Glacier County chief., 1939-06-16
Al Wilkins Recalls Adventures of Pioneer Daus
Working Alongside Daue Brown and Jack Harris
BY AL II. WILKINS

ii re1lect over the past ana the
enterprising trailblazers Of
Montana whom I knew in my boy
hood days. Many of them are
worthy of mention. The late Dave
G. Brown came to Montana about
1873. At that time my father was
keeping a stage station at the
eight-mile springs on the Benton
and Helena road. This was an old
camping place for freighters and
there was where I first met Brown.
He was a young man then, perhaps
81. He was driving a fine six-mule
Dave, as he was best known, drifted
in from some western point and fol-
lowed freighting the first year he was
In Montana. The next year he accept
ed a position as bookkeeper for the
Wetzel g. Weatherwax store at Fort
Benton. 1t was here where his master
mind began to show up.
Dave proved to be a young man of
more than ordinary ability. He was
always on the alert for government
contracts and was very successful in
handling them. This made him very
popular with the officers of the differ
ent government posts in Montana.
was often in with him on hay and
wood contracts for the different forts.
In 1883 Brown won the Fort ASSN
niboine contract for 1900 tons of hay
for the government. At that time the
Big Sandy creek bottom for about six
miles long and three miles wide was
in the west. Father and I subbed the
contract from Brown. We cut and
punched the hay in the field and with
several nine-yoke bull teams and four
1O-mule teams belonging to the late
Thomas Coatsworth hauled the hay
to the fort, distance OF about 3o
miles.
While engaged on this large contract
we came near having our horses
stolen and driven into the Canadian
territory Only by the swift work OF
United States Marshal John x. Biedler
were we saved from being set afoot
We hired a half breed that. we mad
known for some time to night-herd
our stock. His name was Billy Brown.
It seemed that Billy had been impli-
Gated with another half breed stealing
horses in the Judith basin. Biedler
caught the other breed with stolen
horses and found out from him Wnere
Billy Brown was and what his inten-
lions were Brown didn't put up any
objections when arrested. He evidently
thought it would be better TO go 10
the pen for a few years than to later
stretch hemp as many other morse
thieves had done 49,, 49,.
Ter store at Fort Assinniboine, and
they also wanted hay but Brown would
not contract any more till the. govern
ment contract was filled. We had fine
weather and a splendid hay crop that
year. With a good crew OF men we
made fine progress: WheT we naa gu
Contract about half filled, BroadWater
came ont to our camp and asked me
if I would agree to put up 500 tons
of hay for him.
Takes Another Contract
This I would not agree 10 40, pue
did agree to put up as nearly what ne
wanted as I could after l mad my
contract filled-and at the same Price
that the government was paying. ms
vas agreed on and as he drove away
he hojlered back. Five hundred tons,
kid We got along nicely, fllled our
government contract, and also the 5oo
tons of hay for the Sutler store. Ihere
we're still about 40 tons CT hay Gown
in the field which Tom CoatsWortn
tnok over and loaded his teams for
home. ,o-,, Nes+1ing
IN the foothills of the Bears Paw
mountains, it had only one draWpack.
1t contained nearly as many rattle
snakes as blades OF grass. doWeve4'
strover of snakes and we got by with
IittIe damage from them. These rep
Tics would often crawl into the bunch
es of hay at night to be dug OUT py
the hay pitchers next morning ana
many times they were thrown up III
the fork of hay to the NE, ma man ca tU
DELAY for while the snakes rafting
could be heard on the wagon the men
Here on the ground waiting for the
Families to come out through the DOT
tom of the load where they were dis
posed of by the pitchfork meLhoa: j.,
we had about 20 men Worknlg ~
the havfields and we lived on the 1at
Of the land. Wild game was plentl1ul.
Each Sunday some of the boys VINO
liked to hunt brought in new supply
Of Wild meat. Sometimes buffalo ana
antelope were killed IN the m. mea .V
While deer we're plentiful in the foot-
SiIIs and the Big Sandy creek was
atttt with ducks. fish and frogs. TINS
eli meant high living for us. we had
az old Steamboat cook which added
some class to our bill of fare.
Dave Brown had tent a! our CAN'T! .iI1
where he put IN IP; aii[td q dn ms d st Dave
G Grove into camp from the post, ar,
,.;,si,,g inst at dinner time: He ASKED
CHARLEY Staten. the cook what ne mad
GOOD for dinner. , ,;.t,,,o,
Charley pointed 10 a ia[ ~ st uI
qi Brown own shouted, Grand! My boyhood
feed" ,,;rre,s
close and we all took it for dg; Tanttga
III the pan was licked clean. Then the
COOK II5t "a asked us how we liked frog legs:
e at first irSS there was sort of a sickly
Expression came over t the m os Of ffoa US
a a Brown remarked, We'll, the
fTags are down down and they are too good
rolled in flour and fried iii IN Of pa fa9e
eor Sunday dinners. Our men were a
fine i lot Of young fellows. full OF life
they usually had aod foT ps31,Tsa va a1
E,,r tents we're arranged in avenue
fash,on about 40 feet apart and this