Move Over Shep . . . Check out the Dog-Tramp "Bum"

The Dog Tramp. “Bum,” the Traveling Tourist Registered at the Manitoba Hotel in Great Falls.

We have read many stories of the sagacity of dogs, cats and other animals, but never until yesterday were we ever brought into personal surveillance of such a freak.


A great many of our townspeople have, no doubt, heard more or less of the railroad dog, “Bum” and may be somewhat interested to know that the traveling tourist and railroad pet is in our midst.

The curious feature of this dog is that he is strongly attached to railroad men and has a perfect abhorrence for any other person. He knows a railroad man when and wherever he meets him from the humblest section man to the great magnate, Jim Hill.

He has traveled from coast to coast and is especially partial towards the Manitoba and Northern Pacific, as on these roads he makes his home.

Bum goes to a place, where he always selects a railroad house and from his intimate acquaintance with railroaders gets the best of treatment, staying until he seems to become tired of laying around and the first thing you know the gentleman of leisure is at the depot taking the first outbound passenger to scenes more enchanting.

He came to Great Falls a few days ago and is now at the Manitoba house where he makes himself perfectly at home.

There is something very remarkable about such doings among dumb animals that almost leads one to think they have calculating and reasoning powers. Be that as it may one thing is certain and that is, that “Bum” is a professional tramp and that he lives on the fat of the land.

It is expected that he may go east any day, as he has made about the usual stay in Great Falls.

The dog-tramp, “Bum” took the afternoon passenger for the east yesterday [December 23, 1889]. He just came from St. Paul over the N. P. [Source: GFLD 22 Dec 1889]