Steel Rails - Part 5

(Cont. from last week)

Originally published in the Hysham Echo on Dec. 23, 1926 (By Dan R. Conway)

Building the Road

In 1878 and 1879 the road was pushed up from Ogden along the base of the Wasatch range, until Bear River was reached. Then, climbing the Hampton Hill, it descended into the garden spot of Utah, the Cache valley. Passing the southern boundary of Idaho at Franklin, the “steel rails” wended their way over table lands and through valleys, through Portneuf Canyon, past Pocatello, and from the Snake River valley, out over the lava plains for many miles on to the Montana-Idaho line on the summit of the divide.

Montana’s First “Steel Rails”

On the morning of March 9, 1880, a special train of three cars, loaded with visitors, left Beaver Canyon, wended its way over the narrow-gauge track, to the Montana line, there to participate in the ceremonies akin to driving the first spike in Montana on the Utah & Northern railway. There was singing and rejoicing; a telegraph wire was attached to the spike and the hammer so that all connecting offices would hear the strokes. Bottles of champagne were opened and the success of the enterprise was drank with enthusiasm. The speeches were opened by Captain E. T. Hulauski, general agent at the terminus. The silver spike was driven by Captain Hulanski. The second spike was driven by all the little children present, each striking it a blow. Messages of greeting from all connecting offices of the telegraph line in Montana were read. This closed the ceremony which marked the entry to Montana Territory of the “steel rails.”

The first terminus in Montana, of the Utah & Northern, was established temporarily at Red Rock, Montana, which was several miles south of the present Oregon Short Line station which bears the same name. A short time later, the freight terminus was moved farther south to what was then called Spring Hill, but is now known as Lima, Montana. In the summer of 1880 the road was completed as far as the present site of Dillon, and that town was there established and named in honor of the president of the Union Pacific lines.

During the fall of 1880 construction work on the narrow-gauge line was pushed on the north, crossing the Big Hole and reaching Melrose in the spring of 1881. Completing the line to Melrose meant much to the company in view of the fact that this point was easily accessible to and from the great mines of the Silver Bow districts, and for some time all freight for the Hecla Consolidated Mining company was consigned there. The Hecla company, located at Glendale, was then undoubtedly the leading mining enterprise in the territory in those days.

Butte’s First Train

The line was pushed forward in the direction of Silver Bow Junction, and reached that point by the middle of October of 1881. From here a seven-mile spur was started into Butte, reaching there and ready for operation December 15, 1881. The first passenger train to enter the Mining city, pulled up to the end of the “steel rails” December 21, 1881. This was an auspicious event, and the epoch which marked a beginning for that city’s rapid development. This Utah & Northern’s main line tracks were laid on the extension from Silver Bow to Deer Lodge City, the latter point, for several years being the terminus of this line.

Harbored Great Plans

In the winter of 1882 and 1883, the engineers of the Utah & Northern Narrow-Gauge branch of the Union Pacific railroad surveyed that was to be known as the Gallatin extension of the National park branch, through Bozeman to Gallatin City, then located at the headwaters of the Missouri river. It was understood at the time that the park branch would be built and eventually extended to Fort Benton, and thence to a connection with the Canadian Pacific. This, however, failed to materialize, the building a few years later of the Northern Pacific, discouraging the enterprise.

Widening the Line

The tracks of the Utah & Northern line were widened in 1887. This was a mammoth undertaking in view of the fact that it was necessary to accomplish the task without delaying the service to any great extent. From the Dillon Tribune under date of July 25, 1887, I read a follows with reference to this work:

“Monday, July 25, 1887, was a great day in the history of the Utah & Northern railroad, now the Oregon Short Line. On that day, 246 miles of track was changed from a three-foot gauge to four feet eight and one-half inches in the remarkably short time of five hours - that is, each section of six miles was widened within five hours of a given time. The last narrow-gauge train over the road was a passenger train drawn by engine No. 93, which left Butte at three o’clock Sunday afternoon. As soon as the train got well under way, the work of widening began. The change of gauge was the most important move ever made by the management. It nearly doubled the carrying capacity of the road.”

(Cont. next week)

Montana One of Few States Where Rails Are to be Extended

(Cont. from last week - under the map)

Out in Northeastern Montana is a group of counties constituting one of the most fertile regions to be found anywhere in the world. There crops have been raised which astonished the statisticians and taxed the imagination. Nowhere ever has land produced such tremendous returns as in this agricultural treasure district of Eastern Montana. Heretofore it has been but inadequately served by railway transportation. Now four great railway systems have plans to penetrate to the heart of the district, which all agree is one of the richest virgin lands of the continent. The little town of Circle in the valley of the Redwater river is the center of this Eastern Montana empire and that place is the objective of four railway extensions, two of which are under way and will undoubtedly be completed.

Aside from the railroad rush for Circle and the tremendous freight possibilities of McCone county and surrounding districts, Montana is the scene in a two-year period of greater railroad expansion than any other state in the Union.
The Northern Pacific and the Great Northern lines both will have completed tracks to the heart of the Redwater valley by the time the next crop is ready for shipment. The Saulte Ste. Marie railway, which now throws a pin-point feeder into Montana from the very northeasterly corner, has a route into the Redwater located and surveyed. Whether this company will go into the race for that rich farming district is not known. The Milwaukee company, too has surveyed a line from Miles City into Circle and its environs. From all directions the great railway systems have been figuring and planning to develop with modern transportation this rich district.

Hold World’s Record

Just to the north the Great Northern has a branch line that crooks like a giant finger through three counties. Formerly this branch had its terminal at Scobey and by virtue of that terminal Scobey became known as the greatest primary grain shipping point in the world, aggregating in one season more than 3,000,000 bushels. Farmers were hauling 50 to 75 miles to deliver their grain at the railroad in Scobey. Now the branch has been extended to Opheim in Valley county a distance of 49 miles at a cost of $3,000,000.

In Southeastern Montana the Northern Pacific built a line from Forsyth to Colstrip and now is operating at that point the most unique and remarkable open trench coal mine in the world.

The Northern Pacific is building into McCone county and the Redwater valley from Glendive, a distance of about 63 miles at a cost of $3,000,000. Its line will run up the valley beyond Circle to brockway with possibilities in the future of a continuation to the westward.

the Great Northern will continue its branch that penetrates the heart of Richland county and has its terminal at Richey in the northern part of Dawson county. The branch will follow up the Redwater until it reaches Circle. The extension of this branch is a part of a larger scheme which the Great Northern has on foot to extend a line east and west through Central Montana into Lewistown, there connecting up with its Billings-Great Falls line. Completion of that extension. which will constitute a major railroad construction, will bring to the Great Northern a vast new territory that is now greatly in need of transportation and which because of lack of such facilities is but little developed.

In Western Montana

Over in Western Montana the Northern Pacific, keeping well ahead of the progress and development of the country will make many improvements in its Bitter Root branch, which extends southward from Missoula through the heart of Ravalli county. The Northern Pacific officials share in the opinion of many others that the Bitter Root is one of the richest and most promising valleys in all America. Its horticultural and dairying possibilities are tremendous, and, as yet, hardly a beginning has been made toward their ultimate development. Here the Northern Pacific will rebuild its line south from Florence into Hamilton, a distance of about 20 miles. It will bridge the Bitter Root river above Stevensville, put that town on the railroad and tap a vast fertile district on the “east side.” This improvement in the Bitter Root will be completed before the corp is moved next autumn and it will cost approximately $1,000,000. Print this post