Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1935-08-24
FEW SCENES AT CCC CAMP on SQUAW CREEK

Chased as q model CCC camp, OF
which there are only three In the Mon
tana region, Squaw creek camp F-57
In Gallatin canyon, south Of Gallatin
Gateway, has carried on an outstand-
ing development program and one that
has won the praise Of tourists; red-
dents, the government and forest serv-
ice officials.
Among its many projects have been
the construction of a creoSOte plant
for treatment Of posts and poles. a 95-
foot center span cement bridge over
the Gallatin river, stream improvement
work, fence building and numerous
other activities.
Last summer the company was sta
toned at the Basin camp, nine miles
out Of West Yellowstone. On Sept. S,
1884. a spike camp was sent out to
Squaw creek to assist carpenters in
building the present camp. It was nee
essary to build a road from the SquaW
creek ranger station to the camp site.
The two miles we're constructed in 10
days.
on NOV. 1, 1884, the camp started
moving to SquaW creek. Lieut.. Joseph
r. DeVich was in command, assisted
by Lieut.. Wendall @. Munson and Sec
ond Lieut.. Howard Thomson. Dr. Ellis
was the camp surgeon. The camp
strength was 1874.
Water for the camp was obtained
from the Gallatin river. and the first
job Of real size was the digging Of a |
trench five and a half feet deep and
$500 feet long A three-inch galVa- |
nized pipe was laid for 1900 feet and |
the balance of the distance with two
and one and half inch pipe.
The creoSote plant was constructed
last winter It consists of four tanks
to treat seven and 10 foot posts and
one long tank to treat 16-foot corral
poles. The fire boxes were built of
fire brick. A mine car and approx
mately 800 feet OF rail are used to de-
liver raw and treated timber to and
from the plant. An overhead cable
with chain blocks HOSTS the posts and
poles in and out Of the tanks
Construction Of the Squaw creek road
has been going on since its start last
September. At first it was constructed y
to truck trail standards, but this spring
it was raised to a class 4 road. The
construction machinery consists Of
IS Cletrac bulldozer, an 80 Cletrac, a
grader, ripper, a compress
scr and jackhammer.
From Nov. /, 1884, to May is, 1885,
an average of six men were engaged
in determining the area Of winter
AA4AAAA%A0
Gallatin elk herd, other elk herds, and
drift or migrations Of elk. The area
0f winter range Of deer and the Span
Sh peaks mountain sheep herd also
we're determined
A power and a cap magazine were
constructed for the GaIlatin national |
iorest. These we're built into the solid /
ock cliff on Shenango creek and are I
100 feet apart. The interiors are fin {
80. -. I n
rhe faces are of concrete. The inner
loors are of two-inch wood and the 5
Duter doors Of iron. The powder maya 8
line viii hold is tons Of dynamite. {
A copper metallic telephone line, IS e
niles long, Is being built by the camp. {
The line starts at Gallatin Gateway !
md ends at the Yellowstone park 9
boundary. Z
In midwinter two crews were en- s
ragged in lodge pole thinning. The 3
rees to be left are tagged by foremen a
md leaders. The balance Of the men T
nut down the untagged trees and do o
he cleanup work. A total Of II acres
vas completed. d
A crew worked on roadside cleanup d
n the GaIlatin highway this spring y
The same crew reconstructed the road tl
o the Cascade group Of summer homes. A
At the present time a crew Is work -
ng on Squaw creek building dams to b
,rovide the quiet water necessary for II
Dung fish. ii
From Dec. is. 1884, to April 1. 1895. tC
he camp had crew Of is men en-
aged in logging. They cut 400 house b
Ogs, $50 cords of firewood and 1000 ol
telephone poles. The house logs we're al
n average Of 40 feet long and 10 81
inches in diameter on the small end. W
This summer the camp has built sew pl
raj miles Of fences to keep cattle off it
ange infested with larkspr as well as OF
ut Of some Of the best recreation areas. IS
If present plans are carried out, a OF
ompleee set OF new ranger station hi
uiIdings VIII be erected at the camp tn
tie. The present site Of the SquaW
reek station IS unfsEorable There (
insufficient room for the buildings al
nd IN the winter the STOW blocks the as
Dads The water has to be taken from ia
quaW creek and IN winter it freezes te
asily The sun never touches the Is