Outline of Lewistown 1 |
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OUTLINE OF LEWISTOWN'S HISTORY by C. B. Wort,hen
In 1873Nelson Story and Company of Nebraska believed that a portion of the Judith Basin was
to become the new Crow Indian Reservation. They sent a party of men here in November 1873
in charge of Peter Koch. These men built a trading post on Big Spring Creek, between the two
Casino Creeks, but nearer Little Casino. This post was called Fort Sherman.
The intended transfer of the Crow reservation was never made so Story and Company sold the
post to Theodore 1. Dawes of Bozeman, who maintained it during most of 1874.
Dawes sold out his interests to Alonzo Reed and John Bowles who transferred the post down the
creek to the crossing of the Carroll Trail. Major Reed and Bowles kept a very tough trading
establishment there until 1880. The old log cabin now at the County Farm is two of the rooms of
a pair of log buildings which, with a stockade and horse corral, comprised Reed and Bowles'
place. Here they traded whiskey, ammunition, guns, sugar, flour, blankets and other merchandise
to the Indians and white trappers and hunters for hides, furs and horses.
In 1873 the Northern Pacific Railway had stopped at Bismarck, North Dakota on the Missouri
River. This led to a revival of steamboat traffic on the river the next year. It also led to an
attempt to found the town of Carroll (on the Missouri a few miles below the present Wilders
Ferry). It crossed Big Spring Creek where the County Farm is now located. From Carroll a
freight road was established overland through Judith Gap to Helena.
In order to protect this freight road from the Indians, Company "F", Seventh United States
Infantry was sent from Fort Shaw to establish a summer camp here in 1874. This company was
in command of Captain Constance Williams. Another company of the Seventh Infantry under
Captain Browning did garrison duty here in 1875.
This camp was named Camp Lewis in honor of Major William H. Lewis, a former major of the
Seventh Infantry, and a popular officer in that regiment. Major Lewis never came to Camp Lewis
or Lewistown.
In 1879 Francis A. Janeaux established a trading post on Big Spring Creek near the intersection
of Third Avenue North and Broadway. (Two small herds of cattle were brought into central
Montana that year).
In 1880 Major Reed separated from Bowles and took up land and established a trading post on
Little Casino Creek where the old log cabin....Reedsfort and a postoffice was established in
January 1881.
Reed and Janeaux were rivals for the trade of this region for several years. During the early
] 880's there were two settlements, Reedsfort and Janeaux's, a half-mile apart, with a total
population of less than one hundred.
In 1883 Janeaux secured a postoffice which was named Lewistown after the former Camp Lewis
Object Description
| Title | Outline of Lewistown History |
| Creator | C.B. Worthen |
| Description | History of Lewistown, Montanan |
| Physical format | |
| Publisher | Lewistown Public Library, Lewistown, Montana. |
| Subject | Lewistown, Montana |
| Contributed by | Lewistown Public Library, Lewistown, Montana. |
| Coverage-geography | Lewistown, Montana |
| Rights information | No copyright restrictions |
| Full text of this item | OUTLINE OF LEWISTOWN'S HISTORY by C. B. Worthen In 1873Nelson Story and Company of Nebraska believed that a portion of the Judith Basin was to become the new Crow Indian Reservation. They sent a party of men here in November 1873 in charge of Peter Koch. These men built a trading post on Big Spring Creek, between the two Casino Creeks, but nearer Little Casino. This post was called Fort Sherman. The intended transfer of the Crow reservation was never made so Story and Company sold the post to Theodore I. Dawes of Bozeman, who maintained it during most of 1874. Dawes sold out his interests to Alonzo Reed and John Bowles who transferred the post down the creek to the crossing of the Carroll Trail. Major Reed and Bowles kept a very tough trading establishment there until 1880. The old log cabin now at the County Farm is two of the rooms of a pair of log buildings which, with a stockade and horse corral, comprised Reed and Bowles' place. Here they traded whiskey, ammunition, guns, sugar, flour, blankets and other merchandise to the Indians and white trappers and hunters for hides, furs and horses. In 1873 the Northern Pacific Railway had stopped at Bismarck, North Dakota on the Missouri River. This led to a revival of steamboat traffic on the river the next year. It also led to an attempt to found the town of Carroll (on the Missouri a few miles below the