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LATE PIONEER'S ADVENTURES RECOUNTED
--Lewistown News-Argus,
Sunday, December 23, 19/3
(Editor's Note: The following article
contains some of the highlights of 95
years of adventure as told to Mrs. Allen
(Z. Fern) Whitten of Lewistown by her
grandfather, the late Frank C. Moshner.)
"I was born in Alsac-Lorraine, near
Glatz Farm in 1853. At the age of 12, I
began serving three years apprenticeship
in. the building trade. I worked at that
trade in different places in Austria,
Germany, France and Poland.
After war between France and Germany,
1. "jas master builder (or boss), then was
drafted into the ~erman army. I didn't
~Jcmt to serve thre.e ye.ars., .so smuggled
my way to America on ·a 'cattle steamer. I
Ehippe.d .out from LaHavre, France to New
\ ork.
I was seventeen when I landed in New
York with $2.50 in my pocket. I worked
six weeks in the shipyards there, then
went on to Chicago.
1870
As I was in the waiting room at the
depot in Chicago I saw a blonde Norwegian
girl. She was unable to speak English
and seemed about in tears, as no
Olle was there to meet her. I fi~ally
found the courage to speak to her in
her own language and she told me her
folks lived in Chicago. I found her
folks and they invited me home with
them for supper. I didn't go, but I
kept her address and told her I would
see her sometime. They were very grateful
for all my help.
I worked my wayan to St. Paul where
I got a job in the brewery in the malt
house. After I worked there a while and
made enough money, I made my way westward
by rail until I came to Bismark,
N. D.
I looked for a job to get on westward.
As I was big (6'4" and 200 Ibs.)
and not afraid of the devil, I was hired
to ride as messenger from Bismark to
Deadwood. The regular messenger was
laid up with a gunshot wound.
I made two dangerous trips~ until Big
foot or Charley Sterman, the freighter,
was able to go again.
When I was ready to leave, a man hand~
cd me a cigar box, with sever.al thousand
dollars in it. "Driver, give this box to
my brother in Deadwood," he said.
"How will I know him?" I asked.
"He'll be at the stage station, and he
ls my twin."
I was quite a greenhorn, but I put the
cigar box under my foot, picked up the reins
and we were off.
Just out of Deadwood, Calamity Jane held
me up but she just asked for fifty pounds of
flour. I had the flour. She said, '~ou can
get more, but I can't."
I gave her the flour. At that time she
was riding with a wild bunch. She was quite
a young girl and plenty tough.
I saw her later in Lewisto\VTI. She always
wore a gun, but I never saw her use it.
Bill Cody anq his brother went with Calamity
at ·'tllat time but each finally went his
own way. Calamity later married a man by
the name of King in Gilt Edge.
I took a boat up the Yellowstone River
from Bismark, N.D. to Miles City. I worked
that summer on building jobs in Miles City
and in the fall hired out for buffalo hunting.
The crew consisted of two hunters,
two skinners, a teamster and cook. Hunters
were paid $125 a month wages. We worked
for a Canadian Frenchman named eadeau, a
storekeeper in Miles City. He shipped
14,000 hides via Missouri River. We freighted
them to the Missouri River taking nearly
all summer.
1881-1882
We went buffalo hunting again in the winters
of 1881 and 1882 at Fort Benton. We
spent a terrible winter at Fort Benton. We
had to build our own shelter and for over
six months had nothing to eat but buffalo
meat and beans. Our shoes wore out so we
took the skins from the buffalo legs and
turned them up over our feet and legs.
Buffalo were scarce so in May I came to
Fort McGinnis and Maiden. I built a store
in Maiden for a man named Billinger.
1882
I hired out as carpenter in Lewistown,
or what was then known as Spring Creek.
Joe LaRue and I built a store for Janeaux.
I built a big box, or desk, which was the
post office, and a Doc LaPalm handled mail
that year of 1882.
