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COLLECTIONS 


OF  THE 


State  Historical  Society 


OF 


NORTH   DAKOTA 


VOL.   II 


BISMARCK.    N.    D. 

TRIBUNE,  STATE  PRINTERS  AND  BINDERS 

1908 


Copyrighted  by 

Orin  Grant  Libby, 

1908. 


\ 


I 


TABLE)  OP  CONTENTS 


«,   > 


PAGE 
Report  of  the  Secretary: 

Articles  of  Incorporation  and  By-laws  of  the   Society   10 

Legislative  provisions  and  appropriations   11 

List  of  Officers  and  Directors   15 

List  of  Members   15 

Report  of  Receipts  and  Expenditures  21 

Report  of  Library  and  Museum 51 

Staitement  of  Loan  Collections   60 

Report  on   Field   Work   64 

Addresses  and  Papers  delivered  at  Annual  Meetings : 

Address  of  Welcome  at  the   Annual   Meeting  of  the   Society,   Geo. 

E.   Duis    69 

The  State  Historical  Society,  P.  J.  McCumber 73 

The  Selkirk  Settlement  and  Its  Relation  to  North  Dakota  History, 

H.  U  Gunn  79 

Notes  on  the  MacLeod  Manuscript,  H.  G.  Gunn 106 

Diary,  etc.,  of  Chief  Trader  John  MacLeod,   Senior  of  Hudson's 

Bay  Company,  Red  River  Settlement,  1811  115 

Appendix : 

Lord  Selkirk's  Advertisement  and  Prospectus  of  the  New  Colony  135 

North  Dakota  History: 

Early  Days  in  North  Dakota,  E.  A.  Williams  141 

The  Icelandic  Lutheran  Synod  of  America,  Sveinbjorn  Johnson 144 

A  Trip  Through  the  Red  River  Valley  in  1864,  J.  A.  Gilfillan 146 

Names  of  the  Ojibways  in  the  Pembina  Band,  North  Dakota,  J.  A. 

Gilfillan  ". •...  150 

Sketches  of  Early  Settlements  of  Portions  of  Walsh  County,   T.  E. 

Cooper  161 

History  of  Red  River  Valley  University,  Wallace  N.  Stearns  171 

Letter  from  Ft.  Abercrombie,   1862,   S.  V.  Carr  179 

Norwegian  Immigration,  Oman  B.  Herigstad  186 

Appendix : 

The  Norwegians  in  America: 

Ole  Lima  198 

Andrew   Vatne    200 

History  of  Riverside  Township,   Steele  County,   Myrtle  Bemis: 

Settlement  of  Riverside  Township 202 

Early  Community  Life   209 

Present   Conditions    212 

Appendix : 

Journal  of  R.  D.  Ross,  Across  the  Plains  in  1863  219 

Biographies  of  Riverside  Old  Settlers : 

Alexander  Saunders  231 

John  H.  Atchison   234 

Andrew  Park,    Sr 237 

Luellen  Ladbury   238 

Geo.  Slingsby  239 

Geo.   Saunders,    Sr 239 


193593 


LETTER  OF  TRANSMITTAL 


To  the  Governor: 

The  secretary  of  the  State  Historical  Society  of  North  Dakota,  in 
behalf  of  the  directors  of  the  same,  herewith  transmit  the  report  of 
the  Society  for  the  biennial  period  ending  July  1,  1908.  The 
accompanying  papers  and  reprints  are  designed  to  still  further 
increase  the  interest  aroused  in  our  state  and  local  history  by  the 


ERRATA. 

Page  81,  note  3.    Cones  should  read  Coues.    Omit  the  repetition  of  Coues, 
New   Light  on  the  Early  History  of  the  Greater   Northwest. 
Page  131.     Precaturely   should   read   prematurely. 

Page  144,  note  3.     Rev.  Mr.  Thorgrim  should  read  Rev.  Mr.  Thorgrimsen. 
Page  213.     The  second  footnote  figure  in  the  text  should  be  2  instead  of  1. 
Page  275,    note    1.       Unnuity   should    read   annuity. 
Page  505.     1838  should   read   1738. 


suu^uL  uy  ull^  diniiaiiuu  is  iiic  iiicitraac  ui  iiiicrciii  \u  locai  iiisiory 
by  the  school  children.  It  is  planned  to  make  available  as  supple- 
mentary reading  in  the  schools  such  of  the  stories  and  sketches  in  the 
Collections  as  are  suitable  for  this  purpose.  A  lantern  slide  lecture  is 
given  free  to  any  school  on  request  of  any  member  of  the  Teachers' 
History  association. 

Most  of  the  features  appearing  in  Volume  I.  will  be  continued 
in  the  present  volume.  A  new  departure  will  be  the  story  of  Foct 
Abercrombie  with  its  soldier's  diary  and  other  illustrative  material. 
The  history  of  one  of  our  forts  will  be  one  of  the  regular  features 
in  future  volumes.  The  most  important  single  contribution  is  H.  G. 
Gunn's  Selkirk  Settlement  with  its  valuable  original  document,  Mc- 
Leod's  Diary,  now  in  print  for  the  first  time. 

There  has  been  a  decided  increase  in  interest  in  the  work  of 
the  Society  and  its  membership  shows  a  very  gratifying  growth  in 
the  number  of  its  members.  Co-operation  in  the  preservation  and 
publication  of  our  records  is  coming  to  be  regarded  as  a  civic  duty 
in  which  it  is  the  privilege  of  all  public  spirited  citizens  to  assist. 


LETTER  OF  TRANSMITTAL 


To  the  Governor: 

The  secretary  of  the  State  Historical  Society  of  North  Dakota,  in 
behalf  of  the  directors  of  the  same,  herewith  transmit  the  report  of 
the  Society  for  the  biennial  period  ending  July  1,  1908.  The 
accompanying  pai>ers  and  reprints  are  designed  to  still  further 
increase  the  interest  aroused  in  our  state  and  local  history  by  the 
publication  of  Vol.  I.  of  the  Collections  of  two  years  ago. 

Owing  to  the  somewhat  larger  appropriation  available  for  the 
purposes  of  the  Society,  a  wider  range  of  activity  has  been  possible 
and  better  results  have  been  achieved.  The  better  grade  of  field 
work  done,  for  example,  is  proof  of  the  advantage  of  supporting  the 
various  activities  of  the  Society  by  liberal  appropriations.  A  begin- 
ning has  been  made  also  toward  the  proper  cataloguing  of  the  large 
and  growing  library  of  the  Society  making  it  available  for  pubHc 
use  for  the  first  time.  A  very  considerable  increase  in  the  space 
given  to  the  museum  and  library  will  have  to  be  made  for  the  coming 
year  in  order  to  keep  pace  with  their  growth. 

A  new  plan  for  co-operation  is  being  tried  by  affiliation  with  an 
association  of  history  teachers  and  others  in  the  state,  its  members 
receiving  the  publications  of  the  Society.  One  of  the  main  objects 
sought  by  this  affiliation  is  the  increase  of  interest  in  local  history 
by  the  school  children.  It  is  planned  to  make  available  as  supple- 
mentary reading  in  the  schools  such  of  the  stories  and  sketches  in  the 
CoHections  as  are  suitable  for  this  purpose.  A  lantern  slide  lecture  is 
given  free  to  any  school  on  request  of  any  member  of  the  Teachers' 
History  association. 

Most  of  the  features  appearing  in  \'olume  I,  will  be  continued 
in  the  present  volume.  A  new  departure  will  be  the  story  of  Foct 
Abercrombie  with  its  soldier's  diary  and  other  illustrative  material. 
The  history  of  one  of  our  forts  wnll  be  one  of  the  regular  features 
in  future  volumes.  The  most  important  single  contribution  is  H.  G. 
Gunn's  Selkirk  Settlement  with  its  valuable  original  document,  Mc- 
Leod's  Diary,  now  in  print  for  the  first  time. 

There  has  been  a  decided  increase  in  interest  in  the  work  of 
the  Society  and  its  membership  shows  a  very  gratifying  growth  in 
the  number  of  its  members.  Co-operation  in  the  preservation  and 
publication  of  our  records  is  coming  to  be  regarded  as  a  civic  duty 
in  which  it  is  the  privilege  of  all  public  spirited  citizens  to  assist. 


STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 


The  work  we  are  doing  is  attracting  favorable  comment  outside 
of  the  state  and  as  we  become  better  known  through  our  publica- 
tions, we  may  hope  for  interest  and  co-operation  on  the  part  of 
those  engaged  in  similar  work  elsewhere. 

O.    G.    LlBBY. 

Secretary  State  Historical  Society  of  North  Dakota. 
Grand  Forks,  N.  D.,  July  1, 190&. 


REPORT  OF  THE  SECRETARY 


REPORT  OF  THE  SECRETARY  OF  THE 

STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

OF  NORTH  DAKOTA 


ARTICLES  OF  INCORPORATION. 

ARTICLE   1. 

The  name  of  the  society  shall  be  the  State  Historical  Society  of  North 
Dakota.  The  principal  place  of  business  shall  be  Bismarck.  North  Dakota. 
Its  duration  shall  be  perpetual.  It  is  organized  under  Chapter  3  (Com- 
piled Laws  of  1887,  being  the  general  incorporation  laws),  for  the  pur- 
pose of  collecting  and  preserving  historical  records  and  matter  pertaining 
to  the  history  of  North  Dakota. 

ARTICLE   2. 

The  number  of  directors  of  this  society  shall  be  sixteen.  Eight  of  these 
directors  shall  hold  office  until  March  31,  1905,  and  eight  of  them  shall 
hold  office  until  March  31,  1907.  The  present  board  of  directors  shall  elect 
eleven  additional  members,  and  they  shall  also  determine  the  length  of 
ttrm  of  each  of  these  members,  but  all  future  directors  and  officers  shall 
hold  office  for  four  years,  or  until  their  successors  are  elected  and  qual- 
ified. Its  first  board  of  directors  shall  be  as  follows :  Clement  A.  Lounsberry, 
Fargo,  N.  D..  president;  Linda  W.  Slaughter.  Bismarck,  N.  D.,  vice  pres- 
ident and  corresponding  secretary;  Marshall  H.  Jewell,  Bismarck,  N.  D., 
second  vice  president;  Warren  C.  Baker,  Grand  Forks,  N.  D.,  treasurer; 
Walter  F.  Cushing,  Fargo,  N.  D.,  recording  secretary.  They  shall  hold 
office  until  their  successors  are  elected  and  qualified,  as  provided  for  in 
the  by-laws  of  the  society.  The  directors  may  elect  one  of  their  number 
corresponding  secretary. 

ARTICLE  3. 

* 

Should  the  state  of  North  Dakota  appoint  an  historical  commission, 
naming  the  president  of  this  society  as  one  of  the  commission,  it  shall  be 
the  duty  of  the  board  of  difectors  to  act  in  harmony  with  said  commission 
in  the  matter  of  collecting  and  preserving  the  records,  relics  and  general 
information  pertaining  to  the  early  history  of  North  Dakota.  The  society 
shall  also  make  such  collection  of  material  as  relates  more  particularly  to 
the  history  of  the  west  and  of  Canada,  but  the  board  of  directors  shall 
have  full  power  to  determine  what  shall  be  collected  by  the  society,  and 
how  it  shall  be  used. 

ARTICLE   4. 

The  society  may  acquire  the  necessary  real  estate  for  the  transaction 
of  its  business  and  the  preservation  of  its  records  by  purchase,  bequest, 
contribution,  or  subscription,  or  from  payment  of  dues,  or  sales  of  its 
publications,  and  other  property  by  the  same  means,  not  exceeding  $50,000, 
but  should  the  society  be,  dissolved  by  the  voluntary  action  of  its  members 
or  otherwise,  its  property  shall  pass  into  the  hands  of  a  receiver,  to  be 
appointed  by  any  court  having  jurisdiction,  who  shall  settle  all  debts 
of  the  corporation,  turning  over  to  the  state  whatever  may  remain  after 
the  settlement  of  the  debts. 


10  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 

ARTICLE  5. 

The  debts  of  the  society,  except  for  the  purchase  of  real  estate,  shall 
not  exceed  $1,000,  and  for  the  purchase  of  real  estate  to  be  used  in  the 
necessary  transaction  of  business,  $2,000.  No  member  of  the  society  shall 
be  liable  for  the  debts  of  the  society  beyond  the  amount  of  his  unpaid 
dues,  as  fixed  by  the  by-laws  of  the  society. 


BY-LAWS. 

ARTICLE    1. 

Section  I.  The  regular  meetings  of  this  society  shall  be  held  biennially 
at  the  principal  place  of  business  at  such  time  during  the  month  of  January 
as  the  board  of  directors  may  determine. 

Sec.  2.  Special  meetings  may  be  called  by  the  president  or  secretary 
upon   the   written   request  of  any  other  three  mmbers. 

Sec.  3.  There  shall  be  held  each  year  at  Bismarck,  N.  D.,  a  meeting  of 
the  society,  at  which  papers  shall  be  read  by  members,  and  such  program 
carried  out  as  shall  be  provided  for  by  the  board  of  directors.  A  second 
meeting  shall  be  held  annually  in  the  state,  at  such  time  and  in  such  city 
or  place  as  shall  be  fixed  by  the  board. 

Sec.  4.  Notices  of  all  meetings  shall  be  sent  by  the  secretary  to  every 
member  of  the  societv. 

ARTICLE   2. 

Section  1.  The  officers  if  this  society  shall  consist  of  a  president,  a 
vice  president,  a  secretary,  a  treasurer,  and  a  board  of  directors. 

Sec.  2.  The  board  of  directors  shall  be  elected  by  ballot  from  among 
the  members  at  the  regular  meetings  of  the  society,  and  the  members 
of  this  board  shall  hold  office  for  four  years  or  until  their  successors 
arc  elected  and  qualified.  The  following  state  officers  shall  be  ex-officio 
members  of  the  hoard  of  directors:  Governor,  auditor,  secretary  of  stnte, 
commissioner  of  agriculture  and  labor  and  superintendent  of  public  instruc- 
tion. 

Sec.  3.  The  remaining  officers  of  the  society  shall  be  elected  by  the 
board  of  directors  from  among  their  number.  The  duties  of  these  officers 
shall  be  such  as  usually  devolve  up(  n  *iuch  officers. 

Sec.  4.  In  addition  to  his  usual  duties,  the  president  shall  sign  all  legal 
documents  for  the  society  as  its  (  fficial  representative. 

Sec.  5.  The  treasurer  shall  pay  all  warrants  on  the  treasury  signed  by 
the  secretary.  At  the  regular  meeting  he  shall  make  a  full  report  of  all 
receipts   and   expenditures. 

Sec.  <>.  The  secretary  shall  countersign  all  documents  signed  by  the 
president,  and  no  such  document  shall  be  valifl  unless  so  countersigned.  He 
shall  keep  the  records  of  the  society  and  of  the  bt)ard  of  directors  and  shall 
have  charge  of  and  be  responsible  for  all  documents,  manuscripts  and  other 
collections  in  possession  of  the  society.  He  shall  edit  its  publications,  con- 
duct its  correspondence,  and  shall  in  general  act  as  the  principal  administrat- 
ive officer  of  the  society.  He  shall  collect  membership  dues,  recwve  all 
other  moneys  of  the  society  and  transmit  the  same  to  the  treasurer. 

It  shall  further  be  the  duty  of  the  secretary,  under  the  advice  of  the 
board  of  directors,  to  make  such  collections,  exchange  and  loan  of  historical 
material  as  shall  best  further  the  interests  of  the  society.  He  shall,  as  s(Kin 
as  practicable,  catalogue  and  arrange  the  collections  of  the  scicitty.  and  for 
this  purpose  he  may  appoint  a  librarian  and  such  other  officers  as  may  be 
iieeded. 


STATE  01'  NORTH   DAKOTA  11 

Until  otherwise  provided  for,  the  office  of  the  secretary  shall  be  at  Grand 
Forks,  N.  D. 

Sec.  7.  Meetings  of  the  board  of  directorr  may  be  called  by  the  presi- 
dent or  the  secretary,  and  these  meetings  shall  be  held  at  Grand  Forks, 
N.  D.  The  board  of  directors  shall  appoint  officers  to  fill  all  vacancies 
un4il  the  next  regular  meeting  of  the  society.  They  shall  fix  the  time  and 
place  for  all  meetings  of  the  society  and  arrange  programs  for  all  literary 
meetings. 

Sec.  8.  All  property  of  the  society  shall  be  under  the  control  of  the 
board  of  directors,  who  shall  decide  upon  the  place  or  places  where  the 
collections  of  the  society  shall  be  kept.  They  shall  have  power,  also,  to  make 
such  use  of  the  funds  and  property  of  the  society  as  may  seem  to  them 
necessary  and  proper  for  carrying  into  effect  the  purposes  of  the  organ- 
ization. 

Sec.  9.  The  board  of  directors  may  require  any  officer  of  the  society 
to  give  bonds  for  the  faithful  performance  of  his  duty;  the  amount  of 
the  bond  shall  be  fixed  by  the  board. 

Sec.  10.  Any  officer  of  the  society  may  be  removed  from  office  by  the 
board  of  directors  for  cause,  provided  he  be  given  ten  days'  notice  of  such 
intended  action.  No  such  action  shall  be  taken  except  uoon  a  two-thirds 
vote  of  the  whole  number  of  directors,  and  unless  each  member  of  the  board 
shall  be  notified  of  such  intended  action  ten  days  before  the  meeting. 

Sec.  11.  Six  honorary  vice  presidents  may  be  appointed  biennially  by 
the  board  of  directors  upon  nomination  of  the  society  at  its  regular  meeting. 

ARTICLE    2. 

Section  1.  The  members  of  this  society  shall  be  chosen  by  the  board 
of  directors  shall  consist  of  annual,  life  and  honorary  members. 

Sec.  2.  The  membership  dues  shall  be  twenty-five  dollars  for  life  members 
and  two  dollars  yearly  for  annual  members.  Arrears  in  dues  shall  be  con- 
sidered a  cause  for  dropping  any  member  from  the  roll  of  the  society. 

Sec.  3.  Honorary  members  shall  be  chosen  by  the  society  at  the  regular 
meetings  upon  nomination  by  the  board  of  directors. 

Sec.  4.  Surviving  members  of  the  Ladies'  Historical  Society  of  Bis- 
marck and  North  Dakota — Mrs.  Linda  D.  Slaughter,  Mrs.  Christina  A.  Dunn 
and  Mrs.  Phoebe  Marsh — shall  be  considered  honorary  members  of  the 
society.  These  members  shall  retain  the  right  of  voting  at  all  meetings 
of  the  society. 

Sec.  5.  i^kmbers  unable  to  attend  the  meetings  of  the  society  may  send 
proxies  with  such  powers  as  they  may  choose  to  confer. 

ARTICLE   4. 

Section  1.  All  by-laws  previously  adopted  by  the  society  are  hereby 
repealed. 

Sec.  2.  Each  member  shall  be  entitled  to  receive  all  publications  of 
the  society. 

Sec.  3.  Branch  societies  may  be  organized  whenever,  in  the  judgment  of 
the  board  of  directors,  such  organizations  are  called  for. 

Sec.  4.  The  report  shall  be  issued  biennially  by  the  society,  publication 
containing  such  historical  material  as  may  be  considered  by  the  secretary 
as   worthy  of  preservation   in   this   form. 

Sec.  5.  The  fiscal  year  of  the  society  shall  begin  on  the  first  day  of 
April  and  end  on  the  last  day  of  March. 


LEGISLATIVE  ENACTMENT. 

During    the    legislative    session    of    1905    the    friends    of    the 
Society,  through  Senator  Cashel,  secured  the  enactment  of  a  law 


12  STATE    HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


for  the  furthering  of  the  interests  of  the  historical  work  in  the 
state.  This  law  gives  the  State  Historical  Society  a  legal  status 
and  provides  for  the  proper  co-ordination  of  its  work  with  that 
of  the  regular  state  officials.  The  law  (Chap.  25,  laws  of  1905), 
article  8,  appears  in  the  revised  codes  of  1905  as  chapter  4,  and 
is  as  follows : 

Section  240.  State  historical  society.  Powers.  Ex-officio  members  op 
BOARD.)  The  state  historical  society  of  North  Dakota  shall  be  the  trustee 
of  the, state,  and  as  such  shall  faithfully  expend  and  apply  all  money 
received  from  the  state  to  the  uses  and  purposes  directed  by  law,  and  shall 
hold  all  its  present  and  future  collections  and  property  for  the  state,  and 
shall  not  sell,  mortgage,  transfer  or  dispose  of  in  any  manner,  or  remove 
from  the  historical  rooms  in  the  capitol  at  Bismarck  any  article  therein 
without  authority  of  law;  provided,  this  article  shall  not  prevent  the  sale  or 
exchange  of  any  duplicates  that  the  society  may  have  or  obtain;  and  pro- 
vided, that  the  secretary  of  the  said  society  shall  have  power  to  withdraw 
for  temporary  use  such  of  the  collections  as  shall  be  needed  for  the  compila- 
tion and  editing  of  the  publications  of  the  society,  and  that  such  of  the 
collections  as  may  be  needed  for  exhibition  purposes  may  be  withdrawn 
for  that  purpose  by  the  authority  of  the  board  of  directors.  The  governor, 
auditor,  secretary  of  state,  commissioner  of  agriculture  and  labor,  and  super- 
intendent of  public  instruction  shall  be  cx-officio  members  of  the  board 
of  directors  of  said  society,  and  shall  take  care  that  the  interests  of  the 
state  are  protected. 

Sec.  241.     Duties.)     It  shall  be  the  duty  of  said  society: 

1.  To  collect  books,  maps,  charts  and  other  papers  and  materials  illus- 
trative of  the  history  of  this  state  in  particular  and  of  the  west  generally, 

2.  To  obtain  from  the  early  pioneers  narratives  of  their  exploits,  perils 
and  adventures. 

3.  To  procure  facts  and  statements  relative  to  the  history,  progress  and 
decay  of  our  Indian  tril>es,  so  as  to  exhibit  faithfully  the  antiquities  and 
the  past  and  present  resources  and  conditions  of  this  state. 

4.  To  purchase  books  to  supply  deficiencies  in  the  various  deoartments 
of  this  collection,  and  especially  reports  on  the  legislation  of  other  states, 
on  railroads  and  geological  surveys,  and  of  education  and  humane  institutions 
for  legislative  reference,  and  such  other  books,  maps,  charts  and  materials 
as  will  facilitate  the  investigation  of  historical,  scientific  and  literary  sub- 
jects. The  secretary  of  state  shall  furnish  to  the  state  historical  society 
of  North  Dakota,  for  reference  and  exchange  purposes,  fifty  copies  of  every 
state  publication. 

5.  To  thoroughly  catalogue  the  collections  of  said  society  for  the  more 
convenient  reference  of  all  persons  who  have  occasion  to  consult  the  same. 
The  state  shall  bind  the  unbound  books,  documents,  manuscripts  and  pam- 
phlets, and  especially  newspaper  files  containing  legal  notices,  in  the  pos- 
session of  the  state  historical  society  of  North  Dakota. 

().  To  prepare  biennially  for  publication  a  report  of  its  collections  and 
such  other  matter  relating  to  the  transactions  of  the  society  as  may  be 
useful  to  the  public.  There  shall  be  printed  by  the  state  one  thousand  five 
hundred  copies  of  the  biennial  volume  of  collections  of  the  state  historical 
society  of  North  Dakota,  five  hundred  copies  of  which  shall  be  bound  in 
cloth  and  the  remainder  authorized  by  law  shall  be  bound  in  pamphlet 
form. 

7.  To  keep  its  rooms  open  at  all  reasonable  hours  on  business  days  for 
the  reception  of  the  citizens  of  the  state  who  may  wish  to  visit  the  same, 
without  fee. 

8.  Whenever  any  grant,  devise,  bequest,  donation,  gift  or  assignment  of 
money,   bonds  or   choses   in  action,   or   of   any   property,   real   or   personal. 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  13 

shall  be  made  to  the  state  historical  society  of  this  state,  said  society  is? 
hereby  directed  to  receive  and  accept  such  and  that  the  right  and  title 
to  the  same  shall  pass  to  the  state. 

Secx:.  243.  Powers  of  sociefy  as  to  historical  sites  and  relics.)  ^  The 
state  historical  society  may  from  time  to  time  receive  contributions  of  his- 
torical sites  and  relics,  or  money  for  the  purchase  of  such  sites  or  relics,  and 
may  purchase  such  sites  or  relics.  It  may  purchase  not  exceeding  ten 
acres  of  land,  embracing  the  site  of  old  Fort  Abercrombie,  in  Richland 
county,  at  a  cost  of  not  exceeding  five  hundred  dollars,  and  not  exceeding 
ten  acres  of  land,  embracing  the  site  of  the  first  Christian  mission  grounds, 
jit  Walhalla,  in  Pembina  county,  at  a  cost  not  exceeding  five  hundred  dollars. 
When  land  shall  be  contributed  or  purchased  as  herein  authorized  for 
historical  purposes,  title  shall  vest  in  the  state  of  North  Dakota,  and  the 
land  may  be  placed  in  the  custody  of  the  old  settlers'  associations  of  the 
respective  counties  in  which  said  sites  are  located,  and  may  be  improved  and 
used  by  them  for  public  park  purposes  and  for  the  accumulation  and  care 
of  relics  of  historical  interest.  When  relics  are  contributed  or  purchased 
they  shall  be  placed  in  the  custody  of  the  state  historical  society,  and  those 
of  a  local  historical  nature  may  be  loaned  to  the  county  old  settlers*  associa- 
tions when  proper  provision  has  been  made  for  their  care  and  preservation. 
Money  contributed  for  the  purchare  of  historical  relics  or  sites  shall  be 
placed  in  the  hands  of  the  state  treasurer  and  shall  be  paid  out  on  warrant 
of  the  state  auditor  when  approved  by  the  state  historical  society,  or  a 
majority  of  its  members. 

Sec.  244.  Appropriations.  There  is  hereby  appropriated  for  the  purpose 
rf  the  preceding  section  the  sum  of  one  thousand  dollars,  or  so  much 
thereof  as  may  be  necessary,  out  of  any  money  in  the  state  treasury  not 
otherwise  aooropriated ;  provided,  that  before  said  appropriation  shall  be 
available  there  shall  have  been  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  treasurer  of  the 
state  of  North  Dakota,  to  the  credit  and  for  the  use  and  benefit  of  said 
state  historical  society  the  sum  of  one  thousand  dollars  as  a  contribution 
from  interested  persons  for  carrying  out  the  provisions  of  section  243. 

During  the  legislative  session  of  1907  the  following  annual  ap- 
propriations were  made  to  carry  on  the  work  of  the  Society : 

General  appropriation $  2,000 

Appropriation  for  field  and  officers'  work 750 

Appropriation  for  curator 500 

Total     $  3,250 

The  curator  of  the  museum,  who  is  also  in  charge  of  the  books 
and  newspapers,  receives  the  annual  salary  of  $1,200,  a  sum  entirely 
inadequate  in  consideration  of  the  services  he  performs. 


OFFICERS  AND  DIRECTORS 


OFFICERS. 

TERM    EXPIRES. 

Chas.  F.  Amidon,  Fargo,  President March  31,  1911 

M.  H.  Jewell,  Bismarck,  Vice  President March  31,  1911 

J.  L.  Cashel,  Grafton,  Treasurer iMarch  31,  1911 

O.  G.  LiniJY,  Grand  Forks,  Secr'^tary March  31,  1911 


DIRECTORS. 

TERM    EXPIRES. 

W.  F.  Ball,  Fargo March  31.  1911 

Chas.  J.  Fisk,  Bismarck March  31 

John  M.  Gillette,  Grand  Forks March  31 

M.  N.  Johnson,  Petersburg March  31 

N.  G.  Lm\rimore,  Larimore March  31 

C.  B.  Little,  Bismarck March  31 

C.  A.  LouNSBERRY,  Washington,  D.  C March  31 

Dr.  J.  D.  Taylor,  Grand  Forks March  31 

C.  F.  Templeton,  Grand  Forks .iMarch  31 

F.  A.  Wardwell,  Pembina March  31 

Wm.  H.  White,  Fargo March  31 

Geo.  B.  Winship,  Grand  Forks March  31 

Ex-Officio  Directors — Governor,  Auditor,  Secretary  of  State, 
Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction,  Commissioner  of  Agriculture 
and  I^bor. 


1909 
1911 
1909 
1911 
1909 

1909 
1909 
1911 
1909 
1909 
1909 


MEMBERSHIP 


LIFE  MEMBERS. 

Wm.   H.  White Fargo 

Geo.  B.  Winship Grand  Forks 

C.  A.  Lounsberrv Washington,  D.  C. 

Rt.  Rev.  John  Shanley Fargo 

HONORARY  MEMBERS. 

Mrs.  Linda  W.  Slaughter Arthur 

Mrs.   Phoebe   Marsh Bismarck 


16  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 

Mrs.  Christina  A.  Dunn Bismarck 

Helen  Veeder   Mandan 

Rev.  C.  L.  Hall Elbowoods 

Judson  LaMoure Pembina 

T.   E.   Cooper Grafton 

E.  R.  Steinbrueck Mandan 

Grant  A.  Marsh Bismarck 

ANNUAL  MEMBERS. 

Amidon,  Chas.  F Fargo 

Andrews,  C.  W Walhalla 

Angell,  E.  D Farg^ 

Arnold,  H.  V Larimore 

Babcock,  E.  J University 

Bacon,  J.  D Grand  Forks 

Baker,  Thos.,  Jr Fargo 

Ball,  W.  F Fargo 

Ballou,  Wm Fargo 

Bangs,  G.  A Grand  Forks 

Bangs,  Tracy Grand  Forks 

Beecher,  D.  H Grand  Forks 

Bell,  J.  L Bismarck 

Bergman,  E.   H Gardar 

Black,  R.  M Wahpeton 

Blaisdell,   Alfred    Minot 

Brannon,  M.  A University 

Bronson,  H.  A Grand  Forks 

Bruce,  A.  A Grand  Forks 

Budge,  Wm Grand  Forks 

Burke,  W.  J Bathgate 

Burleson,  Rev.  J.  K Grand  Forks 

Burrows,  A.  S Grand  Forks 

Campbell,  Dr.  R.  D Grand  Forks 

Carmody.  John  Hillsboro 

Cashel,  J.  L Grafton 

Christianson,  Lars •  Fargo 

Clarke,  Sidney Grand  Forks 

Clifford.  Geo.  B Grand  Forks 

Clifford,  J.  E Grand  Forks 

Clyde,  E.  T Ashley 

Cole,  J.  R Grand  Forks 

Colling,  Jas.  H Inkster 

Collins,  Stephen Grand  Forks 

Cooley,  Chas.  M Grand  Forks 

Cooper,  E.  C Grand  Forks 

Cooper,  R.  C Cooperstown 

Corliss,  Guy  C.  H Grand  Forks 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  17 

Creel,  H.  M Devils  Lake 

Darling,  C.  W Fargo 

Darrow,  Dr.  E.  M Fargc 

Davis,  Mrs.  Mattie  M Fargc 

Doran,  J.  K Bismarck 

Douglas,  Wm.  B Fargo 

Elton,  Jas Grand  Forks 

Engerud,  Edward   Fargo 

Engsted,  Dr.  J.  E Grand  Forks 

Farrand,  John  D Fargo 

Farrell,  A.  C New  York 

Fish,  H.  C Bismarck 

Fisk,  C.  J Bismarck 

Fjelde,  Dr.  H.  O Abercrombie 

Folsom,  Dr.  E Fargo 

Gillette,  John  M Grand  Forks 

Grassick,  Dr.  J Grand  Forks 

Griffith,  R.  B Grand  Forks 

Grimson,  G Munich 

Hagen,  H.  J Abercrombie 

Hager,  G.  S St.  Thomas 

Hansbrough,  H.  C Devils  Lake 

Heyward,  R.  F Grand  Forks 

Holmes,  D.  M Grand  Forks 

Hoover,  W.  E. Fargo 

Hubbard,  N.  K Fargo 

Hult,  Gottfried   Grand  Forks 

Hunter,  W.  H Fargo 

Hurtt,  Geo.  H Hoople 

Jackson,  Leroy  Chicago,  111. 

Jewell,  M.  H v Bismarck 

Johnson,  M.  N Petersburg 

Joy,  W.  A Grand  Forks 

Kent.  E.  H Grand  Forks 

Kneeshaw,  W.  J Pembina 

Ladd.  A.J Grand  Forks 

Lander,  E.  J Grand  Forks 

Larimore,  N.  G Larimore 

Leonard,  A.  G Grand  Forks 

Leonard,  Mrs.  Catherine  Gue Grand  Forks 

Lewis,  R.  S , . . . .  Fargo 

Libby.  O.  G Grand  Forks 

Little,  C.  B Bismarck 

McCumber,  P.  J Wahpeton 

McDonald.  Don Grand  Forks 

McFarland,  Geo.  A Vallev  Citv 

McKenzie.  Alex Bismarck 


18  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 

McLain,  J.  F Towner 

Macnie,  John    Minneapolis,  Minn. 

Maher,  John  W Devils  Lake 

Mann,  Rt.  Rev.  Cameron Fargo 

Marshall,  Thos.  F Oakes 

Merrifield,  Webster  University 

Metzger,  G.  B Williston 

Middaugh,  Henry  G Devils  Lake 

Morgan,  D.  E Devils  Lake 

Mumby,  W.  R Buford 

Murphy,  J.  S Minot 

Nash,  Dudlev  L Grand  Forks 

Nash,  Willis  K Grand  Forks 

Nuessle,  W.  L Washburn 

Ogren,  John  W Grand  Forks 

Peake,  Col.  A.  P Valley  City 

Plumley,  H.  C Fargo 

Pollock,  Robt.  M Fargo 

Powell,  W.  D Casselton 

Prom,  B.  F Milton 

Quarve.  Timan  L Fessenden 

Radcliflfe,  Sam.  J Larimore 

Roach,  Joseph    Minot 

Rourke.  Patrick  H Lisbon 

Russell,  W.  S Grand  Forks 

Ryan.  Hugh  Grand  Forks 

Saunders,  Rev.  E.  E Heaton 

Schultheis,  A.  G Grand  Forks 

Scott,  W.  A Fargo 

Serumgard,  Ole Devils  Lake 

Shaw.  T.  R Pembina 

Skulason,  B.  G Grand  Forks 

Sorley,  J.  A Grand  Forks 

Spalding,  B.  F Fargo 

Stearns,  Wallace  N Grand  Forks 

Stewart,  Gwendolyn   Urbana,  111. 

Stockwell,  W.  L Grafton 

Taylor,  Dr.  J.  D Grand  Forks 

Templeton,  C.  F Grand  Forks 

Terrett,  J.  H Michigan 

Thomas,  Geo.  S •. Grand  Forks 

Thompson,  F.  J Fargo 

Thompson,  F.  L Cando 

Thorwaldson,  Elis  Mountain 

Tinglcstad,  John   Grand  Forks 

Tompkins,  Dr.  C.  L Grand  Forks 

Torgerson,  Samuel   Grand  Forks 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  19 

Towle,  Geo.  F Park  River 

Upson,  E.  M Grand  Forks 

Vigness,  C.  L Bismarck 

Walker,  F.  P Fargo 

Wallace,  J.  F Bismarck 

Wardwell,  F.  A Pembina 

West,  Geo.  A Milwaukee,  Wis. 

Wheeler,  Dr.  H.  M Grani  Forks 

White,  CD Devils  Lake 

Whithed,  H.  L Grand  Forks 

Wilder,  W.  L Grand  Forks 

Williams,  E.  A Bismarck 

Williams,  Mrs.  S.  E University 

Young,  N.  C Fargo 


• 


RECEIPTS 


REPORT  OF  RECEIPTS  OF  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCI- 
ETY OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  FROM  JULY  1,  1906  TO 

JULY  1,  1907. 

I.  Balance  of  annual  state  appropriation  of  $1,250  on 

hand  July   1,   1906    $  704. 14 

Annual  state  appropriation  available  for  use  April  1, 

1907    3,250.00 

Regular  appropriation  to  society $   2,000 

Appropriation  for  salary  of  curator. 500 

Appropriation  for  field  work 750 

Total   $  3,'954. 14 

II.  Balance  in  the  treasury  of  the  State  Historical  Soci- 
ety of  North  Dakota  July  1,  1906 $    119.04 

Dues  received  from  July  1,  1906  to  July  1,  1907 272.00 

State  Warrants —  , 

No.  69517,  Voucher  No.     4 $132.60 

No.  70097,  Voucher  No.  14 71 .25 

203.85 

Note  of  E.  R.  Steinbrueck  for  money  loaned 
to  him  by  the  State  Historical  Society  April 
19,  1906   65.00 

Total   $     659.89 


EXPENDITURES 

REPORT  OF  EXPENDITURES  OF  STATE  HISTORICAL 
SOCIETY  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  FROM  JULY  1,  1906, 

TO  JULY  1,  1907. 

I.    Vouchers  drawn  by  the  secretary  on  the  annual  state 

appropriation  July  5,  1906. 
E.  R.  Steinbrueck,  field  work.  May  15  to  June  15,  1906. .  $       30.00 
O.  G.  Libby 78.55 

SUBVOUCIIERS    NOS.    4-48. 

No.     4.     Long     distance     telephone,     Grand 

Forks  to  Fargo,  N.  D $       .65 


22  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 

No.     5.     Ry.    fare,   Grand   Forks   to   Fargo, 

N.  D 2.35 

No.     6.     Drayage,   Fargo    .25 

No.     7.     Hotel   expenses,   Fargo .50 

No.     8.     Ry.  fare,  Fargo  to  Bismarck,  N.  D.  5.80 

No.     9.     Breakfast,   Fargo ,25 

No.  10.     Long  distance  telephone,  Bismarck 

to  Mandan 25 

No.  11.     Return  Ry.  fare  Bismarck  to  CMan- 

dan    \ 30 

No.  12.     Hotel   expense,   Mandan .75 

No.  13.     Breakfast,   Mandan    .25 

No.  14.     Hotel  expense,  Bismarck G .  00 

No.  15.     Ry.  fare,  Bismarck  to  New  Salem, 

N.  D 1.00 

No.  16.     Dinner,  New  Salem  .25 

Nq.  17.     Cheese  cloth  for  survey  flags .65 

No.  18.     Camp  supplies — chocolate .50 

No.  19.     Hotel  expense,  New  Salem 1.50 

No.  20.     Dinner,   New   Hanover    .25 

No.  21.     Stage  fare,  New  Salem  to  Hanover, 

N.  D 1.50 

No.  22.     Stage  fare,  Hanover  to  Stanton,  N. 

D 1.00 

No.  23.     Board  and  room  for  O.  G.  Libby 

and  Frank  Kiebert    2 .  50 

No.  24.     Indian   pestle   $2   and   cheese   cloth 

10  cents   2 .  10 

No.  25.     Services  of  Frank  Kiebert  and  use 

of  team  five  days  17 .  15 

No.  26.     Board  and  room,  Deapolis,   N.   D., 

care  of  team  and  Indian  hammer  (25c) ....  4.50 
No.  27.     Stage,    Stanton    to    Deapolis,    and 

dinner   .70 

No.  28.     Stage  charges  and  express .70 

No.  29.     Meals,  Deapolis,  N.  D .60 

No.  30.     Board   and   room,   Stanton,   N.   D., 

(two  weeks)    9.00 

No.  31.     Stage    fare    and    baggage,    Stanton 

to  Hanover   1.25 

No.  32.     Dinner,  Hanover .25 

No.  33.     Stage  fare  and  baggage,  Hanover  to 

New  Salem   1 .  50 

No.  34.     Ry.  fare  and  excess  baggage.  New 

Salem  to  Bismarck 1 .  25 

No.  35.     Hotel  expenses.  New  Salem l.iK) 

No.  36.     Packing  boxes  (9)    1.00 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  23 


No.  37.  Drayage    25 

No.  38.     Tar  paper  for  packing .25 

No.  39.  Moth  balls  for  packing 50 

No.  40.     Dinner,  Mandan   .50 

No.  41.     Supper,  Mandan  .50 

No.  42.     Drayage,  Mandan 1 .  00 

No.  43.  N.  P.  express  charges,  Mandan  to 

Bismarck    2 .  60 

Xo.  44.  Hotel  expenses,   Mandan.  of  J.  R. 

Johnson    1 .  50 

No.  45.     Typewriting .70 

No.  46.     Meals,  Bismarck   1 .00 

Xo.  47.     Dinner,  N.  P.  train 1.00 

Xo.  48.     Drayage .25 

Total     $78.55 

July  9,  1906,  J.  A.  Tanner 7.95 

June  6,  Ry.  fare  University  to  Fargo,  N.  D.       4.60 

June  7,  hotel  expenses,  Fargo   2 .  50 

June  20,  express  charges  .85 

Total     $     7.95 

July  9,  1906,  J.  A.  Tanner   20.35 

December  26,  1905,  Ry.  fare •  • 3 .  75 

December  26,  1905,  hotel 5.00 

January  1,  1906,  hotel 7.50 

March  28,  1906,  'phone 30 

March  29,  1906,  Rv.  fare 2.30 

March  29,  1906,  hotel 1 .  50 

Total     $  20.35 

July  16,  E.  R.  Steinbrueck,  field  work,  June  15  to  July 

15,  1906   30.00 

August  7,  1906,  J.  A.  Tanner 91 .50 

Office  work,  Jan.  1  to  June  30,  1906.  102  hrs. 

at  25c  an  hour $  25.50 

Work  on  newspaper  collection,  Jan.  1  to  June 

30,  1906   66.00 

Total     $  91.50 

August  7.  1901),  Lyons  &  Co.,  Grand  Forks,  pair  survey- 
or's boots   7 .  00 

J.  C.  Ritchey,  Bismarck,  drayage 1 .  50 

August  18,  1906.  A.  C.  Mather,  Grand  Forks,  office  rent, 

four  months  at  $8  per  month 32 .  00 

Frank  J.  V.  Kiebert,  map  drawing 5.00* 


24  STATE   HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


E.  R.  Stcinbrueck,  field  work,  July  15  to  Aug.  15, 

1906    30.00 

September  1,  1906,  E.  R.  Steinbrueck,  field  work,  Aug. 

15  to  Sept.  15,  1906 30.00 

September  1,  1906,  J.  A.  Tanner 65.55 

Office  work,  July  and  August,  1906 $  40.55 

Work   on   newspaper   collection,    July  and 
August    25.00 

Total     $  65.55 

October  4,  1906,  O.  G.  Libby 64.97 

sunvorcHERS  49-94. 

No.  49.     Notary  fee  .25 

No.  50.     Drayage    .50 

No.  51.     Stamps    .50 

No.  52.     Telegram    .25 

No.  53.     Marking  paint  and  postage .25 

No.  54.     lx>ng  distance  telephone .45 

No.  55.  Gas  for  office,  Mav,  June  and  July, 

1906    .' $     1.25 

No.  56.     Registered  mail  .26 

No.  57.     Registered  mail  .22 

No.  58.     Drayage    .25 

No.  59.     Drayage  and  freight 2.42 

No.  60.     Registered  mail   .36 

No.  61 .     Office  gas  .50 

No.  62.     Express  charges .35 

No.  63.     Express  charges    .70 

No.  64.  Ry.  fare,  Grand  Forks  to  Crookston, 

Minn 80 

No.  65.     Express  charges    .35 

No.  66.  Hotel  expenses,  Crookston»  Minn...       1.25 

No.  67.  Ry.     fare,     Crookston,     Minn.,     to 

(irand  Forks,  F.  F.  Gerard  and  O.  G.  Libby       1.60 

No.  68.     F.  F.  Cierard 35 

No.  69.     Express  charges 1 .  23 

No.  70.     Clipping  scissors 75 

No.  71.     Stamps    50 

No.  72.  Ry.  fare,  Grand  Forks  to  Grafton, 

N.D 1.20 

No.  73.     Hotel  expenses,  Grafton,  N.  D 3o 

No.  74.     Board  and  room,  Gerard's  Ferry 50 

No.  75.  Return     stage     fare,     Grafton     to 

(Gerard's  Ferry *  *       ^  •  ^;^ 

No.  76.     Dinner,  Grafton ^^^ 

No.  77.  Rv.  fare,  Grafton  to  Grand  Forks. .       1.20 


STATE  OF  NORTH   DAKOTA  25 

No.  78.     Express  charges   .60 

No.  79.     Ry.  fare,  Grand  Forks  to  Fargo 2.36 

No.  80.     Hotel   expenses,   Fargo .50 

No.  81.     Ry.  fare,  Far^o  to  Glenham,  S.  D.. .  7.85 

No.  82.     Breakfast,  Aberdeen,  S.  D .45 

No.  83.     Dinner,  Glenham,  S.  D .25 

No.  84.     Livery  and  ferry  charge,  Glenham 

to  Oak  Creek,  S.  D 5.60 

No.  85.     Hotel  expenses.  Cheyenne  Agency, 

S.  D. 1.00 

No.  86.     Livery,    Oak    Creek    to    Cheyenne 

Agency,  S.  D 10.00 

No.  87.  Telephone  charge,  Cheyenne  Agency  .25 
No.  88.     Livery,  Forest  City  to  Gettysburg, 

S.  D 3.50 

No.  89.     Supper,  Gettysburg,  S.  D .25 

No.  90.     Hotel  expenses,  Redfield,  S.  D.  . . .  1.00 

No.  91.  Hotel  expenses,  Redfield,  S.  D.  . . .  1.50 
No.  92.     Rv.  fare,  Redfield  to  Aberdeen,  S. 

D ' 1.23 

No.  93.     Supper,  Aberdeen,  S.  D .45 

No.  94.     Ry.  fare,  Aberdeen,  S.  D.,  to  Grand 

Forks,  N.  D 7.50 

Total     $  64.97 

October  4,  1906.  J.  M.  Gillette,  Fort  Yates  (field)  trip.  .$        46.50 

July  4,  1906,  three  boxes  films $  1.60 

Dinner,  N.  P.  train .75 

July  5,  hotel  expenses,  Bismarck 1.50 

Dinner  at  Gavton,  N.  D .40 

Ferry  charge .25 

July  6,  dinner,  Cannon  Ball   .35 

July  9,  hotel  expenses.  Cannon  Ball 4.00 

Dinner  at  Gayton .40 

Ferry   charge    .26 

Transfer  and  ferry  charge,  Winona  to  Ft. 

Yates    75 

July  10,  tobacco,  for  Indian  gifts .50 

July  12,  services  of  interpreter .50 

Graphophone  cylinders  for  Indian  songs . .  2 .  50 

July  15,  1906,  team  and  guide 3.00 

July  17,  developing  and  printing 1 .  30 

Ferry  charge  and  transfer,  Ft.  Yates  to 

Winona .75 

July  18,  dinner,  Gayton   .40 

Stage  faVe,  Winona  to  Gayton 2 .  00 

July  18,  ferry  charge .25 


26  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 

July  18,  hotel  expenses,  Ft.  Yates 12.50 

July  21,  hotel  expenses,  Cannon  Ball 3.50 

Ferry  charge .25 

Dinner,  Gayton .40 

July  21,  return  stage  fare,  Bismarck  to  Ft. 

Yates  and  Gayton 7 .  00 

July  22,  hotel  expenses,  Bismarck 1 .  50 

Total $  46.50 

October  18,  1906,  E.  R.  Steinbrueck,  field  work,  Sept. 

15,  to  Oct.  15,  1906 30. Oa 

December  4,  1906,  R.  E.  Wenzel,  92  hrs.  work  at  25c  per 

hour    23.00 

Frank  J.  V.  Kiebert,  surveying  Mandan  villages..  23.75 

The  Herald   14.00- 

October  24,  1906.  1,000  postal  cards  printed $  12.50 

Proof  slips 1 .  50 

Total  $  14.00 

December  4,  1906,  W.  E.  Butler 7.40' 

Developing  32  5x7  plates $    3.20 

Printing   29    velox    prints    2.90 

Printing  13  prints 1.30 

Total  $     7.40    - 

January  18,  1907,  Alfred  Rober,  for  17  days  work  on 

museum  cases   63 .  75 

April  1,  1907,  A.  L.  Fellows,  voucher  No.  1,  State  War- 
rant 69510.  one  set  reports  Ethnological  Bureau 30.00 

April  1,  1907,  State  Historical  Society,  N.  D.  voucher 

No.  4,  State  Warrant  69517 132.60' 

Evan  Mcllraith,  53  hours  map  drawing 

at  25c  per  hour $  13.25 

500  stamped  envelopes 10.60 

Ole  Johnson,  13  days  work  at  $3.75 48.75 

Nels  Johnson,  16  days  work  at  $3.75. ...     60.00 

Total  $132.60 

April  1, 1907,  O.  G.  Libby,  voucher  Xo.  5,  State  Warrant 
69518    , 210 .  82: 

sunvoucHERs  98-191. 

No.     98.     Ry.   fare,  Grand   Forks  to  Lang- 
don    " $     ^.  10 

No.     99.     Dinner,  Langdon .35 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  27 

No.  100.  Ry.  fare,  Langdon  to  Larimore...  2.25 

No.  101.  Ry.  fare,  Larimore  to  Grand  Forks  .85 

No.  102.  Supper,  Larimore   .50 

No.  103.  Express  charges .60 

No.  104.  Express  charges   .35 

No.  105.  Ry.   fare,  Grand  Forks  to  Lang- 
don      3.10 

No.  106.  Dinner,  Langdon .60 

No.  107.  Ry.  fare,  Langdon  to  Grand  Forks  3.10 

No.  108.  Express  charges .50 

No.  109.  Office  gas 50 

No.  110.  Postage   1 .00 

No.  111.  Telegram    .25 

No.  112.  Express  charges .45 

No.  113.  500  stamped  envelopes 10.60 

No.  114.  Typewriting,   eight   hours   at   50c 

an  hour ' 4.00 

No.  115.  Express  charges .45 

No.  116.  Express  charges   .45 

No.  117.  Long  distance  telephone .70 

No.  118.  Express  charges .45 

No.  119.  Ry.  fare»  Grand  Forks  to  Fargo..  2.35 

No.  120.  Hotel  expenses,  Fargo 1 .  50 

No.  121.  Rv.  fare,  Fargo  to  Bismarck 5.80 

No.  122.  Dinner,  N.  P.  train 75 

No.  123.  Supper,  Bismarck   .35 

No.  124.  Expenses  of  E.  R.  Steinbrueck 2.50 

No.  125.  Hotel   expenses,   Bismarck 1.50 

No.  126.  Ry.  fare,  Bismarck  to  Fargo 5.80 

No.  127.  Express  charges   1 .  15 

No.  128.  Hotel  expenses,  Fargo 1 .00 

No.  129.  Ry.  fare,  Fargo  to  Grand  Forks..  2.35 

No.  130.  Long  distance  telephone .40 

No.  131.  Express  charges .35 

No.  132.  Hammer    and    screw    driver    for 

office   1 .  35 

No.  133.  Telegrams  (2) 50 

No.  134.  Drayage    50 

No.  135.  Freight    op    eight    boxes    to    Bis- 
marck    7 .  05 

No.  136.  Photograph,  J.  E.  Haggart 1.50 

No.  137.  Ry.  fare,  Grand  Forks  to  Fargo..  2.35 

No.  138.  Hotel  expenses,  Fargo 1.50 

No.  139.  Ry.  fare,  Fargo  to  Bismarck 5.80 

No.  140.  Telegram    29 

No.  141.  Dinner,  X.  P.  train 85 

No.  142.  Supper,  Bismarck   .25 


28  STATE    HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

No.  143.  Hotel  expenses,  Bismarck 1.00 

No.  144.  Dinner,  Bismarck .50 

No.  145.  Ry.  fare,  Bismarck  to  Fargo 5.80 

No.  146.  Meals  on  N.  P.  train 1.65 

No.  147.  Express  charges .35 

No.  148.  Press  Pub.  Co.,  printing  cards 9.50 

No.  149.  Letter  heads 6.00 

No.  150.  Typewriting,   11   hours  at  50c  an 

hour    5 .  50 

No.  151.  Three  telegrams .95 

No.  152.  Long  distance  telephone .70 

No.  153.  Ry.  fare,  Grand  Forks  to  Fargo. .  2.35 

No.  154.  Hotel  expenses,  Fargo 1.00 

No.  155.  Rv.  fare,  Fargo  to  Bismarck 5.80 

No.  156.  Dinner,  N.  P.  train 70 

No.  157.  Dinner,  Mandan .50 

No.  158.  Expenses  E.  E.  Wolf 2 .  50 

No.  159.  Livery   2.00 

No.  160.  Hammer,  screw  driver,  tacks  and 

nails  for  museum 1.35 

No.  161.  Turpentine  for  museum .15 

No.  162.  J.  D.  Allen,  services 2.15 

No.  163.  Telegram    29 

No.  164.  Telegram    25 

No.  165.  Hotel  expenses,  Bismarck 8.00 

No.  166.  Ry.  fare,  Bismarck  to  Fargo 5.80 

No.  167.  Hotel  expenses,  Fargo .75 

No.  168.  Baggage  transfer    .25 

No.  169.  Ry.  fare,  Fargo  to  University....  2.30 

No.  170.  Telegrams 78 

No.  171.  Telegram    29 

No.   172.  Tvong  distance  telephone   .20 

No.  173.  Ry.  fare,  Grand  Forks  to  Fargo..  2.35 

No.  174.  Meals,  Fargo 1.00 

No.  175.  Baggage  transfer .50 

No.  176.  Ry.  fare,  Fargo  to  Valley  City...  1.75 

No.  177.  Hotel  expenses,  Valley  City 1.50 

No.  178.  Ry.  fare,  Vallev  City  to  Mandan. .  4.25 

No.  179.  Dinner,  N.  P.  train 95 

No.  180.  Parlor  car.  Valley  City  to  Mandan  .75 

No.  181.  Supper,  Mandan   .50 

No.  182.  Ry.  fare,  Mandan  to  Bismarck. ...  .15 

No.  183.  Ry.  fare,  Bismarck  to  Fargo 5.80 

No.  184.  Hotel  expenses,  Bismarck   4.50 

No.  185  Supper,  N.  P.  train 80 

No.  186.  Baggage  transfer .25 

No.  187.  Postage   1.96 


STATE  OF  NORTH   DAKOTA  29 

No.  188.     Postage   2.21 

No.  189.     Express  charges   .70 

No.  190.     Typewriting,  20J4  hours  at  50c  an 

hour    10.25 

No.  191.     E.  R.  Steinbrueck  for  services  in 

museum,  December,  1906 30. 00 

Total $210.82 

April  1,  1907,  J.  D.  Allen,  voucher  No.  2,  State  Warrant 

69509,  three  Sioux  conjuring  bowls  at  $10  each 30.00 

April  1,  1907,  R.  B.  Griffith,  voucher  No.  3,  State  War- 
rant 69507   15.46 

May  10,  1906,  mounts $       .30 

May  14,  clips,  paste,  ink   .50 

Envelopes .25 

May  30,  plates 1.30 

Flash  powder .30 

May  31,  stationery 2 .  65 

July  9,  films  and  postage .96 

July  27,  paste 35 

September  6,  typewriter  ribbon .75 

October  18,  rubber  bands .10 

October  25,  printing  and  developing 5.00 

October  27,  two  dozen  plates  developed 3.00 

Total  $  15.46 

April  1,  1907,  Sveinbjorn  Johnson,  voucher  Xo.  7,  State 

Warrant  69513   57.60 

Care  of   newspaper   collections,   Sept   25,   1906   to 
April  1,  1907,  288  hours  at  20c  an  hour. 
April  4,   1907,  Bismarck  and  Washburn  Lumber  Co., 

Voucher  No.  8,  State  Warrant  69516 66. 70 

September  4,  1906,  52  pieces,  1x10-14 $  22.46 

September  27,  171  pieces,  18x4-4 23.14 

18  pieces,  1x6-12 7.02 

5  pieces,  1x10-14 3.77 

6  pieces,  1x10-14   2 .  59 

8018  Georgia  pine  moulding 3.00 

Parting  bead   1 .  70 

Total $  63.68 

October  17.  1  piece..  1x10-14 $       .78 

December  7,  1  piece,  1x10-16 .85 

January  14,  1907,  12  pieces,  5-8x4-12 , .       1.39 


Total  $  66.70 


30  STATE    HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

April  4,  1907,  John  Maassen,  voucher  No.  9,  State  War- 
rant 69508,  32  hrs.  at  loc 20. 15 

Staining,  shellacking,  varnishing  cases  in  Museum. 

April  4,  1907,  E.  L.  Faunce,  voucher  No.  10,  State  War- 
rant 69514 58.00 

Glass  for  cases  in  museum. 

April  4,  1907,  Geo.  F.  Blackburn,  voucher  No.  11,  State 

Warrant  69512   31. 10 

Six  10x12  plates $  18.00 

One  18x12  plate 3.00 

One  copy  of  cabinet  1 .  00 

One  duplicate  copy  .  .* .35 

Copy  of  seven  photos 5 .  00 

Copy  of  three  photos 2 .  00 

Copy  of  one  photo 1 .  00 

Copy  of  one  photo .75 

Total $  31.10 

April  4,  1907,  A.  C.  Mather,  voucher  No.  6,  State  War- 
rant 69515   64.00 

Office  rent,  Aug.  1,  1906,  to  April  1,  1907. 
April  17,  1907,  G.  J.  Keenev,  voucher  No.  12,  State  War- 
rant 69524   '. 15.00 

Set  of  old  newspapers,  1873-9. 
Arthur  H.  Clark  Co.,  voucher  No.  13,  State  Warrant, 

69511    31 .  00 

Early  Western  Travels,  Vols.  24,  25,  28,  29,  30. 
April  17,  1907,  State  Historical  Society  of  North  Dakota, 

voucher  No.  14,  State  Warrant,  70097 71 .25 

Services  of  D.  J.  Rober,  19  days  at  $3.75. 
April  29,  J.  A.  Tanner,  voucher  Xo.  15,  State  Warrant 
69589.  services  as  curator  of  museum,  March  25,  to 

April  25,  1907 100.00 

May  1,  E.  R.  Steinbrueck,  voucher  No.  16,  State  War- 
rant 69826   75 .  00 

Field  work,  April  1  to  May  1,  1907. 
May  23,  F.  A.  Ward  well,  voucher  Xo.  17,  State  Warrant 

70 163    8 .  10 

Expenses  of  attending  directors'  meeting,  April  12, 

1907. 
Return    railway    fare,    Pembina    to    Grand 

Forks    .*.$     5.10 

Hotel  expenses.  Grand  Forks 3.00 

Total  $     8.10 

Mav  23,  1907,  Dacotah  Lumber  Co.,  voucher  No.  18, 

State  Warrant  70197 85.36 


STATE    OF     NORTH     DAKOTA  31 

967  feet  lumber  at  $65.00 $  62.86 

Three  rolls  of  paper 7 .  50 

Misc.  pieces  of  lumber  15.00 

Total $  85.36 

May  23,  J.  A.  Tanner,  voucher  No.  19,  State  Warrant 

69847    100.00 

Services  as  curator  of  museum,  April  25,  to  May 
25,  1907. 
Jime  5,  E.  L.  Faunce,  voucher  No.  21,  State  Warrant 

71324    7.85 

15  2-3  yards  linoleum  at  50c  per  yard. 
June  5,  1907,  Frank  Peterson,  voucher  No.  22,  State 

Warrant  70376 7.80 

39  hours  work  at  20c  an  hour. 
June  5,  E.  R.  Steinbrueck,  voucher  No.  23,  State  War- 
rant, 70386 75.00 

Services  in  field  work,  May,  1907. 
June  25,  1907,  J.  A.  Tanner,  voucher  No.  26,  State  War- 
rant 70441   100.00 

Services  as  curator  of  museum,  Mav  25  to  June  25, 

1907.  '  

Total  $    2,095.56 

STATE     APPROPRIATIONS     AVAILABLE     FOR     THE     USE    OF    THE     STATE 

HISTORICAL   SOCIETY   OF    NORTH    DAKOTA. 

Balance  remaining  of  unused  appropriation  for  year  end- 
ing July  1,  1906 $       704.14 

Appropriation  available  for  use  April  1,  1907 3,250.00 

Total $    3,954.14 

Total  expenditures  from  July  1,  1906  to  July  1,  1907 2,095.56 

Balance  on  hand  July  1,  1907 $    1,858.58 

II.     Warrants  drawn  on  the  treasurer  of  the  State  Historical  Society 
of  North  Dakota,  J.  L.  Cashel,  for  the  expenditures  of  the  Society 

from  July  1,  1906  to  July  1,  1907. 

