A History of Montana Volume 1 (2025)

TXT

MONTANA[...]

TO
, WILBUR FISK SANDERS
Pio11ccr, Vi9ila11te 011d Stotcsma11
to whose dauntless courage and unimpeachable[...]

~·
Cor1~tltutlon or the u111tcd Swtes, 111·0Poscd nmcnd•
111ent to, ratified by the leglsl:uurc of )lontnna,
Con!ll rt1tl Ion l)Oncls ror :t rntlro:td, 345
Construct ion or rnilro:tds Ctieourogcd. 361
Contf'St ror ~herh'Y or Slh'tr Bow ~ unty, •H)4
Continental Dhide. :?O,[...]JG02

c.,m·c-nt Ion or .1SrJ:. S02 Custer b[...]Ct1$lCr county. 340, 030; ngrlculture, 732 ; or<"n.•
Con,·C"nllou or IS$!). $02 i30,;[...]Custer. Georsc A., 247, 2.54, :WG
Cool.e cur. i -1S: mlnln; Olstrk[...]Custer·g c:l\':\lry, 253
Cooley. HOl)('rL A.. lG"21 Custer·s .-ic,·otlon to duty, 2G2
Coouey. 1-:dward II., Oi4[...]433 Ongcn:1lt;. Joscpb , 1501
Coopm:ln, A. n.. 13i G Dai[...]3S2 Dn,·ce. Hc-nry A.. JM!
Corry, Andrew v ., SS5[...]

Fl.olny, Jame-a B .. 1011 Fllgmn[...]cntion, ~-I F towcrrce, Daotcl A,. G., 951
l"irst courthouses, G92[...]ZlG. 263
J?irs-t regularly organized cxpe(}ltlon to •Hsco,·er Fort l'loyd, 12S
Yellows[...]O Fort Peck, 699
FJrst wbltc mao to cross tbc Sitrm Xe,· nda moml• Fort[...]Fort $hnw. 236
J,i nthcnd coun~·, creation or. 301 ; climate. iOO: n.g• Fort C. I,. Smltb,[...]. 1611 Founding or n. stage lloe, 282
Flight o! the :-.e-, P[...]

l.1nc<>ln conuty, crrotlon or. 37S; ngrlcullo~, 7i5: :'.\lnc.1ulcy. Alexoud[...])f:tckcnztc, .Jnmc,g A., 1701
l.1nootu's b1rthda)-. 3:75 )lnoKnlgh~ J . A., 460
.tnc.Jley. J~1)h ll.,. 0-H[...])f:\('l(nl~ht's ncoount or the flC{'l:'l m ine. -100
.Infield. Jlretlerlek[...]54 )fad.«MJ. J)uncnn A., JOG:;
·..,1111:. John G., lSGO[...]l.f:ldlson county. creAtlon or. 331; lrrir;:ued lnnds,
IS<Omb, Goorgc W., JOGS[...])foJolos_ c:11lll:\l or l:"illJ)lno r'Cl)UbJIC, O\':'lCuntcd nllcl
T.-0~,[...]Agulnllldo'~ hcn(lqunrtcrs to Omnes (\'lCw ), 030
.. ,.ong J)rh·e;• 313[...]nc. f:11,7-1.lbcth C•• 12-.16
r.ong, f:dwartl A.. 1200 Matone, Francis M., 1240
r.ong, Frank A., JGS5[...])fnrk 'r n':\lu':;: dC:SCrif)tlon or the 1)()ny ex1lre$$. 28-l
.uke. Robert .\.[...]

l ctom or ltonlim.:1 rcgiments, G4S[...]Rowley, He nry \V•• 1119
c,·h·nl or lhc fur trndc. 12V ltoy[...]1-\, )420 rt.ulna or old Fort ~nton (,·Jew), 139
IUCX'. Joseph I_[...]numscy. WIiiiam D., HOG
IUC'lmrdson, Er,·ln A., 121S lhrn()Cll, R[...]St. J e rome·:; Or1>hn11 Home, 568
lUY.cr, Robert J., 1793[...]St •.Jo...~1,h'$ Orphnn Home, GOS
ond to Fort LnramJe, 251[...]St. P:n11 At:-...ocl:ltlon or Commerce cup, 4S9
loberts. AIOOrt J., JG,00[...]p:,ny, 302
Ob<rls, Georg• A., 1110 St. Pctcr[...]., 1G70 Sttlnrlcs or clcs <>ffic.lnls, 302
Robinson, Jobo.[...]

NA;\I £-BOUNDARIES-TO POGR/\ PH Y-CLI ~IATE-SCEN ER Y

The name 1\t[...]rent. The eastern
meaning mountainous, was gh·cn to the infant portion which composes fully[...]ggestion of the area of 1he stale is a high plateau of mod-
James M. Ashley, who afterw[...]and
of its territorial go\·ernors. The name was a broad prairies, broken now and again by[...]ing hills and characteristic "buttes" or isolated
and descriptive of the rugged country i1[...]Considering the fact that i\<lontana is a
\ Vyoming to the south and the stale of Idaho Rocky mo[...]s: Nevada, 5,6oo feet; \Vyoming,
miles from north to south. A beucr idea of 6,400; Colorado, 7,000 f[...]are 40,-
combined have an are.1 just about equal to 700 square miles within .l\1ontana. "Taking
that of ll1ontana. A few of its counties arc the area of the state (i.\!ontana) as a wliole,"
larger than states. If we go farther[...], \Vales, Scotland and Ireland. This vast to 6,000 feet; 14 per cent from 6,000 to 7,000
and rich country is but sparsely populated, feet; 9 per cent from 7,000 to 8,000 feet and
ha,·ing only about 400,000 inhabi[...]al Divide,
sweeps across the state from northwest to is 4,110 feet. Salt Lake City[...]

