Our Books
The Butte Short Line: The Construction Era 1888-1929
In the 1880s the Northern Pacific Railroad’s management decided to bypass Butte, Montana, in favor of a main line through Helena 40 miles to the north. At that time the mining region around Helena appeared to be a more lucrative source of traffic and offered a lower crossing of the continental divide after the completion of the Mullan Tunnel. Within three years, however, that situation changed as Butte began its conversion to a copper center, becoming known as the “Richest Hill on Earth.” In 1886 the NP began a decade-long struggle to find a satisfactory route into Butte – first from Garrison, then from Helena, and finally from Logan over Homesteak Pass. The Butte Short Line is a history of that effort.
The book chronicles surveys, agreements, and conflicts with the Union Pacific concerning rights-of-way in Jefferson Canyon, the Utah & Northern and the Montana Union. It examines problems with Mullan Tunnel, the abortive Helena, Boulder Valley & Butte, and the competition provided by Hill’s Montana Central. It discusses the role the Rocky Fork & Cooke City coal development played in the final route selection and the formation of the Northern Pacific & Montana. It examines political intrigue during the time of Montana statehood. It details construction of the road and early operations
Construction documents as well as newspaper accounts of the day tell the stories of hold ups, wrecks, and election fraud through the words of those who lived them. Read about violence on the Jefferson River, a little known mile-long spur at Welch, the shooting of Frank Clow, and the wreck of #2. Over 120 photos from the collections of F.J. Haynes, the Jefferson County Historical Museum, R.V. Nixon, W.R. McGee, the Taylors, and others flesh out the work. Charts, maps, timetables, and other sources are similarly included. Soft cover, 11 x 8.5 inches, 112 pages, fully indexed. Click here to order your copy today!
Rails to Gold and Silver: Lines to Montana’s Mining Camps – Vol. I
In 1883 Henry Villard celebrated the completion of the Northern Pacific near Gold Creek, Montana Territory. His financial collapse, the reorganization which followed and the restrictive language in its charter meant the NP was unwilling and unable to protect its markets by building to the developing gold, silver and copper camps such as Rimini, Marysville, and Butte. James J. Hill of the Great Northern recognized the error and began building into the territory. By 1886 the NP, aided by Helena banker Samuel T. Hauser, was in an all out war to protect potential mining traffic sources. Rails to Gold and Silver: Volume I covers Northern Pacific’s construction in Montana between 1883 and 1887 which resulted in the completion of seven branch lines. These were:
Rocky Mountain RR |
(to Cinnabar & Gardiner) |
Helena & Jefferson County RR |
(to Wickes) |
Helena & Red Mountain RR |
(to Rimini) |
Helena & Northern RR |
(to Marysville) |
Helena, Boulder Valley & Butte RR |
(to Boulder & Calvin) |
Drummond & Philipsburg RR |
(to Philipsburg & Rumsey) |
Missoula & Bitter Root Valley RR |
(to Victor & Darby) |
Construction documents as well as newspaper accounts of the day tell the stories of the construction and early operations through the words of those who lived them. Read about the war on Ten Mile Creek, a wild ride on Boulder Hill, wrecks, and express fraud in Hamilton. Photos from the collections of the Montana Historical Society, the Granite County Historical Museum, the Bitteroot Historical Museum, the U of M archives, W.R. McGee, the Taylors and others flesh out the work. Charts, maps, timetables, profiles, and other sources are similarly included. Soft cover, 11 x 8.5 inches, 120 pages, fully indexed. Click here to order your copy today!
Northern Pacific’s Mullan Pass: on the “Montana Short Line”
In 1881 the Northern Pacific Railroad contracted with Muir Bros. to bore a 3,850-foot tunnel through the Rocky Mountains of Montana. Beginning late that year, the contractors struggled to complete the project in time for the Last Spike ceremony scheduled for September of 1883. When the enormity of the job and a partial collapse of the tunnel threatened that date, a temporary overhead line was constructed and utilized until November 1883.
This book examines route selection, construction, and early operations over – and through – the continental divide. More than 100 photos, maps and diagrams, timetables, track profile and accounts from newspapers, and trade journals document that portion of the NP mainline from Helena to Garrison, Montana. Read about territorial politics, construction hardships, inaugural runs, fire and rockfall in the tunnel, and runaway trains as well as those upgrades which made it possible for Burlington Northern and now Montana Rail Link to operate there today. Soft cover, 11 x 8.5 inches, 92 pages, fully indexed. Click here to order your copy today!