Warrant  No.  118,  July  16. 1906,  Maj.  W.  A.  Mercer,  pic- 
tures of  Shoshone  Indians $  1.50 

Warrant  No.  119,  August  7,  1906,  Grand  Forks  Plumb- 
ing and  Heating  Co.,  gas  connections  for  office 8.05 

Material    $    4.45 

Labor    3.60 

Total $    8.05 

Warrant   Xo.   120,  August  7,   Sveinbjorn  Johnson,  70 

hours  work  20c  an  hour 14 .  00 


32  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 

Warrant  No.  121,  August  24,  1906,  Evan  Mcllraith,  53 

hours  map  drawing  at  25c  an  hour 13.25 

Warrant  No,  122,  September  7,  1906,  American  Type 

Foundry  Co.,  Grosventre  type  for  Indian  legend. ...  .88 

Warrant  123,  October  23,  1906,  Claude  D.  Randall. ...  6.50 

20  hours  work  at  25c  an  hour $     5.00 

Postage .50 

Total  $    5.50 

Warrant  No.  124,  October  23,  Jos.  McDonough,  Walk- 

ers'  General  Custer ^  .56 

Warrant  No.  125,  October  23,  Evan  J.  Mcllraith,  16 

hours  work  at  25c  an  hour 4.00 

Warrant  No.  126,  October  23,  F.  E.  McCurdy,  one  copy 

of  the  Dacotah 1.50 

Warrant  No.  127,  October  23,  Ball  and  Frykland  photo- 
graph      1 .  50 

Warrant  No.  128,  October  23,  A.  C.  McClurg,  Coues' 

Journal  of  Henry  and  Thompson,  three  volumes 1.56 

Warrant  No.  129,  October  23,  John  M.  Gillette 4.00 

July  7,  use  of  horse  at  Cannon  Ball $     1 .  00 

July  11,  use  of  horse  at  Ft.  Yates 1.00 

July  18,  hotel  expenses  at  Winona 1.00 

September     1,     developing     and     printing 
negatives    1 .  00 

Total   $    4.00 

Warrant  No.  130,  October  23,  O.  G.  Libby,  railway  fare 

Gettysburg  to  Redficld,  S.  D 2.25 

Warrant  No.  131,  October  24,  Grand  Forks  postoffice, 

500  stamped  envelopes *. 10 .  60 

Warrant  No.  132,  October  24,  O.  B.  Burtness,  postoffice 

box  rent.  University,  July  1,  1906  to  December  1,  1906  3.00 

Warrant  No.  133,  November  5,  1906,  C.  F.  Libbie  &  Co.  1.35 

Ten  pamphlets  at  12  l-2c  each $     1.25 

Postage .10 

Total  $     1.35 

Warrant  No.  134,  January  18,  1907,  D.  J.  Rober 30.20 

Eight  days  work  at  $3 .  75 $  30 .  00 

Interest  on  deferred  payment. .20 

Total   $  30.20 

Warrant  No.  135,  March  14,  1907,  Goodspeed's  Book- 
shop, Pictures  of  Indian  Life .50 

Warrant  No.  136,  March  29,  Webb  Bros.,  10  dozen  shelf 

supports  for  museum 1 .  50 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  33 


Warrant  No.  137,  March  29,  O.  G.  Libby,  railway  fare, 

Grand  Forks  to  Fargo  2 .  35 

Warrant  No.  138,  March  30,  G.  J.  Keeney,  part  payment 

for  set  of  old  newspapers 5.00 

Warrant  No.  139,  April  1,  1907,  Times  Publishing  Co., 

200  circulars   1 .  50 

Warrant  No.  140,  April  1,  1907,  O.  G.  Libby 1.60 

Hack,  Fargo $       .50 

Hotel  expenses   .75 

Long  distance  telephone .35 

Total $    1.60 

Warrant  No.  141,  April  4,  O.  B.  Burtness,  rent  of  post- 
office  box,  December  1,  1906  to  April  1,  1907 1.50 

Warrant  No.  142,  April  17,  Grand  Forks  postoffice,  500 

stamped  envelopes   10 .  60 

Warrant  No.  143,  May  15,  1907,  J.  L.  Cashel 154.32 

Note    $150.00 

Interest  on  same  at  7  per  cent,  December 

17,  1906  to  May  15,  1907 4.32 

Total  $154.32 

Warrant  No.  144,  May  23,  1907,  C.  F.  Libbie  &  Co.,  five 

books    5 .  76 

No.  1170   $     1.50 

No.  1176    63 

No.  1184   1.00 

No.  1230    1.13 

No.  1261    1.00 

Postage    .50 

Total $    5.76 

Warrant  No.  145,  May  23,  A.  C  McClurg  &  Co.,  Natural 
History  of  Western  Animals,  Cowboys  and  Colonels, 
Prairie  and  Forest 5 .  30 

Warrant  No.  146,  May  23,  Jos.  McDonough,  Parker's 

Exploring  Tour   2.12 

Warrant  No.  147,  May  23,  Albert  Britnell,  Yukon  Ter- 
ritory      1.51 

Warrant  No.  148,  May  23,  Evan  Mcllraith,  16  hours 

work  at  25c  an  hour 4 .  00 

Warrant  No.  149,  May  25,  1907,  Macmillan  Co.,  Whipple 
Lights  and  Shadows  of  a  Long  Episcopate 2 .  50 

Warrant    No.    150,    May    25,    1907,    Thos.    Whittaker, 

White's  West  and  Holcomb's  Apostles  of  a  Wilderness  2.91 

Warrant  No.  151,  June  3,  Democrat  Printing  Co.,  3,500 

catalogue  cards  and  express  charges 7.25 


34  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 


Warrant   No.    152,   June   3,   library   bureau,  accession 

books,  cards,  labels,  pens 3 .  30 

Warrant  No.  153,  Librarian  of  Congress,  deposit  for 

catalogue  cards  for  Library  of  Congress 5.00 

Warrant  No.  154,  June  6,  1907,  O.  G.  Libby 29.16 

SUBVOUCHERS    192-210. 

(See  State  Voucher  No.  33.) 

Warrant  No.  155,  June  25,  O.  G.  Libby 14.05 

Subvoucher  226,  H.  G.  Gunn,  railway  fare 
Winnipeg  to  Grand  Forks  and  hotel  ex- 
penses    $  12.05 

H.  G.  Gunn,  stage  at  Dunseith 1.50 

Hotel  at  Dunseith 50 

Total  $  14.05 

Warrant  No.  156,  June  25,  O.  G.  Libby 67.65 

SUBVOUCHERS  211-225. 
SUBVOUCHERS  227-241. 

(See  State  Voucher  No.  33.) 
Warrant  No.  157,  June  25,  Grand  Forks  City  Library 

for  use  of  piano  at  annual  meeting 2.50 

Warrant  No.  158,  June  28,  1907,  Sveinbjorn  Johnson. .  1.90 

Twine   $       .35 

Express  charges   1.55 

Total  $       1.90 

Warrant  No.  159,  June  28,  Democrat  Printing  Co.,  bal- 
ance of  bill  for  catalogue  cards  (see  Warrant  No.  151)  1.50 

Total  $      438 .  98 

Total  receipts  for  year  ending  July  1,  1907 $       659.89 

Total  expenditures  for  year  ending  July  1,  1907 438.98 

Balance  on  hand  July  1,  1907 $       220.91 

REPORT   OF   RECEIPTS   OF   THE   STATE   HLSTORICAL 

SOCIETY  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  FROM  JULY 

1,  1907,  TO  JULY  1.  1908. 

Balance  of  annual  state  appropriation  of  $3,250  on  hand 

July   1,   1907    $    1,858.58 

Annual  state  appropriation  available  April  1,  1908....      3,250.00 

Regular  appropriation  for  the  Society $    2,000 

Appropriation   for  salary  of  curator 500 

Appropriation  for  field  work 750 

■ 

Total   $    3,250 


:k 


STATE  OF   NORTH   DAKOTA  35 

Refunded  by  the  state 96.21 

On  State  Warrant  70197,  Voucher  No.  18, 

on  May  23,  1907 $  85.36 

On  State  Warrant  71324,  Voucher  No.  21, 

June  5,  1907 7.85 

On    State    Warrant    72742,    Voucher    No.    47, 

September  8,  1907   3.00 

Total   $  5,204.79 

Balance  in  the  treasury  of  the  State  Historical  Society 

of  North  Dakota  July  1,  1907 $  220.91 

Dues  received  from  July  1,  1907  to  July  1,  1908 138.00 

Sale  of  Vol.  I.  of  Collections 14.00 

State  Warrant  71624,  voucher  No.  33 93 .  36 

Note  of  E.  R.  Steinbrueck  for  money  loaned  to  him  by 

the  State  Historical  Society,  April  19,  1906 65.00 

Total  $      531.27 

REPORT  OF   EXPENDITURES  OF  STATE  HISTORICAL 

SOCIETY  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  FROM  JULY 

JULY  1,  1907,  TO  JULY  1,  1908. 

I.     Vouchers  drawn  by  the  secretary  on  the  annual  state 

appropriation. 
June  25,  1907,  G.  W.  Wolbert  Hardware  Co.,  voucher 

No.  24,  State  Warrant  70895,  supplies 2.50 

June  25,  J.  A.  Tanner,  Voucher  No.  25,  State  Warrant 

71036,  miscellaneous  expenditures   13.69 

June  26,  Hoskins*  Stationery  Co.,  voucher  No.  27,  State 

Warrant  70896   6.05 

Ethnology    $    2. 75 

Stationery    3.30 

Total $     6.05 

July  6,  1907,  E.  R.  Steinbrueck,  voucher  No.  28,  State 

Warrant  70777,  field  work  June  1  to  July  1,  1907. ...  75.00 

July  6,  Christ  Engen,  voucher  No.  29,  State  Warrant 

70899,  painting  and  varnishing 22.35 

July  6,  G.  W.  Wolbert  Hardware  Co.,  voucher  No.  30, 

State  Warrant  70897,  saw,  scissors,  twine,  lock,  hooks, 

wire 6 .  40 

July  6,  J.  A.  Tanner,  voucher  No.  31,  State  Warrant 

70898,  42  hours  work  at  35c  an  hour 14. 70 

July  6,  J.  A.  Tanner,  voucher  No.  32,  State  Warrant 

70900,  half  month  salary  as  curator,  to  July  8,  1907. .  50.00 
July  8,  1907,  State  Historical  Society  of  North  Dakota, 

voucher  No.  33,  State  Warrant  71624 93 .  36 


36 


STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 


SUBVOUCHERS  192-209,  211-225,  227-241. 

No.  192.     Postage  $    1.70 

No.  193.     Rubber  stamp  and  pad .65 

No.  194.     Notary  fee 25 

No.  195.     Ry.  fare  Grand  Forks  to  Peters- 
burg           1.45 

No.  196.     Ry.    fare,    Petersburg    to    Grand 

Forks    1 .45 

No.  197.     Postage 34 

No.  198.     Postage 1.00 

No.  199.     Long  distance  telephone .15 

No.  200.     Postage 37 

No.  201.  Book — Preservation  of  Antiquities  1.26 
No.  202.  300  stamped  envelopes  and  postage  7.53 
No.  203.     Ry.    fare,   Grand   Forks   to   Lari- 

more    .85 

No.  204.     Hotel  expense,  Larimore 1.00 

No.  205.    Ry.     fare,     Larimore     to     Grand 

Forks    .85 

No.  206.     Registered  mail   . . .' 09 

No.  207.     250  stamps  5.00 

No.  208.     Telegram    27 

No.  209.     Printing  500  slips 1.50 

No.  211.     Rubber   stamp  .35 

No.  212.     Ry.  fare,  H.  G.  Gunn  and  O.  G. 

Libby,  Grand  Forks  to  Cando 7 .  40 

No.  213.     Dinners,  G.  N.  train   1.60 

No.  214.  Hotel  expenses,  Cando   4.00 

No.  215.     Ry.  fare,  H.  G.  Gunn  and  O.  G. 

Libby,  Cando  to  Bisbee  .80 

No.  216.  Blank  book 20 

No.  217.     Hotel  expenses,  Bisbee   4.00 

No.  218.     Drayage    25 

No.  219.     Ry.  fares,  H.  G.  Gunn  and  O.  G. 

Libby,  Bisbee  to  Rolette 1 .  30 

No.  220.     Baggage  transfer    .50 

No.  221.     Ry.  fares,  H.  G.  Gunn  and  O.  G. 

Libby,  McCumber  to  Dunseith .90 

No.  222.     Camp  supplies   .40 

No.  223.     Hotel  expenses,  Dunseith 3.25 

No.  224.     Indian  drum 1.00 

No.  225.     Indian  game  and  basket 3.00 

No.  227.     Chippewa  game .75 

No.  228.     Services  of  interpreter 1 .  50 

Xo.  229.     Hide  scraper  and  bag 1 .  50 

No.  230.     Game,    tattoo    set    and     Indian 

charm   3 .  00 


STATE  OF   NORTH   DAKOTA  37 

No.  231.     Rawhide  rope  and  drumhead 1.25 

No.  232.     Sioux  pipe  .75 

No.  233.  Meals,  Dunseith 50 

No.  234.     Services  of  interpreter 1 .  50 

No.  235.     Sundance  pictures 5 .  50 

No.  236.  Drayage,    suppHes    and    Chippewa  ' 

game  1 .  90 

No.  237.     Board  and  room,  Dunseith 12 .  00 

No.  238.     Long  distance  telephone .40 

No.  239.     Hotel  expenses,  Dunseith 2.00 

No.  240.     Hotel  expenses,  Rolla 1.50 

No.  241.  Ry.  fare",  Rolla  to  Grand  Forks. . .  4.65 

4 

Total $  93.36 

July  14,  1907,  W.  E.  Butler,  voucher  No.  34.  State  War- 
rant 71323,  printing  27  pictures,  developing  30  films, 

and  express  charges 6.05 

July  14,  J.  A.  Tanner,  voucher  No.  35,  State  Warrant 

71791,   subvouchers   17-25 5.66 

Meals    $       .50 

Hardware  and  paper .70 

Labor    1.75 

Freight,  drayage  and  express 2.71 


-« 


Total $    5.66 

July  14,  H.  G.  Gunn,  voucher  No.  36,  State  Warrant 

71621    11.85 

Railway  fare,  Winnipeg  to  Grand  Forks. .  .$    6.35 

Livery 2.00 

Hotel  expenses.  Grand  Forks 3.50 


-« 


Total  $  11.85 

July  31,  1907,  Sveinbjorn  Johnson,  voucher  No.  37,  State 
Warrant  71447,  250  hours  at  20c  an  hour,  newspaper 
collections  and  office  work 50 .  00 

July31,  1907,  H.  C.  Fish,  voucher  No.  38,  State  Warrant 

70999,  curator's  salary  for  July  8-31,  1907 75.00 

July  31,  Bismarck  Tribune,  Voucher  No.  39,  State  War- 
rant 71325,  printing  100  cards,  500  letter  heads  and 
250  memorandum  slips  5 .  00 

July  31,  The  Herald,  voucher  No.  40,  State  Warrant 

71623 37 .  35 

March  1,  1907,  one  dozen  proof  sheets $  4.50 

April  5,  1,000  letter  heads 4.50 

April  5,  500  receipts  4. 00 

April  18,  500  proof  slips 2.00 


38         .  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 

April  18,  200  programs   1.50 

April  18,  printing  stamped  envelopes 1.25 

April  27,  receipts  book .60 

•      April  28,  400  proof  slips 2.00 

April  28,  500  envelopes  and  programs 9.25 

June  5,  binding  Vol.  I.  Collections 3.50 

275  printed  postals 4 .  25 

Total  $  37.35 

July  31,  E.  R.  Steinbrueck,  voucher  No.  41,  State  War- 
rant 71079,  field  work  for  July,  1907 75.00 

August  1,  H.  C.  Fish,  voucher  No.  42,  State  Warrant 
71322,  postoffice  box  rent,  stamps,  freight  and  dray- 
age    4. 04 

August  8,  Spriggs  Bros.,  voucher  No.  54,  State  War- 
rant 71792,  putting  water  in  office 9.00 

August  20,  1907,  Abby  Brayton,  voucher  No.  43,  State 

Warrant  71622,  cataloguing  books 25.00 

August  24,  M.  J.  Londergan,  voucher  No.  44,  State  War- 
rant 72135,  dravage    20. 23 

December  28,  1906,  freight $     1.40 

June  10,  1907,  drayage  and  freight 3.83 

August    7,    1907,   carting   and    packing   83 

boxes  books  and  papers 15 .  00 

Total   $  20.23 

August  31,  11.  C.  Fish,  voucher  No.  45,  State  Warrant 

71416,  curator's  salary  for  August,  1907 100.00 

September  7,  1907,  H.  C.  Fish,  voucher  No.  49,  State 

Warrant   71790,  subvouchers  attached,   Xos.  33-37..  4.70 

September  8,  1907,  E.  R.  Steinbrueck,  voucher  No.  48, 

State  Warrant  71520,  field  work  for  August,  1907 75.00 

September  8,  Robert   Stebbins,  voucher   No.  47,   State 

Warrant  72742,  drayage  S3  boxes  books  and  papers. .  3.75 

September  13,  1907,  Sveinbjorn  Johnson,  voucher  No. 

46,  State  Warrant  71793 39 .  23 

Hours  work,  181  1-3  at  20c  an  hour $  36.2  "> 

Express  charges  paid 1 .  05 

Twine,  R.  B.  Griffith 30 

Twine,  C.  A.  Rheinhart 10 

Express  paper,  42  lbs 1.48 

Nails 05 

Total   $  39.23 

September  30,  H.  C.  Fish,  voucher  No.  50,  State  War- 
rant 71767,  curator's  salary  for  September,  1907 100.00 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  3*> 


September  30,  R.  B.  Griffith,  voucher  No.  51,  State  War- 
rant 72740  20.60- 

February  2,  1907,  three  record  books $    2.35 

Paste 15 

February  28,  envelopes .10 

March  30,  envelopes   .05 

April  13,  envelopes .15 

May  6,  record  book,  800  pp 8.00 

Envelopes .15 

May  20,  blank  book 75 

Mav  30,  ink  and  eraser .15 

Pencils  and  penholders  .25 

June  1,  four  dozen  plates 4.40 

July  1,  blotters  and  paper .45 

July  10,  trays  and  eraser 1 .  60 

Globes  for  gas  light .20 

July  17,  two  packing  boxes .70 

four  packing  boxes .70 

July  26,  developing  plates .45 

Total  $  20.60 

September  30,  W.  E.  Butler,  voucher  No.  52,  State  War- 
rant 72743,  developing  40  plates  and  making  37  prints.  7.70- 

September  30,  J.  C.  Ritchey,  voucher  No.  53,  State  War- 
rant 72744,  drayage  for  September,  1907 3.00 

October  22,  E.  R.  Steinbrueck,  voucher  No.  55,  State 
Warrant  72095,  field  work  for  September,  1907 75.00 

October  31,  H.  C.  Fish,  voucher  No.  56,  State  Warrant 

72096,  curator's  salary,  October,  1907 100.00 

October  31,  O.  G.  Libbv,  voucher  No.  57,  State  Warrant 

72739     ' 136.96- 

SUBVOUCHERS  252-263,  266-332. 

No.  252.     Drayage    75 

No.  253.     Express   .20 

No.  254.     Photographic  supplies .20 

No.  255.    Wm.  Kastner,  two  days  labor..  4.00 

No.  256.     Express .50 

No.  257.     Brush  and  marking  paint .75 

No.  258.     Packing  boxes .50 

No.  259.     Drayage,  Jeff's  Transfer  Co. — 

June  17,  drayage  on  box .25 

June  20,  drayage,  two  boxes .50 

July  17,  drayage  on  newspapers 4.50 

July  18,  drayage  on  newspapers 1 .  50 

August  2,  drayage  on  box .25 


40  STATE    HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

August  3,  drayage  on  box .50 

Total  $    7.50 

No.  260.  Holmes  and  Leidman,  insurance 

on  books  and  office  fittings $    3 .  60 

No.  261.     Repairs  on  office  window .50 

No.  262.     Water  rent  for  office 75 

No.  263.     Wm.  Kastner,  services 1 .  50 

No.  266.     Drayage    25 

No.  267.     Hotel  expenses,  Fargo 4.25 

No.  268.  Ry.  fare,  Fargo  to  Bismarck. ...       4.85 

No.  269.     Breakfast.   Fargo 15 

No.  270.     Hotel  expense,  Bismarck .50 

No.  271.  Ry.  fare,  Bismarck  to  Mandan. .          .15 

No.  272.     Meals,  Mandan 35 

No.  273.     Livery,   Mandan    1 .  50 

No.  274.     Plotel  expenses,  Mandan .75 

No.  275.  Ry.  fare,  Mandan  to  Bismarck. .          .15 

No.  276.     Telegram    25 

No.  277.  Rv.  fare,  Bismarck  to  Mandan. .          .15 

No.  278.     Telegi^m    25 

.No.  279.     Hotel  expenses,  Mandan ..50 

No.  280.  J.    D.    Allen,    one    Indian    pipe, 

$2.50,  two  atomizers  20c    2 .  70 

No.  281.     Dinner,  Mandan   .15 

No.  282.     Hotel  expenses,   Mandan    .75 

No.  283.     Breakfast,  Mandan   .35 

No.  284.     Hotel  expenses,  Mandan .50 

No.  285.  Ry.  fare,  Alandan  to  Bismarck. .          .15 

No.  286.     Drayage,  Mandan .25 

No.  287.     Drayage,  Bismarck .75 

No.  288.     Board ^  at  Bismarck 3 .  00 

No.  289.  Ry.  fare,  Bismarck  to  Garrison.  .       1.95 

No.  290.     Dinner,  Underwood    .50 

No.  291.     Hotel  expenses,  Garrison 1.50 

Ko.  292.  Ry.  fare^  Grand  Forks  to  Fargo       1.95 

No.  293.     Dinner,   Blackwater 25 

No.  294.  Stage    fare,    Garrison   to   Elbo- 

woods    3 .  50 

No.  295.     Services  of  interpreter .75 

No.  296.     Ferry,  Missouri  river .50 

No.  297.     Meals,  Elbowoods 75 

No.  298.  Two  baptismal  Indian  pipes....     12.00 

No.  299.     Livery,  Elbowoods   .75 

No.  300.     Ferry,  Missouri  river .50 

No.  301.  Indian  chart,  part  payment....       5.00 

No.  302.     Meals,  Armstrong 75 


STATL  OF  NOKTll  DAKOTA  41 


No.  303.     Services  of  interpreter 6.00 

No.  304.     Indian  hoe  and  spade 1.25 

No.  305.  Indian  flint  knife 25 

No.  306.  Alfred    Chase,    services,    team, 

board     8 .  25 

No.  307.     Board,  Shell  Creek 2 .  00 

No.  308.     Board  and  room,  Elbowoods 10.25 

No.  309.  Balance  of   payment  on   Indian 

chart    5 .  00 

No.  310.     Services  of  interpreter 5.00 

No.  311.  Stage  freight  charge,  Elbowoods 

to  Garrison 2 .  00 

No.  312.     Box  and  rope  for  packing .50 

No.  313.     Hotel  expenses,  Garrison 2.00 

No.  314.  Ry.  fare.  Garrison  to  Bismarck. .  1.95 

No.  315.     Drayage,  Garrison .25 

No.  316.     Excess  baggage .25 

No.  317.     Hotel  expenses,  Bismarck .50 

No.  318.     Drayage,  Bismarck .50 

No.  319.     Board,  Bismarck 1 .  00 

No.  320.     Ry.  fare,  Bismarck  to  Fargo 4.85 

No.  321.     Dinner,  N.  P.  train 1 .  00 

No.  322.     Hotel  expenses,  Fargo 1.50 

No.  323.     Drayage,  Fargo .50 

No.  324.  Ry.  fare,  Fargo  to  Harwood ....  .20 

No.  325.  Ry.    fare,    Harwood    to    Grand 

Forks    1 .  75 

No.  326.     Express  charges .25 

No.  327.     50  stamped  envelopes 1 .07 

No.  328.  Ry.  fare,  Grand  Forks  to  Fargo  1.95 

No.  329.  Ry.  fare,  Fargo  to  Grand  Forks  1.95 

No.  330.     Supper  on  train    .50 

No.  331.     Express  charges .24 

No.  332.     Express  charges .20 

Total   $136.96 

October  31,  J.  C.  Ritchev,  voucher  No.  58,  State  War- 
rant 72741,  drayaere  for  October,  1907 2 ,  75 

October  31,  E.  R.  Steinbrueck,  voucher  No.  59,  State 

Warrant  72137,  field  work  for  October,  1907 75.00 

November  30,  H.  C  Fish,  voucher  No.  60,  State  War- 
rant 72230,  curator's  salary  for  November,  1907 100.00 

November  30,  1907,  J.  C.  Ritchey,  voucher  No.  61,  State 

Warrant  72744,  drayage  for  November,  1907 3.00 

December  20,  E.  R.  Steinbrueck,  voucher  No.  62,  State 

Warrant  72595,  field  work  for  November,  1907 75.00 


42  STATE   HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

December  31,  H.  C.  Fish,  voucher  No.  63,  State  Warrant 

72610,  curator's  salary  for  December,  1907 100.00- 

January  14,  1908,  E.  R.  Steinbrueck,  voucher  No.  64, 

State  Warrant  72736,  field  work  for  December,  1907. .  75. 00^ 
January  14,  J.  C.  Ritchey,  voucher  No.  65,  State  War- 
rant 73389,  drayage  for  December,  1907 3 .  50- 

January  14,  E.  L.  Faunce,  voucher  No.  G6,  State  War- 
rant 73390  2.75. 

Two  gallon  turpentine $    2 .00 

One  brush   .25 

Paint 50 

Total   $     2.75 

January  31,  H.  C.  Fish,  voucher  No.  67,  State  Warrant 

72877,  curator's  salary  for  January,  1908 100.00' 

January  31,  1908,  Northern  Express  Co.,  voucher  No. 

68,  State  Warrant  72620,  express  charges 2.45 

January  31,  J.  C.  Ritchey,  voucher  No.  69,  State  Warrant 

73859,  dravage  for  Januarv,  1908 2.00* 

March  2,  1908,  H.  C.  Fish,  voucher  No.  70,  State  War- 
rant 73484,  part  of  curator's  salary  for  February,  1908  50 .  00 
March  2,  Northern  Express  Co.,  voucher  No.  71,  State 

Warrant  71458,  express  charges .65 

March  31,  Bismarck  postoffice,  voucher  No.   72,  State 

Warrant  72664,  500  postal  cards 5.00* 

March  31,  Bismarck  postoffice,  voucher  No.  73,  State 

Warrant  71479,  stamps 5.00' 

March  31,  Bismarck  postoffice,  voucher  No.   74,  State 

Warrant  71163,  stamped  envelopes 21 .84 

March  31,  Palladium  Publishing  Co.,  voucher  No.  75, 

State  Warrants  71826  and  72262,  printing: 7.00- 

March   31,  E.   R.   Steinbrueck,  voucher   No.   76,   State 

Warrant  74175,  field  work  for  March,  1908 75.00- 

March  31,  H.  C.  Fish,  voucher  No.  77,  State  Warrant 

74014,  curator's  salary  for  March,  1908 100.00- 

March  31,   1908,  ().  G.  Libby,  voucher  No.   78,   State 

Warrant  74091   $115,93: 

.sunvorciiERS   333-395. 

No.  333.  Notary  fee   $  .25 

No.  331.  Ry.  fare.  Grand  Forks  to  Fargo  1.95 

No.  335.  Hotel  expenses,  Fargo 1.50 

No.  336.  Ry.  fare,  Fargo  to  Abercrombie  1.05 

No.  337.  Hotel  expenses.  Wah[)eton 3.80 

No!  338.  Ry.    fare,    Wapheton    to    Kent, 

Minn '^^ 

No.  339.     Hotel  expenses,  Fargo 75 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  43 

No.  340.    Drayage    1.50 

No.  341.     Express  charges   .24 

No.  342.     Stamps    50 

No.  343.  Ry.  fare,  Grand  Forks  to  Fargo, 

parlor  car 2 .  35 

No.  344.     Hack  and  parlor  car,  Fargo. ...  .90 

No.  345.     Ry.  fare,  Fargo  to  Grand  Forks  1.95 

No.  346.     Express  charges 1 .  25 

No.  347.     Ry.  fare,  Grand  Forks  to  Fargo  1.95 

No.  348.     Breakfast,  G.  N.  Rv 70 

No.  349.     Ry.  fare,  Fargo  to  Valley  City. .  1.45 

No.  350.     Supper,  N.  P.  train 1 .00 

No.  351.     Ry.  fare,  Valley  City  to  Fargo. .  1.45 

No.  352.     Ry.  fare,  Fargo  to  Grand  Forks  1.95 

No.  353.     Stamped  envelopes  and  stamps. .  1.10 

No.  354.  Stamped  envelopes  and  stamps. .  .25 
No.  355.     Ry.    fare    and    sleeper.    Grand 

Forks  to  St.  Paul,  Minn 8.45 

No.  356.     Typewriting,  8  1-2  hours  at  50c 

an  hour 4.25 

No.  357.     Ry.    fare,    St.    Paul,    Minn.,    to 

Madison,  Wis 7.40 

No.  358.     Stationery  and  ink .80 

No.  359.     Minn.  Book  Exchange,  Folsom's 

Northwest,  Education  Among  the  Indians, 

Report  of  Ind.  Dept.  1866,  Report  of  Ind. 

1867    4.25 

No.  360..    Hotel  expenses,  St.  Paul 3.50 

No.  361.     Express  charges    .60 

No.  362.     Ry.  fare,  Madison,  Wis.,  to  Wau- 

watora.  Wis 1 .  54 

No.  363.  Room  and  board,  Madison,  Wis.  3.25 
No.  364.     Rv.    fare,   Milwaukee,   Wis.,   to 

Chicago,   ilL    1.70 

No.  365.  Street  car  fare,  Chicago,  111.  .  .  58 
No.  366.     Ry.  fare,  Chicago,  111.,  to  Grand 

Forks    16.45 

No.  367.     Breakfast  on  train   .85 

No.  368.     Dinner  on  train 70 

No.  369.     Express  charges .90 

No.  370.     Stamped  envelopes   .54 

No.  371.     Express  charges    .20 

No.  372.     Express  charges   .20 

No.  373.     Postage  and   envelopes .87 

No.  374.     Express  charges .90 

No.  375.     Ry.  fare,  Grand  Forks  to  Fargo  1.95 

No.  376.     Dinner,  Fargo 40 


44  STATE   HISTORICAL.  SOCIETY 

No.  377.     Hotel  expenses,  Fargo 1 .  50 

No.  378.     Ry.  fare,  Fargo  to  Wahpeton. . .  1.05 

No.  379.     Hotel  expenses,  Wahpeton 2.00 

No.  380.     Ry.    fare,    Wahpeton    to    Aber- 

crombie     .35 

No.  381.     Livery,  Abercrombie 1.00 

No.  382.     Ry.  fare,  Kent,  Minn  to  Grand 

Forks    2.65 

No.  383.     Express  charges .92 

No.  384.     Express  charges .21 

No.  385.     Stamped  envelopes  and  register- 
ed mail   .24 

No.  386.     Life  of  J.  A.  Johnson  and  ex- 
press on  same 1 .  95 

No.  387.     Postage 70 

No.  388.     Dyes  for  Indian  drawing 1.00 

No.  389.     Express  charges .90 

No.  390.     Long  distance  telephone  charges  2.60 

No.  391.     Photo  prints 7.20 

No.  392.     Postage 89 

No.  393.     Express  charges .20 

No.  394.     Ry.  fare.  Grand  Forks  to  Graf- 
ton    1.05 

No.  395.     Ry.     fare,     Grafton     to    Grand 

Forks    1.05 

Total   $115.93 

April  28,  1908,  H.  C.  Fish,  voucher  No.  79,  State  War- 
rant 74708   4.10 

Postal  cards $       .50 

Telephone .30 

Freight   ,75 

Express  charges   2.55 

Total   $     4.10 

April  28,  1908,  J.  D.  Allen,  voucher  No.  80,  State  War- 
rant 74854   62 .  50 

Oil  painting $  50.00 

Otter  skin  bag 12.50 

Total   $  62.50 

April  28,  1908,  The  Herald,  voucher  Xo.  81,  State  War- 
rant 74852   32.15 

July  10,  1907,  1000  printed  labels 2.00 

Three  sheets  carlx)n  paper .75 

July  12,  1907,  300  receipts  blanks 5 .  00 


STATE  OF   NORTH   DAKOTA  45 

August  3,  typewriter  paper .40 

Typewriter  ribbon 1 .  00 

Binding  book 3 .  50 

August  5,  275  postals,  printed 4.25 

September  17,  50  envelopes,  printed 1.00 

October  1,  200  proof  slips 6.00 

500  circulars   7 .  50 

Printing  envelopes  .75 

Total $  32.15 

April  28,  1908,  Arthur  H.  Clark  Co.,  voucher  No.  82, 

State  Warrant  74853 62.09 

Early  Western  Travels,  Vols.  1,  4,  8,  13,  18,  19,  20,  31,  32. . 
April  28[  1908,  A.  C.  Mather,  voucher  No.  83,  State 

Warrant  74855   114.00 

Office  rent,  March  1,  1907  to  April  1,  1908. 
April  28,  1908,  R.  B.  Griffith,  voucher  84,  State  War- 
rant 74851   18.81 

Plates,  postage  and  prints $  16.77 

Twine   .20 

Canvas  for  Indian  drawing ^  1 .  84 

Total  $  18.81 

April  28,  1908,  O.  G.  Libbv.  voucher  No.  87,  State  War- 
rant 75266   .' 64.20 

SUBVOUCHERS  396-422. 


No.  396.     Ry.  fare,  Grand  Forks  to  Fargo. $    1.95 

No.  397.     Hotel  expenses,  Fargo 1.00 

No.  398.     Baggage  delivery .25 

No.  399.  Ry,  fare,  Fargo  to  Abercrombie  .80 
No.  400.  Sleeper  ticket,  Fargo  to  St.  Paul. 

Minn 2 ,  00 

No.  401.     Notary  fee 25 

No.  402.     Typewriting 50 

No.  403.     Meals,  Abercrombie   .50 

No.  404.     Rv.    fare,    Abercrombie    to    St. 

PauK  Minn 4.70 

No.  405.     Breakfast,  St.  Paul 30 

No.  406.     Ink  and  paper .45 

No.  407.     One  and  one-half  yards  tracing 

cloth    75 

No.  408.     Meals,  St.  Paul 75 

No.  409.    Dakota  Code  1877  and  Sess.  Laws 

of  Dakota,  1889 1 .  50 

No.  410.     Meals,  St.  Paul  ! .       1 .  60 


I 


46  STATE   HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 

No.  411.  Meals,  St.  Paul 1.05 

No.  412.  One  set  of  engravings,  Western 

Life 1.25 

No.  413.  Ry.  fare  and  sleeper,  St.  Paul, 

Minn.,  to  Grand  Forks 8.45 

No.  414.  Minnesota  Pioneer  Sketches. ...  1.50 

No.  415.     Hotel  expenses,  St.  Paul 8.35 

No.  416.     Express  charges   .50 

No.  417.     Express  charges .55 

No.  418.  Engraved  invitations  and  express  20.60 

No.  419.     Express  charges .55 

No.  420.     Drayage 1.25 

No.  421.     Express  charges 2 .  35 

No.  422.     Two  gas  mantles .50 

Total $  64.20 

April  30,  1908,  H.  C.  Fish,  voucher  No.  85,  State  War- 
rant 74547,  curator*s  salary  for  April,  1908 100.00 

April  30,  1908,  E.  R.  Steinbrueck,  voucher  No.  86,  State 

Warrant  74868,  field  work  in  April,  1908 75.00 

May  8,  1908,  Mrs.  C.  W.  Hoffman,  voucher  No.  88, 
State  Warrant  75267,  part  payment  on  the  C.  W.  Hoff- 
man loan  collection,  inventory  p.  100 300.00 

May  8,  1908,  H.  C.  Fish,  voucher  No.  89,  State  Warrant 

75265,  subvouchers  42  and  43 2.04 

Express $     1.29 

Postal  cards .75 

Total   $     2.04 

Mav  31,  1908,  E.  R.  Steinbrueck,  voucher  No.  90,  State 

Warrant  75299,  field  work  for  Mav,  1908 75.00 

Mav  31,  1908,  H.  C.  Fish,  voucher  No.  92,  State  War- 
rant 75077,  curator's  salary  for  May,  1908 100.00 

May  31,  1908,  A.  G.  Patterson,  voucher  No.  93,  State 

Warrant  75137,  100  2c  envelopes  and  100  Ic  envelopes  3.00 

May  31,  1908,  H.  C.  Fish,  voucher  No.  95,  State  War- 
rant 75078,  subvouchers  45-50  misc.  expenditures...  7.74 

Total     $  3,216.67 

STATE     APPROPRIATTONS     AVAILABLE    FOR     THE     USE     OF     THE     STATE 

HISTORICAL    SOCIETY   OF    NORTH    DAKOTA 

Balance  remaining:  of  unused  appropriations   for  year 

ending  July  1,  1907 $    1,858.58 

Appropriations  available  for  use  April  1,  1908 3,250.00 

Total ; $    5.108.58 


STATE  OF  NORTH   DAKOTA  47 


Total  expenditures  from  July  1,  1907,  to  July  1,  1908. . .      3,216.67 

Balance  on  hand  July  1,  1908 $  1,891.91 

II.    Warrants  drawn  on  the  treasurer  of  the  State  Historical  Society 
of  North  Dakota,  J.  L.  Cashel,  for  the  expenditures  of  the  Society 
from  July  1,  1907  to  July  1,  1908. 

Warrant  No.  160,  July  14,  1907,  O.  G.  Libby $        14.02 

SUBVOUCHERS  242-251. 

No.  242.  Typewriting,  7  1-2  hours $     3.75 

No.  243.  Mop  for  cleaning  office 1.25 

No.  244.  Postage 36 

No.  245.  Registered  mail  .46 

No.  246.  Express  charges .45 

No.  247.  Long  distance  telephone 5.15 

No.  248.  Keys  to  office 75 

No.  249.  Express  charges .30 

No.  250.  Stamps    30 

No.  251.  Office  table 1 .25 

Total   $  14.02 

Warrant  No.  161  July  26,  1907,  Abby  Brayton,  catalogu- 
ing library  of  the  State  Historical  Society 50.00 

Warrant  No.  162,  July  26,  1907,  O.  H.  Peck  Co 2.69 

Three  dozen  lantern  slide  plates $    1.24 

Three  dozen  lantern  slide  cover  glasses. ...  .75 

Two  inside  kits .50 

Lantern  slide  binding  „     .20 

Total  $    2.69 

Warrant  No.  163,  August  6,  1907,  Sveinbjom  Johnson, 

100  hours  work  at  20c  an  hour 20.00 

Warrant  164,  September  14, 1907,  Henry  Gray,  two  maps 
of  Minnesota,  Ross  North  America  and  Trip  to  Prince 
Rupert's  Land 3 .  75 

Warrant  No.  165,  September  14,  1907,  Northern  Photo. 

Supply  Co.,  No.  2  Ideal  reducing  lens 1 .  52 

Warrant  No.  166,  November  21,  1907,  O.  G.  Libby. ...  3.00 

Railway  fare,  Abercrombie  to  Grand  Forks. $    2.75 

Transfer  charges .25 

■ 

Total  $    3.00 

Warrant  No.  167,  November  21,  1907,  Rand  Bros.,  25 

packing  boxes  for  books 6.25 

Warrant  No.  168,  November  21,  1907,  Torch  Press,  Ex- 
pedition of  Capt.  Jas.  L.  Fisk 1 .  54 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  49 

Warrant  No.  187,  June  8,  1908,  H.  G.  Knapp,  83  copies 

and  lantern  slides 32 .  90 

Warrant  No.  188,  June  15,  1908,  A.  B.  Stout,  railway 

fare,  Madison,  Wis.,  to  Grand  Forks,  N.  D 15.70 

Warrant  No.  189,  June  19,  1908,  H.  G.  Gunn 37.95 

SUBVOUCHERS   1-16. 

Stage  fare,  Rolla  to  Dunseith $  2.00 

Stage  fare  Dunseith  to  Rolla 2 .  00 

Room  and  board  at  Rolla   5 .  00 

Long  distance  telephone .75 

Ry .  fare,  Rolla  to  Grand  Forks 3.90 

Dinner,  Churches  Ferry  .50 

Ry.  fare.  Grand  Forks  to  Rolla 3 .  90 

Dinner,  Churches  Ferry .50 

Chippewa  game,  Dunseith 9.00 

Services   of   interpreter    1 .  50 

Admission  to  Sundance .75 

Dinner,  Dunseith .50 

Stable  for  horse  .25 

Ry.  fare,  Rolla  to  Grand  Forks 3.90 

Room  and  board,  Rolla 3 .  00 

Dinner,  Churches  Ferry .50 

Total  $    329.16 

Total  receipts  for  year  ending  July  1,  1908 $     531.27 

Total  expenditures  for  the  year  ending  July  1,  1908. ...       329.16 

Balance  on  hand  July  1,  1908 $    202 .  11 


»i 


STATE  OF   NORTH   DAKOTA  51 


REPORT  OF  MUSEUM  AND  LIBRARY 

H.  C.  FISH. 

The  following  report  on  the  newspaper  files,  the  library  and 
the  museum  is  respectfully  submitted : 

NEWSPAPER   FILES 

From  Section  1804  of  Revised  Statutes  of  1899  as  amended  at 
the  Ninth  Session  of  the  Legislative  Assembly: 

"It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  owner  or  publisher  of  every  legal 
newspaper  in  the  state  to  send  to  the  State  Historical  Society  of 
North  Dakota,  to  such  address  as  shall  be  designated  by  the  secre- 
tary thereof,  two  copies  of  each  issue  of  such  newspaper. 

"An  emergency  exists  in  that  it  is  desirable  that  the  State  His- 
torical Society  shall  be  furnished  with  files  of  all  state  publications, 
beginning  at  once,  therefore  this  act  shall  take  eflfect  and  be  in 
force  from  and  after  its  passage  and  approval." 

During  the  past  year  the  newspaper  files  have  been  increased  to 
such  an  extent  that  the  stack  room  is  getting  wholly  inadequate  for 
convenient  work.  Older  papers  of  the  state  which  we  have  not 
been  receiving  have  been  added  to  our  lists  and  many  new  ones  have 
been  started  the  past  two  years  and  the  issues  put  on  file.  When 
ever  a  new  paper  is  started  it  is  the  endeavor  of  this  office  to  get 
the  first  issue  for.  the  stacjc  room  and  to  keep  a  complete  file  for 
readv  reference. 

We  have  received  valuable  back  files  of  papers  some  of  which 
deserve  special  mention.  J.  D.  Allen  of  Mandan  donated  nearly 
a  complete  file  of  the  Mandan  Pioneer  for  the  years  1885-6-7-8-9-90. 
These  are  invaluable  in  determining  the  early  growth  of  the  city 
over  the  Missouri.  Editor  M.  H.  Jewell  has  also  filled  up  the 
omissions  of  the  back  files  of  the  Bismarck  Daily  and  Weekly 
Tribune.  We  have  now  a  complete  set  of  the  Tribune  from  1889 
to  the  present  time.  Capt.  I.  P.  Baker  has  placed  in  the  vaults 
the  first  eight  volumes  of  the  Bismarck  Settler  including  the  years 
1887  to  1894  inclusive.  We  have  also  six  volumns  of  the  Washburn 
Leader  which  is  a  part  of  the  Joseph  Taylor  collection  of  books. 
These  six  bound  files  are  for  the  years  from  1894  to  1901.  Besides 
these  larger  sets,  different  individuals  have  sent  in  stray  papers 
which  tell  of  some  important  events.  All  of  these  with  the  223 
volumes  we  have  just  had  bound  and  the  22  which  we  have  on  hand 
make  a  valuable  nucleus  to  our  stacks. 

The  majority  of  the  bound  volumes  on  hand  have  not  reached 
the  musty  stage  of  their  existence  so  are  not  used  to  any  great 


52  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 

extent  for  reference.  But  a  few  which  go  back  into  the  80's  and 
90's  have  been  called  for  quite  often.  They  are  used  for  all  con- 
ceivable subjects.  Although  the  office  does  not  know  generally 
what  they  are  wanted  for  yet  in  the  most  cases  it  is  in  touch  with 
the  desired  information.  Many  have  obtained  obituaries  from  the 
files;  others  have  looked  up  the  political  standing  of  individuals  or 
past  political  records ;  there  has  been  a  strong  call  for  the  lists  of 
committees  in  the  different  parts  of  the  state ;  county  officers,  local 
history  and  items  showing  growth  of  portions  of  the  state. 

Many  of  the  editors  of  the  state  have  on  the  anniversary  of  their 
paper  written  up  the  events  of  the  past  years  with  photos  showing 
the  development  of  the  locality;  also  the  lists  of  citizens.  This 
phase  of  their  work  is  very  valuable  to  the  Society  and  already  there 
has  been  some  call  for  these  articles. 

The  past  year  the  office  has  started  a  new  departure  in  the  news- 
paper work — the  clipping  bureau.  The  law  requires  each  newspaper 
of  the  state  to  send  two  copies  of  every  issue  to  the  Society.  One 
copy  is  filed  away  to  be  bound  and  the  second  copy  is  used  for  clip- 
ping purposes.  The  Society  clips  all  important  obituaries,  lists  of  cit- 
izens and  old  settlers,  notices  of  important  meetings,  biographies  and 
important  local  history  showing  growth.  These  clippings  are  then 
mounted  on  card  board  and  are  arranged  by  county  and  local  units 
so  that  the  Society  has  at  hand  this  ready  reference.  As  the  years 
go  by  the  clippings  become  an  invaluable  part  of  the  files. 

There  are  at  the  present  time  nearly  nine  hundred  papers  com- 
ing in  each  week  which  must  be  folded  out,  checked  off  and  placed 
on  the  shelf,  delinquent  cards  sent  out  and  in  the  end  sorted  out 
and  part  clipped  and  the  others  sent  to  the  bindery.  A  few  of  the 
papers  are  from  without  the  state.  The  Society  would  like  to  have 
more  from  the  surrounding  states,  so  that  the  history  of  the  north- 
west can  be  place;!  on  file.    The  following  papers  are  on  the  shelves : 

WEEKLY  AND  SEMI-WEEKLY    NEWSPAPERS. 

Abercrombie  Herald.  Balfour  Messenger. 

Adams  Budget.  Balfour  Statesman. 

Adams  County  Record.  Barlow   Enterprise. 

Adams  County  Tribune.  P»eneclict  Banner. 

Adams  County  Times.  Vtcru   Review. 

Adams  Enterprise.  Berthold  Tribune. 

Ambrose  Newsman.  r»er\vick    Post. 

Ambrose  Reporter.  l^illincrs  County  Herald. 

Advocate,   Bantry.  Billings  C^mnty  Republican. 

Almont  Advertiser.  P>infor(l  Times. 

Anamoose  Pro]c:rcss.  Bismarck  Weekly  Tribune. 

Aneta  Panorama.  P»lais(lell  Bulletin. 

Antler   American.  P»ottineaii  Courant. 

.^shlev  Tribune.  P»nttincau  Count v  Record. 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA 


S3 


Bowman  County  News. 

Bowman  County  Pioneer. 

Bowbells  Bulletin. 

Bowbells  Tribune. 

Bowdon  Guardian. 

Bottineau  County  News. 

Braddock  News. 

Brinsmade  Star. 

Buffalo  Express. 

Buford  Tribune. 

Calvin  Times. 

Cando  Herald. 

Carson   Press. 

Carpio  Weekly  News. 

Carrington  Record. 

Carrington  Weekly  Independent. 

Casselton  Reporter. 

Cavalier  County  Republican. 

Cavalier  Chronicle. 

Center  Republican. 

Churches  Ferry  Sun. 

Cogswell  Enterprise. 

Cooperstown  Courier. 

Courier  Democrat. 

Columbus  Reporter. 

Coteau  Sentinel. 

Courtney  Gazette. 

Crary  Public  Opinion. 

Crosby  Eagle. 

Crosby  Review. 

Crvstal  Call. 

Dawson  Leader. 

Dazey  Herald. 

De  Lamere  Mistletoe. 

Democrat. 

Denbigh  Promoter. 

Denhoff  Voice. 

Deering  Enterprise. 

Des  Lacs  Valley  Observer. 

Devils  Lake  Inter  Ocean. 

Devils  Lake  Journal. 

Dickey  County  Leader. 

Dickey   Reoorter. 

Dickinson  Press. 

Dickinson  Post. 

Dickinson  Recorder. 

Do^den  Observer. 


Dogden  News. 
Donnybrook  Courier. 
Drake  News. 
Drake  Telegram. 
Drayton  Echo. 
Douglas  Herald. 
Dunn  County  News. 
Dunseith  Magnet. 
Eddy  County  Provost. 
Edgeley  Mail. 
Edmore  Herald  News. 
Edinburg  Tribune. 
Egeland  Enterprise. 
Emmons  County  Advocate. 
Emmons  County  Record. 
Emmons  County  Republican. 
Epping  Bulletin. 
Esmond   Bee. 
Fairdale  Times. 
Fairmount  News. 
Fargo  Forum. 
Fin-gal  Herald. 
Finley  Beacon. 
Flasher   Hustler. 
Flaxton  Times. 
Forbes  Reoublican. 
Forman  News. 
Free  Press. 
Fullerton  Farmer. 
Glenbum  Advance. 
Gackle  Republican. 
Glen  UUin  News. 
Golden  Valley  Chronicle. 
Goodrich  Weekly  Citizen. 
Croose  River  Farmer. 
Grafton  News  and  Times. 
Granville  Record. 
Grano  Tribune. 
Gric:e:s  County  Sentinel. 
Globe  Gazette. 
TT?inkinson  News. 
Hannaford  Enterprise. 
TT-^n^-'boro  Pioneer. 
TTarvev  Herald. 
Hatton   Free   Press. 
Havana  Record. 
Havnes  (iazette. 


54 


STATE   HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 


Herald. 

Hettinger  County  Herald. 

Hettinger  Headlight. 

Hillsboro  Banner. 

Hope  Pioneer. 

Hunter  Herald. 

Hurdsfield  Banner. 

Independent. 

International. 

Inland  Representative. 

Jamestown  Weekly  Alert. 

Jud  Leader. 

Kenmare  Journal. 

Kenmare  News. 

Katharine  Weekly  Star. 

Kermit  News. 

Kidder  County  Herald. 

Knox  Advocate. 

Kulm  Messenger. 

Kensal  Journal. 

Lakota  American. 

LaMoure  County  Chronicle. 

Lansford  Times. 

Larimore  Pioneer. 

I^rson   Leader. 

Lankin  Weekly  Reporter. 

Lawton  Leader. 

Lee(1s  News. 

Lidgerwoo:l  Broadaxc. 

Lids^crwood   Monitor. 

Lisbon  Free  Press. 

Litchfield  Bulletin. 

Leal  Advance. 

LaMoure  Echo. 

McHenry  Connty  Journal. 

McHenry  Tribune. 

Mcintosh  Republican. 

McKenzie  County  Chronicle. 

McKenzie  County  Journal. 

McLean  County  Gazette. 

McLean  (^ounty  Independent. 

McLean  County  Miner. 

Mc\'ille  Journal. 

Maddock  Standard. 

Mandan  Pioneer. 

Mandan  Republican. 


Magic  City  Democrat. 
Marion  Sentinel. 
Marmarth  Enterprise. 
Marmarth  Mail. 
Max  Enterprise. 
Maxbass  Monitor. 
Mayville  Tribune. 
Max  PJionogram. 
Medina  Citizen. 
Mercer  Telesfram. 
Merricourt  Vallev  News. 
Mercer  Coimty  Republican. 
Michigan  Arena. 
Milton  Globe. 
Minot  Weekly  Optic. 
Minto  Journal. 
Moffit  Messenger. 
Mohall  News. 
Mohall  Tribune. 
Afoon. 

Mott  Pioneer  Press. 
Motise  River  Journal. 
Munich  Herald. 
Monanq^o  Journal. 
Xanoleon  Homestead. 
Necbe  Chronotvpe. 
Nelson  County  Observer. 
Nekoma  News. 
New  Salem  Journal. 
Nome  Tribune. 
North  Dakota  Capital. 
North  Dakota  Eaele. 
Vorih  Dakota  Independent. 
North  Dakota  Maenet. 
North  Dakota  Patriot. 
Vorth  Dakota  Record. 
North  Dakota  Si f tings. 
North  wood  Gleaner. 
Norwich  Items. 
Newbure  Sun. 
Oakes  Times. 
Oakes  Journal. 
(^l)eron    Reporter. 
Omemee  Herald. 
Olmstead  News. 
(Xsnabrock  Independent. 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA 


55 


Driska  Post. 

Page  Record. 

Palermo  Standard. 

Palladium. 

Park  River  Gazette  News. 

Perth  Journal. 

Petersburg  Record 

Pierce  County  Tribune. 

Pingree  Patriot. 

Pink  Paper. 

Pioneer. 

Pioneer  Express. 

Plaza  Pioneer. 

Portland  Republican. 

Ransom  County  Independent. 

Rav  Pioneer. 

Ray  Recorder. 

Red  River  Valley  Sun. 

Republican. 

Richardton  News. 

Rock  Lake  Ripples. 

Rollette  County  Examiner. 

Rollette  County  Herald. 

Rollette  Record. 

Ross  Promoter. 

Ross  Valley  News. 

Ruso  Record. 

Rueby  Optimist. 

Ryder  News. 

Russell  Sentinel. 

Rutland  Leader. 

St.  Thomas  Times. 

Sanborn  Enterprise. 

Sargent  County  Independent. 

Sargent  County  Teller. 

Sarles  Advocate. 

Sawyer  Clipper. 

Schafer  Record. 

Scranton  Ree:ister. 

Searchlight,  Fargo. 

Searchlight,  Martin. 

Sentinel. 

Settler. 

Sharon  Reporter. 

Sheldon  Progress. 

Sherwood  Tribune. 


Sheyenne  Star. 

Souris  Messenger. 

Springbrook  News. 

Stanley  Sun. 

Starkweather  Times. 

Steele  County  Tribune. 

Steele  Ozone. 

Stutsman  County  Democrat. 

Stutsman  Countv  Leader. 

Stutsman  County  Patriot. 

Sykeston  Tribune. 

State  Line  Herald. 

.Sterling  Star. 

St.  Johns  Tribune. 

Tagus  Mirror. 

Times. 

Tioga  Gazette. 

Tolna   Tribune. 

Tower  City  Topics. 

Towner  News  and  Stockman. 

Towner  County  Democrat. 

Towner  Tribune. 

Traill  County  Blade. 

Transcript. 

Tribune. 

Turtle  Mountain  Star. 

Turtle  Lake  Wave. 

Turtle  I^ke  Republican. 

Underwood  Miner. 

Upham  Star. 

Valley  City  Times-Record. 

Verona  Advance. 

Voice. 

Vanville  Echo. 

Warwick  Sentinel. 

Wahpeton  Times. 

Walcott  Reporter. 

Walhalla  Mountaineer. 

Walsh  County  Republican, 

Walsh  Countv  Record. 

Ward  County  Independent, 

Ward  County  Reporter. 

Washburn  Leader. 

Western  Call. 

Weeklv  Times. 

Wells  Countv  Free  Press. 


56 


STATE    HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


Wells  County   News. 
Westhope  Standard. 
Wheatland  Eagle. 
Williams  County  Mixer. 
Wheelock  Tribune. 
White  Earth  Record. 
Williams  County  Leader. 
Wilton  News. 
Williston  Graphic. 
Williston  Herald. 


Williston  Weekly  State. 
Williston  World. 
Willow  Lake  Wave. 
Wishek  News. 
Wimbledon  News. 
Wolford  Mirror. 
York  Ledger. 
Wyndmere  Enterprise. 
Wvndmere  Pioneer. 


FOREIGN    LANGUAGE   PAPERS   AND   MISCELLANEOUS. 


Alberta  Herald. 

Rroder  Baandet. 

I^Courier  Franco  American. 

Dakota  Staats  Zeifung. 

Deutsche  Pioneer. 

Deutsche  Zukunft. 

Fram. 

Fremtiden. 

Germania. 

Grafton  Posten. 

Heimskrinfifla. 

Canadian  Farmer  (Russian). 

Logberg. 

Minot  Posten. 

Normanden. 

Nord  Dakota  Herold. 

Nordweston. 


Bismarck  Tribune. 
Fargo  Forum. 
Fargo  Daily  News. 
The  Morning  Call. 
Grand  Forks  Herald. 
Evening  Times. 
Evening  Press. 


St.  Peter  Bote. 

Staats  Tidende. 

Staats  Anzeiger. 

Staats  Tidning. 

Svenska  Folket  Tidning. 

Volks  Freund. 

Vinlanvi. 

W^acht  Am  Missouri. 

Blue  and  Gold. 

North  Dakota  Farmer. 

North  Dakota  Banner. 

North  Dakota  Sheaf. 

The   Rotary. 

The  Saskatchewan  Gazette. 

The  Westland  Educator. 

British  Columbia  Gazette. 


DAILIES. 


Jamestown  Alert. 
Jamestown  Capital. 
Minot  Daily  Optic. 
Minot  Dailv  Reporter. 
Manitoba  Free  Press. 
Valley  City  Morning  Patriot. 
Milwaukee  Free  Press. 


LnmARY. 

The  library  has  made  a  steady  growth  and  now  has  nearly  twice 
as  many  books  as  the  Society  had  in  its  last  report  to  the  State. 
The  growth  of  the  library  has  been  along  the  line  of  purchase,  gift 
and  government  state  and  society  reports.     The  Society  has  taken 


STATE  OF  NORTH   DAKOTA  57 


a  special  pride  in  building  up  a  section  of  the  library  given  over  ex- 
clusively to  local  history.  This  will  take  in  the  life  of  our  north- 
west and  includes  the  state  and  the  country  surrounding  it.  Already 
the  library  has  nearly  three  hundred  books  dealing  with  this  history 
besides  many  pamphlets.  During  the  past  two  years  a  large  number 
of  books  of  early  travel,  journals  and  histories,  were  added  to  the 
library  by  purchase  and  the  Society,  too,  was  very  fortunate  in  their 
gifts  along  this  line.  The  most  extensive  of  the  gifts  was  that  of 
E.  A.  Williams  of  Bismarck.  Mr.  Williams  has  had  for  years  a 
large  number  of  books  and  pamphlets  stored  away  in  his  garret. 
148  books,  774  pamphlets,  and  55  maps  were  turned  over  to  the 
Society  with  incomplete  files  of  old  Yankton  papers,  magazines  and 
legislative  journals.  This  material  is  rich  in  history  which  deals 
with  the  period  of  the  framing  of  our  State  constitution.  The  maps, 
too,  are  valuable  for  our  early  history.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  there 
are  other  garrets  of  Bismarck  and  other  towns  of  the  state  where 
valuable  material  is  left  to  the  mercy  of  the  mice,  the  dust  and 
moths.    These  garrets  are  veritable  gold  mines  for  the  Society. 

Another  collection  which  is  under  the  direct  control  of  the  Society 
contains  the  books  of  Joseph  Taylor,  the  deceased  pioneer  of  Wash- 
burn. In  this  collection  are  a  number  of  books  of  local  importance. 
These  collections,  with  individual  donations,  are  very  important 
in  a  young  growing  library  and  the  Society  is  looking  for  others 
along  this  line. 

The  historical  library  is  a  depository  of  the  publications  of  the 
United  States.  There  are  among  the  monthly  receipts  from  Wash- 
ington valuable  books  and  pamphlets.  The  reports  of  the  state  and 
also  the  exchanges  from  other  archeological  and  historical  societies 
form  a  valuable  acquisition  to  the  shelves.  As  soon  as  the  Society 
can  get  sufficient  room  these  books  will  be  more  widely  used  by  the 
public. 

The  following  societies  and  individuals  exchange  with  the  State 
Historical  Societv  of  North  Dakota: 

Alabama  Historical  Society. 

American  Antiquarian  and  Oriental  Journal,  438  E.  57th  St., 
Chicago.  111. 

American  Museum  of  Natural  History,  New  York. 

Chicago  Historical  Society,  Chicago,  111. 

Dedham  Historical  Society,  Dedham,  Mass. 

Department  of  History,  Pierre,  S.  D. 

Evanston  Historical  Societv,  Evanston,  111. 

Free  Librarv  of  Philadelphia,  1217-21  Chestnut  St.,  Philadelphia, 
Pa. 

Harvard  llniversitv  Library,  Cambridge.  Mass. 

Hodge,  F.  W.  American  Anthropoligist,  1333  F.  St..  N.  W., 
Washington,  D.  C. 


58  STATE   HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 

Ipswich  Historical  Society,  Ipswich,  Mass. 

Long  Island  Historical  Society,  Long  Island,  N.  Y. 

Manitoba  Free  Press,  Winnipeg,  Canada. 

Meany,  Prof.  E.  S.,  University  of  Washington,  Seattle,  Wash. 

Milwaukee  Public  Library,  Milwaukee,  Wis. 

Minneapolis  Public  Library,  Minneapolis,  Minn. 

New  England  Historic-Genealogical  Society,  Boston,  Mass. 

New  Jersey  Historical  Society,  Trenton,  N.  J. 

New  York  Historical  Society,  N.  Y. 

New  York  Public  Library,  425  Lafayette  St.,  New  York. 

Northern  Indiana  Historical  Society. 

Ontario  Historical  Society,  Toronto,  Canada. 

Peabody  Historical  Society. 

Smithsonian  Institute,  Washington,  D.  C. 

State  Historical  Library  of  Montana,  Helena,  Mont. 

State  Historical  Society  of  IlHnois,  Springfield,  111. 

State  Historical  Society  of  Iowa,  Iowa  City,  la. 

State  Historical  Society  of  Kansas,  Kansas  Citv,  Kan. 

State  Historical  Society  of  Louisana,  New  Orleans,  La. 

State  Historical  Society  of  Minnesota,  St.  Paul,  Minn. 

State  Historical  Society  of  Missouri,  Columbia,  Mo. 

State  Historical  Society  of  Nebraska,  Lincoln,  Neb. 

State  Historical  Society  of  Oklahoma,  Guthrie,  Okla. 

State  Historical  Society  of  Wisconsin,  Madison,  Wis. 

State  Historical  Society  of  Wyoming,  Cheyenne,  Wyo. 

Texas  State  Historical  Association,  Austin,  Texas. 

L^niversitv  of  Idaho,  Moscow,  Idaho. 

Vineland  Historical  and  Antiquarian  Society,  Vineland,  N.  J. 

West  Virginia  Historical  and  Antiquarian  Society. 

Wisconsin  Archaeological  Societv,  Milwaukee.  Wis. 

Wyoming  Historical  Genealogical  Society,  Wilkesbarre,  Pa. 


DONATIONS  AND  LOANS. 

The  following  additional  donations  have  been  received  for  the 
library  during  the  past  year: 

Frank  Wallace,  Leslies  and  Harpers  for  1861-2-3,  three  copies. 

A.  L.  Fellows,  24th  annual  report.  Bureau  of  Ethnology. 

Mrs.  Mary  McLean,  Charter  and  Ordinance' of  Bismarck  1885, 
Tribune  old  file,  Indian  photos,  Woman's  club  program  1904. 

Mrs.  William  Pye,  Sr.,  15  copies  Bismarck  Tribune,  1874  to  '91,. 
Ladies'  Mite  Societv  Note  Book  1873  to  '77. 

J.  P.  Dunn,  two  Burleigh  county  election  ballots,  1873. 


STATE  OF  NORTH   DAKOTA  59 


J.  W.  Foley,  Medora,  Bad  Land  Cowboy  newspapers,  three  copies, 
maps,  postal  from  General  Stur^is  and  a  letter  from  General  Law- 
ton. 

G.  R.  Vowles,  two  Indian  papers,  Fort  Totten. 

Capt.  L  P.  Baker,  Log  Book,  photos  of  Missouri. 

J.  W.  Foley,  Jr.,  eight  books. 

W.  F.  Gushing,  English  and  Japanese  card  of  Kuroki,  set  of 
papers  telling  of  assassination  and  death  of  McKinley. 

J.  F.  Marshall,  Atlas  Dakota,  1884. 

R.  F.  Flint,  blizzard  edition  of  the  Sheyenne  Star. 

C.  Jorgenson,  Chinese  paper  with  death  of  McKinley. 

N.  J.  Clay,  23  railway  pamphlets. 

E.  C.  Chatfield,  MinneapoHs,  set  of  joint  boundary  maps. 

C.  W.  Jones,  two  books. 

Myrtle  Bemis,  Finley,  two  pamphlets. 

Geo.  Saunders,  Hope,  15  Scotch  newspapers. 

Captain  Belk,  Star  West  Ticket. 

David  Stewart,  Chehalis,  Wash.,  first  Bismarck  directory.  Atlas 
of  Dakota,  1884. 

Phil.  Harvey,  photo  of  men  who  went  to  Black  Hills  in  1875. 

Mrs.  J.  M.  Chenery,  Jamestown,  History  of  Jamestown. 

J.  C.  Holley,  Driscoll,  pamphlets  and  photos. 

Bismarck  directory,  1908,  publishers. 

H.  V.  Arnold,  Larimore,  one  book. 

A.  C.  Reinecke,  Fargo,  13  books  and  pamphlets  and  file  of  Even- 
ing Press  for  1907-^08. 

G.  W^  Newton,  Helper's  Impending  Crisis. 

LOANS. 

