Old Missoula

An article in The Daily Missoulian in 1911 focused on the original Worden & Co. Store at old Hell Gate. The store was started in 1860 by Frank L. Worden and C. P. Higgins, the two gentlemen who are generally considered the founders of the city of Missoula. The article discussed early commerce, prices and the people who shopped in the establishment. Along with information on Judge Frank Woody who clerked in that store the article below profiles a host of early Missoulians. The text of the article appears below:

 

Down the river four miles there is Hell Gate. There is a low building there, made of hewn cottonwood logs, mud-chinked, serviceable and warm yet, despite the weather of half a century and more, and in daily use, as granary and storehouse. This building is the store of Worden & Co., Frank L. Worden and C. P. Higgins. It is the first mercantile establishment anywhere near Missoula and it was established in 1860. In it was sold everything, literally, groceries, clothes, hardware and anything else the pioneers of western Montana could ask for. In August, 1860, the store was opened. Judge Frank H. Woody was clerk there from 1860 to the spring of 1862. Then he quit and the two proprietors worked alone until April in 1864. Then, for a year, Judge Woody, who, of course, hadn’t even dreamed of becoming Judge Woody then, came back to the store. In 1865 James P. Reinhard – “Jimmy” Reinhard – came out of Missouri and the store was moved to Missoula, which wasn’t Missoula at all then, but Missoula Mills. The store was moved, says Judge Woody, about the last of November or the first of December.

“Reinhard worked there quite a while,” says Judge Woody, “and in 1868 he went into business for himself. Then, Worden & Co. had a whole generation of clerks. This store, once it had been moved to Missoula Mills, was on West Front street – where Front street is now, I mean – a few doors below what is now the Florence hotel block.”

The store continued, of course, to handle the general stock and to do a trading business with the ranchers and other inhabitants of the country. All of its goods were shipped from St. Louis up the Missouri river or were packed in from Walla Walla. In 1864, again according to Judge Woody, the annual consignment for the Missoula Mills store started up the river but grounded at Nebraska city, where it was hauled in by bull teams. That year there must have been close figuring and a lack of cove oysters, which constituted the chief delicacy and extravagance of the times. Cove oysters sold for $1.50 a can and were frequently stakes in games of “Seven up” played in the old store.

Judge Woody doesn’t think that the old timers drank any more than do the men today, but, he says, they did drink. When they did, they paid $9.00 a gallon for their whiskey and a popular fad was to encourage thirst by eating oysters. This, it must be said, made carousals in the olden days rather expensive.

Then, there are other prices that make the present day cost of living seem very modest. The first people of Missoula Mills and western Montana paid $1 for a linen handkerchief without a murmur and spent $2.50 with equal cheerfulness when they wanted one of silk. A box of matches cost 25 cents and a plug of tobacco 75 cents. A white shirt was worth $5.00 and trousers ran all the way from $11 to $16. Overalls cost $3.50 a pair, “and they were not as good overalls as we get today, I reckon,” says Judge Woody.

An old day-book of the Missoula Mills store, kept by “Jimmy” Reinhard and now the property of W. C. Murphy, gives the prices quoted above, along with a lot more just as interesting. Also, it gives a picture of life in the ‘60s in Missoula Mills and lets us know how the first settlers lived. The ranchers “ran a bill” at the store until after harvest, then they came in and settled up, getting $4 a bushel for their wheat and receiving proportionate prices for other produce. The old journal tells, also, something of the social life. A day or so ago Judge Woody was looking through the book. He saw that one day’s sales included several white shirts – price $5 – and numerous pairs of trousers – worse than that a lot – and that there had been a run on neckties and handkerchiefs. “Ah,” said he, “there was a dance that night.”

Then came Christmas days, 1866. “Jimmy” Reinhard charged a lot of oysters to himself, along with a box of cigars and sundry other luxuries and a lot of the male inhabitants – and the population was about all male – bought shirts and hats in great numbers. L. McLarin came in and bought two window shades. Then, evidently, he changed his mind, for the entry is scratched and underneath there is: “One gallon whiskey, $9.”