Janeaux gave two or three lots for a school
and I built the first school house, where the
Argus is now.
The stage station was at Reed's Fort. No
one was appointed postmaster, but a man called
Major Reed, gave out the mail, Major Reed
later sold Reed's Fort to Frank Day, and it
was known as the Frank Day ranch. It is now
owned by Charles Cooley.
Object Description
| Rating | |
| Title | Late Pioneer's Adventures Recounted |
| Description | A four page summary of Frank Moshners' life and places he built in the local area. |
| Creator | Moshner, Frank |
| Genre | documents |
| Type | Text |
| Language | eng |
| Date Original | 1973 |
| Subject (keyword) | Fergus County, Montana; Lewistown, Montana; |
| Rights Management | No copyright restrictions. |
| Contributing Institution | Lewistown Public Library, Lewistown, Montana |
| Publisher (Original) | Moshner, Frank |
| Geographic Coverage | Lewistown, Montana; Fergus County, Montana. |
| Coverage-date | 1870-1894 |
| Digital collection | Central Montana Historical Documents |
| Physical collection | SC 1.1 Moshner, Frank |
| Digital Format | application/pdf |
| Physical format | |
| Digitization Specifications | Canon MX310 300dpi |
| Full text of this item | Moshner, Frank (Editor's Note: The following article contains some of the highlights of 95 years of adventure as told to Mrs. Allen (Z. Fern) Whitten of Lewistown by her grandfather, the late Frank C. Moshner.) "I was born in Alsace-Lorraine, near Glatz Farm in 1853. At the age of 12, I began serving three years apprenticeship in the building trade. I worked at that trade in different places in Austria, Germany, France and Poland. After war between France and Germany, I was master builder (or boss), then was drafted into the German army. I didn't want to serve three years, so smuggled my way to America on a cattle steamer. I shipped out from LaHavre, France to New York. I was seventeen when I landed in New York with $2.50 in my pocket. I worked six weeks in the shipyards there, then went on to Chicago. 1870 As I was in the waiting room at the depot in Chicago I saw a blonde Norwe¬gian girl. She was unable to speak Eng¬lish and seemed about in tears, as no one was there to meet her. I finally found the courage to speak to her in her own language and she told me her folks lived in Chicago. I found her folks and they invited me home with them for supper. I didn't go, but I kept her address and told her I would see her sometime. They were very grate¬ful for all my help. I worked my way on to St. Paul where I got a job in the brewery in the malt house. After I worked there a while and made enough money, I made my way west¬ward by rail until I came to Bismarck, N. D. I looked for a job to get on west¬ward. As I was big (6'4" and 200 lbs.) and not afraid of the devil, I was hired to ride as messenger from Bismarck to Deadwood. The regular messenger was laid up with a gunshot wound. I made two dangerous trips, until Big Foot or Charley Sterman, the freighter, was able to go again. When I was ready to leave, a man hand¬ed me a cigar box, with several thousand dollars in it. "Driver, give this box to my brother in Deadwood" he said. "How will I know him?" I asked. "He'll be at the stage station, and he is my twin." I was quite a greenhorn, but I put the cigar box under my foot, picked up the reins and we were off. Just out of Deadwood, Calamity Jane held me up but she just asked for fifty pounds of flour. I had the flour. She said, "You can get more, but I can't." I gave her the flour. At that time she was riding with a wild bunch. She was quite a young girl and plenty tough. I saw her later in Lewiston. She always wore a gun, but I never saw her use it. Bill Cody and his brother went with Cala¬mity at that time but each finally went his own way. Calamity later married a man by the name of King in Gilt Edge. I took a boat up the Yellowstone River from Bismarck, N.D. to Miles City. I worked that summer on building job, in Miles City and in the fall hired out for buffalo hunt¬ing. The crew consisted of two hunters, two skinners, a teamster and cook. Hunters were paid $125 a month wages. We worked for a Canadian Frenchman named Neadeau, a storekeeper in Miles City. We shipped 14,000 hides via Missouri River. We freight¬ed them to the Missouri River taking nearly all summer. 