Author details Taft's 'wicked' history in new book

Between 1906 and 1909, the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway put track, trestles, and tunnels through the Bitterroot wilderness on the border of Montana and Idaho. This was all part of the Pacific Coast Extension connecting East Coast population centers to China and Japan.

Construction included the 1.8-mile St. Paul Pass Tunnel, located under the state border. It also created the town of Taft, once home to nearly 10,000 men, 500 prostitutes, and 27 saloons — it gained the reputation as the "Wickedest City in America."

It was notorious for drinking and gambling, with a murder rate higher than Chicago.

“When I was a reporter for the Mineral Independent, John Shontz, who is a local historian and a member of the Milwaukee Road Historical Association, was searching for the lost cemetery of Taft,” said Kathleen Woodford who now lives in Conrad. “I wrote a couple of articles about the search, which included another historian from Idaho, Butch Jacobson, and Superior Forest Service archeologist, Erika Scheuring,” Woodford reports.

Taft burned to the ground on Aug. 21, 1910, during "The Big Burn" and was never rebuilt. It was surmised that the little cemetery had wooden markers which were scorched and its location lost in time.

However, what started out as a search for the Taft cemetery soon uncovered a rich history of man’s attempt to conquer this wilderness area. In 1906, Harry English was hired to document the construction of the Milwaukee Road’s Mountain grade from Haugan, Montana to Avery, Idaho.

He took hundreds of photographs with most of them lost for over 100 years. A three-year search by nine Montana and Idaho historians and archaeologists found over 900 of Harry English photographs of the construction, plus a rich tapestry of stories about the tumultuous town.

“These discoveries eventually lead to the development of this book,” smiles Woodford. “I wrote most of the text and helped with editing. John (Shontz) coordinated its production and did the bulk of the research. Gus Chambers helped edit over 300 photos and UM student, Kaisha Gerhardt, did the graphic design work while Collin Shontz helped with archival photographs. It has been a great experience working with these talented individuals and discovering Taft, which today is the Hiawatha Bike trail.”

The book Woodford referred to is, "TAFT – The Story of the St. Paul Pass Tunnel and America’s Wickedest City: Building the Hiawatha Trail," which is newly released. The first Montana book signing will be on Saturday, Dec. 10 from noon to 2 p.m. at the Mineral County Library, 301 2nd Avenue East in Superior.

Woodford will be joined by other team members including Kay Strombo, Mineral County Museum Director, at the book signing. The proceeds benefit the Mineral County Museum and the Milwaukee Road Historical Association.

For further information, contact the Mineral County Historical Society and Museum at (406) 822- 3563