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

Missouri and Yellowstone rivers above
Bismarck. The boating season in the
summer of that year was short, yet more
than 43 million pounds of freight was
shipped by river from the western ter
minus Of the railroad. More than eight
million pounds OF freight was carried in
steamer bottoms up the Yellowstone river
alone. Thirteen hundred passengers were
transported during the season on both
streams, besides 2,400 Indians, 1900 head
of horses and cattle and 600 head OF
sheep. There were received for shipment
out of Miles City by river transportation
160, 900 buffalo hides, nearly 400,0 900
pounds of wool and other hides and pelts.
The humble of steamboats, plying the
rivers numbered 81, the largest of which
was the Dacotah of the Coulson line with
a freight capacity of l.400 tons, and the
smallest, the General Tompkins. with a
freight capacity OF $50 tom
Reporting to the house committee on
Pacific railroads, in relation to the North
ern Pacific, Gen. w. T. Sherman in 1880
wrote: In a military sense the extension
OF this railroad from Bismarck to the
Yellowstone n up the valley Of the
river as far as the Big Horn, will be of
advantage beyond any estimate the quar-
termaster general may make, because the
railroad will transport men and supplies
~ illOlltll5, IL UOJ Ia, III Lnc year WllllC
the Missouri and Yellowstone rivers are
barely %navigable for light draft steamers
for two, or at most. three months OF the
year. The extension OF the railroad will
stimulate emigrants to occupy on a line
east n west OF the Yellowstone to such
an extent as to form a barrier to nomadic
Indians Who have heretofore one back
and forth from the Sioux reservation to
the British territory in the north and
will enable us in a few years to give up
Forts Keogh and Custer, each requiring
for garrison a full regiment and fou
companies of cavalry. These could then
be moved north to the British line,
permanent frontier. BY this process we
divide the hostile Sioux and can subdue
either moiety with more certainty and
at much less cost than now.
Four years after the establishment Of
Miles City, which had grown to be an
ambitious community of about a thou
sand inhabitants, 1t began to n the
Importance OF the coming of the rails.
In January, 1880, the Northern Pacific
prepared to push to completion as rapid
ly as possible the road to the Yellowstone
valley. 1t was the intention to build the
road on the south side of the river as
far as possible to Fort Ellis, If a practical
route could be found, which was a new
and to some a startling proposition as it
would leave the Yellowstone valley entire
ly at Miles City and strike it again at
Huntley or Coulson.
The MusselshelI Route
This was known as the Muscleshell
Enthusiastically route. Some thought was
given also to the idea of the road strik-
ing at the mouth of Glendive creek or
Powder river, but Miles City was favor
ably mentioned as being a temporary
terminus n the feeling prevailed that
the rails would be laid into the city dur
ing the fall OF hat year.
1t was pointed out that there was an
abundant and lucrative business for the
road in the territory adjacent to Miles
City. 1t composed a region of over 40, 900
square miles, almost totally shut put of
communication with the outside world
for a period of six months each year, as
during the balance of the year the river
was closed to navigation making it i'm
practical to freight goods on account of
the rate demanded.
General Dodge, locating engineer of
the Northern Pacific, arrived in Miles
City in February, 1880. and was a guest
at Fort Keogh. He had come to look over
the various routes, n remained at the
post for some time to inform himself of
their practicability. He then proceeded