noon
the next day. There was a time, how
ever, and it was within the memory OF
many present day Montanans, when the
trip from the Yellowstone TO the Cas-
cades Of the Missouri, unless one went
around by Helena on h train, required
three days and two nights OF continuous
riding on a stage coach over a line man
ned by % drivers and stock keepers
which had always at least 125 horses in
its string, and during which 10 changes
of teams were made.
One day recently Earl Vance, Montana
ace, flew from Great Falls to Billings in
a little less than two hours.
The Great Falls, Billings and Lewis
town stage line, as 1t was known, began
operating July 1, 1900. 1t ran daily four
horse coaches between Great Falls, Belt,
Arlington, Cora, Geyser, Stanford, Utica,
Philbrook (now Hobson) and Lewistown,
leaving each end of the line at z a. m.
1t ran daily coaches except Sunday be-
tween Billings, Summit, Felting n the
Musselshen where Roundup is now 10
cated) leaving each end of the line at 3
a. m, and three times a week petWeen
MusselsheIl, Flatwillow, Grass Range,
Apline, Fort Maginniss, Gilt Edge and
LewistOwn, leaving each end Monday,
Wednesday and Friday.
And at that time this whole line ran
through only three counties, Yellow
stone, Fergus and Cascade. Today the
same trip takes one through half a
dozen.
Probably no better description of the
stage trip from Billings to Great Falls has
been written than tina by DR.. Donald c..
McCasky, a Pennsylvania who was trav-
cling in the west in 1904 and who was so
impressed by the country he passed
through and who so enjoyed his expert
ence on this stage trip, that he wrote OF
it in the home paper, the Record OF
WilkeS-Barre, Pa, in which IL was pup
lished during the winter Of 1904. DR.,
McCaSky's trip was made in December OF
that year. The letter, which has just
come to light in some old files, reads:
THE bus I was on left Billings on the
6 a. m. Friday morning schedule. At this
hour the crisp Montana winter air keenly
penetrated into you very bones, even
after you were snugly tucked away under
the buffalo lap robes. We rolled out OF
Billings into the darkness of the prairie
with the bright stars above to look al
and to command our wonder Gradually
near z o'clock the break Of morning
brought the sunlight and by 1880 the
eastern horizon was painted with the
gorgeous colorings of one OF the cleal
air Montana sunrises.
Our horses continued to plod along
carrying us at the rate OF five or Sll
miles an hour. Fifteen miles u on thC
bleak sage brush prairie we had frs
change. The barn was characteristic o
this western country, being a low, Ions
one-stOry log cabin structure OF yer!
substantial n cozy appearance.
1.-The beauty Of the early morning sun
rise steadily gave way to ar increasing
c~lOudiness. The wind grew in its inten
sity N GOODNESS as it struck our coach
The prairie offers little protection from
the elements. Travelling there must b
done in the face of the storms that ma,
sweep down upon you Before IL o'clocl
had arrived we were rolling along owe
the prairie trail in the midst Of a coll