Pages of Time...A History of Petroleum County
Lewistown News-Argus **
Sunday, December 16, 1990 Christmas Edition

    The book documents the location of almost 50 post offices and 100 schools which served the area. In addition, it contains varying amounts of history concerning over 3,300 families or individuals who have resided within the bounds of present-day Petroleum County. Comprehensive maps accompany the text.

    Chapter introductions present a valid history of each section of Petroleum County. The following are excerpts from each chapter.

Petroleum County Introduction

    "Petroleum County encompasses 1,064,950 acres of land or approximately 1680 square miles. (The state of Rhode Island contains only 1214 square miles!) All the streams in the county drain eastward into the Missouri. The rolling plains become rough river breaks as they approach the two rivers. Much of the soil is heavy clay, clay and silt loams, or fine sandy loam. Altitude range from 2950 feet at Winnett to the normal pool level of Forth Peck Reservoir at 1146 feet.

    "The climate in Petroleum County is semi-arid, marked by cold winters, occasionally as low as 50 below zero, and warm to hot summers which sometimes reach 110 degrees. The average yearly precipitation is 12.75 inches. Thunderstorms and hail are not uncommon, and winter blizzards with fierce winds can develop quickly and last for several days. The country is located in what is commonly referred to as the chinook belt, where warm downslope winds can cause temperatures to fluctuate as much as 40 degrees in less than one hour.

    "The capricious nature of the weather was typified in December of Montana's Centennial Year of 1989. Twenty-four inches of snow fell in a ten-day period. When the storm cleared, the temperature fell to 44 degrees below zero on the morning of December 21. On December 23 warm chinook winds began to blow, and the temperature reached 46 degrees above zero!

    "There were 1410 registered voters in 17 precincts in eastern Fergus County when Petroleum County was formed in 1924; in 1989, there were 315 registered voters and only one precinct. The Winnett Times in 1926 estimated the total population to be 3,000 with 609 homes -- 112 in the town, 497 in the rural area. The last official census in 1980 indicated there were 655 people in the county, 207 of them in the town of Winnett.

    "Petroleum County began official operation with 13 post offices within its bounds. There had been almost twice that many throughout the early years. In 1989, there is one post office and two rural stations, (Cat Creek and Teigen)."

Ashley

    "The Ashleys were already settled in their fine ranch on Cottonwood Creek before the land was invaded by the homesteaders. When all their new neighbors flocked in, the need for a post office and store became evident. The Ashley Post Office was established in their home September 8, 1913. Ashleys also stocked a store for the convenience of the many new arrivals.

    "When Mrs. Ashley became ill, the post office was closed May 14, 1921. A valiant attempt was made in July of the same year to open an office in another building near the same site. The plan did not succeed. Established mail routes from Winnett finally served some of the people of the community.

    "In 1917 a post office named Drulett was established in the northwest corner of the Ashley area in Sec. 7-17-27. This met the postal needs of those who were far removed from any other office. Robert F. Wright was the postmaster who served until the office opened in 1921."

Blakeslee

    "So what's this country look like? the rapt listener inquired. "After all, Montana's a long way from Minnesota, and it'd have to be something for me to move my family that far from home.'

    "Bill Rowland must have just shaken his head and grinned. 'It's a land like no other, Dan - country a man can wrestle with, sink his teeth into -- maybe win maybe lose.' Dan frowned, so Bill continued. 'At first glance the land looks flat, but there are coulees, draws, hills and creeks hidden among the flats. The place has a rugged beauty all its own. I followed a rim rock that drops off into a natural basin. Another ridge covered with pines and cedar runs parallel to it farther north. There are a few good creeks.'

    "I'm a farmer, Bill. What about the soil -- is it any good?'

    "From what I could tell, the soil must be fertile. The grass looks good, Just sink your plow in, turn that sagebrush under, and watch the wheat grow.' Now it was Dan's turn to grin.

    "So the talk began around the Minnesota area, and by 1910, Bill Rowland, who had homesteaded on Bear Creek, have convinced Dan Sommerfield, Pierce and Nick Wirzfeld, Lewis Imsande, Jacob Kelzer, Herb Baker and Roy Greenfield to move their families to virgin land north and west of Winnett. The early homesteaders must have surveyed the vast sweep of land with mixed emotions. There was not much water, no trees to speak of, and few neighbors. But, there were miles of relatively flat land, new life. They rolled up their sleeves, unloaded their wagons, and went to work.

