Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1935-08-08

| nings In Early Days
!. youthful gentiles peddled their wares
at q neat profit and Halliday was o.,
his way to his first million.
He acquired the forerunner of the
Overland company as q birthday pres
ent when he became 38. The ground
work for the gift was laid through
judicious loans and timely foreclosures
on the part of the recipient.
He set up the Overland company In
1861 and in seven years had the long
est line in the world, extending from
Leavenworth to the Pacific. with
branches in Montana and Idaho. In
addition, shrewed bargaining brought
the Missourian no less than 16 Pacific
ocean packets in the same period OF
time.
Halliday had a flare for the spec
tacular and never passed up an OPP
portunity to use it. For instance, once
wishing to impress the post office de-
partment with the speed of his line he
staged from Salt Lake to Atchison
Kan, about 1900 miles, in the then
phenomenal time of eight days and SIX
hours.
Halliday rolled up the bulk of his
fortune by hauling gold from diggings
in California, Idaho and Montana. The
company charged S per cent of the
value of gold shipments and 1t did moi
take long before the Halliday bank
account grew to the proportions Of the
Fifth avenue town house and a palatia'
Ocean-going yacht.
But when the Spectator was given
the Virginia City contract only he alone
knew how close the Overland company
was to out-and-out bankruptcy.
The expense Of operating, protecting
and constantly rebuilding and replac-
ing stations and equipment IN the
hostile Cheyenne country ate heavily
into the firms fortune through 1855
and 1864. On top of this outlay, Hal
ladays' remuneration for the overland
mail contract, from LeavenwOrth to the
Pacific coast, vas slashed SO per cent
from the 81, 900 900 a year he had beer
paid.
The Montana contract brought thy
company'S mail-hauling earnings to
$40, 900 a year, an amount sufficient Il
keep it out Of bankruptcy. In 1886 Hal
laday disposed of his interests to thu
Wells-FargO company, receiving ST..
000, 900 in cash and $3.50, 900 in paid-ui
stock. He was paid an additional $500,
900 for hay, grain and provisions in hi
stations.
Yet when Halliday died in Portland
in 1877, at the age of SO, he left scarcel,
$10O, 900.
BY the middle COS stage routes wer,
firmly established south of Montana
and as far north as Virginia City ant
Bannack. 1t was not, however, unit
the Indians were driven from the Vel
lowstone or rounded up by Miles ant
Terry that stage coaching blazed tn
way across southeastern Montana.
The first line extended from Boze
man to Miles City. Coulson and, later
Billings, became the junction for a lin
running north to Lavina and Fort Ben
ton. The ghoStly Junction City sim
ilarly served for a route south int
Wyoming.
Many names were connected will
these enterprises. The most successful
operators we're Gilman and Salisbury
who became partners and operated tn
Bozeman-Miles City line until the com
ing Of the Northern Pacific.
Wiley King drifted out Of Virgins
City when the diggings petered ava
and the population abandoned the cam
for more lucrative fields.
He turned up in Bozeman at tn
age Of 20 and Immediately went to wor
for Gilman and Salisbury.
The veal previously one of thei
stages had fallen into the hands of tn
willy Chief Joseph who used 1t as hi
royal carriage on his triumphal marc
down the Yellowstone almost to CUul
son. The rig was abandoned a fe'
miles west Of Billings when the Ne
Perez were driven into the hills b
General Sturgis. Eventually tn
coach, a jerky, by the way, was restore
to service.
It was on such q vehicle that Kin
spent most Of his nights. For the un
initiated the jerky was no nor tina
q springleSs wagon with q covered bod
and two boots, fore and aft. In thes
the mail and freight were carried, tn
driver perched over the forward box
so his feet rested on his cargo.
The passengers, If they were luck
rode inside. But the driver had r
such protection and was expoaNd 1
whatever the weather had to 0Yief.
The Concord coach was slow In ARR,
ing In southern Montana. 1t was NJ
until the populace threatened dive
unpleasant things that the G. g.
finally acquieSced and put on the heaN
Ter but more comfortable equipage.
BY that time Wiley King had give
I'D staging in favor OF horse raisin
an occupation which occupied him III
til the panic Of 1907.
Gilman and Salisbury used commc
sense in meeting the demands Of Il
trade. AS late as the spring Of 18|
the Coulson Post was highly uncoml
limentary about the service and lette
to the editor forboded evil things vi
less the company agreed to let paSsel
gers ride In any kind Of weather. ]
wet weather freight and mail we
placed in the passenger compartmel
til skies cleared and another Goa,
came along. -.
Inasmuch as citizens Of Miles CT
had recently hanged q gentleman 4