Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1937-10-02

as can be ascertained, the day upon
which the spike was driven IS the
only day since the city Of Butte was
founded, that IL has been completely
~bOne dry" the other IS that 4 was
purely accidental, so far as Henry
Willard was concerned, that Gen. u. S.
Grant gave the final wailOpS TO the
spike which united into one string Of
steel the lines which had been build
ing both east and west
Butte was dry because its entire pop
ulation of 5000 attended the festivities.
Everyone, bartenders included, went TO
help drive the spike, and there was
none left in town to ask for or to be
served with drinks. Saloons were closed.
Grants accidental driving Of the
spike came when Rod d. Leggat, one
Of Butte'S earliest citizens, Shouluereo
his way through the crowd that sur
rounded the group where the spike
driving was in progress, and said TO
Willard, president of the Northern Pa
cific and master of ceremonies: Henry,
let General Grant drive home that
spike"
Willard had already hit the spike
few rapS himself, had let his wife and
little son tap at it, and was looking
about in a dazed sort of way, when
Leggat took charge. General Grant
never questioned his authority. Grip
ping his cigar more firmly between
his teeth, he reached for the sledge
hammer and finished the job.
The Butte angle of the golden spike
ceremony is one of the most interest /
ing in connection with the affair.
Because of the lack of transportation |
facilities, it had been intended by the
Northern Pacific officials to invite only /
a chosen few of the city's most prom
inent citizens to attend the spike
driving ceremony. The fact that there
were neither hotel nor restaurant ac-
comodations at Gold Creek also was a
factor in the decision. Butte was not
on the Northern Pacific line, which
ran through Helena, and for that
reason the N. P. authorities felt under
less obligation to invite Butte people
to attend. In addition to Willard and
General Grant, many OF America
most prominenut men were to be there,
among them United States Senators
Henry M. Teller and w. NJ. Evarts
the noted German; Carl Schurz, and
a host of Dutch barons, capitalists.
stockholders and foreign ministers
Ed Stone, general agent for the
Northern Pacific with headquarters in
Helena, went to Butte and began in
viting the chosen few to attend the
spike driving festival, impressing upon
each of the select and distinguished
citizens that the invitations were to be
held in the strictest secrecy and adding
that the matter of food and drink would
be looked after so that they need not
concern themselves in that regard.
But the secret" invitations leaked
out and Stone was beseiged with appli-
cations for invitations. Before he real
lied it, he had invited a great many
more than the N. P. management had
authorized. In his dilemma he sought
the advice of George W. Irwin, the
sheriff of Silver Bow county, later
postmaster of Butte and long a prom
inent citizen of the city.
IRWIN advised Stone to withdraw his
limited invitations and ask the whole
town to go, saying that only few
could get there anyhow, because Of the
limited transportation facilities, and \
that those who did get there could be
safely introduced as the city's leading \
citizens regardless Of who they were, 4
because no one would know the differ !
ence. Stone grasped at the sheriff's =
suggestion as the proper solution OF a
his problem. One thing, however, that E
got away from him and never was \
headed, was the statement to the orig :
inal select few that they need give no Il
thought to the matter OF food and =
drink. Everyone thought it would be =
provided, hence took nothing along. II
The result was one-day famine. y
The situation was aggravated by the "
suspicion of Bob Blicksenderfer, sup II
Of the Utah 81 Northern Il
railroad, which operated the line from
Butte to Garrison as well as the one CT
from Butte to Salt Lake City, that =
Stones general invitation to the Butte
public was crafty move on the part pl
Of the Northern Pacific to ingratiate l,
the company into the good graces of OF
people of that city. Meeting it, he re- s.
Sponded with the announcement that CT
all who wished to make the trip from
Butte would be furnished with trans CT
portation for the round trip, free Of b
charge. 81,
The Utah g. Northern, known also as Ike
the Montana Union line had only six IL
passenger coaches operating on the OF
daily run from Butte to Garrison and ne
they were nothing at all compared to WI
the mob that showed up for the trip. ev
however, was not only ex
but he knew his Butte. OF
Flat cars, freight cars, cattle cars, re- AT AT
Ir1gerator cars and the cars of a travel II
Ing circus which was in town, were
pressed into service and transformed mi
FOR the accommodation of passengers. We
He finally had total Of 10 cars ready. Ar
The start was to be made at o'clock VIC
n the morning. Long before that hour de
he available cars we're filled and hun tol
ireds were yet to be taken care of. thu
was appalled,. He sought ev
)ut Sheriff Irwin and told him that he Gre
would not be responsible for any such thu
mob, and demanded that Irwin take in
charge and maintain order. There SD,
never was a job too big for George
irwin in the line of official duty. he ua
ient for his entire staff of deputies vo
md ordered them to go along, saying fo,
hat none need remain in Butte be- col
,auSe there was no one there ANYHOW Vii
located a couple of more III,
trings Of flat cars and hitched them fee
o his train. coo
The start was finally made The train fin
"a . oouple-heaoer on ooWnhiu far