tains, to begin again the round of eight thou- i\lissouri. After a brief survey of the sur-
sand miles.[...]rounding country they rejoiced as with a feel-
"Four thousand miles from the sea! Yet[...]e length of the ~Jississippi, from Desiring to honor the great men who pro-
the junction to its source in the State of Min- jected the[...]positions as makers of history they decided to
from the junction of the sources of the Mis- gh·e to the three streams names worthy of
souri, in i'\'([...]of the 11is- porters. It was difficult to decide which of
sissippi, above the junction, is[...]dred thousand sqi,are miles; while the to be ' ninety yards wide and so perfectly
water-she[...]ers more than five hundred thousand seem to have been formed in the same mould.'
square miles[...]Lewis and Clark finally decided the right
"As a whole the "ast basin of the two branch to be the largest of the three and to
streams, added to that of the main stem ex• this they gave the name of Jefferson, and
tending to the Gulf of ~'fexico, embracing called[...]and thinking it would be navigable for a
and character of its na\'igablc waters; in the[...]al and they followed it. vVhen they came to· \Villow
mineral resources; in the \'aricty and[...]ed it
cold regions of latitude forty-nine degrees to the Philosophy river, attributing that quality
the genial temperature of the sunny south, in to Jefferson and desiring to name the prin-
latitude thirty degrees ; and, fin[...]cipal tributaries of that river according to
wonderful ca1>ability of future development the ;turHmtes which they as~ribed to their
for the habitation of more than one hundred hero. \\/hen they came to the junction of
million of an industrious populat[...]~ mind Jefferson's characteristics. It is a great
souri river arc the Jefferson, the_Gallatin[...]'s history writes : "On August 8th they came to the mouth
" In the latter part of July. 18o5,[...]Rub,· ri\"er which they called the
wether Lewis, a nephew of the president of Philanthropy"_ This river they described as. a
the United States. and v\/illiam Clark. a 'handsome little ri,·er, abou[...]

river-perhaps a reminiscence o f the time Lewis and h[...]. The honor of discovering the (some)
chc French, or the Yellow ri\'er; in Gass, ' the sources of the _Yellowstone belongs, J think,
ri"er jaune or Yellow Stone.' I ha\'C before to Pri,,ate John Colter, of the Lewis and Clark
me a[...]The Y ellowstonc is in every sense a noble
Codex S . This is no other than the first fiver. It carries a great and swi ft running
rough draft of Lewis' letter to Jefferson, volume o f water and is un[...]he largest streams which empty into
announcement, a clean co:>y of which was to the Yellowstone from the i1orth arc the Sweet•
go to the President. This letter is follo"'ed[...]1>edition passed the
breaking off in the midst of a sentence. mouth of Shields river an[...]of the members of their party. They des.:ribed
a slip of the pen, probably for 23d o r 24th, the ri,,cr in their journal as a "bold. deep
as Lewis was not there till about noo[...]\Ve sha11 now consider the western or
country minutely in the vicinity ()f the en•[...]under date of Au•
Rochejohn, Rochcjhone, etc., to its proper gust 12th we read of their[...]point the expedition is 305 river• indeed a memorable day. They tasted of the
miles above Bis[...]its first im•
arc very i1early in the center of a 30-mile pulse to the Columbia. T he Journal reads:
sc1uare, which[...]with 104 degrees\\/., shed) arose almost to painful anxiety, when
and constitutes the ~Iilita[...]the river (which turn had been to the west),
"Captain Clark's party, of the oresent ex· they reached a small gap formed by the high
pcdition, fir[...]

rangc,-wc strike a strip of country on the \'alleys 500 or 1,000 feet lower produce
western slope of the Bit[...]rs, wheat, hardy \'aricties of vegetables as
with a rainfall of twenty•li\•C inches or O\'Cr. well as currants and crab apples. Going still
Continuing our journey west to the valley of another 500 or 1,000 feet lower, apples arc
the upper Columbia a[...]n, tomatoes,
·•\Vhether my logic is correct or not, it 1nclons, etc, ,.
would seem[...]flashing lakes, its myriads of rushing streams
it begins to climb up towards the Bitter Root and its gl[...]most sublime mountain regions of the world.
have a wetter strip of country than that either Add to this, the gentle tilled slopes of the val-
to the cast or west of it.11 leys and foo[...]untry with its huge distances and land marks
feet or O\'er, hay raising and caulc feeding[...]

and pushing before it and beneath it great mentioned as hav[...]the Ice farther east and are seldom of a quality justi-
Age and great changes were wrough[...]ties of oil or gas have been developed.
But these times also[...]igid jnvasion. to railway transportation. Owing to the com-
This brief review of the geological[...]the state these
of Montana will help the reader to appreciate resources arc but sparingly utili[...]iMontana
rock and mineral oil and gas arc known to enough material to supply all mankind for an
occur but have not be[...]period is available. One cement
. cially as yet. A geological product of great plant near the Three Forks of the ll{issouri
,·alue, although hardly to be classed as a min- river is already in operation and[...]

