Glacier County chief., 1939-10-06
Red Lodge Founded i'm 1888 AS Coal Camp Is
Now Keypoint to One of States Scenic Areas
BY EDWARD B. REYNOLDS

"ASu tAV NoltuClu dClllC
railway came into Montana in
1883 it needed coal to run its big
steam locomotives. As a result
Red Lodge came into being; coal
mining was added to Montanas
industries and Carbon county was
created and named for the black
fuel dug from the land in that
area. While the track LAYERS of
the Northern Pacific stretched mile
after mile of iron rails up the Vel
lowstone valley and across the Rocky
mountains, other men maintained a
continuous search for coal to drive the
pig locomotives up the granite sides
of Montana's great ranges. Bozeman
was the scene Of the first explorations
for coal. Here the quality of fuel was
good, but the veins proved to be little
more than pockets or broken seams.
The search continued vainly until
Of the claims of " Yankee Jim" This
early day Yellowstone county pros
pector was known then and to this
day by no other name than Yankee
Jim. When he succeeded in bringing
his mining claims to the attention OF
the railroad officials, Walter Cooper
of Bozeman and Sam Ward of Helena
took charge of the work of opening
up the seams. Henry Willard, president
of the Northern Pacific railroad, T. F.
Cakes and other Northern! Pacific di
rectors interested themselves in the
work, and with the construction of
the Northern Pacific branch line from
Laurel in 1888, the town of Red Lodge
sprang into existence.
Red Lodge was a boom town over
night and typical of Montana's from
tier days. Miners staggered through
the streets and squatters took up land
on the edges OF the town. Frock-
coated gamblers with SLOUGH hats sat
back of blackjack tables or dealt stud
and draw poker. Saloons sprang up
and all the indiscriminate floating
population who are first to the out
posts of civilization arrived on the
scene.
Rocky Fork Company
DR.. J. M. Fox, personal friend of
President Willard of the Northern Pa
cific railway, took charge of the mine
and the work made great strides of
organized under the title of the Rocky
Fork Coal Co.. and remained under
the direction of its first incorporators
until March, 1900. At that time the
controlling stock was sold to the
sibly the Northern Pacific. With the
reorganization there came a general
changing of officials and D. G. O'Shea
was installed as resident manager.
Rapid progress was made from the
date of Reorganization until in 1903
the mines were producing 1000 tons
Of coal per day and 1t was supplying
the Northern Pacific railroad with coal
as far west as Helena and as far east
as Mandan. Coal from the Red Lodge
mines also. was being marketed
throughout the state for domestic pur-
poses.
In 1908 Red Lodge had a population
of 5000 persons. Since that time the
town has held its own, with varying
fluctuations, so that today the popula-
its importance as a source Of coal
supply in 1908 the Northern Pacific
treated it purely as a coal camp"
and allowed it but one train pei day.
Today Red Lodge is a favorite stop
over for tourists and is an important
point on the beautiful Red Lodge
Cooke City highway.
The scenery in this section is rated
among the finest in the United States.
In places the highway is blasted out
of solid rock and the rugged Bear,
tooth mountains rear upward On all
sides. Crystal mountain streams pat
tern the landscape like lace and tumble
from lodges in spectacular falls. Lakes
nestle among pine forests like gems
in green settings.
Red Lodge is a thriving town with
many new buildings since the early
19O0s when the Greater Spofford'''
was one of Montana's finest hotels and
Hauser avenue was the fashionable
street of the Carbon county city.
Battle Over Townsite
During the late 1905 discord settled
in Red Lodge for period when the
camp" as it is still called BY old
timers, was first developed. The city
first sprang up towards the mountains
above Sixteenth street. These locations
were on squatters rights and, 1t was
claimed, no tangible conveyance to the
ground could have been given for many
years. It was tied up in litigation,
with the result that many of the Or
iginal stockholders in the mine organ.
lied the Red Lodge Townsite Co., and
bought land more contiguous to the
mine. The Spofford hotel was erected
in the new location and stood for long