Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1941-01-25
Gullorus More Conspicuous Than Schools
During EARLY Days in the Treasure State

In the early sixties RaTlowa
frames on which the VikfIMntes
hanged road agents were more
conspicuous than either school
houses or churches. According 20
history, there were 20 dance halls
and saloons to one educational
institution. Yet the first thought
Of the pioneer was, ave must edu-
! cate our young" B1rs. s. w. Park
! tnee Lucia Darling) Of Warren,
o., writing to the Montana his
torfcal society, told how the first
schools were established In Mon
tana as follows:
/ A journey to the headwaters OF the
Missouri river across the plains and
over the mountains years ago was
one Of strange variety and much ad-
venture and interest. From Cleveland,
Detroit and Chicago to Quincy and
st. Joseph, then the western limit Of
railroad travel, many objects Of Curl
ostty were presented to the residents
OF the west, as Ohio was then called.
From ST. Joseph to Omaha, the
great muddy river, sweeping down the
valley from remote springs, made an
indelible impress upon ones memory.
Omaha itself was an isolated frontier
town. built largely Of logs with few
houses more than one story IN height,
but the great territorial capitol on the
bluff looked down upon the little ham
let. keeping watch and ward over its
citizens Five miles out of Omaha was
the open, undulating prairie. vacant,
except as an occasional log house,
usually deserted, demonstrated that
the occupant had been lured yet far
Their west. Fremont and Columbus
were two settlements containing per-
haps a dozen houses, implanted and
mencloSed, and the great valley Of
the Platte stretched thence westerly
for 800 or 700 miles, unoccupied, save
as Fort Kearney and Fort Laramie
interrupted the solitude. An Indian
war interested us along Loup fork
between the Pawnees and the Oga-
lallah Sioux, in which a few whites,
loving adventure, were taking a hand |
The Platte valley seemed q useless
waste, incapable Of growing anything |
more than coarse grasses, sage, sun
flowers and smaller blossoms. Day by |
day the slow moving trains we're lift |
ed higher and higher toward the
mountains until Laramie peak and |
Fremont's peak came into our view.
Rock, SCOTS Bluffs, Church I
butte and Independence Rock were
great curtosities TO the pilgrims, ex-
citing an absorbing interest, and we
lid not know we were in the South
pass until comparing q woodcut IN
'Fremont's Expedition" with our sur
we recognized that we we're
N the roof Of the continent. Thence
over the Lander road and through
/ confused mass Of mountains to the
Great Snake river plains and thence
ID Snake river to the headwaters OF
he Missouri gave the pilgrim sur
cit Of travel and made him sigh
or rest
Arrival at Bannack
rom Ohio, I think Of nothing that
Interested us more than our arrival
t Bannack-the growth OF a day,
whose existence and fame went hand
q hand and spread over the entire ,
ointment in single season. After
hree months and half Of slow
raveling over plains and mountains,
through valleys and across rivers, our t,
arty was looking forward to Ban
ack as place where we might rest, j
erhaps for the winter Starting from !
ept. II, 1858, we looked anxiously /
rom the top of each ascent hoping !
} see the longed-for city" But It !
Tas afternoon before we halted on )
alt Lake hill and looked down upon 4
ne little settlement on the banks Of
ne Grasshopper. The view was not 9
n inspiring one. There we're a few !
70 houses Of somewhat diminuitive i
re on Yankee flat, and across the K
eek upon a bar beside a road that I
ound along the valley, not far from
le bank of the streams, were log Z
ouses Of varying sizes and dimen- r
ons In the distance, the most con- 9
)icuous sight was the gallows, fifty r
'ected near the graveyard in Hang =
lan's gulch, Just beyond the town, 7
I'd on which we had been told Union r
en- were hanged. OF course this was 4
lily report, but it was during the z
lvil war and much bitter feeling ex-
ted among the people, many of whom "
Id fled TO the mountains to avoid ts
e troubles consequent thereon. q
sangup a Humbug' Il
As we stood on the hill overlooking Al
e valley of promise, small boy b.
the party exclaimed, Say, papa, z!
angllp (Bannack) is a humbug" b.
mere was no expressed dissent, but n
e great possibilities that existed In VI
'ch valley and the newness of the es
evailing industry made the place m
tractive, for we had been hearing In