Vinegar pie
a handy storage box that became the prototype for nearly all chuck wagons. It is also true that people named Charles are often nicknamed “Chuck.” In recent years, that explanation has been widely circulated, but the term “chuck” refers to a cut of beef, which goes back at least a cou- ple of hundred years before Mr. Goodnight’s contribution to the cattle industry. And though he was occasionally referred to in his day as “Charlie,” one is hard- pressed to find any reference to “Chuck Goodnight.” The chuck wagon was a great improvement over cum- bersome and ill-equipped ox carts, and (worst case sce- nario) “greasy sack outfits.” The latter consisted of a mule
packed with a supply sack containing flour, beans, rice, coffee and salt pork—hence the grease. Greasy sack out- fits originated in the southwest. In the early years, just after the Civil War, no bed wagon was stacked with heavy bed- rolls. Some cowboys made do with a sweaty saddle blanket spread under them in warm
weather, over them on cold nights. As the cattle industry flourished and trail herds began coming north to graze the northern plains, dining a la “cart” improved. Goodnight’s invention of the chuck box meant the cook had a place to store pots and pans, “eating
T
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55 HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS 18 DIFFERENT SPECIALTIES LAB & X-RAY ON SITE
2 URGENT CARE FACILITIES
NOW CARE DOWNTOWN MISSOULA 500 W BROADWAY • 6TH FLOOR
NOW CARE SOUTHGATE MALL 2901 BROOKS • MISSOULA
500 WEST BROADWAY • MISSOULA 406.721.5600 • 800.525.5688 westernmontanaclinic.com SERVING YOUR COMMUNITY SINCE 1922
CLINIC LOCATIONS
BROADWAY BUILDING 500 W BROADWAY • MISSOULA
COMMUNITY MEDICAL CTR CAMPUS PHYSICIAN CENTER 3 2835 FT MISSOULA RD • MISSOULA
LOLO FAMILY PRACTICE 11350 HIGHWAY 93 S • LOLO
www.distinctlymontana.com 57
