Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1942-01-17

] A. TIC hAONACA8C bAAHA AZ uASlAh "
worse" Is any comfort anyone inclined
TO grippe over the present cost Of Hv-
ing, might. with profit, bark back to
an earlier day in Montana history
In the early spring Of 1865 the people
Of southwestern Montana experienced
one of the most intensely trying times
since Abraham Lincoln signed the
I organic act which created the terri
/ tory Of Montana It was the beef
! straight" period, so-called because Of
| the fact that a large portion of the
/ population we're reduced to the use Of
! beef as their sole means OF sustenance.
It began early In April and lasted
until late in May when the delayed
wagon trains which had been showed
In in the Snake river valley during
the winter, succeeded in crossing the
range and began rolling into Virginia
City with their welcome freight.
In their eagerness crowds lined the
highways awaiting the coming Of the
trains as soon as it was learned that
the snow blockade on the Pleasant
valley divide had been broken. Work
had been almost entirely suspended
and the road from Virginia City down
the glllch was lined with men. women
and children, some Of them laughing
and crying In turns in anticipation Of
the first square meal TO be their lot
In a period of several weeks. Not a
few hitched up light rigs and went
out TO meet the trains so as TO get
a small supply Of flour in advance Of
the arrival of the wagons IN the town.
The first big outfit to arrive In the
gulch was the OK train Of Bishop John
Sharp of Salt Lake City, which had
left Pennington, Utah, April 8. Il con-
sisted Of q wagons and arrived at
Nevada May %. and was unloaded
there. 1t was followed the next day
by one of Howard g. Ldvingston's
trains, which had been snowbound on
the Snake river since october OF 1854,
and a mule train of w. s. Godbe &
Co., of Salt Lake City, which had made
the trip In a little over three weeks.
A second Of Howard g. Lvingston's
trains which had been blockaded all
winter by the snow. arrived May "a,
and other outfits laden with proven
der and supplies followed in rapid
succession.
Then the men Of Montana, with
their wives and little ones, began to
eat. drink and be merry again, only
remembering the starvation episode as
a nightmare soon to be forgotten IN
the plentitude OF good things which
they were able to again obtain and
enjoy.
Hoarding was General
Although it was past the middle Of
April when flour reached the market
price Of s45 per sack, some Of the far
sighted ones began TO see the signs
Of impending famine many weeks be-
fore that date, and several Of the
shrewdest took steps accordingly. Be-
fore the end Of March, measures were
taken to secure control Of all the
flour that could be gotten hold Of.
The manipulators Of the corner laid
their plans with shrewdness. It was
a well known fact that there was an
abundance Of flour lying snowbound
In Beaver canyon and on the Snake
river bottoms.
Most of the flour was but little
more than hundred miles away. But,
between it and the easily Travelled
mountain roads Of the Sinking Water
valley divide-the only avenue OF in
gress to the territory-and these were
covered with snow to a depth Of Is
to 40 feet. It was only at an enormous
expense that the Overland Stage Co.
was able to keep open connections
between the north and south sides OF
the divide No freight could possibly
cross the divide before the middle OF
May, If that soon.
The manipulators took advantage
Of the situation and went to work as
quietly as possible, purchasing all the
flour in sight that they could secure,
with the result that from a market
quotation of from S14 to $18 per sack
at the close OF March, the price rose
steadily until it reached s45 on April
10, when flour ceased to be quotable
article ON the market, and the price
was regulated only by the elasticity Of
conscience. AS might be expected,
prices, IN some instances, reached
fabulous figures, going as high as $40
sack and many man made
stake" through his being possessed
Of a few sacks Of the product.
When matters had reached this
stage, popular feeling began TO be
aroused on the subject, and with q
promptness characteristic Of all new
mining communities, the people be-
stirred themselves to find remedy
for the threatening danger. AS 1t had
been with the vigilance committee a
few months previous, so it was with
the flour committee on the evening
Of April II, 1855. A meeting Of citizens
was called at Nevada, to which Viz
ginia City residents were invited, and
subsequently adjourned TO the latter
place. Few speeches were made, but
those few were tense and to the point.
The story Of how the price Of flour
had trebled in two weeks was recited;
the jump from $45 to $40 in a single
day was briefly but forcibly dilated
upon; a committee on resolutions was
appointed with instructions to report |
Immediately. In is minutes thereafter |