Montana Historical Society
Archives
MC 183
Rocky Fork and Cooke City
Railway Company
Rocky Fork & Cooke City Railway Company /
Green & Keefe records
1874-1893
5 linear feet of shelf space
The Rocky Fork and Cooke City Railway Company (RF & CC)
was formed in 1886 to construct a standard-gauge rail line from the Northern Pacific main
line at Tilden, Montana Territory, along Rock Creek, to the rich coal fields near Red Lodge.
Principal backers included James Platt, Hamilton Browne, James Hubbel, Walter Cooper, and
Samuel Word. In 1889 Samuel Hauser contracted with Green and Keefe, to finish all remaining
work. The line was completed in April 1889 and acquired by the Northern Pacific in July
1890. The records (1874-1893) include incoming correspondence, outgoing correspondence,
financial records, legal documents, maps, reports, and miscellany. The Green & Keefe
records include general correspondence, outgoing correspondence, financial records, and
legal materials.
11:8-5
3:3-5 [Oversize Box
2]
3:7-5 [Oversize Box 4,
6, 8]
146:1-1 [Volumes]
English
The Rocky Fork & Cooke City Railway Company (RF & CC) obtained its certificate of
incorporation on December 30, 1886. Organized by James L. Platt, Hamilton Browne, James B.
Hubbel, Walter Cooper, and Samuel Word, the company intended to construct a standard gauge
rail line from the Northern Pacific (NP) main line at Tilden, Montana (near Laurel) to rich
coal fields near Red Lodge, along Rock Creek (Rocky Fork), and then from Red Lodge to gold
mines at Cooke City along the Stillwater River. Construction from Tilden to Red Lodge was to
be completed by September 1887, and from Red Lodge to Cooke City by early 1888. The company
hoped to gain financial backers by promoting the fact that high quality coal would be
earnestly sought after by many Montana industries, that tourists would flock to travel such
a scenic route, and that Cooke City mine operators had pledged to use the line for twenty
years.
On March 4, 1887 the U.S. Congress granted permission for the line to cross the Crow Indian
reservation. The NP approved a traffic contract with the RF & CC on July 29, 1887; the
NP was to retain fifty cents for each ton of coal delivered them by the RF & CC.
With much of the work completed on the road between Laurel and Red Lodge, the Company ran
out of funds in January 1888. In August of that year the Billings, Clark Fork, and Cooke
City Company received permission to cross the Crow Reservation, enabling that company to
commence construction on a line between Billings and Cooke City. This potential competitor
spurred Samuel Hauser to purchase the RF & CC in January 1889, with an understanding
with the NP that A.J. Merritt, a supervisor in their employ, would complete the remaining
engineering work on the RF & CC Laurel-Red Lodge line. Hauser contracted with Green and
Keefe, railway contractors based in Helena, to finish all remaining work on the Laurel-Red
Lodge line; they completed the 44.37 miles on April 13, 1889. The completed road was
operated by the RF & CC until July 31, 1890, when the NP acquired it.
William H. Green and Michael H. Keefe were contractors with offices in Butte and Helena who
formed a partnership in late 1888 to work as railroad contractors, performing work on
railroads and supplying railroad equipment and general merchandise. They performed, or
sub-contracted with other firms who performed, clearing, grubbing, excavation, tunneling,
track laying, surfacing, and other related jobs.
The Northern Pacific & Montana Railroad, which was incorporated to acquire four
existing private rail lines in western Montana and began operation on them in September
1888, contracted with Green & Keefe to build a line from Boulder, Montana, to Elkhorn;
the line was completed in July 1890. Green & Keefe did other work on NP lines in 1889
and 1890, including the roads from Gallatin City to Butte, and from Sappington to Norris and
Pony.
Michael H. Keefe also had business concerns in Leadville, Colorado, where he was involved
with the construction of the Busk-Ivanhoe tunnel.
These records are divided into two subgroups: Rocky Fork and Cooke City Railway Company;
and Green and Keefe.
The RF & CC records are arranged in seven series:
The incoming correspondence (1888-1889) consists of telegrams to A.J. Merritt, chief
engineer for RF & CC, concerning the purchase and transfer of supplies, the progress of
construction and problems encountered, the hiring of workers, etc.; and other
correspondence, primarily to A.J. Merritt, concerning construction of the line and financial
arrangements.
Outgoing correspondence consists of three letterpress volumes and letters to the First
National Bank of Helena (1884-1892). One volume is the correspondence of John Buskett,
secretary of the Rocky Fork Town and Electric Company, primarily to Samuel T. Hauser,
president of the Rocky Fork Town and Electric Company, concerning the finances of the RF
& CC. The volume also contains correspondence from A.J. Merritt concerning financial
matters of the RF & CC. In addition, the volume contains financial statements concerning
the construction of the RF & CC. The two other volumes are primarily correspondence of
A.J. Merritt written from Billings to RF & CC and NP officials in Laurel and St. Paul,
Minnesota, and Samuel Hauser about the construction of the RF & CC, the progress of
construction, etc. Also included are lists of material used in construction and financial
statements listing construction costs.
