Looking Back and Looking Ahead
The foundations laid for those who lived and worked here are very visible in this last look at Loweth. The land is full of greens and foliage as this part of Western Montana comes out of spring and fades into a long, hot summer. Westbound trains would leave the summit of this first of five mountain crossings, heading downgrade towards the small town of Ringling some 8 miles ahead. From the crest of Loweth, the path to the west looks directly at the Rockies and the arduous climbs that lie ahead. Also ahead, the headwaters of the Missouri River, a rejoining of the Northern Pacific, and Butte on the far side of the pass. Directly ahead, a lone signal stands in the gap where the transcon passed. Dark today, but a high green to ages past.