The Montana Central Railroad

Casey Jones as seen on TV

The Real Casey Jones

As you drive south down through Montana along the I-15 you will notice a railroad track that follows you along the hills and mountains, visible for the most part, disapearing for a little while as it searches out the easiest route south then reappearing again a few miles later.

This was one of the first things i noticed after i crossed the border at Sweetgrass, being an ex-railroadman my self it fascinated me. Those of yo who know me will know of my fascination with history and the old wild west.

If Im totally honest, this little railroad reminded me of a TV series i used to watch as a Kid, does anyone remember Casey jones (steamin' an' a rollin') ???

I loved that program although the real story of Casey Jones was a little more tragic, hey please indulge me a little while i tell you the true story then we can get back to the Montana Railroad.

In 1972 Gurner published his account of the accident based on Brotherhood
lodge records, official I.C. Railroad records, interviews and his own years of
experience as a fireman and engineer.

On the night of April 29,
1900, Casey and engine 382 with Sim Webb firing were listed out of Memphis on
train #1 with six cars southbound for Canton. Conductor was J. C. Turner. The
scheduled departure time was 11:15. Records indicate he left at 12:50; one hour
and thirty-five minutes late.

A good engine, a good fireman, a light train and away late; the perfect
setting for a record run. He made that record run too, if the oft quoted
departure time of 12:50 is correct, for Casey went to Goodman on time for a meet
with #2.

While Casey was rolling south, the stage was being set for his tragic
wreck. Freights #72 and #83 were both in the passing track at Vaughan and there
were more cars than the track would hold. It was necessary for these trains to
move north or south to clear the main line switches in order to allow other
trains to pass; this is known as a saw- by.

Meanwhile, northbound local passenger #26 arrived from Canton and had
to be sawed in on the house track west of the main line. As #83 and #72 sawed
back south to clear the north passing track switch, an air house broke on #72
and he couldn't move. Several cars of #83's train were still out on the main
line above the north switch.

Engine 382 crashed through the caboose and several cars and came to
rest on the right side pointing back north. Casey was fatally wounded in the
throat. He was carried one-half mile to the depot were he died lying on a
baggage wagon.

The railroad's formal investigation concluded that "Engineer Jones was
solely responsible for the accident as consequence of not having properly
responded to flag signals."

Okay back to the article:

Although trails wound there way through the Montana frontier, the first major freight and transportation facilities into the state were the steamboats along the Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers. Later, several well-marked "highways" gave connection by wagon train with the east and south.

The telegraph linked Virginia City with Salt Lake City as early as 1866 and by 1910 a network of railroads was constructed across the state. The railroads played a significant role in the economic development of Montana.

After the Civil War, railroad builders turned their attention to the far West, where the local people — ranchers, miners, and town boosters — begged for rail connections to lucrative markets. To remote Montana communities the railroads meant everything. Local promoters dreamed of a railroad through their town that would bring them instant prosperity and the promise of continued growth. Ranchers needed railroads to reach national and international markets, and miners needed the railroads to import heavy machinery and export precious metals. In the 1880s, this dream was realized as Montana became one of the leading industrial mining areas in the world which combined with livestock production, led to flush times and statehood in 1889.

The dream of a transcontinental railroad captured men's minds before the Civil War but differences between the North and the South made it impossible. Finally in 1869 the Union Pacific-Central Pacific line linked Omaha to Sacramento. The line followed the old Oregon Trail route. The announcement of the first transcontinental railroad convinced the states and communities far removed from its tracks that they too should have lines to serve them. In July, 1864, Congress agreed and issued a charter for construction of the Northern Pacific Railroad, which would link Minnesota and the Pacific coast. Despite an enormous land grant from the government hard financial time's lead to the bankruptcy of the Northern Pacific. Montanans felt that they would be forever cut off from civilization.

However, at the time, other railroads had their sights on Montana. The Utah and Northern Railroad began construction northward from Salt Lake City to the rich mining regions of southwestern Montana. Their plan was to link the completed Union Pacific with Helena and Butte. Construction proceeded at a snail's pace and the Union Pacific, fearful of competition from the resurrected Northern Pacific bought the Utah and Northern and pushed ahead with construction. On the evening of December 26, 1881, on a bitterly cold night, the first Utah and Northern Union Pacific train entered Butte. The railroad had won the race and tapped the lucrative Butte mining trade.

Meanwhile the Northern Pacific had recovered from its financial woes and resumed construction. Crews moved eastward from Washington and Idaho along the Clark Fork River and west from Billings to Livingston, along the Yellowstone River, and eventually over Bozeman Pass to the Missouri River country and Helena. The final or "Golden Spike" was driven in near Garrison, west of Helena, on September 8, 1883. Montanans had a lot to celebrate, as two railroads had reached the state and with them the promise of a bright economic future.

While these two railroads were being completed, industrial visionary, Jim Hill, proposed the Great Northern line across northern Montana to link St. Paul with the Puget Sound. Hill also recognized the agricultural and mining potential of the semi-arid high plains of North Dakota and Montana. He believed the prairies could become a rich grain-producing area and pushed his railroad west to Minot by 1886. Hill also had a nose for investment in the mining industry. His plan was to link his Great Northern Railway with the Montana Central line — which ran from Butte through Helena, to Great Falls — to benefit from the lucrative mining business.
What followed was one of the epic chapters in the history of railroads. Hill began his push across North Dakota and Montana. Eight thousand men worked on the grading crews and 650 more built bridges and laid track. From early May to mid-October 1887, they averaged over three-and-one-half miles of track a day and completed the route from Minot to Great Falls. Despite the effort, Hill still faced the difficult task of crossing the Great Divide. John F. Stephens, Hill's chief engineer, battled a winter blizzard and located Marias Pass on the south edge of what would become Glacier National Park. Marias Pass provided an excellent crossing. The railroad reached Puget Sound in 1893.

Two other railroads then pushed into Montana, the Burlington from the Midwest — which linked with Northern Pacific, opening new markets for both — and the electrified Milwaukee Road. In the course of 30 years, the railroads had literally transformed the state. They help contribute to new cities like Billings, Havre, and Great Falls and breathed life into the established towns of Helena, Butte, Bozeman, and Missoula. The railroads spurred development of the states major industries — mining, livestock, and lumber. Montana farms finally were connected to markets in the East and in Europe. In the years 1879 - 1909, the economy of Montana was built by the railroads.