The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1937-10-08
When Santa Claus Used Freigh Wagons i'm State
Interior Towns Had Skimpy Christmas Dinners
4 HRISTMAS in the early day
! mining camps and cow towns
, Of Montana found few luxmies
! available to the citizens. After

mining camps ana cow p0W08
~ MSntsns found few lux ..a
the railroads came, however, the
country for the most part was well
supplied. Only the interior towns, the
goods for which were hauled from the
railroad points by freighters, were liable
te miss out On an q. ample t supply Hy Of god
There were times when the freighters
were delayed by bad roads and bad
weather. On those occasions many
little interior towns at Christmas time
found nothing ON sale at their stores
except the p!ainest OF staples, while
laden wagons bearing tons Of fancy
groceries were stalled in snow drifts.
The towns in northern and eastern
Montana which depended upon the
freighters for supplies were at the
mercy Of the elements. Rains in the
wagons would mire, axles break, and
over which progress was slow at best.
Later there would be sudden snow
storms through which it was impossible
to travel. The wind would pile drifts
mountain high, and through them the
wagons couldn't move. When such
road trains, one may imagine the plight
of a freight wagon train caught by
them with nothing but a hand shovel
to aid in breaking through with bulky
and heavy cargo.
The roads Of course were poor, and
at the most inepportune times. The
freighters were often forced to double
up"-hitch two or more teams to one
load-in order to get up steep hills,
and then be forced to roughlock for
the steep descent on the other side.
Forty years ago Great Fa1ls was sne
Montana, Billings in the southern and
Miles City In the eastern part of the
state. As the holiday season approached,
the railroad yards at those cities be-
came crowded with carload after car
load of merchandise for the Christmas
September. In October they kept drib-
bling in, but November was the big
month.
Now it is possible for merchant to
wire and get the delivery in a few days
by railroad or motor truck for large
quantities or by parcel POST, ,e EXPRESS
When necessary the air mail can be
utilized which cuts the time between
order and delivery almost to nothing
flat. But that was not the case In
former years.
orders piled up at eastern whole
sale Gente1s odt 9en de ddd IS Jpn dif
ficulty and sometimes the shipments
would not reach their destination until
December. Often the cars contained
tremendous quantities Of canned goods
fruits, vegetables and pickles. #
freezing weather came they were liable
to be spoiled and there would be no
other choice but to leave them in the
railroad warehouse until the following
spring. That meant that some interior
point would have light Christmas sup
plies and probably be on half rations
by spring.
Slow Transportation
Once a Lewistown merchant had
ordered big shipment of apple butter
for the holiday trade. He placed his
order in November and it was shipped
in December. BY the time it arrived
in Montana a real old fashioned winter
was at hand. The result was that the
merchant didn't get his apple butter
until the following June. Merchandise
intended for LewiStown was usually
freighted from Great Falls. Because of
the fact that Lewistown merchants
supplied sheep and cattle outfits over
a wide territory and retail stores in
smaller towns to boot, there was ire
mendous amount of freight hauled to
it from Great Falls. Freight teams lined