Distinctly Montana Magazine

69 w w w. d i s t i n c t l y m o n t a n a . c o m ip Souza's train, carrying his band to a performance in Glendive, purportedly touched off a prairie fire in the dry summer heat. The blaze swept through Mon- dak, leaving just three build- ings standing. The bridge was the only permanent span cross- ing the river for a 700-mile stretch between Bismarck and Fort Benton, and for the first ten years or so, it was used only by trains. Half a dozen ferries still operated in the area, and a couple of pontoon bridges were built that didn't last long before failing in spectacular fash- ion. Planking was eventual- ly added to the bridge deck to allow for vehicular traffic, and workers finished just in time for the Fort Union celebration on July 18, 1925. A total of 441 cars crossed the bridge that day. Of course, the railway, which owned the bridge, began charging a toll immediately. Toll pric- es were set by the War Dept., starting at 15 cents a head for horses and cattle, 25 cents for pedestrians, 50 cents for a car and driver (male passengers were extra), all the way up to 75 cents for motor buses and teams of two or more horses. While the people working the farms and ranches around Snowden, Bainville, Fairview and other little towns were enjoying the benefits of the new railroad spur, unrest was rippling through Sheridan County to the north. Farmers already struggling through the drought were also being crushed by rising railroad shipping prices, predatory fi- nancing on equipment loans, and ballooning wartime costs on food and supplies. They or- ganized, and with the help of the Nonpartisan League from North Dakota, started to have some influence in local poli- tics. Their goal was a commu- nist system in the region, that would offer state-owned grain elevators, mills, even banks. The communist movement of Sher- idan County in the early 1900s was an anomaly in Montana, an atheist-tinged uprising amidst a traditionally religious populace. The War Dept., whether flexing some military muscle toward the end of the First World War, or feeling the threat of creeping com- munism, posted armed guards at the Snowden bridge in April of 1917. The local press was only too happy to fan the flames of paranoia. "This bridge is an important piece of railroad construc- A photo of Snowden Bridge in its raised position MONTANA HISTORICAL SOCIETY

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