We got to Bannack just about the time that the people were going, or when some had gone to Alder. We arrived in Alder, July 4th, 1863, and got a job working on night shift. I was broke. No, I had six large copper cents. I sold them to a jeweler for seventy-five cents each. (I presume that this was the first transaction in copper in Montana.)
I worked there that season and then went to Salt Lake City, bought an ox outfit, loaded up with provisions, and brought them back to Virginia City, where I sold the outfit to a good advantage. In January a party of 25 men and one woman left Virginia for Salt Lake with a mule outfit. The train with our blankets in one of the wagons went on ahead of us. As soon as my partner and I got settled up we started for camp. One of us had a gun, the other a revolver, and we traveled about 150 feet apart so no one could surprise us. The next morning Club-Foot Mathews found his mules missing, but we pulled out and came to the place right where my ranch house now stands, about five miles north of Dillon, and camped for the night. Mathews found his mules and started to overtake us, when, just on the other side of the Point cf Rocks, he saw some fellows coming towards him on horse back. Not liking the looks of things he threw his gold sacks into the snow, marking the place well, then he pulled into the station, where he stayed all night, being afraid to go on. He hired a man to keep on the left side of the river and overtake us, and get one of us to send a team back and help him get his dust. The party he sent got to our camp about midnight. The next morning one of the boys went back to help him, while the balance moved to a place since owned by Jim Selway, where we waited until they could overtake us.
Shortly after they had joined us, we saw three men coming to our camp on horseback. One of those men was Buck Stinson, and the other was Red -- or Ned Ray -- do not know for sure; the third man was one well-known to all of us (House), and only came to our camp, as Stinson a deputy of Plummer's did not care to come, as his mission was to arrest "Club-Foot" for debt. "Club-Foot" said that it was a just debt, and that he would like to get greenbacks enough from us to give to Buck, so he would know he was all right. We soon got the money and gave it to him. Alex Toponce wanted us to take Buck and hang him at once, but of course, we could not agree to that. "Club-Foot" started out with the two deputies, on foot, as he was afraid they might kill him and take his mule. They pulled off over the hill, toward Rattlesnake crossing, and only a short time after leaving us they saw the men coming from toward Virginia City. Stinson and his friend pulled out and left ''Club-Foot" alone. He continued on into Bannack and found Buck, who turned the money over to him. He settled his accounts and overtook us down on the Snake River. Buck was hung on the 10th, just a few days after he was at our camp.
We certainly had a fearful trip, and how we ever made it I do not know. When we got to, or near, the Robber's Roost, in the Port Neuf Canyon, we were compelled to leave our wagons on account of the deep snow. It was actually so deep that the mules could not find feed, and they had eaten all the top of the wagonbeds off .We had to go through the Malad Valley. The snow was so badly crusted the mules could not break a trail; it was up to the men. Alex Toponce and I, being the most able, took the lead, bracing one another. We did some mighty hard work. It was surely rough on those poor mules. They could only get what we could furnish them, and that was willows or any shrub that we could cut and take to them. We managed to save all of them.
We were certainly up against it ourselves, for food. We had only put in a supply to last us, if we were fortunate in getting down in a reasonable time, but three days before we got to the settlement we were completely out of all except a little parched coffee, which we ate.
When we got to Rear River the mules made a break for the willows, down a steep hill, and we could not stop them. My partner and myself made up our minds not to go down that steep hill, but would try and get to a settlement. I had been over the road two or three times that season when the snow was off, so we made a start. All the gulches were so full of snow that we could only pass them by going around. Near the banks of the river the snow was not deep, so we kept as near that as possible. At last I made up my mind to cross the river and strike out for a high mountain, the outlines of which were visible in the moonlight. we crossed the river, but actually did not knew where. As I was evading along, all at once I struck my shins against some hard substance. I got down, felt of the place, and found that some one had gone along there with a sled, when the snow was soft, and the track had frozen solid. We certainly felt much relieved I said: "We are all right now, and will make it." Sometime before morning we came to a cabin. I went up and knocked, and when the owner asked who was there, I, with my mouth close to the crack, replied that we were starving, and had traveled for two days without sitting down. He informed us he would soon dress, and he did, and let us in.
In one corner was a curtained bed, which indicated the man was married. The curtains began to move, and we knew that the lady was getting up. In the meantime, the man had a fire going and we had dropped down completely exhausted. Say, I never ate such a good meal in my life! Potatoes! As large as your two fists. Fresh pork! And fine light biscuits! Nothing ever seen to equal them! We explained the condition of the party, and asked the man to take them some provisions. We had to sleep in an out-house (a corn crib), and when we awoke, about ten the next day, we asked the lady where the man was, and she told us that he had gone with relief for our party. I have gone through many things, but that winter trip was the most fearful of all.
Mr. Carter is, at this writing, July, 1915, living in Dillon. He is one of the successful ranchers, and never goes hungry. Toponce had an experience in those early days, even worse than the one above, as he lost his complete outfit in trying to haul freight from Fort Union to Helena.