•

breath of air stirred. The smoke f[...]rs of the P lains," de.. and his men held a council with three Indian
scended stealthily up[...]s of friendship were ex-
whites and killed them to the last man. After changed among them.[...]the post on the shores "He did not cease to weep for my son and
of the Lake of the \Voods w[...]lake was still red
his son's murder was brought to him. Nor with their blood which called for vengeance.
did this gre.11 grief come singly. A!Jl\ost at the It was not for them to ask why the French
same tin,e he heard of the death of his nephew, desired them to cease from war; that they
the brave Du frost de[...]me future time, would obtain
unknown Nantouagan or Grosclliers river. vcnge.ance for the[...]his party. He, with the rest, started for
as a crushing b.low to the elder La Vercndrye, Fort Maurcpas, whic[...].declared viere in command, leaving with him a force of
himself "destitute of everything."[...]on and on
In the autumn of 1737 he returned to Can- the 24th gained the junction of the Red River
a.da to confer with his patron, Olarles de Beau• of[...]d the Assiniboine. At this
harnois. The govcr11or gave him a hearing place he found ten Cree lodges[...]sent chiefs. These people, too, were friendly to
an account of his explorations, together with the Frenchmen and expressed deep sorrow
a chart of the region penetrated by him for[...]e of La Vc!rendrye's son, Jean
the first time, to the French king. Although Baptiste, and his party. One of the chiefs
the Crown never responded to La Vercndrye's said:•
appeals, the co[...](the Gov-
ment of Charles de Beauharnois were a never ernor of Canada) desire,s ; the Sioux should do
failing source of comfort to the unfortunate the same. Our hearts are[...]son who came the first to build a fort in our
During the spring of I 738 he s[...]much. I have once al-
ward from :Montreal with a company of twe.n• ready been at war to avenge him. I have
ty-two men and an equipment[...]ys' time they reached the grand After a visit of two days with the Crees
portage of La[...]the Cristincaux were off and his men chose a site and began to build a
doing battle with the ever belligerent Sioux.[...]allisttr College Contributions. Second Series,
A fcer one day's rest they were off tow.irds[...]

mainder of his party, retraced his way to Fort could not be drunk to quench the thirst. On
La Reine.[...]ipped the .Master of
"I was very ill but hoped to get better on Life in "great houses, bu[...]Indian corn, singing together and repeating
sible to suffer more than I did. It seemed Je[...][ordone, arrived The chief offered to conduct the French-
at Fort La Reine. La Vcrendrye had suffered men to the Great Salt \.Yater, assuring them
n1uch, not[...]that by hard travel, and allowing for a cir•
scented to have been thwarted at. every turn cuit[...]nied the success that he had earned. to avoid the Ge11,s de Serpe11t, Snake or Sho•
The following September the two French·[...]He sent his oldest son, Pierre,
pitality extended to them during their long with such a company of men as he could
sojourn, amo;1g the i\fandans, but what was muster, back to the ?dandan villages com•
far more important, they brought news of missioning him to secure guides and push on
s trange tribes, who, d[...]toward the \¥.estcrn Ocean. Me.,ntime, the
come to trade. T hese people were about two v[...]e next summer Pierre
band among them was reported to have come returned, his journey without result save fre,sh
a great distance from a land towards the sun• disappointment to his lather.
set "where there were white men who l[...]mer days,
The Frenchmen had zealously attempted to went 10 Montreal for the third time to solicit
follow u(> this rumor. They went to the camp the support and aid of his co[...]means more he ·was rebuffed. He found a law suit
of the smattering of the Mandan language[...]m. Park•
which they had acquired they were able to man quotes the following pathetic p[...]spite of the derangement of my affairs,
professed to speak the tongue of the strange the en[...]near the \i\'estcrn Sea, pelled them to write letters to the court in-
but the words he repeated were unin[...]sinuating that I thought of nothing but mak-
to the Frenchmen. The substance of his story[...]/ivrcs of debt which I have on my shoulders
Far to the sunset there was a Great Salt are an advantage,[...]

\V1T111,; TIIE G ORG[...]in furs, as these shrewd and compelling us to return 111orc than once
men were quick to sec. In vain the Chevalier in arrears for[...]l such time as he could tell
other expedient than to cast m);sclf at the them more fully. I-Tc[...]he had no
feet of your Grace and trouble you with a share in promotions, but he was not the[...]rendryc; my late father is known here and or later his labors would not be without suc-
in France by the disco,·cry of the \ Ves1crn Sea, cess or recognition. /\1 the time when he de•
in which[...]e than fifteen of the voted himself mostly to his good designs
last years of his life; he proce[...]; he sa,v slip from his
pelled my brothers and me to proceed, in such hand, to those of another, a post already cs-

brother with him; he has assured me 111any him. The work done is already lost, .an[...]regrets and paid me many com- it seems to us that we should be really sure
pliments; however that may be, s uch was of the correct route to reach the end, what-
his action, it is very hard for me to find ever it may be. Our greatest punishment is
therein good faith or humaneness. l\f. de St. that we find ourselves torn from a sphere
Pierre might have obtained all he did, con- which we proposed to finish with our best
firmed his interests with ad[...]im, with- ''Deign, therefore, Monseigneur, to judge
out shutting us entirely out. i\1. de St.[...]hands of your Grace, for aid, for indemni-
to me. But with all the good impressions f[...]e shall find ourselves
in this he has conformed to the wishes of the robbed, with the greatest cruelty, of a sort
court or respected the kindness with which of !1er[...]ss, and others the sweets.
· was necessary even, to do us such harm, that "I have the honor to be, with a profound
he maligned us to l\'f. de la Jonquicrc, who respect for you[...]e very humble and
by himself is always inclined to do well. I very obedient servant,
am non[...]"CuR. DE LA \T£RE?\DRY£." 1s
this year amount to half, and in consequence This appeal was denied. In a communica-
of a thousand harassments my ruin is accom- tion to the minister La Jonquii:re wrote:
plished. For[...]francs. I remain without money ter than any officer in all the colony."
or patrimony; I am simply ensign of second La Jonquiere decided to send two separate
grade, my elder brother has only the same parties in search of the route to the Pacific;
rank as myself, and my younger brother is one to follow the course of the l\'[issouri river,
only[...]Lake Pepin in 1731, and abandoned the en-
to us nothing worth, the sweat of our father[...]ical advice that the troublesome Sioux
compelled to yield that which has cost us so[...]scrupulous, was a gallant officer and he had
a better feeling and communicate same to M.[...]g of the re-
not have been, nor will be, useless to l\1. de
St. Pierre. I hid nothing from him that[...]time, to visit.
believed would be of service, and however
skillful he may be, and supposing him to Parkman conjectures with every prob[...]uth, that La Jonquiere, Bigot, and Saint-
likely to commit many mistakes and to lose 11Sec ~(3ca11istcr Collc.[...]

