The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1937-09-03

and a team from Curtis for IS a day
and started in business for himself.
Butte at that time had a population of
1000.
In 1882 came the Couer d'Alene's
gold rush and fully 500 of Butte's pop
ulation Joined it. The people who left
R Rhat fGF the 5a ddah0 c gHila 'a :ths T Sssf
people," at least, he said, they were
the kind of people who rode in hacks,
and a. a result the hack business was
getting slow.
1t was in February, 1882, that Jack
was driving his hack up Main street
in Butte, when the stage came down
the hill, and on top of it was Jerry
Cumbro, one of his friends.
Come on, Jack. let's 90 to Couer
dAlene," he shouted.
I'll go with you," replied Jack. He
climbed down from the box, tied his
team to a hitching post in front of the
old Arcade saloon and left it there for
Johnny Curtis to find, hoped on the
stage and wa off for Idaho.
At Garrison they encountered $50
stampeders from Deadwood bound for
the Couer d'Alenes. Jack knew most
Of them. They were headed by Jack
McAleer. They all took the train to
Trout creek, the closest point to the
Couer d'Alenes. They jumped off and
went into the snow up to their necks.
They climbed back on and went to
Thompson Falls. Jack said it showed
three feet there that night.
Al Dell, Jim Carlton and Jack out
fitted with %toboggans, so pounds of
grub each, consisting of ham, beans,
coffee and sugar, and blankets, and
hit the trail. It was 20 miles to Noun
tain House and they made it the first
day, pulling their toboggans. The snow
was five feet deep.
Sleep Standing Up
At Mountain House, a nights lodging
cost ST, with boughs for beds and four
men in a bunk. Jack said there were
from so to 100 men sleeping outside and
that around a big fire a lot of toboggan
pullers, men who pulled loads up the
hill to the Mountain House for trav-
elers for IS cents a hundred. were sleep
ing standing up with their backs to the
flames.
Apparently no n else ever discov-
cred that the men standing around
that fire at Mountain House that night
were asleep, but that was Jacks story
and he stuck to it.
Snow on the trail that led across the
range from Mountain House to Eagle
City, was from Is to 20 feet deep. Every
four or five miles was a station where
coffee was sold for rs cents for a tin
cup full. Beans we're ST a plate.
Eagle City was on Pritchard creek,
20 miles beyond Mountain House. and
it took a day and a half to make the
trip. Arrived in Eagle City, Jack slept
the first night in a big tent saloon that
was run by Dune Cannon and Jim
Mobiles. In the morning Cannon invited
Jack to have breakfast with him. There
was a tunnel under the snow from the
saloon to a restaurant across the street.
Each nan ate a trout, two fried eggs,
a plate of beans. drank two cups of
coffee and the bill was $3.50. The same
man who ran the restaurant ran a
lodging house also, but the lodging
business was overdone and Jack slept
there several nights when he wa the
only ledger. The price was 81 and
furnish your own blankets, 50 if the
house furnished the bedding.
Jack stayed in Eagle City for six
months, and got down to SO. He bet
his SO against a horse in a poker game,
won the horse and with It opened q
pack line between Eagle City and
Murray, a distance Of four miles. He
charged z cents a pound and loaded
from 100 to $50 pounds. He oon had
10 animals at work and packed until
the snow went off.