Rosebud County news. [volume], June 26, 1902, Image 1

About Rosebud County news. [volume] (Forsyth, Mont.) 1901-1906

Image provided by: Montana Historical Society; Helena, MT

                
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Eight Pages, A. 11 Home Print.
ROSEBUD COUNTY NEWS.
VOL 5.
FORSYTH, MONTANA, THURSDAY, JUNE 26, 1902.
NO. 12.
i EARLY HISTORY of TORSYTH1
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Written for the Mothers' Club by Mrs. T. Hammond. |
Editor's Note—Through the effort of the Mothers' club and the courtesy of
Mrs. T. E. Hammond, the Nfavs is enabled to present its readers this week
with "The Early History of Forsyth." The fact that this resume of the early
epoch in the annuls of the town is direct from the pen of one who has made
their home in this locality prior and since the advent of the railroad will cause
it to be read with profound interest not only by those who were instrumental
with the upbuilding of the town, but those of more recent habitat.
il
In the autumn of 1877 T. Alexander
located a ranch and built himself a
cabin about a half mile east of the
present location of the town.
Steambeats ran on the Yellowstone
river during high water periods and
delivered their freight at various
points. They loaded back with buf
falo hides, and the buffalo which
roamed the hills by thousands were
slaughtered for the hides and tongues.
Robe hides were worth $2.75, calf
hides $1.25, and leather hides $1.50.
The buffalo tongues were sold for
twenty-five cents each, and the old
hunters assert that there was no meat
its equal.
During low water the settlers de
pended upon freight teams for all their
supplies. The last steamboat to as
cend the river came up in 1884, and
the last one to descend was the "F. Y.
Batchelor" in the spring of that year.
Money was plentiful in those days,
and to eat and live one must use it.
Butter was seventy-five cents per
pound, eggs fifty cents per dozen, po
tatoes five cents per pound, bacon
thirty-five cents per pound and ice
two cents per pound.
On April 1st, 1882, the N. P. Ry.,
was completed to this point, and the
tent town of Forsyth was started. In
twenty-four hours 200 people had lo
cated in the town.
Charles Young opened the first store
a very portable concern which stood
near the present location of the N. P.
lunch counter. Dare Sweet conducted
the first hotel, made shanty style.
During the summer there were from
between 500 and 1,000 people in the
town all the time. There were five
restaurants and eight saloons in the
new metropolis. Charles Anderson
was proprietor of the first meat
market.
Mr. Alexander was somewhat of a
gardener, and it is said that at times
he realized $100 a day from his vege
tables. The first blacksmith was Mr.
Duffy, and his son, William, wa^ the
first child born in the city of Forsyth.
The first school here was taught by
Miss H. Kitchen, and there were seven
pupils. The school house was a frame
building, and was located back of
where the drug store now is.
In 1883 there were nine dwelling
houses, all located on Main street; on
the south side of the track were two
loer cabins ana one frame building.
One of the cabins was the home of a
shoemaker, who became tired of the
weary life-struggle and committed
suicide by hanging himself to the ridge
log of his shack. The ceiling was too
low for him to swing conveniently, so
he held^up his feet until life ended.
His remains were buried just outside
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of the present cemetery fence.
In 1882 Greenwood & Taylor entered
the mercantile business, and as there
was no bank the firm used an old
trunk for a safe. One day a man was
seen leaving the tent very hurriedly,
and upon investigation it was found
he had taken $800. The man was
caught, and by the evidence of a lady,
who is still a resident of the town, was
convicted and sent to the penitentiary.
As the story is remembered, he stole
the money, and it was re-stolen from
him.
At this time what was termed "roll
ing" a man was a common occurrence.
As a result a vigilance committee was
organized. The old tree, under which
they used to meet ■ as a court, still
stands in the residence portion of the
town. While the vigilantes never had
an execution, their rule had the desir
ed effect upon the rough class and tin
"rollers. "
In 1883 Alexander & Lyman starte,
in the mercantile business, but after
year they dissolved partnership .an
Mr. Lyman took charge of the fir.
cattle outfit in the country called tl
quarter-circle F. Later he either con
mitted suicide or was killed by ui
known parties.
The first religious services wei
conducted by a few wandering mi.
strels of different denominations, be
the date is not definitely known, hov\
ever it is thought near 1882. Durin
the pastorate of Rev. Lowry the fir?
effort was made toward building
church. In April, 1889, the Ladie.»
