Chapter 5

It was quite the surprise; we were travelling on ID 28 just a little ways from the Beaverhead Deerlodge National Park when we saw the bluff that just called to us. Now as we woke from our night’s sleep and dream, we looked out upon a beautiful view, the only problem is it wasn’t the view we went to bed with.

It was a lot like the landscape of our dream. The only conclusion we could come up with was our dream was real and we had gone back in time. I knew we were maybe ten miles from the newly forming town of Leesburg ID. I also knew we could get horses there along with a few supplies. Both Dianne and I knew a lot of things about the area we were in even though we had never been here. It seemed so surreal I’d always wanted to live the frontiersman life, that’s why we were going to my new home in Alaska.

We took out our Coleman stove and had a breakfast of bacon, pancakes and coffee. We fixed up a thermos of coffee a couple sandwiches and a canteen of water. I made a little pack of emergency supplies added $200.00 face value coins from Granddaddy. I strapped on a holster and a 44/40 Ruger, got Dianne a 38 police special. Both of us had about $50.00 in our pockets and took off down the trail. After about two miles we came to a cabin with a small barn and corral, we knew it was for us. Inside had a living room/kitchen area with a wood cookstove and heater and two rooms next to each other. On the table was a survey map and a deed to 100 sections of land. Also, a receipt from Wells Fargo for $200,000.

We decided to stay until morning and leave for Leesburg, we talked about what we wanted to get if we could find it. After walking to town, which wasn’t much, we found a general store, a saloon, eatery and a stable. We had eaten a bit of jerky on the way but after a couple hours of walking we figured eating would be our first stop. We didn’t have much choice and we had the venison stew and cornbread. It was quite good and very filling, both of us were very happy with the meal. We asked about saddle and pack horses and were told the stable and a guy who lived about a mile from town had some. The stable owner would also have the most tack. After paying our bill of .60 cents, we left and went to the stables we met Mike, the owner he said he had two good saddle horses but didn’t have any others that would be of use right now. In a month he would have four or five more trained as that is what he does. Mostly buying green horses and train them to ride and pack. He hoped to have a horse ranch one day but had to start small. He did have all the tact we would need, we made a deal on the two horses, saddles, blankets, bridles and saddlebags. Mike gave us directions to Bucks ranch and we went there on our new horses, and they seemed well trained. It only took about half an hour to get there. Buck was outside when rode up, he waved us over and when we got to the corral where he was working at he said “get down and let your horse drink at the trough. After we got down, we walked over and told him what we were looking for, he told us to let him finish with the last rail of the corral fence an he would bring some horse down from the pasture. About 10 minutes later he was done, and we heard someone riding up, it was his hired hand Del. Buck told him to go bring in the trained horses and told him we wanted to buy a couple.

Buck took us in to meet his wife, she was a nice lady in her early thirties bubbly and full of life. Helen and Buck had started carving out their place in the middle of these mountains three years ago. They had brought two brothers with them Del and Mel, Mel had gone out with some of their Indian neighbors to hunt and look for a horse herd that they were told about. Buck said, “Helen and I wanted to make a home for ourselves after we got burnt out in Missouri. We wanted a place that would give us security and wouldn’t cost much to get started. We brought 12 pack horses, knowing we would have a wagon trail to follow. We started out with 15 heifers and one young bull, 18 horses, 2 of which were too young to ride. The only supplies were what we brought with us, 2 horses carried nothing but seed. We brought wheat, corn, potatoes, squash, onion seed and greens. The heads for axes and wedges and 2 plow heads. We had some food, clothes, needles, thread, stones for a small grist mill and a lot of love and ambition.”

“Mel and Del are amazing wood workers along with everything else they do. When we were burnt out, so were they and their parents were killed. We took them in at 14 and yes, they are twins. We camped until we could build a little shack to live in, then harvested what we had in the fields along with what the brothers had. Our barn was unharmed, we still don’t why. The looters burnt out every little farm around our area of Jefferson County, killing several people. We had 160 acres and Del and Mel had 40 right next to us, so we decided to leave Missouri and head west towards Montana Territory. We sold everything we didn’t need, selling the boys place too. We stayed most of the winter and left out with what we had. We got here right as winter was starting. We started out hunting for a place to live and found a large cave, that’s just at the base of that cliff over there. Then we went about making it livable cutting trees to make a front wall and door. Cutting all the grass they could find for hay. Finding downed trees and dragging them in for firewood. Helen and I took off for at least a two week trip to a fairly new town of Leadville to get supplies and two weeks back. Leesburg wasn’t a town yet, so the over 100 miles each way and it was already late October. The boys stayed and built fence for the cattle, shot deer, elk and a bear for our winter meat. We made it as you can tell and after 3 years this is what we have built. Leesburg started being a town last years, mostly for the gold prospectors and suppling us crazy people that live this far out.”