P a g e 4 G h o s t T o w n s a n d H i s t o r y o f M o n t a n a N e w s l e t t e r included hard-working miners across the river in the coal towns of Aldridge and Horr. He also hoped to lure Yellowstone tourists to his resort. The Northern Pacific railroad traveled from Livingston to Cinnabar (Gardiner after 1902) along the west side of the river and stopped at Horr (later renamed Electric) along the route. However, access to LaDuke’s small resort was limited. A formal bridge never crossed the river at LaDuke, and until the Corwin Springs bridge was built in 1908, the closest Yellowstone River bridges were at twenty-eight miles north at Emigrant (Fridley) and seven miles south at Gardiner. Guests to the spa were originally transported across the river in boats or barges and later on a cable ferry, all of which were all to often susceptible to the vagaries of surging river levels. Nonetheless, an ad in the Gardiner Wonderland newspaper from the early 1900s advertised, “First-class boat for ferrying across the river at all times.” A swinging bridge was later added that helped visitors avoid those potential water crossing hazards, however its undulating shakiness was not for the timid of heart. Ads began appearing in the Wonderland around 1901 extolling the curative benefits of visiting the springs. Other ads touted “LaDuke’s Mineral Hot Spring” and “New Large Public Plunge Bath. Private Baths for Both Ladies and Gentlemen.” In 1902 Julius built a two-story wooden hotel so that guests could spend the night in relative comfort. The baths and soaking pools were located just north of the hotel. Several unfortunate events cast a pall over the normally cheerful resort. In June, 1903, a twenty-four year old woman, reportedly from Bozeman, spent her final night at the plunge. Married several times, Mrs. Nora Averill, who also used the names Murphy and Wilson, had been in Jardine with a man named Tinsley, with whom she was reportedly living. She rode down the mountain with her 9-year old son to the Park Hotel in Gardiner where she proceeded to “fill up with booze.” Leaving the boy at the Park Hotel, she took a carriage to LaDuke Springs, very much under the influence of alcohol. Around midnight Julius asked her to leave the pools, whereupon she left and flopped down in a nearby tent that Julius had been occupying. Again, trying to get her to the hotel, she claimed illness and Julius went to get his wife for assistance. Upon their return Mrs. Averill had disappeared, leaving all but her shoes. Extensive searches were conducted the following few days, but her body was never found. A sheriff’s investigation concluded that she had fallen into the river and drowned, and local wags speculated about whether the death was ac
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