The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1936-10-02

IX/ mer of 1882. It was two miles
N1 long, ran between the new
town of Billings and the OLD
town of Coulson, the fare being y
cents for the round trip and each
ticket bore a coupon emitting the bear
er to a glass of beer at the Coulson
end.
The motive power was two cayuses
and the driver and conductor was
Frank T. Mann, later police judge in
Billings and for many years proprietor
of an employment agency in that city.
This first Billings Street Railway
Co. was started as a promotion scheme
to aid in the sale of town lots. It failed
to pay dividends from that angle, how
ever, and as a legitimate business, m
was discontinued during the summer
of 1883.
J.. J.. Anderson was manager of the
company and Frank Olmstead was
superintendent. Other officials of the
concern were P. w. Meadow, H. w.
Rowley and Frank French.
The plan of the Billings and Coulson
business men who organized and fl
nanced the company was to establish
a residence district in the lowlandS
along the Yellowstone river. From a
transportation standpoint the business
did not thrive, nor did the dreamed-of
WA AAAo eH w. SAAS FHO
moters had hoped.
The ride between Billings and Coul-
son became popular from a pleasure
standpoint, however. Lovelorn SWANS
and their SWeetieS spent many evening
hours travelling up and down the line
chaperoned by the carefree young man
who kept the ponies to their task and
collected the fares.
The Joyride of the sos
Tho limo alco chortapo6 tho distance
between Billings and good trout fish
ing pools in the Yellowstone river, and
was well patronized by anglers. Con-
ductor Mann made it a point to keep
well informed upon how the fish were
biting and his tips resulted in some
stimulation of business among sports
men.
When the street railway was first
established, there was no brewery
either at Billings or Coulson, although
there were several saloons and dance
halls in each town. A short time later,
however, Ash & Boots opened a brew
cry at Coulson, next to Meadows gen.
erai store, the terminus of the line.
Immediately business picked up.
Beer Coupon With Every Fare
Then some energetic individual with
advertising expert, conceived the idea
Of giving a beer coupon with every
fare. Coulson's popularity grew and
travel increased.
Coulson consisted of a postoffice,
telegraph office, a tWo-Story hotel con-
Quoted by John Anderson, Meadows
general store, Shannon & Halls drug
store which was conducted in a tent,
and the brewery.
The Billings Rand and Webb guards.
a state militia company, selected Coul-
son for Sunday afternoon drills on
grounds adjacent to the beer garden,
which was operated in the open air
under towering pine trees with saw
dust. scattered over the ground about
the tables and benches provided for
the convenience of the customers.
Schedule Was At Beck and Call
The street cars were operated upon
no regular schedule. They came and
went when there were passengers who
wished to go or come. Service began in
the morning as soon as the driver could
catch the horses in the Coulson pas
ture where they were turned in every
night. Sometimes that meant the first
trip was Is early as 7 a. m. At other
times the first trip was as late as 10
was crooked and rough and frequently
the car jumped the track, %whereupon
the passengers would alight and help
get 1t back on the rails.
A Fleet of Two Cars
At the height Of the lines activity,
it had two cars. They were purchased
in Minneapolis and shipped to Billings
Stops were made in the larger Dakota
towns, and while the car rested on a
sidetrack an accompanying salesman
combed the population selling Billings
town lots.
It took only one years operation.
however, to convince the sponsors of
the project that they were backing a
tinued and the rails were torn up and
shipped to Bozeman. The car were
left in idleness. One of them was
hauled away by Joe Carlson, who OPP
Grated a milk ranch on the Yellow
stone river below Billings. He pushed
it into the river and used it for a store
house to keep his milk cool. A flood
came along and tore off the roof.
Little by little the car d~isintegrated
wheels. Presently they also disap-
peared, presumably covered by river
wash.
The other car finally was pulled
into Billings and stored by Judge
Mann. In 1915 it was borrowed by
Miles City Elks upon the occasion of
an Elks' convention in that city where
~ o1lOl1C do Oil SAACC4 IdAAl2AlCA1t ASdIO4S.
The flanges were knocked off the
wheels and the local and visiting Elks
rode the old car through the streets,
most of them on top of it.
Despite the promises that Judge
Mann had demanded for the return of
the car before he would let it be taken
to Miles City. the vehicle remained at
Milestown. Uncared for, the ancient
vehicle fell to pieces.
Several years later Judge Mann
made a trip to Miles City to see if he
could find and portion Of it. He could
not. Even the wheels had disappeared.
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