M.  H.  Bentley,  fac-simile  Bismarck  letter. 
Mrs.  Mary  McLean,  maps. 

W.  F.  Gushing,  Bible  1789,  Gushing  tree  on  fly-leaf. 
N.  H.  Wylie,  Lincoln  Monument  Fund,  receipt  of  Enos  Stuts- 
man for  $10. 


MUSEUM. 

The  state  Museum  has  been  a  center  of  attraction  and  as  in  all 
other  departments  this  part  of  the  work  can  boast  of  a  decided 
growth.  It  has  grown  so  rapidly  that  the  Society  needs  another 
room  as  large  as  the  one  now  in  use.  The  public  have  taken  a  great 
deal  of  interest  in  the  collection  and  during  the  past  year  the 
Society  has  received  some  valuable  loans  and  donations  for  the 
museum.  Others  have  been  promised  to  the  museum  as  soon  as 
more  room  can  be  add-ed. 

The  daily  number  of  visitors  to  the  museum  has  been  gratifying. 
During  the  past  year  there  were  nearly  3,000  visitors  registered 


60  STATE   HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

and  almost  a  fourth  of  these  were  from  outside  of  the  state.  There 
are  many  who  visit  the  museum  who  do  not  register  and  making 
an  estimate  of  these  we  may  say  that  nearly  4,500  look  over  the 
collections  yearly. 

We  hope  in  time  to  make  an  extensive  collection  of  the  old  things 
belonging  to  the  different  nationalities  of  the  state.  The  Icelanders 
have  given  us  a  very  good  collection  and  we  hope  that  the  other 
nationalities  will  do  the  same  before  the  second  generation  will  lose 
and  destroy  the  different  things  that  the  people  have  brought  from 
the  old  coiintry.  Then,  too,  there  are  many  things  that  the  pioneers 
of  the  state  can  give  us  before  everything  is  lost. 

The  following  donations  have  been  reecived  during  the  past  year. 
Mrs.  W.  A.  Falconer,  large  bone  implement,  part  of  General  Custer's 
staircase. 

J.  A.  Tanner,  iron  arrowhead. 

Mrs.  Morehouse,  stone  hammer. 

Frank  Wallace,  buffalo  skull  with  horns. 

Mrs.  Mary  McLean,  reception  of  Capitol  Commission  badge,  1883. 

Myrtle  and  Geo.  Smith,  Indian  relics. 

H.  C.  Hansborough,  Devils  Lake,  Roosevelt  pen. 

T.  M.  Murphy,  Sanborn,  geological  specimens. 

Geo.  Platzer,  Indian  relics. 

X.  II.  Lovine,  beaver  work. 

E.  A.  Williams,  council  clock. 

Aran  Mason,  ox  yoke. 

August  Goldman,  Sophia,  bear  handle  knife. 

J.  W.  Foley,  Medora.  mocassins  from  Custer  field. 

E.  F.  Higbee,  powder  horn. 

J.  Huber,  Philippine  knife. 

Fred  Katzke,  New  Salem,  dagger  and  arrow  point. 

S.  F.  Lambert,  gun,  Springfield,  1870. 

Norman  Falconer,  cache  of  242  flint  implements  and  chips. 

Rav  Penbertv,  Indian  relics. 

LOANS. 

Mrs.  Mary  McLean,  maps  militia  cap  decoration. 

Chas.  Bentlev,  skull  of  an  Indian. 

J.  K.  Doran,  nule  hammer,  Indian. 

C.  W.  Andrews.  Walhalla,  ox,  Red  river  cart  and  harness. 

W.  O.  Ward,  flint  lock  gun. 

V.  W.  Brazda,  I>eapolis.  Indian  relics. 

The  loans  to  the  S(Kiety  this  past  year  have  been  a  material  help 
in  placing  before  the  public  many  things  of  the  Mandan  and  Gros- 
ventre  which  have  been  in  constant  use  by  these  tribes.  The  inter- 
est which  the  Binghenheimer  Sioux  Colection  (\'t)l.  1,  p.  15>  has 
aroused  in  the  museum  cannot  but  show  the  practical  results  of  these 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  61 

^.l.  ■  Ml.         ■■-■^-■-  ■■■—  I  ■—■■I  ■% 

loan  collections.  In  the  Hoffman  Grosventre  and  the  McKenzie 
Mandan  Collections  it  will  be  noticed  that  there  are  many  things 
that  have  been  the  direct  property  of  individuals  of  the  tribes.  This 
makes  a  more  vital  exhibit  and  arouses  a  greater  interest  in  the 
collection. 

MRS.    C.    W.    HOFFMAN    GROSVENTRE    INDIAN    COLLECTIONS. 

1.  Indian  bowl,  100  years  old,  owned  by  Cherry  Woman. 

2.  Mountain  sheep  horn  spoon,  200  years  old,  owned  by  Cherry 
Woman. 

3.  Quiver  made  by  Spotted  Crow  Woman. 

4.  Tomahawk  and  pipe,  owned  by  Bobtailed  Bull. 

5.  Drum  owned  by  Making  Dust. 

6.  Baptismal  basket,  60  years  old,  Ree,  owned  by  Mrs.  White 
Face. 

7.  Two  corn  husk  bags  made  by  Blackfeet. 

8.  Pair  of  moccasins  made  by  Crows. 

9.  Belt  made  by  Crows. 

10.  Belt  owned  by  Mrs.  Red  Feather. 

11.  Deertail  head  dress  owned  by  Smells. 

12.  War  shirt  owned  by  Crow-flies-high. 

13.  Leggings  owned  by  Bobtailed  Bull. 

14.  Skin  scraper,  elkhorn,  owned  by  Yellow  Otter  Woman. 

15.  Young  woman's  buckskin  dress,  owned  by  Spotted  Crow 
Woman. 

16.  Woman's  lesrgings,  owned  by  Spotted  Crow  Woman. 

17.  Brass  bracelets. 

18.  Belt   with   flint   bag  and   stone   sharpener   bag,   owned   by 
Whistler. 

19.  Young  man's  ear  bangles,  50  years  old,  owned  by  Bulls  Eye. 

20.  Young  man's  necklace,  50  years  old,  owned  by  Bulls  Eye. 

21.  Young  man's  long  hair  ornament,  50  years  old,  owned  by 
Bulls  Eye. 

22.  Knife  sheath,  leather,  owned  by  No  Arm. 

23.  Knife  sheaf  beads. 

24.  Dance  whistle,  owned  by  Yellow  Corn. 

25.  Dance  whip,  owned  by  Black  Brar. 

26.  Indian  quirt. 

27.  Stone  fruit  masher,  40  years  old,  owned  bv  Black  Bear. 

28.  Beaded  bag,  Chippewa,  owned  by  Geo.  Elk. 

29.  Velvet  beaded  bag,  Chippewa,  owned  by  Mike  Basset. 

30.  Blanket  leggings,  owned  by  Long  Bear. 

31.  Little  boy's  skin  suit,  shirt,  owned  by  Porcupine. 

32.  Comb. 

33.  Comb,  Ree. 

34.  Bead  necklace. 


62  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETV 

35.  Awl  case. 

36.  Shell  ornament. 

37.  Painted  deer  hide,  owned  by  Birds  Bill. 

38.  Shield,  owned  by  Black  Bear. 

39.  Small  dance  shield,  Ree,  owned  by  Strikes  Enemy. 

40.  Medicine  bag. 

41.  Woman's  moccasins. 

42.  War  club,  Qwned  by  Black  Bear. 

43.  Dried  meat  bag. 

44.  Dried  meat  bag,  painted,   Sioux. 

45.  Porcupine  quill  case. 

46.  Needle  case. 

47.  Horse  hair  rope. 

48.  Chippewa  scalp  taken  by  Bobtailed  Bull. 

49.  Paint  bag. 

50.  Beaded  breach  cloth,  Chippewa,  owned  by  Bobtailed  Bull. 

51.  Hair  ornaments. 

52.  One  eagle  feather  ornament. 

53.  Weasel  skin.  Crazy  Dogs  bonnet. 

54.  Child's  moccasins,  Sioux. 

55.  Ball  and  stick  game,  Ree. 

56.  Large  skin  ball,  Ree  and  Grosventre. 

57.  Game  hoop,  game,  Ree. 

58.  Bear  claw  necklace,  owned  by  Strikes  Enemy. 

59.  Head  dress,  owned  by  Black  Bear. 

60.  Tobacco  pouch,  owned  by  Kid. 

61.  Medicine  rattle,  Ree,  owned  by  Strikes  Enemy. 

62.  Baby  bonnet,  owned  by  Crow  Woman. 

63.  Belt  girdle,  owned  by  Coyote.  . 

64.  Necklace,  Apache. 

65.  Xavel  bag,  Ree,  owned  bv  Yankton  Woman. 

66.  Corn  sack,  of  moose  calf  skin,  owned  by  Curly  Woman. 

67.  Plate,  Chippewa. 

68.  Basket,  Ree,  owned  by  Yellow  Corn. 

69.  Head  dress,  Flathead. 

70.  Money  bag,  owned  by  Drags  Wolf. 

71.  Decorated  wand,  used  in  baptism,  owned  by  Bulls  Eye. 

72.  Small  corn  husk  medicine  baef,  owned  by  Yankton  Woman. 

73.  Woman's  white  buffaloskin  head  dress,  owned  by  Cherry 
Woman. 

74.  Round  war  bonnet. 

75.  Beaded  turtle  (medicine). 

It  is  hereby  agreed  between  the  State  Historical  Society  of  North 
Dakota  and  Mrs.  C.  W.  Hoffman  of  Elbowoods,  North  Dakota,  that 
the  Indian  Collection  as  above  inventoried,  remain  permanently  in 
the  posession  of  the  State  Historical  Society  of  North  Dakota,  and 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  63 

that  the  collection  be  purchased  as  follows  by  the  State  Historical 
Society  of  North  Dakota:  Three  hundred  dollars  ($300.00)  to  be 
paid  on  or  before  June  1,  1908;  and  five  hundred  dollars  ($500.00) 
to  be  paid  on  or  before  July  1,  1909.  Until  the  collection  shall  be 
paid  for,  Mrs.  C.  W.  Hoflfman  shall  be  guaranteed  (as  per  hivent- 
ory)  from  all  loss  and  damage  to  said  collection  from  September  1, 
1907. 

/■ 

MISS  JESSIE  MCKENZIE  MANDAN  LOAN  COLLECTION. 

One  Indian  bag,  old  pattern. 

Ten  pouches. 

One  bracelet. 

Two  hair  ornaments. 

Two  ear  rings. 

One  Ree  comb. 

One  Mandan  basket,  three  gambling  bones. 

One  buffalo  horn  top. 

One  antelope  horn  (medicine). 

One  stone  knife. 

One  hair  rope. 

One  raw  hide  rope  with  horn  ring. 

One  knife  and  knife  sheath. 

One  squash  knife. 

Two  money  purses. 

One  flint  case. 

One  whip. 

One  child  water  pail  calf  stomach. 

Two  awl  cases.  , 

Two  string  dance  beads. 

One  carrying  strap. 

One  baby  blanket. 

One  head  ornament. 

One  bull  boat  model. 

One  ball  and  stick  game. 

One  buffalo  bone  finger  ring. 

One  Mandan  dress. 

One  rake. 

One  hoe. 

One  digging  stick. 

One  bow  and  quiver,  five  arrows. 

One  spear  head,  iron. 

One  war  hammer  game,  Ree. 

One  wild  turnip. 

Three  Mandan  pottery,  one  broken. 

One  porcupine  case. 

One  dance  bonnet. 


64  STATK  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

One  buffalo  horn  spoon. 

One  mountain  goat  spoon. 

One  medicine  pipe.  100  years  old. 

One  medicine  pipe.  Sioux,  bear  pipe. 

One  tobacco  pouch. 

One  woman's  belt. 

Two  scrapers. 

One  dance  rattle. 

One  tomahawk. 

Five  pair  moccasins. 

One  sweat  house  fan. 

One  traveling  bag. 

One  dance  drum  with  stick. 

One  dried  meat  case.  / 

One  pair  leggings. 

One  dance  bonnet. 

One  medicine  club  used  before  war. 

One  eagle  hunt  medicine  rattle. 

It  is  hereby  agreed  by  and  between  the  said  State  Historical 
Society  of  North  Dakota  and  Miss  Jessie  McKenzie  that  her  Man- 
dan  collection,  as  above  inventoried,  be  loaned  to  the  State  Historical 
Society  of  North  Dakota  until  the  owner.  Miss  Jessie  McKenzie, 
shall  desire  to  withdraw  it.  The  State  Historical  Society  shall  guar- 
antee the  said  collection  from  all  loss  and  damage  (as  per  inventory) 
during  the  time  which  the  said  Society  shall  be  in  possession  of  the 
collection. 


FIELD  WORK. 

This  biennial  period  has  proved  very  fruitful  in  results  from 
work  in  the  field.  Among  the  Chippewas  on  the  Turtle  Mountain 
reservation  the  secretary  has  been  greatly  aided  by  the  efficient 
labors  of  H.  G.  Gunn  of  Winnipeg,  whose  knowledge  of  the  langu- 
age and  researches  into  the  O  jib  way  mythology  have  made  him  a 
valuable  field  worker.  A  larG:e  number  of  photographs  of  individ- 
ual representatives  of  this  tribe  have  been  secured  for  the  museum 
and  a  considerable  number  of  specimens  representing  games  and 
other  phases  of  their  life  have  been  collected. 

Very  recently  the  secretary  discovered  an  old  village  site  on  the 
Sheyenne  river  and  with  the  assistance  of  A.  B.  Stout  of  Wisconsin, 
it  has  been  carefully  surveyed  and  mapped.  This  discovery  opens 
a  new  and  very  interestins:  archae<^)]()ijical  field  and  shows  that  the 
peculiar  form  of  house  built  by  the  Mandans  of  the  Missouri  valley 
is  to  be  found  elsewhere  in  the  state.  Among  the  village  sites  of  the 
Missouri  vallev  we  have  had  a  number  of  efficient  workers. 


STATE  OF  NORTH   DAKOTA  65 

Frank  J.  V.  Kiebert  has  made  some  very  accurate  surveys  of  the 
Five  Knife  river  villages  and  is  at  present  reporting  some  hill  forts 
and  stone  fortifications  on  the  West  side  of  the  Missouri  river.  J.  A. 
Tanner  has  done  some  excellent  work  in  the  region  and  will  con- 
tinue to  take  part  in  the  explorations.  E.  R.  Steinbrueck  has  been 
indefatigable  in  exploring  and  locating  the  many  village  sites  of  the 
Missouri  valley.  H.  C.  Fish,  curator  of  the  museum  at  Bismarck, 
has  been  placed  in  general  charge  of  the  explorations  in  this  part  of 
the  field  and  ever  since  taking  his  place  in  the  museum  he  has  justi- 
fied his  appointment.  Not  only  has  he  made  himself  thoroughly 
acquainted  with  the  specimens  in  the  museum,  but  he  has  shown 
himself  unusually  well  qualified  to  direct  field  work  to  the  best 
advantage.  His  wide  acquaintance  with  conditions  in  different 
parts  of  the  state  and  his  practical  knowledge  of  the  details  of  field 
work,  have  enabled  him  to  secure  much  that  would  otherwise  have 
been  lost. 

During  the  present  season  a  departure  from  the  usual  procedure 
in  field  work  was  tried.  An  enthusiastic  young  archaeologist  from 
Wisconsin,  A.  B.  Stout,  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  Missouri  valley 
field  work  for  six  weeks.  The  result  of  the  experiment  was  most 
gratifying.  Not  only  were  eight  sites  carefully  explored  and  re- 
ported on,  in  maps  and  charts  which  are  models  in  every  respect, 
but  much  new  evidence  was  secured  as  to  the  characteristics  of 
each  of  the  three  tribes  that  now  live  together  on  the  Fort  Berthold 
reservation,  the  Arikara,  the  Grosventres  and  the  Mandans.  Mr. 
Stout  was  also  of  the  utmost  assistance  to  our  regular  force  of  field 
workers,  in  showing  them  how  work  could  be  done  to  best  advantage 
and  the  best  means  of  presenting  evidence  when  it  has  been  accumu- 
lated. The  work  of  Mr.  Stout  will  be  noticed  elsewhere  in  this 
volume  in  connection  with  the  maps  of  typical  villages  in  the 
Missouri  valley. 

The  field  work  of  the  secretary  has  necessarily  been  more  scatter- 
ed than  that  of  any  other  field  worker.  He  has  studied  the  sun- 
dance  of  the  Chippewas  on  the  Turtle  Mountain  reservation  and 
has  made  excellent  progress  toward  their  tribal  history  in  this  part 
of  the  state.  The  discoveries  in  the  valley  of  the  Shevenne  have 
already  been  referred  to.  In  the  Missouri  valley  he  has  given  especi- 
al attention  to  the  history  and  mythology  of  the  Mandans  and  of  the 
Grosventres.  A  large  and  very  valuable  collection  of  photographs 
of  individuals  and  groups  for  each  of  these  tribes  has  been  secured 
for  the  museum.  Particularly  amon^  the  Mandans,  the  secretary 
has  been  successful  in  winning  their  confidence  and  securine:  invalu- 
able photographs  of  many  objects  of  great  veneration  among  them. 
Especially  interesting  is  the  great  mass  of  mythological  lore  which 
has  been  collected  from  both  these  tribes  and  which  will  ultimately 
be  compiled  and  published  in  future  volumes. 


<)6  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

This  portion  of  the  field  work  which  is  being  done  in  various  parts 
of  the  state  represents  but  a  mere  fraction  of  what  is  actually  going 
on  among  the  members  of  the  Society  and  those  interested  in  the 
preservation  and  publication  of  our  early  history.  Many  of  our 
friends  are  keeping  watch  of  the  immigration  into  the  state  and  are 
reporting  on  the  movement  from  time  to  time  in  papers  of  great 
value.  Material  ts  being  collected  all  over  the  state  which  will 
result  later  in  a  series  of  sketches  of  the  early  forts  of  territorial 
days.  Biographies  of  early  settlers,  stories  of  travelers,  diaries  or 
letters  by  explorers  or  visitors  to  our  territory  are  being  secured 
and  sent  in  for  publication  in  some  form.  This  is  the  kind  of  field 
work  in  which  most  of  our  friends  engage  with  great  willingness 
and  with  excellent  results.  More  workers  are  required  each  year 
as  the  field  grows  and  we  earnestly  request  the  co-operation  of  all 
public-spirited  citizens  in  this  phase  of  our  field  work. 


All  of  which  report  is  respectfully  submitted. 

O.  G.  LiBBY,  Secretary. 


ADDRESSES  AND  PAPERS    DELIVERED    AT 

ANNUAL  MEETINGS  OF  THE  STATE 

HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


ADDRESS  OF  WELCOME  AT  THE  ANNUAL  MEETING 
OF  THE  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

BY  GEO.  E.  DUIS. 

Mr.  Chairman  and  Members  of  the  Historical  Society  of  North 
Dakota: 

It  has  been  our  good  fortune  to  have  had  many  representative 
gatherings  in  the  past  here  in  the  city  of  Grand*  Forks,  but  I  ven- 
ture the  statement  that  there  has,  perhaps,  never  met  here  a  society 
that  is  doing  so  much  good  for  the  future  of  the  state  in  an  edu- 
cational way  as  is  your  society.  We  in  North  Dakota  have  been 
making  history  but  a  few  years.  During  that  time,  however,  we 
have  made  it  rapidly.  Mayhap  we  have  not  made  the  kind  of 
history  that  would  interest  the  citizens  of  other  states,  but  we 
have  made  history  nevertheless — history  that  will  be  of  the  great- 
est value  and  instruction  to  our  future  citizens,  and  will  be  ap- 
preciated by  them  surely  in  the  fullest  measure.  The  members  of 
the  Historical  Society  of  North  Dakota  have  learned  much  from 
kindred  societies  of  the  older  states,  and  when  I  read  the  first 
volume  of  your  reports,  I  felt  unbounded  pride  in  the  consciousness 
that  there  is,  perhaps,  no  similar  society  anywhere  that  has  made 
a  better  beginning,  or  is  getting  at  the  aim  and  purpose  of  a 
historical  society  in  a  more  thorough,  scientific  manner  than  is 
yours. 

I  am  glad  that  the  state  of  North  Dakota,  through  legislative 
enactment,  is  appreciating  your  good  work,  and  is  helping  along, 
in  a  small  way  at  least,  the  objects  and  purposes  for  which  your 
society  was  formed.  When  your  work  and  your  representative 
scholastic  membership  are  considered,  the  people  of  Grand  Forks 
have  good  reason  to  be  proud  that  you  have  honored  them  by  this 
meeting,  and  they  welcome  you  as  they  have  welcomed  no  other 
society  or  organization. 

We  have  with  us  this  evening  many  of  the  older  residents  of 
North  Dakota — many  who  are  familiar  with  the  struggles  of  the 
pioneer  and  the  hardships  of  frontier  life,  and  also  those  who 
came  here  when  the  state  was  comparatively  well  settled,  at  least 
well  settled  in  the  Red  River  Valley,  and  where  the  city  of  Grand 
Forks  now  stands,  and  these  late  comers  especially  appreciate 
the  work  that  your  society  is  doing.  Perhaps  some  of  the  older 
residents  of  the  state  do  not  fully  appreciate  it  at  this  time,  but 
I  trust  that  you  may  get  them  interested  and  that  they  may  relate 
some  of  the  incidents  that  have  helped  to  make  this  state  what 


70  STATl-:  HISTORICAL  socjinv 


it  now  is.  Your  society,  I  believe,  would  appreciate  any  additions 
they  might  make  to  what  you  already  know  of  the  early  history 
of  the  state,  and  future  generations  I  know  will  regard  this  in- 
formation invaluable. 

While  I  have  been  a  citizen  of  this  state  but  comparatively  a 
few  years,  I  made  my  first  visit  to  North  Dakota  in  1888,  and 
it  has  occurred  to  me  that  the  purpose  for  which  I  came  here  at 
that  time  might  be  of  interest  to  some  of  your  members.  I  was 
a  young  man  at  that  time  and  naturally  keenly  interested  in  hunt- 
ing. There  had  been  related  to  me  some  wonderfully  vivid  stories 
of  the  wild  fowl  that  congregated  here  in  the  spring  and  fall  on 
the  lakes  and  rivers,  so  I  concluded  that  I  would  visit  this  Mecca 
of  the  feathered  tribe  during  my  vacation  for  the  purpose  of  veri- 
fying the  stories  that  had  been  related  to  me.  On  the  6th  of 
October,  1888,  I  reached  Devils  Lake,  and  as  I  was  alone  and 
unacquainted,  the  first  thing  I  did  was  to  find  some  one  at  that 
place  who  cared  to  go  on  a  hunting  trip.  This  I  was  fortunate 
in  doing  the  first  evening  I  was  there,  and  the  next  morning  my 
newly  found  friend  and  I  drove  out  from  the  city  some  six  or 
seven  miles  to  what  is  known  as  the  Poplar  Grove  country,  which 
is  located  southwest  of  the  city  of  Devils  Lake.  I  anticipated  much 
pleasure  out  of  my  shooting  trip  when  I  left  Illinois,  but  I  never 
expected  to  see  the  enormous  flight  of  wild  fowl  that  I  saw  there 
at  that  time.  There  appeared  to  be  millions  of  wild  geese,  and  all 
the  ponds  and  sloughs  seemed  to  be  filled  with  wild  ducks.  At 
that  time  the  waters  in  Devils  Lake  reached  up  to  near  the  city, 
and  the  bay  that  is  now  cultivated  land,  immediately  southwest  of 
the  city,  was  literally  swarming  with  geese  and  ducks.  The  cack- 
ling of  the  geese  could  be  distinctly  heard  in  the  city,  and  on  the 
night  of  my  arrival,  after  I  had  gone  to  bed,  I  could  scarcely 
sleep  because  of  the  noise.  The  next  morning  when  we  had 
reached  the  objective  point  of  our  hunt,  we  located  in  a  stubble 
field  where  a  crop  of  wheat  had  been  harvested  some  time  before, 
and  we  there  dug  pits,  ^^or  the  benefit  of  you  who  may  not  know 
what  a  goose  pit  is,  I  will  say  that  we  dug  holes  in  the  ground 
probably  three  feet  wide  by  four  feet  long,  and  possibly  two  feet 
deep.  We  dug  two  of  these.  We  scattered  the  dirt  that  was 
taken  up  thinly  about  on  the  ground  and  carefully  covered  it  with 
stubble  so  as  to  conceal  it.  We  next  placed  our  decoys  Tlicsc 
decoys  were  made  of  tin  and  were  the  profile  of  a  wild  goose. 
We  had,  perhaps,  two  dozen  of  these  decoys.  We  thc.i  concealed 
ourselves  in  our  pits  and  awaited  the  morning  flight.  Imniediately 
after  daylight  the  geese  began  to  come  from  the  lake  to  the  feed- 
ing grounds.  We  had  but  a  short  time  to  wait  until  the  flight  be- 
gan, and  there  appeared  to  be  tens  of  thousands  of  them.  As  soon 
as  they  discovered  our  decoys  some  of  the  flock  would  circle  and 
attempt   to  light   upon   the   ground   among  our   decoys,   and   im- 


STATE  Ul'*   MORTH   DAKOTA  71 

mediately  .the  shooting  would  begin.  This  flight  continued  about 
an  hour,  and  when  we  counted  our  birds  we  found  we  had  killed 
twenty-seven  geese.  I  have  mentioned  to  you  that  we  used  decoys 
on  this  trip.  To  those  of  you  who  have  hunted  the  wild  goose  it 
may  be  interesting  to  know  that  this  tin  profile,  t>r  decoy,  had 
been  invented  but  a  very  short  time  at  this  period,  and  the  geese 
had  not  at  that  time  learned  what  a  decoy  was.  I  might  add  that 
they  have  since  become  educated  and  they  are  not  now  as  easily 
tempted  with  a  few  imitation  geese  as  they  were  formerly 

I  mention  this  hunting  incident  simply  because  of  the  fact  that 
in  looking  over  your  historical  records  I  find  references  to  the 
big  game,  which  has  largely  disappeared,  and  future  generations 
may  be  interested  in  knowing  something  about  the  feathered  game 
that  existed  here  at  one  time,  and  could  they  have  seen  the  hundreds 
of  thousands  of  wild  geese  and  ducks  that  I  saw  when  I  made 
my  initial  visit  to  the  state,  I  know  that  they  too  would  have  ap- 
preciated the  emotions  of  pleasure  that  I  experienced  at  that  time. 
I  can  see  that  the  game  birds,  so  numerous  in  1888,  are  rapidly 
disappearing  ,and  I  fear  that  in  a  few  years  they  will  be  en- 
tirely extinct  and  there  will  be  little  left  for  the  sportsman  in  the 
wild  fowl  line.  I  was  so  impressed  with  the  fertility  of  this  state 
and  enjoyed  my  first  visit  so  much,  that  I  continued  to  spend  my 
vacations  here  fall  after  fall  until  I  finally  became  a  resident. 

I  want  to  thank  the  members  of  your  society  for  having  given 
me  an  opportunity  to  say  a  few  words  to  you,  and  I  trust  that 
the  good  work  you  have  begun  may  continue  from  year  to  year. 
We  are  indeed  fortunate  to  have  at  the  head  of  the  Historical 
Society  of  North  Dakota  men  who  are  devoting  so  much  of  their 
valuable  time  to  its  work  and  progress.  We  wish  you  every  suc- 
cess and  we  trust  that  sometime  in  the  near  future  you  may  again 
meet  here  in  our  city,  and  on  behalf  of  our  citizens  I  extend  to 
you  a  most  hearty  and  cordial  welcome. 


THE  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA 

BY  P.  J.   MC  CUMBER. 

Mr,  Chairman: 

If  the  mission  of  the  State  Historical  Society  were  limited  to 
^thering,  compiling  and  preserving  such  incidents  and  records 
m  the  settlement  of  the  territory  or  in  its  subsequent  development, 
as  might  satisfy  the  demands  for  future  reference  only,  it  might 
be  doubted  whether  its  efforts  and  unremunerated  labors  are  fully 
justified. 

The  world  of  the  future  for  whose  benefit  these  efforts  are  be- 
ing put  forth  and  these  labors  performed,  will  demand  more  than 
mere  outlines  of  history,  more  than  mere  incidents  chronologically 
arranged,  more  than  mere  biographies  of  the  leading  men  of  the 
age.  For  them  the  canvas  of  history  must  bring  out  in  clear  and 
bold  relief  a  full  panorama  of  the  whole  life  of  today. 

The  spirit  which  is  back  of  all  this  unrequited  toil  is  that  pa- 
triotic ambition  which  stimulates  the  desire  of  every  unselfish  man 
to  add  something  to  the  enrichment  of  the  world,  something  which 
shall  endure  for  all  time.  That  natural  impulse  of  every  form  of 
life  from  the  lowly  germ  buried  in  the  mold,  to  the  highest  im- 
pulses of  the  human  mind  to  reach  forward,  to  project  itself  and 
its  works  into  the  future,  is  the  very  soul  of  all  advancement.  If 
humanity  lived  only  for  its  own  day,  race  retrogression,  decay  and 
death  would  inevitably  follow.  This  historical  society  in  its  labor 
for  future  generations  is  nobly  fulfilling  this  great  law  of  life. 

The  history  of  a  state  is  the  reputation  of  that  state.  That  repu- 
tation is  of  itself  a  |X)wer  for  the  maintenance  of  a  high  stand- 
ard of  citizenship.  As  he  whose  reputation  stands  most  high  must 
with  greater  zeal  labor  to  sustain  it,  so  is  the  reputation  of  a 
state,  recorded  in  its  history,  a  constant  appeal  to  its  citizens  to 
maintain  its  integrity  and  greatness.  It  becomes  the  propertv  of 
the  populace.  It  appeals  to  our  pride  and  our  patriotism.  It  is 
a  potent  living  incentive  to  every  citizen  to  so  sacredly  guard  it 
that  the  historian  of  the  future  may  find  no  blot  upon  the  white 
escutcheon  of  its  honor. 

The  effort  of  every  state  to  equal  or  eclipse  the  best  in  every 
other  state  of  the  Union,  to  maintain  as  high  a  standard  of  ex- 
cellence in  its  educational  facilities,  in  the  justness  of  its  laws, 
in  its  judicial  and  legislative  tribunals,  in  the  character  of  its 
people,  in  the  development  of  its  industries,  has  been  the  prepon- 
derating influence  in  every  avenue  of  advancement  and  achieve- 
ment. 


74  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 

No  day  ever  fully  recognizes  the  great  of  its  own  time.  Their 
character  and  achievements  are  engraved  only  on  their  tombs. 
The  sunrise  of  the  morn  that  is  past  is  always  aglow  with  a  golden 
splendor.  The  sunset  of  the  evening  that  is  to  come  ever  kisses 
the  clouds  and  the  mists  to  a  crimson  glory.  The  distant  past  and 
the  distant  future  ever  lend  enchantment  to  our  view.  The  noon- 
day of  the  present  is  always  dull  and  commonplace.  So  we 
must  look  to  the  future  historian  for  a  just  recognition  of  the 
men  who  in  our  earlier  territorial  life  have  made  history.  They 
are  too  near  our  own  time  to  receive  that  which  fame  has  in  store 
for  them.     Many  have  not  yet  crossed  the  mystic  river. 

This  young  commonwealth  has  furnished  as  great  characters  in 
her  early  territorial  and  state  history  as  any  whose  names  illum- 
inate the  history  of  so  many  of  our  older  states.  And  if  we  elim- 
inate the  fiction  which  enters  into  and  surrounds  the  biographies 
of  many  of  the  noted  pioneers  of  each  state,  the  historian  who 
writes  fact  only,  will  find  on  these  Dakota  plains  as  sturdy  char- 
acters, as  great  achievements,  as  those  of  the  Daniel  Boones  of  the 
border  history.  He  will  neither  be  forced  to  draw  on  his  imagin- 
ation, nor  spread  the  pinions  of  fancy  for  material  to  fill  his  pages 
with  stirring  events,  with  heroic  incidents,  with  thrillin;^^  adven- 
tures, unexcelled  in  the  annals  of  border  warfare. 

North  Dakota  is  young  today.  (Many  of  the  men  who  have  made 
their  mark  in  her  earlier  life,  imprinting  upon  it  their  personality 
and  genius,  are  still  influencing  and  guiding  its  destiny;  but  as 
men's  lives  can  only  properly  be  written  after  they  have  passed 
beyond  its  cares,  its  toils  and  battles,  so  the  time  will  come  when 
the  achievements  and  services  of  the  men  of  the  sixties  and  earlv 
seventies  will  he  recognized  and  future  generations  pay  to  them 
their  just  debt  of  gratitude. 

The  histf  rian  of  the  future  when  he  writes  the  epoch  of  present 
years,  will  find  here  the  Horace  Greeleys  of  journalism,  the  Choates 
of  the  forum,  the  Marshalls  of  the  judiciary,  and  the  poets  of 
nature  whose  s<)n:i:s  in  rythmic  mel(Kly  float  on  our  "Prairie 
Breezes." 

lender  our  system  of  government  there  is  necessarily  a  divided 
allegiance,  state  and  national.  When  rightly  viewed  and  under- 
stood they  are  not  inconsistent  but  supplementary.  Our  allegiance 
to  the  state  should  only  be  second  to  our  devotion  to  our  common 
country. 

The  gradtal  metamorphosis  of  state  allegiance  and  patriotism 
into  the  larger  and  grander  national  allegiance  and  patrit)tism  is 
one  of  the  most  striking  and  interesting  features  of  our  national 
life.  The  combination  of  the  several  colonies  for  the  purpose  of 
securing  independence  had  in  it  no  element  of  real  national  senti- 
ment. It  was  rather  an  alliance  for  offensive  and  defensive  pur- 
poses. 


STATE  OF   NORTH   DAKOTA  75 


Even  the  long  war  of  the  Revolution  failed  to  coalesce  the  divers 
state  sentiments  into  a  single  national  sentiment.  It  taxed  the 
master  minds  of  Hamilton,  Madison  and  all  the  coterie  of  the  great 
men  of  that  age  to  create  a  sentiment  favorable  to  the  final  adop- 
tion of  the  constitution.  And  the  appeals  which  finally  won  were 
not  appeals  to  a  national  sentiment,  but  arguments  which  pointed 
out  the  weaknesses  and  dangers  of  separate  sovereignty.  The  mere 
adoption  of  the  constitution  did  not  bring  into  being  the  real  nation 
with  a  superior  universal  homage.  It  remained  in  embryonic  con- 
dition, slowly  and  gradually  developing  until  the  Civil  War  with 
its  labor  throes  of  four  desperate  years.  The  real  nation  with 
real  national  sentiment  was  born  on  the  ninth  day  of  April,  1865, 
when  Lee  surrendered  at  Appomattox.  The  old  idea  of  confed- 
eracy was  then  forever  eliminated  as  an  element  in  our  national 
character.  It  was  only  from  that  time  on  that  we  have  assumed, 
unchallenged,  a  complete  national  sovereignty. 

Conforming  to  this  gradual  change  of  sentiment  it  is  notice- 
able that  the  states  later  added  to  the  Union  brought  with  them 
more  of  a  national  pride  and  less  of  a  state  pride.  The  old  states 
had  to  be  begged  to  come  into  the  Union.  The  newer  ones  begged 
to  be  received  into  it.  The  older  ones  imposed  strict  limitations 
upon  federal  authority  as  a  condition  precedent  to  the  acceptance 
of  the  constitution.  The  newer  ones  seemed  ready  to  surrender 
any  function  of  sovereignty  in  order  to  be  accepted.  The  older 
states  were  somewhat  inclined  to  distrust  the  general  government, 
the  newer  ones  rather  inclined  to  distrust  themselves  and  court 
the  higher  national  p>ower.  The  older  states  were  strict  construc- 
tionists, the  newer  ones  extremely  liberal.  North  Dakota  came 
into  the  Union  thoroughly  imbued  with  this  higher  national  al- 
legiance, representing  the  liberal  and  progressive  spirit  of  the  age, 
and  yet  proud  of  her  name  of  ancient  story,  her  fertile  fields,  her 
achievements  and  her  splendid  citizenship. 

Today  we  sometimes  find  our  constitutional  limitations,  restric- 
tions  demanded  by  the  states  in  our  earlier  organization,  a  hin- 
drance to  national  progress.  We  find  the  powers  granted  the 
government  insufficient  to  meet  the  requirements  of  the  advanced 
conditions  of  the  country.  On  the  other  hand  it  is  undoubtedly 
true  that  the  powers  withheld  by  the  states  operate  as  a  check 
to  hasty  and  sometimes  ill-considered  legislation  on  the  part  of 
congress. 

There  are  always  two  dangers  to  be  avoided  in  legislation,  ultra 
conservatism,  which  blocks  ihe  wheels  of  .progress,  and  ultra  sup- 
pleness, yielding  to  every  wave  of  popular  passion,  which  reverses 
them  and  sometimes  sends  us  backward.  The  check  of  state  on 
nation  and  nation  on  state,  each  operating  within  its  own  proper 
jurisdiction  will  tend  to  keep  us  from  wandering  very  far  ^roni 
the  path  of  safety. 


76  STATE   HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Ancient  history  is  but  a  mummified  coq>se  preserved  and  pro- 
jected into  the  present.  It  is  a  breathless,  soulless  body  as  dry 
and  dusty  as  the  tombs  of  antiquity,  and  no  power  on  earth  can 
ever  breathe  into  it  the  breath  of  life  and  make  of  it  a  living  soul. 

What  is  this  living  soul  of  history?  It  is  the  life  of  the  people 
of  all  ages.  Kings,  rulers,  dynasties,  die  and  pass  away.  The 
people  alone  are  immortal..  The  thread  of  life  of  the  race,  out 
of  which  has  been  woven  the  ever  varying  forms  of  human  exis- 
tence, has  continued  unbroken  from  Eden's  bowers ;  and  the  his- 
tory which  does  not  give  us  the  real  life  of  the  race  at  any  par- 
ticular period  of  time  presents  to  us  but  a  grinning  skeleton,  a  mock- 
ery to  our  cry  for  knowledge. 

I  would  care  nwre  to  know  of  the  lives  of  the  people  who  builded 
the  pyramids  of  Egypt,  the  temples  of  Judea,  the  mounds  of  Am- 
erica, the  palaces  of  the  Aztecs,  than  to  be  a  receptacle  of  all  that 
has  ever  been  written  of  the  Pharaohs,  the  Solomons,  and  every 
monarch  or  hero  of  succeeding  generations.  What  was  their  oc- 
cupation ;  what  was  their  social  condition ;  what  hopes  filled  their 
souls ;  what  ambitions  lured  them  on ;  what  joys  touched  their 
hearts;  what  sorrows  bowed  their  heads;  what  prayers  trembled 
in  supplication  on  their  lips?  These  are  the  questions  which  the 
present  ever  asks  of  the  past  and  the  echoes  from  the  hollow  ages 
is  the  only  answer  to  its  yearning  call. 

Ancient  history  is  but  an  enumeration  of  dynasties,  a  collec- 
tion  of  biographies,  exaggerated  and  gilded  by  unbridled  fancies. 
Mere  sycophants,  ancient  scholars  debased  their  noble  calling  by 
extravagant  laudation  of  rulers.  All  knowledge  of  the  people  who 
toiled  to  support  the  crown  and  whose  backs  bent  low  beneath  the 
onerous  weight  of  the  throne  would  have  been  forever  lost  to  the 
generations  of  men,  had  not  the  brown  old  earth,  like  a  jealous 
mother,  secretly  hidden  in  her  dark  bosom  some  little  relics  of  their 
craft  and  labors,  their  ornaments  and  implements,  to  be  excavated 
by  the  children  of  later  centuries.  And  with  this  mea*.^er  alphabet 
we  toil  laboriously  to  spell  something  of  their  daily  thoughts  and 
emotions. 

The  curse  of  medieval  and  comparatively  modern  history  is  that 
it  is  but  a  mere  enumeration  of  events  and  wars  and  a  glorifica- 
tion of  the  leaders  at  the  expense  of  all  information  concerning 
the  home  life,  the  virtues,  the  minds  and  the  hearts  of  those  whose 
strong,  hardy  natures  furnished  the  men  and  the  means  to  make 
those  events. 

The  world  is  tired  of  all  these  gilded  skeletons.  The  expanding 
intelligence  of  humanity,  now  capable  of  separating  the  chaff  from 
the  kernels  of  reported  events  and  of  repudiating  the  grossly 
unreasonable,  is  seeking  the  true  light  of  history,  the  life  of  that 
unemling  stream  of  humanity  which  has  peopled  all  ages.  And 
so  we  dig  into  the  bosom  of  the  earth  and  vye  sacredly  treasure 


STATE  OF  NORTH   DAKOTA  77 

every  little  implement  clumsily  carved  into  form  by  hands  which 
long  ago  were  dust.  Carefully  we  uncover  every  inch  of  cities 
buried  for  ages  beneath  volcanic  lavas — like  Pompeii,  and  Her- 
cuianeum — not  that  we  may  gather  fresh  information  of  the  rul- 
ers, the  great  and  the  wise  of  those  days,  but  that  we  may  be  able 
to  commune  with  the  peeople  who  lived  and  died  there.  We  want 
to  meet  with  them  and  talk  with  them.  We  want  to  compare  their 
quaint  philosophy,  so  circumscribed  by  their  general  understanding, 
with  our  own,  broadened  by  the  accumulated  wisdom  of  thousands 
of  years.  The  chords  of  an  undying  sympathy  seem  to  unite  us 
with  them.  They  are  a  part  of  our  past  lives.  They  are  as  much 
ours  as  our  own  childhood. 

We  know  ourselves,  not  by  the  few  greater  events  of  our  lives, 
but  by  the  continuous  stream  of  emotions,  passions,  loves,  hatreds, 
cares  and  anxieties  that  have  animated  and  controlled  us  during  our 
whole  existence.  And  so  to  little  advantage  do  we  know  the  his- 
tory of  any  age  unless  we  comprehend  the  soul  of  the  people  of 
that  aofe. 

We  want  the  hero  in  our  history,  but  we  do  not  want  to  build 
a  monument  to  him  so  lofty  that  its  shadow  shall  hide  the  people. 
We  want  to  maintain  a  proper  relation  between  the  two,  ever 
remembering  that  the  fountain  cannot  rise  above  its  source,  that 
the  real  hero  is  after  all  but  an  expression  of  the  soul  of 
the  populace,  an  instrumentality  which  circumstance  and  environ- 
ment have  selected  for  the  special  heroic  service. 

The  aged  Senator  Hoar,  jurist,  statesman,  historian  and  phil- 
osopher, in  a  nK)st  eloquent  and  scholarly  address  a  short  time 
before  his  death,  fitly  expressed  this  truth  when  he  said,  "We 
produced  no  heroes  in  over  half  a  century  of  our  history,  and  yet 
when  the  war  drums  called  the  nation  to  arms.  Grant  from  the 
tannery  and  Lee  from  a  humble  position  in  the  army,  rose  to 
rank  among  the  great  captains  of  all  the  ages.  Had  the  civil  A\ar 
never  occurred  Grant  would  have  lived  a  modest  peaceful  life  in 
a  country  town  of  Illinois  and  Lee  would  have  passed  the  even- 
ing of  his  days  in  equal  obscurity  upon  the  retired  list  of  the  United 
States  army."  And  so  on  this  occasion  let  me  venture  the  sug- 
gestion that  this  historical  society  should  remember  that  the  old 
occupation  of  the  zealous  historian,  that  of  manufacturing  or  gild- 
ing heroes  to  dazzle  the  future,  is  an  occupation  that  the  world 
of  today  does  not  call  for  and  the  world  of  tomorrow  will  in  all 
probability  care  much  less  for  it.  Let  us  bequeath  to  that  future 
not  the  body  alone  but  the  living  soul  of  history  of  this  age,  the 
real  people — with  their  real  lives  and  character,  that  history  alone 
which  will  ever  hold  its  place  in  the  affectionate  heart  of  distant 
ages. 


THE  SELKIRK  SETTLEMENT  AND  ITS  RELATION  TO 

NORTH  DAKOTA  HISTORY. 

BY  H.  G.  GUNN. 


THE  SELKIRK  SETTLEMENT  AND  ITS  RELATION  TO 

NORTH  DAKOTA  HISTORY 

In  his  address,  given  before  this  society  at  Fargo,  last  year,  Prof. 
McLaughlin  made  the  remark,  that  to  follow  the  career  of  North 
Dakota,  "one  must  go  back  to  the  founding  of  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company,  over  two  hundred  years  ago."*     A  legitimate  corollary 
of  that  statement  would  be,  that  the  history  of  the  Northwest  is 
one.     There  are  different  state  divisions,  it  is  true,  and  there  is 
an  imaginary  line  dividing  two  nations;  and  within  each  of  these 
artificial  divisions  there  is  a  history  to  be  written  that  is  peculiar 
to  each.     But  we  are  not  to  lose  sight  of  the  fact,  that  before 
these  artificial  divisions  were  made,  the  Northwest  was  an  undi- 
vided  territory,  and  that  it  was  during  that  long  period  of  its 
entirety  that  its  real,  and  most  thrilling  history  began  to  be.     In 
those  days,   before  territorial  and  national  lines   were  drawn  as 
closely  as  they  are  now,  the  great  northwestern  interior  of  the  con- 
tinent was  regarded  as  the  common  exploiting  ground  of  explorers, 
adventurers   and   fur  traders  of  almost   every   nationality.     With 
the  utmost  fortitude  and  perseverance,  they  pushed  their  way  into 
it  from  different  directions,  and  with  the  most  thoroughgoing  in- 
difference to  theoretical  national  claims,  spread  over  it,  and  fought 
out  among  themselves,  in  their  own  way,  whatever  difficulties  arose 
as  to  choice  of  territory  or  location.     Within  this  great  domain 
these   restless   and   adventurous   spirits   travelled   back   and    forth 
in  pursuit  of  their  various  ambitions,  blazing  their  trails  and  build- 
ing their  trading  posts  wherever  some  real  or  apparent  point  of 
vantage  appealed  to  their  fancy.     In  this  way  it  came  about,  es- 
pecially in  the  case  of  some  of  the  fur-trading  companies,  that 
their  chain  of  forts  or  trading  posts,  when  completed,  embraced 
a  territory  that  now  includes  some  six  or  seven  different  states  of 
the  Union,  and  what  will  be  eventually,  fully  as  many  provinces 
of  the  Dominion. 

With  the  activities  of  these  adventurers,  or  companies  of  adven- 
turers, the  history  of  each  of  these  separate  states  and  provinces 
begins;  but  as  the  activities  of  one  state  or  province  were  but 
a  part  of  an  extended  system  that  embraced  many,  or  all  the  rest, 
it  will  be  readily  seen  that  the  history  of  the  one  is  practically  bound 
up  with  the  history  of  the  others.  In  other  words,  the  real  his- 
tory of  each  will  be  the  history  of  the  agencies  that  first  opened 
them  up  to  commerce  and  settlement ;  and,  as  these  agencies  were 
the  same  in  many  states  and  provinces,  it  follows  naturally  that 

"State   Historical   Society   Collections,   Bismarck,  N.   D.,   1906,   I.,  54. 


80  STATE    historic: AL   SOCIETY 


the  early  histories  of  these  states  and  provinces  will,  in  many  re- 
spects, be  identical. 

Of  no  other  parts  of  the  great  Northwest,  perhaps,  can  this 
community  of  early  history  be  asserted  with  greater  truth  than 
of  Manitoba  and  North  Dakota.  Lying  contiguous  to  one  another, 
forming  part  of  the  same  great  prairie  plateau,  and  watered  in 
part  by  the  same  rivers,  they  were,  prior  to  the  formal  laying  down 
of  boundary  lines  by  the  two  governments,  practically  one  and 
the  same  country.  Great  explorers,  such  as  the  Verendryes,  in 
their  early  history-making  expeditions,  visited  both,  and  explored 
parts  of  both ;  so  that  for  one  as  well  as  for  the  other,  the  account 
of  these  journeys  is  an  original  source  from  which  the  later  day 
historian  must  draw  in  writing  the  history  of  either. 

W'hen,  later  on,  the  possibilities  of  the  fur  trade  began  to  at- 
tract into  the  west  the  first  individual  adventurers  like  the  Henrys, 
the  McTavishes  and  Frobishers,  and  still  later  the  great  fur  com- 
panies, these,  as  has  already  been  stated,  knew  no  boundaries  of 
territory  such  as  we  know  today.  They  planted  their  outposts  in- 
discriminately on  either  side  of  the  line ;  and  in  their  hunting  and 
trading  operations  they  crossed  and  recrossed  over  the  entire  ter- 
ritory without  giving  a  thought  to  what  particular  flag  claimed 
the  right  to  fly  in  the  breeze  above  them.  Over  their  principal  es- 
tablishments, which  they  dignified  by  the  name  of  "forts,''  they 
flew  the  flag  that  pleased  them  best;  and  the  same  emblem  tied 
to  an  "upright"  of  their  squeaking  cart,  or  flaunted  gaily  in  the 
breeze  above  their  moving  canoe  or  dog  train,  proclaimed  that  the 
ground  over  which  they  passed  in  their  journeys  was  their  in- 
disputable possession  for  the  time  being.  That  was  all  for  which 
they  cared. 

About  the  beginning  of  the  last  century,  the  Northwest  Company, 
a  strong  Canadian  organization  with  headquarters  at  Montreal,  es- 
tablished themselves  at  the  forks  of  the  Red  and  Assiniboine 
rivers,  where  the  city  of  Winnipeg  now  stands,  and  were  soon 
followed  by  their  great  commercial  rivals,  the  Hudson's  Rav  Com- 
pany. This  point  was  early  recognized  by  both  as  a  strategic 
position  and  was  accordinfjly  adopted  as  the  headquarters  of  their 
trade  in  the  west.  A  few  years  previous  to  this  establishment  of 
the  two  rival  companies  on  the  lower  Red  River,  the  Montreal 
traders  had  built  a  post  at  Pembina,  on  Dakota  soil,  and  later, 
in  1812.  as  we  shall  see  further  on,  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company, 
or  rather  Lord  Selkirk,  followed  suit  and  erected  one  at  the  same 
point. 

The  question  of  the  dates  of  foundin'^^  of  inland  tradintr  posts 
an;l  of  priority  of  occupation  by  the  two  companies  is  one  that  has 
been  considerablv  discussed,  and  one  about  which,  in  individual 
cases,  there  is  still  some  room  for  diff'erence  of  opinion.  As  a  gen- 
eral statement,  however,  it  is  quite  safe  to  say  that  the  Xorthwest 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  81 


Company  were  the  pioneers  of  the  inland  trade  ,and  that  they 
blazed  the  trails  which  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  followed.  Sir 
Alexander  MacKenzie  makes  this  very  emphatic  statement  with  re- 
gard to  the  matter.  "From  this  period  (1774,  the  date  of  the 
establishment  by  Hearne  of  the  first  inland  post  of  the  Hudson's 
Bay  company  at  Cedar  Lake  on  the  Saskatchewan)  to  the  pres- 
ent time,  they  (the  Hudson's  Bay  Company)  have  been  following 
the  Canadians  to  their  different  establishments,  while,  on  the  con- 
trary, there  is  not  a  solitary  instance  that  the  Canadians  have  fol- 
lowed them ;  and  there  are  many  trading  posts  to  which  they  have 
not  yet  attained."*  Allowing:  for  any  parisan  bias  that  might 
creep  into  the  work  of  a  Nor'-Wester  like  MacKenzie,  who,  it 
must  be  admitted,  is  wonderfully  fair  and  conservative  in  the  ac- 
count which  he  has  left  us,  I  would  still  consider  this,  in  the  ab- 
sence of  any  good  evidence  to  the  contrary,  as  a  quite  sufficient 
guarantee  of  the  truth  of  the  general  statement.  As  we  look,  how- 
ever, into  the  records  of  the  two  companies  and  scan  the  writings 
of  other  individuals  who  have  left  us  accounts  of  the  operations 
of  the  fur  traders  of  the  west  in  those  days,  we  find  that  the 
general  statement  is  amply  established  by  clear  evidence  in  many 
particular  cases. 

With  regard  to  the  respective  dates  of  the  establishment  of  the 
various  original  posts  of  the  two  companies  in  the  Red  River  val- 
ley, there  is  perhaps  as  much  or  more  room  for  difference  of 
opinion  as  there  is  with  regard  to  the  posts  of  any  district  of  the 
interior.  The  nearer  these  posts  were  to  what  we  now  regard 
as  the  center  of  our  civilization  the  more  obscure  and  hazy  seem  to 
be  the  dates  and  circumstances  of  their  founding:  and  the  more  di- 
vided the  opinion  with  regard  to  them.  In  his  history  of  the  Hud- 
son's Bay  Company,  Dr.  Bryce  makes  the  statement  that  "The 
Red  River  proper  was  taken  possession  of  by  the  company  (mean- 
ing the  Hudson's  Bay  Company),  in  1799."^  This  assertion  he 
bases  upon  a  statement  made  by  Alexander  Henry,  Jr.,  that  in  1800. 
when  he  was  at  Penibina,  there  was,  close  to  the  boundary  line 
on  the  east  side  of  the  river,  the  remains  of  a  fort.'  There  is 
nothing  to  show  that  this  deserted  fort  really  belonged  to  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company  or  when  it  was  built.  We  have  a  little 
more  definite   information   with   regard  to  the   of>erations   of  the 

'Alexander  MacKenzie.  Voyages  from  Montreal  on  the  River  St.  Liw- 
rence  through  the  Continent  of  North  America,   N.   Y.,  IH'^-i,  p.  7. 

^Geo.  Bryce,  The  Remarkable  History  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company, 
Toronto,  1900,  p.   113. 

■"^Henry  says:  "Opposite  the  entrance  of  this  river  (Pembina),  on  the 
cast  side  of  Red  river,  are  the  remains  of  an  old  fort  built  by  Mr.  Peter 
Grant  some  years  ago;  this  was  the  first  establishment  ever  built  on  Red 
river." 

Coues  adds  the  further  information  that  Peter  Grant  was  a  clerk  in  the 
employ  of  the  N.  W.  Co.  as  early  as  1784,  and  was  a  partner  in  the  same 
company  in  1790.  Cones.  New  Light  en  the  Early  History  of  the  Greater 
Northwest,  N.  Y.,  1897,  I.,  p.  80. 

Coues,  New  Light  on  the  Early  History  of  the  Greater  Northwest,  N.  Y., 
1907,  I,  p.  80. 


82  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 

Northwest  Company  at  this  point,  and  so  far  as  they  go  they 
are  in  favor  of  the  priority  of  the  latter  company's  establish- 
ment. In  1798,  when  David  Thompson  visited  the  spot  in  his 
offcial  capacity  as  astronomer  and  surveyor  to  the  Northwest 
Company,  they  had  a  trading  depot  here  called  Fort  Paubna,  built 
in  1797  by  Charles  Baptiste  Jean  Chaboillez,  and  which  the  astron- 
omer found  to  be  in  latitude  48°  58'  24"  slightly  south  of  the 
boundary,  which  he  also  marked  so  that  the  post  might  be  moved 
when  necessary  to  the  Canadian  side.* 

With  these  outposts  on  American  soil  regular  communications 
in  the  way  of  trade  and  provision  supplies  was  kept  up  for  many 
years.  The  employes  of  both  companies,  making  these  posts  a 
base  of  operations,  ranged  over  the  plains  of  North  Dakota, 
hunted  the  buffalo,  gathered  in  the  peltries,  made  treaties  with  the 
Indians,  and  even  administered  the  law  by  the  execution  of  war- 
rants issued  by  the  powers  that  then  were.  In  some  cases,  these 
employes,  favorably  impressed  with  the  country,  or  perhaps  in- 
duced to  abandon  their  roving  life  by  the  charms  of  some  dusky 
belle  of  the  soil,  built  their  log  cabins  at  some  specially  favored 
spot  and  remained  there  for  the  rest  of  their  days ;  in  this  way  form- 
ing the  nucleus  of  what  are  now  flourishing  towns  of  the  state. 
It  was  in  this  way  that  the  first  sporadic  settlement  of  North 
Dakota  began ;  and  the  history  of  the  settlement  is  one  with  the 
history  of  the  two  great  commercial  companies  that  made  their 
western  headquarters  where  Winnipeg  now  stands. 

But  there  was  still  another  element  beside  that  of  trade  and  ex- 
ploration that  came  in,  as  time  went  on,  to  still  more  closely 
unite  and  identify  the  history  of  the  province  and  the  state.  In  the 
year  1812,  there  arrived  on  the  banks  of  the  Red  River  the  first 
contingent  of  settlers  for  what  has  been  known  since  that  time  as 
the  "Selkirk  Settlement ;"  and  it  is  to  this  date,  and  to  this  move- 
ment, that  North  Dakota,  in  common  with  Manitoba,  must  look 
back  for  the  real  beginning  of  her  progress  and  civilization.  The 
story  of  the  Selkirk  settlement  is  the  story,  very  largely,  of  the 
rise  and  progress  of  both.  Manitoba,  of  course,  being  the  seat 
of  the  colony,  has  naturally  the  first  interest  in  such  a  history; 
North  Dakota,  on  the  other  hand,  being  for  extended  periods  of 
time  at  its  inception  its  nursing  mother,  or  to  change  the  figure, 
its  haven  of  refuge  in  distress,  may  well  lay  claim  to  much  of 
the  credit  of  its  success,  and  regard  a  considerable  part  of  its 
history  as  her  own. 

It  is  this  story  of  the  Selkirk  Settlement  that  I  have  been  asked 
to  tell  in  this  brief  paper.  As  you  are  well  aware,  this  is  a  sub- 
ject about  which  a  good  manv  conflicting  opinions  have  been 
expressed  by  Canadian  authorities  who  have  dealt  with  it ;  and. 
during  my  stay  on  this  side  of  the  line,  I  have  discovered  that 


^Coues,   New   Light  on   the   Early   History  of   the  -Greater   Northwest,   I., 

7Q     ir\rtt    n/>tr.   O 


79,  foot  note  2. 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  83 


you  have  a  few  original  ideas  of  your  own,  with  which  I  was  not 
before  acquainted.  I  hope,  however,  that  I  may  not  give  of- 
fense by  any  statement  I  may  make,  but  if  I  inadvertently  do, 
I  trust  that  the  aggrieved  party  will  overlook  it  on  the  ground 
that  it  was  purely  in  the  interests  of  truth  and  not  in  any  way 
a  personal  matter. 

The  founding  of  the  Selkirk  settlement,  although  its  chief  inter- 
est for  us  lies  naturally  in  its  local  features,  was  but  a  small  part 
of  wider  movements,  and  was  a  result  of  conditions  that  had  for 
their  field  of  operation  a  very  much  more  extended  and  populous 
stage  than  the  quiet  prairies  of  the  Red  River  valley ;  and  in  order 
to  understand  the  origin  and  significance  of  the  local  develop- 
ment, it  is  necessary  to  comprehend  something  of  the  details  of 
those  larger  movements  and  conditions  that  were  instrumental  in 
leading  to  its  inauguration.  We  will  begin  our  story,  therefore, 
by  briefly  setting  forth  these  conditions;  and  taking  the  concomi- 
tant facts  as  our  starting  point  or  setting,  go  on  to  the  narration 
of  the  story  itself. 

First  to  be  mentioned  among  the  conditions  that  may  be  re- 
garded as  influential  in  leading  up  to  the  founding  of  the  Red 
River  colony  was  the  widespread  spirit  of  unrest  that  prevailed 
in  Great  Britain  at  that  time.  The  opening  years  of  the  nineteenth 
century  were  marked  by  an  extensive  emigration  from  the  British 
Isles.  Thousands  of  the  very  best  from  among  the  industrious 
workiner  classes  of  the  country  bade  farewell  to  the  soil  that  gave 
them  birth  and  turned  their  faces  westward  to  seek  homes  and 
fortunes  in  diflferent  parts  of  the  new  world.  The  spirit  of 
migration  was  in  the  air;  and  before  the  minds  of  thousands 
more  of  those  still  left  behind  hovered  continually  th^  enticing 
vision  of  fresh  fields  beyond  the  seas,  which  seemed  to  them,  the 
more  they  thought  about  it,  the  only  solution  of  their  pressing  diffi- 
culties. 

The  general  cause  of  this  condition  of  affairs  was  the  natural 
over-population  of  the  country  and  the  consequent  lack  of  oppor- 
tunity for  those  without  means,  but  who  had  nevertheless  desires 
and  ambitions  for  the  future. 

Besides  this  general  cause,  there  were  particular  causes  that  oper- 
ated locally:  and  >yhile  not  independent  of  the  general  cause,  to 
these  were  due  primarily  to  the  conditions  as  they  existed  in  certain 
districts. 

One  of  these  particular  causes  was  the  disbanding  of  many  of 
the  British  regiments,  consequent  upon  the  termination  of  the 
Napoleonic  wars.  Thousands  of  Britain's  able-bodied  young  men, 
being  thus  turned  adrift  without  occupation  or  opportunity,  found 
it  necessary  to  look  abroad  for  that  start  in  life  denied  them  at 
home,  and  gladly  embraced  any  chance  or  opening  that  emigration 
to  the  great  American  land  of  promise  held  out. 


84  STATE    HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Another  of  these  special  causes,  w'hich  helped  to  swell  the  tide 
of  emigration  from  the  Old  World  to  the  New,  at  this  time,  and 
which  greatly  affected  the  Highlands  of  Scotland,  I  wish  particu- 
larly to  mention ;  for  of  the  several  particular  causes  which  con- 
tributed to  the  founding  of  this  historic  settlement  on  the  banks 
of  the  Red  River  of  the  North,  there  is  none  that  bears  to  it 
such  an  intimacy  of  relationship,  or  that  throws  such  a  flood  of 
light  upon  the  possibility  or  the  fact  of  its  founding  at  that 
remote  period  of  time.  I  refer  to  the  movement  known  as  the 
"Highland  clearances,"  which  was  then  running  its  cruel  and 
shameless  course,  and  transforming  many  a  peaceful  strath  and 
quiet  glen  from  a  place  of  pleasant  homes  into  a  wilderness. 

The  movement  just  referred  to  was  one  which  embraced  a  large 
part  of  the  Highlands,  and  had  for  its  object  the  removing  of  the 
population  from  some  of  the  big  landed  estates,  to  make  room  for 
herds  of  sheep,  which  were  considered  by  the  all-powerful  land- 
lords a  more  desirable  and  profitable  class  of  tenantry  than  the 
small  farmers  and  crofters  which  they  ruthlessly  dispossessed. 

