Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1940-01-13
Discarded Newspaper Led
Avon Old inner Westward
Pierce KOOken Picked Up abandoned Copy
of Helena Record in Columbus Rail Depot


paper that somebody had left on the
seat. It was the Montana Record
printed in Helena. It wasn't much Of
a paper, but it devoted most of it's
space to describing the country its
beautiful valleys, glittering snowcapped
peaks, its gold and silver mines That
got me thinking I'd always wanted
to see the west, but never thought of
Montana--it was Texas where l want
ed to go.
I read the paper again Why not
go? had plenty of money and most
of my clothes and personal property
along. I could stay while and then
go on to Portland and drift back home
around through California and the
southwest.
Il walked over to the ticket window
and found out that 1 would have to
go TO Ogden, Utah, and take the stage
from there to Helena. I was a young
Teller then and what was job to me?
1 telegraphed my employers to get an
other man. was heading west; then
took the first train to Chicago, from
where I was to take the Union Pacific
to Ogden.
when 1 arrived in Ogden, learned
they had just completed the Oregon
Short Line to Butte. That was the old
narrow gauge and could get TO within
q Al44S1 VI AACANAAd Wy AAAAs Al
1 still wanted to go there. Well, I
had come this far so it was whole hog
or none. bought my ticket right away,
which as / remember, cost around $25.
The first pullman left In the after
noon, but was so crowded that I had
to wait for the next train which left
late that evening. met coffee drum
mer from San Francisco who was also
on his way to Butte. About IL O'Clock
u hnorrlad tho train of Ocrr7nF af1d
he was my travelling companion all
the way.
Pullman cars were quite different
those days than now, and none too
That was before the day
of the upper and lower berthS, all
the single berths being on one side and
the double ON the other There we're
curtains around each berth which were
tied to the ceiling during the day and
coud be let down for the night; but
as there we're only men in the car, /
we never let them down.
About 9 or 10 o'clock the next /
the train stopped at an eat !
ing house somewhere on the border /
Of Utah and Idaho. The old kinky-
haired negro proprietor stood in the /
doorway of his cabin and watched us
pile off the train. After counting us
ne said In a kind of a mournfm voice,
I'll Lawful L Cdll leu YOU oil. 44AClA
he argument started.
The conductor talked to MIN but
he didn't seem to hear as he stood
here with his arms folded across his
hest looking out across the SagebrtlSh
lats. Finally he agreed to get us some
hing and we went into his eating
louSe, which was nothing but cabin
md not very good cabin at that.
For a table, stakes had been driven
- h. 4 sva nj
'oards nailed to them. AS there were
10 chairs, we ate standing up.
Breakfast consisted of cup Of cof-
ee, an egg, a minute strip of bacon
nd a petrified biscuit. The price was
i. The coffee was SO strong that the
most Of us couldn't drink 1t. As for
ny biscuit, it probably went back In s
be barrel to await the next victim. {
When paid him I asked how much S
entS dozen, so I asked why IN the :
lazes he didn't keep enough on hand
} a man could at least fill up on
hem. He Just mumbled something that +
light have been intended for reply. y
THAT wasn't much of a breakfast
ut 1t was all that there was TO be
ad so we got back on the train. About t
he only buildings that we saw were a
ecaSional section houses, and the train q
semed to barely crawl along. guess |
didn't travel very fast compared to t
lodern trains. Where the city OF t
ocatello now stands was just bunch Q
extra high sagebrush, populated by d
of jack rabbits Sagebrush
nd jack rabbits-that's all the scenery o
lere was, and began to wonder If S
hadn't been expecting a little too U
UGH of this wonderful west. 9
THE conductor telegraphed ahead to T.
ave dinner ready at some ranch a
Ouse at o'clock sharp, but schedules {
dn't mean much in those days, and "
was after when we finally arrived. Il
seemed that the whole neighbOrhood "
Id turned out to feed us and that Il
'ery chicken in the country had found "
5 way into their ovens and now lay II
aiting for us In q bath Of rich gravy. n
OF biscuits, mashed potatoes and as 81
n
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