Gilmer, Salisbury & Co.
From birchyHistory
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[[File:JackGilmer.jpg|thumb|right|Jack Gilmer]] | [[File:JackGilmer.jpg|thumb|right|Jack Gilmer]] | ||
[[File:GilmerSalisburyAd.jpg|thumb|right|Ad from Deer Lodge paper 1871]] | [[File:GilmerSalisburyAd.jpg|thumb|right|Ad from Deer Lodge paper 1871]] | ||
| − | 1870's, Proprietors [[Jack Gilmer]] and [[Monroe Salisbury]]; purchased surplus of UT assets, and the Idaho and Montana branches of the [[Wells, Fargo & Co.]] line. Bought out [[Cheyenne and Black Hills Stage, Mail and Express Line]] in 1876. Operated the [[Deadwood Line]] between Cheyenne, Wyoming and the Black Hills(present day Hwy. 87 and 85). Soon after this line began operating [[Western Stage]] began a competing line | + | 1870's, Proprietors [[Jack Gilmer]] and [[Monroe Salisbury]]; purchased surplus of UT assets, and the Idaho and Montana branches of the [[Wells, Fargo & Co.]] line. Bought out [[Cheyenne and Black Hills Stage, Mail and Express Line]] in 1876. Operated the [[Deadwood Line]] between Cheyenne, Wyoming and the Black Hills(present day Hwy. 87 and 85). Soon after this line began operating [[Western Stage]] began a competing line. |
| − | + | 1880 (with Ornage Salisbury also) take over stage line Miles City to Bozemen (325 miles) charging $42 one way. Operate several lines in southern Wyoming. | |
| − | + | By 1880 became one of the most powerful corporations in the West; far exceeded those of Ben Holladay and passed the goal set by Wells, Fargo & Company. At the end, lines ran from the Canadian border to southern UT, from the Great Plains to the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Mountains. Operated many "Star Routes" including daily stage lines through [[Miles City]] from [[Bozeman]] (325 miles to the west) and [[Bismarck]] (325 miles to the east). | |
| − | + | About 1881 had stables in Miles City at [[7th Street]] and [[Pleasant Avenue]]. | |
| + | June of 1882 running 6-horse Concord coaches from Miles City to Bozeman via Billings. | ||
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| + | Aug 1882, reduced to local hauling. | ||
Early Oct 1882, [[Collins K. Thurber]], division superintendent of Gilmer, Salibury and Co.'s stage line from Miles City to [[Junction City]] died suddenly at [[Hyde's ranch]] on [[Froze-To-Death]] of a liver disease. | Early Oct 1882, [[Collins K. Thurber]], division superintendent of Gilmer, Salibury and Co.'s stage line from Miles City to [[Junction City]] died suddenly at [[Hyde's ranch]] on [[Froze-To-Death]] of a liver disease. | ||
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| + | Dec 1882 (Hoopes says '81) Sam Getts wraps up business, moves stock to Junction City. | ||
By Feb 1883, the west stage had been discontinued. | By Feb 1883, the west stage had been discontinued. | ||
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| + | In 1883, Gilmer and Salisbury sold the Deadwood line to Russell Thorp. | ||
In Sep 1883, they discontinued the lines around Deer Lodge and drove their horses in for sale. | In Sep 1883, they discontinued the lines around Deer Lodge and drove their horses in for sale. | ||
In May 1884, William Vauder of the Helena stage line was in Deer Lodge with a view to establishing a mail route between Helena and Calgary. | In May 1884, William Vauder of the Helena stage line was in Deer Lodge with a view to establishing a mail route between Helena and Calgary. | ||
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| + | The senior partner, John T. "Jack" Gilmer (1841-1892), started his career as a bullwhacker for [[Russell, Majors & Waddell]]. Later he served as a stage driver for [[Ben Holladay]] and as the agent on the Bitter Creek Division. After a making a fortune in the express business, it was lost in mining. He died in the 1892 in Salt Lake City. The ghost town of Gilmore, Idaho, was named for him. The Post Office, in the establishment of a local post office, misspelled his name. His partner, Monroe Salisbury, was sued by the federal government in the 1890's, for fraudulent overcharging of the post office for express services in the Dakotas and Montana. | ||
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[[File:dwstagechwater84.jpg|thumb|left|800px|Deadwood stage, Chugwater Station, 1884]] | [[File:dwstagechwater84.jpg|thumb|left|800px|Deadwood stage, Chugwater Station, 1884]] | ||