present Wilders Ferry). It crossed Big Spring Creek where the County Farm is now located. From Carroll a freight road was established overland through Judith Gap to Helena. In order to protect this freight road from the……Indians, Company "F", Seventh United States Infantry was sent from Fort Shaw to establish a summer camp here in 1874. This company was in command of Captain Constance Williams. Another company of the Seventh Infantry under Captain Browning did garrison duty here in 1875. This camp was named Camp Lewis in honor of Major William H. Lewis, a former major of the Seventh Infantry, and a popular officer in that regiment. Major Lewis never came to Camp Lewis or Lewistown. In 1879 Francis A. Janeaux established a trading post on Big Spring Creek near the intersection of Third Avenue North and Broadway. (Two small herds of cattle were brought into central Montana that year). In 1880 Major Reed separated from Bowles and took up land and established a trading post on Little Casino Creek where the old log cabin….Reedsfort and a postoffice was established in January 1881. Reed and Janeaux were rivals for the trade of this region for several years. During the early 1880's there were two settlements, Reedsfort and Janeaux's, a half-mile apart, with a total population of less than one hundred. In 1883 Janeaux secured a postoffice which was named Lewistown after the former Camp Lewis and hence Major William H. Lewis. Major Reed sold his holdings to Frank Day who operated the ranch and a hotel there for many years. In March 1884, Lewistown-Reedsfort had about thirty-five buildings, three-fourths of which had been put up during the preceding year. There were two stores, one owned by T.C. Power and Company who had bought out Janeaux in 1883, and Pichette Brothers; two hotels, four saloons, a carpenter, a wheelwright and a butcher shop, and the best schoolhouse in the county. Mr. W. H. Watson had just moved his saw-mill onto Big Casino Creek about three miles from town. Dr. Lapalme was the only doctor. The first lodge organized was the A.O.U.W. Dances or balls, amateur theatricals, gambling, foot-racing, horse-racing, hunting and fishing were the most popular forms of recreation. During the early 1880's Lewistown received most of its freight by mule, horse, or bull teams from Rocky Point (near the present Wilder crossing) on the Missouri River, from Junction City on the Yellowstone, and from Judith or Morris's Landing at the mouth of the Judith River. From the late 1880's to the coming of the railroad most of the freight came from Billings on the Northern Pacific and Fort Benton on the Manitoba (Great Northern) Railroad. Lewistown was made the county seat of the newly-created Fergus County in the fall of 1886. In August of that year the Mineral Argus moved down from the mining camp of Maiden and became the Fergus County Argus. In 1886 Lewistown's population was about one hundred twenty-five, in 1888 almost four hundred. In 1886 there were fifty-one structures in town; one church, a schoolhouse, twenty-two business houses, twenty-six residences, and the county jail. In 1888 there were thirty-six business buildings, as follows: Bank of Fergus County, two livery stables, three general merchandise stores, a drug and stationery store, one confectionery and news store, two hotels, five saloons, two harness factories, a barber shop, three blacksmith shops, the printing office, a bowling alley, a meat market, two laundries, two shoe shops, a flouring mill, a carpenter shop, a tinsmith shop, a photograph gallery, two more houses, a nearby saw-mill, and a restaurant. Besides these there was the county jail, a schoolhouse, a Methodist and a Catholic church, and forty-six residences. Most of these were in the bottom along Big Spring Creek. The Judith Basin Roller Mills, owned by Messrs. Stiles, and Waldorf started grinding flour on September 14, 1891. There has been a flour mill in the community ever since. Lewistown's first telephone connection with the outside world was by a line built between Big Timber and Lewistown in 1892. In 1913 the local company sold out to the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company. Western Union secured a leased line to here about 1910. …..cial indicator of the period, the Sunset Club, Lewistown's first social club, was organized in 1893. By 1899 Lewistown had a population of over nine hundred. A fire engine had become necessary and a second bank had been started. A united States Land Office had been located in Lewistown in the early 1890's, a fact indicative of the growth of the territory surrounding Lewistown and hence of the town itself. Its removal in 1925 may