A Mountain Lion's Attack on the Utah and Northern Train

While the Utah and Northern train was near Silver Bow, Montana, the engineer saw a dark object spring onto the front of the locomotive. Later, when the fireman went to oil the engine, a large mountain lion crouching on the cow-catcher lunged at him. The engineer blew the steam whistle, which caused the lion to jump off. The animal was later found dead nearby with its neck broken from the fall.

Fuller account of this event (as retold in The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, Vol. 48, No. 3 (18 January 1886), p. 47):

On Wednesday, the 2nd ult., the Utah and Northern train was nearing Silver Bow, Montana, and as the locomotive passed the engineer saw a dark object spring on the pilot. Nothing further being noticed, he thought that possibly it was a lump of dirt which had rolled off again. The fireman went to oil the engine shortly after, and discovered a large animal crouching on the cow-catcher. Upon the fireman's approach, the beast started toward him along the footboard, the man getting back in the cab barely in time to save himself. The engineer recognized the animal as a huge mountain lion, and opened the steam whistle, the noise of which frightened the strange visitor so that it jumped off. A subsequent search was made near the spot, and the body of the lion was found, its neck having been broken by the fall. The carcass weighed 300 pounds.