The  movement,  which  began  about  1805  and  continued  until 
1819,  was  at  first  confined  to  Ross-shire  and  parts  of  the  neighbor- 
ing counties,  but  in  1809  a  beginning  in  the  same  direction  was 
commenced  on  the  estates  of  the  Duchess  of  Sutherland,  in  the 
county  of  that  name;  and  these  clearances  raged  intermittently 
for  a  period  of  ten  years.  Among  all  the  things  that  ever  befouled 
the  fair  name  of  Scotland,  these  Highland  clearances  are  easily 
entitled  to  first  place.  Indeed,  my  sensitive  pride  as  a  lineal  des- 
cendant of  the  unhappy  Highland  pea|)le  who  suflFered  these  out- 
rages, would  hardly  permit  me  to  si>eak  to  you  of  them  were  it 
not  for  the  one  redeemin<2:,  pafliatins^^  circumstance  in  connection 
with  them,  viz.,  that  their  author  and  perpetrator,  the  Marquis 
of  Stafford,  first  Duke  of  Sutherland,  was  not  an  hereditary  Scot- 
tish nobleman,  but  a  southerner,  who  had  succeeded  to  the  estates 
bv  marrying  the  vouthful  Countess  of  Sutherland,  a  ladv  who 
in  former  years  had  alwavs  been  kind  and  considerate  of  her 
ancient  tenantry.  These  Highland  evictions  were  a  disgrace  to 
the  age  in  which  they  were  perpetratel,  ?nd  they  will  stand  as  a 
blot  and  a  shame  against  the  house  of  Sutherland  as  long  as  there 
is  a  representative  to  bear  its  titles  and  enjoy  its  patrimony. 

Some  idea  can  be  obtaine<l  of  the  wholesale  nature  of  these 
clearances,  and  of  their  devastating  and  disturbing  effect  upon 
the  Higlilands,  when  it  is  stated  that  between  the  years  1H(»9  and 
1819  no  less  than  450,000  acres,  or  about  seven  hundred  and  fifteen 
square  miles  of  thickly  populated  territory  was  cleared  in  this 
way  of  its  ancient,  hereditary  tenantry. 

The  modus  operandi  of  these  evictions  was  harsh  and  arbitrary 
in  the  extreme.  All  that  we  have  heard  or  read  of  the  Irish  evic- 
tions  in   our   own   time   pales   into   insignificance   when   compared 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  85 


with  those  of  the  Scottish  Highlands.  At  a  given  time,  notice  was 
served  by  the  agent  of  the  proprietor,  that  all  tenants  embraced 
within  a  certain  defined  district  should  vacate  their  premises  and 
be  off  the  ground  at  a  stated  date.  This  notice  was  served  by  the 
sheriff  or  his  deputies  personally  on  every  tenant  in  the  pros- 
cribed district,  and  no  exception  was  made  of  old  or  young,  rich 
or  poor.  The  ground,  in  almost  every  case,  was,  previous  to  the 
issuing  of  the  notice,  already  let  to  some  rich  sheep  farmer  from 
the  south,  and  it  did  not  matter  who  the  tenant  was  or  what  his 
or  her  circumstances  were,  when  the  time  came  they  had  to  go. 
Some  of  these  edicts  of  dispossession  covered  districts  as  large 
as  several  of  our  municipalities  put  together,  and,  as  we  might  ex- 
pect in  a  country  so  thickly  settled,  contained  a  very  much  larger 
population.  On  the  appointed  day,  every  soul  within  the  district, 
man,  woman  and  child,  sick  or  well,  numbering  hundreds,  sometimes 
thousands,  had  to  vacate  their  humble  homes  and  remove  their  effects 
from  the  land,  or  be  roughly  assisted  in  doing  so  by  the  sheriff  and 
his  merciless  gang. 

When  the  morning  of  the  designated  day  for  removal  came,  the 
sheriff  and  a  strong  posse  started  out  to  make  the  rounds  of 
the  proscribed  district,  and  wherever  a  tenant  was  found  still  in 
possession  of  his  humble  cottage  the  family  was  bundled  out  with- 
out ceremony.  Such  simple  possessions  as  the  tenants  had  were 
piled  out  on  the  grass  beside  them,  and  scarcely  were  the  last  of 
their  poor  belonginsfs  clear  of  the  house  when  the  torch  was  ap- 
plied, and  they  had  the  melancholy  satisfaction  of  sitting  by  and 
seeing  their  once  happy  home  slowly  reduced  to  ashes  by  the 
devouring  flames.  In  the  ca§e  of  sick  and  aged  occupants,  not 
the  slightest  consideration  was  shown  by  the  inhuman  monsters 
who  acted  as  the  agents  of  his  Highness'  pleasure.  These  shared 
the  same  fate  as  the  rest  and  were  carried  out  by  stfong  hands  on 
their  cots,  from  which  they  sadly  surveyed  the  calamity  and  the 
desolation  about  them. 

In  this  manner  were  cleared,  in  a  single  day,  stretches  of  beau- 
tiful, prosperous  country,  in  some  cases,  twenty  miles  in  length 
by  seven  or  eight  in  breadth.  In  one  instance,  that  of  Strathnavcr 
and  the  heights  of  Kildonan,  no  less  than  130,000  acres  were  cleared 
at  one  time  in  the  manner  above  described.  The  scene,  upon  this 
occasion,  as  depicted  by  those  who  saw  it,  reminds  one  more  of 
the  devastations  of  war  than  the  civil  procedure  of  a  landed 
baron  for  the  betterment  of  his  estates.  For  twenty  or  twenty- 
five  miles  of  the  fairest  straths  and  glens  of  the  bonnie  Highland 
north  the  country  lay  waste,  reeking  in  smoke  and  ashes,  and 
when  night  came  the  weary  traveler  needed  no  lantern  to  guide 
him,  for  the  night  was  bright  with  the  lurid  glow  of  hundreds  of 
burning  homes  that  lit  up  the  hills  and  glens  in  every  direction. 
This  was  the  scene  that  the  men  of  Kildonan  saw,  and  it  remained 


86  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCTETY 

with  them  for  many  years,  even  after  they  had  attained  to  peace 
and  prosperity  in  the  new  Kildonan  on  the  banks  of  the  Red  River 
of  the  North.  It  was  something  that  not  even  the  most  careless 
could  forget.  The  movement  itself  was  essentially  cruel  and 
heartless,  but  it  was  in  no  way  alleviated  by  the  harsh  and  brutal 
conduct  of  the  men  who  were  intrusted  with  its  enforcement. 

During  the  ten  years  that  these  clearances  lasted,  no  less  than 
3,000  families,  totaling  about  15,000  souls,  on  the  Sutherland  es- 
tate alone,  were  dispossessed  and  driven  from  their  homes  in  this 
heartless  and  cruel  fashion.  Some  of  them  were  given  a  few  acres 
elsewhere  on  barren  moors;  the  remainder  were  driven  down  to 
the  sea  coast  to  starve,  or  subsist  on  fish  as  best  they  might.  Hun- 
dreds, broken  hearted  and  disgusted  at  the  treatment  they  had  re- 
ceived at  the  hands  of  those  from  whom,  because  of  long  years 
of  faithful  and  devoted  service,  they  might  have  expected  better 
things,  embraced  the  first  opportunity  that  presented  itself  to  leave 
the  land  of  their  fathers  forever  and  seek  the  peace  they  could  not 
find  at  home  in  the  United  States  of  America  or  the  British  pos- 
sessions beyond  the  seas. 

While  these  things  were  going  on  in  Britain,  great  developments 
were  taking  place  in  the  New  World.  The  great  West,  on  both 
sides  of  the  line,  was  being  explored  and  opened  up  to  the  Knowl- 
edge of  the  worlvl  at  large.  In  British  America,  the  fur  trade  was 
having  a  powerful  influence  in  this  direction.  The  Northwest 
Company,  with  characteristic  enterprise  and  energy,  had  pushed 
their  way  up  the  lakes  and  rivers  and  had  planted  their  trading 
posts  far  and  wide  over  the  western  plains;  while  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company,  forced  by  the  exigencies  of  trade  competition,  re- 
luctantly leaving  behind  them  their  safe  and  comfortable  head- 
quarters on  the  Bay,  where  for  a  hundred  years  they  had  sat  in 
inglorious  ease,  following  closely  in  the  footsteps  of  their  energetic 
rivals,  were  also  taking  iK)ssession  of  the  immense  territory  thus 
opened. 

The  former  of  these  two  companies,  whose  members  have  been 
so  roundly  abused  by  partisan  writers,  represented  nevertheless,  the 
true  spirit  of  enterprise  and  exploration.  They  were  essentially 
a  company  of  explorers ;  they  were  the  real  pathfinders  of  the  West ; 
and  to  them  belongs,  in  no  small  measure,  the  credit  of  revealing 
to  the  world  its  almost  boundless  possibilities.  To  this  company 
belonged  the  Henrys,  the  Erasers,  the  Thompsons,  the  McCiillivrays, 
the  Mackenzies,  and  a  host  of  other  intrepid  explorers,  who  have 
left  their  names  everywhere  on  the  lakes,  rivers  and  other  features 
of  the  country,  from  the  Great  Lakes  across  to  the  Pacific.  Just 
a  few  years  previous  to  this.  Sir  Alexander  MacKeiizie,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Northwest  Company,  had  explored  the  great  river  that 
now  bears  his  name  and  had  pushed  his  way  across  the  moun- 
tains to  the   Pacific,   winning   for  himself  a  knighthood  and   the 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  87 

distinction  of  being  the  first  white  man  to  accomplish  this  feat  on 
British  soil.  In  1802  he  published  in  Britain  the  account  of  his 
travels;  and  by  this  work  the  attention  of  the  British  public  was 
drawn  to  this  great  uninhabited  empire  of  the  West  in  a  way  that 
it  had  never  been  before. 

Among  those  whose  attention  was  thus  attracted  to  western 
Canada  was  a  young  Scottish  nobleman,  Thomas  Douglas,  earl 
of  Selkirk.  This  young  scion  of  nobility,  at  that  time  about  SO 
years  of  age,  was  full  of  the  fire  and  ambition  of  youth,  and  had 
been  cherishing  for  some  time  various  schemes  for  the  better- 
ment of  the  empire  and  for  the  amelioration  of  the  condition  of  its 
people;  so  at  least  we  are  informed  by  those  who  stand  as  apolo- 
gists for  the  Earl,  in  the  transactions  that  later  developed  out 
of  this  philanthropic  disposition.  There  are  others,  on  the  other 
hand,  however,  who  do  not  hesitate  to  affirm  that  a  keen  and  far- 
sighted  desire  for  speculation  and  pecuniary  profit  was  the  under- 
lying rqotive  that  influenced  his  Lordship  to  move  in  the  direction 
he  did.  In  studying  the  records  of  his  colonizing  activities,  there 
is  much,  especially  at  the  beginning,  that  would  indicate  true  phil- 
anthropy and  unselfishness  of  purpose.  When,  however,  we  read 
over  that  celebrated  prospectus  of  the  Red  River  colony,  which 
bears  so  many  of  the  earmarks  of  the  modern  land  jobber,^  when  we 
follow  his  machinations  with  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  and  his 
dealings  with  the  settlers,  to  say  nothing  of  his  unprovoked  war  on 
the  Nor'-Westers,  we  are,  to  say  the  least,  a  little  shaken  in  that 
opinion. 

However  these  things  may  be,  we  find  at  any  rate  that  the 
young  Earl  was  not  slow  to  recognize,  in  the  condition  of  his  own 
people  already  described  and  this  new-found  land  of  promise 
in  Western  Canada,  a  concatenation  of  circumstances  especially 
favorable  for  the  fulfillment  of  his  dreams  and  ambitions.  Prin- 
cipal among  these  unfulfilled  desires  of  the  young  nobleman  was 
that  of  colonizing  on  a  large  scale  in  British  America.  Among 
the  discontented  and  dispossessed  at  home  there  was  no  lack  of 
material  out  of  which  to  make  colonists;  and  this  great,  newly 
discovered  west  seemed  to  his  mind  the  ideal  field  for  a  settle- 
ment such  as  he  had  planned.  Accordingly,  his  Lordship,  being 
both  practical  and  energetic,  did  not  long  delay  the  carrying  of 
his  theories  into  execution.  In  1803,  a  year  after  the  pmblication 
of  MacKenzie's  work,  he  led  out  his  first  and  largest  colony  from  the 
British  Isles. 

We  are  told  that  this  expedition,  consisting  of  about  800  souls, 
mostly  from  the  Highlands  of  Scotland,  was  originally  intended 
for  the  Lake  Winnipeg  region,  presumably  for  the  same  site  as 
that  selected  for  the  Red  River  colony  at  a  later  date.  But  the 
British   government,   who   had   steadily   refused   their   sanction   to 


'See  Appendix  for  a  reprint  of  the  prospectus,  p.  135, 


88  STATE    HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

his  Lordship's  plans,  at  the  last  moment  compelled  him  to  abandon 
this  purpose,  with  the  result  that  the  colony  was  established,  in- 
stead, on  the  more  accessible  shores  of   Prince  Edward   Island.^ 
Looking  back  at  it  now,  in  the  light  of  our  present  knowledge, 
we  can  have  nothing  but  commendation  for  the  good  sense  and 
humanity  of  the  British  government  in  taking  this  action.     When 
we  consider  the  suffering  and  privation,  the  loss  of  life  from  hun- 
ger,  exposure   and   disease,   due   to  the   utter   inadequacy   of   his 
llordship's  preparations  for  their  maintenance  and   comfort,  that 
fell  to  the  lot  of  the  Red  River  settlement  when  they  actually  did 
come  in,  we  shudder  to  think  of  what  might  have  happened  had  he 
been  permitted  to  carry  out  his  plan.     If  the  actual  Kildonan  set- 
tlers, coming  in  in  small  contingents  scattered  over  four  years,  and 
whose  sum  total  did  not  reach  300,  died  like  rats  on  the  rocks  of 
Hudson's   Bay  through  these  causes,  and  were  compelled,  winter 
after  winter,  to  betake  themselves  to  the  frozen  buffalo  plains  of 
Dakota  along  with  the  wild  Indians,  to  save  themselves  from  actual 
death,  what  would  have  been  the   fate  of  an  army  of  800  simi- 
larly provided   for?     But  they  would  not  have  been  as  well  pro- 
vided for,  because  it  must  be  remembered  that  at  that  time  Lord 
Selkirk  had  no  connection  with  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  and 
could  have  expected  but  scant  favors  from  them.     He  could  not 
have  depended  upon  them  for  supplies  as  he  did  later.     Looking 
back  at  the  project  now,  and  considering  it  in  the  light  of  what 
(lid  happen,  there  is  but  one  conclusion  that  we  can  arrive  at,  and 
that  is  tliat  it  was  the  wild  scheme  of  a  visionary  enthusiast,  who 
had  no  conception  whatever  of  what  he  was  undertakin^:.     It  was 
due  alone  to  the  good  sense  of  the  British  government  that  the 
expedition   was   arrested   in   time   and  diverted   to  a    feasible  and 
successful  end. 

Having  landed  this  colony  safely.  Lord  Selkirk  visited  Mon- 
treal. Here,  as  was  due  to  a  distinguishe<l  Scottish  nobleman, 
he  was  graciouslv  received  and  eatertaine<l.  Principal  among 
those  who  showe<l  him  hospitality  were  the  officers  and  partners 
of  the  great  Canadian  trading  corporation,  the  Xorthwest  Com- 
pany. These  men,  being  mostly  Scotchmen  hailing  from  the  hio^h- 
lands,  and  of  a  free  and  generous  disposition,  received  him  with 
open  arms,  dined  and  feted  him  and  gave  him  of  the  best  they 
had,  including  the  fullest  information  as  to  the  methods  and  profits 
of  their  trade,  never  suspecting  for  a  moment,  of  course,  that 
the  information  thus  given  in  confidence  to  their  distineruished 
guest  would  be  used  against  them  later  for  the  injury  of  their 
trade.  They  repented  bitterly  of  these  confidences  afterwards, 
when  it  was  tcx)  late. 

With  this  accurate,  inside  knowledere  of  the  fur  trade  in  his 
possession.   Lord   Selkirk  returned  to  L(Mulon,  and  very   soon  en- 

'Sce  Brycc.  The  Remarkable  History  of  Hudson's  Bay  Co..  p.  2<^. 


STATE  OF  NOUTII  DAKOTA  89 

tered  upon  the  task  of  buying  up  the  stock  of  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company.  For  this  the  time  was  especially  opportune,  as  owing 
to  various  causes  the  stock  of  the  company  had  fallen  from  250 
to  about  50  or  (>0  per  cent.  In  this  undertaking  his  Lordship  was 
successful  to  such  a  degree  that  he  soon  had  in  his  possession 
some  £35,000  or  £40,000  of  the  total  £105,000  capital  stock  of 
the  company.  This  gave  him  a  controlling  interest ;  and  from  this 
time  forward,  it  should  be  borne  in  mind,  that  Lord  Selkirk  and 
that  corporation  were  practically  one. 

Much  conflict  of  opinion  has  arison  over  this  maneuver  and 
the  motive  for  it  in  the  mind  of  the  great  colonizer.  Those  who 
are  apologists  for  Lord  Selkirk  and  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company 
can  see  in  it  nothing  but  a  shrewd,  far-sighted  move  to  open  up 
the  way  for  his  cherished  wprk  of  philanthropy,  the  Red  River 
colony.  Donald  Gunn,  on  the  other  hand,  in  his  account  of  these 
events,  is  equally  emphatic  in  stating  that  it  was  the  vision  of  fat 
dividends  in  the  fur  trade,  which  the  confidences  of  the  Nor'- West- 
ers at  Montreal  had  set  floating  in  his  Lordship's  mind,  that  in 
duced  him  to  proceed  in  this  direction.  The  contention  on  the 
part  of  those  who  hold  this  latter  view  is,  that  Lord  Selkirk, 
shrewdly  realizing  the  advantage  that  the  older  company  had  over 
its  Aforitreal  rivals,  not  only  on  account  of  its  charter,  but  in  being 
fully  a  thousand  miles  nearer  the  seat  of  trade,  thought  that,  by 
proper  manai^ement  and  the  strict  enforcement  of  its  charter  rights, 
the  Montreal  traders  could  be  driven  entirely  off  the  field ;  and 
the  whole  profit  of  the  fur  trade,  gathered  in  through  the  one  great 
channel  on  the  bay,  could  not  fail  in  bringing  princely  dividends 
to  the  stockholders  of  the  chartered  company. 

While  not  subscribing  fully  to  either  of  these  views,  I  think 
there  is  a  measure  of  truth  and  error  in  each.  So  far  as  I  have 
been  able  to  come  to  a  conclusion  on  the  subject  at  all,  I  am  of  the 
opinion  that  Lord  Selkirk  started  out  in  the  beginning  with  dis- 
interested and  unselfish  motives ;  but  as  his  plans  developed  and 
the  possibilities  of  his  field  of  operations  gradually  unfolded  them- 
selves to  his  view,  the  pecuniary  advantasres  of  his  transaction  be- 
came more  and  more  of  a  consideration.  There  seems  not  the  slight- 
est doubt  that  in  identifying  himself  with  the  Hudson's  Bay  Com- 
pany and  in  the  founding  of  the  Red  River  colony.  Lord  Selkirk 
did  so,  partially  at  any  rate,  with  a  view  to  ultimate  pecuniary 
profit.  That  Lord  Selkirk  had  other  ends  in  view  than  the  mere 
founding  and  fostering  of  a  colonv  on  the  Red  River  is  amply 
shown  by  the  fact  that  later  on  (in  1814)  when  formal  notice 
was  served  on  the  Xor'- Westers  to  quit  the  country,  this  peremp- 
tory command  of  ejection  was  sent  not  only  to  the  Northwest 
establishments  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  colony,  but  instructions 
were  sent  by  his  Lordship  to  the  agents  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Com- 
pany, to  the  remotest  parts  of  their  territory,  wherever  there  was 


90  STATE    HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

a  Northwest  Company's  establishment,  to  strictly  enforce  their 
"charter  rights,"  and  compel  their  rivals  to  retire.  The  following 
extract  from  one  of  these  letters  of  instruction,  sent  to  one  of 
the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  agents  near  Athabasca  at  this  time, 
will  clearly  show  that  it  was  his  purpose  to  clear  the  entire  Hud- 
son's Bay  Company's  territory  of  the  Northwest  Company's  people,, 
even  in  districts  so  remote  from  the  colony  that  their  presence 
could  not  possibly  have  been  a  detriment  to  it  in  the  way  of  en- 
dangering its  food  supply,  which  was  the  excuse  made  for  begin- 
ning the  campaign  of  aggression,  of  which  these  mandates  of  ejec- 
tion were  the  entirely  unprovoked  beginning.  The  extract  is  as 
follows : 

"You  must  give  them  (the  Canadians)  solemn  warning  that 
the  land  belongs  to  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  and  that  they  must 
remove  from  it;  after  this  warning  they  should  not  be  allowed 
to  cut  any  timber  either  for  building  or  fuel.  What  they  have  cut 
ought  to  be  openly  and  forcibly  seized,  and  their  buildings  de- 
stroyed. In  like  manner  they  should  be  warned  not  to  fish  in  your 
waters,  and  if  they  put  down  nets  seize  them  as  you  would  in 
England  those  of  a  poacher.  We  are  so  fully  advised  of  the  unim- 
peachable validity  of  the  rights  of  property  that  there  can  be  no 
scruple  in  enforcing  them  wherever  you  have  the  physical  means. 
If  they  make  forcible  resistance  they  are  acting  illegally  and  are 
responsible  for  the  consequences  of  what  they  do,  while  you  are 
safe,  so  lone:  as  vou  take  only  the  reasonable  and  necessary  means 
of  enforcing  what  is  right. "^     ((nmn's  ^Manitoba,  p.  IT^). 

These  instructions  were  issued,  let  it  be  remembered,  before 
a  single  act  of  a-o^grossion  had  been  committed  against  the  colony 
by  the  Nor'-Westcrs.  There  seems  to  be  no  valid  reason  for  such 
a  procedure,  except  this,  that  it  was  a  part  of  Lord  Selkirk's 
original  plan,  entirely  aside  from  tlio  safeguarding  of  his  colony, 
to  crush  and  drive  out  the  Northwest  Company,  and  thus  estab- 
lish a  profitable  monopoly  for  the  chartered  orcranization  of  which 
he  was  the  controlling  genius  and  the  principal  beneficiary. 

However  this  may  be,  Lorj:l  Selkirk  did  no  further  colonizing 
for  a  number  of  years.  He  seems  to  have  devoted  a  good  part 
of  his  time  to  workin*^  up  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  which 
previous  to  his  takin'r  hold  of  it  had,  throui^h  misfortune  and  mis- 
management, fallen  into  a  state  almost  bordering  on  insolyency. 
In  1811.  however,  having  fully  matured  his  plans,  a  new  and  most 
important  step  was  taken  along  the  line  of  \\\^  original  ambitions. 
On  May  30lh  of  that  year  a  general  court  of  the  proprietors  of 
the  company  was  cilled  in  London,  and  at  this  meeting,  at  which 
there  was  but  il5,()()0  of  the  total  stf>ck  of  the  company  repre- 
sented, the  major  part  of  which  moiety  was  in  the  hands  of  him- 
self and  a  few  of  his  friends  and  relatives,  a  grant  was  made 
to  him  out  of  the  company's  territory  of  a  tract  of  land  situated  on 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  91 


the  Red  and  Assiniboine  rivers,  on  the  sole  condition  that  he  should 
establish  a  colony  upon  it,  and  furnish  year  by  year  from  among 
the  settlers  such  servants  and  laborers  as  the  company  might  re- 
quire in  their  trade.  The  following  is*  the  official  description  of  the 
grant  to  Lord  Selkirk,  made  at  the  time  of  its  transfer  to  him 
by  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  in  1811 : 

"Beginning  at  the  western  shore  of  Lake  Winnipeg,  at  a  point  on 
52**  50'  north  latitude,  and  thence  running  due  west  to  Lake 
Winnipegoosis,  otherwise  called  Little  Winnipeg ;  thence  in  a  south- 
erly direction  through  said  lake,  so  as  to  strike  its  western  shore 
in  latitude  52;  thence  due  west  to  the  place  where  the  parallel 
52  intersects  the  western  branch  of  the  Red  river,  otherwise  called 
the  Assiniboine  river;  thence  due  south  from  that  point  of  inter- 
section to  the  height  of  land  which  separates  the  waters  running 
into  Hudson's  Bay  from  those  of  the  Missouri  and  Mississippi 
rivers;  thence  in  an  easterly  direction  along  the  height  of  land  to 
the  sources  of  the  River  Winnipeg,  meaning  by  such  last  named 
river  the  principal  branch  of  the  waters  which  unite  in  the  Lake 
Saginigas;  thence  along  the  main  stream  of  those  waters  and  the 
middle  of  the  several  lakes  through  which  they  flow,  to  the  mouth 
of  the  River  Winnipeg,  and  thence  in  a  northern  direction  through 
the  middle  of  Lake  Winnipeg  to  the  place  of  beginning,  which  ter- 
ritory is  called  Assiniboia/' 

The  block  of  territory  thus  given  in  fee  simple  to  Lord  Selkirk 
comprised  about  110,000  square  miles,  and  embraced  the  major  por- 
tion of  what  is  now  Manitoba,  as  well  as  a  small  slice  of  North 
Dakota,  and  was  to  be  known  as  the  territory  of  Assiniboia,  after 
the  Assiniboine  river  or  the  tribe  of  Indians  from  which  that 
river  took  its  name. 

At  the  meeting  at  which  this  unique  and  famous  ^rant  was  made,, 
there  was  strong  opposition  brought  to  bear  against  the  making 
of  it  by  a  number  of  influential  proprietors  of  the  company;  but 
Lord  Selkirk  had  shrewdly  packed  the  committee  with  his  friends 
and  relatives,  in  anticipation  of  the  occasion,  and  being  in  control 
of  about  three-quarters  of  the  stock  represented  at  the  meeting, 
he  was  able  to  carry  through  his  purpose  without  any  particular 
difficultv.  The  grant  was  confirmed*  in  spite  of  the  protests,  and 
the  noble  Lord  found  himself  at  last  in  a  position  to  carry  out 
his  cherished  colonizing  scheme  without  hindrance. 

Havin'^  thus  opened  up  the  way,  no  time  was  lost  in  carrying 
out  the  project.  A  glowing  prospectus  was  issued,  setting  forth 
the  plan  and  advantages  of  the  venture  to  those  who  might  be 
willing:  to  join.^  Agents  were  set  to  work  in  Scotland  and  Ireland 
to  enlist  men  for  the  new  colony,  and  very  soon  these,  to  the  num- 
ber of  some  sixty  or  seventy,  were  ready  to  embark.     So  very 


'Donald   Gunn.  History  of  Manitoba,  Ottawa,  1880,  p.  63. 
*Ste  Appendix,  p.  1*^5. 


91  STATE    HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

speedily  indeed  were  the  preparations  for  the  setting  out  of  this 
first  contingent  of  colonists  for  the  Red  River  made,  that  it  is 
difficult  to  understand  how  it  could  possibly  have  been  done.  Gunn, 
in  his  history  gives  the  date  of  the  council  at  which  the  grant 
was  made  as  May,  1811,  and  makes  the  statement  that  the  first 
batch  of  colonists  met  at  Stornoway,  in  the  island  of  Lewis,  the 
same  month. ^  Dr.  Rrvce,  in  his  historv  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Com- 
pany,  gives  the  date  of  the  sailing  from  this  port  as  July  2G,  or 
about  seven  weeks  after  the  grant  was  made,-  which,  it  will  be 
seen,  is  a  very  short  time  for  the  getting  out  of  an  elaborate 
prospectus,  the  appointing  of  agents,  the  securing  of  colonists,  and 
the  fitting  out  of  a  vessel  and  outfit  necessary  for  their  transporta- 
tion. My  personal  opinion  is  that  it  could  not  be  done,  and  was 
not.  I  think  there  is  no  question  but  that  much  of  this  prepara- 
tion was  done  before  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  council  meet- 
ing took  place.  The  wording  of  the  prospectus,  at  any  rate,  would 
lead  us  to  believe  that  that  document  was  issued  before  the  de- 
cision of  the  council  was  known.  T^rd  Selkirk  evidently  was  so 
sure  that  there  would  be  no  miscarriage  with  regard  to  the  grant 
of  land  which  he  intended  to  have  voted  to  himself  at  the  council 
meeting  that  he  went  forward  and  made  his  preparations  before- 
hand as  if  the  grant  were  already  his. 

Under  the  leadership  of  one  Ca]>tain  Miles  Macdonell,  whom 
Lord  Selkirk  had  selected  to  be  the  governor  of  his  new  estab- 
lishment, they  assembled  at  Stornoway,  in  the  Orkney  Islands,  and 
(after  much  trouble  through  mutiny  and  desertion)  were  put  on 
board  of  a  rotten  old  craft  called  the  Edward  and  Anne,  which, 
in  company  with  the  two  Hudson's  Bay  Company  vessels,  the  Prince 
of  Wales  and  Eddy  stone,  sailed  out  of  that  harbor  for  Hudson 
l>ay  on  the  2Gth  of  July,  1811.  After  a  strenuous  voyage,  in  which 
they  endured  the  buffeting  of  wind  and  wave  for  two  entire  months, 
they  cast  anchor  at  last  in  the  harbor  of  York  Factory,  Hudson 
Bay,  on  September  21,  1811. 

Of  the  hardships  which  these  settlers  endured  on  the  voyage, 
and  of  their  difficulties  after  their  arrival,  we  shall  not  speak  here, 
suffice  it  to  say,  that  no  preparation  whatever  having  been  made 
for  their  reception,  and  it  being  too  late  in  the  season  for  them  to 
contimie  their  journey  to  Red  River  that  year,  thev  were  compelled 
to  go  several  miles  up  the  Nelson  River  from  the  factory  to  a  place 
known  as  Seal  Creek,  and  erect  temporary  winter  quarters  for 
themselves  out  of  logs.    Here  they  passed  the  winter  of  1811-12. 

In  this  winter  encampment.  haruKiny  and  g(K)d  will  could  scarce- 
ly be  said  to  have  prevailed.  The  same  spirit  of  discontent  and 
insubordination  that  characterized  the  expedition  at  its  start  re- 
mained with   it  through  the  winter,  and  the  authority  of  the  re- 


'Gunn,  History  of  Manitoba,  p.  r>8-70. 

'nryce.    I  ho  Reniarkahlc  History  of  the  Hiul>on\  Hay  Co.,  p.  2''?<. 


STATE  OF   NORTH   DAKOTA  93 

doubtable  captain,  who  was  its  accredited  head,  was  often  set  at 
defiance. 

When  spring  came  at  last,  however,  with  its  genial  influences, 
and  navigation  opened  up,  boats  were  constructed  and  provisioned 
and  the  journey  inland  commenced.  The  usual  amount  of  hardship 
and  privation  inseparable  from  travel  under  such  conditions  was 
experienced  by  the  way,  but  some  time  during  the  summer  or  early 
autumn  all  the  colonists,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  of  the  more 
unruly  ones  who  had  been  left  at  the  bay  to  be  sent  back  by  the 
next  ship,  arrived  safely  on  the  Red  River  of  the  North,  at  the 
chosen  site  of  the  new  colonv.  This  site  was  a  mile  below  the 
confluence  of  the  Red  and  Assinibqine  rivers,  and  was  identical 
with  the  site  of  the  present  city  of  Winnipeg  and  a  part  of  what 
is  now  Kildonan. 

I  have  been  careful  to  make  this  express  and  definite  state- 
ment, here,  with  regard  to  the  original  site  of  the  Selkirk  settle- 
ment, for  the  reason  that  my  attention  has  been  called  to  an  opin- 
ion held  by  some  of  the  good  people  of  .North  Dakota,  and  embodied 
in  historical  documents  claiming  to  be  authoritative,  that  the 
original  site  and  beginning  of  that  historic  settlement  w^as  on 
Dakota  territory,  and  was  only  moved  to  its  present  location  after 
the  boundary  line  was  laid  down  in  1823.  Just  to  what  extent  this 
opinion  is  current,  of  course,  I  am  unable  to  say,  but,  I  should 
hope,  not  largely,  as  it  is  quite  erroneous,  and  so  far  as  I  am  able 
to  see,  entirely  without  foundation.  Canadian  authorites  have 
fought  and  disputed  about  almost  every  other  thing  in  connection 
with  this  subject,  but.  so  far  as  I  am  aware,  there  has  never  been 
any  difference  of  opinion  as  to  the  location  of  Fort  Douglas  and 
the  origirtal  site  of  Selkirk  colony.  There  are  various  accounts 
and  reliable  sources  of  information  extant,  from  which  we  can 
learn  all  that  it  is  necessary  to  know  about  this  matter,  and  all 
of  thesf*,  so  far  as  I  am  acquainted  with  them,  tell  but  the  one 
story,  [he  original  Selkirk  settlement  was  located  at  Fort  Douglas ; 
that  Fort  Douglas  was  located  on  Point  Douglas,  and  Point  Doug- 
las was  never  anywhere  else  than  where  it  now  is,  a  mile  below  the 
confluence  of  the  Red  and  Assiniboine  rivers  on  the  present  site  of 
the  city  of  Winnipeg.  The  Hon.  Donald  Gunn  was  living  in  the 
colony  in  1823,  at  the  verv  time  the  advocates  of  this  theory  claim 
that  it  was  making  its  historic  pilgrimage  from  Dakota  to  its 
present  site :  and  the  statement  made  by  him  in  his  history  of  Mani- 
toba is  that  in  1812,  the  year  of  the  arrival  of  the  first  colonists, 
"the  headquarters  of  the  new  settlement  -i=  *  *  ^yas  at  a  point 
a  mile  below  the  confluence  of  the  Red  and  Assiniboine  rivers.  The 
point  had  the  name  of  Douglas  bestowxd  upon  it,  and  continued  for 
a  period  of  fourteen  years  to  enjoy  the  honor  of  being  the  site 
of  the  G<wernor's  residence,  the  colonv  stores  and  the  Hudson's  Bav 
Bay  Fort." 


94  STATE    HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Besides  this  evidence  there  is  the  McLeod  manuscript,  and  also 
that  of  the  letter  book  of  Captain  Miles  Macdonell,  in  the  public 
archives  at  Ottawa,  which  gives  a  complete  account  of  all  the 
movements  of  this  first  contingent  of  colonists ;  besides  numerous 
other  published  and  unpublished  narratives,  all  of  which  agree 
that  the  original  location  of  the  colonv  was  as  stated  above. 

The  explanation  given  of  this  establishing  of  the  original  Sel- 
kirk settlement  on  American  soil  by  those  who  hold  the  above  theory 
is  that  it  was  done  by  mistake,  on  account  of  the  boundary  line  not 
having  been  as  yet  surveyed;  and  it  is  stated  that  in  1823,  when 
Major  Long  and  his  party  located  the  boundary,  the  mistake  was 
discovered  and  rectified  by  removing  the  colony  to  its  present  site. 
Unfortunately  for  this  theory,  it  is  a  matter  of  history  that  the 
exact  location  of  the  boundary  line  at  this  point  was  known  to  the 
fur  companies  years  before  Major  Long  or  the  first  settlers  ever 
saw  it.  In  1798  David  Thompson,  acting  in  his  official  capacity 
as  astronomer  and  surveyor  to  the  Northwest  Company,  took  ob- 
servations here  and  located  and  marked  the  boundary  line.  All 
that  Major  Long  and  his  p^rty  did  in  1823  was  to  confirm  the 
observations  then  made.  It  was  found  by  David  Thompson  that 
the  Northwest  Company*s  establishment.  Pembina  House,  was  in 
latidute  48°  58'  21"  N.^  This  he  well  knew  was  on  American 
soil ;  and  his  reason  for  marking  the  boundary  so  carefully  was 
that  their  establishment  might  be  moved  across  on  to  the  Cana- 
dian side  wlicnever  the  necessity  should  arise.  From  this  it  will 
be  evident  that  the  possibility  of  Lord  Selkirk's  agents  making 
.^uch  a  mistake  in  the  location  of  the  colony  is  one  that  is  exceed- 
ingly remote. 

As  we  follow  the  fortunes  of  these  **Pilgrim  Fathers'*  further 
however,  T  think  we  can  locate  the  origin  of  this  belief,  and  will 
get  to  understand  the  genesis  of  the  misconception.  When  the 
colonists  arrived  at  Red  River,  they  found  that  no  preparation  what- 
ever had  been  made  by  Lord  Selkirk  for  their  maintenance.  Food 
at  Fort  Douglas  was  scarce,  and  to  make  matters  worse,  a  second 
continijent  of  colonists,  who  had  come  out  that  year  by  the  Hud- 
son's Bay  Company  ships  to  Hudson  Bay,  arrived  on  the  scene  just 
before  the  setting  in  of  winter.  The  colonists,  who  since  their  ar- 
rival had  busied  themselves  with  the  erection  of  buildincrs  and  with 
other  activities  incidental  to  the  making  of  homes  in  a  new  land, 
saw  that  to  winter  there  on  the  scant  supply  of  provisions  obtain- 
able was  out  of  the  question.  Southward  on  the  great  plains  of 
Dakota  were  the  plain  hunters  and  innumerable  buflfalo.  Here  a 
plentiful  supply  of  provisions  could  be  obtained  to  sustain  life,  and 
here  accordingly  they  resolved  to  go.  Pembina,  where  already  the 
Northwest  Company  had  a  post,  Pembina  House,  was  selected  as 


'Cones.  Ntw  Light  on   the  Histnry  of  the  Greater  Xorthwest,  p.  70,  fnnt- 
VA  te  '2. 


STATli  OF   NORTH   DAKOTA  95 


the  site  for  their  winter  encampment.  At  this  point,  on  the  south 
bank  of  the  Pembina  where  it  empties  into  the  Red  River  and 
directly  opposite  the  Northwest  fort,  which  was  on  the  north  bank 
of  the  Pembina,  thev  built  a  collection  of  rude  huts  surrounded 
by  a  stockade,  which  they  named  Fort  Daer,  after  one  of  the 
titles  of  their  noble  patron.  Here  a  number  of  them  passed  the 
winter  of  1812-1813.  The  remainder,  on  account  of  the  difficulty 
of  procuring  food,  pushed  on  to  the  neighborhood  of  the  Turtle 
River  and  wintered  there. 

Thus  we  see  that  the  first  winter  passed  by  the  colonists  on  the 
Red  river  was  spent  in  Dakota  territory ;  but  to  say,  because  of 
this,  that  the  original  site  of  the  Selkirk  colonly  was  on  Dakota 
soil,  as  has  been  asserted,  would  be  just  as  true  as  to  say  that  it 
was  on  Seal  creek  on  the  Nelson  river,  where  they  passed  the  win- 
ter previous,  in  similar  enforced  temporary  quarters.  This  Pem- 
bina encampment,  however,  owing  to  stress  of  circumstances,  did 
continue  for  a  number  of  years  and  probably  left  some  permanent 
residents  behind ;  yet  it  was,  nevertheless,  but  a  temporary  ar- 
rangement, and  when  spring  came,  and  food  could  be  got  nearer 
home,  the  colonists  returned  to  Fort  Douglas,  received  theip  al- 
lotments (if  land,  and  went  on  with  the  regular  operations  of  home 
making  a  new  count r v.* 

This  they  found  to  be  by  no  means  an  easy  task.  Although  bring- 
ing them  into  the  country  ostensibly  as  agriculturists,  Lord  Sel- 
kirk had  provided  them  with  no  agricultural  implements  ade- 
quate to  the  work  of  tilling  the  soil.  Hoes  were  the  most  effect- 
ive implements  to  be  obtained,  and  even  had  they  been  better 
provided  for  in  this  respect  it  would  have  availed  them  but  little 
as  they  had  not  been  furnished  with  seed  to  put  into  the  ground. 
Had  it  not  been  for  the  kindness  of  the  Northwest  Company  of- 
ficial at  this  juncture,  the  colonists  would  have  found  themselves 
at  the  close  of  the  season,  in  a  more  miserable  plight  than  th^y 
were  at  the  time  of  their  arrival.  The  Northwest  Company  part- 
ner in  charge  of  Fort  Gibraltar  (as  the  post  of  that  company  at 
the  forks  of  the  Red  river  was  then  called)  came  to  their  rescue 
however,  and  furnished  the  colony  governor  with  wheat,  barley,  po- 
tatoes, garden  seeds,  a  few  horned  cattle  and  some  pigs  and 
poultry,  which  had  been  brought  out  from  Lower  Canada  at 
great  expense  for  their  own  use.-  We  shall  see  how  this  kind- 
ness was  reciprocated,  a  little  later  on,  when  Governor  Macdon- 


*The  first  bona  fide  settlement  on  the  present  site  of  Pembina  was  ma  le 
enrly  in  the  spring  of  1819,  by  a  party  of  Canadians  who  came  to  the  Red 
River  valley  the  year  previous,  under  the  leadership  of  the  two  Catholic 
priests.  Father  Joseph  Norbert  Provencher  and  Father  Severe  Ehimoulin. 
Donald  Gunn,  History  of  Manitoba,  p.  207.  See  also  the  McLeod  manu- 
script, p.  13.T 

'Donald  Gunn,  History  of  Manitoba,  p.  80. 


96  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 

nell  had  gotten  over  his  first  difficulties  and  was  no  longer  depend- 
ent on  the  generosity  of  his  Northwest  Company  benefactors. 

In  the  meantime,  while  the  colonists  already  on  the  ground  were 
engaged  in  these  feeble  and  unsatisfactory  agricultural  operations. 
Lord  Selkirk  was  busy  in  Scotland  making  preparations  for  the 
sending  out  of  still  another  contingent  of  settlers.  For  such  an 
undertaking  the  time  and  place  were  both  auspicious.  The  whole- 
<;ale  evictions  of  Sutherlandshire,  already  described,  were  then 
at  the  height  of  their  progress.  The  spring  of  that  year  (1813) 
saw  hundreds  of  these  poor  people  driven  from  their  homes,  and 
casting  about  in  their  extremity  for  some  place  of  refuge  and  a 
new  start  in  life,  many  of  them  eagerly  seized  upon  the  oppor- 
tunity afforded  by  Lord  Selkirk's  Red  river  colonization  scheme 
to  cast  in  their  lot  with  those  who  had  already  ventured  on  the 
ent*^rprise. 

To  the  adoption  of  this  course  there  was  no  lack  of  induce- 
ment. In  addition  to  the  misery  and  misfortune  of  their  own  con- 
dition, which  was  in  itself  a  powerful  incentive,  the  most  glow- 
ing pictures  were  painted  of  the  benefits  to  be  derived  from  the 
venture.  The  district  selected  for  the  colony  was  represented 
as  exceedinglv  fertile,  where  certain  specified  aofricultural  pursuits 
could  be  carried  on  wnth  almost  immediate  profit  and  with  certain 
wealth  in  the  near  future.  The  difficulties  and  danger^  of  the  way 
to  this  land  of  promise  were  minimized  or  passed  over  in  silence 
and  the  advantages  of  the  venture  magnified  to  the  fullest ;  while 
many  flattering  promi^-cs  of  help  and  future  favor  were  made  to 
the  intending  settlers. 

lender  the  spur  of  these  powerful  inducements,  considerably  over 
a  hundred,  includMig  \y<  th  sexes  and  all  a^es,  enlisted,  and  on  june 
28,  ISi:],  sailed  from  Stromness  in  the  Orkney  Islands  for  the 
far  away  regions  of  Hudson  Hay.  With  them  also  was  a  con- 
siderable number  of  voun^f  nuMi  cominij  out  to  en<j:a":e  in  the 
service  of  the  Hudson's  liay  Con:panv.^ 

The  little  fleet  with  which  the  colonists  sailed  consisted  of  four 
vessels,  the  Prince  of  Wales,  bearing  the  settlers,  the  Evldystone 
with  the  Hudson's  Bav   Company's  servants,  a  brig  for  the  Mor- 

'Amon^  this  number  w.t^  D.'iiald  Ciiinn.  the  lii^tnn'an,  who  in  his  History 
of  Manitoba  hi-^  given  a  very  full  and  complete  pcr^^onal  account  of  everv- 
thinj^  that  happened  to  these  pet  pie  from  the  time  they  left  Scotland.  Ili*? 
account,  vvhicli  was  written  fmm  tlie  view-noiiit  of  the  colonists,  is  iioi 
a*  all  rtatterinj^  to  Lord  Selkirk  ami  the  Htids(tn*s  Bay  Company;  and  mncli 
that  has  been  written  on  this  subiect  of  late  yi-irs  has  been  pennrd  witli 
a  view  to  comb'it  tlie  pr<,iti' n  taken  by  him.  To  his  w.  rk.  howeser.  will 
idways  attach  thi*^  special  value  and  importance,  that  it  was  writteti  from 
first  hand  knowledge,  and  as  a  partic'i>nnt  in  the  affairs  of  whicli  ht" 
treats.  In  close  t)ersonal  touch  and  daily  intercourse  with  these  fnople 
from  the  verv  first,  he  knew  exactly  Ivw  they  felt  towards  the  ci'mpanv 
and  Lord  Selvirk.  and  his  work  mav  be  safely  tak«-n  a*;  the  true  history  of 
tlic  colony,  from   the  view-point  of  the  cohjnists  themselves. 


STATE  OF  NORTir   DAKOTA  97 

avian  mission  on  the  coast  of  Labrador,  and  a  British  sloop  of  war, 
the  Brazen,  which  was  deemed  necessary  as  convoy  across  the 
Atlantic  on  account  of  the  war  which  w^as  then  going  on  between 
Great  Britain  and  United  States.  The  voyage  was  not  particularly 
eventful,  except  that  fever  broke  out  among  the  colonists  on 
board  the  Prince  of  Wales,  and  a  number  of  the  poor  unfortunates 
had  to  be  consigned  to  the  keeping  of  the  great  deep  before 
Churchill  harbor  was  reached.  This  much  desired  haven  was 
sighted  on  August  12,  1813,  and  on  the  13th,  to  their  great  relief 
and  satisfaction,  the  way-worn  and  fever-stricken  travellers  found 
themselves  once  more  on  terra  firma  and'  under  the  open  sky. 

Their  condition  on  landing,  although  changed,  was  but  little 
improved.  No  preparation  whatever  had  been  made  for  their  re- 
ception at  the  Bay  by  those  who  had  charge  of  his  Lordship's 
and  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  affairs  in  Ruperts  Land.  Not- 
withstanding the  fact  that  many  of  their  number  lay  helpless  and 
dying  in  the  grasp  of  a  malignant  fever,  they  were  simply  thrown 
ashore  on  the  barren  rocks,  without  tent  or  shelter  of  any  kind  to 
protect  them  frr)in  the  elements.  *^\fter  they  had  been  landed," 
says  Gunn  in  the  account  which  he  has  left  us  of  the  arrival  of 
these  people,  *'the  fever  continued  unabated,  carrying  off  its  vic- 
tims daily.  The  few  who  escaped  the  fever  were  worn  out  with 
nursing  the  sick  and  dying.  The  convalescent  w^ere  emaciated  and 
feeble,  and  many  of  them  were  so  prostrated,  morally  and  physical- 
ly, that  they  coveted  the  fate  of  those  who  had  been  set  free  by 
the  hand  of  death  from  the  sorrows  and  sufferings  of  this  mortal 
life.  Even  the  stoutest  hearts  could  not  think  of  their  sad  and 
forlorn  condition  but  with  feelings  of  the  most  poignant  grief 
and  apprehension  of  future  calamities.  *  ♦  *  \y^  niay  admit, 
without  any  doubt,  that  to  the  want  of  proper  and  suitable  nour- 
ishment and  to  the  entire  absence  of  warm  and  comfortable  lodg- 
ing:, may  be  justlv  attributed  many  of  the  deaths  which  took  place 
after  the  landing.* 

In  this  wretched  and  unenviable  condition  the  colonists  spent 
the  remainder  of  the  season  until  the  approach  of  winter,  when 
they  were  taken  to  a  point  some  fifteen  miles  farther  up  the  river, 
to  a  place  since  known  as  Colony  creek,  where  there  was  timber, 
and  here,  with  an  arctic  winter  rapidly  approaching,  they  were 
set  at  the  difficult  and  unaccustomed  task  of  building  themselves 
winter  quarters.  Rude  log  huts  were  constructed  without  win- 
dows or  floors,  and  in  these  they  passed  the  loiii^,  dreary  months 
of  the  winter  of  3  813-11.  To  make  their  position  more  difficult, 
all  their  provisions  had  to  be  drawn  on  sleds  from  Fort  Churchill, 
necessitating  a  toilsome  trip  of  thirty  miles  once  a  week  during  the 
entire  period  of  their  winter  sojourn.  What  other  hardships  they 
endured  here,  and  what   grief  and   discontent  filled   their  minds, 


*Donald  Giinn,  History  of  Manitoba,  p.  09. 


98-  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 

I  have  not  time  in  this  paper  to  relate;  suffice  it  to  say,  that  the 
winter  was  one  of  extreme  hardship  and  constantly  growing  dis- 
satisfaction among  the  colonists,  induced  by  the  bitter  disappoint- 
ments through  which  they  had  come,  the  failure  of  almost  all  the 
promises  that  had  been  made  to  them  and  the  harsh  and'  arbitrary 
way  in  which  they  were  treated  by  those  having  charge  of  their 
destiny. 

As  the  spring  of  1814  approached,  preparations  were  made  for 
the  journey  inland  to  Red  river.  About  the  middle  of  April,  most 
of  the  able-bodied  men,  women  and  children,  were  bundled  off 
on  snowshoes,  dragging  their  worldly  goods  on  sleds,  across  the 
snow  for  York  Factory,  whore  they  were  to  take  boat  for  the  in- 
terior by  way  of  the  Nelson  river,  as  soon  as  navigation  should 
open.  What  they  endured  of  suffering  and  privation  on  this  first 
140  mile  tramp  through  the  wilderness  can  better  be  imagined  than 
described.  We  have  only  to  think  of  those  scantily  clad  women, 
many  of  them  carrying  little  babes  on  their  backs,  struggling  along 
on  unwieldy  and  unaccustomed  snowshoes  through  the  bitter  blasts 
of  that  snowv  and  trackless  wilderness,  to  realize  something  of 
what  it  must  have  meant  and  the  suffering  that  it  must  have  cost. 
To  realize  all  that  it  meant  and  all  that  it  entailed  of  suffering  is 
beyond  our  power  to  conceive.  It  did  not  make  the  suffering  any 
the  less,  nor  diminish  the  hardship,  to  ruminate  as  they  stumbled 
along,  that  pictures  such  as  these  had  not  been  among  those  so 
skillfully  painted  for  them  by  his  Lordship's  agents  in  the  land 
of  their  birth.  The  feeling  of  these  settlers  was,  rightly  or  wrong- 
ly, that  both  on  the  way  and  after  their  arrival  they  had  been 
cheated  and  imposed  upon ;  and  it  was  this  feeling  that  culminated 
in  the  spring  following  in  the  movement  that  nearly  blotted  the 
colony  out  of  existence. 

WitlK)ut  any  very  serious  accidents  other  than  some  severe  frost 
bites  the  colonists  arrived  in  due  time  at  York  Factory,  and  upon 
the  opening  of  the  river,  in  the  early  part  of  June,  they  embarked 
for  the  final  TOO  miles  stage  of  their  journcv  by  boat  and  portage 
to  Red  river.  The  opening  weeks  of  July,  181 1,  saw  them  at  their 
coveted  destination,  and  later  on  in  the  season  they  were  joined 
by  the  remainder  of  their  party,  whom  they  had  left  behind  at 
Ft.  Churchill. 

Upon  their  arrival  at  Red  river  the  colonists  were  put  in  pos- 
session of  land  and  a  few  Indian  ponies  as  their  promised  start  in 
an  agricultural  way.  It  is  a  noteworthy  fact,  however,  that  these 
colonists  were  no  better  provided  with  ap:ricultural  implements  by 
his  Lordship  than  were  their  predecessors.  Not  a  plow  or  har- 
row was  sent  into  the  country,  nor  were  they  even  provided  with 
the  materials  to  make  them.  '*Yet,"  says  Gunn,  in  his  account  of 
these  transactions,  "his  Lordship  did  not  forget  to  send  a  battery 
of  field  artillery  with  ammunition  and  tumbrils,  with  many  chests 


STATE  OF   NOKTH   DAKOTA  99 


of  muskets  and  bayonets.  The  absence  of  the  former  and  the 
abundance  of  the  latter  raises  the  idea  in  one's  mind  that  his  Lord- 
ship intended  the  immigrants  to  become  soldiers  rather  than  ag- 
riculturalists."^ Whether  this  conclusion  was  justified  or  not,  the 
fact  remains  that,  shortly  after  their  arrival  at  Red  river,  the 
colonists  were  assembled  by  Capt.  Alacdonell,  Lord  Selkirk's  rep- 
resentative in  the  colony,  and  muskets,  bayonets  and  ammunition 
were  served  out  to  them;  the  governor  informing  them  at  the 
same  time  that  by  the  law  of  the  land  the  stronof  dictated  to  the 
weak.  These  implements  of  destruction  some  of  the  colonists  re- 
fused to  take,  on  the  ground  that  "war". was  not  the  purpose  for 
which  they  had  come  to  the  country.  The  majority,  however,  obed- 
iently complied  wirti  the  demands  of  their  superior  and  accepted  the 
arms.  From  that  time  on,  during  the  winter,  we  are  informed,  the 
colonists  were  regularly  drilled  in  the  use  of  arms  by  Macdonell, 
who,  beiuT  a  captain  himself,  was  quite  capable  of  acting  in  the 
capacity  of  military  instructor. 

Those  of  the  settlers  who  arrived  by  the  first  brigades,  despite 
the  absence  of  suitable  agricultural  implements,  succeeded  in  put- 
tin?"  in  some  thirty  or  forty  bushels  of  potatoes,  and  other  stuflf, 
and  as  the  crops  were  good  that  year  the  colony  was  saved  the 
necessity  of  removintr  to  Pembina  for  the  winter  as  formerly.  This 
winter,  1811-1815,  for  the  first  time,  all  the  colonists  spent  on 
their  own  holdings  in  the  neicrhborhood  of  Fort  Douglas. 

Under  ordinary  circumstances,  this  would  have  been  a  matter 
for  conofratulation,  on  the  part  of  those  who  wished  for  the  suc- 
cess of  the  colony;  but  in  this  instance  it  proved  very  far  from 
being  an  advantage,  as  the  sequel  will  show.  These  people,  as 
already  noted,  had  suflfered  almost  intolerable  hardships  since  leav- 
ing Scotland ;  promises  had  been  made  to  them  there,  they  claimed, 
that  were  broken  and  dishonored  as  soon  as  they  were  on  Cana- 
dian soil.  They  had  been  harshly  and  cavalierly  dealt  with  upon 
many  occasions  by  those  who  had*  been  placed  in  authority  over 
them ;  and  last  but  not  least,  thev  found  when  they  got  to  the  Red 
river  that  thev  were  practically  impressed  as  soldiers  and  expected 
to  fi^ht  instead  of  being  equipped  for  and  assisted  in  the  peaceable 
pursuits  of  agriculture,  for  which  purpose  they  had  encfaged  to 
come  to  the  country.  Being  located  all  together,  in  fairly  com- 
fortable circumstances,  with  little  to  occunv  their  attention,  thev 
had  abrndant  opportunity  to  brood  over  these  wrongs  and  disap- 
pointments. The  old  saying  that  "Satan  will  find  mischief  still  for 
idle  hands  to  do,"  soon  began  to  be  verified  in  their  case,  for  wheth- 
er Satan  or  the  Northwest  Company  had  the  arranging  of  it  or 
not,  there  was  certainly  abundance  of  mischief  hatched  out  in 
the  colony  d^^rinT  the  months  of  this  its  first  winter  of  peaceable 
residence  on  its  native  soil. 


^Donald  Gunn,  History  of  Manitoba,  pp.  100.  100,  107,  109,  144. 


100  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

In  dealing  with  the  events  of  this  winter  and  spring,  it  is  neces- 
sary to  say  a  few  words  with  regard  to  the  attitude  and  position 
of  the  two  great  fur  trading  companies  then  doing  business  in  the 
country.  From  the  first  the  Northwest  Company  had  taken  the 
stand  of  consistent  opposition  to  the  establishment  of  the  colony. 
Not  that  they  disliked  the  colonists  or  had  any  particular  objection 
to  the  establishment  of  the  colony  as  such,  but  the  colony  being 
identified  with  their  great  rival,  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  they 
regarded  the  founding  of  it  as  a  deep  laid  scheme  on  the  part  of 
Lord  Selkirk  and  that  corporation  to  work  injury  to  their  trade  and 
drive  them  from  the  country.  Had  Lord  Selkirk  not  had  any  con- 
nection with  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  and  had  he,  as  a  purely 
private  individual,  established  the  colony  where  he  did,  it  is  quite 
certain  that  there  would  never  have  been  a  word  of  opposition  raised 
to  it  by  the  partners  of  the  Northwest  Company  .  But  Lord  Sel- 
kirk, the  founder  of  the  colony,  being  not  merely  connected  with 
the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  but  owning  such  interest  in  it  as  to 
make  him  and  the  company  practically  identical,  the  Nor'-Westers 
failed  to  appreciate  whatever  fine  distinctions  there  might  have  been 
between  that  worthv  in  his  private  capacity,  or  capacity  of  colonizer, 
and  the  same  individual  as  the  moving  and  controlling  spirit  in  their 
great  rival  organization.  When,  therefore,  the  colony  was  eventually 
planted  down  beside  Fort  Gibraltar,  their  principal  establishment  in 
the  west,  in  such  a  position  as  to  effectually  cut  off  comnnmication 
with  their  headquarters  in  the  east,  they  coukl  see  in  it  nothing  but  a 
shrewd  piece  of  strate.i^y,  on  the  part  of  the  Hudson's  l>ay  Company, 
to  close  the  j^ate  of  iir^ress  into  the  west  auainst  them  and  tints 
paralyze  their  trade  and  ruin  their  establishments.  In  taking  this 
view  of  the  situation,  whether  it  was  Lord  Selkirk's  (^ri;nnal  inten- 
tion or  not,  they  were  amply  justified  by  subsequent  events. 

The  first  tw(3  years  cjf  tlie  existence  of  the  colony  on  the  Red  river 
was  not  niarkecl  by  any  special,  acts  of  hostility  either  betweMi  the 
two  companies  or  a;^ainst  the  settlers.  As  we  have  seen,  the  North- 
west C^)inpany  did  all  they  could  to  assist  the  settlers  and  to  allevi- 
ate their  distress,  a  fact  in  itself  which  goes  a  Inn*:^  ^vav  to  prove 
that  the  company  had  no  intention  at  the  first  of  trying  to  destroy 
the  colony.  This  determination  was  only  arriverl  at  later  when  the 
aggressive  hostility  of  Lord  Selkirk  and  the  Hudson's  P.av  Com- 
pany made  it  evident  to  the  Northwest  partners  tliat  heroic  measures 
would  have  to  be  adopted  if  they  were  to  save  their  trade  from 
utter  and  absolute  ruin.  About  the  ])ei:inning  of  ISl  \,  however,  th  • 
com])arative  serenity  of  thint^s  bei^an  to  be  trcMihled  hv  a  decided 
change  in  the  attitude  and  tactics  on  the  i)art  of  the  Hudscm's  Bay 
Comj^any.  Their  attiti^de,  which  up  to  this  time  had  been  t  Mupor- 
iziti'^  rather  than  friendly,  now  chau'^a-d  to  one  of  forcf*  and  a^r'jress- 
i(  n.  The  time  had  come  when  (iovernor  Macdonell,  tio  douht 
considered  that  he  had  force  enough  and  was  in  a  position  to  carry 


STATE  OF   NORTH   DAKOTA  *  101 

out  Lord  Selkirk's  instructions  to  drive  the  Nor*-Westers  off  his 
Lordship's  and  the  Hudson's  Hay  Company's  lands.  He  accord- 
ingly, on  Jan.  8,  1814,  issued  a  proclamation  from  Fort  Daer, 
where  the  colony  was  wintering  at  the  time,  forbidding  the  carry- 
ing of  any  kind  of  provision  out  of  the  country,  except  on  a  license 
from  himself,  upon  pain  of  prosecution  and  the  forfeiture  of  the 
goods  and  conveyances  carrying  the  same.  This  stringent  procedure 
was  inaugurated  on  the  ground  that  all  the  provisions  in  the  coun- 
try were  necessary  for  the  maintenance  of  the  colonists.  The 
Nor'-Westers,  however,  regarded  it  as  especially  meant  for  them ; 
and  whether  it  was  or  not,  they  very  soon  had  reason  to  feel  its 
paralyzing  and  ruinous  effects  up<  n  their  trade.  Their  posts  natur- 
ally conld  not  subsist  without  provisions :  and  although  they  used  all 
their  skill  in  trying  to  evade  the  consequences  of  the  trouble- 
some edict,  they  very  soon  found  themselves  reduced  to  the 
verge  of  famine  and  their  trade  practically  disorganized.  Fort 
Douglas,  being  so  si  mated  as  to  command  the  river,  trained  its 
guns  on  and  captured  whatever  conveyances  attempted  to  pass  by 
that  route :  pack  trains  and  carts  were  waylaid  on  the  various 
prairie  trails  and  their  contents  confiscated ;  even  the  posts  of  the 
Nor'-Westers  were  battered  down  by  armed  forces  and  their  val- 
uable stores  of  supplies  plimdered.  And  during  all  this  time  the 
Xor'-Westcrs.  who  were  stron^j^  enough  numerically  and  otherwise 
to  have  wiped  otit  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  establishments  and 
the  entire  colony,  had  they  been  so  minded,  quietly  suffered  these 
indignities  and  losses  without  striking  a  blow  in  return  or  offering 
anything  in  the  way  of  retaliation. 

But  this  war  of  l^rd  Selkirk  and  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company 
with  the  Xor '-Westers  was  not  directed  against  contraband  pro- 
visions solely.  Nothing  less  than  the  complete  destruction  of  the 
rival  company  and  the  driving  out  of  the  traders  from  the  entire 
Hudson's  Bay  Company  territory  was  aimed  at.  In  pursuance  of 
this  policy,  on  the  21st  of  October  of  this  year,  a  peremptory  notice 
was  served  by  (Governor  Macdonell  on  Duncan  Cameron,  the  North- 
west Company's  representative  at  Fort  Gibraltar,  commanding  him 
to  vacate  his  premises  at  the  forks  of  the  river  within  six  calendar 
months.  Similar  notices  were  also  sent  far  and  wide  throughout  the 
country,  and  instructions  were  given  to  the  Hudson's  Bay  Com- 
pany's agents  to  warn  the  Nor -Westers  off  the  land,  treat  them  as 
poachers,  and  forcibly  seize  their  buildings,  provisions,  etc.,  when- 
ever they  had  the  physical  means  to  do  so.^ 

Convinced  by  these  wholesale  and  high-handed  proceedings  that 
their  destruction  was  determined  upon  by  Lord  Selkirk  and  the  Hud- 
son's Bay  Company,  the  Nor'-W^esters  at  their  annual  meeting  held 
at  Fort  William  in  June,  1814,  took  the  matter  into  formal  consider- 
ation and  unanimously  decided  not  to  be  driven  out  of  the  country. 


'Donald   Gunn,   History  of  Manitoba,  p.    112. 


102  '  STATE   HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

but  to  stand  up  for  the  defense  of  their  trade  and  oppose  force  by 
force  if  necessary.  In  accordance  with  this  resolution,  and  for  the  ex- 
press purpose  of  carrying  out  this  policy,  certain  picked  men  consid- 
ered capable  of  dealing  with  the  difficult  situation  were  appointed  to 
the  chief  positions  of  the  company  in  the  west.  Principal  among  these 
doughty  ironsides  upon  whom  the  Nor'- Westers  rested  their  faith 
was  Duncan  Cameron,  already  mentioned,  who  was  placed  in  charge 
of  Fort  Gibraltar,  the  western  headquarters  of  their  trade. 