1881-1882 We went buffalo hunting again in the win¬ters of 1881 and 1882 at Fort Benton. We spent a terrible winter at Fort Benton. We had to build our own shelter and for over six months had nothing to eat but buffalo meat and beans. Our shoes wore out so we took the skins from the buffalo legs and turned them up over our feet and legs. Buffalo were scarce so in May I came to Fort Maginnis and Maiden. I built a store in Maiden for a man named Billinger . 1882 I hired out as carpenter in Lewistown, or what was then known as Spring Creek. Joe LaRue and I built a store for Janeaux. I built a big box, or desk, which was the post office, and a Doc LaPalme handled mail that year of 1882. Janeaux gave two or three lots for a school and I built the first school house, where the Argus is now. The stage station was at Reed's Fort. No one was appointed postmaster, but a man call¬ed Major Reed, gave out the mail, Major Reed later sold Reed's Fort to Frank Day, and it was known as the Frank Day ranch. It is now owned by Charles Cooley. 1883 In 1883 Charley Richards built Power's Store. Then Powers moved in, and the post office was moved from the Janeaux store to the Powers' store. In the late winter of 1883 the businessmen appointed Miss Shipman, school teacher; Mr. Erick¬son, manager of Powers' store; and John Tombs, justice of the peace, to name the town of Spring Creek. After arguments and deliberation they changed the name from Spring Creek to Lewistown, Later Miss Shipman and Mr. Erickson were married. (I didn't ask granddad how they arrived at the name of Lewistown). In the spring of 1883 I built a log bridge across Main Street. At that time it was a ford. I made the bridge of hewed logs hauled from the Judith Mountains. The lumber was furnished by J. C. Walker on Rock Creek, who had a sawmill and store. I built another bridge, with the help of an old carpen¬ter, a Frenchman, (I never knew his name) near the county farm (Clegg's farm). 1884 I made a ditch out of Big Casino Creek for Tombs, Rotwood and Stafford, who had desert claims on Cottonwood bench. Each man had a section and one proved up. This was the only water to ever reach the bench, where the airport is now. That fall I started to build the Lewistown Hotel (a frame building where the Judith Theatre is now), and completed it in 1884. While building the Lewistown Hotel, two men, strangers came up, tied their horses a short distance from the hotel, and built a camp. A poker game was going on in Crow¬ley's saloon, so one stranger, (later known as Alex Jessup, outlaw) got into it. He had $300 but soon lost that; then he played for his saddle horse, and lost him. After playing and drinking all night he went out and saddled a horse which was pick¬eted near the one he had gambled away, and rode out to his camp. Bill Hartop, owner of the horse, saw him and hollered. Jessup never paid any atten¬tion so Hartop went to the Justice of the Peace, John Tombs, who was a partner with Hartop in the Lewistown Hotel. They called me and appointed me deputy to go after the horse. As I had no reason not to, I went after him. I found Jessup asleep on his bedroll and his partner cooking breakfast. I crawled up beside him and got his gun. "Come along with me, Jessup, you have the wrong horse" I said. When he saw I had the drop on him, he came peacefully. "I must have made a mistake in the dark,” he said, with a few words not for print. Tombs, justice of the peace, said, “You’ll have to take him to White Sulphur Frank, to the district court." Dan Crowley and Bill Clegg decided they should, take him, but Tombs said as long as I had captured him I was to take him. I harnessed my team and we started for White Sulphur Springs. I told Jessup as he slouched beside me, "As long as you behave we'll get along, but otherwise, Henry will talk." Henry was my trusty iron. We stopped at "OK" six miles out of Ubet to change teams. Al Stevens, storekeeper, got me to one side and whispered, "Your prisoner bought a knife." When we were ready to move on I said, "Jessup, I'll carry your knife." He grumbled, but handed it over, trying to cut me as he did so. We got to White Sulphur Springs without any more trouble. The prisoner got 15 years, as he was quite a rounder. We found out Jessup had held up a man and beat him up taking the $300 that he lost in that poker