coveries we have made in that country, and a southerly direction, and then crossed over
communicate even with California. to the l\1issouri a little below where is now
"The Post of La ,:\[...]gh the Belt range
Des Prairies (De la Jonquiere), a ll of which (near Helena, ;\[ontana), and ascende[...]he Indians." they passed up Deep or Smith's river, and over
" The Post of La Mer de l'Ouest merits to the head of the ~lusselshell, and from there
special attention for two reasons: the first, they went south to the Yellowstone, crossing
that it is the nearest to the establishment of which, they went up P[...]

in their company made a camp on January the spot and dig up t[...]1903,
shones, starting January 9, and coming to a discusses the route of the Verendrycs and
deserted village or camped at the foot of a very the probable location of the leaden plate[...]1is de la Petite Cerise
12 days. This I think to have been very were a band of Sioux wl\o camped along
probably on the Shoshone river, tributary to Cherry creek as well as on the Missouri ri[...]er~ndrye
shone camp was either on the eastern or the c~ossed the boundary lines of what is[...]nks of the difficult traveling, around wfontana or not, it is impossible to say. From
the ravine-cut slopes of the northe[...]the peaks of the Bighorn range
were planning to cut off their retreat, the east of the Yellowstone Park as Thwaites,
Verendryes party fell into a disorderly panic Parkman, Upham and others maintain; but
and fled back to camp where they left the we have no n1e[...]he much-1nooted question of just how far
tana or the north edge of vVyoming, not far west[...]Granville Stuart says:
• • • was close to the fort of the Choke . "Among the p[...]Fort Browning on
kota and Nebraska. There, on a hill or ?.1ilk river and Fort Peck on the M[...]the fort, the Chevalier de la Veren- was found a memorandum, evide.ntly refer•
drye buried _:L[!late of lead bearing the arms ring to a monument of which he had heard,
and inscription of the kini:-, and built a 'pyra- and of which he made a note for the purpose
mid of stones' in honor[...]of Canada. The Indians had no cured before he had the opportunity of doing
knowledge of[...]um reads as follows:
that the cairn was built to commemorate the 'Twenty feet in diameter-on river bluffs-
coming of these Frenchmen to their country. round, and run to point-spaces between the
It will be a most interesting object for the bowlders f[...]d weeds.'
historians of the ?.1issouri valley to identify The fact of moss and earth ha[...]

AUTHORITIES--
Hal£ Century or Conflkt- Parkman. \Vt$tCrn Tta\·tls-Ch.trlcvoix.
History or Hudson's Bay Co.- Brycc. North[...]lister College Contributions. A Brief History of Mont3na- Huriman.
Montana Hist[...]ntributions, Vol. l. Letter from \Varrcn Upham to the librarian o f the
Maximilian's Travels in N[...]ety.
Rocky Mountain Exploration- Thwaitt-.s.
A correction in Our History ronccrning Vcrcn-[...]tions in Mon- Bishop Thom:is O'Gorman.
tan:a, by S. )I. Corson (M. S. )font;in.a Historical South Dakota H:stork3l Collection[...]:al meeting of The Pathbrcakcrs from Rh•cr to Occ;m-Hcbard.[...]

to the cast of the main range of the Rocky were a band o r the )i.[innctarees, a b ranch of
111-0un1ains were the 1\ssiniboincs, t[...]the · great D"kota h family. They arc
or Shoshones ( who clwclt both cast and west also known as Gros Vc.n trcs o r the Prairie
or t he range) the mountain and river Crows,[...]na) and Gros Vcnlrcs of the ).(issouri
Ahsarokcc. or Bird l'eo)llc; the C heyenne of ( H i[...]ributaries of the upper I\Iissouri and
Blackfeet. To the west were the Kalispells the Yellowstone rive rs, and are believed to
or Kalispehlm, the Kootenais and the Sclish have once camped a long the Assin iboinc and
or Flatheads. The Nez Perces also hunted Red rivers. Jn a report to the comrnissioner
with the Sclish and Kootcn:.is.[...]ten by GO\"Crnor Ramsey
The earliest accounts or these tribe-s are of ~ri1111esota in rS50, he says:
g-i,·cn by Father Coquard a n a ssociate of the "The chief o f Red L[...]s, Bou- l\Ii,mcsota, some years ago, met a G ros Ven-
gainvillc and Lewis and C lark. The e'xpcdi- tres, towards th e sources or t he Missouri.
t ions or the VCrendryes penetrated' no fa r~her[...]