This  gentleman  who  was  a  warm  hearted  Highlander  and  of  a 
bold  and  daring  disposition,  arrived  on  the  site  of  the  colony  about 
the  same  time  as  the  third  detachment  of  colonists,  whose  sufferings 
and  disappointments  we  have  already  described.  Being  a  High- 
lander like  themselves  and  a  fluent  speaker  of  Gaelic,  their  native 
tongue,  and  being  the  possessor  of  many  amiable  qualities  besides, 
it  was  not  long  before  a  fast  friendship  grew  up  between  him  and 
the  Scottish  settlers.  It  is  quite  possible  that  Cameron  had  an 
object  in  making  himself  as  agreeable  to  the  colonists  as  he  could; 
for,  without  doubt,  in  a  diplomatic  way,  he  connived  at  and  insti- 
gated the  destruction  of  the  colony.  Be  this  as  it  may,  we  know 
that  during  the  winter  after  their  arrival  he  showed  them  much 
kindness,  fraternizing  freely  with  them  and  supplying  their  neces- 
sities out  of  the  company's  stores  on  numerous  occasions.  The 
colonists,  in  their  turn,  placed  their  confidence  in  him  and  poured 
into  his  ears  the  whole  tale  of  their  disappointments  and  discontent. 
This  rebellious  spirit  Cameron  did  not  take  much  pains  to  allay,  but 
on  the  other  hand  fed  the  smouldering  flames  to  the  very  best  of  his 
ability.  As  the  winter  advanced  the  spirit  of  discontent  and  insub- 
ordinati(jn  grew  with  it.*'  Many  of  them,  wearied  and  dis;^usted  with 
the  country  on  account  of  the  trials  and  bereavements  of  the  last 
year,  which  feelings  were  increased  and  embittered  by  a  keen  sense 
of  the  harsh  and  unjust  manner  in  which  they  had  been  treated 
at  Fort  Churchill,  and  on  their  inland  vovage.  heartily  wished  them- 
selves away  from  Red  river  and  under  the  influence  of  nn)re  favor- 
able surroundinj^s.  To  those  recollections  were  added  the  suffering's 
and  miseries  of  the  past  winter,  on  the  plains  anionic  the  sav- 
ages and  barbarous  freemen.  All  of  which  put  toi^ether  rendered 
them  anything  but  satisfied  with  their  present  condition,  nor  did 
the  prospect  Ix^fore  tbetn  indicate  anything  to  cheer  up  tlieir  care- 
worn and  (lesj)onding  spirits." 

*'\Ve  have  observed  above  that  the  Governor's  first  oflioial  act 
was  to  enroll  the  newcomers  among  the  company's  servants,  and  to 
put  arms  into  their  hanrN  to  fii^ht  his  T.t^rdsliip's  battles  for  the  des- 
truction of  his  commercial  rivals,  and  for  the  establishment  of  a  cruel 
and  despotic  mont>ply  in  the  great  Northwest  Territories^.  And 
against  whom  were  they  called  upon  to  fight?  In  some  cases 
against  near  relations:  in  most  cases  against  men  sj^eaking  the  same 
lan;::uaue  with  themselves;  and  in  every  case  against  their  countrv- 


STATE    OF     NORTH     DAKOTA  103 

men  and  fellow  subjects.  Can  we  then  feel  surprised  when  we  are 
informed  that  the  colonists  had  become  extremely  dissatisfied  with 
the  experiment  they  had  made?.  When  they  thought  on  the  past. 
Fort  Churchill  with  all  the  misery  they  suffered  there  rose  before 
their  minds;  and  when  they  endeavored  to  look  forward  into  the 
future,  they  could  see  nothing  but  endless  trouble  and  privation 
before  them.  They  were  fully  convinced  that  it  would  be  impossible 
for  them  to  succeed  in  their  agricultural  eflforts,  or  to  remain  with 
any  prospect  of  safety  in  the  country,  while  the  Hudson's  Bay  Com- 
pany assumed  the  right  of  seizing  the  persons  of  the  Northwest 
Company's  servants  and  of  confiscating  their  property,  and  had  en- 
forced these  assumed  rights  whenever  their  physical  means  enabled 
them  to  do  so.  They  knew  also  that  the  Northwest  Company  had 
decided  to  protect  their  servants  and  their  property  against  all 
aggressors  by  opposing  force  to  force.  They  justly  inferred  that  all 
law  and  order  would,  in  a  short  time,  be  set  at, defiance  and  equally 
disregarded  by  the  contending  parties,  and  that,  whichever  of  the 
two  might  come  off  victorious,  they  saw  clearly  they  would  be  forced 
to  tike  part  in  the  quarrel  in  which  they  might  lose  some  valuable 
lives,  and  were  sure  of  being  unable  to  proceed  with  the  object  for 
which  they  had  come  to  Red  river."^ 

Actuated  by  feelings  and  considerations  of  this  kind  and  en- 
couraged by  Cameron,  the  great  majority  of  the  colonists  decided 
to  leave  the  country,  and  a  passsage  by  boat  to  York  (now  Toronto) 
being  offered  them  by  that  gentleman,  preparations  were  very  soon 
under  way  for  the  contemplated  exodus.  As  a  preliminary  step, 
and.  that  it  might  not  be  used  against  them,  the  colonists  went  to 
Fort  Douglas  and  took  possession  of  nine  pieces  of  field  artillery 
belonging  to  Lord  Selkirk.  Shortly  after  this.  Miles  Macdonell  the 
colony  governor,  was  arrested  on  a  warrant  sworn  out  by  Cameron 
as  a  justice  of  the  peace,  to  answer  for  his  unlawful  acts  in  plun- 
dering the  Northwest  Company's  posts ;  and  in  the  month  of  June, 
1815,  about  three- fourths  of  the  entire  colony,  some  134  in  number, 
embarked  in  Northwest  Company  boats,  and  under  the  guidance  and 
and  partonage  of  Cameron,  proceeded  by  way  of  Fort  William 
and  the  Lakes  to  Lower  Canada.  A  few  of  the  remainder  took 
service  with  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company ;  some  went  to  Jack  river, 
now  Norway  House,  on  Lake  Winnipeg,  and  three  returned  to 
York  Factory  with  the  intention  of  goino:  back  to  the  old  country. 
Thus  in  a  few  days  was  broken  up  and  blotted  out  of  existence  an 
establishment  that  had  taken  months  and  years  of  labor,  sacrifice 
and  suffering  to  build  up,  and  that  had  cost  large  expenditures  of 
money  to  establish. 

A  good  deal  of  sensational  fiction  has  been  jjiven  to  the  public  bv 
some  of  our  prominent  Canadian  writers  on  this  subject.  Repeated 
attempts  have  been  made  to  magnify  this  exodus  of  the  settlers  into 


'Donald  Gunn,  History  of  Manitoba,  pp.   110-116, 


104  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 

an  Acadian  expulsion,  and  terrible  pictures  have  been  painted  of  the 
atrocities  committed  by  the  followers  of  the  Northwest  Company 
on  this  occasion,  but  it  is  certain  that  fully  ninety  per  cent  of  the 
details  out  of  which  these  pictures  are  consructed  are  purely  fig- 
ments of  the  imagination.  This  exodus  of  the  settlers  in  1815, 
although  undoubtedly  aided  and  abetted  by  the  Northwest  Company 
as  a  counter  to  the  attemprted  expulsion  of  their  own  p)eople  by  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company,  was  nevertheless  a  mutiny  of  the  settlers, 
pure  and  simple.  There  may  have  been  some  attempt  made  by  the 
Nor'-Westers  to  frighten  away  the  few  who  desired  to  remain,  but 
whatever  demonstration  of  this  character  was  actually  made  has 
likewise  been  grossly  exaggerated. 

The  Colony  although  destroyed,  however,  did  not  remain  long 
in  tills  condition.  The  same  fall  that  the  exodus  above  described 
took  place,  a  fourth  contingent  of  settlers,  numbering  about  a  hun- 
dred, under  the  leadership  of  Robert  Semple  the  new  Governor  of 
the  Colony  arrived  at  Red  River,  and  with  these  returned  to  the  set- 
tlement the  most  of  those  who  had  refused  to  leave  in  the  spring. 
This  winter,  1815-16,  the  colonists  again  adopted  Dakota  as  their 
temporary  home,  but  in  the  spring  returned  to  Fort  Douglas  and 
took  up  the  work  of  rebuilding  the  colony  on  the  original  site.  Un- 
fortunately for  them,  however,  an  even  sadder  and  more  dis- 
tressing calamity  than  that  which  had  befallen  the  settlement  the 
preceding  ^spring  was  soon  to  break  like  a  storm  upon  them. 

In  return  for  inveigling  away  the  setttlers,  the  new  governor, 
Semple,  seized  the  Northwest  Fort  Gibraltar  and  razed  it  to  the 
ground;  at  the  same  time  arresting  and  sending  to  England*  its 
commander,  Duncan  Cameron.  On  Dakota  territory  the  same  line 
of  reprisal  was  taken,  Pembina  House,  the  Nor'-Westers'  fort  at 
Pembina  was  captured  and  destroyed.  In  this  way  the  communica- 
tion of  the  Nor'-Westers  with  the  east  and  west  was  entirelv  cut 
off.  Their  trade  was  paralyzed,  and  as  a  company  they  were  face 
to  face  with  ruin.  In  this  extremity  it  was  resolved  to  orc^anize  a 
strong  expedition  in  the  west  which  was  to  march  across  tlie  conntrv 
eastward  from  Portage  la  Prairie  on  the  Assinniboine  river  and  pass 
at  a  distance  from  Fort  Douglas,  thus  avoiding  that  establishment, 
and  make  a  junction  with  the  Northwest  Company  boats  from  Fort 
William,  which  were  expected  to  reach  the  juoiith  of  the  Red  river 
abfnit  that  time,  and  in  this  way  to  re-estahlish  their  broken  c :)in- 
mum'cations.  This,  at  any  rate,  is  the  Nor'-W  ester's  own  accoimt 
of  their  maneuvers;  and  so  far  as  I  have  bjcn  able  to  jicl^e  the 
matter,  it  seems  to  me  to  be  as  credible  as  any. 

A  variety  of  accounts  of  this  unfortunate  affair  have  been  given, 
the  differ<Mit  theories  of  how  the  encoimter  occurred  atid  tlie  .illot- 
ment  of  the  blame  varying,  as  a  rule,  according  to  the  partisan 


STATE    Of     NORTH     DAKOTA  .         105 

I  .■■  ■  ■■■^^■1  ■      ■!  I^^M  I  ■    ■  I    ■    ^IM     ■■!■  ■     ■     ■!■     ■  ■     1^  I  ■  -  — 

predilections  of  the  narrator.  Writers  favoring  I^rk  Selkirk  and 
the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  have  of  course  sought  to  lay  the  onus  of 
the  affair  entirely  on  the  shoulders  of  the  Northwest  Company's 
people.  It  is  irifteresting,  therefore,  and  not  a  little  significant,  to 
find  in  the  McLeod  manuscript  a  statement  of  opinion,  althou8:h 
confessedly  not  of  an  eye  witness,  in  entire  harmony  with  and  bear- 
ing out  in  the  fullest  degree  the  version  of  the  affair  eiven  by 
Donald  Gunn,  in  his  history  and  always  consistently  adhered  to  by 
the  authorities  of  the  Northwest  Company. 

As  this  brigade,  however,  which  was  composed  principally  of 
bois  brules  (half  breeds)  was  passing  by  on  the  prairie  tliey  were 
observed  by  the  watchman  at  Fort  Douglas,  who  gave  the  alarm. 
Governor  Semple,  either  thinking  that  the  expedition  was  going  to 
attack  the  settlement,  or  desiring  to  show  his  authority,  placed 
himself  immediately  at  the  head  of  some  twenty-eight  of  his  fol- 
lowers and  started  out  to  intercept  them.  The  meeting  took  place 
on  the  prairie  about  a  mile  to  the  northwest  of  Fort  Douglas  at  a 
point  now  familiarly  known  to  all  residents  of  Winnipeg  as  Seven 
Oaks.  Just  what  took  place  at  this  parley  or  how  the  trouble  began 
is  not  easy  to  say.  The  eye  wftnesses  of  the  affair  who  have  left 
accounts  of  it  are  eitlier  so  prejudiced  or  so  hopelessly  at  variance 
in  their  statements  that  nothing  positive  can  be  asserted,  except  that 
a  few  words  were  interchanged  by  the  two  leaders,  someone  fired  a 
shot,  and  then  a  general  fusilade  followed.  The  result  was  that  in 
a  few  minutes  Ciovernor  Semple  and  nearly  all  his  people  were 
killed,  very  little  damage  being  done  to  the  Northwest  Company 
party.  Having  come  off  victorious  in  the  fight  with  Governor 
Semple,  the  Northwest  Company  people  took  possession  of  Fort 
Douglas,  and  in  a  few  days  the  terrified  colonists,  having  lost  their 
protector,  took  to  their  boats  and  for  a  second  time  the  colony  was 
broken  up  and  deserted. 

This  encounter  took  place  on  the  19th  of  June,  181G,  and  Fort 
Douglas  remained  in  the  hands  of  the  Nor*-Westers,  and  the  colony 
was  deserted,  until  the  following  spring. 

Late  in  the  fall  of  the  year  previous  to  this  Lord  Selkirk  arrived 
in  America,  on  his  way  to  visit  the  settlement,  and  spent  the  winter 
in  Montreal.  Here,  having  learned  of  the  dispersion  of  the  settlers, 
he  organized  an  armed  expedition,  consisting:  of  over  100  disbanded 
British  soldiers  of  the  DcMeuron  and  Wattcville  regiments  and 
130  canoemen.  The  brigade,  all  told,  numbered  about  250  men; 
and  with  these  he  proceeded,  by  way  of  the  Georgian  Bay  and  the 
Lakes,  into  the  interior,  to  mete  out  justice  and  ven^^eancc  to  his 
opponents  with  his  own  ban :1s.  On  his  way  inland,  tlic  sinnmer  of 
181(),  he  captured  Fort  Williair.,  th:  ^rndquarters  of  the  Northwest 
Company  and  their  main  depot  on  the  lakes,  arrested  all  the  prin- 
cipal partners,  and  with  his  military  force  remained  there  for  the 
winter.     Farly  in  the  spring  of  1817  he  despatched  from  there  a 


106  STATE   HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


brigade  of  his  faithful  DeMeurons  for  Red  river,  and  on  their 
arrival,  coming  unexpectedly  on  the  Nor*-Westers,  Fort  Douglas 
was  retaken.  Not  long  afterwards  Lord  Selkirk  himself,  with  the 
rest  of  his  force,  arrived ;  this  being  the  first  occasion  on  which  the 
great  colonizer  had  set  foot  upon  the  soil  that  had  been  the  center 
of  so  much  of  his  thought  and  care  for  some  fifteen  years  of  his 
life.  On  his  arrival  the  settlers  were  brought  back  from  their  ref- 
uge at  Norway  House  and  the  colony  was  reorganized. 

As  soon  as  affairs  in  the  colony  had  once  more  settled  down  into- 
a  state  of  tranquility  Lord  Selkirk  called  a  mass  meeting  of  the 
colonists.  On  the  appointed  day  they  all  assembled  at  a  place  since 
known  as  St.  John's,  in  the  n6rth  end  of  the  present  city  of  Win- 
nipeg, where  St.  John's  cathedral  and  college  now  stand.  Here 
his  Lordship  addressed  the  settlers,  encouraging  them  and  renewing 
his  former  promises.  On  this  occasion  he  called  the  colony  "Kil- 
donan,"  after  the  parish  in  Sutherlandshire,  Scotland,  from  which 
the  majority  of  those  present  had  come.  He  also  presented  to  them, 
at  this  time,  the  land  upon  which  they  stood,  to  be  used  for  school 
and  church  purposes  as  long  as  the  colony  should  endure. 

In  the  meantime  the  Canadian  government,  roused  to  action  by 
the  insufferable  state  of  affairs  in  Rupert's  Land  had  taken  a.  hand 
in  the  proceedings  and  issued  a  proclamation  commanding  all  hostil- 
ities between  the  two  companies  to  cease,  ordering  at  the  same  time 
the  immediate  restoration  of  all  property,  taken  by  either  party  dur- 
ing the  struggle,  to  its  original  owners.  Commissioners  were  also  sent 
into  the  country  with  full' powers  to  adjust  matters  between  the 
contestants,  and  these  were  soon  able  to  report  favorably  on  their 
mission.  A  truce,  which  continued  until  their  amalgamation  in 
1821,  was  brought  about  between  the  two  companies,  and  the  har- 
rassed  and  afflicted  colonists  were  left  to  pursue  in  peace  the  pur- 
pose for  which  they  had  come  to  the  country  without  fear  of  further 
annoyance  from  this  quarter. 

After  spending  some  further  time  in  Canada,  engaged  in  incessant 
and  heart  breaking  litigation  over  events  which  had  grown  out  of  his 
part  in  the  troubles  above  described.  Lord  Selkirk  returned  to 
England,  and  in  1820  died  at  Pau  in  the  south  of  France,  whither 
he  had  gone  in  search  of  health  after  the  wearing  strain  of  his  stren- 
uous and  disappointing  activities  in  laying  the  foundations  of  a  new 
civilization  on  the  prairies  of  our  western  world. 


THE  .MACLEOD  MANUSCRIPT. 

To  the  student  of  history,  and  especially  to  those  who  are  look- 
ing for  material  from  which  to  construct  the  story  of  our  western 
civilization,  no  new  material,  be  it  of  any  value,  will  come  amiss. 
There  is  paucity  enough  of  reliable  data  at  the  best  from  which  to 
piece  together  and  reconstruct  the  scenes  and  events  of  the  early 


STATE    OF     NORTH     DAKOTA  107 


Stages  of  our  development ;  and  as  time  passes,  while  the  interest  and 
desire  for  more  information  with  regard  to  these  far  away,  romantic 
beginning^  ever  increases,  the  original  sources  of  that  information 
will  naturally  be  becoming  scarcer  and  scarcer.  It  is  for  us,  therefore, 
who  yet  stand  close  upon  the  outskirts  of  this  charmed  circle  of 
romance  and  history-making  movements,  to  gather  up  and  preserve, 
before  it  is  too  late,  the  records  and  evidences  that  still  remain  of 
these  stirring  events.  I  am  glad,  for  this  reason,  that  the  State 
Historical  Society  of  North  Dakota  has  been  able  to  obtain  and  put 
before  the  public  in  readable  and  permanent  form,  where  it  will 
always  be  accessible  to  students  of  the  events  with  which  it  deals,  the 
subjoined  "diary,"  which  I  trust  may  not  be  without  some  real  value 
along  the  lines  indicated. 

This  record  of  events,  known  as  the  MacLeod  Manuscript  and 
here  published  in  full  for  the  first  time,  is  a  document  that,  in  view 
of  the  period  it  professes  to  cover,  may  be  regarded  as  of  consider- 
able value  and  importance.  Embracing  as  k  does  the  entire  period 
of  Lord  Selkirk's  colonizing  activities  on  the  Red  river,  as  well  as 
that  of  the  great  struggle  between  the  Northwest  and  Hudson's  Bay 
Companies  for  the  mastery  of  the  fur  trade  in  the  interior,  we  should 
naturally  look  ito  it  with  some  degree  of  expectation  as  a  source  from 
which  to  draw  data  that  will  shed  light  on  the  activities  of  those 
strenuous  and  stirring  times.  We  have  a  right  to  expect  a  good 
deal  from  a  document  that  claims  to  be  the  record,  by  an  eye  witness, 
of  these  history-making  transactions ;  while  we  may  not  find  every- 
thing that  we  might  expect,  and  will  find  some  things  that  we  would 
not  expect  and  cannot  agree  with,  nevertheless,  taking  the  docu- 
ment on  the  whole,  it  will  be  found  to  have  an  undoubted  value  as 
an  historic  record,  and  be  in  every  way  worthy  of  preservation.  In 
making  use  of  the  manuscript,  however,  as  a  source  from  which  to 
draw  data  for  the  reconstruction  of  these  scenes  in  our  early  history, 
we  must  come  to  it  with  careful  discrimination,  knowing  something 
of  its  history,  its  construction  and  its  purpose.  We  shall  fall  other- 
wise into  errors,  such  as  have  already  been  made  by  some  of  our 
reputable  historians,  and  of  which  I  shall  speak  in  the  proper  place 
as  I  proceed.  In  the  meantime,  a  few  words  about  the  manuscript 
itself  will  enable  us  to  judge  of  its  value  as  a  source,  and  will  help  us 
to  understand  the  general  subject.' 

In  the  first  place,  I  would  say  that  while  this  document  has  often 
been,  and  is,  erroneously  so-called,  it  is  nevertheless,  in  no  true  sense 
of  the  term,  a  "diary."  It  is  confessedly  a  compilation  made  up  of 
extracts  from  various  journals  and  other  documents  by  a  son  of 
its  reputed  author,  nearly  forty  years  after  the  earliest  and  more 
than  a  quarter  of  century  after  the  latest  events  which  it  records. 
To  this  has  been  added  ndtes,  sometimes  incorporated  in  the  text 
and  sometimes  marginal,  by  the  son,  Malcolm  MacLeod,  already 
mentioned.     These  notes,  as  they  shed  light  upon  the  construction 


108  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 


of  the  manuscript,  are  of  value;  where  they  deal  with  historic  de- 
ductions from  the  statements  made  in  the  text  as  to  the  locations 
of  establishments,  first  erections  and  other  local  details^  they  arc 
to  be  taken  with  considerable  caution  and  not  to  be  accepted  without 
collateral  evidence.  My  reason  for  taking  this  ground  will,  I 
think,  sufficiently  appear  from  a  survey  of  my  notes  on  the  various 
paragraphs  of  the  text. 

The  construction  of  the  manuscript  is  apparentlv  simple.  The 
first  portion  of  it,  we  are  informed  by  the  son,  is  a  journal  kept  by 
MacLeod,  Sr.,  which  breaks  off  suddenly  at  Turtle  river.  Even  this 
part  however,  which,  if  any,  might  lay  claim  to  the  title,  is  obviously 
not  a  "diary"  but  a  narrative  of  events  written  up  from  memory, 
or  from  an  earlier  record,  some  time  after  the  events  themselves 
had  transpired.  Needless  to  say,  the  narrative  as  such  is  valuable 
and  appears  to  be  trustworthy.  The  light  this  part  of  the  manuscript 
sheds  on  the  movements  of  the  first  contingent  of  colonists  sent  out 
to  Red  river  by  Lx)rd  Selkirk  is  sufficient  in  itself  to  justify  the 
preservation  of  the  record ;  for,  until  the  finding  of  the  letter-book 
of  Miles  Macdonell,  some  years  ago,  there  was  very  little  reliable 
data  extant  on  which  to  base  the  history  of  this  very  important 
period  of  the  Selkirk  settlement. 

The  second  part  of  the  "diary,"  so  called,  consists  of  a  number 
of  paragraphs  introduced  as  editor's  notes  by  the  son,  in  which  he. 
explains  the  composition  of  the  remaining  portion  of  the  journal 
and  incidentally  makes  some  observations  on  the  Northwest  Company 
and  Alexander  Ross,  the  historian ;  all  of  which  will  be  dealt  with 
in  notes  under  the  proper  paragraph. 

A  portion  of  the  manuscript,  MacLeod  informs  us  in  his  notes, 
is  composed  of  records  "in  casual  diaries  enroute  and  in  regular 
regulation  journals  at  different  posts,  where  in  charge,  and  of 
a  special  statement  of  facts  dictated  to  me  in  1H}8  fr)r  memorial 
to  the  Board  of  Directors  in  England,"  etc.,  and  the  composite 
character  of  this  part  of  the  manuscript  is  quite  plain  to  be  seen, 
though  not  so  easy  to  unravel  or  explain.  Of  this  portion  of  the 
narrative  some  parts  seem  to  be  quite  reliable,  while  others,  leaving 
out  the  question  of  dates  and  a  few  of  the  main  features,  are  just 
as  obviouslv  fiction.  Of  this  sort,  I  have  no  hesitation  in  saving, 
is  that  portion  of  the  manuscript  purporting:  to  give  an  account  of 
the  breaking  up  of  the  colony  by  the  Nor '-Westers  in  1815.  It  is 
difficult  to  determine,  of  course,  just  from  what  original  this  part  of 
the  narrative  was  taken.  Had  I  any  evidence  to  the  effect  that  Mr. 
McLeo<l,  Sr.,  had  ever  attempted  to  write  a  historical  romance 
or  a  book  of  adventures  founded  on  the  events  of  the  early  days  in 
Red  river,  I  would  at  once  set  this  portion  of  the  manuscript  down  as 
a  relic  of  this  ambitious  endeavor;  for  with  the  exception  of  an 
approximate  correspondence  in  date  and  the  happy  hitting  of  a 
few  main   facts,  just  enough  to  base  the  story  upon,  1  am  quite 


STATE    OF     NORTH     DAKOTA  109 


satisfied  that  it  is  a  piece  of  fiction  from  first  to  last.  Barring  out 
this  theory,  however,  of  a  possible  attempt  at  historical  romance, 
there  is  only  one  other  way  in  which  I  can  account  for  the  appear- 
ance here  of  this  piece  of  obviously  Falstaffian  exaggeration.  In 
his  notes  prefacing  this  part  of  the  manuscript,  MacLeod,  Jr.,  as 
we  have  seen,  makes  the  statement  that  this  portion  of  the  narrative 
is  made  up,  in  part,  of  "a  special  statement  of  facts  dictated  to  me 
in  1848  for  memorial  to  the  Board  of  Directors  in  England,  claiming 
as  long  past  due  him,  promotion  to  a  Chief  Factorship ;"  and  here, 
I  think,  undoubtedly,  we  have  a  fragment  of  this  redoubtable  mem- 
orial. In  this  portion  of  the  narrative  MacLeod  the  elder  is  evi- 
dently telling  a  story,  the  first  purpose  of  which  is  to  magnify  his 
own  office  and  show  the  exceedingly  heroic  and  valuable  nature 
of  his  services  as  an  officer  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company.  It  is 
just  such  a  production  as  we  would  expect,  had  it  been  concocted 
for  a  purpose  of  this  kind.  The  son,  it  is  true,  is  careful  to  point 
out  that  any  untruth  in  a  memorial  of  this  description  would  be 
fatal  to  it  as  such ;  it  should  be  borne  in  mind,  however,  that  a  period 
of  thirty-three  years  had  elapsed  between  the  presenting  of  this 
memorial  and  the  events  here  recorded  in  it,  and  in  those  days, 
before  the  earliest  history  of  the  west  had  been  written,  the  Board 
of  Directors  in  London  were  not  in  the  very  best  position  to  judge, 
after  so  long  a  lapse  of  time,  as  to  what  had  been  done  and  what  had 
not  been  done  in  the  far  distant  wilderness  of  the  Red  river  country. 
It  might  be  added  further  that  as  the  prayer  of  the  memorial  was 
not  granted  by  the  Honorable  Company,  instead  of  such  a  con- 
sideration beino:  a  proof  of  the  truth  of  the  statements  made  in  it, 
the  way  is  laid  open  for  exactly  the  opposite  conclusion.  This,  I  am 
quite  well  aware,  is  a  serious  impugning  of  the  veracity  of  the 
author  of  the  manuscript,  and,  if  found  to  be  justified,  naturally 
tends  to  discredit,  to  a  certain  extent,  everything  else  recorded  by 
him.  Such  a  result,  however,  while  unquestionably  unavoidable, 
docs  not  necessarilv  follow  to  the  extent  that  one  might  think. 
There  are  parts  of  the  manuscript  that  anyone  can  see  are  authentic 
and  reliable,  the  reader  must  use  judgment  and  discrimination  in 
deciding  between  these  different  parts.  The  portion  now  under  dis- 
cussion is  a  piece  of  bombastic  exage:eration  that  bears  the  evidences 
of  its  own  unreliability  plainly  written  upon  its  face. 

In  judging  the  historic  accuracy  of  a  document  of  this  kind,  if 
the  events  related  are  not  covered  by  other  accessible  records,  it  is 
sometimes  difficult  to  arrive  at  a  conclusion  with  regard  to  the  trust- 
worthiness of  the  matter  related.  In  a  case  of  this  kind  we  must 
depend  very  largely  on  the  internal  evidence  afforded  by  the  docu- 
ment itself,  and  to  its  general  air  of  reliability  or  unreliability  as 
the  case  may  be.  In  judging  the  manuscript  before  us,  however,  we 
are  not  placed  in  any  such  delicately  critical  situation ;  for,  as  we 
have  just  shown,  so  far  as  this  particular  part  's  concerned,  not  only 


110  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 

is  its  reliability  impeached  by  its  bombastic  and  exaggerated  style, 
as  well  as  by  its  confused  and  unintelligible  sequence  of  events,  but 
the  ground  thus  covered  and  the  events  related  have  all  been  treated 
independently  by  other  writers  whose  qualifications  for  the  task  and 
whose  trustworthiness  there  is  no  reason  to  doubt.  There  are  many 
different  extant  accounts  of  this  celebrated  encounter  bv  reliable 
chroniclers  representing  both  of  the  interested  parties,  and  there  is 
not  one  of  these  that  does  not  give  the  lie  to  the  version  of  the 
affair  as  it  is  here  recorded  by  MacLeod.  According  to  all  these 
chroniclers,  there  was  but  one  armed  skirmish  of  any  account  con- 
nected with  the  dispersion  of  the  colonists  in  June,  1815,  and  that 
was  a  very  brief  and  simple  affair,  as  compared  with  the  Waterloo, 
that  MacLeod  here  describes.  Gunn,  who  states  that  his  account 
of  these  occurrences  was  obtained  by  him  from  "living  and  reliable 
witnesses,  who  were  present  when  the  above  occurrences  took 
place,"  gives  the  version  of  the  affair  by  these  eye  witnesses,  and 
side  by  side  with  it  places  the  account  of  the  same  instances  as  given 
by  the  interested  partisans  of  Lord  Selkirk ;  and  the  only  difference 
there  is  in  these  two  versions  is  concerning  the  manner  in  which 
John  Warren,  the  only  person  killed  in  the  encounter,  came  by  his 
death ;  the  partisans  of  his  lordship  holdinof  that  this  unfortunate 
individual  died  from  a  woun  dinflicted  by  a  bullet  fired  by  the  attack- 
ing party  of  Nor'-Westers,  while  the  "reliable  witnesses"  claim  that 
he  came  to  his  death  by  the  bursting  of  a  small  wall  piece,  in  the 
Colony  Fort,  while  he  was  in  the  act  of  discharging  it.^ 

This  work,  which  Gunn  used  as  evidence  here,  was  prepared  and 
published  by  the  friends  of  Lord  Selkirk  for  the  express  purpose, 
as  the  book  itself  declares,  of  vindicating  the  great  colonizer  and  his 
associates,  and  of  throwing  the  obloquy  of  these  transactions  on 
their  opponents,  the  Nor' — Westers ;  or,  as  we  read  on  page  124,  to 
show  "that,  from  the  first  knowledge  of  an  intention  to  form  a 
colony  upon  the  Red  river,  the  Northwest  Company  of  Montreal 
determined  to  prevent  it : — that,  to  effect  this  determination,  they 
did  not  scruple  as  to  the  means  which  were  to  be  employed ; — that, 
as  the  probable  success  of  the  settlement  became  apparent,  their 
attempts  to  destroy  it  became  more  atrocious ; — and  that,  at  length, 
they  proceeded  to  those  unjustifiable  measures  which  have  termin- 
ated in  the  massacre  of  their  fellow  subjects."  In  accordance  with 
its  stated  purpose,  this  little  volume  of  about  200  pages  is  a  veritable 
mine  of  controversial  material  directed  against  the  Northwest 
Company — a  mine  out  of  which,  it  may  be  said,  most  of  the  material 
of  a  similar  nature,  so  bravely  spread  out  on  the  pasres  of  some  of 
our  modern  histories,  has  been  taken.  No  available  bit  of  testimony 
is  left  unutilized  to  brimr  home  the  charges  made  to  the  doors  of 
thes?  heartily  hated  rivals.  It  is  reasonable  to  expect,  therefore, 
that  whatever  atrocities  were  committer!  by  these  latter  would,  at 

'Donald  Gunn,  History  of  Manitoba,  p.   119. 


STATE    OF     NORTH     DAKOTA  111 


least,  not  be  minimized  in  such  an  account.^  Yet,  outside  of  some 
general  charges  of  ^cattle-lifting"  and  alleged  instances  of  individual 
settlers  being  fired  upon,  the  subjoined  account  is  the  worst  the 
author  of  this  work  can  find  to  relate  concerning  the  "atrocities" 
committed  by  the  Nor'-Westers  upon  this  occasion. 

The  Selkirk  account  of  the  aflfair  is  as  follows:  "They  (the 
Nor*- Westers)  marched  from  the  Northwest  Company's  post  and 
stationed  themselves  in  a  wood  adjoining  the  Governor's  house, 
which  was  the  principal  building  in  the  settlement ;  they  began  their 
operations  by  firing  a  shot  at  Dr.  White,  the  surgeon,  who  was 
walking  near  the  house,  but,  fortunately  it  missed  him.  Another 
shot  was  fired,  at  the  same  time,  at  Mr.  Bourke,  the  storekeeper, 
and  the  ball  passed  close  by  him.  A  general  firing  then  took  place 
from  the  woods  which  was  returned  by  those  in  the  house,  four  of 
whom  were  wounded,  and  one  of  them  (Mr.  Warren)  died  of  his 
wounds.  After  the  Northwest  party  had  kept  up  their  fire  for 
some  time,  they  returned  with  Mr.  Cameron,  who,  shortly  after  they 
left  the  forks,  had  followed  them  armed,  and  who,  on  their  return, 
cono^ratulated  them  with  much  satisfaction,  upon  the  result  of  their 
exploit,  and  on  their  personal  safety;  a  circumstance  not  very 
surprising  considering  that,  during  the  attack,  they  were  concealed 
in  a  wood,  not  one  of  them  being  visible  to  those  on  whom  they 
were  firing."^  This  encounter,  which  according  to  the  above  ac- 
count, and  concurred  in  by  Gunn  and  other  reliable  authorities,  took 
place  on  June  11th,  and  not  on  the  25th  as  stated  in  the  manuscript, 
it  will  be  readily  seen,  bears  about  as  much  resemblance  to  the  piece 
of  Falstaffian  fiction  given  us  by  McLeod  in  these  paragraphs  as  an 
ordinary  street  fight  does  to  a  Gettysburg  or  Waterloo.  The  manu- 
script version  is  exaggerated  and  distorted  almost  beyond  resemb- 
lance. As  we  read  it  over,  we  can  come  to  but  one  conclusion ;  either 
MacLeod  purposely  magnified  the  aflfair,  as  already  suggested,  in 
order  to  help  out  his  claim  to  a  chief- factorship,  or  else,  by  frequent 
re-telling  of  the  same  story  through  a  period  of  thirty-three  years, 
as  we  have  known  to  happen  in  many  instances  with  men  of  his  type, 
the  story  unconsciously  grew  by  repetition,  until,  as  Bunyan  says  in 
his  remarkable  preface, 

" — it  came  to  be 
For  length  and  bredth  the  bigness  which  you  see." 

Mr.  MacLeod  probably  believed  to  be  true  everything  he  set  down 
in  this  wonderful  piece  of  "diary"  writing,  but  the  fact  that  his 


"Statement  Respectinp^  the  Earl  of  Selkirk's  Settlement  upon  the  Red  River 
in  North  America;  its  Destruction  in  1815  and  1816  and  the  Massacre  of  Gov. 
Scmole  and  His  Pirty;  with  Ohservations  upon  a  Recent  Piihlic:ition  Entitled 
"A  Narrative  of  Occurrences  in  the  Indian  Country,  etc."    Lcndon  1817. 

Mb.,  p.  110. 


112  STATE   HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 

memory  was  failing,  and  that  his  recollection  of  what  took  place 
at  that  time  and  what  did  not  was  not  as  accurate  as  it  used  to  be  is 
clearly  shown  by  his  statement  with  regard  to  the  naming  of  Point 
Douglas,  "Probably  I  so  christened  it.  I  forget."^  There  is  a 
strong  probability  that  in  the  thirty-three  years  intervening  between 
the  actual  occurrence  of  these  events  and  the  committing  of  them 
to  writing,  in  1848,  MacLeod  had  forgotten  a  number  of  other 
things  in  connection  with  the  affair,  even  although,  like  the  tree 
which  grew  at  the  King's  window,  of  which  we  used  to  read  in  our 
school  books,  and  which,  for  every  chip  that  flew  oflf  under  the 
axe  of  those  who  undertook  to  cut  it  down  always  grew  on  two 
more  in  its  place,  the  story  was  in  no  way  diminished,  either  in  bulk 
or  vividness  of  detail,  by  these  lapses  of  memory. 

There  is  only  one  way,  that  I  can  see,  by  which  the  MacLeod 
narrative  of  these  occurrences  can  be  redeemed  from  this  imputa- 
tion of  unreliability  and  reconciled  with  other  extant,  contemporary 
accounts,  and  that  is  by  showing  the  MacLeod  account  to  refer 
to  a  separate  action.  This  view  of  the  case  is  held  by  Dr.  Bryce 
of  Winnipeg,  who,  in  his  Remarkable  History  of  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company,  takes  this  part  of  the  manuscript  and  treats  it  as  a  separ- 
ate account  of  a  ''battle*'  between  the  Nor'-Westers  and  the  colon- 
ists, which  took  place  subsequently  to  that  recorded  by  Selkirk,  Gunn 
and  others  as  having  occurred  on  June  11th.  Dr.  Bryce,  after  relat- 
ing the  circumstances  of  the  skirmish  of  June  11th,  substantially  in 
the  same  terms  as  given  above,  goes  on  to  tell  of  the  departure  from 
the  colcny,  under  quite  peaceable  circumstances,  it  would  appear,  of 
one  hundred  and  thirty-four  of  the  colonists  under  the  leadership 
of  Duncan  Cameron.  Having  disposed  of  this  part  of  the  recital, 
he  again  continues: 

'*The  Xor'- Westers  now  continued  their  persecution  of  the  remn- 
ant of  the  settlers.  They  burnt  some  of  their  houses  and  used 
threats  of  the  most  extreme  kind.  C^ne  June  25,  1815,  the  following 
document  was  served  upon  the  disheartened  colonists :  All  settlers 
to  retire  from  Red  River  immediately,  and  no  trace  of  a  settlement 
to  remain,  etc.*' 

"The  conflict  resulting  at  this  time  may  be  said  to  be  the  first 
battle  of  tiie  war.  A  fierv  Hiu^hland  trader,  John  MacLccKl,  was 
in  charge  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  house  at  this  point,  and  we 
has  his  account  of  the  attack  and  defense. *'- 

Then  follows  without  comment  the  full  text  of  the  McLeod 
manuscript  giving  the  account  of  the  battle  of  June  25th,  con- 
cludinof  with  the  followin<»::  *  *  *  "but  on  June  27th,  after  the 
hostile  encounter,  some  thirteen  families,  comprising  from  furty  to 


•Sep  p.  r>s. 

'Bryce,  The  Rcmarkahle  lIi"-tory  of  the  Hiulson's  P>ay  Cdnipnny.  p.  22\. 


STATE    OF     NORTH     DAKOTA  113 


sixty  persons,  pursued  their  sad  journey,  piloted  by  friendly  Indians, 
to  the  north  end  of  Lake  Winnipeg.  *  *  *  MacLeod  and,- as  he 
tells  us,  three  men  only  were  left.  *  *  *  The  expulsion  may  now 
be  said  to  have  been  complete."  *  Undoubtedly,  this  use  of  the 
MacLeod  manuscript  here,  is  absolutely  without  warrant.  In  the 
first  place,  if  it  could  be  shown  that  the  account  does  refer  to  a 
second  action,  it  is  so  manifestly  an  exaggeration  that  it  can  have 
no  place  in  sober  history.  In  the  second  place,  it  is  clear  that  it  is 
not  an  acount  of  a  second  action,  but  simply  a  grossly  garbled  and 
exaggerated  version  of  the  same  petty  affray  that  all  authorities  on 
this  subject,  describe  as  having  taken  place  early  in  June.  It  may 
be  contended,  in  rebuttal  of  this  position,  that  the  MacLeod  manu- 
script fixes  the  date  of  the  encounter  described  by  it  as  June  25th, 
but  if  the  reader  will  consult  the  text  he  will  find  that  there  is  at 
least  room  for  a  doubt  concerning  this.  The  date  in  this  part  of 
the  manuscript  is  a  bracketed  date,  probably  added  by  the  son  after- 
wards, and  is  of  doubtful  authority.  The  date  that  the  editor,  who- 
ever he  was,  should  have  inserted  here  was  the  11th  and  not  the  25th. 
But  we  are  not  dependant  upon  any  mere  negative  probability  of 
this  kind  to  show  that  the  MacLeod  account  is  simply  an  exaggerated 
version  of  the  affair  of  June  11th.  There  is  positive  proof  to  this 
effect  in  the  fact  that  the  same  individual,  John  Warren,  is  repres- 
ented as  having  been  killed  in  both  encounters.  All  early  authorities, 
so  far  as  I  am  acquainted  with  them,  agree  that  this  unfortunate 
gentleman  met  his  death  in  the  engagement  of  the  earlier  date.  It 
is  no  wonder,  since  this  is  the  case,  that  MacLeod  should  speak  of 
him  commiseratingly  as  "poor  Mr.  Warren  (John)"  when,  in  order 
to  pull  of  this  Waterloo  for  the  benefit  of  future  makers  of  history, 
it  was  found  necessary  to  resurrect  him,  that  he  might  be  made 
to  do  duty  a  second  time  in  the  "casualties'*  of  this  famous,  "first 
battle  of  the  war.*' 

In  expressing  these  opinions  on  this  part  of  the  manuscript,  of 
course,  I  do  not  wish  to  be  understood  as  holding  that  every  state- 
ment made  in  it  is  untrue.  It  contains,  undoubtedly,  elements  of 
truth;  and  there  are  statements  in  it  covering  occurrences  about 
which  most  previous  records  have  been  silent.  It  is  but  fair  to 
say,  however,  that  the  value  and  authority  of  the  manuscript  is 
seriously  impaired  by  the  all  too  evident  departures  from  simple 
truth  with  which  this  part  of  it  abounds.  No  one,  I  am  sure,  would 
think  of  basing  any  important  conclusion  upon  its  statements,  on 
their  own  authority  and  without  contemporaneous  verification.  As 
collateral  evidence  the  manuscript  is  of  unquestioned  value,  but  not 
as  a  first  authoritv. 


'Bryce,  The  Remarkable  History  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  p.  224. 


STATE    OF     NORTH     DAKOTA  115 


DIARY,  ETC.,  OF  CHIEF  TRADER,  JOHN  • 
MacLeod,  senior,  of  HUDSON'S  BAY 
COMPANY,  RED  RIVER  SETTLEMENT, 
1811. 

[  THE    FOOT    NOTES   ARE   BY    11.    G.    GUNN.] 

Copy  of  the  diary  of  the  late  John  MacLeod, 
Senior,  one  of  the  Original  Chief  Traders  of  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company,  as  to  the  inaugura- 
tion and  establishment  of  the  Red  River  Settle- 
ment, and  H.  B.  C.  fur  trade  in  the  Red  River 
region.^  *Note  by  son: 

In  the  year  one  thousand  eight  hundred-  and  ^^^  ^^?"  ^^  . 
eleven  *  I  engaged  in  the  capacity  of  a  clerk  in  mercantile  life, 
the  service  of  the  Honble  Hudson's  Bay  Com- 
panv.  Mr.  Charles  MacLean  who  was  the  Agent 
for  the  said  Company  to  enga^^e  servants  in  the 
Western  Islands  was,  in  the  Spring  of  the  same 
year,  at  Stornoway,  and  as  he  found  some  (diffi- 
culty) in  finding  servants,  he  requested  me  to 
accompany  him  in  a  tour  he  intended  to  make 
round  the  Lewes  Island  in  the  quest  of  men  for 
the  Hudson's  Bay  Company*s  service. 

In  the  month  of  April  we  set  off  from  Storn- 
oway across  the  Island.  During  our  journey  we 
enlisted  from  21  to  26  effective  men,  who  came 
all  in  the  course  of  the  month  of  May  and  June 
to  Stornoway  and  received  advances  from  the 
Companv*s  Agents  to  a  considerable  amount 
Some  malicious  reports  prejudicial  to  the  Hud- 
son's Bay  Company's  interest  began  to  circulate 
amonefst  men  eneaged  for  the  Company ;  in  which 
reports  C^pt.  John  Mackenzie  (who  was  aeent 
for  the  Hudson's  Bav  Company  the  preceeding 
year)  and  Collector  Reid,  who  were  relations  of 
Sir  Alexander  Mackenzie,  and  sonsequently  ad- 
herents of  the  Northwest  Company,  were  the 
most  active — so  much  so,  that  after  some  of  the 

^Reprinted  from  a  copy  made  of  the  original,  now  in 
the    Provincial    Library    of    Manitoba,    at    Winnipeg- 
'through   the   kindness   of  J.    P.   Robertson,    Provincial 
Librarian. 


118 


STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


North- West  Company  )  was  inflaming  the  minds 
of  the  Indians  against  the  colonists  and  the  Hud- 
son's Bay  Company's  traders  to  such  a  degree 
that  unless  we  endeavored  to  put  a  stop  to  their 
proceedings  without  loss  of  time  we  had  every 
reason  to  apprehend  some  bad  effect  from  its 
results.  Shortly  after  this,  the  blackman  Cappen- 
akia,  and  La-bi-na-shany,  who  were  the  leading- 
men  or  chiefs  with  the  natives,  informed  us  that 
Toussaint  Voudrie  and  Bonhonime  Sloutour  told 
them  that  of  V(they)"  did  not  prevent  the  Colony 
to  settle  on  the  Red  River  they  would  very  soon 
be  made  slaves  of,  so  that  the  Indians,  without 
loss  of  time  "(should)"  expel  them  from  their 
country — but  now,  that  before  they  "(the  na- 
tives)" adopt  any  violent  measures,  all  the  princi- 
pal men  should  first  go  and  negotiate  with  the 
Commander  of  both  the  Colony  and  Company 
and  if  they  would  not  come  to  terms  with  them 
they  should  suflfer  for  it.  I,  without  loss  of  time 
communicated  the  above  circumstance  to  Mr.  Hil- 
lier,  and  at  the  same  "(time)''  with  a  great  deal 
of  admonition,  got  the  natives  dissuaded  from 
their  project,  and  observed  to  them  that  they 
should  "(not)"  pay  any  attention  to  the  N.  W. 
stories;  that  would  find  the  Colonists  their 
friends. 

In  the  month  of  May,  1813,  I  repaired  to  Pem- 
bina River  with  the  return  of  my  Post.  Here,  I 
found  Mr.  Henney  and  Governor  McDonell : 
the  most  of  the  settlers  had  already  gone  down 
to  the  Forks.  Settling  my  affairs  or  transactions 
of  my  Post  for  the  winter  with  Mr.  Henney,  I 
left  Pembina  on  the  IGth  inst.,  and  on  the  17th 
arrived  at  the  Forks  of  the  Red  River.  Mr. 
Henney  joined  me  on  the  21st.,  and  on  the  22nd 
took  his  departure  for  York  Factory,  leaving 
self  and  Panpman  in  charge,  for  the  summer,  of 
the  Company's  Post  at  the  Forks,  left  4  men 
building  and  fishing,  etc.  As  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company  had  no  house  at  this  place  prior  to  this,^ 


First  H.  B.  Co. 
Trade  Post  at 
Forks  of  Red 
R.  and 

Assiniboine  R. 
(Site  of   Upper 
Fort  Garrv), 
t)y  McLeod, 
August    1813. 


'I  his  stattmcnt  with  rcjrard  to  the  btiildine  by  Mac- 
Ia'ocI  of  the  first  house  for  the  Hud'^on's  l>av  Cfin- 
jiany  at  this  point  sliould  be  taken  with  considerable 
cant  ion.  In  the  sentence  immediately  precedijijr  tlie 
one  in  which  this  assertion  is  made.  MacLeo<l  states 
that    he    and    Pan^ian    were   left    "in   charge,    for   the 


STATE    OF    NORTH     DAKOTA 


119 


I  immediately,  on  Mr.  Henney's  departure  began 
to  build  and  had  a  good  snug  house  erected  be- 
fore the  return  of  the  fall  craft. 

During  the  summer  I  found  Pangman  essen- 
tially useful  in  counteracting  the  malicious  re- 
ports circulated  by  our  opponents  against  both 
the  Traders  of  the  H.  B.  C.  and  the 
Colonists.  Mr.  Peter  Fidler,  who  came  to 
take  charge  of  the  Red  River  Department,  refused 
to  g^ve  Pangman  equipment  that  had  been  prom- 
ised him  by  Mr.  Henney  on  which,  Pangman, 
with  much  reluctance,  left  the  service ;  for  which 
I  was  extremely  sorry  at  the  time  as  well  as  after- 
wards; for  perhaps  the  value  of  a  few  pounds 
given  this  man — who  was  a  very  interested  ser- 
vant— would  have  prevented  a  great  many  viol- 
ences that  afterward  took  place. 

On  Mr.  Henney's  leaving  the  Forks  he  in- 
structed me  not  to  give  any  assistance  whatever 
to  the  Colony  should  they  even  produce  orders 
from  Mr.  Hillier  to  that  effect.^     As  Pangman 


summer  (this  was  on  May  22nd)  of  the  Company's 
Post  at  the  Forks."  The  wording  would  lead  one  to 
think  that  there  was  already  a  Hudson's  Bay  post  of 
some  description  there.  It  is  difficult  to  believe  that  this 
great  corporation  had  nothing  at  all  there  until  a 
year  after  the  coming  of  the  colonists. 

With  regard  to  the  statement  of  MacLeod.  Jr.,  in 
the  marginal  note,  that  this  house  erected  by  his  father 
was  the  first  to  be  built  on  the  present  site  of  Win- 
nipeg, it  is  plain  to  be  seen  that  the  validity  of  the 
contention  stands  or  falls  with  the  other  contention, 
that  the  Northwest  Company's  post,  Fort  Gibraltar, 
stood  on  the  south  and  not  on  the  north  side  of  the 
Assiniboine.  There  is  no  question  about  the  Nor'- 
westers  being  at  the  Forks  when  the  first  colonists 
landed  in  1812,  for  MacLeod  tells  us  so.  and  it  has 
always  been  understood  that  their  establishment  was 
on  the  north  side  of  the  river.  If  it  was  not,  I  fail 
to  see  how  these  sudden  sallies  from  one  fort  to  the 
other  could  have  been  made  by  armed  parties,  as 
described  in  the  manuscript  and  other  extant  records. 
The  Assiniboine  is  not  a  very  large  river,  but  it  would 
be  a  considerable  obstacle  in  the  way  of  a  cavalry 
charge. 

*This  statement  by  MacLeod  bears  out  the  claim, 
made  by  Gunn  in  his  history,  that  although  the  set- 
tlers had  deposited  all  their  spare  cash  in  Lord  Sel- 
kirk's hands  upon  leaving  the  old  country,  upon  his 
assurance  that  all  their  wants  would  be  supplied 
from  the  company's  stores  at  Red  River,  when  they 
arrived  at  their  dest'nation,  they  "could  not  get  even 
the  value  of  a  needle  uoon  the  credit  of  their  deposit." 
Gunn.  History  of  Manitoba. 


First  house  in 
present    site    of 
Winnipeg  City 
(note  the  N.  W. 
Fort,  called  by 
N.    W.   people 

"Gibraltar"), 
subsequentlv    in 

1816,  razed  to  the 

ground  bv  Colin 

Robertson,  was 

on  the  op'^osite 

side  CS.)  of  the 

Assiniboine.)    It 

was  the  key  of 

the  North. 

Blundering  of 
Chief  H.  B.  C 
Officer  (Fidler). 

Supreme 
authority   in 
McLeod  in 
H.   B.  C. 
affairs   there   in 
trade. 


120 


STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


Northwest    Cy. 
machinations. 


Returns  55 
packs  fur. 


Charge  of 

H.  B.  Post,  Red 

River,  1814. 


tt 


left  our  service  he  said  that  Peter  Fidler  might 
get  to  his  winter  quarters,  but  that  he  would  run 
a  great  risk  of  "(not)"  returning. 

On  the  22nd  of  September,  1813,  I  left  the 
(Forks)"  of  the  Red  River  and  arrived  at  Port- 
age La  Prairie  about  the  beginning  of  October, 
where  I  was  left  by  Mr.  F.  with  5  men  with  heavy 
families.  I  immediately  began  to  build,  and  got 
under  cover  towards  the  latter  end  of  the  same 
month.  Unfortunately,  one  of  the  men,  named 
Andrew  Macfarlane,  broke  his  leg.  Having  no 
medical  aid  within  reach,  I  placed  the  shattered 
bones  as  well  as  I  could,  and  applied  flannel 
dipped  in  spirits  to  the  wound:  in  the  course  of 
a  month  he  was  able  to  walk  about  with  the  help 
of  crutches. 


Portajre  La 
Prairie — First 
Trade  Post,  by 

McLeod 
(H.  B.  Co.) 


In  the  course  of  this  winter  some  of  the  prin- 
cipal Indians  appertaining  to  this  Post  informed 
me  that  they  were  advised  by  Yellow  Head, 
meaning  Alexander  MacDonell  of  the  North 
West  Company,  to  make  very  heavy  demands  on 
the  Colonists  for  their  land  or  to  drive  them  away 
from  it.  I  observed  to  them,  that  they  were  no 
children  and  might  very  clearly  see  what  the 
North  West  Company's  motives  were:  that  they 
only  wanted  to  have  the  country  to  themselves, 
and  then  use  the  Indian  as  they  liked.  They  all 
allowed  the  observation  was  just,  and  would 
pay  no  more  attention  to  the  N.  W.  Cy.  stories. 

In  the  course  of  this  winter  1  learnt  that 
Mr.  Alex.  McDonnell  of  the  N.  W.  was 
tampering  with  the  settlers  to  seduce  them  from 
the  settlement,  and  towards  the  latter  end  of  the 
winter  sent  a  fine  cariole  for  my  acceptance,  but 
judging  from  what  motive  it  was  presented  I 
declined  receiving  it. 

In  the  spring  following — say  early  in  June, 
18n,  I  turned  out  55  packs,  principally 
rats.  I  accompanied  Mr.  John  Hill  to  the  Forks 
of  the  Red  River.  We  met  Mr.  Auld,  the  super- 
intendent, with  whom  I  agreed  for  two  years 
following;  and  was  ordered  by  him  to  pass  the 
summer  in  charge  of  the  Company's  Post  at  that 
place  till  the  return  of  the  craft  the  ensuing  Fall. 
Mr.  Holl worth,  (or  Hollsworth)  who  had  been 


STATE     OF     NORTH     DAKOTA 


121 


attached  to  the  colony  for  the  preccviing  year, 
had,  at  the  request  of  Governor  Auld,  joined  me. 
Governor  MacDonell,  of  the  colony,  left  the 
Forks  for  York  Factory  about  the  11th  July. 
At  this  period  the  crops  had  a  beautiful  appear- 
ance: the  new  potatoes  were  eatable.  Governor 
MacD.  lef^Mr.  Fidler  and  Mr.  A.  McDonald  in 
charge  for  the  Colony. 

I  forgot  to  mention  that  in  the  course  of  the 
spring  a  great  deal  of  altercation  took  place 
between  the  Governor  of  the  Colonv  and  the 
N.  W.  Cy. ;  the  Govr.  having  demanded 
a  proportion  of  the  provision  collected  with- 
in the  district  of  which  he  had  charge,  but 
on  being  refused,  he  was  under  the  disagreeable 
necessity  of  using  forced  measures ;  a  final  settle- 
ment between  both  parties*  "(being  made)**  mat- 
ters passed  on  very  smoothly  for  the  remainder 
of  the  summer. 


11th  July  (1814) 

"Beautiful 

Crops." 


Refers   to   Gov. 
ernor 
MacDonell 
Embars'o  of  8 
Janry.,   1814.  on 
all  provisions 
within  the  Grant. 

Bad  effects. 

Note — Meaninjr 
Govr.    MacD,   one 
party,  and  the  two 
trading    Co.'s 
(both  sufferers 
of  the  party). 


About  the  22nd  of  August  the  crafts  returned 
under  the  conduct  of  Mr.  John  Hill,  who  sent 
me  with  a  few  men — sav  3 — to  a  band  of 
Indians  toward  Manitou  Baa.^  After  I  arrived 
at  the  Indians  and  traded  all  they  had  of  furs  and 
provisions,  I  sent  the  men  with  loaded  horses 
home  to  the  house,  and  went  myself,  alone  in 
another  direction  to  a  band  of  Indians  towards 
the  Little  Winnipee,^  but  being  tormented  with 
the  flies,  and  being  fatigued,  much,  I  fell  asleep; 
when  I  awoke  I  had  no  horse:  went  off  during 
mv  sleep,  and  as  the  dew  was  heavy  I  could  not 
trace  him ;  so  that  I  was  obliged  to  tie  the  cloth 


"Manitoubaa" 
Trade  incident. 


'The  two  partes  to  this  affair  were  practically  the 
Northwest  Company,  on  the  one  side,  and  the  colony 
povernor  and  Hudson's  Bay  Comoany  on  the  other. 
It  is  true,  the  edict  sent  out  by  Governor  MacDnnc'il 
inchided  both  the  rival  organizations,  but  there  is  no 
record  to  show  that  the  Hudson's  Bay  Ctmipany  peo- 
ple were  in  any  way  adversely  affected  by  it.  Lord 
Selkirk,  the  colony  proprietor,  and  the  Hudson's  Bav 
Company  were  one;  so  that  even  if  the  company  had 
to  give  up  some  of  its  stores  for  the  maintenance  of 
the  colonv,  it  was  simply  a  ca«^e  of  Lord  Selkirk  pass- 
ing it  from  one  pocket  into  the  other.  It  is  not  tris, 
in  any  proper  sense,  to  say  that  both  companies  were 
sufferers, 

'L-^ke   Manitoba. 

*The  Winnipegosis  of  the  present  maps. 


122 


STATE   HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 


*Note— At   that 
time  there 
(about  51^  30   . 
N.  L.)  he  had 
about   17   hours 
of  daylight  before 
him.    He  was  of 
extraordinary 
strength   and 
agility  and  fit  to 
do  the  journey 
in  one  day.    His 
journal  to  me 
reads  as  if  he  did 
so.    I  believe  he 
did. 


♦Meaning   Duncan 
Cameron,   in 
charge  of  N.  W. 
Co.  Fort 
"Gibraltar"  at 
the  Forks. 


and  blankets  I  had  for  trade,  with  my  saddle, 
and  carry  all  on  my  back,  and  steer  my  course 
for  the  house,  distant  70  miles.* 

About  the  29th  Aug.,  I  set  off  from  the 
Forks  with  a  boat  and  8  men  for  Turtle  River ; 
where  I  arrived  about  the  14th  September.  Found 
several  vestiges  of  the  Sioux  Indians  having 
been  about  there  all  summer.  Shortly  after,  the 
Opposition  party  arrived  under  the  conduct  of 
one  Alexander  Kennedy  for  the  N.  W.  Cy. 
A  few  days  after  his  arrival  one  of  his 
men,  of  the  name  of  Cutanahye  came  and  told 
me  that  Mr.  John  Spencer,  the  Colony  Clerk,  was 
taken  prisoner,  and  that  they  intend  to  take 
Governor  MacDonell  as  soon  as  he  would  arrive 
from  York  Factory,  and  that  the  "King  of  Mon- 
treal" had  sent  a  letter  "(to)"  Captain  Cameron* 
to  take  them  both  and  every  one  that  injured  the 
N.  W.  Cv.  I  observed  to  him  that  there 
was  no  King  in  Montreal.  I  then  said,  it 
was  the  King  of  Quebec,  for  Captain  Cameron 
told  me  that  they  sent  him  a  letter  to  take  the 
Colony  Governor.  Kennedy  endeavored  to  pre- 
judice the  natives  against  me,  but  did  not  gain 
his  point. 

Note  bv  Son  (Malcolm) — Here  this  M.  S. 
suddenly  breaks  off.     E\fidently  at  Turtle  River. 

What  follows  is  a  summarv  of  the  life  as  sub- 
sequently  recorded  in  casual  dairies  enroute  and 
in  regular  regulation  journals  at  different  Posts, 
where  in  charge;  and  of  a  special  statement  of 
facts  dictated  to  me  in  18 18  for  memorial  to  the 
Board  of  Directors  in  England,  claiming,  as  long 
past  due  him,  promotion  to  a. Chief  Factorship. 
Any  untruth  in  such  a  statement  would  have  been 
fatal  to  such  a  memorial : — personally  I  can  bear 
testimony  to  much  of  it,  as  perfectly  true. 

Some  of  the  facts  related  hereafter  have  a 
special  reference  to  the  earliest  struggles  and 
establishment  of  the  Red  River  Settlement,  such, 
inter  alia,  as  the  battle  of  the  2^)ih  June,  1815, 
with  the  N.  W.  Co's  forces,  in  which,  in  effect  my 
father  saved,  not  only  the  Colony,  but  the  H.  B. 
Co's  interests,  and  in  which  these  latter,  the 
British  Flag  itself ;  for  as  to  the  X.  W.  Cy.  it  was,, 


STATE     OF     NORTH     DAKOTA  123 


in  its  tendencies,  essentially  "American"  in  bitter 
antagonism  to  the  British  Charter.^  Another  nota- 
ble fact  in  this  connection  is  the  fact  that  the  first 
and  chief  historian  of  the  Red  River  Settlement, 
viz.  Alexander  Ross,  formerly  in  the  N.  W. 
Cy.  and  in  an  American  (U.  S.)  Fur  Com- 
pany, was,  for  reasons  best  known  to  himself, 
and  to  be  explained  by  me,  in  press  hereafter, 
the  personal  enemy  of  my  father ;  and  the  -singul- 
ar fact  of  total  suppression  of  his  name  in  rela- 
tion to  the  establishment  of  the  Colony  is  a 
suppressio  zeri,  in  the  rogation  of  true  historical 
record.'     To  proceed  with  the  Journal :" 


*Th€  accusation  of  disloyalty  to  the  British  flag,  made 
by  MacLeod,  Jr.,  against  the  Northwest  Company,  is 
a  stereotyped  one  that  has  been  given  currency  to  at 
various  times  by  some  of  the  most  rabid  partisans  of 
the  Hudson's  Bay  Company.  It  is  purely  gratuitous 
and  without  foundation  in  fact.  The  "bitter  antag- 
onism to  the  British  Charter"  extended  no  further 
than  a  staunch  and  persistent  opposition  to  the  char- 
tered monopoly  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company;  and  so 
far  as  that  was  concerned,  there  were  plenty  more 
besides  the  Nor*  Westers  with  that  kind  of  "Amer- 
ican tendencies''  in  the  country,  even  within  my  own 
recollection.  I  never  heard  of  any  of  these,  however, 
being  accused  of  disloyalty  to  the  British  flag  on  that 
account. 

