ch overturned, and
themselves precipitated violently to the ground, thereby sustaining
serious injury. Upon meeting this forlorn party of travelers, Manning
and his companions all turned out again, and by herculean efforts
succeeded in righting the overturned coach, and in repairing, as far as
in their power, the damage that had been done. With such laborious
experiences as these, the party traveled on, and by the time they had
arrived at the supper station they were almost exhausted.

After this, however, the roads gradually improved, and as darkness came
on, they again essayed to sleep. On they went, and the night was passed
in uncomfortable slumber, broken and disturbed by the lurching and
uneasy jolting of the coach over the rough mountain roads, and the
curses of the driver, administered without stint to the struggling and
jaded horses. The night, however, brought neither danger nor mishap, and
at four o'clock in the morning they arrived at Helena, very much
demoralized and worn out, but with whole bodies and ravenous appetites.
Manning went to bed immediately on his arrival, and did not awake until
the sun was high in the heavens, when he arose, feeling considerably
refreshed and strengthened by his repose.

Helena, the capital of Montana, he found to be a pushing and energetic
city of about ten thousand inhabitants. Here were mills and factories, a
handsome court-house, graded schools, several newspapers, charitable
institutions and public hospitals, in fact, all the progressive elements
of a thriving and well-settled city of modern times. All this had been
accomplished in less than twenty years, and without the assistance of
the railroad or the energizing influence of river navigation. The
railroad had not yet penetrated into this mountainous region, and the
Missouri river was fourteen miles distant. To the adventurous spirit of
gold-hunting Americans had Helena owed its origin and growth, and its
resources were unknown until 1864, when a party of prospecting miners
discovered unmistakable evidences of rich yielding gold and silver mines
in the immediate vicinity of what is now the thriving city of Helena.
Following this discovery, thousands of gold-hunters sought this new
"Eldorado," and in a few months a populous community had taken
possession of the ground. Within a year after this the territory of
Montana was formed, and from its central location and large population,
Helena was chosen as the capital. From