into a totally different preliminary treaty with States was but partly amalgamated into a
England, in which that nation, as ·a concilia- homogeneous nation. The government thus
tory measure, acceded to our demands for a handicapped could not antagonize the In[...]sissippi protect these western frontiermen or get for
and St. .,1',1ary's rivers, \Vhat was o[...]?\'Iississippi. ~fhis trc..1.ty, howe\'cr, came to quently the carJy inffux of Americans that
na[...]selves in Kentucky,
denied the right of England to bestow upon ·rennessee and Ohio grew restive.
us or any other nation a country and water- The English J>erc[...]l: Therefore as the real sovereign power to the further advance of the Americans across
of b[...]n colonies be-
which she •considered " the key to her monop• yond the Allcghanie.s, hoping thus in time to
oly of Spanish America." England, repenting[...], accused us of violating our preparing to recover Florida. Spain was
articles of the treaty and declined to grant ec1ually active in the southwest.[...]o, the tives of that government pandered to the In-
Great Lakes and the Mississippi.[...]e and Tennessee, and sought by every rneans to
present age of steam and electric railr03.ds, i11ducc these settlements to become dependen-
rapid transit and inventions can not fully ap- cies of Spain. To force the jssue, the naviga-[...]tion of the l\-lississippi was dosed to Ameri-
preciate what 1hc navigation of the )lissis-
sippi meanl to our forefathers who settled in cans.[...]hey were isolated from the central For a time under the extraordinary pressure
cluster of[...]of conflicting interests the allegiance of the
a natural barrier between them and centers[...]cn1crs. However, during George \Vashing•
known to Greek and Cartha,gincan, Roman ton'[...]thu§ ended forever the family comp3ct
For a number of years the western settlers betwee[...]rgin soil and become plant- so important a .Part' in the history of Louisi-
.ers, were not o[...]ut virtu- ana. This mutual check had been a s.::i.fc-
a1ly without protection. .-\s early as the close guard to the U nited S tates. Now a fresh
of the Revolution we had uthrust a wedge of danger was threatened.
settle[...]Nootka Sound. In the C\·ent of such
was anxious to check the advance o f the hostilitie[...]Danger beset would pass from Spain to Englan<I, who, by
these frontier settlernents on[...]gain the friendship of the west and incite a

Three months before the s igning of the the solitary trapper found the way he was fol-
treaty which made Louisiana a part of the lowed closely by the trading company.[...]rn exploration Thomas Jefferson the excuse needed to foster
which he had conceived a decade before, set his scheme, although his purpose was bigger
about for the fourth time to father and equip and broader than the traffic in[...]dream diversion of Indian trade from the English
a reality. The earliest years of his presidency and French to the citizens of the United
were crowded with pre[...]did he forget for one moment the ardent am- sent a confidential communication to Congress
bition which he, as Thomas Jefferson of[...]opriated for an ex-
vate life, later as minister to France, and later ploring party, the object ·of[...]anies might
and the blazing of an overland trail to the secure the rich and lucrative fur-trade. In[...]sts,
the Columbia by Captain Robert Grey, the in a sense following the expensive and.ruinous
United States claimed title to the· vast and plan of the Sieur de la Verendrye.[...]ned "Oregon Territory." T,his pos- posts he hoped to "place within their (the
se.ssion was in itself[...]edition, e,•en though at that time tribute more to their domestic comfort than
the equally vast and[...]es an!) west of our boundaries was wilds,,► and to lay the foundation for the pur-
still the proper[...]The message reads in part:
the object which led to the great international "An intelligent officer, with ten or twelve
movement west ward. Here and there an out[...]ling
runner of civilization more daring than his to undertake it, taken from our posts where
competi[...]relations with might explore the whole line even to the \'lest-
the Indians, who were generally more than ern ocean, have conference with the natives
willing to be friendly, and gained the coveted on the subject of commercial intercourse, get
prize,-the right to barter and trade. Some- admission among th[...]

•

was penned three months previous to the sign• sion, because of their immens[...]ing of the treaty which made Louisiana a pos- cause we learn they are very desirou[...]al mo- The equipment of the expedition is a mat-
ment, changed the import of the e.x[...]l interest. Lewis and Clark
Now it ~1ad to do· with our own immediate had three boats, a batteau or keel boat, fifty-
and vital interests.[...]. " or
22, 18c,4, Thomas Jefferson wrote the fo[...]batteau was somewhat
ing communication to Captain Lewis: pretentious; it[...]position ( the purchase of Louisiana and a for«astlc. and cabin, "the middle of which[...], which might be
authentically known as to effect the comple- raised so as to form a breastwork." It was
tion of your instru[...]ite men were attacked by hostile tribes
any diminution o f the Indian rights of occu- •[...]of protection.
pancy we arc authorized to propose to them The daily speed of such craft[...]e institution of commerce from twel\'C to fifteen miles. The "Pcriogucs"
with them. It will now be proper you should had six or Se\•en oars respectively. They
infonn[...]whose country you will were from forty to fifty feet long, approxi•
pass, or whom you may meet, that their late mat[...]our
fathers, the Spaniards, have agreed to with- feet of water. They had two horse[...]heir troops from all the waters and were to proceed along the river shores, ~'fo r[...]uri, that the purpose of bringing home game, or hunting
they have surrendered to us all their subjects, in case of scarClty[...]at they shall have no cause containing a small 1>0rtion of each article in
to lament the d1ange; that we have sent you to case of accident. Besides the above menti[...]nature of the country and foods the c.a rgo was composed of clothing,
• the nations inhabiting it, to know at what working utensils, locks,[...]commodities of the greatest usefulness. f{To
goods among them, to exchange for their pel• these were ad[...]of richly laced coats
goods and persons to carry them and make the and other artic[...]the same traders who r£:side among or visit ornaments of different kinds, particularly
them, and who arc now a part of us, will con- beads, looking-glasses, handkerchiefs, paints,
• tinue to supply them as usual; that we shalt and[...]articles as were deemed best
endeavor to become acquainted with them as calcula[...]ments of the Sioux and the steel frame of a c,anoe. They had
( except secede rs),[...]the United States,"
most particularly to make a friendly impre.s- another .}repre[...]

