Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1940-01-20

but temporarily we're constructed oil
wood. With the passing of the years
the smaller treStles have been replaced
by gravel fills, the larger by stee.
bridges. AS foreseen by Genera
Stevens. the most formidable railroad
undertaking in this vicinity was the
building of Marent trestle.
Building the TrestIe
Obviously 1t must needs be sufficient
ly substantial to sustain the weight
of the heaviest passenger or freight
train rolling over 1t at any rate OF
speed. portable SaWmill was placed
in operation by Eddy Hammond &
Co. (forerunners Of the present Mis-
soula Mercantile Coz under the man
agement of William Hamm, and with
1t the pines of the nearby canyons
were converted into bridge timbers of
the required dimensions.
Coincidental with the beginning of
construction from FTenchtoWn or vi
cinity appeared Joseph Marent. who
opened a boarding house and saloon
principally saloon), at the mouth of
the gulch. Based upon no particular
logic, the fateS decreed that thence
forth the canyon and treStle should
bear his name.
During the actual building OF the
treStle, A. P. Mitchell was the super
vising engineer, while Samuel Wallace
was the foreman in charge of con-
struction. OF the few persons remain
ing around about who assisted IN the
building, the most prominent are Ken
meth Ross, superintendent Of the Ana
conda Copper Mining Co.'S numbering
business at Bonner, and Clarence r.
Prescott, old-time city marshal, sheriff,
member of the legislature and more
recently county commissioner. The con-
Struction time was about eight months
OF the Howe truss type, when COM
pleted the bridge was 688 feet in
length, supported by eight towers, each
80 feet in width, which rested upon
sills of heavy timbers in place upon
the solid earth. The present steel
towers are supported by rock and ce-
ment foundations sunk II feet below
the surface. Observations of the aver
age daily mileage being covered by the
track laying crew indicated some days
beforehand Just the day the rails would
reach the bridge and a very consider
able number of the townSpeople ar
ranged to make holiday of the oc-
caSion, the date Of which was Friday,
June IS, 1888.
Seemed Like a Picnic
In a file OF the weekly Muscular
of Friday, June % of that year may
40NAA0 bAAC &OAAOWA46s
1T seemed like a picnic at Marent
gulch Friday, when the large Baldwin
locomotive made the initial trip across
the big trestle. People from Missoula,
Fort MiSSoula and elsewhere were on
hand to witness the first crossing, and
a happy go-lucaSy feeling appeared to
exist among them all. After dinner
Dr. lunch, some having made a basket
picnic affair of 1.-THE participants
climbed the declevity, some walked
across the trestle and experienced more |
" less dizziness, and others went up
he road and met the tracklayers and !
,thers roamed the adjacent hillsides, |
gathering wild strawberries and flow |
rs. AT 20 minutes past o'clock, the |
,ngtne moved onto the center of the |
,ridge, stood still, and then went back. I
Ten minutes more elapsed and the big |
lorse again came into view, her tender |
rowded with men and boys, waving
heir hats and cheering, and the en-
husiastic moment was an exciting one.
This time the engine made a round
rip across. The grand structure stood
he trial nobly. Each stick of timber
ettled firmly into its place, and all
he gentlemen who had a hand in its
obstruction were well satisfied, justly
roud and consequently happy"