The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1936-10-23
Resenting Rowdyisrm of Road Crews, Clark City
Residents Chose New Site, Founded Livingston

Livingston's first newspaper was pub
Ished Dec. 10, 1882. The paper, short
Lved' was called the Livingston Ga
issues by the Tribune. The following
June, the Enterprise appeared, which
Is stu published. The first issue of the
enterprise was a four sheet, seven by
i've leaflet. On the front page the edi-
Tor apologized for the size of the paper,
which he attributed to non-arriVal of
certain parts of the printing press from
81. Paul: The Enterprise was started
oallles published in Montana territory
IN 1888. Livingston wa a boom town
during the building of the railroad but
as the builders moved westward, the
Doom collapsed and the Enterprise was
forced to become a weekly in 1884. In
1917 daily publication was resumed.
"A famous hangout for the tougher
element Of Livingston in the old days
was the Bloody Bucket saloon, now a
grocery store at 126 North Main street.
Where the groceryman now doles out
prosalc foodStuffS a crew of heavy
listed bartenders sold hard liquor. The
last time cowboys of the Livingston re-
gion shot up the town was in 1902. The
main shooting was done in the Bloody
Bucket saloon, and after their out
burst the miscreants rode down Main
street to Calender, leaving town on a
dead run
Many infamous characters made Liv-
ingston their headquarters in the ear
ller years. Some of those mentioned in
early-day newspapers are Mac.ame Bull
Dog, Farmer Smith, Kid Brown, a
gambling man, Red Nell, Scar Face
Charlie, Kittie La Shell and, of course,
fhn famous No 10 pNifp Tarn hHo@ayon
Bull Dog, after a hectic professional
career, retired to a job as postmistres,
in a town in northern Park county.
Even while postmistress she sometimes
gave impromptu entertainments for the
cowboys, singing and playing on her
banjo: She also hung out a shingle and
gave banjo lessons.
in the early years was Gen. w. T. Sher-
man, of Civil war fame, who stopped at
the old Merchants hotel in 1883. The
hostelry is now gone but it stood be-
tween the present passenger and freight
depots of Livingston. Old-time residents
recall that during his visit General
Sherman complimented the hotel pro-
prietor on the excellence of the food
provided by his colored eook;
formed in Livingston in 1884 as. a re-
suit of a series of disastrous fires which
were believed to be of incendiary origin.
The fires resulted in losses of more
than $780, 900 to town business men
and though the perpetrators were sus-
pected nothing could be proved to bring
the matter to court. After the last of
the bad fires there appeared all over
the town n morning. the sign 3-7-77,
the famed symbol of the Vigilantes of
western Montana, who had rid that re-
gion of undesirables two decades be-
fore. A committee of local citizens had
been formed and all the tough element
of Livingston was ordered out of town.
All but a few left. This small group
was waited upon by a party of masked
men armed with guns and ropes. Such
on their way.
All who pass through Livingston CON-
ment upon the beauty of the railroad
station there, and people of the town
like to recall that it was only by chance
that Livingston got such a fine build
ing. It was originally intended for
Butte but real estate in that city was
so expensive that the railroad COM
pany refused to pay the price asked for
a station site. The plans for the build
ing were already drawn and the money
appropriated, so the business men of
Livingston offered to donate a site ii
the depot were erected in their town.
The plan went through and the build
ing wa dedicated by Theodore Roose-
welt in the spring of 1908.
The first brick building in Livingston
still stands, across from the freight
depot. Years ago it was a hotel and
the old sign may still be seen across
the building. At present it is used as
a warehouse. Sol Frank. son of the
man who built the old building so
years ago, is in business in Livingston
today.
The Livingston region was the scene
of many Indian troubles in the early
days. On the Noble Erwin ranch in the
are the graves of several militiamen
slain in 1869. In the fall of 1868 Coover
and Meadow. w~ell-known early-day
freighters of Bozeman, sent a band of
work cattle to the Shields river valley
for the winter. Herders accompanied
the cattle and made camp at a bend
in the river just north of the present
Noble Erwin ranch. In the spring of
1869 the Indians killed two of the herd
ers who were hunting near the camp.
Later another man was killed and the
survivors returned to Bozeman when
the Indians scattered the cattle. When
soldiers from Fort Ellis came to the
district the cattle were oon found and
two Of the graves marked by logs.
AT MlSSlOn station, i've miles east OF
Livingston, is the site of the first Crow
Indian agency. In the seventies, the
mission had a population of $500 whites
and Indians. Traces of the old adobe
agency buildings remain and nearby
are the graves of DR.. Frost who, with
several companions, was killed by In
dams at this point in the '70's.
Another site of great interest in Park
county is Hunters Hot Springs. DR.. A.
]. Hunter, a southerner, came over the
Bozeman trail in 1864 and saw the
springs. In them he recognized a sim
ilarity to those of Arkansas, which he
had previously visited. Hunter returned
to the springs in 1870 and settled. He
built a home and began to raise pota-
toes but was bothered continually by
the Indians. The Crows were friendly
enough but marauding Bloods and Pie
gans did their best to drive him away.
When the Northern Pacific railroad