was no t to be interfered with by mere hum- the mou[...]r his occasional sobriety, and structed a winter cantonment where they re-
wait they di[...]posts,-Caho-
was warned of this, and advised to abandon kia, Kaskaskia, and St. Louis.[...]re for the wilderness ' for the trip, fell to Clark. Lewis gleaned
which only those who pos[...]had been as far as the Nlandan villages and
a letter to Jefferson he stated that he was returned. to St. Louis to dispose of their pel-
"dctcm,incd to get forward though I should ·tries and live for the winter on the proceeds
not be able to make a greater distance than thereof. During this period,-that is, on the
a mile per day."[...]Louisiana.
gust all was in 'readiness. At 10 A. l'II. the At four o'clock in the afte[...]ed the boats and set out upon what was
rette, a quaint French settlement which destined to be one of the greatest voyages
marked the las[...]the It 'is not the purpose of this work to dis-
•[...]ractical, if not im- fore, it is sufficient to note that they lraYclcd
possible, to reach the village that year. vVhat slowly u[...]is had not recei,·cd official them according to some incident of the trip.
announcement of th[...]ed be-
Therefore, the commandant, still bound to re- cause beasts of those species were fi[...]dependence creek commcl'noratcd
ment, refused to permit the Americans to pro• the fourth of July, Floyd's Bluff[...]exercised nominal control. Jefferson, in a buried on the eminence, and Council Bluffs[...]christened because of the first coundl
tains to go into winter quarters on the Ameri- with[...]me importance
take ad,·antage of their right to draw rations occurred, namely, the engaging of a new in-
from the vVar Department, thus conser[...]we passed through difficult
the RiYcr Dubois, a lesser stream, debouching places in the[...]eached Plum creek
into the i'<I ississippi at a point about opposite on the south side.[...]

Christmas. French as the Roche Jaune, or as we have
The captains appear to have taken a liking called it the Yellowstone, rises according to
10 Sacajawea, and to have recognized in her Indian information[...]near those of the ?.lissouri and
Sacajawea was a member of the Shoshone, (not so near those of) the Platte; it may be
Snake or Gc11s d11 Scpc11t nation. She had na,,igated in canoes almost to its head. It
been taken prisoner in 18oo while still very nms first through a mountainous country, in
young by Minnitarees, by[...]many parts fertile and well-timbered; it then
a sla,·e, to Charbonneau. He, being apparently waters a rich, delightful land, broken into
an impartial p[...]as very rapid;
1 t, 1804, she was delivered of a son. but during the two last an[...]

or on that immediately west of its sources it to the ground, as if in the act of spreading
which[...]'tice of spreading a robe of skin, as a seat for
Their one object now was to locate the guests to whom they wish to show distin-
Snakes as soon as possible. The fo[...]this signal three times;
had the mortification to find that the track still the Indian kept his pos[...]picioit on Drewyer and
:He determined therefore to go on (ten miles) Shields, who were now advancing on each
to the narrow gate or pass of the river which side. Captain Lewis was afraid to make anr
he had seen from the camp (his on Prairie sig,,al for them to halt, lest he should increase
creek), in hopes of being able to recover the the suspicions of the Indian, who began to be
Indian path. For this purpose he waded uneasy, and they were too distant to hear his
across the river, which was now about[...]ards wide, barred in several places by the beads, a looking-glass, and a few trinkets,
dams of the beaver, and then went[...]which he had brought for the purpose, and
ward to the pass, sending one man along the lca\ling his[...]Indian. He remained in the same position
orders to search for the road, and if they till Captain Lewis came within :200 yards of
found it to let him know by raising a hat on hiin, when he turned hiJ horse and began to
the mu1.zlc of their guns.[...]"In this order they went along for about out to him in as loud a voice as he could, re•
five miles, when Capta[...]tabba bone!' which in the
the greatest delight, a man on horseback, at Shoshoncc language means whi[...]ll
• the glass Captain Lewis saw that he was of a advancing, without recollecting the inlpropriety
different nation from any Indians we had of doing so at such a moment, till Captain
hitherto met. He was armed with a bow Lewis made a signal to them to halt. Th i:1
and a quiver of arrows, and mounted on Drewyer obeyed; but Shields did not ob•
an elegant horse without a saddle; a small serve it, and still went forward. Seeing Drew•
string attached to the under jaw answered as yer halt, the Indian turned his horse about as
a bridle. · if to wait for Captain Lewis, who now reached
uco,winced that he was a Shoshonee, and within 150 paces, repeating the wo[...]ipping up the sleel'c
Lewis was full of anxiety to approach without of his shirt to show the color of his skin. The
alarming him, and endeavor to convince him Indian suffered him to advance within roo
that he (Lewis) was a white man. He there- paces; then suddenly turning[...]d across the cr~k
pace. \ Vhen they were within a mile of each and disappeared in an instant among[...]ple, took which the sight of him had inspired, oi a
his blanket from his knapsack, and holding it friendly introduction to his countrymen.
with both hands at the t[...]