•Whether  this  charge  of  "suppressio  veri"  through 
nersonal  enmity,  made  against  Ross,  the  historian,  is 
true  or  not.  I  have  no  means  of  iudging.  I  would 
point  out,  however,  that  a  similar  "suppressio  veri," 
if  it  is  one,  could  be  urged  equally  against  all  earlv 
writers  who  have  left  us  accounts  of  these  transac- 
tions. In  the  "Statement  Res»^cting  the  Earl  of  Sel- 
kirk's Settlement  of  Kildonan,'  etc.,  published  in 
1817,  which  gives  a  full  account  of  these  occurrences, 
from  the  viewpoint  of  Lord  Selkirk  and  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company,  outside  of  a  brief  foot  note  telling  of 
his  saving  the  settlers'  crops  after  their  departure,  the 
fact  of  Mr.  MacLeod's  having  been  in  charge  of  Red 
River,  at  that  time,  is  barely  mentioned.  Not  a  word 
is  said  about  the  heroic  part  he  played  with  his  ter- 
chain  artillery;  so,  if  MacLeod's  own  friends  and 
employers  have  failed  to  do  him  justice,  he  has  little 
right  to  expect  anything  from  his  enemies.  The  fact 
of  the  matter  is  that  all  our  early  chroniclers  were 
silent  with  regard  to  the  doup^hty  deeds  of  this  man, 
MacLeod,  or,  if  they  do  mention  him,  it  is  only  in 
a  casual  way.  Gunn,  who  was  a  resident  of  the  set- 
tlement several  years  before  Ross  arrived  in  it,  makes 
no  mention  whatever  of  MacLeod,  so  far  as  I  know. 


124 


STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


In  1814-15,  being  in  charge  of  the  whole  Red 
River  District,  I  spent  the  winter  at  the  Forks 
(Lower  Forks)  ;  at  the  settlement  there. 

"Here  follows  an  account  of  a  forcible  re- 
covery by  him,  with  only  two  men,  of  certain 
f\irs  and  gune  taken  from  his  men  by  the  N. 
W.  Cy.,  and  kept  at  their  Fort  "Bas  de  la 
Riviere*'  at  mouth  of  Winnipeg  River  "garrison- 
ed" by  a  dozen  men  or  more.  Needless  here  to 
give  details. 


First  battle  of 
Whites,  there  or 
north  of  Lat. 
49°,  in 
North   America. 


In  June  (25)th,*  1815,  while  I  was  in  charge, 
a  sudden  attack  was  made  by  an  armed  band  of 
the  N.  W.  party  under  the  leadership  of  Alex- 
ander MacDonell  "(Yellow  Head)"  and  Cuth- 

in  the  account  which  he  gives  o  fthese  occurrences. 
It  is  strange,  to  say  the  least,  that  the  author  of  this 
manuscript  should  have  played  the  prominent  part 
which  he  represents  himself  as  doing  in  these  affairs 
and  received  no  more  notice  from  contemporary  writ- 
ers than  he  has. 

'In  the  Selkirk  account  of  this  affair  (Statement 
Respecting  the  Earl  of  Selkirk's  Settlement  of  Kil- 
donan,  etc.).  the  date  is  plainly  set  down  as  June  11th. 
According  to  this  authority,  which,  since  it  was  pre- 
pared for  the  express  purpose  of  fastenini?  the  guilt 
of  these  transactions  upon  the  Nor'-Westers,  we  may 
be  sure  would  not  leave  out  or  minimize  any  of  the 
atrocities  committed,  there  was  only  one  other  armed 
sally  made  bv  these  latter  against  the  colony  fort. 
This  took  place  on  June  22nd,  and  was  not  replied 
to  in  any  way  by  the  settlers.  We  look  in  vain  through 
this  narrative  for  any  mention  of  an  encc5^unter  on 
the  2.*)ih  such  as  MacLeod  describes.  In  the  latter 
part  of  this  work,  moreover,  there  is  an  appendix  of 
about  ninety  pages,  containing,  among  other  matter, 
sworn  depositions  from  some  twentv-four  of  iliose 
who  took  part  in  the  transactions  of  this  and  the  fol- 
lowing year.  These  depositions,  which  are  at  con- 
siderable length  and  full  of  detail,  were  tiken  by  Lord 
Selkirk  and  others  shortly  after  the  occurrences,  with 
a  view  to  obtaining  the  full  particuhrs.  and  especially 
those  that  would  most  incriminate  the  partners  of 
the  Xort Invest  Company;  yet  in  all  these  ninety  pages 
of  special  evidence  from  eye  witnesses,  there  i^  no 
mention  made  of  a  hostile  enci^unter  on  the  2."»lh. 
Statements  are  made  over  and  over  a^ain.  however, 
that  such  an  encounter  took  phce  on  the  11th.  and 
the  particulars  related  in  conection  with  it  leave  no 
rof  m  f(^r  doubt  that  the  cue  referred  t:>  is  none  otlier 
than  that  decribed  in  the  quoted  extract  in  my  intro- 
duction to  this  manuscript  and  that  has  been  given  at 
different  times  by  all  our  best  writers.  The  absclntc 
silence   of   these   depositions    with    regard    to   ihe^e   en* 


STATE    OF     NORTH     DAKOTA  125 


bert  Grant,  on  the  Settlement  and  Hudson's  Bav 
Company's  Post,  at  the  Forks.  They  numbered 
70  or  80  well  armed  and  on  horseback. 
Have  had  some  warning  of  it,  I  assumed  com- 
mand of  both  the  Colony  and  H.  B. 
C.  parties.  Mustering  with  inferior  numbers 
and  with  only  a  few  guns,  we  both  took  a  stand 
against  them.  Taking  my  place  amongst  the  Col- 
onists I  fought  with  them.  All  fought  bravely 
and  kept  up  the  fight  as  long  as  possible.  Many, 
all  about  me,  fallmg  wounded;  one  mortally. 
Only  thirteen  out  of  our  band  unscathed  .^ 

The  brunt  of  the  struggle  was  near  the 
H.  B.  C.  Post,  close  to  which,  was 
our  blacksmith's  smithy — a  log  building  about 
ten  feet  by  ten.  Being  hard  pressed  I  thought 
of  trying  the  little  cannon  (a  three  or  four 
pounder)  lying  idle  in  the  Post  where  it  could 


coutiters  on  the  date  given  by  Mac  Leod  makes  it 
certain  that  no  such  encounter  ever  took  place. 

The  following  is  the  approximately  correct  sequence 
of  these  events,  as  nearly  as  it  can  »e  gathered  from 
a  study  of  the   various  sources: 

April  3Td— Colonists  capture  field  pieces  and  turn 
them  over  to  Cameron. 

June  11th — Attack  on  colony  fort,  in  which  John 
Warren  is  killed. 

June— -Governor  Miles  MacDonnell  suhmvts  to 
arrest  by  Cameron. 

June— One  hundred  and  thirty-four  colonists  leave 
for  lower  Canada  by  Northwest  Company  boats. 

June  22nd — Second  armed  sally  by  Bois  Bruks  (half 
breeds). 

June  25th — Order  issued  to  remnant  of  colony  to 
leave  the  settlement. 

June  27th — I>eparture  of  the  remaining  thirteen  fam- 
ilies to  Jack  River. 

June  28th — Burning  of  the  settlers'  houses  by  Bois 
Brules. 

*A  few  paragraphs  further  on  in  the  manuscript.  Mas- 
Leod  states  that  his  force  number  about  half  that 
of  the  Nor'- Westers,  which,  taking  the  smallest  number 
given  by  him  for  the  attacking  party,  would  be  thirty- 
three.  Thirteen  unwounded  out  of  this  number  would 
make  twenty-two  wounded.  The  most  highly  coU  red 
partisan  accounts,  up  to  date,  give  four  as  the  num- 
ber. I  would  call  attention  to  th's  simply  as  an  ex- 
ample of  the  mild  conservatism  of  this  part  of  Mac- 
Leod's work.  It  is  a  fair  sample  of  ever>'thing  con- 
tained in  the  account  of  this  attack.  In  the  paragranhs 
imediately  following  there  is  some  improvement,  bu, 
T  am  afr^^id.  a  pood  many  of  the  statements  arc  little 
more  reliable. 


126  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

not  be  well  used.  One  of  the  settlers  (Hugh 
McLean)  went  with  two  of  my  men,  with  hie 
cart  to  fetch  it,  and  witSi  all  the  cart  chains  he 
could  get,  and  some  powder.  Finally  got  the 
whole  to  the  blacksmith's  smithy,  where  chopping 
up  the  cliains  into  lengths  for  shot,  we  opened 
Artillery  with  a  fire  of  chain-shot  on  the  enemy,  which  drove 

chain  shot  j^^*]^  ^]^g  main   body,  and  scattered  them,  and 

saved  the  Post  from  utter  destruction  and  pillage. 
All  the  Colonists  houses  were  however  destroyed 
by  fire.  Houseless,  wounded  and  in  extreme  dis- 
tress, they  took  to  the  boats  and  saving  what  they 
could,  started  for  Norway  house,  declaring  they 
would  never  return.  The  enemy  still  prowled 
about,  determined  apparently,  to  expel,  dead  or 
alive,  all  of  our  party.  All  of  the  H. 
B.  Co's  officers  and  men  refused  to  remain, 
except  two  brave  fellows  in  the  service  viz; 
Archibald  Currie  and  James  Macintosh,  who, 
with  noble  Hugh  MacLean,  joined  me  in  holding 
the  fort  in  the  smithy.  Governor  MacDonell  was 
a  prisoner.^ 

In  their  first  approach,  the  enemy  appeared  de- 
termined more  to  frighten  than  to  kill.  Their 
demonstration  in  line  of  battle,  mounted  and  in 
full  "war  paint"  and  equipment  was  formidable, 
but  their  fire,  especially  at  first,  was  desultory. 
Our  party,  numbering  only  about  half  their%, 
while  preserving  a  general  line  of  defense,  ex- 
posed itself  as  little  as  possible,  but  returned  thf 
enemy's  fire,  sharply :  checking  the  attack ;  and 
our  line  was  never  broken  by  them.  On  the  con- 
trary, when  the  chain  firing  began,  the  enemy 
retired  out  of  range  of  our  artillery,  but  by  a 
flank  movement,  reached  the  Colony  houses, 
where  they  quickly  and  resistlessly  plied  the  torch 
in  destruction.  To  their  credit,  be  it  said,  they 
took  no  life,  nor  property.  Of  killed  on  our 
side,  there  was  only  poor  Mr.  Warren  (John)  of 
the  H.  B.  Co's  service,  a  worthy  brave 
gentleman,  who  taking  a  leading  part  in 
the  battle  too  fearlessly  exposed  himself.  Of 
the  enemy,  probably  the.  casualities  were  greater, 
for  they  presented  better  target,  and  we  cer- 
tainly fired  to  kill.     From  the  smithy,  we  could 


'Arrested  under  warrant  of  Duncan  Cameron,  about 
June  14th,  and  taken  to  Montreal  for  trial. 


STATE    OF     NORTH     DAKOTA 


127 


and  did,  protect  the  Trade  Post,  but  could  not  the 
buildings  of  the  Colonists,  which  were  along  the 
bank  of  the  Red  River,  while  the  Post  faced  the 
Assiniboine  more  than  the  Red  River.  Fortunate- 
ly for  us  in  the  "Fort"  (the  smithy)  the  short 
nights  were  never  too  dark  for  our  watch  ana 
ward. 

The  Colonists  were  allowed  to  take  what  they 
could  of  what  belonged  to  them,  and  that  was 
6ut  little,  for  as  yet  they  had  neither  cow  oi 
plough,  only  a  horse  or  two.  There  were  boats 
and  other  craft  enough  to  take  them  all,  Colo- 
nists and  H.  B.  C.  people  away;  and  all, 
save  my  three  companions  already  named 
and  myself,  took  ship  and  fled.  For  many  days 
after  we  were  under  siege,  living  under  constant 
peril ;  but  unconquerable  in  our  bullet  proof  log 
walls  and  with  our  terrible  cannon  and  chain- 
shot.^ 

At  length  the  enemy  retired.  The  Post  was 
safe,  and  from '  eight  hundred  to  a  thousand 
pounds  sterling  worth  of  attractive  trade  goods 
belonging  to  the  H.  B.  Co.  untouched. 
I  was  glad  of  this,  for  it  enabled  me 
to  secure  the  services  of  freemen  about  the  place. 
French  Canadians  and  Half  breeds,  not  in  the 
service  of  the  N.  W.  Cy.,  to  restore  mat- 
ters and  prepare  for  the  future. 

I  felt  that  we  had  too  much  at  stake  in  the 
country  to  give  it  up;  and  had  every  confidence 
in  the  resources  of  the  H.  B.  Cy.  and  the  Earl  to 
hold  their  own,  and  effectually  repel  any  future 
attack  from  our  opponents. 


*Some  light  will  probably  be  shed  on  this  question 
of  the  hostile  intent  of  the  Nor'-Westers,  and  the 
successful  resistance  by  MacLeod,  as  described  by 
him,  when  we  remember  that  just  previous  to  this 
reputed  "war  of  extermination"  (April  3rd>  no  less 
than  nine  effective  brass  field  pieces  had  been  wrested 
from  the  colony  governor  by  the  settlers,  and  were 
at  this  very  time,  with  plenty  of  ammunition,  at  Fort 
Gibraltar,  the  headquarters  of  the  Northwest  Com- 
pany. Had  it  really  been  the  intention  of  the  Nor*- 
Westers  to  capture  the  colony  fort,  it  is  difficult  to 
see  how  MacLeod,  with  all  his  chain  shot  and  High- 
land courage,  could  have  held  for  half  an  hour,  let 
alone  for  several  days,  his  log  smithy,  against  sev- 
enty or  eighty  painted  Nor*-Westers  with  such  an 
available  armament. 


Victory. 


Re-establishment. 


128 


STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


Spontaneously 
built. 


First. 


Stsit  of  govern- 
ment in  the 
country. 


I  found  the  freeman  about  the  place  willing 
to  work  for  me;  and  at  once  hired  a  force  of 
them  for  building  and  other  works  in  repara- 
tion of  damages  and  in  new  works.  Soon  as  I 
got  my  Post  in  good  order,  I  turned  to  saving 
the  little  but  precious  and  promising  crops  of  the 
Colonists,  whose  return  I  anticipated,  made 
fences,  where  required,  and,  in  due  time,  cut  and 
stacked  their  hay,  etc. 

That  done,  I  took  upOn  me,  without  orders  or 
suggestion  from  any  quarter,  to  build  a  house  for 
a  Governor  and  his  staff,  of  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company  at  Red  River.^  There  was  no  such 
officer  at  that  time,  nor  had  there  ever  been,  but 
I  was  aware  that  such  an  apointment  was  con- 
templated. 

I  selected  for  the  purpose,  what  I  considered  a 
suitable  site  at  a  point  or  sharp  bend  in  the  Red 
River  about  two  miles  below  the  Assiniboine,  on 
a  slight  rise,  on  the  south  side  of  the  point,  since 
known  as  Point  Douglas,  the  family  name  of  the 
Elarl  of  Selkirk.  Probably  I  so  christened  it,  I 
forget. 

It  was  of  two  stories,  with  main  timbers  of 
oak;  a  good  substantial  house,  with  windows  of 
parchment  in  default  of  glass.  Here,  I  may 
state,  that  it  was  from  it  that,  in  the  following 
summer,  (181G)  (lovernor  Semple  and  his  staff, 
with  a  force  armed,  of  about  thirty,  went  out  to 
meet  their  fate  in  the  so-called  "Massacre  of 
lHl()"-when,  like  a  huddling  flock  of  sheep,  on 
the  open  plains,  they  were  shot  down  and  toma- 
hawked by  the  exasperated  band  of  the  X. 
W.  party  (between  30  and  forty).  Twenty- 
one  of  the  Semple  party  (of  2^)  with 
the  (lovernor  himself,  then  paid  the  forfeit  of 
their  lives  for  what  had  been  called  his  rashness. 
I  express  no  opinion  of  the  matter.  Accounts  of 
the  rccontre  vary :  I  was  then  elsewhere,  at 
other  work,  but  I  know  that  in  the  interval  be- 
tween our  battle  of  1815  and  the  ''Massacre'* 
in  question,  much  had  occurred  to  n)use  the 
X.  \V.  party  to  desperate  mea^^ures.  These 
will  appear  in  the  se(juel,  for.  in  duty,  I  took  a 
part  in  them,  not  exactly  in  lead,  but  as  coadjutor 
with  mv  frietid  and  comarade  in  arms,  bravest  of 


First  two-storied 
house  in  the 
Northwest. 


Massacre  of 
1816. 


'The   Fort  Douglas  of  •iuliseci'ient  tinw?s. 


STATE     OF     NORTH     DAKOTA 


129 


Return  of  the 
Refugees  under 
Robertson. 


Approval. 


Prairie  Outpost 
500  miles  west  of 
Red  River. 


the  brave,  Colin  Robertson  and  others.  In  March 
to  June  (early)  of  1816,  in  return  for  the  com- 
pliments of  25th  June  1815,  we,  with  very  few 
men,  but  well  chosen,  in  effect,  swept  the  N. 
W.  Cy.  from  the  Red  River  and  the  Assin- 
iboine  as  far  as  Fort  Qu'Appele  of  the 
N.  W.  Cy.  In  that,  however,  we  had  the  very 
effective  aid  of  the  Colony  authorities,  with  their 
artillery  and  musketry  (with  "fixed  bayonets") 
in  assault.    To  proceed  with  my  narrative. 

In  August,  1815,  Mr.  Colin  Robertson,  then 
Chief  Officer  there  of  the  H.  B.  Co., 
arrived  with  all  the  refugees,  whom  he  had  found 
at  Norway  House,  and  persuaded,  in  fact  forced 
to  turn  back  with  him. 

He  expressed  approbation  of  my  management 
and  conduct  in  absence  of  special  orders,  and  call- 
ed it  judicious. 

In  the  Fall  of.  1815,  I  was  sent  by  said  Colin 
Robertson  to  Thieves  River,  an  outpost  (to  be 
established  by  me)  about  five  hundred  miles  out, 
westward  in  the  prairie  with  horses,  carts  and 
goods  for  trade  and  equipment,  with  only  three 
men — an  Orkney  man,  and  two  Irishmen.  I  sent 
for  the  Chief  of  the  Saulteaux,  who  guided  me. 

Made  a  good  trade,  about  two-thirds  of  the 
whole. 

In  winter  (early)  went  to  Pembina  to  meet  the 
new  Governor,  Semple,  appointed  under  resolu- 
tion of  Board  of  Directors  in  London,  on  19th 
May,  1815,  first  Governor  of  Assiniboia.  He  sent 
for  me,  to  concert  measures.  Started  on  20th 
December,  on  horseback,  snow,  on  the  ground. 
Met  Saulteaux.  They  were  very  friendly.  Pass- 
ed the  night  with  them.  On  invitation  partook 
of  feast  with  them  in  their  tents.  On  the  follow- 
ing day  started  at  noon,  and  next  day  reached 
Pembina.    Saw  the  Governor. 

While  at  Pembina,  I  learnt  by  two  Canadians 
dispatched  to  me  by  St.  Germains,  the  Clerk  I 
had  left  in  charge  at  Turtle  River,  and  who  was 
apprehensive  that  I  had  been  killed  with  others, 
that  a  band  of  Sioux,  the  night  after  that  spent 
amongst  my  hosts,  the  Saulteaux,  had  murdered, 
by  suddent  night  attack,  thirty-three  out  of 
thirty-six  Saulteaux  (all  men-warriors)  in  the 
encampment.  The  three  survivors  had  fled  to  the 
Post  (Turtle  Mountain)  and  told  the  sad  story. 


Success. 


Winter   trip   on 
horseback  over 
Prairie  500  miles, 
1,000  miles  to 
and  fro. 

Adventures. 


Massacre. 
Narrow  escape. 


130 


STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


Capture  of 
N.  W.  Cy's. 
Fort  at  Pembina. 


On  my  return  from  Pembina  to  resume  charge 
of  my  Prairie  Outpost,  I  fell  in  with  the  33 
slain  bodies,  scalped,  knives  and  arrows  and 
all  that  had  touched  their  flesh  being  left  there. 

I  made  a  very  satisfactory  trade,  carrying  off, 
again,  about  two  thirds  of  it.  Superior  goods, 
and  cheaper,  prevailed.  Saulteaux  and  French, 
by  long  trade  and  blood  connections  naturally 
draw  together,  but  a  good  trade  seemed  to  out- 
weigh all  other  considerations  with  them. 

According  to  orders  from  Governor  Semple  at 
our  interview  of  December,  I  returned  to  Pem- 
bina about  the  middle  of  March.  On  the  20th 
of  that  month  by  the  joint  action  of  the 
Colony  and  the  H.  B.  Cy.  authorities, 
the  N.  W.  Cy.'s  establishments  there,  then 
under  charge  of  Pangman,  with  two  clerks  and 
about  a  dozen  men,  was  captured,  without  firing 
a  shot,  or  injuring  any  man.  I  took  part  in  it, 
and  three  days  afterwards  took  the  prisoners  to 
the  Forks;  where,  it  was  understood,  Mr.  Rob- 
ertson was  to  make  a  like  capture  which,  on  the 
17th  March,  he  did. 

In  fact,  in  October  previous,  Robertson  had 
seized  the  Commandant  (Duncan  Cameron)  and 
one  Hesse,  a  clerk,  accompanying  him  in  open 
field,  and  took  them  prisoners  to  his  Fort, 
while  the  same  day  he  seized  the  N.  W.  Cy*s  Fort 
("Gibraltar*'),  and  forced  the  clerks  and  men 
in  it  to  leave  the  place,  for  Bas  de  la  Riviere,^ 
and  on  their  departure  restored  Cameron  to  his 
old  quarters,  but  ever  under  guard — a  prisoner 
in  his  own  house. 

In  May  following,  I  took  Cameron  as  prisoner 
to  Norway  House.  The  Fort  was  then  stripped ; 
the  stockades  and  house  timber  of  any  use,  float- 
ed down  to  Point  Douglas,  and  there  used  for 
completion  of  premises  and  stockade  fence  for 
the  house  I  had  built  there ;  the  remainder  of  the 
"Gibraltar"  was  burned,  and  the  stronghold  en- 
tirely razed  to  the  ground ;  with  only  the  chimnies 
left  standing.  It  was  never  restored.  Practi- 
cally, its  destruction  broke  the  only  line  of  com- 


Capture  of  Fort 
"Gibraltar." 


Timber  of  Fort 
used  for  Gov't, 
house. 


*The  Northwest  Company's  post  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Winnipeg  River,  where  Fort  Alexander  now  is.  This 
would  be  their  closest  establishment  to  the  settlement 
after  the  destruction  of  Pembina  House  and  Fort 
Gibraltar. 


STATE     OF     NORTH     DAKOTA 


131 


munication  which  the  N.  W.  Cy.  had  with 
their  trade  posts  beyond  to  the  North,  North  West 
and  the  whole  region  west  of  the  Rocky  mount- 
ains.   It  was  their  death  blow. 

In  the  meantime,  their  forces,  from  East  and 
North  West,  were  attempting  to  combine,  and  it 
was,  in  it,  that,  precaturely  and  by  hap  (hazard, 
occurred  the  "Massacre"  of  1816.^ 

At  that  time,  I  was  building  a  new  post  at  Neil 
Lake  subsequently  called  Oxford  House,  about 
half  way  between  Norway  House  and  York 
Factory. 

That  done  I  was  appointed  to  the  charge  of 
English  River  District ;  the  richest  in  furs  in  the 
country,  and  where  the  most  trouble  and  fighting 
was  then  going  on.  The  Opposition  was  there 
particularly  strong,  and  exasperated,  especially 
after  being  driven  from  the  Red  River  and  the 
Assiniboine. 

I  had  about  forty  men:  the  Opposition  fully 
trebel  that.  Made  my  headquarters  at  Isle  a'  la 
Crosse,  close  to  the  Post  of  the  N.  W. 
Cy.,  wintered  there,  1816-1817.  Had  much 
trouble,  constantly  in  struggle,  in  fort  and  field, 
and  at  times  engaged  personally  in  fight  at  arms. 
Managed,  however,  to  make  and  secure  fair  re- 
turns. 

On  23rd  April  1817,  left  Isle  a'  la  Crosse  for 
Carlton  with  6  men:  proceeded  by  night 
marches,  with  only  four  days  provisions  and  only 
one  gun — all  our  arms  having  been  seized  by  the 
Opposition,  except  this  gun,  which  had  been  con- 
cealed by  an  Indian  woman.  Pursued  by  Black 
and  15  men.  On  7  May,  arrived  at  Carlton, 
almost  naked  and  scarified  by  bush  and  ice.  My 
reason  for  this  journey  was  my  inability  to  cope 
with  the  Opposition  for  want  of  arms. 

At  Carlton,  found  Bird,  Pruden  and  many 
others  of  our  party. 


*An  interesting  admission  to  come  from  a  con- 
fessed partisan  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company.  Mac- 
Leod's account,  given  here,  of  the  "Massacre'*  of  Seven 
Oaks  and  the  causes  that  led  up  to  it,  is  in  every 
particular  identical  with  that  which  has  always  been 
put  forth  by  the  Nor-Westers  themselves  in  explana- 
tion of  this  lamentable  affair.  Apologists  for  Lord 
Selkirk  and  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  have  always 
sought   to   discredit    this   theory   of   the   encounter. 


Builds   Oxford 
House. 


English  River 
District,  Charge 
of. 


132  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


On  Opening  of  navigation  in  1817,  got,  with 
Bird,  to  Norway  House. 

There,  hearing  of  a  warrant  against  me  at  the 
instance  of  the  N.  W.  Cy.,  I  proceeded  to 
Red  River,  and  on  my  way,  at  Bas  de  la 
Riviere,  met  the  Earl.  He,  with  an  overpowering 
military  force,  had  on  the  13th  August,  1816, 
taken  Fort  William,  the  chief  depot  of  the  N. 
W.  Cy.,  and  in  it,  a  number  of  the  Chiefs  of 
that  Association,  all  of.  whom  he  arrested  under 
charges  of  complicity  in  the  two  massacres  of 
1815  and  1816.  He  had  just  completed  the  re- 
duction of  the  enemy's  line  of  forts  between  Fort 
William  and  Red  River. 

On  the  part  of  the  N.  W.  Co.,  com- 
plaints had  been  made  to  the  Authorities  in  Mon- 
treal, who,  thereon  dispatched  two  Commissioners 
fColtman  and  Fletcher),  to  the  country  to  look 
after  matters.  Mr.  Coltman  was  then  at  Pem- 
bina ;  to  which  I  at  once  repaired  and  voluntarily 
surrendered.  I  found  the  charge  against  me  to 
be  that  of  "burglary"  for  my  part  in  the  taking 
of  the  N.  W.  Cy's  Fort  at  Pembina  in 
March,  1816.  True,  the  thing  was  done  in  the 
evening,  but  as  we  merely  quietly  entered 
through  the  open  door  way,  without  a  shot  or  a 
blow,  and  certainly  took  nothing  away,  then, 
save  the  prisoners,  it  was  absurd,  it  seemed  to 
me,  to  call  that  bure^lary.  So,  ultimately,  did 
the  Grand  Jury  in  Montreal,  who  threw  out  the 
bill. 

Under  arrest,  with  other  prisoners,  I  was  con- 
ducted to  **Bas  de  la  Riviere,"  where  the  Earl 
and  Governor  Miles  MacDonell  (who  had  been 
relieved  by  the  Earl)  gave  bail  for  me,  with  my- 
self, the  whole  to  the  amount  of  eight  hundred 
pounds  Sterling. 

There  were  a  number  of  prisoners ;  on  both 
sides.  The  whole  under  charge  of  Lieutenant 
Austin  of  the  16th  regiment.  I  was  appointed 
purveyor  (Commissary  General)  of  the  whole 
party. 

Arrived  in  Montreal  in  September.  Reported 
myself  to  the  Countess  of  Selkirk,  who,  in  the 
absence  of  her  husband,  attended  to  his  affairs 
in  Montreal.  Having  her  confidence,  I  was  hon- 
ored by  her  acceptance  of  my  humble  services 
in  the  interest  of  the  Earl. 


STATE    OF     NORTH     DAKOTA  133 


For  some  reason  or  other  mv  case  did  not  come 
on  till  March,  when  it  was  at  once  rejected,  on  the 
ground  that  our  action  on  the  occasion  in  ques- 
tion was  under  a  reasonable  (or  excusable)  be- 
lief of  our  right  to  do  what  he  did.  It  was  a  com- 
plimentary verdict  in  the  very  stronghold  of  our 
accusers,  where,  naturally  the  general  feeling 
was  strongly  in  favor  of  the  N.  W.  party. 

While  waiting  for  my  trial,  I  was  summoned 
as  a  witness  to  Quebec,  in  the  case  of  one  Mc- 
Lellan  tried  for  murder  of  Kavanagh,  on  the 
Winnipeg  river  at  one  of  the  portages.  I  went 
there,  but  was  objected  to  as  a  partisan. 

On  my  way  between  Montreal  and  Quebec  I 
took  occasion,  with  the  help  of  two  good  Roman 
Catholic  priests,  W.  Dumoulin  of  Three  Rivers 
and  Mr.  Provancher,  of  Montreal,  to  beat  up  re- 
cruits for  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  service 
and  the  colony  amongst  the  French  Canadians. 

On  the  opening  of  navigation,  about  the  1st 
of  May,  I  started,  in  charge,  with  a  brigade  of 
seven  large  canoes,  with  about  forty  Canadians, 
some  with  their  families,  headed  by  my  two  good 
friends,  the  priests,  the  first  missionaries  in  the 
north,  since  the  time  of  the  French,  before  the 
Conquest.^  Without  any  loss  or  difficulty,  I  con- 
ducted the  whole  through  to  Norway  House ; 
where  in  due  course,  they  were  taken  in  boats 
and  schooner  to  Red  River.  At  this  time  we  had 
a  Navy  on  the  Lake  lately  under  command  of 
Lieutenant  Holt,  one  of  the  victims  of  1816. 
Holt  had  been  of  the  Swedish  Navy. 

At  Norway  House  (July  1818)  I  was  again 
appointed  to  the  troublesome  charge  of  the  Eng- 
lish River  Department,  where  during  my  ab- 
sence, matters  had  not  improved  with  us,  not- 
withstanding considerable  reinforcements. 

At  Red  River,  matters  had  been  satisfactorily 
settled  by  the  Earl  personally. 

From  that  time  forth,  my  field  of  work  was 
northward  to  the  Arctic,  where  I  had  the  honor, 


*This    is    not    correct.      The    first    miss  onary    on    the 
Red   River,   after  the   conquest,   was   a   Scotch    Presby- 
terian Catechist,  James  Sutherland,  who  came  out  from 
Scotland    with    the    fourth    batch   of   colonists    in    1815 
Gunn.   History  of   Manitoba. 


134  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


after  continued  appointments,  in  chief  charge,  in 
that  direction,  to  establish  a  permanent  highway, 
by  a  line  of  suitable  forts  and  trade  establish- 
ments, to  the  Peace  River  Region,  and  where  for 
a  while  I  had  the  honor  and  pleasure  of  being  host 
to  Franklin  (the  noble  Sir  John)  and  his  party, 
on  his  first  Arctic  Land  Expedition. 

Subsequently  in  1827,  when  in  charge  of  Nor- 
way House  (then  just  rebuilt  by  me)  I  had  the 
same  pleasure  on  his  return  in  his  second  like 
expedition. 

At  the  Coalition  in  1822  I  was  honored  with  a 
Chief  Tradership,  and  was  the  first  of  the  form- 
er Hudson's  Bay  party  sent  across  the  mountains 
to  take  charge  on  the  Pacific  Slope.  There,  mat- 
ters were  in  a  truly  pitiable  state,  and  white 
men,  in  their  destitution  and  weakness  amon^^st 
swarming  hordes  of  utterly  ungovernable  natives, 
carried,  truly,  their  lives  in  their  hands. 

Of  my  life  there,  and  elsewhere  in  the  vast 
field  of  work  of  the  Consolidated  Company,  from 
Alasko  to  Labrador ;  from  Arctic  Shore  to  the  St. 
Lawrence — throughout  a  period  of  thirty-seven 
years  of  most  arduous  service  as  a  fur  trader,  I 
could  say  much,  but  it  has  no  immediate  bearing 
on  the  story  of  Red  River  Settlement,  further 
than  that  it,  in  its  better  days  soon  following, 
gave  schooling  to  my  first  born  and  home  to 
many  dear  to  me  in  closest  family  relations, 
through  my  father-in-law.  Chief  Factor  John 
Peter  Pruden,  of  Carlton  House,  Red  River 
Settlement.     Montreal,  July,  1848. 


"Note, — The  above  with  orieinals,  when  dfposited 
will  (D.  V.)  be  attested  and  proved,  so  far  as  pos- 
sible at  this  late  date."  M.  McLeod  (Son). 


STATE    OF     NORTH     DAKOTA  13S 


APPENDIX. 


LORD   Selkirk's   advertisement   and   prospectus   of  the   newt 

COLONY.^ 

A  tract  of  land  consisting  of  some  millions  of  acres,  and  in  point 
of  soil  and  climate  inferior  to  none  of  equal  extent  in  British  Amer- 
ica, is  now  to  be  disposed  of,  and  will  be  sold  extremely  cheap,  on 
account  of  its  situation,  which  is  remote  from  the  present  establish- 
ments. If  a  tract  of  the  same  extent  and  fertility  were  offered 
for  sale  in  Lower  or  Upper  Canada  or  Nova  Scotia,  purchasers 
would  be  eager  to  obtain  it  at  one  hundred  or  perhaps  two  hundred 
thousand  guineas,  and  at  that  price  would  make  an  ample  fortune  in 
the  course  of  some  years,  by  retaiHng  it  in  small  lots  at  an  advance 
price  to  actual  settlers. 

The  land  in  question,  no  way  different  in  advantage,  may  be  pur- 
chased for  about  £10,000. 

The  title  has  been  submitted  to  lawyers  of  the  first  eminence  in 
London,  and  is  declared  to  be  unexceptionable;  but  the  situation  is 
such,  that  the  population  of  the  older  settlements  cannot  be  ex- 
pected, in  the  natural  course  of  things,  to  be  spread  into  it  for  a 
long  period  of  time,  and  till  that  takes  place,  .this  disadvantage 
of  its  remote  situation  must  be  an  insuperable  objection  in  the  eyes 
of  any  unconnected  individual  who  is  looking  out  for  lands  to* 
establish  his  family.  Hence  the  prospect  of  finding  settlers  to 
purchase  the  land  in  small  lots  is  remote,  and  on  this  account  the 
proprietors  are  willing  to  part  with  it  for  so  inconsiderable  a 
price. 

But  the  obstacles  which,  to  an  unconnected  adventurer,  may 
justly  be  deemed  insurmountable,  may  be  overcome  with  ease  by  the 
combined  efforts  of  many,  and  an  adequate  sum  of  money  judicious- 
ly exepended  in  removing  the  first  difficulties  of  an  infant  settle- 
ment, may  place  this  tract  of  land  in  circumstances  as  advantageous 
to  the  proprietors  as  if  it  were  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  popul- 
ous colonies.  The  expenses,  however,  would  be  too  great  for  an 
individual :  it  is  therefore  proposed  to  form  a  joint  stock  company, 
in  200  shares  of  £100  each,  so  as  to  raise  a  sum  of  £20,000,  of 
which  a  moiety  is  to  be  employed  in  the  purchase  of  the  lands  in 
question ;  the  remainder,  in  those  expenses  which  are  necessary  for 
bringing  settlers  and  therebv  rendering  the  land  valuable.  To 
those  settlers,  lands  will  be  disposed  of,  either  in  the  way  of  sale,. 


*Donald  Gunn,  History  of  Manitoba,  p.  80. 


13b  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


or  lease  in  perpetuity  at  the  option  of  the  settler,  on  terms  very  en- 
couraging to  him,  and  abundantly  advantageous  to  the  proprietors. 
)(As  there  are  serious  objections  against  receiving  into  the  proposed  \. 
^  settlement  any  Americans  of  the  description  of  those  who  are  likely 
to  offer  themselves,  the  settlers  must  be  emigrants  from  Europe, 
and  the  most  feasible  plan  seems  to  be,  that  they  should  be  selected 
from  those  parts  of  the  United  Kingdom  which  are  most  over- 
burdened with  inhabitants,  viz:  the  Highlands  of  Scotland  and 
some  parts  of  Ireland;  a  small  portion  of  the  emigrants  who  now 
^o  from  these  districts  to  the  United  State  of  America  would  be 
more  than  sufficient  for  the  object  in  view. 

Such  a  change  of  their  destination  could  injure  no  part  of  the 
Kingdom,  and  would  save  the  Empire  subjects,  who  would  other- 
wise be  entirely  lost  to  their  country. 

To  facilitate  an  object  thus  equally  advantageous  to  the  public 
and  to  the  parties  concerned,  it  is  proposed  that  a  preference  should 
be  allowed  to  subscribers  who  are  personally  connected  with  these 
districts  of  the  Kingdom,  and  whose  local  inlluence  may  be  of  ser- 
vice in  promoting  the  desired  change  in  the  destination  of  those 
who  are  determined  to  emigrate.  The  settlement  is  to  be  formed  in 
a  territory  where  religion  is  not  the  ground  of  any  disqualification, 
an  unreserved  participation  in  every  privilege  will  therefore  be  en- 
joyed by  Protestants  and  Catholics  without  [discrimination]  ;  and  it 
is  proposed  that  in  every  parochial  division  an  allotment  of  land 
shall  be  made  for  the  perpetual  support  of  a  clergyman,  of  that 
persuasion  which  the  majoritv  of  the  inhabitants  adhere  to. 

As  the  lands  in  question  possess  important  natural  advantages 
over  any  which  now  remain  unoccupied  in  Xova  Scotia  and  the 
adjacent  colonies,  it  cannot  be  deemed  unreasonable,  if  the  settlers 
in  general  get  their  lands  at  the  lowest  rate  which  they  would  pay 
in  those  provinces.  On  the  other  hand,  they  will  naturally  expect  to 
he  conveyed  to  their  land  withtuit  incurring  more  expense  than  if 
they  were  to  settle  in  these  Maritime  Colonics.  The  managers  of  the 
concern  must,  therefore,  undertake  to  provide  conveyance  at  moder- 
ate rates  for  the  emigrants  who  go  out  under  their  patronage. 

The  rate  (jf  passage  money  paid  on  board  of  other  sliips  bound 
to  America  may  he  taken  as  the  criterion.  These  rates  being  always 
projKJrtioned  to  the  prices  of  freight  and  shipping  at  the  time,  no 
material  loss  can  be  apprehended  upon  the  sea  voya.;e ;  but  as  the 
place  of  settlement  is  at  a  consivlerable  distance  froin  the  sea,  an 
extra  expense  must  be  incurred  in  inland  conveyance,  which  the 
emigrants  cannot  be  expected  to  pay,  if  they  are  to  be  charged 
for  land  at  the  rate  of  the  Maritime  Colonies;  the  expense  which 
may  thus  be  on  the  proprietors,  may  be  estimated  at  about  £10  for 
each  family  of  settlers  at  an  average. 

This  will,  however,  be  amply  reimbursed  in  the  price  of  land  ;  the 
lowest  price  of  land  in  the  Maritime  Colonies,  when  sold  to  actual 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  137 

settlers,  and  possessing  any  tolerable  advantages  of  situation,  is  at 
the  rate  of  10s.  per  acre,  if  sold,  or  if  leased  for  a  perpetuity,  Is.  per 
annum;  every  family  of  settlers  may  be  expected  to  take  up  at 
least  100  acres.  They  are  allowed  some  accommodation  of  time 
for  the  payment  and  100  acres  at  the  above  rate,  will  amount  to 
i50,  a  net  advantage  of  £40  after  reimbursing  the  charge  of  bring- 
ing in  the  settlers.  If  he  should  prefer  leasing  his  rent  will  in  two 
years  repay  the  charge  and  remain  afterwards  as  a  clear  income 
to  the  proprietor.  As  the  inland  situation  of  the  settlement  will 
preclude  the  settler  from  some  of  the  sources  of  profit  which  are  en- 
joyed in  Maritime  situation,  it  becomes  .necessary  to  provide  sub- 
stitutes. 

The  cultivation  of  hemp  is  peculiarly  calculated  for  inland  situa-  , 
tions,  as  that  article  is  so  valuable  in  proportion  to  its  weight,  that 
it  can  bear  the  expense  of  a  considerable  inland  navigation.  This 
cultivation  is  also  a  favorite  national  object,  and  the  settlement 
will  derive  benefits  from  the  public  encouragement  which  is  held 
out  for  promoting  it.  A  still  more  beneficial  object  of  attention 
is  the  growth  of  fine  wool,  an  article  so  valuable,  that  it  would 
bear  any  expense  of  inland  conveyance  and  one  for  which  the 
country  is  peculiarly  adapted. 

In  the  vicinity  of  the  proposed  settlement  there  are  immense  open 
plains  without  wood,  fine  dry  grass  land,  much  of  it  capable  of  im- 
mediate cultivation  and  all  well  fittted  for  pastuarge,  particularly 
sheep.  This  is  an  advantage  that  no  other  part  of  British  America 
possesses  by  nature,  and  which  the  colonies  of  the  Maritime  Provin- 
ces cannot  obtain  without  the  laborious  and  expensive  operation  of 
clearing. 

If  to  this  advantage  the  proprietors  add  that  of  a  good  band  of 
merino  sheep,  the  settlers  can  never  meet  with  any  difficulty  in  pay- 
ing the  price  or  rent  for  their  land.  The  fleeces  of  ten  or  twelve 
sheep  will  pay  the  rent  of  100  acres,  and  with  the  produce  of  a  very 
small  flock,  the  price  of  a  lot  of  land  may  be  paid  off  in  three 
or  four  years.  With  such  advantages  the  settlers  must  thrive  rapid- 
ly, and  it  will  soon  become  apparent  to  them  that  the  land  is  worth 
a  much  larger  price. 

At  first,  however,  it  cannot  be  supposed  that  the  common  emigrant 
will  understand  or  become  capable  of  appreciating  these  advantages : 
on  the  contrary,  it  is  to  be  expected  that  they  will  be  diffident  and 
afraid  of  venturing  to  a  new  and  (to  them)  unknown  country;  it 
will,  therefore,  be  necessary  to  give  some  extraordinary  encour- 
agement to  a  few  of  the  first  who  enter  into  the  plan. 

From  this  and  other  causes  the  commencement  of  the  undertak- 
ing must  be  subject  to  expenses,  which  wil  not  continue  permanently 
when  the  settlement  is  well  established,  but,  it  is  only  by  means  of 
the  first  outlay,  that  we  can  expect  to  attain  the  ultimate  advantaq^es 
which  are  to  accrue  to  the  proprietors.     There  is  no  room  to  be- 


138  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


lieve  that  these  expenses  will  exceed  the  sum  which  is  proposed  to 
be  raised,  but  it  must  be  some  time  before  the  settlers  can  be  numer- 
ous enough  to  pay  much  either  of  rent  or  of  purchase  money;  ten 
or  twelve  years  must,  therefore,  elapse  before  the  profits  of  the 
undertaking  can  be  sufficient  to  afford  a  dividend  to  the  proprietors. 

After  that  period  the  returns  may  be  expected  to  increase  rapidly, 
and  will  soon  form  an  ample  indemnification  to  the  subscribers  for 
the  loss  of  interest  on  the  money  in  the  meantime.  The  amount 
to  which  the  profits  may  ultimately  arise  seems  almost  to  baflfle 
imagination  upon  any  principle  of  calculation  which  can  reasonably 
be  adopted;  the  result  comes  out  so  extraordinary  great,  that  it 
might  appear  like  exaggeration  to  state  it.  But  the  diflference  be- 
tween buying  land  at  one  penny  or  two  pence  per  acre,  and  selling 
at  eight  or  ten  shillings  is  very  palpable,  and  does  not  seem  to 
require  comment. 

The  speculation  may  not  suit  those  who  require  an  immediate 
income,  but  for  anyone  who  is  desirous  to  provide  beforehand  for  a 
young  family,  such  an  opportunity  seldom  occurs. 


NORTH  DAKOTA  HISTORY 


EARLY  DAYS  IN  NORTH  DAKOTA 

E.   A.    WILLIAMS. 


Interesting  Bits  of  the  Territory's  History  as  Told  by  Hon. 

W.  W.  Brookings. 


Reminiscences  of  the  First  Prozisional  Legislature  and  its  Officers. 

The  Origial  Settlement  of  "Sioux  Falls  City/'     Troubles 

With  the  Indians, — [From  The  News,  E.  Mapes,  Editor 

and  Proprietor.] 


Ever  since  1857  Judge  W.  W.  Brookings,  of  Sioux  Falls,  has 
been  a  resident  of  Dakota,  and  knows  a  point  or  two  about  the 
territory's  early  history.  Hence  the  folowing  letter  written  by 
the  judge,  makes  interesting  reading  just  at  this  time. 

Early  in  the  50's,  it  seems,  the  fame  of  the  falls  of  the  Big  Sioux 
had  gone  abroad,  and  a  number  of  gentlemen  in  Dubuque  and  a 
number  in  St.  Paul,  each  independent  of  the  other,  conceived  the 
idea  of  getting  possession  of  the  land  near  the  falls  for  the  pur- 
pose ultimately  of  building  a  city.  It  must  be  remembered  that  the 
Dakota  territory  had  not  yet  been  organized,  but  that  all  of  the  • 
country  east  of  the  Missouri  was  attached  to  Minnesota,  though 
the  western  boundary  of  Minnesota  had  been  defined  substantially  as 
it  now  is. 

In  the  spring  of  1857  the  Minnesota  men  organized  the  Dakota 
Land  Company  with  the  view  of  locating  townsites.  The  first  town 
located  on  the  Sioux  was  Medary,  named  after  the  governor  of 
Minnesota,  and  the  second  was  Flandreau,  named  after  the  judge. 

When  the  party  reached  Sioux  Falls  great  was  their  sorrow  to 
learn  that  white  men  were  already  on  the  ground.  These  were  the 
agents  of  the  Western  Town  Company,  of  Dubuque.  Late  in  1856 
this  company  had  employed  Ezra  Millard,  late  president  of  the  Mil- 
lard National  Bank,  of  Omaha,  to  take  up  a  townsite  of  320  acres 
at  the  falls  of  the  Big  Sioux.  Mr.  Millard,  with  a  companion, 
visited  the  falls  late  in  the  autum  of  1856  arriving  late  one  rainy 
night,  but  to  their  astonishment  they  had  no  sooner  reached  their 
beautiful  resting  spot  than  a  party  of  Sioux  Indians  came  upon  the 
scene,  took  their  horses  by  the  bits,  turned  them  around  and  in  the 
Indian  language  indicated   unmistakably   that  safety  depended  on 


142  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

their  immediately  retracing  their  steps  back  to  Iowa.  Without 
any  ceremony  they  conchided  to  let  the  Sioux  roam  over  the  Valley 
of  the  Sioux  for  awhile  longer  unmolested  by  the  paleface  and 
traveled  back  twelve  miles  that  same  evening.  Two  months  later 
Mr.  Mills  returned  and  built  a  small  log  cabin  on  the  island  and 
then  returned  to  his  home  on  the  lower  Sioux  for  the  balance  of  the 
winter. 

In  May  following,  Jesse  T.  Jarrett,  John  McClellan  and  Messrs. 
Farwell  and  Olson  arrived  in  Sioux  Falls  in  the  interest  of  the 
Western  Town  Company,  and  were  here  when  the  members  of  the 
Dakota  Land  Company  arrived.  The  prospects  were  so  inviting  that 
the  latter  company  concluded  to  take  up  320  acres  immediately 
south  and  up  the  river  from  the  falls,  occupied  by  the  Western 
Town  Company.  These  parties  from  both  companies  were  driven 
off  early  in  July  following  by  the  Indians.  On  the  2oth  of  August. 
1857,  a  party  of  nine  persons  came  to  Sioux  Falls  in  the  interest  of 
the  Dubuque  party,  among  whom  were  Dr.  J.  L.  Phillips,  W.  W. 
Brookings  and  John  McClellan,  who  afterwards  became  permanent 
settlers.  A  month  after  the  St.  Paul  party  sent  out  seven  men  and 
durmg  the  winter  of  1857-58  eighteen  persons  wintered  at  the  Falls. 
In  the  spring  following  enough  came  in  to  make  the  number  sixty 
or  seventy.  Two  women  came  in  the  summer  of  1858 — Mrs.  Good- 
win and  Mrs.  White,  the  latter  having  a  child  some  three  years 
old,  the  first  white  child  ever  in  Sioux  Falls. 

THE   SETTLERS   ORGANIZE. 

In  the  latter  part  of  October,  1856,  an  election  was  held  for  the 
member  of  legislature  and  delegate  to  congress  and  A.  (}.  Fuller 
was  elected  to  congress,  although  at  that  time  his  h(^me  must  have 
been  in  St.  Paul.  The  legislature  a  few  days  after  election,  as- 
sembled at  the  Falls.  Henry  Masters  was  elected  president  of  the 
council  and  S.  J.  Albright,  speaker  of  the  hou^e.  The  assembly  pass- 
ed a  memorial  to  congress,  praying  that  that  ])ortion  of  the  territory 
not  included  in  the  state  of  Minnesota  might  at  once  be  organized 
into  the  territorv  of  Dakota.  Also  a  law  extending:  the  laws  of 
Minesota  territory  over  the  proposed  territory  of  Dakota,  and  also 
a  few  other  acts  and  memorials.  Thus  far  there  had  been  no  govern- 
or and  by  a  joint  resolution  the  president  of  the  council  wa>  declared 
ex-officio  governor.  So  Mr.  Masters  became  governor  and  the 
first  session  of  the  S(iuatter  legislature  for  Dakota  adjourned. 

In  the  autumn  of  1H51»,  Hon.  J.  P.  Kidder  was  elected  delegate 
although  he  hved  in  St.  Paul.  Henry  McMasters  was  nominated  for 
governor,  but  as  he  died  before  election  S.  J.  Albright  was  elected. 
The  latter  preferred  the  legislature  and  he  had  himself  returned  as 
a  member  of  that  body.  When  the  legislature  met  a  little  later.  W. 
W.  P»r(K)kings  was  elected  president  of  the  council  and  .\lbright 
speaker  of  the  house.    The  only  business  done  was  to  again  memor- 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  143 


ialize  the  new  congress  to  organize  the  territory  of  Dakota  and  pass 
a  few  other  unimportant  memorials. 

At  the  close  of  the  session  the  president  of  the  council  was  again 
declared  governor  ex-officio  and  W.  W.  Brookings  acted  as  governor 
instead  of  Albright.  The  only  official  act  of  Governor  Brookings 
was  the  signing  of  the  certificate  of  election  to  congress  of  J.  P. 
Kidder,  and  several  memorials  to  congress.  This  was  the  last 
^'provisional"  legislature. 

The  reason  why  a  territorial  organization  could  not  be  secured 
was  that  the  house  was  republican  and  wanted  a  clause  in  the  organic 
act  or  law  prohibiting  the  taking  of  slaves  into  the  territory;  this 
the  democrats  opposed  and  the  senate  was  democratic.  So  that 
no  bill  passed  until  the  southern  members  left  congress  which  left  a 
majority  of  republicans  in  the  senate.  The  vote  of  the  house  of 
representatives  to  admit  J.  P.  Kidder  as  delegate,  was  about  equally 
divided,  he  being  defeated  by  only  a  few  votes,  and  this  was  brought 
about  by  the  persistent  opposition  of  Gen.  J.  B.  S.  Todd,  of  the 
Missouri  slope,  and  General  Frost  of  St.  Louis,  who  had  large  in- 
terests at  Yankton  and  was  fearful  if  Kidder  should  be  admitted  as 
delegate  the  capital  would  go  to  the  Sioux  valley  instead  of  the 
Missouri  river.  The  intention  of  the  Minnseota  company  was  to 
make  Medary  capital,  but  the  settlement  by  this  time  had  ceased  to 
exist  and  the  legislature  met  at  Sioux  Falls  city,  as  it  was  then 
called. 

The  first  newspaper  in  Dakota  was  printed  at  Sioux  Falls  in  1858. 
It  was  called  the  Dakota  Democrat.  But  one  issue  was  printed  and 
that  was  filled  with  argiunents  in  favor  of  territorial  organization. 
In  1860  the  paper  was  printed  by  a  Mr.  Stuart,  now  of  the  Chicago 
Times  staflf  and  the  name  changed  to  Western  Independent  for  the 
reason  that  Mr.  Albright  had  taken  the  heading  away  with  him  and 
the  changed  heading  was  found  in  Sioux  City. 

Such  in  brief  is  an  account  of  the  early  struggle  to  get  a  territorial 
organization.  The  attempt  failed  and  that  by  a  mere  scratch.  Da- 
kota territory  was  not  finally  orgfanized  until  March  2,  1861,  two 
days  before  Lincoln  became  president. 


144  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


THE  ICELANDIC  LUTHERAN  SYNOD  OF  AMERICA. 

SVEINBJORN  JOHNSON. 

In  the  sketch  of  the  Icelandic  settlement  ih  Pembina  county  pub- 
lished in  Volume  I.  of  the  Collections  of  the  Historical  Society,  the 
Lutheran  Synod  is  merely  referred  to.  Since  this  is  the  most  im- 
portant organization  among  Icelanders  in  America  and  as  it  had 
its  origin  in  North  Dakota,  it  deserves  a  more  extended  notice. 

At  the  time  of  the  death  of  Pall  Thorlaksson  in  1882,  three  con- 
gregations had  been  organized  in  Pembina  county.  A  year  later, 
J^ev.  H.  B.  Thorgrimsen,  then  just  graduated  from  Concordia  Sem- 
inary at  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  accepted  a  call  from  the  Icelanders  in 
the  county.  At  this  date  congregations  had  also  been  organized 
at  Winnipe^^,  Manitoba,  and  in  the  colony  of  New  Iceland  (on  the 
west  shore  of  Lake  Winnipeg),  but  nothing  had  been  done  to  bring 
these  units  into  co-operation.  Indeed,  from  1882  to  1881  progress 
in  church  organization  among  Icelanders  in  Canada  had  been  slow 
and  spasmodic.  Rev.  H.  Briem  left  his  charge  at  Winnipeg  early 
in  1882  and  Rev.  Jon  Bjarnason  did  not  return  from  Iceland  until 
the  summer  of  1884  was  well  advanced. 

After  serving  the  Lutherans  in  Pembina  county  for  some  time, 
Rev.  Mr.  Thorgrimsen  began  to  agitate  the  idea  of  a  universal 
organization  of  Icelanders  in  America  which  should  meet  in  con- 
ference at  least  once  a  year.  Late  in  1884  he  had  so  far  roused 
interest  in  the  project  that  on  December  2,  at  a  meeting  of  one  of  his 
congrej^ations — that  at  Mountain — a  committee  of  five  was  chosen 
to  co-operate  with  similar  committees  from  other  points  in  the 
drafting  of  a  general  constitution.  The  members  were  H.  B.  Thor- 
grimsen, chairman,  H.  Reykjalin,  F.  Bjornson,  Haraldur  Thorlaks- 
son and  Jon  Palmason.  ()n  the  23rd  of  January,  1885,  pursuant  to 
an  invitation  from  Mountain,  several  delegates  met  in  that  little 
hamlet  and  for  some  days  a  discussion  of  the  ways  and  means  of 
organization  continued.  Rev.  Mr.  Thorgrimsen  proposed  four 
articles  which  were  ^'unanimously  adopted."^  L'pon  the  approval 
of  this  instrument  by  the  different  congregations  in  Canada  and  the 
United  States  they  became  members  of  the  Synod.  **At  this  meeting 
at  Mountain",  says  Rev.  F.  J.  Bergman,  "the  present  constitution 
of  the  Synod  was  discussed  and  adopted  in  its  oldest  form,"-  and, 
adds  the  "Sameiningin."  '*here  was  the  first  universal  gathering  of 
Icelanders  in  America."^ 


i»ti 


Lcifur,"  Vol.  II.,  No.  33. 
'Almanak,   O.    S.   ThorKcirs'^on.   \Vinnii)cg.    Man..    l!io2.   p.   ?<>. 
'Vol,    III.,   p.    119.      This   cliurch   orjjan   also   credits    Rev.    Mr.    Thorgrim 
with  being  the  father  of  the  idea  and  the  chief  pr<  moter  of  the  or^^nnizatinn. 


STATE  OF  NORTH   DAKOTA  145 


Pembina  county,  then,  is  the  birthplace  of  the  Icelandic  Synod  in 
which  forty-three  congregations  are  now  represented.  The  total 
membership  is  over  seven  thousand  and  its  property  valuation  is 
placed  at  one  hundred  twenty  thousand  dollars.  The  Synod  con- 
venes once  each  year  at  a  place  appointed  at  the  next  preceding  meet- 
ing. Each  congregation  is  represented  in  proportion  to  the  number 
of  members  it  contains,  the  ratio  being  one  for  every  one  hundred 
of  membership.  Various  church  questions  are  discussed  and  a  prob- 
lem of  perennial  interest  which  is  discussed  with  increasing  ardor 
from  year  to  year  is  that  of  establishing  a  sectarian  college  in  which 
the  Icelandic  language,  among  other  courses,  would  be  taught. 
There  is  much  difference  of  opinion  as  to  the  feasibility  of  the  idea, 
the  location  of  the  school  and  its  general  character. 

The  annual  conference  of  the  Svnod  is  an  event  toward  which 
the  people  look  with  an  absorbing  and  ever  increasing  interest 
Hundreds  of  Icelanders — delegates  and  visitors — assemble  from 
colonies  in  southern  Minnesota,  all  the  settlements  in  North  Dakota 
and  the  territories  of  the  Dominion  of  Canada.  Xot  only  are  the 
general  discussions  a  feature  of  attraction,  but  the  people  fully 
appreciate  the  oportunities  afforded  to  associate  with  their  country- 
men from  regions  hundreds  of  miles  apart  and  under  different  flags 
and  forms  of  government.  The  exchange  of  ideas  that  results  has 
a  unifying  influence  upon  the  entire  body  of  Icelanders  on  both 
sides  of  the  International  boundary  line.  Notwithstanding  the  fact 
that  sharp  disagreements  often  arise,  the  conference  is  a  powerful 
re-enforcement  to  the  local  agencies  elsewhere  described  that  tend 
to  the  preservation  of  Icelandic  identity.^  It  diverts  the  sentiment 
of  nationality  from  narrow  local  channels  into  the  broad  current  of 
universal  kinship  upon  the  depth  and  purity  of  which  the  vigor 
and  effective  strength  of  the  Synod  depends.  It  was  born  of  this 
very  feeling  of  brotherhood  and  race  relationship  and  now  it  gives 
power  and  purpose  to  the  principle  of  its  origin. 


'Collections  of  the  State  Historical  Society,  Vol.  I,  p.  117. 


146  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


A  TRIP  THROUGH  THE  RED  RIVER  VALLEY  IX   1864. 

J.   A.    GILFILLAN. 

Having  occassion  to  go  to  Fort  Garry  as  it  was  then  called,  now 
Winnipeg,  on  some  business,  I  arrived  at  Fort  Abercrombie  in  the 
Burbank  stage  line  from  St.  Cloud,  Minn.,  about  May  15,  186 i. 
There  was  no  conveyance  of  any  kind  beyond  that  point,  and  I  trust- 
ed to  luck  to  find  some  way  of  going.  It  so  happened  that  there 
were  some  Chippewa  Indians,  returning  from  a  visit  to  Washington, 
going  from  the  terminus  of  the  stage  line  at  the  same  time;  and 
a  government  team  was  there  to  take  them  down  the  river,  about 
fifteen  miles,  if  I  remember  right,  to  a  place  then  called  Georgetown. 
The  driver,  however,  positively  refused  to  take  me  for  love  or 
money.  I  therefore  saw  them  drive  ofif,  the  same  evening  of  our 
arrival ;  and  I  started  to  walk  after  them,  hoping  to  be  able  to  go 
with  them  the  next  morning.  I  remember  the  evening  was  very 
hot ;  and  that  the  grass  had  barely  started.  It  so  happened  that 
some  of  the  Indians  got  off  the  wagon  to  walk  a  short  distance,  and 
I  received  a  severe  fright  in  consequence :  for  seeing  them  at  a  dis- 
tance I  naturally  took  them  to  be  Sioux  who  had  lately  perpetrated 
the  great  massacre :  and  who  were  supposed  to  be  prowlin^^:  about 
that  region.  Having  got  over  my  fright,  I  came  upon  them  in  their 
camp,  in  the  middle  of  the  night.  The  driver  let  me  ride,  I  think,  the 
short  distance  to  the  destination  the  next  morning.  This  was  about 
fifteen  miles  Ix^low  Fort  Abercrombie,  on  the  river.  I  do  not  re- 
member whether  there  were  any  tents :  there  were  no  houses. 

