Great Falls Tribune from Great Falls, Montana • Page 49

Morning, December 14, 1941 THE GREAT FALLS TRIBUNE Montana Page Fifteen Mrs. Torreyson Recalls Red Lodge Early Day Events RED LODGE, Dec. -Sixteen saloons in town, but not one pound of coffee or a sack off flour to be had. That was Red Lodge in 1887, a hastily constructed community of shacks and log huts assembled to accommodate activity contingent upon coal mining opened that year, according to Mrs. Fannie Torreyson, who has resided here longer than any other living person.

"There was plenty liquor to be had, but for food we had to go to Laurel, Park City or Billings," says Mrs. Torreyson, spry and active at 85, who first came to this community in 1885 and has called Red Lodge her home since. In 1885, when she settled north of here with her husband, the late A. J. Torreyson, and a 4-month-old daughter, the only structure in what 1s now Red Lodge was a log hut located on the east side of Rock creek.

Its only occupant was one Ernest L. Benton of Elmira, N. postmaster, surveyor, assessor and caretaker for coal lands owned by Walter Cooper of Bozeman. Easy for Postmaster Benton's duties as first Red Lodge postmaster weren't arduous. Besides the Torreysons, who had 160 acres of land about five miles north of here, there were eight families on Red Lodge creek who hepefully called for mail 'at widely spaced intervals.

As have many of the Red Lodge pioneers, Mrs. Torreyson came here from Missouri. Born at Burning Springs, W. April 11, 1856, she was reared in Ohio and when 19 went to Missouri, where she met her husband. They were married in 1884 and that very year the newly married couple took a trip to Ruby valley in the Virginia City country of Montana.

They returned to Missouri after a few months. One day in 1885 Torreyson came home with rheumatism. "I never had rheumatism in he said, "let's take the first train back." Having heard of the Yellowstone valley, they got a map and saw a town -listed by the name of Billings. It was the first time they ever heard of the town, but it sounded all right, so they came from Hannibal, by train via Cheyenne to the then frontier village. At Billings they were met by John T.

Blake, a land entrepreneur, who asked them to settle on one of his 640-acre claims in the Rock creek valley about 55 miles southwest of Billings. Having nothing special in mind and liking the looks of the country, the young couple accepted. It was June, 1885, just four months after the postoffice was opened in Red Lodge, and the country was beautiful with the magic of spring. Followed Wagon Tracks There was no road, the only guide to their location being deep wagon tracks imprinted several years before when coal mine promoters hauled two loads of Red Lodge coal to Billings for demonstration purposes. It wasn't long before enterprising settlers began jumping some of the claims held by Blake and he was glad to sell the Torreysons a acre improvement on the claim upon which they were settled.

"We never thought there'd ever be a town here," said Mrs. Torreyson reminiscently. "Why, I can remember we rode over this townsite on a buckboard where there wasn't anything in the line of buildings." Trips to Billings for provisions were rare and arduous and it was fortunate there was plenty wild game to be had. Mrs. Torreyson recalls calling at Benton's postoffice These Chipmunks Know How to Get Handouts one Sunday when it was the only structure here.

Benton asked them they'd like some venison, casually stepped outside and shot three deer, one of which he presented the couple. Benton didn't stay very long, however. He was hired by Cooper to look after his coal lands here and near what is now Bearcreek. A crafty surveyor, Benton discovered 1 flaw in Cooper's Bearcreek holdings and he tipped off Blake 1 to that fact. Blake quietly organized a Billings company and within a few months much of Cooper's Bearcreek holdings was "claim jumped." Coal Mining Begins Worried at the way his land was being taken, Cooper went to Fort Dodge, and sold a controlling interest to a Fort Dodge company.

This was the signal for the beginning of commercial coal mining here. With the Fort Dodge people in 1887 came many who were to settle here permanently, and not an inconsiderable part of Red Lodge's population today represents descendants of those early-day miners. Because of 'claim pumping activity, there "naturally" was some bad blood between the Fort Dodge people and those at Bearcreek, Mrs. Torreyson said. "I don't think the Fort Dodge miners resented it so much, but the miners at Bearcreek seemed afraid of retaliation of some kind.

"As miners of both camps stopped at our ranch to and from Billings, Mr. Torreyson and myself were worried some altercation might result. But we needn't have worried. There was only one night, when coincidence brought new foremen for both mines to our house for overnight, that I was apprehensive," she said. That night Mrs.

Torreyson referred to brought two men, who later were to be important figures in Red Lodge, to this community. It was a stormy night and George Lamport, hired as foreman of the Bearcreek mines by the Billings interests, stopped at the Torreyson home. An hour so later William O'Connor appeared. O'Connor carried a letter from Cooper asking the Torreysons to put him up overnight, that he was to take Benton's place-Benton was fired for "tipping off" Blake to faults in the Bearcreek survey--and that he was also to be foreman of operations in the Red Lodge coal fields. There was only one extra bed in the Torreyson home, so Mrs.

Torreyson had to bunk these two potential enemies double. Fighting Barred "It's all right for you to stay here," she admonished the newcomers. "But I want no fighting in- the house. If you two want to fight, you'll have to go out in the blizzard." O'Connor and Lamport promised they would be "good boys," and the evening was spent pleasantly teaching Mrs. Torreyson how to play whist.

Lamport and O'Connor later became fast friends. Lamport was the head of a prominent family here, as was O'Connor, but the latter met an untimely end in 1899 when he was shot and killed by Tom Salmon, a labor agitator. Salmon, incidentally, was the first and only man to be hung in Red Lodge. With two coal fields under mining operations the agitation was great for a railroad. The town was growing, too, and, although the 16 saloons in 1887 had little trouble getting liquor, there were no quick transportation facilities for provisions Miners and their wives be- Just now the chipmunks around for the winter, subsisting on the that the little animals know how the camera caught David Gene feeding this chipmunk at Sun gan flocking in from Cooke City and other Montana points.

