The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1937-05-07
7(lEACHING school in the rural
regions of Montana during a Sc

T% EACHING school in the rural
regions of Montana during a Sc
we're winter is no snap even in
q .s aees, en o5e q buses aE sele 81 sessn snd
other modern improvements. In the
winter of 1878 it vas less SO. Travel
was by stage coach and stopping places
few and far between. 1t was in that
year that a Helena girl, Belle john
ston, who was teaching school in the
Chestnut valley, while trying to get
home to surprise her parents on New
which she was riding stalled at mid
night, with the driver missing, and she
the only passenger aboard.
Miss Johnston had been unable to
get home for Christmas, and decided
She would get there for New Years or
know the reason why. She was the only
passenger to board the Helena stage
at Fort Shaw at Z O'Clock in the eve
ming, on New Years eve.
The driver, Cal Adams, tried to dis
suade here from making the trip, which,
under the most favorable conditions
required from II to IA hours. Upon this
occasion it was showing and the tenn:
perature was 80 below zero. He told
her that four men at Fort Shaw who
had intended making the trip had
backed out because of the weather and
t4koV ~ LIZ "oA4AA4 v ! VA ONSAA
ling it if it wasn't for the mail he was
carrying which had to go through.
Miss Johnston. however, insisted up
on going. All of his arguments exhaust
ed, the driver arranged her as COM
fortably as possible inside the coach,
buttoned the curtains closely to keep
out the wind, mounted the box and
Fort Shaw to the old town of Chestnut
(now Cascade. After passing Eagle
Rock about 1890 the driver stopped
a short distance beyond, and told her
they were off the road. He had to get
off and hunt it on foot.
Lost Road in Storm
The girl climbed out of the stage and
the driver turned the horses tails to
the wind. Miss Johnston climbed to the
box in Adams place and held the lines
while he went off in the storm with a
bobbing lantern in his hand in an eff
fort to locate the trail. She watched the
light until it disappeared from view:
The horses were restless and she had
trouble holding them. A half hour
passed before she heard a whistle from
the driver. She answered with a shrlll
whoop that frightened the four horses
and they broke into a I'LL
The snow was so deep, however, that
they were unable to gallop more than
a few steps and she succeeded in bring
ing them to a halt.
Just as she succeeded in stopping
them. Adams appeared out of the dark
ness with the lantern and said he had
found the road. The girl was again
tucked away inside the coach under a
pile Of blankets, and Adams, remark
ing that they o would be at Dear
born crossing, resumed his trip.
Adams tramp through the snow in
search of the trail had we'll nigh ex-
hausted him and sitting on the box
in the wind afterwards he came near
freezing to death. The girl slept COM
fortably inside. unaware of the agony
Cal Adams was suffering on the drivers
seat.
Arriving at Dearborn Crossing, he
tumb!ed from the seat, but could not
gain his feet. He crawled to the stage
station. managed to open the door, and
crawled inside, only to fall unconscious
or the floor. Sitting in front of the
fireplace in the station were six wood
haulerS who had arrived only q short
time before and who were waiting fol
food to be prepared for them. They
had come from up the Dearborn river
and the cook was at work fixing then
q meal. "
They sprang to the aid of the driver
] whom they all knew, and in the con-
fusion which attended getting him int