Here  I  bargained  with  two  dark  French  Canadian  half-breeds 
who  were  going  to  their  homes  on  Scratching  river  in  the  British 
Possessions,  near  Fort  Garry,  to  let  me  go  with  them,  and  to  fur- 
nish me  with  a  pony  to  ride,  I  think  I  paid  them  $10,  but  am  not 
sure.  They  also  furnished  the  provisions.  I  believe  we  followed 
the  old  Pembina  trail,  my  impression  is  that  there  was  a  well  markcvl 
trail.  I  do  not  know  how  long  it  took  us,  perhaps  three  or  four 
davs,  I  know  we  did  not  see  a  house  or  a  human  bein<>-.  nor  the 
slightest  trace  of  civilization,  the  whole  way.  ( )ur  ponies  lived 
on  grass  only,  were  tied  out  at  night.  The  grass,  as  I  have  said, 
was  just  beginning  to  show  green.  I  think  I  had  very  little  con- 
versation with  my  companions,  they  talking  only  French  or  Chippe- 
wa, neither  of  which  I  understood.  I  kept  no  diary  nor  took 
notes,  nor  do  I  remember  how  the  country  looked.  The  onlv  thing 
that  impressed  itself  upon  me  was  that  after  being  out  a  few  days 
my  guides  evidently  became  afraid  of  the  Sioux,  as  was  evidenced  by 
their  anxious  looks  and  hurried  conversations.    Thev  ha<l  evidently 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  147 

got  into  a  region  where  they  believed  Sioux  were.  I  remember 
one  particular  day  they  got  up  very  early  in  the  morning — we  al- 
ways slept  on  the  ground,  of  course,  each  one  in  a  blanket,  the 
horses  picketed — and  they  rode  very  fast,  what  I  estimated  to  be 
twenty  miles,  where  they  stopped  for  breakfast,  such  as  it  was, 
then  another  twenty  miles  till  dinner,  they  all  the  while  fearful  and 
anxious,  then  another  twenty  miles  till  supper,  and  after  supper  we 
rode  another  twenty  miles,  till  quite  dark.  They  told  me  to  beat 
my  pony  and  make  him  go,  and  I  had  to  do  it."  I  remember  I  esti-* 
mated  that  we  rode  eighty  miles  that  day  and  I  am  sure  we  did. 
When  they  stopped  that  night  they  did  not  camp  on  the  road,  but 
went  a  little  distance  to  one  side,  and  I  remember  when  they  lit 
their  pipes  they  did  so  lying  on  the  ground,  with  a  blanket  covering 
them  all  over,  so  that  no  spark  of  fire  might  be  seen  by  the  Sioux. 
Next  morning  having  passed  the  dangerous  region  and  seeing  no 
signs  of  enemies,  they  dismissed  all  fear;  and  thenceforth  traveled 
leisurelv  and  unconcernedlv.  At  last  we  arrived  at  the  half-breed 
or  Indian  encampment  on  Scratching  river.  I  cannot  remember 
what  it  looked  like  only  that  Sunday  coming  when  I  was  there  I 
went  to  mass.  About  the  service  and  the  people  I  do  not  remember 
anything,  only  that  after  mass  an  old  half-breed  arose,  and  made 
the  people  a  long  harangue  in  the  Indian  tongue,  the  substance  of 
which  was,  I  was  told,  that  he  urged  them  to  start  out  on  the  buffalo 
hunt,  the  time  having  almost  arrived.  I  then  went  to  Fort  Garry 
which  consisted  almost  exclusively  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's 
trading  post.  Besides  that  and  the  English  stone  church  I  cannot 
remember  seeing  any  buildings.  Returning  to  Scratching  river  I 
made  arrangements  with  Antoine  Gingras,  a  prominent  half-breed 
trader  to  take  me  with  him  and  his  train  of  Red  river  carts  to  Fort 
Abercrombie.  He  was  a  large,  fat,  jolly  man,  I  remember  he  was 
continually  singing  one  song  on  the  way,  the  tune  of  which  I 
remember  perfectly  well  to  this  day,  and  can  sing  as  well  as  some 
of  the  words  he  used  because  I  heard  them  so  often  that  though 
thev  were  in  French,  of  which  I  did  not  understand  a  word,  I  learn- 
ed  them.  I  understand  they  were  about  the  victory  of  the  half- 
breeds  over  Governor  Semple  and  his  men  at  Fort  Garry,  when 
they  killed  him.  Hearing  it  so  incessantly,  as  I  generally  traveled 
with  Mr.  Gingras,  that  s.ong,  to  use  a  modern  expression,  *'got  on 
my  nerves.'' 

I  do  not  remember  how  much  I  paid  Mr.  G,  nor  how  many 
Red  river  carts  there  w^ere  in  the  train — perhaps  twenty — nor  how 
many  days  it  took  us.  The  carts  were  laden  with  furs,  I  believe,  go- 
ing to  St.  Paul.  There  was  as  usual,  one  ox  to  each  cart ;  but 
one  driver  drove.  I  think,  several  oxen.  The  drivers  were  all  half- 
breeds,  and  talked  Indian  exclusively  or  French.  Mr.  G,  however, 
knew  English.  The  time  was  in  the  beginning  of  June,  I  believe ; 
and  the  country  was  clothed  in  a  carpet  of  the  deepest  green.    Not 


148  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

being  so  much  hurried  as  in  the  upward  journey  I  had  more  time 
to  look  about  me,  and  saw  that  we  were  passing  through  a  beauti- 
ful rolling  prairie  country;  interspersed  at  intervals  with  streams, 
running  invariably  almost  parallel  to  each  other  from  the  west  to 
the  east,  to  empty  into  Red  river.  As  before  there  was  not  a  human 
being  nor  the  slightest  trace  of  man*s  presence  on  the  whole  road. 
This  time  they  had  no  fear  whatever  of  Sioux.  Our  food  was  dried 
flat  strips  of  buffalo  meat ;  it  was  good  and  I  got  so  fat  that  I  never 
weighed  as  much  in  my  life  before  or  since.  Thus  even  at  that  day 
I  made  proof  of  the  surpassing  healthfulness  of  the  North  Dakota 
climate.  Although  I  saw  the  country  was  most  beautiful,  it  never 
occurred  to  me  that  human  beings  would  ever  live  there. 

I  do  not  Jcnow  how  many  miles  we  made  a  day,  perhaps  fifteen 
or  twenty.  I  remember  once,  almost  at  the  beginning  of  the  journey, 
v/e  came  to  an  unbridged  stream,  flowing  very  deep  down  in  its  bed,\l 
land  the  half  breeds,  cutting  down  large  pieces  of  wood,  sharpened  '\ 
l^one  end  and  used  them  as  spades  to  cut  down  the  steep  bank  to  get 
down  to  the  wide  bridge  they  had  thrown  across.  I  showed  them 
a  little  improvement  in  the  spade  line,  by  cutting  a  deep  notch  in  it 
just  above  the  blade  for  the  whole  weight  of  the  body  to  rest  on  the 
foot,  as  is  an  ordinary  spade,  and  so  facilitate  the  digging.  I  think 
I  walked  on  foot  the  whole  way,  which  was  no  hardship,  as  the 
stages  were  short. 

I  do  not  remember  seeing  any  prairie  chickens  nor  ducks,  but 
antelope  replenished  our  larder  almost  every  day.  Mr.  G,  riding  in 
front,  would  see  one,  immediately  he  or  some  one  else  would  lie 
down  in  the  grass  and  flag  them,  waving  a  flag  to  and  fro.  In  this 
way  their  curiosity  being  excited,  they  would  come  nearer  and  nearer 
to  see  what  it  was  till  at  last  they  got  within  range,  when  the  shot 
^would  ring  out,  and  we  would  see  the  others  scampering  away,  their 
white  rinrps  and  tails — if  I  remember  ri.^htly — showing  vividly. 
This  was  an  almost  daily  occurrence,  or  many  times  in  a  day.  One 
day  there  was  quite  an  excitement.  A  group  of  one  or  two  buffalo 
were  seen  quietly  feeding.  Immediately  a  half-breed  got  on  the 
best  pony — we  had  a  number  of  ponies  with  us — and  started  after 
them.  Perhaps  they  were  a  mile  or  two  distant.  After  a  while,  past 
us  came  the  half-breevl,  and  the  buffalo  at  full  tilt,  close  by  where 
we  were,  the  half-breed  apparently  steering  him,  so  we  could  see 
him.  The  buffalo  had  his  head  down  and  was  running  his  best.  I 
remember  the  half-breed  repeatedly  poked  him  in  the  ribs  with  the 
muzzle  of  his  gun,  as  he  was  passing  us.  He  had  bullets  in  his 
mouth,  and  we  saw  him  loading  his  muzzle-loading  gun  as  he  rode. 
So  they  disappeared  from  our  siglit  and  we  mafle  sure  we  wouKl 
soon  have  fresh  buffalo  meat.  lUit  in  a  short  time  the  half-breed 
came  back  alone,  very  much  dejected,  and  a  great  flap  hung  lrK)se 
on  the  hip  of  his  horse  rent  from  bottom  to  top  by  the  buffalo's 
horn.     The  buffalo  had  evidently  turned  on  him  and  got  away.     I 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  1 49 

do  not  know  whether  the  horse  died  or  not.  Bye  and  bye  we  came 
to  Fort  Abercrombie  without  having  seen,  as  I  have  said,  the  least 
sign  of  human  habitation.  There,  there  was  only  the  soldier's  fort, 
if  I  remember  correctly,  and  some  wigwams  of  the  half-breeds. 
There  I  parted  from  kind  Mr.  Gingras,  and  my  brief  experience  in 
the  embryo  great  state  of  North  Dakota  was  ended. 


150  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


NAMES  OF  THE  OJIBWAYS  IN  THE  PEMBINA  BAND, 

NORTH  DAKOTA. 

J.   A.   GILFILLAN. 

The  Band  of  Ojibways,  called  the  Pembina  Band,  is  the  most 
westerly  of  the  Nation  of  the  Ojibways.  Their  habitat  was  the 
northeast  corner  of  North  Dakota,  along  the  Red  river  of  the  north, 
the  Pembina  river  and  also  the  Turtle  Mountain  country.  North 
Dakota.  They  call  themselves,  and  are  called  by  the  other  Ojib- 
ways. An-i-bi-min-an-i-zi-bi-win-i-ni-wug,  meaning  "The-High-bush- 
cramherrv-river-men"  from  the  river  of  the  same  name,  An-i-bi-min- 
an-i-zibi,  The-High-bush-cranberry-river,  the  Pembina  river.  About 
A.  D.  1871,  or  shortly  before  it,  part  of  this  band  was  removed  to 
the  White  Earth  reservation,  Minnesota,  and  settled  on  a  township 
of  land  taken  for  them  from  the  northwestern  part  of  the  reservation, 
on  the  Wild  Rice  river  and  hence  called,  The  Township  of  the 
Pembinas.  They,  alone  of  the  Ojibways,  are  prairie  Indians,  and  in 
consequence  differ  somewhat  in  their  habits  from  the  other  Ojib- 
ways. They  formerly,  like  all  the  plains  Indians,  were  great  buffalo 
hunters,  much  more  so  than  the  other  Ojibways.  They  also  used  the 
horse  much  more  than  the  other  Ojibways,  who  had  no  horses  orig- 
inally, but  got  a  few  from  the  Sioux  of  late  years,  and  used  them 
to  a  very  limited  extent.  They  also  differed  somewhat  in  speech, 
having  a  peculiar  accent,  which  as  soon  as  they  opened  their  mouths 
proclaimed  them  Pembinas.  Their  speech  was  not  nearly  so 
agreeable  to  the  ear,  as  that  of  the  other  Ojibways,  who  used  con- 
stantly to  laugh  at  them,  and  when  they  wanted  to  make  fun,  mimic 
them.  PVom  their  intercourse  on  the  great  plains  with  the  Crees, 
they  had  also  introduced  a  number  of  Cree  words.  Still  their  speech 
was  perfectly  intelligible  to  the  other  Ojibways,  though  it  sounded 
ridiculous.  Before  starting  on  winter  journeys  they  were  accustom- 
ed to  put  out  the  fire  in  their  wigwams  and  log  houses  for  some  days 
previously  and  sit  in  extreme  cold  in  order  to  season  themselves.  In 
truthfulness,  honesty,  straightforwardness,  reliability,  goodness, 
kindness  they  were,  I  think,  inferior  to  all  other  Ojibways.  The 
following  are  some  of  the  names,  with  their  meanings,  of  that  part 
of  the  band  located  on  White  Fi^arth  reservation  who  were  living 
there  in  1878.  There  were  several  hundred,  but  I  have  not  given 
names  derived  from  the  French,  of  which  there  were  many,  as  not 
being  interesting  nor  have  I  given  duplicate  names,  many  persons, 
as  with  us  having  namesakes.  In  reading  the  Ojibway  names  be- 
low '*a'*  is  pronounced  as  in  "father,'*  "e'*  as  in  "they,'*  "i"  as  in 
^'machine,"  **o"  as  in  *'alone.*'  Other  letters  are  pronounced  as  in 
En':;:lish. 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  151 

1.  She-she- we-gi-shig,  Rattling-sky  (Chief  of  the  Band). 

2.  Se-se-gush-ik,  She-who-is-afraid-as-she-flies,  (his  wife). 

3.  Muk-ud-e-wis,  Black-visaged. 

4.  Tai-ye-bas-unk,  He-whose-lightnings-reach-the-object,  (which 
he  wishes  to  strike  with  his  lightning.  The  bird  of  thun- 
der, who  acording  to  their  ideas  causes  lightning,  can  strike  whom 
he  pleases  with  his  lightning). 

5.  We-chi-chag-wub-ik,  She-who-sits-as-a-spirit,  (Or  ghost 
that  is  seen  sitting.  She  is  not  a  mere  mortal  but  a  disembodied 
spirit.) 

().     Kek-kek-wash,  Flies-like-a-hawk. 

7.  We-za-wub-ik,  She-who-sits-in-yellow,  (A  deer,  say,  at  a  cer- 
tain season  has  a  yellow  hide;  she  looks  so). 

8.  Te-bus-ash,  He-who-sails-low%  (near  to  the  ground). 

9.  Gin-u-wash-ik,  She-flies-as-a-war-eagle,  (N.  B.  The  war 
eagle  is  considered  by  the  Ojibways  the  noblest  of  all  birds.  So  she 
flies  very  nobly). 

10.  Ga-ku-be-sha-bo-we,  She-who-joined-in-the-chant-and-kept- 
on-even-to-the-end.  (In  their  dances  the  men  sing  the  first  part  of 
the  chant  but,  at  a  certain  part  of  it  the  women  are  allowed  to  add 
their  voices.    This  woman  does  so  and  sings  to  the  very  end  of  it.) 

11.  Ga-gi-we-gi-zhig,  Sky-that-kept-going-home.  (This  is  a 
moveable  sky  that  kept  going  and  returning  as  the  day  does). 

12.  O-ba-bam,  Here-and-there,  (a  part  only  of  a  word). 

13.  Me-zhuk-ki-a-bun-dunk.  He-who-descending-from-the-sky- 
overhead-sees-to-the-bottom-of-the-water-and-sees-the-thing  -  there,. 
(If  money,say,  or  anything  else  be  lying  at  the  bottom  of  the  ocean 
or  of  a  lake  no  matter  how  deep,  this  man,  coming  down  out  of  the 
sky  looks  and  sees  it  there  no  matter  what  the  depth  may  be). 

14.  Wa-bi-ke-kek,  White-hawk. 

15.  Ke-be-cum-ig-ish-kunk,   He-who-treads-the-earth-to-the-end. 

16.  O-ku-be-ga-bow-wi-que,  The  -  woman  -  who  -  stands-to-the- 
very-end.  If  there  be,  say,  a  row  of  people  or  anything  else,  she  goes 
and  stands  first  before  one,  then  before  the  next  and  so  on  till  she  has. 
finished  standing  before  every  person  or  thing  in  the  row). 

17.  We-za-wub-i-qua-unk,  He-who-is-a-yellow-thunder-cloud- 
filled-with-thunder-and-lightning,  (We  often  see  in  summer  such  a 
yellow  thunder  cloud,  pregnant  with  thunder  and  lightning.  This 
man  is  such  a  yellow  thunder  cloud). 

18.  Wa-we-yan-a-quot,  Round-cloud. 

19.  Ka-gi-ge-mai-ya-o-sek,  She-who-is-everlastingly-the-gener-^ 
eral-of-the-army,-and-leads-in- front,  (in  battle). 

20.  A-bi-ta-ke-kek,  Middle-hawk. 

21.  O-za-un-ub-ik,  Yellow-sitting-woman,  (as  deer  at  certain! 
seasons  has  a  yellowish  coat  of  fur  so  this  woman  shows  yellow). 

22.  Ka-gi-ge-gi-zhig,  Everlasting-day,  (His  sun  never  sets). 


152  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

23.  O-ka-be-a-ta-gek.  She-gambles-to-the-very-end-of-the-game, 
(Does  not  give  up  short). 

24.  Ka-bon-e,  He-alights,  (as  a  bird  does,  ceasing  flying). 

25.  Deb-we-wi-dum-ok,  She-whose-shoutings-from-a-distance- 
reach-to-us. 

26.  She-we-ash-ik.  She-sails-along-the-top-of-the-ridge,  (on  what 
is  popularly  called  a  "hogs-back,"  not  on  a  level). 

27.  Mush-ko-de-que.     Prairie-woman. 

28.  Ke-be-givim-e-ash,  He  -  who  -  with-his-feathers-sails-the- 
whole-course-to-the-end,  (as  a  bird  does). 

29.  Gen-a-wa-bum-int,  He-who-is-gazed-at. 

30.  G^-now-wi-gi-zhig-ok,  The-woman-who-is-always-earnestly- 
gazing-atnthe-heavens,  (as  looking  for  the  dawn). 

31.  Ga-gi-we-cum-i-gok.  The-woman-who-goes-home-on-the- 
earth-every-once-in-a-while,  (She  does  not  sail  or  fly  but  goes  on 
the  ground). 

32.  O-djan-im-we-we-ash-ik,  The-woman-who-flies-putting-forth- 
her-utmost-effort-and-uttering-alarming-cries,  (as  of  one  in  great 
distress). 

33.  O-ka-be-an-i-mi-ta-gos,  He-who-sings-the-whole-invocation- 
to-the-end,  (As  in  the  Grand  medicine  rite  he  utters  the  whole  form- 
ula to  the  end  no  matter  how  long  it  may  be). 

34.  A  -  zhe  -  sek,  she-who-having-gone-somewhere-walks-back- 
wards-to-the-starting-place. 

35.  O-ka-besh-kum-ok,  She-who-walks-the-whole-length-of-the- 
ground-to-the-other-end-of-it,  ( on  a  long  portage  between  two  lakes 
she  walks  it  all). 

36.  Gen-aw-i-ga-bow,  He-who-stands-by-the-thing-taking-care- 
of-it. 

37.  Ki-zhi-ga-bow-ik,  She-walks-fast-and-stands. 

38.  O-min-o-ta-go-zi,   His-voice-in-speaking-sounds-pleasant. 

39.  Ke-bence,  The-little-one-who-goes-to-the-end,  (of  something 
not  stated.) 

40.  Wa-bun-i-ga-bow-ik,  She-stands-till-morning,  (does  not  sit 
all  night). 

41.  Mud-we-ash-ik,  She-makes-a-sound-in-flying,  (as  a  bird 
does.) 

42.  Ke-be-a-wun,  A- whole- fog. 

43.  A-sub-in,  Little-net,   (for  fishing.) 

44.  We-gid-dji-gi-zhig,   He-who-is-on-the-top-of-the-sky. 

45.  Go-dji-ash-ik,  She-tries-to-fly,  (as  a  young  bird  does.) 

46.  O-gi-ma-go-zhig,  Kingly-day. 

47.  Man-i-do-bin-es,  Spirit-bird,  (not  an  ordinary  bird,  but  su- 
pernatural). 

48.  Ne-ta-a-gin-dum-ok,  She-who-is-expert-in-counting. 

49.  A-bi-ta-wi-gi-zhig,  Middle-of-the-sky. 

50.  I-na-kon-i-ge,  I  le-pronounces-the-decision-in-court. 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  153 


51.  Om-bi-gi-zhig-ok,  She-rises-up-higher-and-higher-in-the- 
sky,  (as  the  sun  gets  higher  and  rises  so  does  she.) 

52.  Na-wuk-cum-i-go-\vin-i-ni,  The-nian-in-the-center-of-the- 
earth. 

63.  O  -  nub  -  i  -  win  -i-  ni,  The-man-who-is-going-to-settle-on-a- 
thing,  (As  a  bird  would  hover  over  its  nest  about  to  sit  or  as  a  man 
would  be  about  to  settle  on  a  piece  of  land.) 

54.  C)-kub-e-a-gin-dum-ok,  The-woman-who-counts-the-thing- 
to-the- very-end,  (as  money  or  anything  else). 

55.  Od-an-i-wi-gi-zhig-ok,  The-woman-who-vaults-over-the-sky- 
rising-higher-than-it. 

56.  Oo-ku-be-gi-zhig-wub-ik,  The-woman-who-sits-the-whole- 
day. 

57.  Mizh-a-quud-ok,  Clear-sky- woman,  (her  sky  is  all  clear). 

58.  A-wun-a-quud-ok,  The-woman-of-the-foggy-cloud,  (she 
lives  in  that  cloud  or  she  is  it.) 

59.  O-mo-ca-cum-ig-ok,  The-woman-who-appears-coming-up- 
cut-of-the-ground,  (as  Samuel  did,  when  called  up  by  the  witch  of 
Endor.) 

60.  Quek-quek-i-ga-bow-ik,  The-woman-who-turns-round-and- 
round-as-she-stands. 

61.  Ki-we-din-ok,  The-woman-of-the-north-wind,  (she  is  that 
north  wind  or  she  lives  in  it.) 

i)2.     Te-cum,  Short-cut-across. 

63.  Te-bus-ash-ik,  She-flies-low,   (as  a  bird  does.) 

64.  O-zi-dak-wa-tik,  ax-handle. 

65.  Ke-be-a-goz-ek,        She-who-roosts-all-along-to-the-end-of-it. 

66.  In-i-ni-ga-ni-baw-it,  The-man-who-is-standing. 

67.  Ged-a-ki-wub-i-tunk,  He-who-sits-firmly-mortised-into-the- 
ground,  (he  cannot  be  shaken.) 

GS.  O-ka-besh-kum-ok,  She-treads-it-to-the-very-end,  (a  road 
that  she  is  traveling  or  a  course.) 

69.     Azh-i-de-as-um-ok,  The-woman-who-emits-lightnings- 

crosswise,  (the  thunder  bird,  who  according  to  their  belief,  causes 

ihunder  and  lightning — the  former  his  voice,  the  latter  the  flashes 

yJ^       from  his  opening  eyes — sometimes  emits  one  flash  and  then  another 

^^^       crosswise  to  it.) 

^  70.     Pe-pesh-i-ok,      The-woman-dressed-in-striped-clothes,    (that 

io,  parallel  stripes  on  her  clothes,  in  convicts  suits.) 

71.  I>i-taw-i-ga-bow,  He-stands-in-two-rows-with-an-interval- 
between-the-rows,  (as  a  company  of  soldiers  has  a  front  and  rear 
rank.) 

72.  O-zhin-a-wash-ik,  She-flies- jingling,  (she  has  sleigh-bells 
about  her  or  something  which  jingles  as  she  flies.) 

73.  Od-dji-givim-uuk,  Thc-polestar,  (called  by  them  "the  fisher 
star"  from  the  animal  of  that  name.) 

74.  O-paz-i-gwig,  He-is-rising-up-to-stand. 


154  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


75.  Ki-zhi-we-we-ga-bow-jk,  She-stands-makino^-a-loud-pierc- 
ing-.srnjnfl,  (with  castanets,  cymbals  or  something  which  she  clashes 
together  making  a  loud  clangor.) 

76.  \e-tum-i-ga-bow-i-tunk,  He-who-stands-first-to-the-thing, 
fif  a  number  of  men  be  standing  in  a  row  before  a  medicine  kwlge 
this  man  stands  first  of  them  all). 

77.  Gi-zhi-go-bin-es-ik,  The-heavenly-bird-woman,  (that  is  one 
conception  of  a  woman,  she  is  a  bird,  but  this  one  is  not  an  earthly 
bird,  but  a  heavenly  one.) 

78.  A-wun-a-quot,  Foggy-cloud. 

79.  A-bid-we-wi-dunk,  The-woman-who-incessantly-shouts. 

80.  Oka-besh-cum-ok,  The-woman-who-treads-the-thing-to-the- 
end,  (as  a  road,  etc.) 

81.  Azh-i-de-as-um-ok,  The-woman-who-emits-lightnings- 
crosswisc. 

82.  A-gash-shi-i,  He-is-small,  (probably  an  infant's  name). 

83.  She  -  bon  -  de  -  ga  -  bow-ik,  She-comes-in-at-the-door-of-the- 
lodgc-passes-through-it-and-stands,  (this  is  evidently  a  long  sum- 
mer bark  lodge,  with  doors  or  openings  in  the  opposite  ends.) 

8  k  Xc-ta-wi-cum-ig-in-imk,  He-who-is-expert-in-walking-on- 
the-carth. 

85.  Ne-na-cow-wi-ga-bow,  Ile-stands-once-in-a-while,  (that  is, 
he  is  on  a  journey  traveling,  and  once  in  a  while  stands  and  rests.) 

Hi).  Gcn-a-wen-im-i-gut,  He-who-is-cared-for-and-watched-over, 
(by  some  one  not  named.) 

87.  Mesh-a-ki-wim-i-bin-es-ik,  The-woman-bird-who-comes- 
down-out-of-the-sky-over-head-to-the-earth-and-remains,  ( we  often 
see  a  bird  do  this.  This  is  another  conception  of  a  woman  as  a 
being  who  has  come  down  from  Heaven  to  this  earth.) 

88.  Alc-cud-e-wi-gum-cb,  I le-who-is-black- feather-sitting,  (this 
man  wears  a  black  feather  and  is  known  by  it.) 

8!).     I'ji-i-wi-ga-bow,    Ile-wlio-stands-taller-than-all-the-others. 

1)0.     C)-zha-wnsh-ko-gin-u,  The-bluc-war-eaglc. 

91.     Oui-wis,  The-bov. 

9*?.  (la-as-in-i-wi-o,  Ile-has-a-stone-body,  (his  body  is  as  strong 
as  a  stone.) 

93.  r>in-es-i-wi-gi-zhig,  Sky-full-of-birds,  (we  often  see  such  a 
sky.) 

91.     Song-ub,  Stron'^lv-sittint^. 

95.  O-tta-wa-qiie,  Ottawa-woman,  (of  the  Ottawa  tribe  of 
Indians.") 

9(1.     Ma-incr-ancc.  Tj'ttlc-wolf. 

97.  (]a-ga-ui-wi-'Kn\""-  H-'vcn- feather. 

98.  r;a-i-h-f)a,  lie  is  qtiitc  tall. 

99.  Wa-bi-gin-u,  White  war  eajjle,  (as  has  been  said  above  the 
Indians  consider  the  w.'ir  ea-le  tin-  iioMest  of  all  birds  and  conse- 
(jneTMl  '  wear  its  feath*  r^  in  tl)' ir  li;»iT.) 


STATE  OF   NORTH   DAKOTA  155 

100.  A-na-cas-e,  French  word  for  "broken." 

101.  Pem-we-wi-dunk,  He-who-goes-by-yelling. 

102.  De-bus-i-ga-bow-ik,  Low-standing- female,  (she  is  short  of 
stature.) 

103.  ^le-my-yow-wub-i-tunk,  He-who-rises-up-  (from  a  lying 
position )  and-sits-once-in-a-while. 

10-1.  Ga-ki-zhi-ash-ik,  The-woman-who-keeps-flying-fast-from- 
time-to-time,  (she  always  keeps  flying  fast.) 

105.  Ga-song-give-we-gi-zhig,  Sky-that-keeps-uttering-a-strong- 
sound,  (as  a  sky  full  of  thunder  storms  does.  This  man  is  such  a 
strong  thundering  sky,  or  he  lives  in  it.) 

106.  Nu-bun-ed-dji-wun,  One-side- rapids,  (we  often  see  a  rapids 
flowing  strongly  against  one  bank.  This  man  is  such  a  rapids  or  he 
lives  in  it.) 

107.  Ge-gived-dji-gi-zhig-web,  He-who-tries-  (or  tests)  the-sky- 
sitting,  (that  is  he  shakes  it  to  see  if  it  is  strong  and  will  bear  him 
up  and  not  let  him  fall  through.) 

108.  Me-quum-i-wi-ga-bow,     He-who-is-ice-and-frosty-standing. 

109.  Sa-gan-a-quesh-kunk,  He-who-walks-forth-in-the-sky-and- 
comes-out-into-the-open-so-as-to-be-seen,  (the  sun  before  he  rises 
is  hidden  or  after  he  has  risen  he  is  obscured  behind  a  bank  of 
clouds  and  can  not  be  seen  but  by-and-by  he  rises  higher  in  the  sky 
and  stands  out  clearly.     This  man  is  such  a  one  as  he.) 

110.  Ki-chi-muk-wa,  Big-bear. 

111.  Od-djan-i-wan-a-quud-ok,  The-woman-of-the-fast-flying- 
cloud,  (she  lives  in  that  cloud  or  she  is  it.) 

112.  O-za-wi-con-a-ye,  He-who-is-clothed-in-yellow. 

113.  Ga-ka-besh-kunk,  He-who-has-walked-from-one-end-of- 
the-course-to^the-other,  (and  did  not  stop  short.) 

114.  A-kik-we-wish,  Bad-kettle-woman,  ("bad"  is  often  a 
term  of  endearment,  as  with  us.  A  mother  says  to  her  infant, 
"you  bad  little  boy.") 

115.  A-kuk-kunzh,  Coal. 

IIG.     A-ga-shi-yence,  The-little-small-one. 

117.  Osh-kin-a-we,  The-yoini'^r-unmarried-man. 

118.  A-bizh-e-ash,  He-is-warmin^^f-his-skin-flyinr. 

119.  Bi-da-bun-ok,  The-woman-of-the-peep-of-day,  (she  comes 
then  or  she  awakes  then.) 

120.  Ga-sha-wen-i-mint,  ITe-who-had-pity-shown-him. 

121.  Sa-gi-qua-um-ok,  The-woman-of-the-thunder-birds-that- 
come-out-in-thc-open,  (We  often  see  a  thunler  cloud — in  which  are 
the  thunder  birds  according  to  the  Indians'  ideas — risint^;  just  above 
the  horizon  mounting:  hicrher  in  plain  sight.  This  woman  is  one  of 
those  thunder  birds  in  that  cloud. 

122.  Bin-es-i-wun-ga-wid-dji-wad,  Ile-who-went-with-the-birds, 
(the  birds  of  thunder  or  some  other  distinguished  birds  were  flying 
over;  he  rose  in  the  air  and  went  with  them.) 


156  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIEl  Y 

123.  Mi-no-ga-bow,  Good-standing. 

124.  O-ni-i-ge,  He-is-setting-traps,  (as  a  hunter  does.) 

125.  A-zhi-de-ga-bow,  He-stands-upside-down. 

126.  O-mo-dai-que,   Bottlewoman. 

127.  Qe-ueeng-wa-a-ge,  The-wolverine. 

128.  Ka-gi-ge-as-um-o-que.  Everlasting-emitting-lightnin^^s- wom- 
an, (The  thunder  bird  does  this,  sometimes,  but  this  woman  always 
lightens). 

129.  Pe-mi-kaw-wed,  He-who-makes-foot-tracks-going-by. 

130.  Mes-co-gwun,  Red  Feather,  (he  wears  that  kind  in  his 
hair.) 

131.  Ge-wuz-is-wun-e-bik,  Woman-sitting-upon-and-hiding-her- 
nest,  (As  a  bird  does.     She  is  such  a  one.) 

132.  (ia-gin-u-ash,  War-eagle-flying. 

133.  Ai-in-dji-ga-bow-ik.  Firmly-standing-woman. 

131.     Bi-dji-do,  He-carries-his-pack-in-advance-before-the- 

others-move-and-leaves-it-at-the-new-encampment. 

135.  Min-o-gwun-e-ash,  Pleasant-feather-sailing  (or  flying.) 

136.  Main-di-dot-o-gi-ma,  The-large-  (in  body)  chief. 

137.  Ga-bezh-i-gut,  Ile-who-was-alone. 

138.  Xizh-o-de-win-i-ni.  The-two-heart-man,  (meaning  the  twin 
man;  twins  being  called  by  them  **two-hearts.") 

139.  Xi-baw-i-go-win-i-ni,  Stands-in-I leaven-  (or  the  sky)  man. 

140.  Pu-push-ko-qua-um-ok,  She-clears-ofT-the-underbrush-off- 
the-ground,  (that  is,  she  is  going  to  plant:  and  makes  ready.) 

141.  De-da-tub-we-wi-dum-ok,     She-who-keeps-yelling-very-fast. 
H2.     A-wun-i-ga-bow-ik,    Woman-standing-in-a-fog. 

143.  Ciow-wi-ta-win-int,  He-who-is-taken-around,  (as  to  see  the 
sights.) 

1 1  L  Xa-o-gi-zhi-go-que,  Woman-who-is-in-the-middle-of-the- 
skv. 

1  [5.     As-i-ni-wub,  Sitting-on-a-stone. 

1  K).     Xa-gan-i-gwun-e-ash-ik.  Foremost-feather-flying-woman. 

147.  A-num-i-e-o-sck,  Divine-walking-female,  (that  is  she  prays 
as  she  walks. ) 

1  l^S.  (iin-u-ga-min-o-ta-go-zit,  \\'ar-eaglc-that-makes-a-])leasant- 
sound,  (The  war  ea.ulc.  as  before  exj)laine(l,  is  consiilered  by  the 
Indians  the  noblest  of  all  birds;  this  man  is  siich  a  one,  and  in  ad- 
dition makes  a  pleasant  sound  wlien  he  sings. ) 

119.  Xa-o-gi-zhig-wcb.  ne-sits-in-the-.sky-opj)osite,  (to  the  man 
who  sees  him. ) 

l.*)().  ( )-ka-be-no-din-ok.  Tlie-woman-of-the-wind-that-blows-all- 
the-time-to-the-end,  (a  wind  that  does  not  cease  but  keei)S  on  till 
the  evening,  or  till  the  end  of  the  storm.     She  is  in  that  wind  or 

IS    It.) 

151.  Gi-we-qua-um-ok,  TIie-woman-of-the-tliunder-st(5rm-that- 
returns-back-again-to-the-placc-of-starting.     (We  often  see  this.     \ 


[ 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  157 

thunder  storm  that  begins  in  the  east  passes  over  to  the  west,  then 
returns  to  the  east  again  where  we  are.    She  is  that  wind  or  storm.)* 

152.  O-za-wi-gi-zhig,  Yellow-sky. 

153.  Pe-bi-ga-bow-ik,  She-fills-the-place- full-standing,  (That  is, 
there  were  others  in  the  wigwam,  say,  or  room,  but  there  was  space 
unoccupied,  when  she  comes  in  she  is  so  large  that  she  fills  the  place 
full  so  that  there  is  no  room  left.) 

154.  Wa-bi-bi-zhin-que,  White-wild-cat- woman. 

155.  Ke-be-gwim-e,  He-has-feathers-  (or  is  feathered)  all-the- 
way-to-the-end,  (he  lives  to  be  extremely  old  but  his  feathers  never 
drop  ciV.     He  never  becomes  bald.) 

-156.  A-was-i-que,  The-bull-head-woman,  (The  fish  of  that  name, 
that  is,  she  belongs  to  the  dodaim,  or  clan  of  the  bull-heads,  one  of 
the  Ojibway  clans  or  dodaim. 

157.  A-wun-i-gi-zhig-ok,  The- fogg>'-sky- woman,  (She  lives  in 
that  foggy  sky  or  she  is  it.) 

158.  A-qua-wi-go-zhig-ok,  Sharp-sounding-sky- woman,  (That 
is,  her  sky  is  full  of  crackling  thunder  claps,  as  we  often  see.) 

159.  O-daing-um,  A-little-ripple-on-the-water. 

160.  Ne-na-ash,  Adjusts-his-feathers-as-he-flies,  (a  bird  does 
thus.) 

161.  O-zha-wush-ko-bin-es,  Green-bird,  (has  green  plumage.) 

162.  A  -  zhe  -  gi  -  we  -  go-zit,  He-who-retums-back-again-to-the- 
place-whence-he-had-removed. 

163.  Mes-quance,  Little-red,  (perhaps  clothed  in  red.) 

164:.  O-za-wa-bi-qua-um-ok,  The-woman-of-the-yellow-thunder- 
cloud. 

165.  O-djan-i-mi-bin-es.  Ilurry-flying-bird,  (Sometimes  we  see  a 
bird  darting  hither  and  thither  in  great  agitation. He  is  such.) 

166.  Gi-zhi-gong-de-ben-i-mint,    He-who-belongs-in-the-skies. 

167.  Gi-zhig-ga-na-i-ta-gut,  He-who-is-obeyed-by-Heaven,  (He 
commands  the  powers  that  are  in  Heaven,  whatever  he  says  is  obey- 
ed there.) 

168.  Na-na-i-gwun-e-ash,  Keeps-ad  justing-his-feathers-as-he- 
flies. 

1 69.  O-na-cum-ig-in-um-ok,  She-smooths-the-earth-and-makes- 
it-level,  (If  there  are  mountains  anywhere  or  hills  she  obliterates 
them  by  smoothing  the  earth  with  her  hands  making  all  level.) 

1 70.  Gan-a- wa-bun-dum-ok,  The-woman-who-is-gazing-and- 
watching. 

171.  Muzi-i-ni-gi-zhig-ok,  The-woman-of-the-sky-that-has-curi- 
ously-traced-figures-in-it,  (We  often  see  a  sky  that  has  a  sort  of  fig- 
ures in  it  caused  by  clouds  looking  like  letters.  She  lives  in  that 
curiouslv  marked  skv  or  she  is  it.) 

172.  Ga-om-bash-ik,  The-woman-blown-upward-flying-by-the- 
wind. 


158  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


173.  Gi-zhi-ba-no-din-ong-e-bid,  A-bird-that-is-going-to-fly- 
round-and-round-in-a-whirlwind. 

174.  Na-o-gi-zhig-ok,   The-woman-in-the-middle-of-the-sky. 

175.  Med-we-as-unk,  He-who-makes-a-noise-emitting-his-light- 
nings. 

176.  Nozh-we-wi-dum-ok,  The-woman-who-halloos-with-two- 
voices. 

177.  Mes-co-givun-eb,  Red-feather-sitting,  (he  has  a  red  feather 
in  his  hair.) 

178.  Bi-wa-bik-co-gwun-eb-ik,  Iron- feather-sitting- female,  (The 
feather  she  wears  is  iron.) 

179.  Od-ay-and-dji-gwun-eb-ik,  She-who-changes-her-feathers- 
as-she-sits,  (A  woman  can  change  her  clothes  sitting,  take  off  one 
dress  and  put  on  another,  changing,  as  it  were,  her  feathers.  This 
woman  is  such  a  changing  feather  bird.) 

180.  A-gas-i-don-es,  Little-small-mouth. 

181.  No-din-ak-que-we-ash-ik,  The-woman-of-the-tree-cracking- 
and-groaning-smitten-by-the-wind,  (We  often  see  and  hear  a  tree 
laboring  so  in  a  terrible  wind.     She  is  such  a  tree.) 

182.  Ni-ta-ak-on-i-gek,  She-is-expert-in-carrying-the-canoe,  (in- 
verted over  her  head  in  the  manner  of  the  Indians)  among-the-trees, 
(does  not  get  it  wedged  between  two  trees,  but  steers  it  this  way 
and  that,  in  and  out,  to  get  through  the  forest.) 

183.  Xi-ta-wi-gwun-eb-ik,  She-knows-how-to-sit-with-her- feath- 
ers, (as  a  bird  does.) 

184.  De-bus-i-ga-bow,  Standing-low,  (or  stooped  down). 

185.  O-zhi-bi-i-^ans,  The-little-writer,  (can  make  marks  in  the 
sand  with  the  fini:::er  that  look  like  letters.) 

180.  Mem-we-\ve-a^h.  Ile-who-sounds-lovely-when-flyino:,  (the 
motions  of  his  pinions  throut^h  the  air,  or  his  voice  as  he  calls.) 

187.  Ga-bicl-wc-ash-ik,  Shc-whose-s;)und-comes-towards-us-as- 
she-flies-approachintr-ns,  (a  bird's  scimd  comes  towards  us  as  it  ap- 
proaches living,  so  slie.) 

ISS.     (ia-l)i-wa-l)ik-o-que,  Iron-woman. 

189.  (ic-now-i-L:wun-el),   1  Ic-sittini^-with-loni^- feathers. 

190.  .\-wus-i-ir'-7Jii,Lr-o-win-i-ni,  A-man-from-the-sky-that-is- 
beyond-the-sky- which- we-sec. 

191.  Ko-ko-ko-ons,  Little-owl. 

192.  Kek-kck-on>h-ish,  r>a(l-little-liau k. 

193.  Ki-we-din-i-;[:i-zhig,  Xorthcrn-sky. 

19 i.     Muz-in-al)-i-kin-i-<;e,  Ile-writcs-finrtircs-in-the-rock. 

There  were  513  Indians  and  half-hrceds  paid  annuities  at  this 
pavment  in  18^8  by  the  V,  S.  (itn'crnnient,  very  many  oi  wlmm  were 
French  Canadian  half-breeds.  French  name>^  are  omitted  in  the 
alx)ve  li<t.  and  aNo  (Inj)licate  Indian  name^^,  that  is  where  there  are 
several  persons  of  the  same  name  as  \\ith  us  there  mi^ht  he  many 
Ji)hnson<,  only  one  is  given.     This  accounts   f*T  there  bein^  iuU 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  159 

194  names  out  of  543.  $4,857.60  were  paid  them  at  that  1878  pay- 
ment. The  following  are  the  names  of  some  Pembina  Chippewas, 
or  Ojibways  in  1895. 

195.  Pis-qua-di-nash,  Little-bare-hill. 

196.  Muk-u-de-wis,  Black- visaged. 

The  following  are  some  names  of  Pembinas  who  were  paid  an- 
nuities at  Wild  Rice  River,  now  in  Norman  county,  Minnesota,  on 
White  Earth  Reservation  in  1870. 

197.  Ge-tub-i-wub-i-tunk,  He-who-sits-very-firmly-into-his-seat, 
(as  if  he  were  fastened  into  it.) 

198.  Bow-wi-ti-go-win-i-ni,  Sault  Ste.  Marie  Rapids  man. 

199.  O-za-vvi-ke-kek,  Yellow-hawk.  . 

200.  Gi-go-zens,  Little-fish. 

201.  Na-o-cum-ig-ub,  Sits-in-the-center-of-the-earth. 

202.  Shi-shi-bens,  Little-duck. 

203.  Ki-chi-o-gi-ma,  Big-chief. 

204.  To-tosh-ens,  Little-nipple. 

205.  Me-shuk-ki-a-bun-dunk,  He-who-descending-from-the-sky- 
overhead  (as  a  bird-  does)  looks-down-to-the-bottom-of-the-water- 
and-sees-the-thing. 

206.  Ki-zhi-ko-ne,  The  fire  burns  briskly,  (blazes  fiercely.) 

207.  A-bi-quc,  She-stays-in-the-lodge,  (is  at  home.) 

208.  Od-ish-que-cum-igo-que,  The-woman-of-the-end-of-the-land 
(or  of  the  earth.)  She  lives  there  in  the  end  of  the  land  at  some 
projection  of  land  into  a  body  of  water. 

209.  De-da-cum-o-se,  He-takes-crosscuts-in-walking. 

210.  Man-i-do-qui-wi-zens,  Boy-who-is-a-god. 

211.  Wa-ko-wuzh,  Fish-eggs,  (or  fish  roe.) 

212.  Ai-in-dub,  One-who-changes-his-sitting-position-to-get-into- 
a-better. 

213.  O-me-zhuk-ki-wi-bin-es,  Bird-that-flies-downward-to-the- 
earth-from-the-sky-overhead-and-remains,  (This  is  one  conception 
of  a  man,  namely,  that  he  is  a  bird  that  has  come  down  from  the 
sky.) 

214.  Mesh-a-ki-gi-zhig,  Sky-reaching-to-the-ground-all-round, 
(We  see  that  the  sky  is  very  high  overhead,  but  it  reaches  down  to 
the  ground  at  the  horizon  everywhere.) 

215.  Ki-ga-ish,  Your-bad-mother. 

216.  O-ka-besh-kum-ok,    She-finishcs-all-the-journey-to-the-end. 

217.  Mun-i-yens,  Little-many,  (This  is  as  near  as  they  can  say 
many.) 

218.  Mud-dji-wi-kens,  Bad-sweet-flag. 

219.  O-ku-be-bi-zin-dum-ok,  The-onc-that-listens-to-the-end-of- 
it. 

220.  Me-das-so-gunzh,  The-one-who-has-ten-claws. 

221.  Kish-ki-mun-i-se,  The-kingfisher. 

222.  Ke-ke-kon-shish,  The-bad-littlc-hawk. 


160  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOaETY 

• 

223.  Manido,  A-spirit. 

224.  An-ak-kun-i-ke,  He-makes-mats. 

225.  Ben-we-wi-dunk,         He-who-passes-by-us-with-a-booming- 
sound,  (caused  by  the  rapidity  of  his  motion.) 

226.  Ki-chi-gi-zhig-web,     Sitting-in-the-great-sky-above-the-sky- 
we-see,  (and  outside  of  it.) 

227.  Gatch-ich-i-gi-zhig- web,       The-sitting-sky-that-has-a-shel  f - 
or-projection-on-it.    This  man  is  such  a  sky,  or  he  lives  in  it.) 

228.  En-i-wi-gi-zhig-ok,       The-woman-who- vaults-over- the  sky 
rising-higher-than-it. 

229.  Wi-sug-ish-kunk,   He-\vho-gives-pain-to-the-thing-by-tread- 
ing-on-it. 

230.  Song-an-a-quesh-kunk,  He-who-stood-on-the-hair,   (say  of 
a  fallen  enemy.) 

231.  Se-se-gash-ik,  She-who-is-afraid-as-she-flies. 

232.  Xa-o-gi-zhig-\veb,  Sitting-in-the-middle-of-the-sky. 

233.  Ko-kosh,  The  hog. 

234.  Teng-um,  .\-ripple-on-the-\vater. 

235.  We-zam-i-zit,  He-who-talks-too-much. 


STATE  HISTOIUCAL  SOCIETV  161 


SKETCHES  OF  EARLY  SETTLEMENTS   OF  PORTIONS 

OF  WALSH  COUNTY. 

T.    E.    COOPER. 

The  following  correspondence  will  be  of  interest  to  all  classes 
of  our  people  showing  as  it  does  the  early  settlement  of  the  eastern 
and  western  portions  of  our  county,  and  in  years  to  come  when  the 
future  historian  undertakes  to  write  of  Grafton  and  Walsh  counties, 
will  be  found  of  benefit  and  assistance  to  him. 
Publishers  of  Herald: 

You  ask  me  to  write  a  communication  in  the  way  of  an  historical 
account  of  the  first  settlement  of  Walsh  county,  for  publication  in 
the  Herald. ,  I  could  indeed,  have  wished  that  this  subject  had  been 
placed  in  the  hands  of  some  person  more  competent,  and  who  might 
have  more  time  to  look  up  the  essential  points  to  be  given  to  the 
public.  I  infer,  however,  that  you  only  desire  an  account  of  the 
time  and  manner  of  the  first  settlement,  so  far  as  I  mav  be  able  to 
give  them,  and  not  that  I  should  go  into  a  detailed  historical  review 
of  that  portion  of  territory  embraced  within  the  present  geographi- 
cal boundaries  of  our  county. 

Besides  my  incompetency  I  have  a  personal  aversion  to  this  sub- 
ject, because  I  must  keep  myself  mainly  in  the  foreground,  which 
is  hardly  allowable  in  literary  composition.  Trusting,  however,  to 
the  intelligence  of  the  Herald  readers,  and  hoping  they  may  be  gen- 
erous enough  to  consider  the  nature  of  the  subject,  and  to  forgive 
any  inaccuracies,  or  that  polish  of  diction  that  should  grace  the 
columns  of  the  Herald,  I  will  write  a  personal  narrative,  with  which 
I  can  best  recall  the  names  of  early  settlers  and  their  locations. 

In  July,  1878, 1  was  driving  the  Rev.  R.  R.  Goudy,  Episcopal  min- 
ister in  charge  in  the  town  in  which  we  then  resided  in  ^linnesota,  to 
an  appointment  to  hold  religious  services,  and,  as  w^e  were  driving 
along  conversation  turned  to  the  failure  of  the  wheat  crop  in  South- 
ern Minnesota  when  the  Rev.  gentleman,  with  a  good  deal  of  earn- 
estness, remarked :  , 

'*I  should  think  that  a  man  like  you,  sir,  who  have  met  with  re- 
verses here,  would  push  out  into  northern  Dakota,  as  it  is  the  most 
promising  place  within  the  limits  of  the  United  States  for  men  to 
acquire  an  independence.'* 

**No  Dakota  for  me,'*  said  I.  **I  crossed  the  entire  territory,  from 
east  to  west,  with  an  ox  team  in  IHfU  in  a  train  of  1?3  wagons  drawn 
by  <?G1  pairs  of  oxen  in  pursuit  of  the  precious  metal  in  the  Rocky 
?*iountains,  and  I  am  free  to  say  that  I  would  not  give  the  shadow  of 
a  lamb's  tail  for  all  the  Dakota  dirt  we  passed  over.     Oh!  no  Mr. 


162  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Goudy,  I  never  could  think  of  going  to  Dakota  to  make  a  home." 

The  Rev.  gentleman  seemed  quite  surprised  at  my  dislike  of 
Dakota,  and  replied: 

"I  think,  sir,  you  are  mistaken  as  to  northern  Dakota,  for  I  have 
been  out  there  on  three  occasions,  purchased  lands,  and  have  had 
some  improvements  made,  and  you  would  be  surprised  to  see  the 
push  and  enterprise  that  is  going  on  along  the  line  of  the  Northern 
Pacific  railway.  You  must  remember  sir,  that  it  is  fourteen  years 
since  you  crossed  those  plains  as  you  term  them ;  since  then  men  of 
capital  have  gone  in  and  cultivated  the  lands,  and  they  produce  the 
finest  wheat  in  the  world.  Lands  are  going  to  be  valuable  out  there, 
and  that  right  soon,  and  the  sooner  you  go  the  better  it  will  be  for 
you  financially.  Depend  upon  it  sir,  that  in  five  years  from  now, 
lands  there  now  owned  by  the  government  will  be  worth  as  much  as 
these  farms  we  are  now  passing." 

"And  do  you  really  intend  to  go  there  to  live,  Mr.  Goudv?"  I 
inquired. 

"I  do  indeed,  and  intend  to  cultivate  the  soil,  too." 
Mr.  Goudy*s  words,  coming  as  they  did  with  so  much  candor, 
from  a  gentleman  of  unquestioned  integrity  and  intellectual  ability, 
did.  I  confess,  so  influence  me  that  I  resolved  to  see  for  myself  if  his 
opinions  were  based  on  such  facts  as  to  warrant  pulling  up  anchor 
and  leaving  the  old  moorings  where  for  twenty  years  I  had  enjoyed 
social  relations  with  good  neighbors  and  frienJs. 

Mr.  Goudy  has  indeed  proved  his  faith  by  his  works,  as  in  1880 
he  laid  his  sermons  on  the  shelf,  for  a  time  at  least,  and  moved  his 
family  to  the  city  of  Fargo,  Dakota,  where  he  owned  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  land  adjoining  the  city  limits  on  the  west.  This 
he  improved,  and  the  past  summer  built  a  fine  residence  there<:)n. 
]  le  has  an  extensive  wheat  farm  about  twenty  miles  west  of  Fargo, 
where  I  un.lerstand  he  owns  and  is  working  eighteen  hundred  acres 
of  land  with  good  success.  Can  eastern  men  believe  that  a  gentle- 
man of  culture,  who  was  educated  for  and  well  qualified  for  the 
ministry,  could  be  induced  to  leave  his  chosen  profession,  and  en- 
gage in  agriculture  in  a  large  way  if  the  silly  twaddle  they  find  in 
their  home  papers  pred judicial  to  their  coming  to  this  great  fertile 
belt  are  based  on  facts?     Certainly  not. 

A  short  time  after  the  conversation  narrated  above,  I  left  home, 
accompanied  bv  that  good  and  true  friend,  S.  S.  Worthing.  Esq., 
then  W.  M.  of  Mystic  Tie  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  No.  37,  (some  Herald 
readers  will  understand)  and  now  postjiiaster  at  Medford,  this 
county.  Nothing  worthy  of  note  occiirrod  until  we  reached  Fislier'^ 
Landing,  then  the  western  terniinus  of  the  Manil(»l >a  nnlroad  where 
we  fell  in  with  and  formed  the  acfinaintnnce  of  Mr.  W  illiani  Mc- 
Kinzie,  who  will  figure  quite  prominently  in  this  review  further  on. 

Mr.  Marshall,  of  Grand  Forks,  was  at  tliat  time  (August,  ls:s.> 
running  a  two  horse  hack  between  Fisher's  and  Grand  l^irks.  con- 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  163 

vcying  passengers  either  way ;  and  the  traffic  of  passengers  at  that 
time  was  so  light  that  Marshall  would  at  times  submit  to  a  reduc- 
tion of  his  charges  of  $1.50  from  Fishers  to  the  Forks.  Crossing 
the  "Raging  Red"  in  the  little  ferryboat,  then  meandering  among 
stately  elm  trees  for  a  few  rods  and  we  ascended  to  a  beautiful 
plateau  on  which  the  present  city  of  Grand  Forks  is  now  built. 
Casting  our  eyes  around  over  the  few  scattered  buildings,  we  voted 
unanimously  that  it  was  the  most  natural  and  beautiful  site  for 
a  city  west  of  Minneapolis,  a  distance  of  four  hundred  miles,  and 
it  needed  no  prophetic  eye  to  see  that  in  the  near  future  it  would 
surpass  the  most  sanguine  expectations  of  its  most  enthusiastic — I 
was  about  to  say  boomers ;  but  there  was  no  such  thing  as  a  boom 
in  North  Dakota  then,  certainly  not  north  of  Fargo. 

We  were  driven  to  the  Central  House,  now  the  Red  River  Vallev 
Hiiuse,  kept  by  mine  host  Mr.  J.  D.  Mosette,  where  we  ate  our 
first  Dakota  meal.  After  dinner  we  took  a  cursory  view  of  the 
infant  city,  having  then  a  population  of  I  should  judge,  about  150 
Oi  200  souls,  living,  not  as  they  do  in  Florida,  indeed,  on  oranges 
and  Yankees,  but  on  the  products  of  Dakota  soil. 

We  found  four  or  five  teams  in  from  the  country,  the  owners  of 
which  gathered  around  us,  like  bees  around  the  bung-hole  of  a  sugar 
l^rrel,  all  anxious  to  convey  us  to  their  several  localities,  assuring  us 
of  "splendid  locations."  So  anxious  were  they  to  have  neighbors 
or  "settlers,"  that  they  held  their  several  localities  up  to  view  in 
much  brighter  and  inviting  colors  than  I  am  now  able  to  write 
them.  Finally,  about  3  o'clock  that  afternoon,  Mr.  Worthing,  Mr.' 
McKinzie,  above  mentioned,  and  your  humble  servant,  boarded 
the  wagon  of  Mr.  John  Knox,  and  about  8  o'clcwrk  that  evening 
arrived  at  his  claim  about  three  miles  northwest  of  the  present  vil- 
lage of  Manvel,  Grand  Forks  county,  crossing  the  Turtle  river 
on  the  old  Fargo  and  Winnipeg  stage  road,  a  few  rods  east  of  the 
present  railroad  bridge.  We  stopped  with  Mr.  Knox  all  night,  and 
and  next  morning  Knox  took  his  team,  and  we  all  started  out  to 
take  a  look  at  Uncle  Sam's  big  pasture  field,  to  see  if  we  could 
find  a  suitable  harbor  in  which  to  cast  anchor.  As  the  timber  lands 
on  the  Turtle  near  this  location  were  all  claimed,  we  sailed  about  on 
ttie  prairie  all  day  like  a  brig  in  a  fog  without  rudder  or  chart, 
returning  to  Mr.  Knox's  cabin  about  sunset,  where  we  again  re- 
mained for  the  night.  The  result  of  the  day's  exploration  was  in 
no  way  satisfactory  to  myself,  although  next  morning  Mr.  Worth- 
ing dropped  anchor,  and  it  seemed  for  an  hour  or  so  that  he  con- 
sidered the  place  a  haven  of  rest,  where  he  might  erect  a  domicile 
and  commence  life  anew.  While  he  was  selecting  the  location  for 
his  intended  home,  I  was  making  arrangements  with  Mr.  Knox  for 
a  few  day's  drive  to  see  if  North  Dakota  hadn't  some  more  inviting 
spot  on  which  I  might  erect  a  home  in  the  land  of  No.  1  hard. 


166  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


north  of  Mr.  Miller's  present  fine  buildings,  two  miles  northeast 
of  this  city,  we  turned  our  horses  out  to  grass.  Here  I  left  the 
driver,  Mr.  Knox,  and  Mr.  Worthing  eating  their  dinner,  while  I 
took  mine  in  hands  and  mouth  and  started  down  along  the  Park  in 
the  big  bay  northeast  of  where  Grafton  now  is.  Going  into  the 
timber  to  see  if  I  could  find  any  marks  of  human  labor,  I  found 
three  or  four  log  cabins  partly  built  on  the  north  side  of  the  river, 
and  a  little  east  of  where  Ben  Askelson's  saw  mill  is  now  located. 
Ole  F.  Gorden  was  occupying  one,  so  far  towards  completion,  that 
neither  bear  nor  wolf  could  enter  except  through  the  door.  Mr. 
Mathius  Christianson,  who  then  and  now  owns  land  which  is  only 
forty  rods  from  the  northeast  corner  of  our  present  city  limits, 
had  his  cabin  completed  and  his  family  living  there,  and  these  two 
families  according  to  my  best  recollection,  were  the  only  ones  living 
on  the  north  side  of  the  Park  from  where  Grafton  now  is  built 
on  section  13,  township  157,  range  53  west  to  the  Red  river,  a  dis- 
tance of  about  thirteen  miles  though  all  the  timber  claims  were 
taken.  Richard  Stewart,  now  proprietor  of  the  Star  hotel  of  this 
city,  had  taken  his  farm,  so  had  William  McMartin,  Jr.,  and  his 
father  had  a  claim,  but  by  mistake  Joseph  T.  Huard  took  it.  Alex 
McMartin  had  taken  his  land  also.  They  were  all  back  in  Minne- 
sota, but  returned  in  the  fall  and  have  remained  ever  since.  On  the 
south  side  of  the  Park,  east  of  Grafton,  Ben  C.  Askelson  came  first 
and  then  Peter  Linn,  who  sold  to  Mr.  Nobin,  then  Peter  Peterson, 
then  Ole  Lee,  next  came  John  Trudo,  then  Frank  Waters,  who 
had  taken  his  present  place,  but  he  too  was  gone  to  Minnesota  after 
his  family. 

The  question  of  the  first  to  settle  on  the  Park  river  lies  between 
Mr.  Carpenter,  above  mentioned,  and  Mr.  Joseph  Rrunell,  each 
claiming  priority  of  settlement,  having  come  in  in  April,  1878. 
The  weij[j:ht  of  evidence  is,  I  think  in  favor  of  Mr.  Carpenter,  as 
he  had  his  family  here  first,  though  I  have  been  told  that  Mr. 
Brunell  was  the  first  to  come  and  look,  and  perhaps  in  that  view 
IS  entitknl  to  the  honor  of  being  the  first  to  discover  this  new  land 
of  promise,  which  has  raised  many  families  from  penury  to  inde- 
pendence. 

Before  my  tramp  in  pursuit  of  human  labor,  I  gave  directions 
to  Mr.  Knox  and  Mr.  Worthing  that  when  the  horses  were  fed 
Ihey  should  continue  on  west,  and  I  would  meet  them  a  couple  of 
miles  ahead,  as  my  intention  was  to  make  the  point  of  timber  where 
Mr.  Nathaniel  Irish  now  and  then  lived,  about  six  miles  northwest 
of  this  city  at  the  big  bend  on  the  north  branch  of  the  Park. 

It  seemed  a  ItMig.  long  six  miles  through  the  ttmss,  but  we  finally 
reached  the  point  before  sunset.  Mr.  Irish  had  settled  there  about 
a  month  previous  to  this,  as  also  Tils  brother  Alonzo  Irish,  about 
two  miles  still  west  of  him.  At  Mr.  Irish's  we  found  a  gentleman 
wli(^  was  then  known  as  the  "Old  Peddler,"  and  in  more  recent 
parlance  McGregor,  'the  mail  carrier,'  which  name  is  definite  enough 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  167 

for  all  purposes  here,  as  surely  ilc  served  the  postal  department 
faithfully  for  a  considerable  time,  at  which  I  don't  believe  he  coined 
much  monev. 

Well,  our  friend  McGregor,  true  to  his  hospitable  nature,  in- 
vited us  to  come  this  way,  down  the  Park  from  Irish's  about  two 
miles,  where  he  said  he  had  a  cabin  and  one  of  the  best  claims  in 
Dakota.  We  accepted  his  kind  invitation  and  drove  down,  follow- 
ing the  then  merchant  prince  of  the  Park  river  country,  for  with 
the  exception  of  Mr.  Jacob  Rhineheart's  little  store  at  Kelley's 
Point,  there  were  no  goods  sold  this  side  of  Grand  Forks  to  the 
south  and  Pembina  to  the  north,  which  by  following  the  road  to 
either  place  so  to  find  crossing  over  the  streams  made  the  nice  little 
journey  of  nearly  sixty  miles. 

When  we  arrived  at  McGregor's  castle  in  the  woods,  a  log  struc- 
ture, I  suppose  12x14,  it  was  dark,  and  as  Mr.  Mc  didn't  deal  in  oil 
we  had  no  light.  Three  in  a  small  bed  may  be  allowable,  but  when 
you  get  four  full  fledged  sinners  piled  into  such  a  space,  you  may 
be  sure  the  breathing  powers  are  considerably  exercised  to  perform 
their  functions.  This  was  the  case  that  night  for  awhile,  until  one 
or  two  of  the  party  heard  a  bear  trying  to  enter  the  cabin  door, 
scratching  for  the  latch  string  which  unfortunately  had  not  been 
pulled  in.  Two  of  the  party  arose  and  rushed  out  in  order  to 
capture  Bruin  and  have  him  served  up  for  breakfast,  but  however 
needy  we  might  have  been  for  meat,  Mr.  Bruin  had  no  thought  of 
serving  us  for  such  a  purpose  on  that  occasion,  as  he  had  with- 
drawn from  the  siege.  Still  a  guard  of  two  was  kept  up  the  balance 
of  the  night,  which  gave  to  the  other  two  sufficient  space  for  re- 
pose. 

Next  morning  we  started  on  our  return  trip  anj  following  the 
Indian  trail  we  crossed  the  Park  river  at  a  point  at  that  time  known 
as  the  "Indian  Crossing"  which  is,  or  was,  directly  north  of  Listie- 
kow*s  roller  mill.  So  we  emerged  up  through  the  brush  and  came 
in  front  of  where  the  Star  hotel  now  is  (formerly  Cooper  house). 
I  resolved  if  possible  to  secure  a  home  here,  as  I  had  found  no  place 
that  suited  me  so  well,  but  the  land  was  not  yet  surveyed  and  cir- 
cumstances were  such  that  I  could  not  "squat,"  which  was  the 
only  way  the  land  could  then  be  held. 

From  here  Mr.  Worthing  and  myself  returned  home,  well  pleased 
with  the  Park  river  country,  its  beautiful,  gently  undulating  prairie, 
and  the  abundance  of  wood  lining  the  banks  of  the  river. 

One  great  and  controling  reason  that  induced  me  to  come  to 
the  Park  river  valley  to  see  the  country  was  from  having  read  a 
work  published  by  Governor  Ramsey  of  Minnesota.  In  i8r)2,  he 
being  governor,  the  home  government  at  Washington,  ordered  him 
to  proceed  to  Pembina  and  make  a  treaty  with  two  tribes  of  In- 
dians. Organizing,  he  took  with  him  such  military  and  civil  aids 
as  was  necessary  to  travel  such  a  distance  through  a  wild  country 
with  scarcely  any  settlement  west  of  St.  Paul.     They  crossed  the 


168  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Red  river  not  far  from  where  Fargo  now  is,  keeping  a  northwestern 
course,  crossing  the  three  branches  of  the  Park  about  five  miles 
west  of  the  present  Grafton.  There  was  a  daily  report  given  from 
St.  Paul  to  Pembina,  and  not  until  they  reached  the  Park  river  were 
there  any  flattering  inducements  held  out  for  settlement.  There 
the  report  was  as  profuse  in  praise  of  the  country  as  men 
could  well  be  who  have  no  interest  only  as  truthfully  representing  the 
government.  I  am  sorry  I  have  not  now  the  work,  having  lent  it 
to  a  friend,  (and  it  has  not. been  returned)  else  I  should  quote  from 
it  pertaining  to  this  section  of  the  Red  river  valley. 