Armed. with, big ideas but little money, a Billings promoter started laying track for a railroad. All winter of 1888 Torreyson cut logs for ties for this "capitalist," and the couple used up their money against the they would be paid for ties. The ties had to be delivered not later than Dec. 10, 1888, and Torreyson delivered the wood only to find that the promoter was out of funds.

Others had contracted to cut ties, too, and the feeling was high. In order to escape a lynching party the amateur railroader left Billings "between night and morning." He never was heard from again, but that was small consolation to the Torreysons, who had banked on that $300 to see them through the coming winter. A Tough Winter That was the "toughest" winter the Torreysons faced but, thanks. to the abundance of wild game, they pulled through. Meanwhile the Northern Pacific railway took up where the individual promoter left off.

Tracks had been laid to just south of the Yellowstone river near Laurel and Northern Pacific completed the track in 1889. Most important of all, however, to the Torreysons was that the railroad took up all indebtedness and paid them their $300. With the railroad's advent the town grew rapidly. By 1895, Mrs. Torreyson recalls, Red Lodge was "quite a village." Social life was practically nil in the early days.

1890 the only gathering place was a rickety frame building known as Blackburn hall, about a block west of what is now Broadway. Here dances would held, churchgoers would meet. About twice a year the Torreysons would be invited to a ranch party, and that was something to talk about weeks before and after the event. It was in 1890, too, that the first school building was. erected, a fourroom frame structure not far from Blackburn hall.

"It wasn't much of a place," Mrs. Torreyson recalls, "but many of the town's most prominent citizens were educated there." School Is Built It was because of this school that the Torreyson: family moved to Red Lodge in 1893. They bought a log cabin several years before that time at 515 North Hauser and it is on that same lot that Mrs. Torreyson Going-to-the-Sun camp in Glacier national park are no doubt holed up fat acquired during a season of high living. This picture makes it obvious to get good handouts.

Not long before winter closed in on Glacier park, Wall, 8-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. John Wall of Dupuyer, as he was camp. The chipmunk does his stuff nicely indeed and is well rewarded. lives in a modest bungalow today, Torreyson died in 1906, leaving Mrs.

Torreyson with six growing children, five of whom are living. They are Mrs. H. M. Smith of Tooele, Utah; Mrs.

N. D. Argo, Denver, J. W. Torreyson, Salt Lake City, Utah, and Mrs.

Ed Draper and Mrs. Mabel Churchill, both of Red Lodge. The deceased daughter, Fannie, was at one time Carbon county superintendent of schools. At 85 Mrs. Torreyson looks more like 70.

She keeps her own house, attends social gatherings and is in every way an active citizen. She is a vital link between Red Lodge's past and present and she talks interestingly and knowingly of both. Licenses Issued SIDNEY, Dec. -The following marriage licenses were issued here this week: Arnold Ceypar, and Millie Jean Kellogg, both of Watford City, N. Hans Sandaker and Lilly Jacobsen, both of Williston, N.

and Nick Cayko, Fairview, and Frances Evelyn Herdt, Nohly, Christmas Program SIDNEY, Dec. More than 150 students will take part in the third annual community Christmas program to be presented at the high school Wednesday evening. This originai performance, written and directed by R. W. Cook, music instructor here, will consist of 12 scenes and an elaborate finale.

Each member of Cook's dramatic class will have charge of a scene. To Present Operetta HINSDALE, Dec. "The Tale of the Snowman," a Christmas operetta, will be presented by Hinsdale schools Dec. 19. Mrs.

Marie Williamson heads the faculty committee in charge. Science Club Formed SWEET GRASS, Dec. -Etta Mae Kimbrough has been elected president of a recently organized science club at the high school. Bette Callan is vice president and Kathleen Parker, scribe. $76.50 for Red Cross JUDITH GAP, Dec.

-The Red Cross membership drive here brought in $76.50. Fight Waged On Insects In Chouteau FORT. BENTON, Dec. cial) -One hundred and ninety Chouteau county farmers used 000 pounds of grasshopper bait on 25,000 acres, according to the annual report of County Agent Peterson. Eighteen thousand pounds of Mormon cricket bait were used on 2,435 acres and 29 operators used 4,700 pounds of bait on 250 acres in cutworm control.

Rodent control also received attention, 346 farmers putting out 7,070 pounds of poisoned oats (kill Richardson squirrels and prairie dogs. In a 4-H- contest the result was 532 rattlesnakes killed, 244 moles, 3,673 magpies, 61 crows, 39 porcupines and 54 coyotes. Many meetings were held for discussion of land use, size of unit and taxation. There were 29 agricultural conservation and farm defense meetings and two livestock tours. The extension office sisted in marketing $53.431.07 farm produce or other articles.

During the year Claris Brown was employed as permanent home demonstration agent. Nineteen clubs with 300 members are now carrying on this program in the county. Along the line of better production, 52 farmers seeded 4.309 acres of Yogo and Karmont wheat from high quality seed. Tillage was demonstrated with 200 attending. Twenty-nine germination and 27 protein tests were made.

AAA Committee Named FORT BENTON, Dec. -AAA delegates from 14 farm communities elected the following county committee: Ray Fishbaugh, Carter, chairman; S. M. Dyrland, Big Sandy, and Arthur Johnson, Highwood, committee members: Henry Anderson, Geraldine, Thomas H. Haight, Portage, alternates.

Gecrge Vielleax was elected secretary and Georgia Collins, treasurer..