Gossett

The Gossett Post Office was named for Dan Gossett by Mrs. Tom Bone, one of the early settlers on Gossett Flat; however, Gossett never lived in the immediate area. He was an old round-up boss from South Dakota. They came here in 1900, had no children. He acquired a ranch in 1901 that McPeak, the desperado, was killed.

The Gossett Post Office was discontinued in 1913 and was transferred to the Charley Clark, Sr., home and called the Clark Post Office. Still later Skaar Post Office was established, and Gossett patrons received their mail on Skaar Route.

As far as we can tell from the confusing records, Grace Kelly was first Gossett teacher in 1905, followed by Margaret Brown in 1906, Christopher Tubbs in 1907 and Margaret Porter (Mrs. Steve Douglas) in 1908. The first school was a crude log cabin at the Norton sheep camp on the Andy Mercer place.

Belle Hoyt taught at the Gossett School, and in 1914 she became the first county superintendent of schools in newly-formed Richland County. A new school was built in 1911 with Mary Tierney (Mrs. John Painter) as its first teacher. Gossett Flat was quite isolated, dependent on the ferry across the Yellowstone in summer and thick-enough ice to hold their vehicles in the winter. Often there was that in-between time when it was hazardous for the ferry and dangerous to cross on the ice.

John Meadors bought the ranch that comprised most of the land in the valley directly south of the Yellowstone River bridge. In 1905 his father, William, bought a ferry, operating at the sight of the bridge until his untimely death the same year when he was accidently knocked overboard into the swirling waters. Later on Napoleon “Nap” Rheault ran a ferry some distance north of the landing where Williams’s son, John was operating. Since there was not enough business for two, Meadors quit. Nap ran his ferry until the bridge was built in 1931.

Yes, Gossett even boasted a general store many years ago, run by Hans Frettim. He would buy close-out merchandise to sell, as well as handling a grocery line. The store was in the sandhills east of Gossett Flat.

Gossett had a crack baseball team in the early days. Baseball seemed to be the popular sport in most pioneer towns, and lucky was the community that boasted a top pitcher, catcher, hitter, baseman of fielder.

A cooperative telephone line was built in the Gossett area. Andy Mercer, George Williams, the Cook Ranch, Walter Kemmis, Frank Williams and George Albert were the first subscribers. They used long and short ring combinations and a single ring to get “Central”, in case one wanted to reach a party out of the immediate area. To call someone in the community one had only to crank the right combination of long and short rings, unless, of course, there was interference of some kind. Repair of the line depended on how soon one of the patrons could find time to fix it. An important part of many a women’s social life in those days was listening in on the phone conversations. Everyone accepted the fact that most anyone in the community could be listening in. One might call it the pioneer soap opera, except it was the real thing.

In 1917 a group of Gossett “Jaycees” decided it was time for a large community hall. It was built with contributions work and or, money by most everyone in the community.

This hall, approximately 30 by 100 feet, was in use until the fifties. Regular Saturday night dances brought people from far and wide. During the Prohibition Era, when all drinking had to be done on the QT, Gossett seemed to be a little further from the arm of the law than Yellowstone Valley, and it became a mecca for some who felt drinking was nobody’s business but their own.

The hall was used for community gatherings of all sorts, wedding receptions, school programs, conventions and picnics. It had a raised stage for home-talent plays and dance orchestra. This hall was used frequently until the Yellowstone Bridge was built in 1931. That opened up a new world to Gossett Flat, and things were never to be quite the same again.

 

Reader Comments(0)