Retired railroad men prove they never truly leave the rails
A narrative follows aging railroad workers who resume activity after formal retirement. John McCambridge, once a Grand hotel proprietor in Big Timber, recounts a lifelong railroading path from LaCrosse to Montana, showing how retired staff still ride, switch yards, and observe trains, proving the enduring pull of the profession.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Dizzy Dean
Jones
Brown
California
Mrs. Jones
Buife
Butle
San Francisco
Southern Pacific
John McCambridge
McCambridge
Burlington
LaCrosse
Wis
Great Falls
Mont
Big Timber
Grand Hotel
Livingston
Northern Pacific
McCambridge’s Railroading Life and Livingston Block Legacy
The narrative recalls John McCambridge’s railroading memories from LaCrosse to Great Falls, his later life in Livingston, the Pioneer and Home notes, and his burial. It also describes the Miles block era in Livingston, built under A Coutts with craftsmen like Jacob Wagner, and later losses to fire. The piece links the Livingston Post's basement presence and local offices, courts, and social halls on the building’s floors, highlighting community history and railroading ties.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
LaCrosse
Great Falls
Big Timber
McCambridge
Wis
Jacob Wagner
Grand Hotel
McLeod
Livingston Post
J.D. Whelpley
Billings
Livingston Enterprise
John S. Stuff
Livingston National Bank
Miles Hardware Store
J. A. Savage
Knights of Pythias
Livingston
Henry
Sixth Judicial District
George R. Milburn
Miles City
J. E. Swindlehurst
Fanning
Mission Station
Mission Creek
North Coast Limited
C. F. DeGroat
Pete McClelland
Olin
Gifford
Recap
Maud Muller and Ole Olson Ballad
A rustic verse about Maud Muller on a summer day and Ole Olson with his sheep. Maud dismisses Ole’s proposals, declaring this is play, while Ole plans a life with her and asks her to marry. An abrupt quarrel ends with Maud defending herself as Ole frets over his future.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Maud Muller
Maud
Ole Olson
Ole
Oleene
Andree Maud Muller
Pioneers on Sale at Sax & Fryer Vicars Drug Co
Williams recounts events from page three as officials led by J C O Dell face a Chinook cut and delayed trains. Leasby recalls Glendive dispatching days a telegraph gap and wrecking trains, with a buffalo herd delaying the North Coast Limited and a fatal crash near Mission creek siding.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Sax & Fryer
Vicars Drug Co
J. C. O'Dell
Motive Power
Leasby
Glendive
Miles City
Timber bridge tale from the Boulder area told by Cosgriff
Tom Cosgriff, formerly a Big Timber foreman now living in Black Eagle Montana, recounts a story about the old Boulder timber bridge over the river where the big cut begins. He inspected the bridge after a river flood and deemed it unsafe, then waited for the right moment as the river rose and fell.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Barney
B. B
Tom Cosgriff
Black Eagle
Mont
Big Timber
Grey Cliff
Boulder
Eee
The Old Miles Block In Livingston 1889 Build Promoter
In 1889 A W Miles began erecting the old Miles block in Livingston. The corner once housed a harness shop run by W H Duke for Miles and another small frame building. They were moved to vacant lots where Public Drug Co now stands.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
A. W. Miles
Livingston
Miles
Trower Drug Store
W. H. Duke
Also Mentioned on This Page
The
Big Timber Pioneer
Montana
Jerome Williams
United States
Sweet Grass County
Williams
Templeton and
Conrow
McCue
Justice of the Peace
Stetson
Arrow
Near Landes Co., Inc
Majestic Home and Hotel Ranges
Dexter Washing Machines
Delta Shop Tools
Fuller
Monarch Coal and Gas Ranges
Livingston Hardware Co
This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!