Brush Creek

    "A post office was never established in this section of the country, but eventually a delivery route was set up between Winnett and Cat Creek which went through the area. In 1927 a route from the Golden Rule Ranch to the Plutschack Ranch, then east to Ashley was started, with a return route over the steel bridge across Box Elder Creek.

    "This particular region was probably best known for its potential as an irrigated farmland. On January 27th and 28th, 1911, ten gentlemen gathered in Lewistown for the purpose of organizing the Winnett Irrigation Company. They were Walter J. Winnett, William H. Tobin, Rudolph Von Tobel, George J. Wiedenman, C.E. Traweek, I.W. Hobensack, Ned Hardy, F.F. Attix, Abraham Hogeland, and David Hilger. This would have a very positive effect on the agriculture in the Brush Creek area and land east of War House Lake...

    "On April 17, 1931, the following item was in the Winnett Times; 'Last Saturday Mr. and Mrs. Good of the Brush Creek School took the seven pupils, namely Gerald, Leona and Irene Quigley, Evelyn Elde, Monrad Elde, LeRoy Bailey, and Laura McCrery, to Lewistown to spend the day. Most of the pupils had never been in any town or city except Winnett or other very small places.

    "The mountains and scenery proved exceptionally interesting to the students. They discovered many sights that had never seen before. At noon hour they drove to the Moccasin mountains for a wiener roast, and most of the crowd climbed a high butte, which took one hour to do.

    "This afternoon was spent in Lewistown in various ways. The "dime store" (F.W. Woolworth Co.) drew the children's attention most of the time. They were taken for a ride on the elevator in Power's store, and had so much fun that they wanted to ride all afternoon. One amusing remark among dozens of others just after a little girl noticed the street light bulbs was, "What are all those balloons on the street for?"

    "Other sights they noticed were the different windows filled with beautiful things, a telephone, water fountains, some trout, the courthouse, and so many other things it would be impossible to mention them. The crowd stayed to see the city with all its lights. They departed for home declaring they had a wonderful time, a day never to be forgotten by pupils or teacher."

Cat Creek

    Cat Creek, a small community east of Winnett, was the site of the first commercial oil field in Montana. The following relates the story of the historic notification of the discovery of oil:

    "On February 19, 1920, the well reached the second Cat Creek sand with a promising show of oil. The drilling crew had strict orders to notify officials of the Frantz Corporation about an oil strike before any news leaked to the public. Much government land was involved and the Frantz people wanted to be able to tie-up the leases before an "oil rush" developed. This was of such importance to them that they had a pre-arranged code worked out with the drilling crew. They knew that information would have to be sent by telegram -- not a very private means of communication.

    "Under the agreed upon code 'trees grow tall' indicated a big well; 'trees grow small' meant a small well; if the trees didn't grow, then there wasn't a well; 'Come ye men of war' meant 'bring a number of men. 'The telegram which was sent read 'PINE TREES GROW TALL HERE, COME YE MEN OF WAR.'

    "Rumors flew during the weekend of February 21 and 22. No outsiders were allowed near the well and this only added to the speculation. On Monday, C.T. Lupton, Glen added to the speculation. On Monday, C.T. Lupton, Glen Kahle, J.W. Clayton, O.A. Greybeal, J.W. McKinn, Edward J. McMahom and Eugene McCarthy, all officers of the Frantz Corporation, arrived on the scene to witness the official bringing in of the oil. On February 25, a special edition of the Winnett Times ran with headlines: 'FRANTZ WELL IN WITH BIG PRODUCTION.'

Dovetail-Valentine

    Valentine had the first post office in the area. It was officially designated on May 10, 1903, with Maud Lorimer as postmaster. There were very few other post offices in all of eastern Fergus County at the time. Grass Range and Flatwillow had opened in 1883, Roy in 1892, Edgewater in 1900 and Weede in 1901. Winnett did not have a post office until 1910.

    "The Dovetail post office was designated on April 18, 1916, with Martin Rigg as postmaster. A mail route ran from Valentine to Dovetail for many years. The mail carrier dropped off mail at the various homesteads along the route between the two post offices. The other people had to go to one or the other post office to pick up their mail..."

