One of those ten books I toted from out the used bookstore in Dickinson on Tuesday was A Study of the 1876 Bismarck to Deadwood Trail. Published by the Butte County (SD) Historical Society, it contains lots of good information. The trail or road followed the most direct overland route between the two places of Bismarck and Deadwood. At the time of the trail's heyday, Bismarck was the end of the rail line, a fact which meant that freight headed to the Black Hills gold rush could go no further, so it was off-loaded onto wagons and made its way slowly pulled by oxen.
When the railroad bridge across the Missouri was completed and freight hauled further west, closer trails to the Hills were established. The bridge pictured above sets on the original pilings constructed for the first span. An interesting picture I have seen shows eight steam engines each with their tenders parked on the bridge. The caption explains they were exhibiting the strength of the bridge. Luckily it was strong enough. The fact that the original piers still stand in use attests to the quality of construction.
A closer look at this picture shows a sandy beach with people strolling on it. This beach has not always been there. It resulted from the deposits of last year's huge flooding in the river. It has become such a popular spot this summer that the police can hardly control the traffic and parking problems that have arisen.
Another book I found, Whoa...Yuh Sonsabitches, written by a local rancher named Edgar "Frosty" Potter lived somewhere in the Flasher vicinity and wrote of the old days living on the ranch established by his father. There are so many stories in it, but one caught my eye last night as I paged through. He wrote, "The big horse barn was made out of two-inch by twelve-inch cottonwood planks hauled from old Fort Lincoln south of Mandan. This was, of course, after General Custer had taken on the Sioux and Cheyenne in the Battle of the Little Big Horn." So that's where it went! The old settlers didn't let things go to waste. I imagine the lumber from the buildings went many directions, first come, first served. Fort Ransom suffered the same fate. After the army abandoned it, those buildings were dismantled and hauled away to build other structures.
On this Friday, the 13th, this blog entry should end with Ole and Sven taking their first train ride. They had brought bananas for lunch. Just as they began to peel them, the train entered a long, dark tunnel. "Have you eaten your banana yet?" Ole asked excitedly. "No," Lars said. "Vell, don't touch it then," says Ole, "I yust took vun bite and I vent blind!"
When the railroad bridge across the Missouri was completed and freight hauled further west, closer trails to the Hills were established. The bridge pictured above sets on the original pilings constructed for the first span. An interesting picture I have seen shows eight steam engines each with their tenders parked on the bridge. The caption explains they were exhibiting the strength of the bridge. Luckily it was strong enough. The fact that the original piers still stand in use attests to the quality of construction.
A closer look at this picture shows a sandy beach with people strolling on it. This beach has not always been there. It resulted from the deposits of last year's huge flooding in the river. It has become such a popular spot this summer that the police can hardly control the traffic and parking problems that have arisen.
Another book I found, Whoa...Yuh Sonsabitches, written by a local rancher named Edgar "Frosty" Potter lived somewhere in the Flasher vicinity and wrote of the old days living on the ranch established by his father. There are so many stories in it, but one caught my eye last night as I paged through. He wrote, "The big horse barn was made out of two-inch by twelve-inch cottonwood planks hauled from old Fort Lincoln south of Mandan. This was, of course, after General Custer had taken on the Sioux and Cheyenne in the Battle of the Little Big Horn." So that's where it went! The old settlers didn't let things go to waste. I imagine the lumber from the buildings went many directions, first come, first served. Fort Ransom suffered the same fate. After the army abandoned it, those buildings were dismantled and hauled away to build other structures.
On this Friday, the 13th, this blog entry should end with Ole and Sven taking their first train ride. They had brought bananas for lunch. Just as they began to peel them, the train entered a long, dark tunnel. "Have you eaten your banana yet?" Ole asked excitedly. "No," Lars said. "Vell, don't touch it then," says Ole, "I yust took vun bite and I vent blind!"