The real Christmas celebration, if a selfish one, was put on by A. Babb, of whom Judge Woody can remember nothing. He bought an overcoat for $42, a dress coat for $35, a vest for $8, two handkerchiefs for $3, one hat for $9, one necktie for 75 cents, a pair of drawers for $3, two linen shirts for $10, one pair of boots for $12, one bottle of sweet oil for $2, one bottle of perfume for $2, three plugs of tobacco for $2.25, one pair of trousers for $14, another hat “for dad,” for $7 and a white shirt for $4.50. His bill amounted to $156.50. He was the banner customer for the day. On the day after Christmas L. McLarin paid $7.50 for a looking glass, probably to determine whether or not he looked as bad as he felt. Clerk Reinhard has noted, in pencil, on the margin of the book that the snow was eight inches deep on that Christmas day.

That was a tough winter, too, for the journal says, again in the marginal penciling, that on March 21 the snow was two feet deep all over the valley, with several inches in town, while the river was frozen to the depth of half a foot. Two days later the thermometer registered 14 degrees below zero. The cold spell didn’t last long, however, for a note made on the 25^th reads: “Bright and pleasant.”

There is another source of information in the old book, however. It gives what is practically a census of the town and the country surrounding. The store was really a clearing house, and through it the people lived, to a great degree. From the rich storehouse that is his memory Judge Woody has given the following facts concerning the old-timers who traded at the old store:

Abram Haney came from the east, having made the trip around the Horn. He was an especial friend of Mr. Worden, the two being great chums. Haney was a carpenter and remained here two or three years before he returned east.

“Billy” Stevens, Judge Woody says, ran a hotel at what is now the intersection of Pattee and Front streets. He was improvident and was always in debt. He went from Missoula to Idaho, where he died.

David Pattee came here in a very early day. He traded at Fort Owen in 1857 and in Missoula Mills. When Worden & Co. started their store, in 1860, they bought from him the cottonwood logs of which the store was built. He had a farm up Pattee canyon, named for him, as is a city street. He spent the evening of his life in Los Angeles.

Harding brothers have many an entry against them in the old book. The brothers, Anning and Dwight, came from Pennsylvania. They did various things, running a butcher shop for a time. Both died here.

Pat Bray, says the judge was an Irishman from Minnesota, a miner in Deer Lodge county. Pat came to Missoula for his supplies.

Pierre M. Lafountaine was known as “Johnny Crapeau.” He came to Missoula – what is now Missoula – in 1856 from Canada and is now living on the east side of the Bitter Root river in this county.

R. M. Biggs was a carpenter, but worked at anything he could get to do. He took up a ranch on Grant creek, afterward the property of John Rankin and part of the Rankin estate, and then drifted away.

C. C. Edmundson was a pioneer of the ‘60s. He took up the ranch now known as the “Cold Springs ranch,” got a patent to it and then went to Arkansas.

Weller and Dyer, appearing on the book as a firm, had the first blacksmith’s shop here. Both left the county for eastern Montana.

E. L. Bonner and D. J. Welch were, really, the founders of the present Missoula Mercantile company. They ran a store here and, after Welch withdrew from the partnership, Bonner took in A. B. Hammond and R. A. Eddy. Welch went to Butte, where he was elected county treasurer. He died there.

L. Kirshner was known as “Dad” by the system of nicknames that spared but few of the men of the early days. He was a carpenter. He returned to Columbus, Ohio, his home.

Henry Buckhouse came to Hell Gate in 1864. He was a smith. He had a ranch near the present city. There his widow and children reside now.

Jack Comstock was a laborer and prospector. The store records show that he was a most consistent drinker. He left here for Fort Benton and disappeared, as far as Missoula Mills was concerned.

J. B. Lavallee was an old-country Frenchman. He was a smith and had a ranch on Lavallee creek above De Smet. When he sold this ranch he moved to Frenchtown, where he died.