    "The Dovetail Butte has always been a well-known landmark, especially from the north side. There is still part of a travois trail on its flanks made by the Indians before the settlers moved into the area. They used the butte as a lookout point, because from the top they could see so far in every direction. From the south, the butte looks like a tall hill and is not really noticeable among the other hills.

    "From the north, however, it shows up for many miles - from the Little Rockies across the Missouri, up to the ridges by Roy, and east to the far side of the Musselshell Breaks. The butte was named because of a large triangle of trees and brush near the top that show black from a distance.  This triangle divides the butte so it looks like a dove's tail, hence 'Dovetail Butte.'

    "Dovetail Creek was named because of the way the head of the creek was formed by two seperate branches that came together in the shape of a dove's tail. Naturally the area around these landmarks became known as 'Dovetail."

Flatwillow

    The Flatwillow Hall is a well known community center. The following was written of it: "There is a song entitled "This Old House.' and the verse speaks of the old house 'knowing' his children and wife, and knowing his strife." This Old Hall has known our parents, our grandparents, our friend, and neighbors. It has helped us celebrate Christmas, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving births and weddings. It has shown us many good times with pleasant memories. It has helped us say 'goodbye' to our loved ones and to honor them on Memorial Day. It has served as church, a sports arena, a dance hall, and anything else it was needed for!"

    "Jinks" Jelinek of this area wrote:

    "Spring in Montana was to me a never ceasing wonder. It was a time of the awakening of the soil, nature stretching and shaking to rid itself of those cold days and weeks when the sun hid itself behind snow clouds and sundogs who told us that more snow and or cold weather ws to be our lot. The horses and cattle looked unkept in their winter coats. Movement of men and animals was at a minimum. A time of silence when no birds sang, no ducks squawked. The geese had gone south.

    " 'With spring came the song of the meadowlark, ducks with their little ones swimming beside them, colts racing and kicking up their heels, calves drinking milk from their mother's udder, lambs running and then bouncing stiff-legged. Later in life I was to observe that youngsters on the school playground would run and jump and kick up their heels like colts just for the sheer joy (I guess) of being alive in Montana "now that spring is here."

    " 'It is time when the skies turn blue, the grass green, and the mosquitos have not yet hatched. There is a feeling of relief and optimism mingled together, and nature offers promises of a bountiful harvest. Robert Browning, the poet, wrote, "Oh to be in England now that April's there."

    " 'To paraphrase his writing, we would say, "Oh to be in Montana now that early June is there." The poet who wrote, "What is so rare as a day in June," must have visited Montana."

Kelley

    The Kelley community had a post office for only 25 years, but even so, there were over 100 families who left their bit of history in the area. John Munson wrote, "The Kelley community was a little kingdom unto itself and living there was a tremendous experience. When I think of 'the good old days,' I think of Kelley."

    The following remembrances from Kelley folks are typical of memories of many homesteaders in Petroleum County:

    --"Pie socials, box socials and kitchen dances were held, in spite of grasshoppers, hail and drought. How the married men did bid the young fellows up on the school marm's box!

    --"Teachers were their own janitors and lived in lonesome little teacherages or boarded with families.

    --"Charivaris were awesome and noisy. The neighbors quietly slipped in after dark, then serenaded the 'honored' couple by banging tubs and throwing cans on the roof. Then the lady was given a ride in a wheelbarrow. She was left on the lonesome prairie and her husband had to go find her. Gifts (including a carefully folder diaper!) were given to the couple at a dance and lunch after the charivari.

    --"In winter neighbors teamed together to saw ice out of coulees and water holes. The ice was sawed into chunks that could be handled with ice tongs. The blocks were hauled to an icehouse or cave and packed with straw or sawdust. The energy expended was well worth the effort when the hot and dry days of summer arrived. Ice for ice boxes and for crank ice cream freezers was one of the niceties of living!

    --"With the scarcity of water many families were forced to use the 'Order of the Bath' for the weekly body wash in the metal washtub. Baby was first, with an added teakettle of hot water for each successive older member of the family."

Musselshell, Missouri River Communities

    "The rivers provided the highways for the early development of Montana, and the Missouri River was the mightiest river of all. This put what was to become the northern boundary of Petroleum County on the 'main road!' Though Petroleum County is only three townships (or 18 miles) wide at its northern border, the Missouri River, with the UL bend and its other twists and turns gives many miles of river shore.

