Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana

Memories of Cardwell

A Little Town with a Lot of History

(Rewritten by Arlene Weber from an article originally done by Roy Millegan)

To recap from our previous articles, what we now know as Cardwell was named after Edward Cardwell, a famed rancher politically active during the transformation of Montana from a territory to a state. The town grew and became a popular stop by people driving the Yellowstone trail or arriving by train. David Ogan and his wife Ella were instrumental in making Cardwell family friendly with their efforts to create a quality school in Cardwell and serving on the school board for many years.

With all the activity in the Cardwell area, efforts were made by many residents to have Cardwell recognized as an official town. On August 8, 1917, the Jefferson County Commissioners approved the plat for the Town of Cardwell. Mr. C. D. Flaherty surveyed the land. Edward and Benjamin Cardwell, nephews of Senator Ed Cardwell and owners of the Cardwell ranch made the presentation. The Town of Cardwell was 4.04 acres in size located north of the Northern Pacific tracks and had 23 lots, most measuring 25 x 150 feet in size. The town streets consisted of Railroad on the south, Main on the east, Second on the west and Second Avenue on the north. There were also East and West Alley on one parcel and North and South Alley dividing three other parcels. Even after all the surveying and developing the town plat, homes were never built on the lots. It is possible that Dibble's Blacksmith shop was within the town boundaries; but, after decades of the lots sitting idle, Jefferson County Commissioners removed Cardwell from the list of towns in the county in May 1951. Although not official on paper, the town of Cardwell still exists as a community with a post office and zip code.

As families moved into the Cardwell area, the need for a quality school grew. In 1919, just south of the business district, a school building was constructed. Once the gym was added, it was the hub of community activities. One of the early community events was the Ugliest Man Contest. This illustrious title was given to George Johns. He was also proclaimed as having the biggest feet.

There were many community plays held at the gym. Two of the plays noted in local news in 1948 were the "New Wives for Old" and "The Villain Still Pursued Her." The New Wives cast included Melvin Hanson as the "slicker" who ran the Wive's Exchange; Charley Roll as Hiram Wicks; Ernestine Harper as Mrs. Hardy Snails; and Eda Hanson as Senorita Paprika. The Villain cast included Genevieve Patrick, Don Powell, Dale Sacry and Verna Carmody

The Cardwell store was a another focal point for the community and surrounding area. Under the ownership of Simon and Ogan, a post office was established and became a part of the store and remained there until the 1980s when the USPS had an independent building constructed. The postmaster during these in-store decades was either the man or woman running the store. Postmasters received a small annual salary. In 1934 it was $637.00. By 1943 it had risen to $654.00 and by 1954, $1914.00. There were also local rural routes connected to the Cardwell post office. Around 1918, Albert Johnson was paid $750 per year for delivering mail on his 30-mile, tri-weekly route. During inclement weather, deliveries were sometimes made with the aid of horses and a sleigh. Later rural route mail carriers included Thurman Stocking, Bert Allen, Roy Wilkinson and Kalman Chambers.

Cardwell was not the only post office on the east side of the Jefferson Valley. As populations shifted, they eventually closed. The Lime Spur post office ceased in 1908; Cold Springs closed in March, 1924; Jefferson Island, LaHood and Mammoth closed their doors in 1931; and, Cavern was shuttered in 1936.

A very active store manager/postmaster was Mrs. Agnes Johns. Before moving to the Cardwell area, she was a Sunday School teacher at the First Baptist Church in Butte. The class consisted of students from all denominations and became known as the Five W Club. The club was instrumental in developing many of the members into prominent citizens of Butte. The club also served as the foundation on which the Butte YMCA was created, and Mrs. Johns became known as the mother of the Butte YMCA. Her activities in Cardwell were no less important. She helped to charter the Cardwell Women's Club which remained active throughout the 20th century. She also held district and state offices in the Women's Clubs of Montana. In addition, Mrs. Johns continued to organize and conduct church services the Cardwell area and was instrumental in having Sunday school open to all denominations.

The Cardwell store was purchased in 1933 by Mr. and Mrs. William Knuckey. They sold it to Dee Ramey in 1944. Richard Alsop took over ownership in 1946 and then sold it to Mr. and Mrs. Roy Wilkinson in September of 1954. They later sold the store to Mr. and Mrs. Eldon Fell. The Fells closed the store in 1990 and the building is now a private residence.

The Cardwell hotel was sold to Wes and Virginia Van Gordon in October, 1960. They created a new business known as Clays in Calico. Although the old hotel building and the Van Gordons are gone, the Clays in Calico business is still going strong.

Cardwell has seen a few other changes over the last century. Once the highway through town was paved, it became a popular cut-off route for those heading to Ennis and Yellowstone Park. It also provided easier transportation of equipment and livestock for area farms and ranches and made it a little easier to reach the road that leads up to the South Boulder area of Mammoth and the Indiana University field ftation. If it were not for the still active school in Cardwell with its posted school zone speed limit, most people might rush right by, not realizing that there was once the promise of a growing community along this route. The next time you are out for a drive, try going east. Take the Cardwell exit on I-90 and leave the fast pace of the freeway for a quiet drive through a bit of our valley's history.

 

Reader Comments(0)

 
 
Rendered 03/23/2024 14:46