game. Alex Jessup was the first prisoner to be taken out of Lewistown. That year we had the first 4th of July celebration. The horse races ended up with two men killed and one wounded. Rattlesnake Jake and his partner, Owen, died, but no one was accused. They had nine bullet holes in them. Jake died on the third lot west of the Crowley building, and Owen died on a wagon trail, in front of what was later the Empire Bank Building. The fight was started by Jackson, a half-breed, who lived in a shack where the Golden Montana Building is now. Most of the shots came from the Crowley Saloon where Gamble's store is now. Tom Gregory and myself were behind a cord-wood pile, where the Elks Building is now, watching. Gregory lived on Buffalo Creek and was the father of the late Tom Gregory, clerk of court. 1884-1885 In 1884 and 1885 I helped build the Maginnis mill. I made several trips as special messenger for the Spotted Horse Mine to the Helena mint, making the trips on horseback with the gold in saddlebags. I had four relays between Maiden and Helena. The trip took 24 to 30 hours, with no sleep. Just out of Stanford or Wolf Creek, two men held me up. They never caught me but shot me through the leg. I took my shirt off and tied the leg, above and below the wound. I think the shot was meant to kill the horse and capture me. They would have succeeded in catching me if I hadn't had a good horse. (Grandfather carried a deep gash, from his knee to his ankle, where the bullet had seared his leg--Z Fern Whitten) The winter of 1885 I got a contract for the first jail in Lewistown. I built a frame structure with steel cells, where the present jail is now. This was then Meagher County. I built a carpenter shop where the police and fire station is now, and had three lots there. 1886 I built my own house, a two-story frame building, across the street from Culver's studio. I then sold the house to Brooks and bought a ranch on Boyd Creek from Pete Shaveneau. I was married to Sarah Butts, a sister of Mrs. Jack Rowley, Jef and Ben Skaggs. 1886 to 1891 I farmed and did carpenter work during this period. A contractor, F. T. Douglas, hired seven men to make brick. They couldn't or wouldn't do it, so he came to me. I hired Alex Hibbard, who knew his business and we began work. All the exper¬ience I had making brick was with my father in the old country. In 1891 we made brick for the courthouse and then made a kiln to make brick for a building near the creek. At that time, the building was called "Big Teepee" where the Eagles Lodge building, on Main and sec¬ond Avenue is now located. In 1888 the voters approved making this territory into a state, and the state of Montana was formed Nov. 8, 1889. At that time Fergus County cut off from Meagher County. (though records at the courthouse said the county was formed in 1885, Grand¬dad disagreed--Z. Fern Whitten) Judge Murray was appointed the first post¬master in 1888. There was solid willow patch, at that time, from the end of First Avenue to the fairgrounds. The road was built in 1888, and a bridge put across the creek where the Great Northern Railway depot is now. 1892-1893 The Gilt Edge Mine was started during this time. I built an assay office, mill and different buildings, and cut and sawed logs in the Judith Mountains for the Gilt Edge Mine. I was hired by Henry Cherard, superintendent of the mine. Von Tobel and Butts, had a sawmill. I worked a year for nothing and was going to quit, when Jim Moe, engineer, and George Weiedeman said I would get paid and that I could go to stores and get what I needed with no money. Money was scarce and no one got paid. Everything was trade and we were able to go to Power's store and Lehman's for groceries and supplies. 