George P. White lived on a ranch five miles below town. He was a rancher and afterward ran a store at Hell Gate. He was the father of “Chick” White.

John Gregory came from Walla Walla and opened a blacksmith shop, although he was not a smith himself. The name of his partner has been lost. A child of Gregory was drowned in the flume that supplied water to the old mill from the Rattlesnake. He returned to Walla Walla.

The nickname of John McKay was “Brady.” He was a carpenter.

Milo Russell was a shoemaker. He was a married man and lived in a cabin on West Front street.

E. L. Newell was a millwright, the principal artisan in the construction of the mill that gave Missoula part of its first name.

M. W. Tipton lived on a ranch two miles the other side of Frenchtown. From there he went to Pueblo, Colo., where he contracted smallpox and died.

Moses Reeves worked about town and had a grist mill above Frenchtown.

Louis Brown, “No. 1” was an old Canadian hunter and trapper of the Kit Carson type. At Colville, Wash., he had married an Indian woman and in ’58 he came to Frenchtown. Later he moved to the reservation. Going home one night from Ravalli, after the Northern Pacific came through, he was run over, and killed.

George M. Windes, whose name appears many times in the old book, was one of the millwrights in the force that built the mill here.

Then, there is W. B. Higgins, “William Bolivar Shakespeare,” was his nickname says Judge Woody. He was a Yankee and no relation to the Higgins family, still represented here. He married a sister of F. L. Worden. From here he went to Winnipeg, then settled on the Yellowstone, finally going to California. There he died.

The names of Fred Loveland and Henry P. Larrabee appear in the old book as a firm. They were ranchers up Pattee canyon. Larrabee was the first regularly elected sheriff after the county was organized. He left Missoula for Missouri or Arkansas before he died, says Judge Woody. Loveland spent the evening of his life in Illinois.

Anderson and Thayer were lawyers of Lewiston, Idaho, who prospected in western Montana and spent a winter here. Anderson died at Globe, Arizona, and Thayer finished his career at Portland.

Louis Clairmont was an American Fur company man who worked about Fort Owen. He married a halfbreed and took up a ranch on Burnt Fork. Then he moved to the reservation and died there.

Walter W. Johnson was a civil engineer and surveyed the first townships in the county. He went back to Washington and later on, acquired an interest in a mine in Virginia. He fell down the shaft and was killed.

The name of Father Ravalli is in the book many times. The famous priest was in the midst of his active career at that time.

The T. F. Meagher of the day book was General Thomas Francis Meagher, afterward acting governor of the territory. He stepped overboard from a steamer at Fort Benton and his body was never found.

G. W. Dobbins came to the Bitter Root in ’62. He conducted a smithy and a saloon for a long time and is now living on the edge of Stevensville. He was known as “Red.”

Much has been written of Major John Owen, Indian agent in charge of Fort Owen at Stevensville and a member of the legislature when it met at Virginia City. He came from Philadelphia and died at Camden, N. J. of softening of the brain.

H. W. Miller was the hero of one of the first romances of the Montana frontier. In 1855 he arrived in Utah form New York state, spending that winter in the Mormon settlement, where Ogden now stands. There he fell in love with a young Mormon girl, but, as he was a Gentile, her relatives would not consent to a marriage. In the following spring Miller and the young lady took horses and escaped from the settlement, making their way to Fort Hall, a trading post of the Hudson Bay company.

William Raup, a carpenter, took up 160 acres just above the bridge. The university now stands upon part of this land now and the remainder lies in Montana addition. “I bought this from Raup for $1,600 for Captain Higgins,” says Judge Woody. Raup went to California.

About R. R. Smith, bartender and musician, there is little to be said.

R. A. Pelkey was a printer from St. Louis, a Frenchman. He learned his trade in the office of the old Missouri Republican. He had been in California in the early days and had worked his way up north, also. He took a Colville Indian woman as his wife and came here in 1860. She ran away and left him with two children. One of them, R. A. Pelkey, Jr., was at one time a newspaper man at Butte. Pelkey had the first hotel here.