The financial records (1874-1890) include a breakdown of construction expenditures by type
of material or service purchased; payrolls; a folder of miscellaneous papers including
invoices, bills for board, and financial statements; and two volumes of miscellaneous
records including vouchers, financial statements, payrolls, and estimates for work performed
by subcontractors.
The legal documents (1888-1890) include contracts with construction contractors, a contract
between Samuel Hauser and the RF & CC, etc.
The maps (1889) are preliminary surveys of the country through which the RF & CC lines
were to pass, and a map showing the lines route through the Crow Reservation.
The reports (1887-1889) are prose surveys of potential railroad routes and construction
progress reports.
The miscellany (1885-1889, undated) consists of lists of material used in construction,
lists of materials supplied the RF & CC by the NP, a record of waybills received at
Laurel, Montana by the NP, a sketch of proposed arrangement of tracks and buildings at
Laurel, track profiles, and linens and blueprints of primarily NP railroad structures such
as bridges, engine houses, switches, etc. Also included are blueprints and linens of the RF
& CC and the Union Pacific, and a list of materials required for Northern Pacific, La
Moure, and Missouri Railroad culverts and bridges.
The records of Green and Keefe are arranged in four series:
The general correspondence (1889-1890) concerns the construction of the Boulder-Elkhorn
line including the purchase of supplies, progress of construction, the hiring of workers,
etc.
The outgoing correspondence (1889-1890) consists of two letterpress volumes concerning
financial matters, of which one volume primarily deals with the construction of the
Boulder-Elkhorn line.
The financial records (1889-1890) are subcontractors' estimates of value of work performed,
bills served Green and Keefe by the NP for services rendered and car rentals, payrolls,
trial balances, and a cost book listing food and general merchandise purchased by Green and
Keefe.
The legal materials consist of a contract between the NP and Green and Keefe for work on
the Boulder-Elkhorn line.
One map of Yellowstone National Park has been transferred to the Library Map Collection.
Arranged by subgroup and series. Some material housed in oversize boxes. Some material
housed in Archives Map Case. Some material housed in Manuscript Volumes. See inventory below
for more information.
Collection open for research.
Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of the Montana Historical
Society. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collection.
In some cases permission for use may require additional authorization from the copyright
owners. For more information contact an archivist.
Item description and date. Collection Title. Collection Number. Box and Folder numbers.
Montana Historical Society Research Center, Archives, Helena, Montana.
Acquisition information available upon request
Artifacts transferred to MHS Museum. A map of Yellowstone National Park has been
transferred to the Library Map Collection. See inventory below for more information.
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the Montana Historical Society
Archives catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places
should search under these terms.
Rocky Fork and Cooke City
Railway Company
Carbon County
(Mont.)--Industries
Yellowstone County
(Mont.)--Industries
Railroads--Montana
Railroads--Design and construction
Montana
Transportation
Detailed Description of the Collection
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection
Rocky Fork And Cooke City Railway Company
Incoming Correspondence
1 / 1-2
Telegrams to A.J. Merritt, Chief Engineer, written
from Laurel, Livingston, and St. Paul concerning the Purchase and transfer of
supplies, the progress of construction and problems encountered, the hiring of
workers, etc.
1888-1889
1 / 3
Miscellaneous (correspondents include Northern
Pacific Railroad Company; George M. Pinney Jr.; First National Bank; A.J. Merritt;
W.C. McNutt; John D. Estabrook)
1888-1889
Outgoing Correspondence
1
Correspondence of John Buskett primarily with
Samuel T. Hauser regarding financial matters; and financial statements on
construction
1888-1889
2
Correspondence from A.J. Merritt to RF and CC; NP
officials in Laurel and St. Paul re construction, purchase and transfer of supplies
(timber, ties, switches, iron, etc.), problems encountered, the hiring of workers,
etc.
1888-1889
3
Correspondence primarily from A.J. Merritt re
construction, purchase and transfer of supplies (timber, ties, switches, iron,
etc.), the progress of construction and problems encountered, the hiring of workers,
etc. Also includes lists of material used in construction, financial statements
listing construction costs, etc.
1889
1 / 4
Correspondence to First National Bank of Helena and
Jefferson County (Wash.) Auditor
1884-1892
Employment Records
1 / 5-6
Payroll timebooks (includes crews of Martin
Woldson, O.E. Peppard, M.L. Peppard, W.F. Keefe, Gust Johnson, A. Densmore, John
Vallier, John Crane, as well as carpenters, cooks, steamshovel operators, surfacing
crew, gravel pit crew, etc.)
1888 December- 1889 May
1 / 7
Payroll, conductor's reports, and trainsmen tickets
1889, undated
2 / 1
Payroll: Engineering Dept.
1887 November-1888 March
2 / 2-5
Payrolls (includes same information as payroll
timebook, but with more detail and longer time period)
1888 December-1889 September
Financial Records
3 / 1
Invoices; "cash accounts"; charges for board; etc.
