Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1928-09-27

Dodge and Mr.. Van Vleet made a survey
Of the route the road was to TAKE through
the own The line ran southeast of the
city about a half mile and was to cross
the upper ford Of the Tongue river.
Winter Delays Work
Work on the construction of the road
was pushed as rapidly as possible. but it
failed to reach Miles City by the fall Of
the year of 1880. The engineers had not
taken into account the fact that an I'M
usually early winter might set in. The
previous assurances that the railroad
would build into Miles City was carried
into the early winter months and a boom
was expected to follow in the spring. The
iron horse" was approaching from the
east; immigration had been given an i'm
petus, while from the surrounding terri
tory the cattlemen were awakening to the
fact that the Yellowstone and tributary
valleys were the best in Montana and
were moving in closer to the expected
rail shipping facilities with their herds.
A new building boom was -inaugurated
and the city began to expand and grow
out of its primitive streets and overflow
into the new additions that were being
plated.
' In his annual report President Billings
called attention to the gap between the
AAooOQll III ItllQ u Oltlllt, SldtillB llldl
it was in the heart of the continent and
consisted of the Yellowstone division es-
timated at $40 miles, the Rocky Noun
tain division estimated at 1913 miles and
the Clark's Fork division estimated at
282 miles. a total of 800 miles. The yell
lowstone division, he said, extended from
the mouth of Glendive creek to the
mouth of the Shields river at the base
of the Belt mountains.
General Manager Sargent In February,
1881, purchased 43, 900 tons of steel rails
besides 5000 tom of iron rails that were
then moving to the front. The rails
were then laid to within 40 miles Of
Glendive, which was 70 miles below Miles
City. In late September, 1881, the track
had reached O'Fallon creek, 55 miles from
Miles City. Work was being pushed all
along the line, and General Haupt and
others in authority were confident that
cars would be running into Miles City
by Christmas. But the day of general
rejoicing came on a day in late November,
anticipating the hopes and aspirations
of Miles City by the period of a month
Celebration Fizzles Out
Miles City now is in easy access of
the Northern Pacific" says an account of
the event published on Nov. &c, 1881.
The railroad Is within five miles of town
and in less than a week the Shrek of the
locomotive will be heard in all of its
civilizing propensities. The days of the
old-timer are numbered. in q few months
he will be no more. His glory has de-
parted and now he must become civilized
in the broader sense of the word. or IN
the words Of the poet, seek greener fields
and pastures new"
The city wished to celebrate the COM
ing of the railroad with a BETTING cere-
mony. A committee was appointed to
arrange the details. Refreshments were
provided in prodigious quantities-wash-
tubs full of sandwiches, kegs of beer,
pals of dill pickles and all that go with
them-and speakers secured for the oc-
casion. The preparations all came to
naught. When the track crew came in
sight at the Main street crossing they
never paused t opartake of the refresh
ments nor deigned to listen to the
speeches; they were doing better than a
mile a day and before dark of that No
vember day were over the Tongue river
bridge. 1t was in the evening hat the
crew INDUCED themselves with a portion
Of the sandwiches and q drink of the
beer. The boss of the crew was crowding
his men for a record, he informed the
committee, but the truth was, it was felt
at the time by the disappointed citizens,
that he lie not want his men to become