also be taken as indicative of the filling up of most of the good lands available as homesteads. In May 1899 Lewistown voted to incorporate in order that the problems of health, streets, water-supply, fire and police protection, and other social problems which develop when nine hundred people live within a mile of each other might be handled in an orderly way. The first officers of Lewistown elected July 21, 1899, were: Mayor, John P. Barnes; Aldermen: First Ward, James P. Corcoran and W. H. Culver. Second Ward: William Forsyth and Matt Regan, Third Ward: J. W. Parrent and C. R. Williams. There were one hundred eighty-one votes cast. By the end of the century the Citizens Electric Company was doing business. The "Jawbone" or Montana Railroad reached town in October 1903 from Lombard (on the Northern Pacific Railway where it crosses the Missouri River) by way of Harlowton. This, of course, transformed the life of the whole county. Merchants no longer had to carry the immense stocks of goods which had previously been necessary. Real estate rose in value and population increased. As the number of homesteaders increased rapidly from 1903 to 1914, Lewistown became more and more the merchandise distributing center for Central Montana. In 1908 the Milwaukee bought out the Jawbone and in 1912 the Great Northern built its spur from Moccasin. During the rush of 1919-20 to the Cat Creek oil field the town boomed. Office space and housing were at a premium and oil stock was more plentiful than were the rats in 1929. The drought of 1919 was followed by the hard winter of 1919-20. This proved to be the finishing stroke to a too-liberal loan policy and led to the closing of all of Lewistown's banks in 1923-24. Two banks were organized out of the debacle which are now members of strong chains. C.B. Worthen |
Description
| Title | Outline of Lewistown 1 |
| Full text of this item | OUTLINE OF LEWISTOWN'S HISTORY by C. B. Wort,hen In 1873Nelson Story and Company of Nebraska believed that a portion of the Judith Basin was to become the new Crow Indian Reservation. They sent a party of men here in November 1873 in charge of Peter Koch. These men built a trading post on Big Spring Creek, between the two Casino Creeks, but nearer Little Casino. This post was called Fort Sherman. The intended transfer of the Crow reservation was never made so Story and Company sold the post to Theodore 1. Dawes of Bozeman, who maintained it during most of 1874. Dawes sold out his interests to Alonzo Reed and John Bowles who transferred the post down the creek to the crossing of the Carroll Trail. Major Reed and Bowles kept a very tough trading establishment there until 1880. The old log cabin now at the County Farm is two of the rooms of a pair of log buildings which, with a stockade and horse corral, comprised Reed and Bowles' place. Here they traded whiskey, ammunition, guns, sugar, flour, blankets and other merchandise to the Indians and white trappers and hunters for hides, furs and horses. In 1873 the Northern Pacific Railway had stopped at Bismarck, North Dakota on the Missouri River. This led to a revival of steamboat traffic on the river the next year. It also led to an attempt to found the town of Carroll (on the Missouri a few miles below the present Wilders Ferry). It crossed Big Spring Creek where the County Farm is now located. From Carroll a freight road was established overland through Judith Gap to Helena. In order to protect this freight road from the Indians, Company "F", Seventh United States Infantry was sent from Fort Shaw to establish a summer camp here in 1874. This company was in command of Captain Constance Williams. Another company of the Seventh Infantry under Captain Browning did garrison duty here in 1875. This camp was named Camp Lewis in honor of Major William H. Lewis, a former major of the Seventh Infantry, and a popular officer in that regiment. Major Lewis never came to Camp Lewis or Lewistown. In 1879 Francis A. Janeaux established a trading post on Big Spring Creek near the intersection of Third Avenue North and Broadway. (Two small herds of cattle were brought into central Montana that year). In 1880 Major Reed separated from Bowles and took up land and established a trading post on Little Casino Creek where the old log cabin....Reedsfort and a postoffice was established in January 1881. Reed and Janeaux were rivals for the trade of this region for several years. During the early ] 880's there were two settlements, Reedsfort and Janeaux's, a half-mile apart, with a total population of less than one hundred. In 1883 Janeaux secured a postoffice which was named Lewistown after the former Camp Lewis |
