Before railroads, all freight was hauled to the frontier Black Hills in wagons pulled by long rows of oxen or mules. The most famous wagon of freight came loaded with crate after crate of house cats!

    It seems that Deadwood in 1876 had no cats. This feline shortage was especially noticed by the dance hall girls and "fallen women" who sought cats as both pets and mouse catchers. Mule skinner Phatty Thompson's idea was to fill the void with a wagon load of cats from Cheyenne. And Thompson, a big coarse man with a soft heart, proved he could be a shrewd businessman.

    Once in Cheyenne Phatty told young boys of town that he would pay 25 cents for each cat they could catch and bring him. It wasn't long before Thompson's wagon was full of noisy alley cats. On the long trip to Deadwood there was a single mishap-the wagon overturned while Spring Creek near Hill City. Most of the cats escaped.

    With the help of some nearby prospectors Thompson coaxed all but one of his living cargo back into their crates. It took about 12 days of travel for a freight wagon to travel from Cheyenne to the Hills.

    Once on the streets of Deadwood Thompson had no trouble finding buyers. He sold the cats by the pound. Accounts say the fattest cats brought as much as $20-$30, and Thompson pocketed nearly a thousand dollars.

    Some have suggested that the name "cat house" for a house of prostitution may have arisen from this incident. Eric Partridge's Dictionary of Slang suggests otherwise. Whatever the case, the true story of the cat cargo proves again how much people love their pets.

10/01/03