Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1931-08-27
B. F. White, Founder of Dillon, Had
Experience of Early-Day Freighter

however. have a chance to ship the
you mention SOC at less than
stage prices and if SO will do it, bat
if not will send them by stage, when
other plans have failed"
He did manage to get a small amount
of Williams freight through flve days
later, by a private teamster, but the
letter that accompanied the shipment
offered small encouragement for fu-
ture shipments:
ct looks today as though this would
be about the last Of any shipments
for this season although this freighter
says he intends running all winter If
he can make his loads average up
about five cents. But the storm which
is raging today bids fair to effectually
block things up very tight. 1t is snow
ing very fast and the heavy wind is
piling it up in huge drifts that seem
almost impossible for anything. The
Hecla folks have about 40 tons OF
bullion en- route down but it will not
reach here now before spring. Even
before this storm the parties freight
ing it had all turned out on Red Rock
and now they will not attempt to hitch
up again."
The outlook had not improved great
ly at Christmas. The town which
sprang up at the winter terminus OF
the railroad was in dire straits from
lack Of coal. Tt is not surprising that
no freight wagons were attempting
passage through the drifts, since ever
trains were unable to reach the enc
of the road. The writer was exceed.
ingly pessimistic in a letter writer
Christmas day:
II expect you will not care to pay
the high prices now prevailing and II
fact I see no way at present to move
it (the freight at all and doubtful
about getting any reasonable transpor'
tation before spring business opens
Snow is now very deep here and it ex
tends a long way north. Weather tn
coolest ever known here-thermomete
! yesterday morning at $3.50 indicated 3
degrees below zero and did not pc
above 20 degrees below all day. N
trains have arrived from the soutl
for three weeks and no freight train
have been in for over 2 week. TIL
town is out of coal and there is actua
suffering now from cold, I am firml
of the opinion that trains will neve
be able to run here at all for the mex
two months"
The weather evidently improved il
the next two weeks. for the enterpris
ing forwarding merchant got anothe
load through to Butte. even though a
high cost. On January 7, 1880, tn
following letter was dispatched to Will
liams, discussing the railroads plan
for the year. The down and 'up
shipments refer to those going mort
and south, respectively.
Glad to hear your freight go
through all right and though the rat
was pretty high it was considerabl
better than express rates. I think
can arrange about your down loadin
in the spring SO that you will get /
down promptly. If you have a larg
dillOiiiib 4 tdii Ntllui dIb QONll lDduili
at the same time as I do the ur
making one a condition of the other
"The terminus will be moved to Re-
Rock as early in the spring as pos
sible and very likely all the down load
ing will be delivered at Red Rock
it is about 80 miles from the presen
terminus to Red Rock. Orders hav
been given to push the road ahead thi
year so miles north of Red Rock. Thi
will take it to near Salisbury and vii
cut off all teams for down loading ex
cept such as load direct for Butte o
Deer Lodge country and will compe
you to figure a little as to what team
can afford to come in for from the di
rect route"
The man who was to become a lead
err in the development of Beaverhea(
county was not at all impressed b,
this section of that particular county
Witness the rather uncomplimentar,
remark in a letter of March 10:
II arrived here a few days ago, hav.
ing been taking a little recreation pre-.