DECEMBER 2021 Ghost Towns and History of Montana Newsletter From the Big Timber Pioneer Dec. 17, 1914 O N E O F T H E F E W R E M A I N I N G M O N T A N A P I O N E E R S R E L A T E S S T O R Y O F F I R S T C H R I S T M A S S P E N T I N T R E A S U R E S T A T E Accessed via: www.montananewspapers.org April 30, 1936. By Al H. Wilkins as told to Grace Stone Coates. I find it hard to memorize all the details of the past 62 years, but the old adage is very true, that it is the things that happen early in life that are riveted in one's memory, and I shall never forget our Christmas dinner of 1874. I was but a child then, only 11 or 12 years old, but it seems to me like I have always been a man, as I worked with them from early childhood and my greatest pal was my faithful father. We came across the plains from Minnesota, down the Red Lake river to old Fort Garry by flatboat, arriving where the modern city of Winnipeg now stands. Here we bought our supplies from a Hudson Bay trading post for our long, perilous journey up north, through the wilds of the Canadian territories. On the voyage down the Red river we witnessed many strange sights; the inhabitants, what few there were, were mostly Scotch half-breeds who lived on fish and wildlife; these people seldom saw any bread; they used a dip-net mostly for catching fish. We passed many of them dipping away with their nets on a long pole, saving their catch for future meals, and nearly everyone we passed would ask us for flour. Many times we noticed wild meat hanging in trees around these natives' camps; once we saw a nice deer that looked like it had just been killed. As usual this camp wanted flour, the fresh meat tempted us and we landed our boat with the intention of trading for some meat. When we got on land father asked them if they wanted to trade meat for flour. The spokesman said, “Sure look, see we have fine deer.” We were eager for a ham of this deer but one glance at close range was enough— the meat was fly-blown and in places the maggots were working in the meat. Father showed them the maggots and stated, “We don't eat those things.”
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