\Ve shall now turn for a moment from the 21st they approached the m[...]ately thirty tipi's of Cho•
men's viewpoint,-to the story of llfichel Riv-
ias, the old Flathead Indian, who heard the punnish or Nez Perccs.
iollowing account of their coming[...]river to a point at the confluence of the Cho-
The statem[...]ed for the Three Captain Lewis chose a site for p<:rmanent
Forks of the i\fissouri .and the Yellowstone quarters on December 7th, close to the ocean
Oil their autumnal buffalo hunt.[...]the Columbia. They
The explorers pushed on to Travelers' Rest built cabins from the lofty[...]the winter of 18o5-6. This camp, they called
or Clark's Fork of the Columbia, was given F[...]found them
comrade was the first of their party to discover launched on their homeward trip.
it, In a like .manner, Captain Clark bestowed We s[...]al' events
the name Lewis river upon the Snake to of the return journey. The journal of[...]eographic compliments was " * * * before sunset we made 19
characteristic of the two men[...]the south side of the creek near its entrance to[...]." •
pedition from the Bitter Root mountains to Gass writes:
the Pacific. Curiously[...]the re- September, 18o5, as we passed over to the
mm trip, and as our main interest is in th[...]ng we
,tate, we shall confine ourselves chiefly to the arrived at (that point on) Travelers' Rest[...]ted two days last
It is therefore sufficient to note that on fall, and where it empties into Flathead
September 10 they found a Selish (Flathead) (called Clark's) river."
, who conscnte~ to remain with them and act This was the[...]erpreter. The 14th saw them . the party was to separate. There they rested
across the "la~t high ridge of mountains ( the for a few days.
Bitter Root)" and they camped on the[...]July 1st, tells of their future
punnish river, a branch of the Clearwater, routes:[...]

Au·r1m1<1T1a-:s
Hi,-tory oi the Lewis :rnd Cl.irk E xpeditio[...]k Gass. ) fontan a H isto rical Society Contributio ns, Vol[...]

~onsequently he chose to remain. He estab• wilderness. Foll[...]the
. lishcd two camps. .. One, described as a "fort" main and North Platte river huntin[...]he mouth of went, he finally crossed to the mouth of
the river and in that protected stockade most Tongue river, where he built a fort for the
of his followers stayed durin[...]d remained for nine
location was not quite to the )iking of Sir months, trading wit[...]the game by his party was so great as to excite
siream where there was variety and[...]is can1p occurred the only mis- forth a remonstrance on their part. They were
·[...]food should be killed, but objected to the
.. As during the preceding year, w[...]tless sportsman was off casses being left to rot upon the prairie. From
after. fresh adve11ture and new hunting- a letter of Col. A. J. Vaugh!' then Indian agent
grounds.[...]gue river and on the upper lliissouri, to the superintendent
crossed "\:Volf's To[...]ndians affairs at St. Louis, Mo., dated
a large caiio11. From that 'point he and his[...]t 105 !?ears and some
retinue pushed on to the head of Rose Bud 2,000 buffalo, el[...]olf mountain. His object now victims to this British nimrod. At last the In-
was to locate a certain Crow camp. This he dians in retaliation drove off a considerable
iound without difficulty a[...], and subse-
,·isited the I11dians and a few renegade whites quently, in the winter o[...]'s route now lay from \:Volf hold, made a clean sweep of the remainder.
mountain to the mouth of Tongue river. At "In th[...]wagons, carts, and despatching his wagons to Fort. Union by land,
most of his followers by land, he, with a suffi- himself, with a portion of his command, de-
dcnt crew floated· down the Yellowstone to· scended the Yellowstone in boats prepa[...]ompany was in command of the two· or three weeks, occupying his time in the
J[...]ef stay is recorded by he had endeavored to sell to the American Fur
Lieutenant Bradley in the following passage: Company without being able to secure for them
Hin 1854, Sir St. George Gore, a wealthy En- the price he demanded. He pass[...]ow-
glish (Irish) bachelor, equipP.ed with a pass- ing winter on the Missouri above F[...], and
a
~lissouri river from St. Louis for protracted the next season returned to the east."
hunt in the wilds of the west;[...]ing of the wagons, Indian stuffs
panied by a party of forty-thre'> men, with a and all supplies not actually necessary to sus-
numerous train of wagons loade[...]

American Fur Com1>any m ig ht steal the hot hold, at $50 per head. If h[...],
guard over his Cxpensivc bonfire until mid- to disguise his nativity by remaining neutral.
n[...]n-1orc making use 9 £ the two boats George went to a ri\'al dealer in herds, who
constr·ucted at[...]ith him went t?1ough he had no use for mo re than a hali4
to Fort Berthold. doz[...]d as the revenue ob- with the view of inculcating a moral lesson:·
tained in that section froin[...]government having taken steps to curtail hi$
prodigally lib<:ral as unreasonab[...]played the latter part at Fort Union
he chose toto remain be•
man's inconsistency: hind in the country to which they had become
·uHe had been purcha[...]prominent actors in the heady feud Sud> a re some of the explorers who fol•
which had a.nnihilatcd brotherly lo\'e in Bcrt- lowed[...]