    "In its eastward flow, the Missouri River makes a bend to the south to meet the Musselshell River. Then it turns sharply to the north leaving a thin peninsula of land, perhaps six miles long bounded on each side by the Missouri River, and with the mouth of the Musselshell known as the UL Bend. Riverboat captains sometimes allowed their passengers to disembark and walk across the narrow, grassy, two-mile-wide peninsula of land while the steamboat made the thirteen mile river trip around the bend.

    "Lewis and Clark camped near the mouth of the Musselshell River on May 20, 1805. Lewis wrote in his diary (original spelling maintained):  'We halted at the entrance of the river on the point formed by it's junction with the Missouri determining to spend the day, making the necessary observations and send out some hunters to explore the country. The Muscle Shell river falls into the Missouri 2270 miles about its mouth, and is 110 yards in width, it affords much more water than streams of it's width generally do below, it's courant is by no means rappid, and from appearance it might be navigated with canoes a considerable distance....it's banks abrupt and about 12 feet high yet never appear to overflow; the waters of this river is of a greenish yellow cast, much more transparent than the Missouri...the Missouri opposite to this point is deep, gentle in it's courant, and 222 yards in width.

    " 'The hunters returned this evening and informed us that the country continued much the same in appearance as that we saw where we were or broken, and that about five miles above the the mouth of shell river a handsom river of about fifty yards in width discharged itself into the shell river on the Star. or upper side; this stream we called Sah-ca-ger-we-ah or bird woman's River, after our interpreter the Snake woman.'

    "Little did anyone realize the controversy which would be sparked a century and a half later because of this journal entry. Indians, trappers, hunters and explorers all referred to the same little river as Crooked Cree, and the earliest maps of the Montana Territory show it as such. In the late 1970's, however, an overzealous Easterner was at least partially effective in changing the creek to the Lewis and Clark Expedition's name. Many local Montanans view the name change with disdain..."

    "When Katherine Bowen of this area died in 1979, the following was printed as part of her obituary in the Winnett Times: 'Mom believed in hard work and expected it in others. Sleeping in late wasn't in her schedule, and I remember so well how she liked to get the rest of us up. If it was five minutes after six, she would call, "You kids get up, it's going on seven o'clock." In fact, as I grew up, I can almost always remember her being up. She was up and when I woke up in the morning, and still up when I went to bed. She would be sitting up late in the kitchen, mending socks, or making braided rugs -- taking advantage of the quiet of the late hours when everyone else was in bed and she wouldn't be interrupted'....

    "In May of 1917, Mr. and Mrs. Butler, homesteaders from the east of the river, made the trip to Winnett to get supplies and groceries. When they, accompanied by Mr. Mitchell, got back to the river, it was in flood. Since it was evening, they spent the night at the John O'Dea home. The following morning Mr. O'Dea and Mr. Mitchell tried to discourage the Butlers, who were determined to cross the river and continue home. When they had the team hitched and the wagon ready, Mr. Mitchell said, 'Don't try it. You will drown for sure.'

    "Mrs. Butler replied, Well, If I'm going to drown, I'd better tell you good-bye.'

    "With that they entered the river. The current swept the wagon and horses sway wile their friends watched, unable to help. Mr. Butler reached the shore, but the horses, Mrs. Butler and the supplies were lost.

    "Down river, the Adams family were crossing a herd of horses when they saw a body floating in the current. The got a boat, went out, snagged the body and pulled it to shore. They recognized Mrs. Butler, and Albert rode up river to get her husband. When they returned to the body, they buried her on the east side of the river where she was recovered. (Marcus Matovich)"

Petrolia

    "In the late 1880's sheepmen, then cattlemen  and men interested in raising horses began to settle in the Petrolia area. Home ranches were built near creeks where water was available for households, livestock and irrigating hay meadows. There were no fences; the range was open and for the taking.

    "With the railroads came immigrant trains, and locators began advertising homesteads in Montana. Locators didn't know or care what kind of land these poor pilgrims might settle on. Some people were warned that they couldn't make a living on 160 acres in this country, but they wanted land and didn't listen. Many were disappointed with their holding and soon sold out to others with more favorable locations. During wet years, everything looked exceedingly good. Then came the drought years when crops failed and severe winters killed off stock. Many gave up and left, often letting their land go for taxes. Therefore, many names are recorded as being property owners in the area even though they did not stay very long. Those who were tough enough to stay should be called 'survivors.' The deserve great respect!