Aid society held a fair and raised $12
and a subscription paper was circu
lated also which obtained $600 more
Rev. Lowery secured lots from tht
railroad company and located th
building on its present beautiful site.
The Sunday school was organized tht
same year and a grant of books wa>
obtained from the Sunday school union
of the Methodist church. The build
ing was completed in the summer ol
1890 and dedicated by Dr. E. P.
Tower. Wtn. Coss was the contractor
and builder.
The Merchants' bank was organized
in 1892. In September, 1894, Allen &
Tyrell first issued the Forsyth Times.
Governor J. K. Toole has addressed
a letter to every governor in the United
States, both of states and territories,
supplemental to the letters sent a few
days ago urging the appointment of
delegates to the International Milling
congress which meets in Butte next
September. The governor in his second
letter calls attention to the good that
might result to the St. Louis fair from
a conference of the governors and lieu
tenant governors during the congress.
Another merger.
Ira Cole, who left here last week
with the avowed purpose of joining the
Benedicts, carried out the threat he
has been making to his friends here for
some time that he was going to aban
don this cussed singleness. He was
married yesterday to the lady of his
choice, Miss Inez Young, at Fort Mor
gan, Colo. They will spend several
days with friends and relatives in Col
orado and Nebraska, after which they
will visit Butte, Anaconda, Helena and
other western Montana points.
Mr. Cole is one of the bright young
newspaper men of the state, having
been associated with the Glendive Re
view prior to coming here over a year
ago, during which time he has been
editor of the Forsyth Times.
The br ide is one of Colorado's fairest
daughters and for a number of years
has been engaged as a school teacher
in Nebraska.
Mr. and Mrs. Cole will be at home
to their friends on the south side,
where Mr. Cole has procured a house
which he comfortably arranged prior
to his leaving.
The young couple start out in life
with the brightest of prospects and
amid the congratulations of their
friends, and have launched their bark
upon matrimonial seas which the
News sincerely hopes may never be
troubled. Forsj'th is going to celebrate
the Fourth.
The secretary of the interior has di
rected F. H. Newell, chief hydrogra
liher of the United States geological
survey, to at once make a preliminary
examination and report on the reser
oir sites of the west that are feasible
>r the application of the new irriga
ion law. In accordance with the or
ier chief Newell will in a short time
•roceed to examine sites in Montana,
Colorado and Wyoming. The examin
itions in Montana wil.'f be devoted
nainly to the St. Mary's canal project
md in this work Mr. Newell will be
issisted by Hydrographer C. C. Babb.
Vn examination of the lands recently
.vithdrawn by the secretary of the in
erior will be made, and lands that
;annot be reclaimed by irrigation will
>e restored to the public domain. It is
believed that should the examination
show that a large area can be reclaim
ed, this project will be one of the first
to be authorized under the new law.
Examinations are also to be made ol
lands that may be reclaimed by a di
version of the waters of the Yellow
stone.
Attractive Women.
All women sensibly desire to be at
tractive. Beauty is the stamp of health
because it is the outward manifesta
tion of inner beauty. A healthy wo
man is always attractive, bright and
happy. When every drop of blood in
the veins is pure a beauteous flush is
on the cheek. But when the blood is
impure, morosness, bad temper and a
sallow complexion tells the tale of
sickness, all to plainly. And women
today know there is no beauty without
health. Wine of Cardui crowns women
with beauty and attractiveness by
making strong and healthy those or
gans which make her a woman. Try
Wine.of Cardui, and in a month your
friends will hardi' know you.
r
rÖP THE CELEBPATION
il
I Forsvth to Have Most Glorious Fourth in its History. 1
The Fourth of July celebration com
mittee has about completed their pro
gram of events, and arrangements for
the biggest celebration of the anniver
sary that Forsyth or eastern Montana
has ever seen are in forward state of
preparation. The day's celebration,
it is expected, will bring a great crowd
to the city, and the committee is ready
to guarantee that none of the visitors
bewill disappointed. There remain some
details, and new features yet to ar
range for, but the following program
of events is pretty near official and
give some notion of the entertainment
prepared for the visitors:
Salute of 47 guns at sunrise.
