First Circulating Library Ever Known in Montana

NICHOLAS JOHN BIELENBERG

1847-1927

Digital Artwork Presented In The Above Photograph By
Patricia Bielenberg

http://studio518west.blogspot.com/

The following paragraphs were obtained From: In the land of Chinook; or, The story of Blaine county ([c1917]) Noyes, Alva Josiah, 1855- Subject: Frontier and pioneer life -- Montana Blaine County; Blaine County (Mont.) – History Publisher: Helena, Mont., State Publishing Company

The getting of the steers to the railroad some times required days and even weeks. Of course weeks when men from Montana had to drive their stock to Cheyenne to load in those times before we had railroads in this country. To take cattle that distance required care, as they must take on flesh and not lose any. The way that could be done was to allow them to drift in the direction they were to go and their ordinary travel to fill would take them the required distance toward their destination for the day. 1

The fording of streams that must be crossed was not the easiest thing in the world. When such streams as the Yellowstone are at their high times it is no fun to swim a bunch of cattle and get your outfit over in safety. One man told me that it took them three days once to cross the Yellowstone with a herd of Con Kohrs' cattle and that eighty-three head were drowned in the attempt. 1

On these trips there was the night herd to be stood. It might be very easy pastime or it might, before morning, spell tragedy to some of the cowboys who might be mixed in a stampede. But it was a life the boys liked. 1

I recall a little story that was told me by Nick Bielenberg. "Quite a number of years ago I bought some cattle of Granville Stuart. We had to move them across the country to the railroad. Granville was along with the outfit but as far as making a hand was concerned he was no good. He was always a great fellow to read. He thought it would be a good thing to take a whole lot of books for the cowpunchers' enjoyment. Darned if I know how many he had, but anyway a sack full. The way those cowboys would tackle those books was a caution. They would come into camp and pick up a book and the cook would holler 'Grub Pile' till he was red in the face and he could never get all those fellows to come at the same time. Just as soon as a fellow would drop a book some other galoot would grab it. The cook called me aside one day and told me he was going to quit as the boys thought more of Granville's books than they did of his grub. It would never do to lose a good cook at that time in the game and I told him not to say anything and I would see that they would cause him no more trouble. It was the next day that we arrived at the Yellowstone so I gathered up the books and threw them into the river, thus starting the first circulating library ever known in Montana."1

Reference

1. In the land of Chinook; or, The story of Blaine county ([c1917])
Author: Noyes, Alva Josiah, 1855-
Subject: Frontier and pioneer life -- Montana Blaine County; Blaine County (Mont.) -- History
Publisher: Helena, Mont., State publishing co
Possible copyright status: NOT_IN_COPYRIGHT