Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1935-01-19
(By ELNo)

Today, misfortune on the high
ways usually means a skid, a crash
or q collision, 3 quick rush to the
hospital for some stitches or to set a
bone, with the consequent suffering
nninimized by comfortable surround
ings and efficient care. But back In
the seventies such misfOrtunes meant
not so much danger from broken
| bones and torn flesh rs intense suf-
fering from the elements, often alone
and far from human help.
The counterpart Of today's fast car
back in the seventies was the old Con
cord coach with its four or six-hors
team. The element Of danger lay no
so often in faulty human control but II
the uncertain temper Of animals with
viii Of their own.
And, instead Of modern highways
passing through inhabited communities
the old stage roads were trails across
the face of Mother Earth as Nature
had left it, roughly and seamy.
The stories of adventure and pain and
suffering on the pioneer highways are
stories Of thrilling heroism and de-
votion to duty. An outfit on the road
had to be self Insufficient In almost
all emergencies, because there were no
wayside service stations at which help
OF repairs could be secured.
Al wilkins Of Livingston was in
timately acquainted with the pioneer
highways around Fort Benton and had
q part In some of the experiences OF the
road In the stage coach days. He says:
1.-The first Concord coach line between
Fort Benton and Helena that remem-
Der was operated by the Gilmore and
Salisbury company. On the flat part Of
the road they used four horses to q
coach, but over the Birdtatl divide and
through Prickly Pear canyon six horses
were used. This part OF the road was
very rough and there were steep bills
to climb. In the summer season the
road was lined with big freight outfits
which camped wherever night overlook
them. Many times, camping In the
PrickIy Pear canyon, they merely pull
ed to the side OF the road, leaving only
room for the stagecoaches to pass.
zone driver on the line, named
Three Fingered Mike, had the night
stage drive through the canyon He
took great pleasure In popping hts whip
as he passed the freight outfits, waking
all the drivers. Poor old Mike drove
over the Great Divide at Helena about
1884
I'm 1875 Father and ran a road
house and stage station ON the Benton
and Helena road at what was known as
Eight-Akile Springs, eight miles out OF
Fort Benton. Another station was at
Twenty Eight-AEile Springs, 20 miles
further on There was always more or
less trouble along the line because OF
and breakdowns. In the sum-
mer the coaches had trouble because
OF muddy roads and Ia winter from bad
storms and deep, drifting SHOWS
About 1873 the late william Rowe
got the stage contract from Fort Ben
ton to Helena and stocked the line with
new Concord coaches and new horses.
Most Of the horses we're only about half
broke, and there were many runaways.
"The winter of 1878-79 was a very
hard one with many severe snowstorms.
IN one of these storms Ed Garrett had
B runaway that turned into real adj
venture, though no one was seriously
hurt. Ed had driven about six miles
toward Fort Benton from the Twenty I
Eiglat-A6ile Springs when he heard a
o0lse that warned him q trunk was
loose on the rear boot Of the stage. One
was with him on the drivers
senS, and another inside the sea9s.