After everyone in Forsyth and the
surrounding country has been aroused
by the cannonading, secured breakfast
and arrived upon the scene of the con
templated festivités, a concert will be
given by the Forsyth Cornet band in
the band stand which will be con
structed.
The remainder of the program as
has been arranged by those having
charge of this department is as follows:
Chorus, "America."
Prayer, Rev. Danner.
Chorus, "Star Spangled Banner."
Reading of the Declaration of Inde
pendence, H. R. Marcyes.
Chorus, "Red, White and Blue."
Oration, F. L. Gibson.
Patriotic Airs, Forsyth Cornet Band.
Those who will assist in singing the
national airs are: Miss Florence
Waddingham, Mrs. James Eckles,
Mrs. J. E. Choisser, Mrs. A. C. Wil
son, Mrs. Bert Coleman, Mrs. A C.
Hiatt, Miss Evthl Waddingham, II. It.
Marcyes, B. S. Crawshaw, '1'. J.
Thompson, E. M. Huff, A. C. Wilson,
Tom Butler, Claude O. Marcyes, A1
Tarmchil and Bert Coleman.
Following are the field sports which
will take place after th above exercises.
Liberal purses have been arranged for
this feature and no one is barred:
1— 50 yard dash for men, two purses.»
2— 100 yard dash for men, two purses.
3— 100 yard dash for Indians, two
purses.
4— 50 yard dash for fat men, two
purses.
5— 50 yard three-legged race for men
two purses.
6— 50 yard sack race for men two
purses.
7— 50 yard dash for boys 10 to 13,
years, two purses.
8 100 yard dash for boys 13 to 16,
two purses.
9 Throwing the hammer,two purses.
10— Standing jump, two purses.
11— Running jump, two purses.
12 200 yard bicycle race, two purses.
After dinner a base ball game will
take place between the Forsyth team
and some visiting club.
Good moneys have been appropriated
for the following races which will be
pulled off after the ball game.
1—600 yard dash, four to enter, three
purses.
2 300 yard dash, four to enter, three
purses.
3 —600 yard Indian pony race.
4—300 yard Indian pony race.
A band of 150 Crow Indians will be
present to participate in the events of
the day, and in the evening between 7
and 8:30 they will give one of their old
time povv-vvows.
In the evening another band concert
will be given and the finest display of
fire works ever seen in eastern Mont
ana will be set off as soon as it is
dark enough to produce a good effect.
The day will conclude with a grand
ball to be given in Alexander's hall
under the auspices of the Forsyth Cor
net band.
According to reports received by Dr.
A. F. Longeway, secretary of the state
board of health, there is very little
smallpox in the state at present. Less
than a dozen cases have been reported
in the current month, and at no place
is the disease epidemic. The places
from which the disease has been re
cently reported are Butte, Red Lodge,
Missoula, Great Falls, Lewistown and
Havre, each reporting an occasional
case, and it is believed that the dis
ease, from which the state has not
been free for three years, will have
soon been stamped out entirely. Sev
eral of the cases recently reported
were from isolated places, and in no
instance has it been possible to trace
the source of infection, hence it is evi
dent that there is no longer a centre of
infection from which cases may be ex
pected. Therefore Forsyth will cele
brate the Fourth.
According to Karl Simmons, sales
agent of the Northern Pacific land de
partment, the cool weather in June,
unusual as it is, has been a blessing
to the stock interests. "The stock in
terests were never in better condition, "
said he, "and the cool weather has
been a good thing. We had plenty of
early rain, which gave the grass a
good start,and there has beer, no hot
weather since to dry up tae moisture.
The result is that the grass has grown
well and there is plenty to carry the
cattle through the season. They are
so fat and well fed that they are simply
lying around looking at the grass and
wishing they could eat more. Men tell
me that in many places where grass
has been scarce in former years, the}'
can now go out and cut hay. There is
only one stretch of country which dried
up for want of rain. This is north
and south of Big Timber up the Sweet
Grass and Boulder rivers and in Car
bon county. Even there the country is
not in as bad a shape as it would or
dinarily be in a dry season, and this
is due to the cool weather." But For
syth will celebrate.
For biliousness use Chamberlain's
Stomach and Liver Tablets. They
cleanse the stomach and regulate the
liver and bowels, effecting a quick and
permanent cure. For sale by the For
syth Drug Co.