A. H. Ross was brought out from St. Louis by Mr. Worden to work as a clerk. He was well educated, a man of fine tastes, “and a good clerk,” adds Judge Woody. Ross never talked about his family, but there was an understanding that he was the illegitimate son of a British officer, who had educated him. He was of an adventurous turn and in 1872, when the preliminary survey of the Northern Pacific was being made he and several others started down the river in a boat. They encountered rapids on the other side of Frenchtown and the boat was swamped. Ross was drowned. “he had, evidently, had a presentment of his fate,” says the judge, “for it was found that he had made a will before he started, leaving all he had to Worden and Higgins.”

C. C. O’Keefe was “Baron” O’Keefe. He came with the maker of the Mullan military road and settled on a ranch above the Marent trestle.

Cy McWhirk was a gardener. McWhirk addition was his property.

Matt Adams ranched up the Bitter Root about 20 miles, near where the McClains live. He served as county assessor. He moved from here to Fort Benton and married an [Indian lady].

John H. Harkins was a farm hand of the early days. He went from here to Riverside county California.

T. W. Harris was an early-day clerk at Fort Owen. He died on his ranch on Three Mile creek.

Bowen and Minesinger – the latter’s initials being J. M. – were partners on a ranch. Minesinger took up what is now known as the Lehsou ranch. Also, he platted the first townsite here. He married a Snake Indian woman and his son is now working for the Northern Pacific out of Missoula.

Toft is the name of a German draughtsman and musician. Fifty years have lost his first name. Besides he was here but one winter.

C. H. Hayden was an Englishman who cooked in the hotel and later opened a livery and feed stable. From here he traveled to the Puget Sound country and went broke. “A cousin of one of the Hardings afterwards saw him on his way to the poor farm,” says the judge.

Gus Tebeau was a farm hand who went to Walla Walla from here.

J. S. Caldwell came into the country in 1860 with General Mullan. He settled in Grass valley, on land now owned by Gaspard Deschamps.

Ed Corran was a Canadian, who worked at Fort Benton and then at Fort Owen. With his Flathead wife, he settled on Burnt Fork, afterward moving to the reservation, where he died.

A. H. Chapman ran a livery stable. He was married here and moved to Stevensville, where he acquired a ranch and spent the remainder of his life.

R. Marshall had a ranch between here and Bonner. From here he went to St. Anne, Los Angeles county.

H. Larivie had a hotel at Frenchtown and a ranch near there. He was killed by a falling log while cutting timber on Nine-Mile creek.

E. A. P. Hillman, a French Canadian, was a laborer. He died here.

Morgan Spencer was a rancher near Frenchtown. With his father-in-law, Milton W. Tipton, he went to Pueblo and died there.

Ned Williamson made clothes out of buckskin for the old-timers. He died on the Crow reservation.

A. G. England came into this country in 1864 with a packtrain and took up a ranch. He was from Illinois, Judge Woody thinks. He was the father of O. G. England.

Charles McCarty, an old stage driver, took up what is called the Tyler ranch, where he died.

Jack Upton was a prospector.

Moses Duncan was one-fourth negro. He died on his ranch, in what is now the Orchard Homes district.

W. H. Parent lived on a ranch on Grant creek.

Cornelius Coakley owned a ranch near where Charles Winter now lives. He sold this property and moved away.

G. Gallagher was a carpenter without much of a local record.

Pat Shea was an Irish laborer.

Antoine Martineau was a Frenchman from St. Louis. He had a ranch near DeSmet and moved to Fort Benton.

E. A. (Sandy) Baugh was a trader, but where he went is as little known as what happened to him there.

Gaspard Deschamps is still in business in Missoula, one of the wealthiest men in western Montana.

John Switzer had a half interest in a store at Frenchtown, the first one there.

Oliver & Co. were two Mormons, who ran a stage line between Missoula and Deer Lodge.

Anthony Chaffin was a rancher up the Bitter Root, just above Corvallis. He moved into Yellowstone County.

