Western news and the Libby times. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1920-1933, 1930-05-29
IIBBYITE RECOUNTS
ADVENTURES OF EARLY DAY
FOR TRIBUNE READERS

Picturesque characters are not
foreign to Libby residents, and history
abounds in our midst, as evidenced by
the following story clipped from the
Great Falls Tribune:
GLACIER PARK, April 10.-Jack
Brown, veteran Glacier park guide,
used to drive" on western stage
coach line in days of horse drawn
ures which the present day automo-
bile stage makes look like pretty slow
travel by comparison. He says;
when | came to Montana it was
a territory and travel, of course, was
all either horseback or by the old
stage coach. All these coaches were
Concord, drawn by six horses. We
lived on the old Hollidy line. The
coaches ran night and day from Hell
ena to Corrine. U.
AS boy | used to mingle with
drivers and when | was II years old
could pull ribbons on six bettern
a green hand My first job at stage
drivin was on the old Allard line in
1891. We used to make the round trip,
Ravali to Poison landing, IL miles. in
81 hours. We changed horses four
times. That may Seem stow 10 automo-
bile drivers today but when you've
sat perched on one of those high
coachesthat distance and handled six
horses that are nearly all bronchos,
you'll find the motorist at the wheel
has pretty easy time of it.
We changed horses every seven to
8 miles according to condition of roads.
Where the roads was billy, we changed
at seven miles. We always started away
from stations slow but increased speed
The silk and buckskiin' was used
freely comm in to the next change
The stage driver was something of
an autocrat He never left his seat.
Six men changed horses and the driv-
er took each line as it was handed up
to him. When the last tug was hooked,
we were 'raisin' dust. We figured on
about II to IL miles an hour on the
road-of course, changing horses took
considerable time.
Il never was held up while drivin'
stage but I've had my piano players
up several times in my life in the
west and ] know how it goes know
its an occasion when even a woman
wouldn't argue much.
One time when driving stage | had
lady ridin' up on top with me and
she said, Mister driver, how is it
you've got such a ruddy complexion
| just kicked bottle Of Old Grow
from under a mail sack at my feet and
said. There's the paint | use, lady
1t was rather chilly day and
found | had to paint her face several
times before we got in. 1t just showed
that all good drinkin people in the
west those days weren't stage drivers
However, all good stage drivers were
good drinkin men Seemed like it was
the qualifications to drink, hold yer
head and the bosses, as they used to
say facetiously.
In the summer the stage driver
had to eat dust and during the winter
he fought the billiards. and some booze
in order to keep up the fight on the
billiards..
OF course the horse is out Of date
now in most places but | still find
lots of places in the old west where
good saddle horse is the best means
of travel Bad roads and trails have
no terrors for the old COW pony. We
had some good ones in the old cattle
days in Montana.
Il rode one horse 81 miles in one
day once. I guess even Teddy Roose-
welt Would've admitted that was too
much for one horse but when the
sheriff don't like a fellow it makes it
necessary to leave lots of country be-
hind you. | made that ride in nine
hours. suppose the motorist Of to-
day would laugh at that as slow driv-
in but swear | thought | got along at
a lively clip
Some saddle horses can walk six
or seven miles an hour-they call EN-
running walkers.
In earlier frontier days of freer
personal liberties, COW punchers didn't
think anythin' of ridin' 40 miles across
country to a dance. And we took the
girls along with us. Guess they
must've been tough girls because |
know now, when guidin' tourists
through Glacier Park in the summer,
after some of EN- have ridden nine
miles they're ready to eat their sup
per of'n the mantel. But. then, these
re automobile ridin days and not
many people are used to horseback
ridin."