Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1930-01-16
~ N T1-- q - 4 One of Earliest Pioneers of the YMou- IN
40 |VI1G U0nn \Cn(fCK stone Vanr. Recalls Incident of Days W
AVAAOe I'LL When Cr0usN z Pncs and Sioux Y
D Fought Stole Horses and Killed Bufno Where Sugar Beet and Alfalfa fields NUv Wme 3

There was an early smallpox scare at
CoulSon and she helped in looking after
a number of persons stricken with the
disease.
One of the tragic events at Coulson
was the death of Billy Needham. who
was carrying the mail on his last trip
on the Lavina stage. He had carried
the mail to the Meadow store and was
pulling off his coat when his pistol fell
out of his pocket and was discharged,
badly %wounding him. He was given
some laudanum to ease his pain and
DR.. j. C. Rinehart, then hospital
steward at Fort Custer, who came
through Coulson shortly afterWard,
cared for his wound. 1t was impossi-
BILE, however, to move him or to give
him the needed care. He lived for a
month in a little building near the
hotel but finally died. He had planned
on going home to his mother when he
quit and in his periods of delirium, he
talked constantly of her.
Start of Coulson
The first buildings at Coulson were
the sawmill built by Meadow and a
log cabin belonging to John Schock
j. j. Anderson built a hotel and Nc
AdoW started a general store and later
put up a hotel also. Mr.. Schock ran
the ferry across the river and owned
a half interest in it, Meadow being his
partner. John r. King ran a string
of mackinaw boats on the river and
later started an ice business. Henry
Sanderson started a blacksmith shop
and his brother, Frank Sanderson, and
Forrest Young, a son OF AlOnzO Young
one OF the first men to come into the
Yellowstone country, worked for the
stage company. Sam Alexander was
Meadows chief clerk in the store anc
John Nathan looked after his freight
ing business. Fran Duggan ran the
hotel for Anderson. Bill Heffner was
in charge of the sawmill and had lost
most Of his fingers there. A mar
named Wickersham was the telegraph
operator OF the government line. These
were a few Of the men of early Coul-
son.
Dave Currier had taken up the lane
upon which COulSOn stood and laid of
some lots where the buildings stood
making agreements to give deeds tt
them as soon as he obtained title. Later
Currier confided to some boon com
Pdl1iOIlS UIldt lllC OWIltIS IldQ IOJIllIlE
to show for the agreement and he in.
tended to GUST them when he got thu
land. Anderson got wind of this anC
he also found that Currier had only
a Squatter's claim. He went quiet,
to BOzeman and filed.
Anderson came home and started hi
men fencing the land. Currier cam
to the hotel and began waving his re.
volver and threatening Anderson, VIII
stood guarding him off. Mrs. Anderson
got down the needle gun and ran GU
and thrust 1t under Alderson's arm
and Anderson shot Currier down. Mrs
Schock was down at the river watching
the ice go out, the day being late il
March, 1880.
Jury Sets Him Free
After the shooting, Anderson went in
to the house and locked the door, bu
later gave himself up at the demant
of Wolverton, the deputy sheriff a
Coulson. He was taken to Miles Cit,
but was set free by the jury that triet
him.
According to some accounts Currie
was the first person to be buried il
Boothill cemetery, but Mrs. School