1894 A Lien was put on the mine and pro¬perty and it was sold. Sam Butts and myself bid it in selling it later to L. G. Phelps, of Great Falls. We were offered just what we had in it, and no interest. Amend and Styvers Co. of New York, bought the mine from L. G. Phelps, but didn't want to start up because of so many debts. Amend called a meeting of the creditors, merchants, myself, Butts and helpers. He asked us to leave them alone until they got started and then Moshner and Butts would get the first money to pay helpers. It was agreed by all that we would wait until they got money from the mine. Amend ran the mine for 30 days and made a cleanup. The merchants found out and were going to attach the money. I was in town and saw them running back and forth to the attorney's office. It was near dark, in the winter time. I went in the saloon, watched the proceedings and got suspicious. "So, they will try to beat us." Dewitt, a friend, said he would go see about it. He went over to Morrison, the attorney, and found out that they were drawing up papers to attach the money, so he told me he would have to draw up papers to get in a second attachment. "What are you going to do?" he asked me. I didn't know but I had my saddle horse fed and had had supper so I decid¬ed to go to Gilt Edge and see Amend. "We will get it out of here if that's the way they are doing" said Amend, and he turned the money over to me. He hand¬ed me a bill of sale for the gold and I hired a team from Jack, Potters, at midnight, and started to Great Falls. The sheriff and constable caught up with me at Armington. The law could hold me there five days, but their papers were for Fergus and not Cascade County. The lawmen went to bed. I ate supper, got a fresh team and went on to Great Falls. I saw Tim Collins, president of the First National Bank. He went to Armington with me after hearing my story and persuaded the officers to go to Great Falls and make out the papers. Time was what we needed. Before we went to Armington, we made arrangements with two brothers at the Cascade Bank, who had money, according to Collins. We woke them up and they said they could let us have $4,000. I needed $8,000 and had $30,000 in bullion. Money was just as scarce there and they just didn't have the currency, so I accept¬ed the $4,000. As we left Armington, Collins rode with the sheriff and deputy and they told me to come right behind them. "Don't be 30 minutes behind us. Take the gold right to the bank and unload it. That way it will be out of your hands" said Collins. I had just finished unloading the gold when the police came with the papers from Cascade County. "What did you do with the stuff?" they asked. "Hell" I said, "we unloaded it." That night Dave Scott, under sheriff, told me that the men were going to attach the gold in the bank. I stuffed the $4,000 currency in my pock¬ets in $100 packets of $5 bills, took my team from the livery stable and went home. I paid bills until the money ran out. The next day I was working on our new house when Dewitt care to the ranch and told me, "The merchants are fixin' to hang you." I told the missus and she said she wasn't afraid. We told the three kids to get to the root cellar if trouble started. I loaded my gun and told Dewitt, "If they come, some of them will go to hell with me." They didn't come. I guess they knew I was in the right because they had started the double cross (Reference Great Falls Tribune article in 1946 and a letter from the late Al Johnson, former president of the First National Bank, Lewistown.) The Gilt Edge Mine Co. gave me a check so I paid Dewitt, who I owed $1,000. The bank took the check as collateral and wouldn't turn it back to Dewitt, so he attached my logging team of six horses and six men. I told the sheriff to take the horses to town and feed them, as I wouldn't I also told the men to collect their wages from Dewitt, so they went to town. Officers were doing their duty and were on my side because I was in the right. The merchants thought they were in the right, too. The officers got tired of feeding my teams so they said, "Come and get your teams, Frank." I replied, "You bring them back, you took them." They tried to get the teamsters to bring them back, but it took three days before they finally succeeded. In 1901 Sarah died. I couldn't live there on the ranch any more so I sold it, bought property in town, and went into the ice business. Everything was as today, on credit, and some never paid. Ice was melting every day, nothing left. (This is a few years of my grandfather's life that had to do with Lewistown. He later spent several years around Winnett and Flatwillow in the carpenter business--Z. Fern Whitten.) |
| Local Identifier | SC 1.1 Moshner, Frank |
Description
| Title | Moshner, Frank 1 |
| Type | Text |
| Contributing Institution | Lewistown Public Library, Lewistown, Montana |
| Digital Format | application/pdf |
