Laurel outlook., 1950-02-01
K|hAN|ANS HEAR TALE
OF PIONEER CEMETERY

al q ACOlbCilI VI L ain WY. VIC
president of the Yellowstone bank
in Laurel and Columbus and form
er member of the legislature a
senator from Saltwater county
told an interesting story Wednes
Gay evening, at the Laurel Kiwan
is club meeting, of the early day
IN Yellowstone valley as he ha,
known them or had heard them de
scribed by original settlers pre-
ceding him a few years. He cam,
to Park City in 1899 and opened
a general mercantile store; early
that fall he and his brother. DR.
Ccrwin who was just engaging il
the general practice of medicine a.
Park City and was the only ply.
sician between Billings and Column
bus, paid their first visit to Laurel
After visiting one Of the doctors
patients en- route, they entered
Laurel from the southwest. Near
and a little east of the present
Lohof motel on Main street they
saw the railroad station, connected
to town by a sidewalk with ban
listers that spanned a ditch. June
Noyes was running a saloon about
where the Greening Chevrolet
garage is now located; someone
had a general store a little farther
east; at the southeast corner of
the block where Sherrow's service
station is now situated was the
Malcolm hotel which Mrs. Malcolm
operated. In the next block, be-
tween Second and First avenues,
there was another store and also
FL Lightfoot's saloon. A small
lumber yard was located back of
the present location of Hilgert's
barbershop at Main street and
avenue. A small hotel
operated by John Unger was on
the corner today occupied by the
Wold-owned Merchants apart
AS they left town, after visiting
l number of people to become ac-
Iuainted, they were ~traversing West
First street ear the present public
library and saw a hen trying to
ross the muddy street. AS the
sumbo had her nearly stymied,
they detoured around her in their
'orse-drawn rig.
Conditions of life and business
'emained without much change in
laurel and Park City until three
bings were initiated at about the
anne time: the start of the home
rush by hundreds from the
&st who sought free land, the
'uildlng of a sugar factory at
Filings, and the establishment of
freight terminal at Laurel by
he Northern Pacific. With the
criminal came shops, roundhouse,
abroad yards and other installa-
ions. The homesteaders brought
honey with them, the sugar fac
Dry opened a new era in local
griculture and allied stock rails
lg, and the railroad provided in
ustrial employment for hundreds D..
{ new citizens. The place in time
as 1906 and 1907.
1t was about then that o. M. .
Void, c. l.. Morris, C. w. Laird,
&. B. Sande the senior, DR.. Roscoe
and others came to
The town needed everything. 1t ,
as no longer possible to supply
Tough water by hauling it from
lie river in barrels, large water
nd sewer systems were neces- {
.ry. Although the sidewalks, |
ectricity. telephones, natural gas !
I'd other utilities that followed {
ere appreciated, the real ~satisfac- l
On for the first people arose =
ON deeds of accomplishment, the I
of a challenge and the '
of a battle.
"The younger generation never
.perienced the thrills of these i'm
ovements," the speaker remark
"They take them for granted.
'metimes l wonder if we too are :,
t taking things for granted that 9,
uld easily be lost-such as life, =,
'erty and pursuit of happiness, ~
things our forefathers fought u
d died for and handed down to g,
as a priceless heritage. When y,
. see bureaus in Washington -
,rease in number and size, de- -
more money and more -
ntrol over our everyday lives, ~
any OF US experience a feeling ~,
keen apprehension" ~
Continuing his story, Corwin ~
d that during the historic crash :"
about 80 years ago, Montana .
It nearly thr~ee-fourths of its a.
nks. Saltwater county once had ~
pow has me-. Laurel had three :.
d lost them all. The Yellow ~
ne bank opened in May 1926 af- ~
Laurel had been a year without ~
lal banking facilities. "
AS to the future of Laurel, the ~
eaker was optimistic as he men, -
ned it's natural advantages. "I
that we have every reason to