Lew Penwell, the promoter and builder of the railroad envisioned that White Sulphur Springs would boom as a tourist center.
the Montana daily record reported that $3,000,000 would be spent developing the Smith River valley and build a grand hotel at White Sulphur Springs.
The railroad did a study to extend to Cascade, on the Missouri River, and there were rumors that it might build to Helena, MT, to replace the stagecoach route.
Milwaukee rotated the locomotives that were used on the WSS&YP due to the pure water available at White Sulphur Springs, which removed build-up and scale from the boiler.
WSS&YP employees were expected to do whatever task needed to be done regardless of job description, from selling tickets to shoveling snow.