| Digitization Specifications | Canon MX310 300dpi |
| Full text of this item | LATE PIONEER'S ADVENTURES RECOUNTED --Lewistown News-Argus, Sunday, December 23, 19/3 (Editor's Note: The following article contains some of the highlights of 95 years of adventure as told to Mrs. Allen (Z. Fern) Whitten of Lewistown by her grandfather, the late Frank C. Moshner.) "I was born in Alsac-Lorraine, near Glatz Farm in 1853. At the age of 12, I began serving three years apprenticeship in. the building trade. I worked at that trade in different places in Austria, Germany, France and Poland. After war between France and Germany, 1. "jas master builder (or boss), then was drafted into the ~erman army. I didn't ~Jcmt to serve thre.e ye.ars., .so smuggled my way to America on ·a 'cattle steamer. I Ehippe.d .out from LaHavre, France to New \ ork. I was seventeen when I landed in New York with $2.50 in my pocket. I worked six weeks in the shipyards there, then went on to Chicago. 1870 As I was in the waiting room at the depot in Chicago I saw a blonde Norwegian girl. She was unable to speak English and seemed about in tears, as no Olle was there to meet her. I fi~ally found the courage to speak to her in her own language and she told me her folks lived in Chicago. I found her folks and they invited me home with them for supper. I didn't go, but I kept her address and told her I would see her sometime. They were very grateful for all my help. I worked my wayan to St. Paul where I got a job in the brewery in the malt house. After I worked there a while and made enough money, I made my way westward by rail until I came to Bismark, N. D. I looked for a job to get on westward. As I was big (6'4" and 200 Ibs.) and not afraid of the devil, I was hired to ride as messenger from Bismark to Deadwood. The regular messenger was laid up with a gunshot wound. I made two dangerous trips~ until Big foot or Charley Sterman, the freighter, was able to go again. When I was ready to leave, a man hand~ cd me a cigar box, with sever.al thousand dollars in it. "Driver, give this box to my brother in Deadwood" he said. "How will I know him?" I asked. "He'll be at the stage station, and he ls my twin." I was quite a greenhorn, but I put the cigar box under my foot, picked up the reins and we were off. Just out of Deadwood, Calamity Jane held me up but she just asked for fifty pounds of flour. I had the flour. She said, '~ou can get more, but I can't." I gave her the flour. At that time she was riding with a wild bunch. She was quite a young girl and plenty tough. I saw her later in Lewisto\VTI. She always wore a gun, but I never saw her use it. Bill Cody anq his brother went with Calamity at ·'tllat time but each finally went his own way. Calamity later married a man by the name of King in Gilt Edge. I took a boat up the Yellowstone River from Bismark, N.D. to Miles City. I worked that summer on building jobs in Miles City and in the fall hired out for buffalo hunting. The crew consisted of two hunters, two skinners, a teamster and cook. Hunters were paid $125 a month wages. We worked for a Canadian Frenchman named eadeau, a storekeeper in Miles City. He shipped 14,000 hides via Missouri River. We freighted them to the Missouri River taking nearly all summer. 1881-1882 We went buffalo hunting again in the winters of 1881 and 1882 at Fort Benton. We spent a terrible winter at Fort Benton. We had to build our own shelter and for over six months had nothing to eat but buffalo meat and beans. Our shoes wore out so we took the skins from the buffalo legs and turned them up over our feet and legs. Buffalo were scarce so in May I came to Fort McGinnis and Maiden. I built a store in Maiden for a man named Billinger. 1882 I hired out as carpenter in Lewistown, or what was then known as Spring Creek. Joe LaRue and I built a store for Janeaux. I built a big box, or desk, which was the post office, and a Doc LaPalm handled mail that year of 1882. Janeaux gave two or three lots for a school and I built the first school house, where the Argus is now. The stage station was at Reed's Fort. No one was appointed postmaster, but a man called Major Reed, gave out the mail, Major Reed later sold Reed's Fort to Frank Day, and it was known as the Frank Day ranch. It is now owned by Charles Cooley. |
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