    "Some farsighted settlers observed that, with water, the land could be made more productive. Before 1920 Alvin Ingebo and Swain Myrdal actually surveyed a ditch to the Flatwillow Creek upstream from the Ingebo place. In the late 1940's some of the Petrolia Bench residents decided to try to get the state to finance a dam and irrigation system on lower Flatwillow Creek, so they established an irrigation district. A committee of local men went to Helena in April 1949 to discuss the proposed dam with the State Water Conservation Board. The project was approved but not funded until 1950. The site chosen was near the confluence of Flatwillow Creek and Elk Creek."

Rural southeast Winnett

    "Many of the early settlers in the area south and east of Winnett could, by journeying to the north or the west, peek down upon the growing town of Winnett, Montana, from the top of a spectacular rimrock which separated their lands from the townsite. Their land holdings were on, or drained toward, McDonald Creek on the north or Elk Creek to the south. Good sandy soil greeted the homesteaders here."

Teigen

    "If you are streaking along highway 200 going east from Lewistown past Grass Range, along McDonald Creek and halfway to Winnett, you will see a large abandoned two-story building with the windows boarded up. In this quiet spot, where now the peace and solitude is disturbed only when a big truck goes booming by or a noisy airplane flies low, you will find it hard to believe that once a little boom town started up, and people came for miles by wagon, by foot, or by horseback to do their trading.

    "Homesteaders could buy beans and flour, dried fruit and canned goods at the grocery store; They could choose between two restaurants for a meal. There was a hotel for those who wished to stay overnight, and a livery stable and blacksmith shop for their teams. The saloon offered its entertainment, and a large hall provided a gathering place for dancing, visiting, debating and programs.

    "There was an orange-painted house close to the railroad tracks for the section boss and a bunkhouse for the men who worked on the section. The Western Grain Elevator stood near the tracks, a red toward against the smokey green of Rattlesnake Butte. The lumberyard nearby sold the boards that went into many a thin homestead shack.

    "A little white schoolhouse stood on the hill about a quarter of a mile west of the hotel. It once  was filled with eighteen children, from first graders to man-sized boys." (This schoolhouse is now on the grounds near the museum in Lewistown, Montana.) "Now Highway #200 lies close to the hills like a long stretch of licorice, where once was only a trail rutted by wagon wheels, and where, before that, there was no trail at all."

Winnett

    "The town of Winnett gradually emerged from within the perimeter of the Walter Winnett Ranch in about 1909 and eventually encompassed the ranch. The house, barn, corrals and sheds were clustered together on a flat plain which was separated from the imposing and protective Eagle sandstone rimrocks by box elder tree-lined McDonald Creek.

    "The large ranch had many employees and, reported, Mr. Winnett built the famous Log Cabin Saloon for their convenience. Otto Senst, bookkeeper for Walter Winnett, and Ed Rule operated the saloon until its demise in 1919, the Volstead Act prohibited the sale of intoxicating liquor.

    "As homesteaders staked their claims nearby, the need for a general store and post office prompted Walter Winnett and Oscar Badger to open a general store in one for the ranch building. The structure faced northwest at the east end of what later became Main Street. Walter Winnett owned several large horse and wagon freight outfits, and the supplies for the store were freighted by wagon from Musselshell or Lewistown. In 1913 Tony Rasmussen purchased the stock and conducted the store in the same location for one year. He then moved the merchandise to his own building.

    "To qualify as an official United States post office, the need for postal service had to be justified. For that reason. Oscar Badger and Walter Winnett set up a trial post office in their store. Frank Nelson, another homesteader and local resident, and John Coble, a Winnett Ranch employee, carried mail each Tuesday and Friday for the Flatwillow Post Office to the Winnett Store. (The mail was delivered to Flatwillow by stage for the town of Musselshell.) This gratis project was continued for six months and a careful record was kept of the amount of mail handled. At the end of that time, the post office department extended the route serving Flatwillow to include Winnett. A post office by the name of Winnett was officially sanctioned on October 4, 1910. John W. Hughes was chosen postmaster, serving  until December 12, 1911."

Mt Pioneers ©1998-2000 by Ann Kramlich  All Rights Reserved.

** Consent to post the stories and photos for non commercial use from the Lewistown News Argus was graciously granted by Dave Byerly owner and Publisher. These stories and photos may not be used by any commercial entity for any reason without consent from the  Lewistown News Argus.