in with 38 Blackfeet. One of the Inwans port, at last they deceived him; and !Je fell a
showed the leaders a note headed "Mountain victim to his own creclulity, and his scalp, with
Park, 1[...]ed,
It introduced the individual who bore it as a ing on its way to .some of the Hudson C$tab-
head chief of the tribe, friendly to the white Jishments. * * *
men and the owner of[...]Indians appeared kindly disposed, lis- tion, with a letter from Dr. Pilc:her, whom
tened with seeming favor to a proposal to es- you know is at the ~cad of the Miss~uri Fur
tablish· a post at the Great F~lls of the J\{is- Company on[...]i 'and remained over night. · Immel and have but a moment to write. i ,met an express
Jones feared foul play[...]ing me the very un,
their men together and fled to the Yellowstone. pleasant n~ws-thc flower of my business is
J\feantime the Blackfeet, reinforced to _about gone. My mountaineers have been defeated,[...]last of .May, 1823, party ,vcre atiackcd by three or four hundred
the doomed party numbering 29, passed into a Blackfeet Indians, in a position on the Ye!,
steep and narrow defile. T[...]edy : and in drawing his pistol to kill a third, he
Fort Atkinson, July[...]t. Immell was
"Dear Sir :-How painful for me to tell, in front; he killed one Indiaµ and was cut to
and you to hear, of the barbarity of the In- pieces. I think[...]his and
"The defeat of General Ashley by the A'Ri- the Sioux.
carces, and departure of the troops to his re- "Jones was a gentleman of cleverness. He
lief, had scarcely gone to you when an express was for several years a resident of $t. Louis,
arrived announcing the defeat by the Blackfoot where he has numerous friends to deplore his
Indians, near the Yellowstone river, of the loss. Immell has been a long time on this river,
Missouri Fur Company's Ycllowstone or first an officer in the United States army, since[...]uncommonly large, and of great mus•
property, to the amount of $15,000, fell into cular strength;[...]of the enemy. * * * danger, a host within himself. The express
"The express goes on to state, 'that many dr- left the military expeditio[...]nt,
cumitances ( of which I will be apprise~ in a when all was well. With great respect, your
few days) have transpired to induce the belief most obedient servant,
that[...]"U.S. Agent for Indian Affairs.
either to drive us from that quart.er, or reap, "General \.Villiam Clark,
with the India[...]furnish them with the instruments of
hell and a passport to heaven-the instruments .[...]1 Major Benjamin O'F311on was a type of the bttt
of death and a passport to our bosoms. American manhood. He was :[...]illiam Oatk.
character, but, poor fellow, with a British pass- He is <le.scribed thus:[...]

The fa\'or with which the Americans had been \\1 he[...]probably been burned by the
entail, aroused the a1arm of the British, who, Bloods. A few mi les above the mouth o f the
it was believ[...]the siege until the Indians retired, Nc~:.a little below a cluster of small island$,
discouraged.[...]ilt his pos.t, which
·10 take h_is stock of furs to Fort Union. Ma,,y he named Fort l\{cKenzie, in honor of Ken.
of his en1ployes refused to remain without neth i\fcKenzie. It was a miniature fortress.[...]1

him. The post was isolated and in a wild nnd de.s igned to withstand anncd attack, and is <I<"•
savage-tr[...]two bastions. This settlement was destined to
three of his men. 1)ros1>er.
Among these three were Sando\'al, or San- The American Fur Company was now fim1ly
dcnjllc, a Spaniard of whom we shall hear estab[...]tion," Fort
an Indian wi.fc, was unafraid and in a sense Union, near the junction of the Y[...]kfoot territory near the mouth of the
structions to continue frie1,dly intercourse with .:\·£ar[...]ad mad<
enough pelts for their own use, they now used his company foremost in the northwestern
their utmost skill to supply the demand of the trade. To him, also, we owe a tremendon.,:.
traders. No white man would they p[...]innovation ht the upper ·Missouri traffic,-the
to trap in their country, but they were; willi1,g steamboat. The cumbersome keel~boats used
to trap for ihc white man. up to this time were, at best, slow and awk•
\Vi[...]mission he selected David· St. Louis on A ugust 5, 1830. He laid hi,
D . Mitchell. The party, under ~Iitchell, set plans before the company. Most of the
out in 1832 for the mou[...]prominent business men doubted if the expcri•
before the l\•fusselshell was reached the keel-[...]dedded worth trying, and accordiogly a steam·
and the costly cargo of supplies and art[...]christened the ' 1Ycllow•
sent an express back to Fort Union to report stone."
the disaster to l\lcKentie, who at once dis- The 0 Ye11owstone11 started on hCr maideu
patched a second boat laden with supplies. YOya[...]nce. Pierre Chouteau, Jr., was aboard to personally

squaw, who was a sister of the sole surviving ous. The Crows and[...]ulbertson vi,.
ished she reached the fort in time to give . ited St. Louis and in reward for his ahk-[...]were rising. services was made a partner in the compa,w.
Preparations for a siege were at once be- In the autumn[...]accompanied by i\iialco,n Clarke? then a mtrt
was made ready and sa,·e for a shortness of youth, who afterwards b[...]orn of distinguished
out means of hunting game at any distance. parents on July 22, 1817, at Fort ,Vayne, In-
Jn June a large party oi the Indians arrived, diana, where[...]Culbertson requested the return of the stock. as "a lo\'ing, affectionate boy. full of chi\·alry
He then ordered the escaped Blood woman to and true nobility." He attended a classical
"appear above the stockade," a dramatic inci- school at Cincinnati and at the ea[...]entered \Vest Point. He was soon
who believed her to be dead. The Indians placed in command of a company. Clarkc":t
made no move, they simply surrounded the promising career as a soldier was cut short hy
post, watched and waited. The supply of fresh a boyish quarrel. He challenged. his ach-er-
meat w[...]he rcsen·e of dry sary who; instead of accepting or refusing.
meat: the dogs were next killed and eaten. turned thC communication over to the faculty.
F inally, pieces of raw buffalo hide were boiled Next morning Clarke thrashed him in 1hr
into a rcpulsh·c glutinous mass. pre[...]looded desperadoes of his time, Alexander · form a part of our story.
Han·ey. He headed the little[...]robes were now fast coming into
manded permission to fire. Culbertson was ascendency a$ the fur most in demand hy
onlr twcnt);•fivc, b[...]In 1838 in spite of the terribie smallpox
timatum to the Crows to the effect that if they scourge brought to the Indian country by tlu-
did ,iot disperse by n[...]Pratt, which wreaked hideous dcso·
undue dignity to give 10 the little three- lation everywhere, the[...]In January, 1840, iM ajor C,ulbertson lcit
a shot crashed among their ranks. There was Harvey in charge of Fort ~lcKenzie and pro•
a sudden scattering, the Crows fled and mo- ceeded to Fort Union with one hundred horse;
lested[...]