Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1937-07-17
FEW COMFORTS ON
EARLY RAILROADS
PASSENGERS ON FIRST TRAIN
INTO STATE HAD VARIED
EXPERIENCES
Initial Trip of the Utah Northern Up
Beaver Canyon April 20, 1880, Con-
sisted of Nine Freight Cars and a
CabOose, Passengers Tainted.

The first train into Montana was
the Utah Northern, which crossed
the line from Idaho into Montana,
April 20, 1880. The contract OF the
stage company which had previous
" carried the mail over the noun
tains, had expired; the company
not wishing to renew 1t because
IL would be an Improbable venture
at that season, the railroad took
il. but in order to fulfill it, the road
must be completed from Beaver
canyon TO Red Rock station.
While the road was building, pass
engerS came in daily to Beaver ROCK,
mill a large number collected there.
During this time, the road builders
worked day and night without sleep
ing, and we're so overcome with Wearl-
ness, that when they opened the door
of a car they fell asleep before they
could enter, and lay there like dead
When at length the road was ready,
or declared to be, train was made up
of nine freight cars and a cabooSe,
to undertake the perilous journey over
the hastily laid track, and into this
caboose crowded the passengers, a hun
dred in all. The car was so closely
packed that it was impossible for pass
engers to stand on more than one
foot, without stepping on some ones
toes.
At first, the car was heated. But
when women tainted on account OF the
foul air and the heat, the fire was ex-
tinguished with snow. Then the car
grew colder and colder, until those
within it suffered as much from the
change in temperature as they did
when there was fire, but none tainted:
It was decidedly rough and rugged
road over which they bumped along,
as they climbed the divide. With this
in mind. the engineer did not feel in
clined to urge the train to undue speed,
and for this reason, 1t simply craWled
up the ascent, and down to Red Rock,
yet with all this precaution, seven times
it was derailed and once while on
treStle.
six o'clock in the afternoon this ven
turous journey began from Beaver can
yon, continuing through the night,
and until ten o'clock the following
morning. What the mental and phySi-
cal suffering Of the passengers must
have been during those eventfu fifteen
hours, packed like sardineS in the ca
boose, where they found it difficult
to stand, much less find a restfu po-
sition in which to pass the time, can
be imagined.
higher, was hard enough to endure,
with no room to exercise their cramped
muscles, but in addition to this tor
ture, was the constant apprehension
that they might be the victims Of a
railway tragedy. This was not mere
case of nerves" or foolish worry, with
seven derailmentS in "a miles, or about
that distance The fears Of these trav-
elers were justified, and, unlike the
moSS-grown story of Horace Greedy
when on his trip through the noun
tains, there was no cheerful and 10
quacious stage driver to assure them
they would reach Red Rock "on time,
and they didn't was almost a miracle
they ever arrived.
Among the passengers on this notable
journey was Dad" Pease, as he was
who was jeweler Of Vir-
ginia City, and who afterward moved
to Bozeman.
On reaching Red Rock, after this
all-night trying ride, the travellers were
sadly in need of diversion and rest.
Diversion was furnished by bear in
true movie style, where the comedy