H. Fox was a packer. He moved onto the Crow reservation and married into the tribe.

F. Bisson was a rancher, living on the north side of the Missoula river between the city and the juncture of the Bitter Root river.

John Fisher was an old miner and prospector from California. He died at Kalispell.

James Wood, a packer, came from Walla Walla and went to Hailey, Idaho.

Champion Kinney was a farmer and a freighter. He left his wife here, divorced her, and married again at Fort McLeod.

Ashbury Plumber ran a livery stable and finally moved onto a ranch near Florence.

John Grant, Chaptain Grant’s son, lived at Deer Lodge. He moved to British Columbia and died there.

La Shaw, another man whose Christian name is lost, was a Frenchtown farmer.

John Sullivan lived in a cabin at the end of West Front street. His wife died here and he moved to Wyoming.

J. C. Jones was a rancher near De Smet. “He used to bring butter to town.” says the judge, “and it was rattling good butter too.” He moved to Utah.

L. McLarin was a Scotchman from Canada, a Hudson Bay man. He married the daughter of Captain Grant, a sister of Mrs. Captain Higgins, and moved back to Minnesota.

W. Bills came here from Colville with an Indian wife. He lived down the valley, on what is now one of the Deschamps ranches. He began to go blind and went to Cincinnati to have his eyes treated. He died there. He was the father of Mrs. J. R. Latimer.

J. R. Latimer was a farmer until several years ago, when he sold his ranch. Mr. Latimer is now a resident of Missoula and a prominent citizen.

“Hank” Cone was a rancher on the Skalkaho. He moved to the Raft river country in southern Idaho.

John Hall was a laborer and freighter. He ran away owing the store between $600 and $700.

William Broderick had a ranch below Frenchtown. He died near Helena.

R. W. Sherman was a rancher and freighter, who lived up the Bitter Root, near Corvallis. He moved into Meagher county and grew rich in the cattle business. There he was elected county commissioner.

John Chatfield was a consumptive who came here to die, but couldn’t. He ran a saloon at Stevensville and died of old age.

W. H. Jacoby ran the mill. He died here.

Luther Richards lived on a ranch below Frenchtown.

Peter Ranton was a laborer and then a teamster. He was hauling logs on the flat below where the Clark dam now is at Bonner and was crushed to death by a log.

J. B. Spooner was a Frenchman. He owned a ranch up the Bitter Root where he still lives.

Perry Eldridge was a laborer.

T. M. Pomeroy was justice of the peace, then probate judge and then clerk of court. He was a Masonic grand master and went to Butte to assist in the laying of the corner stone for the Masonic temple there. Coming back something happened to his train and he was forced, with the other passengers, to walk several miles into Deer Lodge. He contracted pneumonia and died there. He owned the property that is now the Union block.

James Donovan, “Little Guy,” carried the mail between here and Ponderay lake when W. A. Clark and Warren Whitcher had the contract.

R. A. Eddy was a partner of E. L. Bonner. He is now living in Paris.

Rev. Father Grassi was a priest at St. Ignatius mission.

“Judge” Jasper Rand was a lawyer. From here he went to Livingston, where he worked up a large practice. There he died.

C. C. Ralls was an “old wood workman,” to quote Judge Woody. He made chairs and lived near Stevensville.

Isaac Carruthers kept a roadhouse at Clinton, known as “Dirty Ike’s Place.”

Baptiste Ethier was a miner and rancher. From Frenchtown he moved to the reservation.

J. W. Wells came from Salt Lake. He was a freighter.

Joseph Blodgett, a Salt Lake Mormon, died on the Flathead reservation.

E. W. Parks had a ferry at the mouth of the St. Regis river. He sold out and went to Washington.

C. Levasseur was a merchant at Hell Gate.

N. [Napolean] Fitzstubbs was in charge of the Hudson Bay Company’s post on the other side of St. Ignatius. He went to Nelson, B. C.

Dr. J. B. Busker came from California to Idaho and then here. He served as probate judge and died here.