1874, 1887-1889
3 / 2
Abstract of Assessment, shipment receipts, and
expense bills, etc.
1878-1889
4
Vouchers (also includes statements of the cost of
construction and equipage of the line between Laurel and Red Lodge and a statement
of "money expended for the Rocky Fork Coal Company of Montana")
1889 January-August
5
Miscellaneous record book (includes vouchers,
estimate for work done by subcontractors, payrolls for engineering dept., a letter
regarding construction written by Chief Engineer G.A. Knowlton to company president
in St. Paul, and a list of monthly expenses for March 1888)
1887 October-1888 March
3 / 3
Ledger of Ben Barker [subcontractor?]
1887-1888
3 / 4
Expense bills, construction materials purchased,
and freight expenses, etc.
1888-1890
4 / 1
Vouchers
1888-1889
4 / 2
Vouchers
1889
4 / 3
Vouchers
1889-1890
Legal Documents
5 / 1
Agreements with construction contractors; contract
between Rocky Fork and Cooke City Railroad and Samuel T. Hauser; fire insurance
policy; etc.
1888-1890
Maps
1
Map of section of rail line running through Crow
Reservation; "Proposed arrangement of tracks and buildings at new station of Laurel,
Montana" [Archives Map Case]
1889, undated
5 / 2
"Sketch showing country in vicinity of Cook [sic,
i.e. Cooke] City"; "Sketch showing reconnoissance [sic] from Stillwater Basin via
Slough Creek and Yellowstone River to Cinnabar Montana"
1889
Reports
5 / 3
Survey of potential railway routes; enginemen
reports
1887-1889
5 / 4
Reports on the progress of construction of the
railway
1888-1889
Miscellany
5 / 5
Bills of material used in construction of railroad
buildings; distance table between railway stations; inventory of material at
switchings and crossings; time certificates
1889, undated
1
Blueprints for Northern Pacific Railroad (includes
Howe truss bridge, high trestle bridge, truss bridge, turntable, snow fence, sand
and oil house, high tank frame, combination depot, round house, ash pit, two stall
frame engine house, 2nd class coaling station, stub switches [Archives Map
Case]
1889, undated
1
Blueprints for Union Pacific Railroad (includes
pile and trestle bridges, fences, snow fences, cattle guards) [Archives Map
Case]
undated
1
Blueprints for Northern Pacific, LaMoure and
Missouri Railroad (includes "Estimate of timber and iron required for culverts and
bridges") [Archives Map Case]
undated
5 / 6
"Coal received from Rocky Fork Coal Co."
undated
5 / 7
List of artifacts separated to the museum
undated
5 / 8
Materials reports, statements of materials and
supplies received from Northern Pacific Railroad, outfit cars, ties and rails
received, etc.
1889January-March
6
Northern Pacific Railroad Company record of
way-bills received at Laurel
1889
1
Specifications for pile bridges; drawing of coal
elevator [Archives Map Case]
undated
6 / 1-3
Track profiles (includes station 350 to 2472
[Laurel to Red Lodge?]; Red Lodge to Cooke City; Cooke City by way of the Stillwater
Basin, Slough Creek, and Yellowstone River to Cinnebar)
1887, 1889 undated
Green & Keefe
General Correspondence
7 / 1
Chronological (correspondents include O.H. Girard;
Mathews Brothers and Kerrick, Contractors; Northern Pacific and Montana Railroad
Company; William Riddell, M.D.; Green and Keefe; Tom Haley; T.C. Power and Company;
Robinson and Cary Company; C.A. Grissinger and Company; A.M. Holter Hardware
Company; also includes estimates of work done)
1889-1890
7 / 2
Thomas Fortune, sub-contractor
1890
Outgoing Correspondence
7
Letterpress book (to merchants and to Northern
Pacific Railroad officials regarding financial matters such as purchase of
construction materials, payment of workers, etc.)
1889 June-1890 August
7 / 3
Letterpress book (to merchants and to Green and
Keefe in Helena regarding financial matters of Boulder to Elkhorn line, including
the purchase of construction materials, payment of workers, etc.)
1889 November-1890 September
Employment Records
8 / 1-3
Payrolls (includes Boulder to Elkhorn line, camps
1-7, unloading materials, track laying, yard work, etc.)
1889 October-1890 January
8 / 4-5
Payrolls (includes subcontractors W.G. Cody; E.D.
Comings and Company; R.H. Dean and Company; Thomas Fortune; Keefe and Gallagher;
Kelly, Clark and Company; John Leonard; Leonard and Fritz; D.C. McLean; Walsh and
Nugent)
1889 September-December
Financial Records
8 / 6
Balance sheets
1889-1890
8 / 7
Estimates of value of work performed
1889-1890
9 / 1
Estimates of value of work performed
(sub-contractors)
1890 February-September
9 / 2
Northern Pacific bills for services rendered; bills
for rental of Northern Pacific cars
1889-1890
Legal Documents
9 / 3
Construction contract between Northern Pacific and
Montana Railroad and Green and Keefe for work on Boulder-Elkhorn line
1889