Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1937-12-04
Vests First Labor Trouble Bulltuhacker Walkout

1AAA A-AAkuk Dc EEkkuG4 e4G
n first labor trouble In the
N< Rocky mountain region Oc-
CURED IN the early summer
Of 1855, when nine bull
whackers quit their tahs with O wagon
train that was crossing the plains at
. point eight or nine miles above old
Fort Laramie In what h now Wyoming
One Of the nine was the late Judge
Frank n. Woody Of Hziss0uza, one Of
the earliest Of MOntana's pioneers. He
arrived In Montana In the fail Of 1856
and made mis- home here continuously
thereafter until the time OF his death.
The nine builwhackers didn't strike,
they walked out one evening after a
drunken wagon boss had pulled a gun
on one Of their number to climax a
series OF abuses and unsatisfactory con-
ditions which had prevailed from the
time the wagon train left Leavenworth,
Kan, for Salt Lake City.
Woody, a native Of North Carolina,
had joined the Kansas rush and ar
rived at Leavenworth, then known as |
LeavenWorth City, In the spring of 1855, |
with $35 in his pocket. The town was
a village of seven or eight buildings /
boards. He went hunting for work, and
was told that the army wanted team
sterS. In his "reminiscences, written for
the Montana Historical library, Judge
Woody says that he went to the army
corral several miles out Of town, but
when he saw the men there harness.
ing and breaking big, wild mules in
their teams, he decided he would look |
for something which he considered
more suitable to his talents. He had
been a school teacher in North '
Carolina {
He eventually hired out to a man
named John Waddell, who had contract
to haul freight from the Missouri river t
to Salt Lake City for the firm of Liv a
store there Woody and his companions +
In Waddell's employ were TO receive Y
sos a month and board. Their first il
work was herding the cattle that Wad- a
dell was buying to pull his freight t.
wagons across the plains. Most OF them
were wild cattle and had to be branded o
and broken TO the yoke. Also, most OF n
the teamsters we're green hands at the Il
business. Il
When the orders came to the team
sters to select the cattle for their s
,eams, the few experienced men took m
all of the gentle bulls and left the p
Wild, unbroken animals for the mex u
oerienced teamsters. When the wagon n
master saw what was going on he in 81
,erfered and divided up the cattle so "
hat no team was composed entirely u
/
cam had its share Of the trained an "
mails The train consisted of As wagons ell
With from two to six yoke Of bulls pull u
ne each wagon. The start was made II
m June 5, but the first day the train
made only three miles. Apparently 81
most Of the time was spent in untang-
ing bulls, wagons and teamsters. pi
Bull Team Ran Away o.
Going down one long incline, for In ~ ~
lance, Woody's wheelers wouldn't hold - -.
ne wagon back When he locked the ~
heels to keep it fom cumming down n nr
n them, they wouldn't pull 1t. He ~ ~
Owed the problem by getting on the NJ
vagon and taking the lock off, where " ~
pom the wagon ran down on his bulls ~ ~
nd the bulls ran away, tore down 10 ~ ~
DDS Of government fence and got into ~
mess from which the wagon master g,o =.
ad to come and pull him out. Most Of S p,
he other green teamsters were having ~
imilar experiences and 1t took several ~
avs for the wagon train to get organ % .
ed and going good. VI
Dan Patterson, a Cherokee Indian
alf breed, was head wagon master. He SE
ad been promised bonus by Waddeu La
get his train through ahead Of other ms
aims hauling goods for competing Clo
rms, and drove his men and animals va
.rly and late. They would start early mn
Tie ulOI4ullBy LI6NC1 uI1tl Al UElOSks -,
I'm the bulls out to Craze until 2, goi
len hitch up again ana travel until cat
Irk. Both men and animals we're worn Bu
It. Among the teamsters were q num- pa
r who were members of the Mormon ant
urch and these men Patterson and out
s first assistant abused fearfully, even dr1
ating some Of the them with wagon mil
VS.. Is
me revolt of Woody and his COM I
mons occurred one evening after Ser
tterson got drunk and pulled gun wal
a young doctor named Bates, who pun
s acting as commissary for the train. OF
IS rations had Just been issued that was
.ernoon. The nine rebels took their TWO
SIS kits and all the rations they could tra'
ny, each man being loaded with eros
,ut $50 pounds, including blankets. nov
ey climbed nearby bluff 200 or 800 vail
{ high, posted guard, unroIled their thai
nkets and went to sleep. and
When their absence was discovered Aftt
the morning, Patterson sent two or a Il
zee Mexicans to tell them to come Neu
* They not only refused to rejoin on