Mr.  Worthing  returned  here  in  November  of  the  same  year  with 
his  family  and  took  a  claim  four  miles  east  of  this  citv,  on  what  is 
now  the  Acton  road,  and  built  a  house  and  blacksmith  shop,  the 
latter  a  temporary  structure,  but  so  scarce  were  settlers  that  there 
was  Httle  if  any  work  to  be  done.  I  moved  into  the  valley  on  the 
thirteenth  day  of  December,  the  same  year,  1878,  and  stopped  for 
a  time  at  Mr.  Worthing's,  (^n  the  eleventh  day  of  Februar>\  1879, 
I  moved  on  to  this  place,  the  land  then  being  unsurveyed.  By  this 
time  most  of  those  who  had  the  previous  summer  taken  land  had 
moved  in  and  nearly  every  claim  along  the  river  for  as  far  as  six  or 
seven  miles  west  of  this  place  was  held  down  by  squatters. 

Some  time  in  the  latter  part  of  the  summer  a  |>ostoffice  had  been 
established  at  Kelley's  Point,  but  it  was  a  long  way  to  go  on  foot 
in  the  winter  for  mail,  and  there  were  very  few  horses  in  tlic  coun- 
try. A  Swede,  a  resolute  fellow  who  lived  up  the  middle  branch 
eight  miles  from  here  west,  was  employed  to  go  to  Kelley's  Point 
and  walk  for  the  mail  which  he  did  for  a  while,  but  gave  out,  the 
distance  was  so  great  through  the  snow  and  there  being  no  beaten 
road.  I  finally  concluded  to  make  an  effort  to  have  a  postal  line 
established,  and  with  that  purpose  drew  up  a  petition  to  the  post- 
office  department  stating  the  necessity  of  the  case,  and  I  traveled 
on  foot  through  the  snow  in  March  to  Kelley's  Point,  drumming  up 
signers  along  the  line  and  at  the  Point.  Then  I  went  up  Jlie  Park 
eight  miles,  all  signing  the  petition  and  anxious  for  a  jl^office. 
everyone  wanting  it  at  or  near  his  own  cabin.     The  petition  asked  ^ 

for  three  offices,  one  about  seven  miles  cast  of  this  place.     I  should  •   «!■ 

have  stated  above  that  according  to  my  report  Mr.  McKinzie,  who 
succeeded  in  teaching  school  at  the  Turtle  river,  came  over  in 
March  and  bought  a  claim  about  a  mile  north  of  the  French 
church.  Here  he  started  a  little  grocery  store  with  about  $100 
worth  of  goods,  and  he  was  named  at  his  request,  with  the  con- 
sent of  the  neighbors,  in  the  petition  for  postmaster,  the  name  of 
the  office  to  be  Park  River. 

Some  Swedes  west  of  this  about  eight  miles,  where  I  went  to 
consult,  proposed  that  the  name  of  their  postoff"ice  should  be  Lyons 
but  I  either  forgot  or  neglected  to  insert  that  name  in  the  petition. 
John  Alman  was  named  as  postmaster.     He  was  a  Swede,  and  a 


•^*^S% 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  l09 


gentleman  in  every  respect,  so  in  place  of  Lyons  I  inserted  Sweden 
in  honor  of  his  nationality. 

In  selectinjT^  a  name  for  the  postoffice  at  this  |xiint  m\self  and 
family  pniposed  several,  writin^r  them  on  paper,  to  sec  how  they 
would  look  and  sound.  The  first  was  in  honor  of  the  Park  in  its 
peculiar  crossing  here  and  so  we  wrote  "Grand  Crossin;:r.'  The 
next  was  in  honor  of  Mrs.  Cooper's  maiden  name,  beins;^  Locke,  s.> 
we  wrote  **Lrck  Port."  The  next  was,  1  thought,  a  sweot  sounding 
name  and  I  wrt^te  "(ilenwood." 

Then,  I  being  in  the  fruit  tree  business  and  intending  to  plant  oat 
a  nursery,  and  perliaps  tn^aiic  in  i; rafting  fruit  trees,  to  be  a  bene- 
factor to  my  race  in  Xortli  Dakota,  I  thouglu  and  wrote  "Cirafton." 
This  Mrs.  C.  approved,  as  her  parents  were  raised  in  Grafton  co.m- 
ty,  Xew  Hampshire.  As  we  anticipated  that  a  large  town  would, 
in  the  near  future  arise  here,  we  wanted  a  name  easily  spoken  and 
written,  and  one  that  could  be  sounded  by  all  alike.  I  believe  the 
citizens  of  Grafton  are  satisfied  with  the  name  of  the  city,  thtnigh 
some,  and  I  may  say  most  of  our  business  men  as  well  as  outsiders, 
have  said-  that  it  should  have  had  the  more  apropriate  name  of 
Coopertown  or  Cooperton.  Nothing  in  my  extreme  modesty,  which 
I  think  should  never  be  considered  in  a  new  country  like  this,  pre- 
vented it.  Gentlemen  while  I  return  irratefnl  thanks  for  vour 
flattering  proposals,  it  is,  and  is  to  be  Grafton. 

I  forwarded  the  petition  to  \Vashin;;t(Mi  through  Hon.  Geo.  H. 
Walsh,  he,  througli  our  delegate,  Mr.  Petti^rew.  and  in  a  short 
time  I  received  the  necessary  j^ipers,  but  did  nut  get  fairly  running 
tmtil  the  first  of  July,  and  then  we  had  only  sjieeial  service  until  the 
next  regular  letting.  When  Mr.  McKinzie  moved  from  Park  river 
Mr.  Frank  \\'aters  was  apjiointCil  postmasler  and  held  the  office 
about  two  years  when  he  resiiined  and  the  otVice  was  discontinued, 
its  patrons  being  su]>j)Iied  at  (iraftt^n.  1  held  the  t)tViee  at  Cirafton 
until  May,  1882,  when  I  resii^ued. 

In  May,  1879,  Mr.  McKinzie  sold  his  claim  to  a  Mr.  Sullivan  for 
the  sum  of  $.")()().  This  was  considered  a  fortune  here  then.  With 
this  money  Mr.  ^McKinzie  went  up  seven  miles  noi'thwest  of  here, 
less  than  a  mile  from  where  Sweden  postofiice  had  been  established 
at  Mr.  Alman's  house,  took  governirent  land,  erected  a  gtnnl  store 
building,  and  commenced  vloing  a  nice  trade.  In  the  fall  of  1880 
the  land  in  ranges  5;^  r)t  and  .").*)  came  into  market,  and  Mc  hung 
a  si.^n  in  large  letters  over  his  store  door,  **  United  States  I  wind 
Office."  Say  what  they  like,  Mc  did  a  rushing  business  tiien  in 
*  land  and  goods,  and  I  guess  he  can  afford  to  sit  back  in  his  easy 
chair  and  smile  an  easy  smile  to  think  how  he  made  money  and 
acquired  land.  At  that  time  there  were  no  land  department  de- 
tectives and  a  fellow  could  do  pretty  much  as  he  pkMsed  in  the 
business,  if  he  only  had  the  quality  in  cheek.  Mc  continued  busi- 
ness at  Sweden,  where  he  owns  fine  farm  property,  well  cultivated, 


170  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

until  the  past  summer,  when  he  moved  his  goods  to  Auburn,  six 
miles  north  of  Grafton. 

When  I  consider  the  condition  of  Walsh  county,  even  three  years 
since,  and  contrast  it  with  the  present,  I  am  lost  in  amazement  at 
the  rapid  progress  made  in  so  short  a  space  of  time.  Then  there 
were  scarcely  garden  patches  under  cultivation,  now  I  know  men 
who  are  farming  six  or  seven  hundred  acres.  Then  the  only 
Grafton  there  was  was  a  log  cabin.  Now  we  have  a  city  govern- 
ment with  a  population  bordering  on  5,000  people. 

Had  I  not  drawn  this  sketch  out  to  so  great  a  length,  I  might  give 
some  incidents  in  early  pioneer  life  worth  recounting,  but  I  am 
admonished  that  I  should  draw  to  a  close,  so  I  will  bid  the  Herald 
readers  good  night. 

Grafton,  Nov.  2,  1883. 

Reprinted  from  the  Grand  Forks  Herald. 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  171 


HISTORY  OF  THE  RED  RIVER  VALLEY  UNIVERSITY. 

fVALLACE  N.  STEARNS. 

Prior  to  1886,  Dakota  Methodism  constituted  a  part  of  the  Red 
River  District  of  the  Minnesota  conference. 

One  of  the  first  questions  that  concerned  these  Methodist  pioneers 
was  that  of  education.  As  early  as  1880  the  members  of  the  Minne- 
sota conference,  in  session  at  Minneapolis,  adopted  the  report  of 
its  educational  committee  to  consider  establishing  a  seminary  at 
Fargo,  the  institution  to  be  regarded  as  a  department  of  Hamline 
university,  so  long  as  that  city  remained  in  the  Minnesota  confer- 
ence.^ The  object  of  this  caveat  was  to  prevent  a  division  of 
resources  and  dissipation  of  energies,  it  being  deemed  that  one  insti- 
tution of  collegiate  grade  was  all  that  the  conditions  of  country  and 
population  warranted. 

The  proposition  did  not  receive  effective  support.^  The  loca- 
tion at  Fargo  was  central,  bordering  on  the  Red  river,  which  later 
became  the  boundary  between  the  two  states.  Not  only  would  the 
school,  if  successful,  become  an  educational  center  for  North  Da- 
kota, but  by  becoming  a  center  for  northwestern  Minnesota  would 
act  at  cross  purposes  with  the  young  institution  at  Hamline. 

In  1882  public  sentiment  seemed  more  favorable.  The  educa- 
tional committee  reported:'  "We  hail  with  pleasure  the  inaugura- 
tion of  a  Methodist  school  in  the  Red  River  valley,  to  be  located  at 
Fargo,  and  hope  great  things  for  the  future  of  the  Red  River 
Collegiate  Institute.*  We  recommend  the  following  persons  be 
appointed  as  its  first  board  of  trustees,  with  instructions  to  organize 
as  soon  as  possible  in  accordance  with  law,  viz:     The  presiding 

*The  closing  paragraph  of  this  report  reads :  "RESOLVED,  That  the  pre- 
siding elders  of  Red  River  district  and  the  pastor  at  Fargo  be  authorized  to 
consider  the  establishing  of  a  seminary  under  the  patronage  of  this  confer- 
ence at  Fargo,  provided  that  said  seminary  shall  not  be  established  except 
as  a  department  of  Hamline  University,  which  relation  shall  continue  so 
long  as  that  city  remains  in  this  conference."  Miuutes  Minnesota  Annual 
Conference,  1880,  p.  28. 

'The  educational  committee  reported  at  the  conference  session,  held  in 
Fargo  in  1881,  as  follows:  "We  learn  that  steps  are  being  taken  in  Fargo 
to  secure  a  seminary.  And  we  heartily  commend  the  movement  and  wish 
it  the  largest  success."  Proceedings  Minnesota  Anual  G^nference,  1881, 
p.   38. 

'Minutes  Minesota  Annual  Conference,  1882,  p.  52. .  The  conference  met 
in  Owatonna,  Minn. 

*Dakota  was  then  the  boundless  range  on  the  western  border  of  Minnesota. 
The  college  was  intended  to  serve  the  entire  valley  region,  hence  the  name. 
Red  River  Valky  University,  now  cut  in  half  by  the  state  line. 


172  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


elder  of  the  Red  River  district,  the  pastors  at  Fargo,  Moorhead, 
Grand  Forks,  Jamestown,  Bismarck  and  Casselton ;  General  Geo. 
P.  Wilson  and  N.  11.  Hubbard,  of  Fargo,  and  R.  R.  Briggs  and 
F.  A.  Elder,  of  Moorhead." 

The  following  year  the  appointed  trustees  reported  to  ihe  con- 
ference^ the  election  of  Rev.  M.  S.  Kaufman-  as  president,  and 
also  announced  the  expectancy  of  opening  the  school  that  fall.^  In 
fact,  the  **Red  River  Collegiate  Institute"  at  Fargo  was  never 
opened,  although  the  movement  received  the  endorsement  of  the 
North  Dakota  mission  conference  at  its  first  session,  held  in  1884:, 
and  again  in  the  following  year. 

The  North  Dakota  annual  conference  at  its  first  session,  held  in 
188G,  and  again  in  1887,  earnestly  advocated  the  need  of  an  institu- 
tion of  higher  learning,  and  this  action  was  heartily  supported  by 
the  lay  electoral  conference. 

Each  year  the  matter  was  brought  up,  and  in  1890  a  committee 
was  appointed  and  directed  to  act  *'under  certain  conditions  and 
within  a  fixed  time."  The  project  now  took  definite  form  in  the 
following  resolutions : 

"Resolved,  1.  That  the  committee  chosen  to  locate  a  college  in 
the  North  Dakota  conference,  shall  give  every  place  the  opportunity 
of  making  a  new  bid  or  increasing  a  bid  already  made,  and  that  on 
the  20th  of  January,  1891,  all  bids  shall  be  in  and  no  bids  shall  be 
received  thereafter,  and  not  later  than  March  1st,  181)1,  tlie  com- 
mittee shall  decide  as  to  which  bid  they  will  accept,  and  that  no  bid 
shall  be  accepted  at  less  than  eighty  acres  of  land,  or  its  equivalent, 
and  ten  thousand  dollars  in  monev. 

Resolved,  II.  That  the  committee  shall  consist  of  the  j)residing 
elders  and  one  member  and  one  layman  from  each  district,  with  the 
bishop  residing  at  Minneapolis  ex-officio  chairman,  and  that  the 
bishop  and  his  cabinet  he  requested  to  present  nominations  for  the 
balance  of  the  committee  at  the  closing  session  of  tlie  conference." 

The  articles  of  incorporation  bvar  the  date,  r\*hruary  *^5.  ISiU,^ 
and  the  institution  was  named  *The  Red  River  \'allev  University." 


'Held  in  St.  raiil,  October  3-8,  1^3.  Minutes  MincMna  Annil  Cmfer- 
c:ice,   \^^'\  p.  (;i». 

•Ta^li  r  of  Mi'ih(-tlist  Kpi^copal  Church  in  Fart;(\  and  so  a  mcnilicr  of 
tlic  hoard  of  tru^ttcs, 

■"'Vour  conimititc  arc  pKa^td  to  report  proj^ress  in  the  or^ani/al't  n  and 
(»I)cnin}>i  of  this  sch'  (d.  Kcv.  M.  S.  Kaufman  has  hi  en  ch  -en  pre-:f!ent.  The 
s(h(  (d  is  to  cjien  tliis  fall.  We  therefore  recrmend  the  ai)p(  mlnunl  of  Rev. 
M.  S.  Kaufman  as  president,  also  tlic  folowinj^  names  as  trustees:  Presjdin/ 
eider  of  Red  River  disinct,  pastors  at  I'arj^o,  Mo(irlua<l.  (irand  hork^,  Ca<- 
s(  !ton ;  also  Cicneral  (iec  I*.  Wilson.  N.  K.  Ilnl.hartl,  of  J\irK";  R.  K. 
\\r\^%\  R  A.   Klder,  \V.  \V.  Allen,  of  M(u>rhead." 

***Resolved,    That    the   artinn    of   the   presiding.  el<lers    in    serurini?   articles 
of  incorprration   of  the   university   instead   of  a   charier,   wln/lj   w.is   imi^a'* 
ticahle,    i)e    and    is    herehy    approved    by    tlie    confertnce."      Minutes    North 
Dakota  Annual  Conference,  l^'l>l,  p.  12.     Cf.  Id.  Jv'^  ;i(). 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  l73 

9 

A  board  of  trustees,  lay  and  ministerial,  was  selected  to  carry  out 
the  plans  formulated.* 

As  the  city  of  Wahpeton  had  offered  a  tract  of  eighty  acres, 
valued  at  $1,000,  and  a  cash  donation  of  $21,000,  including  $10,000 
from  a  Chicago  friend,  Mr.  J.  Q.  Adams,^  that  city  was  selected  as 
the  site  of  the  future  institution.  Rev.  J.  \.  Fredenburgh,  Ph.  D., 
D.  D.,  was  elected  the  first  president  of  the  college,  and  under  his 
administration  the  work  of  building  was  begun,  the  foundation 
being  completed  June  25,  1891.  In  this  same  year  a  faculty  of  four 
teachers  was  selected  to  carry  on  the  work  of  instruction.  The 
heroism  and  devotion  of  these  friends  of  the  struggling  school 
deserves  the  highest  praise.  No  complete  list  could  be  .given  here, 
but  among  others  the  early  records  often  mention  such  names  as 
Larimore,  Lynch,  White,  French,  Adams,  Pianette,  and  others 
worthy  of  mention,  and  many  smaller  gifts  and  services  reveal  the 
spirit  and  will  of  the  citizens  of  the  state.^  Their  sacrifices  and  high 
ideals  remind  us  of  the  douo:htv  Hollanders  who,  when  offered 
exception  from  heavy  debts  or  the  gift  of  a  university,  chose  the 
latter. 

In  June,  1892,  Dr.  Fredenburgli  felt  it  his  duty  to  accept  a  call 
to  another  field,  and  Rev.  M.  V.  B.  Knox,  D.  D.,  was  chosen  to  suc- 
ceed him.  In  the  following  October  the  college  was  formally 
opened,  work  was  actually  begun.*  Rev.  D.  C.  Pianette,  who  from 
the  first  had  aided  in  the  work,  accepted  an  appointment  as  financial 
agent  and  began  again  a  systematic  canvass  of  the  state.  The  records 
show,  among  others,  a  gift  of  five  hundred  dollars  from  so  far  away 
as  Rhode  Island.  This  first  year  the  attendance  aggregated  80,* 
rising  the  next  year  to  115,  120  the  year  following,  and  by  1898  the 


I'O 


'Resolved,  That  in  the  vote  for  trustees  each  ballot  shall  contain  eight 
names,  and  that  layman  and  that  minister  who  receive  the  greatest  numWr 
ff  votes  be  the  tru5^tees  for  the  term  of  four  years;  that  layman  and  that 
minister  receiving  the  next  largest  number  be  the  trustees  for  three  years ; 
t'.at  hyman  and  that  minister  receiving  the  next  highest  number  be  the 
trustees  for  two  years;  and  layman  and  that  minister  receiving  the  least 
in'ml)er  be  the  trustees  for  one  year;  provided,  that  no  one  shall  be  elected 
trustee  who  shall  not  receive  a  majority  of  all  the  votes  cast." 

'"Resolved,  That  we  hereby  record  our  appreciation  of  the  generous  and 
liberal  gift  which  the  Hon.  J.  Q.  Adams,  of  Chicago,  and  the  people  of 
Wnhpeton.  have  made  for  the  establishment  of  our  university."     Id.,  p.  50. 

'E.  g.  See  the  report  of  the  financial  secretary,  Proceeilings  of  the  North 
Dakota  Annual  Conference,  \PU2,  p.  31.  In  the  report  of  the  conference 
visitors,  Proceedings  \f<m,  p.  31  (also  1800,  p.  37;  1899,  p.  35)  we  read: 
"VVc  are  glad  to  testify  to  the  faithfulness  of  the  members  of  the  faculty, 
who  have  stood  by  the  work  regardless  of  all  the  discouragements  they 
hc'.ve  met."  Again,  T<1.,  1899,  p.  55,  we  read :  "The  pay  of  these  teachers 
has  been  ridiculously  low.  falling  short  of  the  living  wage  of  day  laborers." 
Such  is  the  path  of  the  pioneer,  and  the  services  of  these  early  educators 
constitute   one   of  the   most   significant    factors   in   the  history   of  the   state. 

*Id     18.»>    p    '^9   f 

'Id'.',  ISrli  p.  31;   1895,  pp.  32,  35;   1898,  p.  32. 


174  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

■* 

enrollment  was  141.  A  college  paper,  "The  Wahpetonian,"  dates 
from  1895;^  also  two  literary  societies,  one — Knox  lyceum — for 
gentlemen,  and  one — Mason  lyceum— for  the  ladies  of  the  school. 
The  year  1894  was  also  marked  by  a  reorganization  with  a  view  to 
increasing  the  representation  and  consequently  the  influence  of  the 
college  in  the  state.'^ 

In  1900  Rev.  E.  P.  Robertson,  A.  M.,  D.  D.,  was  called  to  the 
presidency.  Under  his  leadership  more  money  was  raised,  debts 
were  paid,  the  plant  improved  and  the  enrollment  increased."*  In 
1904-5  the  attendance  was  284,  classified  as  follows: 

College   18 

Academy    57 

Commercial    49 

(Music    160 

Total     284 


*"T'he  Wahpetonian,  that  bright  little  school  paper  issued  by  the  students, 
shows  something  of  the  enthusiasm  th«re  is  in  the  -college."  Id.,  1895,  p.  32 ; 
Id.,  1894.  p.  38. 

'The  governing  board,  as  constituted  by  the  conference  in  its  session 
of  1894,  is  constituted  as   follows: 

"Section  1.  The  number  of  trustees  of  this  corporation  shall  be  twensty- 
one. 

"Section  2.  Of  the  number  of  trustees  twelve  (12)  thereof  shall*  be 
elected  by  the  North  Dakota  Annual  Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  in  such  manner  as  said  conference  may  authorize  or  direct,  and  nine 
(9)  thereof  shall  be  elected  by  the  board  of  trustees  of  said  corporation  in 
sich  manner  as  it  may  see  fit,  not  inconsistent  with  the  laws  of  said  state. 

"Section  3.  In  addition  to  the  number  of  trustees  heretofore  elected 
by  the  said  conference,  under  the  articles  of  incorporation,  the  said  con- 
ference at  its  anual  meeting  in  1894  shall  elect  six  (6)  trustees,  whose 
terms  of  office  shall  be  as  follows:  Three  (3^)  for  a  term  of  four  (4)  years, 
one  (1)  for  a  term  of  three  (3)  years,  and  one  (1)  for  a  term  of  one  (1) 
year.  Thereafter  at  each  annual  meeting  of  said  conference  it  shall  elect 
three  (3)  members  for  a  term  of  four  years  each.  Of  the  awelve  trustees 
elected  and  continued  in  office  by  said  conference,  only  six  shall  be  mem- 
bers of  its  own  body. 

"Section  4.  In  addition  to  the  number  of  trustees  heretofore  elected  by 
snid  board,  under  the  said  articles  of  incorporation,  the  said  board  shall, 
at  its  annual  meeting  in  1894,  elect  seven  trustees,  whose  temis  of  office 
shall  be  as  folows :  Three  (3)  for  a  term  of  three  (3)  years,  two  (2)  for 
a  term  of  two  (2)  years,  and  two  (2)  for  a  term  of  one  (1)  year.  There- 
after at  each  annual  meeting  of  said  board  it  shall  elect  three  (3)  mem- 
bers of  said  board  for  a  term  of  three  years  each. 

"Section  5.  Any  portion  of  the  articles  of  incorporation  heretofore 
adopted,  in  «o  far  as  they  conflict  with  these  amendments,  are  hereby 
repealed."     Minutes   North  I)akota  Annual  Conference,   1894,  p.  38. 

*The  educatonal  committee  of  the  conference  reported :  "In  partictilar  wo 
believe  the  Red  River  Valley  University  to  be  worthy  of  our  best  devotion. 
Its  promise  is  as  great  as  our  needs.  *  *  ♦  We  congratulate  the  con- 
ference upon  the  selection  of  Rev.  E.  P.  Robertson  as  president  of  the 
r.niversity."     Id.,  1903,  pp.  37,  40. 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  175 

At  about  this  time  President  Merrifield,  of  the  University  of 
North  Dakota,  in  an  address  before  the  annual  conference  in  session 
in  Grand  Forks,  March,  1900,  discussed  the  university-college  affili- 
ation idea,  and  at  the  close  extended  to  the  Methodist  church  of  the 
state  an  invitation  to  move  their  college  to  a  location  adjoining  the 
state  university,  and  to  make  such  use  of  the  facilities  of  the  state 
university  as  might  seem  feasible.  Moral  obligations  to  certain 
benefactors  and  to  the  citizens  of  Wahpeton  prevented  action  at  the 
time,  but  in  1904,  after  some  twelve  years  of  successful  work,  the 
officials  and  friends  of  the  university  began  to  consider  the  advisa- 
bility of  accepting  the  overtures  of  the  state  university  to  remove 
its  location  to  Grand  Forks.  The  reasons  for  such  action  were: 
(1)  The  strength  of  the  denomination  in  the  northern  and  western 
parts  of  the  state;  (2)  Unlike  other  states,  North  Dakota  was  still 
sparsely  settled,  and  multiplicity  of  institutions  seemed  unnecessary ; 
(3)  As  the  members  of  the  denomination,  in  common  with  other 
citizens  of  the  state,  contribute  to  the  support  of  the  state  university, 
it  seemed  wise  to  make  use  of  the  facilities  thus  afforded;  (4) 
Though  success  had  been  achieved,  it  seemed  to  the  patrons  of  the 
school  that  in  the  new  location  under  new  conditions  the  same  ex- 
penditure of  effort  would  be  productive  of  larger  results;  (5)  By 
concentration  of  energies,  the  college  could  render  to  the  church 
a  larger  service  in  this  new  field,  which  was  more  centrally  located, 
and  in  a  section  where  a  large  Methodist  population  was  to  be 
found.  In  January,  1905,  the  heads  of  the  two  institutions  met,  and 
after  deliberation,  came  to  an  agreement  on  a  memorandum  which 
has  become  the  basis  of  co-operation '} 


i««i 


'Whereas,  The  state  university  is  in  theory  the  university  of  all  the 
pciople  of  the  state,  and  is  supported  by  the  taxes  of  the  members  of 
the  several  denominations,  as  well  as  by  the  othtr  citizens  of  the  state, 
it  would  seem  to  be  appropriate  and  fitting  that  the  churches  of  the  several 
denominations  in  the  state  should  avail  themselves  of  the  privileges  which 
belong  to  their  members  as  citizens  of  the  state,  and  should  use,  to  what- 
ever extent  may  seem  desirable  in  the  conduct  of  their  educational  work, 
the  facilities  afforded  by  the  state  university. 

"It  is  recognized  that  the  state  university  is  a  civic  institution,  and  has 
for  its  mission  the  training  of  the  youth  of  the  state  for  efficient  service 
as  citizens.  It  is  recognized,  also,  that  the  distinctive  object  of  the  church 
in  maintaining  schools  of  its  own  is  to  secure  trained  leadership  in  relig- 
ious and  denominational  work.  There  is,  therefore,  logically,  no  conflict 
between  their  respective  missions,  for  the  same  young  people  are  to  serve 
in  both  these  capacities.  These  two  missions  being  in  no  sense  antagonistic, 
but  supplementary,  it  would  seem  the  part  of  wise  economy  that  these 
two  educational  agencies  should  avail  themselves,  so  far  as  possible,  of  the 
fncilities  and  appliances  of  each  other  in  the  working  out  of  their  respective 
missions,  keeping  always  in  view  the  principle  of  the  separation  of  the 
church  and  state  in  so  far  as  regards  the  control  and  expen<Iiture  of  the 
financial    resources  of  each. 

"Accenting  the  foregoing  nrinciples  as  fundamcntallv  sound,  the  univer- 
sity of  North  Dakota  cordially  invites  the  peonle  of  the  various  denomina- 
tions of  the  state  to  the  ronsidcratir>n  of  a  nlan  under  which  t^e  mem- 
btTS    of   the    several    denominations,    while    preservin'T    their  denominational 


176  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

The  year  1905-G  was  spent  in  securing  additional  funds.  As  the 
citizens  of  Wahpeton  had  given  a  considerable  share  toward  the 
disposed  of  to  the  advantage  of  the  city  of  Wahpeton.  Accordingly 
the  land  with  the  building,  estimated  at  $45,000,  was  transferred  to 
the  state  science  school,  located  in  the  same  city,  for  the  sum  of 
$20,000,  the  balance,  $25,000,  being  pledged  by  the  city  of  Grand 
Forks.^ 

In  the  fall  of  190(5  work  was  resumed  under  the  educational  name 
of  Wesley  college,  though  for  business  purposes  the  old  corporation 
name,  "Red  River  Valley  University,"  is  retained. 


identity  and  maintaining  the  separate  institutions  for  such  educational  work 
a.^  they  may  deem  necessary,  shall  join,  as  citizens,  as  patrons  of  the  state 
university  as  the  common  agency  for  the  higher  education  of  the  youth 
of  the  state. 

"As  a  basis  of  co-operation  between  the  state  university  and  the  Metho- 
dist Church  of  the  state,  the  following  suggestions  seem  practicable : 

**1.  That  the  Methddi^t  Church  change  the  name  of  its  institution  from 
I<cd   River   Valley   University   to   Wesley   College. 

*'2.  That  a  building  or  buildings  be  ertcted  in  near  proximity  to  the 
state  university,  but  on  a  separate  campus,  to  include  a  guild  hall,  such 
recitation  rooms  as  may  Ik  required  for  the  work  proposed,  possibly  dormi- 
tories for  young  women  and  ynung  men,  and  a  president's  house. 

"3.     That  the  course  of  study  may  be : 

"(a)  Bible  and  church  history,  English  bible,  new  testament  Greek, 
Hebrew,  Theism,  and  such  other  subjects  as  the  college  may  elect  in 
pursuance  of  its  purpose. 

"(b)  A  brief  course  that  may  be  designated  as  a  bible  normal  course, 
ir.tended  especially  to  fit  students  to  become  efficient  Sunday  school  teachers 
and  lay  workers,  and  upon  the  completing  of  which  certificates  of  reco.^ni- 
tion   may  be  granted. 

"(c)  Instruction  in  music  and  elocution  may  be  given  if  desired,  and 
appropriate  certificates  granted. 

"(d)     (luild    hall    lectures. 

"4.  Tliat  the  state  univer-^ity  grant  for  work  done  in  subjects  included 
imder  (a)  alx  ve,  «^uch  crt*dit  towards  the  H.  A.  degree  as  it  gives  to 
technical  work  done  in  its  own  professional  schools  and  to  work  done  in 
other  colleges  of  reputable  standing.  Likewise.  Wesley  College  shall  give 
credit  for  work  done  in  the  state  university  in  similar  manner,  as  prepara- 
ti  n  for  any  degree  or  certificate  it  may  offer. 

"5.  Each  institution  shall  have  full  control  of  the  discipline  of  students 
upon  its  own  grounds. 

**(>.  It  slinll  1)e  deemed  proper  for  students  to  tak?  degrees  from  b^th 
in<;titiition«^.    if   they    so   desire." 

*"We  feel  as  a  conference  that  the  action  of  the  trustees  of  tlic  Red 
River  Valley  Univer-^ity.  relative  to  the  continuance  of  college  work 
ai  Wahpeton  and  to  the  disjK)sal  of  the  property  in  >anie  place,  was  a  \vi^«- 
and  mf  St  opp<irtune  move.  We  believe  that  the  '•durational  interest-; 
oi  tlie  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  North  Dakota  will  be  fully  v^r- 
served  in  the  plan  outlined  by  Dr.  Robert«;on  in  the  'Memorandum  of  C-  n- 
ver"^ion,'  whereby  the  extensive  facilities  already  ma<io  accessible  bv  t:ic 
state  may  be  u«;ed  by  our  yoimg  pe'iple  wilhoiU  the  sacrifice  of  opp(  rlui  ty 
for  definite  and  positive  spiritual  and  religious  training. 

"We  declare  it  our  conviction  that  the  success  or  failure  of  stich  a 
plan  will  depend  upon  the  type  and  quality  of  men  .selected  to  serve  as 
instructors,    and    that    properly    equipped    instructc  rs    may    be    secured    we 


StATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  177 

FIRST  BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES— APPOINTED  OCT.  8,  1882. 

Rev.  J.  B.  Starkey,  presiding  elder,  Red  River  district;  Rev.  M. 
S.  Kaufman,  pastor,  Fargo :  Rev.  F.  I>oran,  pastor,  Moorhead ;  Rev. 
T.  F.  Allen,  pastor,  Grand  Forks;  Rev.  W.  L.  Demorest,  pastor, 
Jamestown;  Rev.  J.  C.  Rhodes,  pastor,  Bismarck;  Rev.  C.  B. 
Brecount,  pastor,  Casselton;  Gen.  George  P.  Wilson,  Fargo;  N. 
H.  Hubbard,  Fargo;  R.  R.  Briggs,  Moorhead;  F.  A.  Elder,  Moor- 
liead. 

Minutes  annual  conference,  1882,  p.  52. 

SECOND  BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES— APPOINTED  OCT. 

8,  1883. 

Rev.  G.  R.  Hair,  presiding  elder.  Red  River  district;  Messrs. 
Kaufman,  Doran,  Allen,  Wilson,  Hubbard,  Briggs,  Elder — as  above, 
and.  Rev.  G.  W.  Burtch,  pastor,  Casselton:  W.  W.  Elder,  Moor- 
head. 

Id.,  1883,  p.  69. 

FIRST  BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES  OF  RED  RIVER  VALLEY 
UNIVERSITY,  ELECTED  (GRAND  FORKS)  OCTOBER 
21,  1891. 

P.  J.  McCumber,  four  years;  N.  G.  Larimore,  three  years;  W. 
II.  White,  two  years;  J.  D.  Wallace,  one  year;  Rev.  J.  N.  Freden- 
burgh,  four  years;  Rev.  E.  B.  Stull,  three  years;  Rev.  G.  H.  Van 
Vliet,  two  years ;  Rev.  T.  H.  Sheckler,  one  year. 

Minutes  N.  D.  annual  conference,  1891,  p.  14. 

First  meeting  of  this  board  was  held  March  17-18,  1891,  Id.,  p.  30. 

These  persons  suceeded  a  provisional  boafd  appointed  by  a  con- 
ference committee  (Wahpeton,  Feb.  5,  1891)  to  whom  had  been 
delegated  power  to  consider  and  act  in  matters  pertaining  to  the 
founding  of  the  college : 

Messrs.  W.  P.  Adams,  P.  J.  McCumber,  T.  L.  French,  J.  H. 
Keeley,  A.  T.  Foster,  S.  E.  Ryan,  J.  A.  Hovis,  N.  G.  Larimore,  R. 
B.  Richardson,  Wm.  H.  White,  D.  C.  Plannette. 


advise  the  payment  of  salaries  crnnmensurate  with  service  required.  We 
also  recommend  that  the  students  be  admitted  to  our  proposed  college  with 
no   greater  expense   than    is   exacted   from  them  by  the   state  university. 

"We  again  desire  to  express  our  appreciation  of  Dr.  E.  P.  Robertson 
as  leader  of  this  work,  both  as  to  the  spirit  he  has  manifested  and  1-5 
to  the  most  efficient  work  done  during  the  year;  that  our  faith  and  loyalty 
may  be  made  more  practicable  and  tangible,  we  recommend  that  the  sum 
of  three  thousand  dollars  ($3,000)  be  appropriated  to  the  conference,  and 
the  pastors  be  requested  to  raise  their  apportionment  at  an  early  date 
following  conference.  The  money  thus  raised  to  be  used  only  in  payment 
of  instructors'  salaries.  We  feel  further  that  the  election  oi  an  instructor 
to  a  chair  at  once  would  promote  the  interest  of  the  school,  both  in  the 
work  proposed  and  the  support  that  would  be  given  it."  Year  Book  North 
Dakota  Conference,  1905,  p.  55. 


-  178  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


PRESIDENTS. 

Rev.  M.  S.  Kaufman,  Ph.  D.,  Red  River  Institute,  1883 ;  Rev.  J. 
N.  Fradenburgh,  Ph.  D.,  D.  D.,  Red  River  Valley  University,  1891- 
1892 ;  Rev.  M.  V.  B.  Knox,  D.  D.,  1892-1899 ;  Rev.  E.  P.  Robertson. 
A.  M.,  D.  D.,  1900  to  date. 

THE  FIRST  FACULTY  OF  RED  RIVER  VALLEY 

UNIVERSITY. 

Rev.  M.  V.  B.  Knox,  D.  D.,  president;  Rev.  Jacob  A.  Hovis,  A. 
M.,  vice  president;  Mrs.  Jeanette  Hill  Knox,  M.  A.;  Miss  Sarah 
Mason,  B.  A.  ;Professor  W.  A.  Pepoon,  B.  S.,  instructor  in  art  and 
drawing;  Miss  Ottie  S.  Parsons,  instructress  in  music. 

Minutes  N.  D.  annual  conference,  1892,  p.  30. 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  l79 


LETTER  FROM  FORT  ABERCROMBIE. 

Fort  Abercrombie,  D.  T.,  November  16,  1862. 
Brother  McBridei 

Perhaps  there  are  some  of  your  many  readers,  who  have  no 
friends  in  the  Lake  City  company  of  volunteers  or  at  this  place 
who  may  keep  them  posted  in  the  matter  of  the  march- 
ing of  this  company  from  from  Fort  Snelling  to  Fort 
Abercrombie.  Therefore,  hoping  to  give  information;  where 
it  otherwise  would,  or  could  not  be  had,  I  have  taken  the  liberty  to 
trouble  you  with  a  short  sketch  for  their  benefit,  provided,  you 
shall  think  it  worth  publishing.  Knowing  my  own  inability  to  offer 
you  a  good  letter,  I  hope  you  will  accept  the  very  indifferent  ac- 
count, which  I  will  attempt  to  make  as  intelligible  as  possible. 

Thursday,  September  11th.  The  Lake  City  company,  (Indian 
exterminators),  left  Fort  Snelling,  Minn.,  for  Fort  Abercrombie,  in 
Dakotah  Territory,  on  the  Red  River  of  the  North.  Passed  through 
the  cities  of  Minneapolis  and  St.  Anthony.  Halted  in  St.  Anthony 
for  a  short  rest,  when  a  Grocery  keeper,  (Mr.  Van  Amen)  opened 
his  store  and  distributed  crackers  and  cheese,  gratuitously  to  all 
soldiers  that  chose  to  partake  of  his  hospitality.  A  noble  deed  of 
a  noble  man.  God  bless  all  such  loyal  men.  Marched  twenty-two 
miles  and  encamped  near  Coon  creek. 

Friday,  September  12.  Marched  eighteen  miles  and  encamped 
at  Elk  river.  Here  we  found  the  people  prepared  to  defend  them- 
selves against  any  attack  by  the  Indians,  by  the  erection  of  a  good 
heavy  stockade  around  their  church.  This  morning  we  were  over- 
taken by  the  Winona  second  company.  They  left  Fort  Snelling  at 
half  past  five  p.  m.,  yesterday,  and  marched  during  the  night  to 
overtake  us  this  morning,  here.  Some  of  them  arrived  at  four,  and 
others  not  until  we  had  struck  tent  this  morning,  but  continued 
the  march  with  us  today.  I  had  neglected  to  tell  you  that  a  de- 
tachment of  the  "Minnesota  3rd  regiment"  left  Fort  Snelling  with 
us,  and  are  to  keep  us  company  to  the  end  of  our  journey.  They 
are  to  act  as  skirmishers,  or  van-guard  to  our  expedition,  when  we 
get  into  the  Indian  country.  Some  of  our  men  are  complaining 
of  sore  feet,  they  being  entirely  unused  to  traveling  on  foot.  This 
morning  when  I  came  out  of  my  tent,  I  was  somewhat  surprised  to 
see  a  part  of  the  Winona  boys  lying  on  the  ground  around  our  fire, 
with  only  one  blanket  around  them,  and  that,  white  with  frost. 
The  first  frost  of  the  season.  A  beautiful  country. — Our  own, 
and  neighboring  counties  may  boast  of  their  beautiful  country,  but 
if  it  can  be  excelled,  it  is  by  that  which  we  have  marched. 


180  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


Saturday,  Sept.  13th. — Marched  twenty-five  miles  and  encamped 
near  Green  Lake.  We  here  found  a  generous  and  noble  hearted 
people,  who  cheerfully  administered  to  the  wants  of  our  weary  and 
sore  footed  soldiers.  Indeed,  with  but  few  exceptions,  the  hospital- 
ity of  the  people  has  been  unbounded  toward  us.  A  good  many  of 
our  men  complained  bitterly  of  fatigiie  and  lameness  by  land  march- 
ing. At  Monticello,  we  passed  a  church  that  was  protected  by  a 
very  formidable  stockade.  Today  we  met  several  teams  driven  by 
settlers,  who  had  fled  from  the  country  west  of  St.  Cloud,  and  were 
returning  with  their  families  to  the  south  or  east  for  safety — fear- 
ing, they  told  us,  that  the  whole  northern  part  of  Minnesota  is  to 
be  laid  waste  by  the  Indians.  This  evening  it  commenced  raining 
just  as  we  came  to  a  halt,  and  rained  during  the  evening.  This 
afternoon  we  marched  ten  miles  in  two  and  a  half  hours. 

Sunday,  Sept.  14th. — Marched  fifteen  miles  and  arrived  at  St. 
Cloud  at  1  o'clock  p.  m.  It  rained  till  about  10  this  morning.  The 
rain  had  made  the  roads  almost  impassable  for  the  men  and  teams. 
The  men  seemed  determined  to  march  as  long  as  possible  without 
complaint, but  some  of  them  seemed  very  happy  to  rest  when  we  came 
to  a  halt  at  the  fort  at  St.  Cloud.  Upon  our  arrival  we  immediately 
pitched  our  tents  and  proceeded  to  make  ourselves  as  comfortable  as 
possible.  Here  we  were  overtaken  by  a  field  piece  of  artillery — a 
ten  pounder  that  had  been  sent  on  after  us.  Tis  of  brass  and  has 
the  appearance  of  being  a  very  good  Indian  killer. 

Here  we  found  a  very  good  and  substantial  fort  erected  for  the 
protection  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  place  from  ruthless  savages  who 
daily  and  nightly  prowl  around  in  the  neighborhood,  or  in  the  ad- 
jacent forests.  It  is  ample  in  its  dimensions,  and  the  design  is  such 
that  it  would  require  an  overwhelming  force  to  take  it  by  storm. 
The  Indians  have  no  arms  that  they  can  affect  it  with.  Altogether 
it  is  really  a  credit  to  the  genius  of  the  projector,  and  perseverance 
of  the  citizens  in  undertaking  and  completing  so  formidable  a  work 
in  so  short  a  time.  The  outer  wall  is  a  framework  put  together  and 
then  planked  up  and  down,  on  the  outside,  from  ten  to  twelve  feet, 
and  shelving  outward  so  that  it  cannot  be  scaled  except  with  a 
ladder.  This  wall  is  three  feet  thick  at  the  base,  and  one  and  a  half 
at  the  height  of  six  or  seven  feet,  filled  with  soil  dug  from  the  ground 
upon  which  the  fort  stands.  There  are  two  entrances  at  which  are  long 
heavy  gates.  The  whole  is  so  well  protected  by  the  arrangement  of 
the  numerous  loop  holes  that  it  is  impossible  for  a  foe  to  approach 
it  with  safety.  There  is  also  an  inner  wall  or  room  of  the  same 
circular  form.  This  is  also  a  framework  similar  to  the  outer,  and 
so  constructed  that  it  is  a  perfect  fort  of  itself,  independent  of  the 
outer  one,  and  having  all  of  its  advantages,  with  the  additional 
advantage  of  its  being  covered  WMth  a  heavy  body  of  soil.  This  is, 
a  friend  tells  me,  intended  for  a  kind  of  sanctum,  sanctorum  for  the 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  181 


ladies  and  families  of  the  citizens  to  fly  to  in  case  of  an  attack  by 
the  red  skins. 

The  inner  room  is  lined  with  berths  (similar  to  those  in  a  steam- 
boat) next  to  the  wall,  the  center  to  be  used  as  a  general  kitchen. 
An  observatory  raised  from  the  center  and  above  the  whole  i» 
reached  by  two  fights  of  stairs,  and  is  supplied  with  loop  holes  that 
command  a  view  of  the  whole  surrounding  country,  and  forms  a 
material  part  of  the  defenses  of  the  post,  the  distance  of  a  rifle  shot. 
There  is  also  room  to  store  provisions  for  five  hundred  people,  suflfi- 
sient  to  sustain  them  six  months.  A  good  well  has  been  dug  in  the 
fort.  This  whole  work  was  designed  and  executed  in  the  short  space 
of  one  week.  Contrary  to  the  expectations  of  those  of  our  company 
who  had  never  visited  the  place  before,  we  found  it  a  truly  beautiful 
place.  I  fear  that  in  point  of  beauty  and  natural  advantages  it  will 
in  future  become  a  troublesome  rival  to  our  own  beautiful  Lake 
City.  And  the  people,  too,  received  the  heartfelt  thanks  of  our 
men  for  the  very  friendly  reception  of  us,  and  the  hospitalities  ex- 
tended during  our  sliort  stay  among  them.  Very  frequent  were  the 
expressions  heard  of — "(lod  bless  the  poor  soldiers — we  cannot  do 
too  much  fpr  them."  Their  many  acts  of  kindness  proves  they  felt  at 
heart  all  that  their  words  expressed.  What  good  and  generous  people 
were  the  oft  repeated  ejaculations  of  our  men.  Certainly  it  was  like 
leaving  home  to  leave  St.  Cloud.  Everything  that  could  be  done  to 
make  our  men  comfortable  was  done  cheerfullv.  Manv  of  our  men 
exchanged  their  "blankets  and  straw"  for  a  nice  comfortable  bed, 
and  "soldiers'  fare"  for  a  place  at  a  citizen's  table  by  special  invita- 
tion, f lere  I  made  my  appearance  to  an  old  friend  whom  I  had  not 
heard  from  in  eight  years.  I  think  that  the  fickle  dame  "Fortune" 
not  only  smiled  on  me,  but  laughed  right  out  loud.  This  morning 
the  quartermaster  impressed  more  teams,  so  that  many  of  our  men 
who  had  become  lame  and  foot  sore  could  ride. 

Monday,  Sept.  15th. — Commenced  striking  tent  at  10  o'clock,  and 
took  up  our  line  of  march  at  12  m.  Two  miles  from  town  we  halted 
and  had  forty  rounrls  of  cartridges  distributed  t(3  each  man.  Marchetl 
nine  miles  and  encamped  in  an  old  wheat  field.  Old  "Sauer  Kraut" 
tho't  it  was  the  worst  place  that  he  could  find,  and  he  was  right  for 
once. 

Tuesday,  Sept.  10th. — \'ery  rainy  and  wet  this  morning;  lay  in 
our  tents  until  about  nrion,  waiting  for  the  rain  to  cease.  The  order 
finally  came  fr)r  us  to  ''strike  tent,"  and  it  was  answered  by  a  good 
many  rather  rough  blessings  iKMng  heai)ed  uj)on  the  head  of  our 
commander.  We  were  soon  packed  and  rcarly  for  marching,  but 
after  our  wagons  had  been  loaded,  they  seemed  to  think  it  best  to 
"settle"  there,  and  rlid  settle  as  |f>vv  ns  tjie  hubs  of  the  wheels  would 
admit,  but  we  put  (n\r  shoulders  to  the  \vlie<-ls,  vvliieh  soon  reelaitned 
them  from  their  settling  habits.  I'y  dint  of  rloiibling  team^  and  lift- 
ing, we  accomf)IislH'f|  the  ta  I    (it  ex('han';iiig  the  mud  of  the  field 


182  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

for  the  mud  of  the  road.  Halted  at  Richmond  and  encamped  inside 
the  fortifications  that  have  been  erected  around  the  "Roman  church/' 
These  earthworks  have  been  thrown  up  as  a  defense  against  red- 
skins, of  which  they  say  there  are  a  good  many  in  the  neighborhood. 
Thirty  were  seen  at  one  time  this  morning.  'Tis  said  that  they  watch 
*all  of  our  movements.  I  wish  they  would  come  within  reach  of  our 
muskets,  or  half  a  mile.    Here  we  find  a  most  beautiful  country. 

Wednesday,  Sept.  17th. — Nothing  of  importance  transpires  today, 
more  than  the  taking  of  the  regular  amount  of  melons  from  the 
farms  that  have  been  vacated.  This  country  has  been  abandoned, 
and  the  people  mostly  gone  to  St.  Qoud.  Some  have  gone  further 
south  and  east.  The  country  here  is  sparsely  settled,  but  such  im- 
provements as  have  been  made  give  unmistakable  evidence"^  of  the 
ability  and  industry  of  the  settlers.  We  expect  to  meet  a  company 
of  cavalry  and  a  company  of  infantry  tomorrow  at  Sauk  Center. 

Thursday,  Sept.  18th. — Marched  eighteen  miles  and  encamped  at 
Sauk  Centre,  sixty  miles  from  St.  Cloud.  Here  we  find  a  fort.  It 
looks  more  like  a  pen  or  a  child's*  playhouse  from  the  design  and 
manner  in  which  it  is  built.  I  find  here  also  an  old  acquaintance  who 
has  settled  here  in  this  vallev  with  his  familv.  Mr.  Philander  Bart- 
lett,  formerly  at  Gilford,  Wabasha  county.  His  son-in-law,  John 
Caswell,  is  also  here,  and  has  made  the  trip  through  to  Fort  Aber- 
crombie  and  back,  with  Mr.  Hill,  as  a  messenger.  They  made  the 
last  trip  from  the  fort  to  St.  Paul  in  forty-four  hours,  a  distance  of 
two  hundred  and  eighty  miles.  They  rode  mules.  At  one  time  there 
were  two  hundred  men  here,  but  the  greater  part  of  them  were  too 
much  terrified  to  remain.  After  the  majority  of  them  were  gone  to 
St.  Cloud  and  St.  Paul,  a  few  went  to  work  and  put  this  fort  in  a 
condition  for  defense. 

Friday,  Sept.  19. — Marched  eighteen  miles  and  pitched  tent  at 
Alexandria  Woods.  Here  we  were  joined  by  the  companies  we 
expected  at  Sauk  Centre.  It  is  truly  distressing  to  witness  the  de- 
struction of  so  much  property  as  is  being  destroyed  here.  The  dis- 
trict passed  throuj^h  today  is  a  very  productive  one.  The  farms  are 
good,  as  also  are  the  buildings.  Dwellings  are  mostly  of  logs,  tho' 
of  a  superior  order.  Cattle  and  hogs  are  plenty  yet  on  the  farms, 
but  no  owners  to  take  care  of  them,  therefore,  upon  the  principle 
of  every  one  for  himself,  they  are  helping  themselves  to  the  abund- 
ance that  is  to  be  found  in  the  fields.  Passed  around  the  head  of 
Lake  Osakis — a  very  beautiful  lake  alK)ut  twelve  miles  in  length 
and  from  two  to  five  wide. 

This  lake  is  surrounded  by  a  beautiful  grove  of  timber.  The  water 
is  clear  and  sparkling  as  any  s;)ring  l)ro()k,  and  it  can  boast  of  as 
pretty  a  shore  and  beach  as  LaPe  Pepin. 

Today  we  saw  an  unusual  amount  of  grain  that  had  not  been  har- 
vested, or  only  partly  harvested,  and  left  to  the  cattle,  the  rains  anri 
the  fires  of  the  Indians.     It  is  enough  to  make  the  blood  curdle  in 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  183 

the  veins  to  listen  to  some  of  the  tales  of  barbarity  related  by  some 
of  the  survivors.  It  appears  that  the  infernal  "blood  suckers"  took 
a  special  delight  in  being  as  cruel  as  their  natures  would  admit  of. 

Saturday,  Sept.  20th. — Marched  twenty-six  miles  and  halted  for 
the  night  at  Chippewa  Station.  This  is  near  the  head  of  the  Chip- 
pewa river.  Passed  through  the  Alexandria  woods.  Here  we  were 
told  and  expected  that  we  would  have  some  Indian  fighting  to  do, 
but  we  passed  through  unmolested. 

The  "Big  Woods"  or  "Alexandria  Woods"  are  about  thirteen 
miles  through.  The  timber  is  of  all  the  varieties  that  are  found  in 
Minnesota — and  quite  heavy.  Much  of  the  ground  is  quite  rolling, 
yet  there  is  some  nice  farms  along  the  margin  of  the  wood,  and  nice 
locations  for  a  great  number  of  others.  The  valley  of  the  Sauk  river 
must  be  one  of  the  best  in  the  Northwest.  The  general  surface  is 
just  rolling  enough,  the  soil  is  as  good  as  the  best.  There  is  a  great 
plenty  of  prairie,  a  plenty  of  water  (I  am  told)  and  timber  enough, 
the  whole  being  so  nicely  distributed  that  none  can  find  fault  or  take 
exceptions  to  the  country.  All  are  exclaiming  "what  a  splendid  coun- 
try," "what  a  pretty  country,"  "what  a  nice  country,"  "I  should  love 
to  live  here,"  H.  &  C.  Not  a  man  has  made  the  trip  without  think- 
ing more  of  Minnesota  than  when  he  started. 

Sunday,  Sept.  21st. — Today  we  found  the  body  of  Andrew  Austin, 
who  had  been  murdered  by  the  blood  suckers  some  two  weeks  be- 
fore. His  head  had  been  cut  off,  the  scalp  and  underjaw  taken  from 
it.  The  body  had  been  dragged  several  rods  from  where  he  was 
shot,  and  left  upon  the  open  prairie.  Two  bullet  holes  were  through 
his  chest.  The  cavalry  were  ahead  and  had  a  coffin  made  and  the 
body  nearly  ready  for  burial  when  we  came  up. 

Mr.  Austin  was  a  man  about  twenty-four  years  of  age,  and  had 
been  married  but  a  few  months.  He  was  part  owner  of  an  ox  train 
that  ran  through  from  St.  Paul  to  Pembina.  He  was  very  much 
esteemed  by  all  who  knew  him. 

This  afternoon  we  passed  through  the  land  of  lakes.  Lakes  were 
in  view  nearly  all  the  time.  Some  seem  to  be  formed  of  springs 
alone,  having  neither  inlet  or  outlet,  yet  they  are  clear,  beautiful 
waters  with  gravel  shores.  Pelican  lake  is  one  of  the  largest  of 
them;  this  is  four  or  five  miles  across.  It  has  a  large  island  in  the 
middle  covered  with  heavy  timber.  All  the  lakes  have  more  or  less 
timber  around  or  near  them. 

Monday,  Sept.  22d. — ^We  were  called  out  at  3  o'clock  this  morn- 
ine:  to  prepare  for  a  long  march  today.  We  got  it.  But  the  Ex- 
terminators fared  well  for  once.  Our  Co.  were  wagon  guard 
todav,  and  the  roads  being  very  level  the  most  of  the  day,  we  took 
occasion  to  ride  all  day,  or  as  much  as  we  pleased.  For  one,  it 
pleased  me  to  ride  all  that  I  could.  I  had  ridden  but  very  little 
(there  were  so  many  that  could  not  walk)  since  leaving  Fort  Snell- 


184  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


in^,  and  now  that  I  could  as  well  as  not,  I  was  willing  to  ride  all 
day. 

During  the  entire  afternoon  the  country  seemed  on  a  level  or  a 
little  down  hill  as  we  came  toward  the  river.  No  lakes  or  streams 
or  timber. 

It  is  supposed  that  we  marchel  near  twenty-five  miles  today,  some 
say  thirty.  lilnough  certainly  to  make  every  man  wish  we  were  at 
our  journey's  end.    Encamped  on  the  west  side  of  the  Ottertail  river. 

The  Ottertail  is  a  good  sized  stream,  and  in  conjunction  with  the 
Pombataire  from  the  Red  river  of  the  north.  We  forded  the  river, 
and  it  was  fun,  brought  out  a  good  many  rough  jokes  and  jests, 
with  not  a  few  heavv  curses. 

Here  we  found  the  ruins  of  a  house  that  had  been  occupied  by 
a  widow  ladv,  bv  the  name  of  Scott,  and  her  son.  The  next  day  after 
the  massacre  at  Breckenridge  a  party  of  red  devils  came  to  the  house 
and  asked  for  something  to  eat,  saying  that  they  were  **good  Sioux." 
Mrs.  Scott  gave  them  some  victuals,  which  they  took  and  ate  peace- 
ably. While  they  were  there  the  young  man  went  up  stairs  to  change 
his  clothes,  and  when  he  came  down  thev  shot  him  dead,  then  turned 
and  shot  the  old  lady,  they  supj)osed,  dead.  They  took  what  they 
wanted  auvl  left.  After  they  were  gone  the  old  lady  got  up  and 
crawled  off  as  best  she  could  to  a  hiding  place.  The  Indians  took 
all  they  could  carry  from  the  house. 

She  kept  her  hiding  place  until  night,  and  then  came  out  and  made 
her  way  to  Breckenridge,  where  she  had  some  relatives,  a  distance 
of  fifteen  miles.  When  she  arrived  at  her  friends'  house  she  rapped 
for  admittance,  but  received  no  answer.  She  opened  the  door,  and 
in  the  darkness  fell  over  the  dead  body  of  one  of  her  relatives.  The 
whole  family  had  been  butchered  in  cold  blood.  It  is  supposed  that 
the  ctTect  of  her  wounds,  the  loss  of  her  son  and  friends,  caused  her 
temporarv  insanity,  for  she  was  found  the  next  day  bv  a  scouting 
party  from  here  in  an  old  sawmill,  and  (juite  crazy. 

Tuesday,  Sept.  "IWA.^  Called  out  at  1  o'clock  to  prepare  for  our 
last  day's  march.  Thirty  miles  to  the  fort,  and  twenty-five  without 
wood  or  water.  All  the  canteens  must  be  tilled  bcfc^re  starting.  We 
NNcre  all  ready  to  start  before  daylight,  but  fifteen  yoke  of  tnir  (Kxen 
were  missing,  and  men  were  out  Ux^king  after  thein. 

They  hnally  left  a  euard  for  the  wagons  and  men  to  I  >()k  after 
the  (K\en,  and  we  started,  every  one  eager  to  hurry  throuuh  as  fast 
as  pi^ssiMo.  for  it  was  the  last  day's  march. 

The  couutrx  ttnlay,  or  between  the  Ottertail  and  Red  rivers,  is  as 
near  a  k\\.\\k\  le\el,  1  think,  as  *tjs  possible  for  it  to  be.  lKvau>e  as  we 
tr.wolovl  tner  it,  aiul  lookini:  in  ei:!uT  direction,  it  ai>]K\ircvl  as 
l>ouLdi  we  were  K>okin^  nn  hill.  T!ie  traxelcr  can  see  an  olnect  the 
hoicht  oi  a  man  several  miles  in  eitluT  direction,  an  I  it  will  appear 
as  thon^h  he  were  ^tandim:  (>n  the  crest  oi  a  hill.  We  were  at  one 
time  three  or  four  miles  in  ai!\ance  o\  the  rear  of  our  train,  antl  in 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  185 

looking  back,  it  appeared  to  be  coming  down  a  long  hill,  when,  in- 
deed, deed,  it  was  moving  on  a  level  road  all  day. 

When  we  first  came  in  view  of  the  timber  on  Red  river  it  looked 
like  light  floating  clouds,  and  then,  upon  a  nearer  approach,  the 
mirage  made  it  to  appear  as  being  detached  from  the  earth,  though 
near  it,  and  having  the  distinct  outlines  of  forest  trees. 

When  we  came  near  Red  river  we  were  somewhat  surprised  to 
discover  that  there  was  a  fire  in  the  direction  of  the  fort.  Some 
thought  that  the  fort  was  being  burned  by  the  Indians,  others  that 
they  had  set  the  prairie  on  fire  to  frighten  us  back  so  that  they  might 
get  an  advantage  of  us  and  take  the  train.  Some  said  it  was  a  signal 
for  other  Indians  to  come  and  help  in  a  big  fight.  Some,  I  believe, 
got  a  little  nervous  over  the  prospect  of  having  a  good  Indian  fight 
before  we  got  into  the  fort.  ( )n  approaching  near  to  the  fire  a  few 
Indians  were  seen  approaching  our  line.  One  of  the  teamsters  stood 
upon  his  load,  and,  seeing  the  redskins,  cried  out,  **Here  they  come, 
here  they  come."  which  raised  quite  a  tremor  in  our  ranks.  But 
there  appears  to  have  been  but  thirteen  of  the  Indians,  and  they  were 
escaping  as  fast  as  possible,  instead  of  assuming  an  offensive  atti- 
tude, and  besides,  our  leader  ordered  the  detachment  from  the  Third 
regiment,  and  the  cavalry,  beside  the  ten  pouuvler.  well  manned,  to 
the  front  to  take  a  position  on  the  line  of  march. 

The  cavalry  were  to  harrass  them  on  their  right  wing,  the  "Bloody 
Third"  were  thrown  forward  so  as  to  turn  their  left  wing,  while 
our  ten  pounder  was  used  as  a  masked  battery  to  play  on  them  on 
their  retreat,  if  they  should  be  so  cowardly  as  to  attack  us.  By 
dint  of  good  determination  and  courage,  coupled  with  the  masterly 
military  "tact  and  skill"  of  our  gallant  leader  ( a  paroled  prisoner 
of  the  sharpshooters)  the  whole  Indian  force  was  scattered  and 
driven  across  the  Red  river  of  the  north. 

Our  cavalry  displayed  great  courage  in  pursuing  the  army  of 
aborigines  so  far,  knowing,  as  they  did,  that  one  mile  ahead  there 
was  a  grove  of  six  trees  for  them  to  hide  behind  and  let  their  bat- 
teries play  upon  our  small  force  of  five  hundred. 

The  scare  was  over,  and  our  gallant  Dutch  leader  ordered  the 
train  forward.  The  train  moved  and  we  crossed  the  river.  Five 
miles  more  and  we  shall  see  the  fort. 

The  men  had  become  greatly  reduced  by  so  long  a  march,  but 
when  we  were  across  the  river  they  seemed  to  regain  their  strength 
very  fast,  and  we  marched  to  the  fort  in  good  time  and  spirits. 

We  were  very  kindly  received  by  the  commander  of  the  post  and 
bv  the  soldiers  and  citizens. 

Presuming  that  I  have  written  too  much  already,  allow  me  to  say 
to  vou  that  if  there  is  anything  more  that  vou  woukl  like  to  hear 
about,  just  drop  a  line  to  S.  V.  Carr. 


186  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETV 


NORWEGIAN  IMMIGRATION. 

OMON  B.  IIERIGSTAD. 

CHAPTER  I. 


SOME  CAUSES  OF  NORWEGIAN  IMMIGRATION. 

There  was,  according  to  the  censuse  of  1900,  about  336,388  foreign 
born  Norwegians  in  the  United  States  at  that  time,  or  about  15  per 
cent  of  the  entire  population  of  Norway.  During  the  last  forty 
years  Ireland  alone  of  all  the  European  countries  had  given  a  larger 
percentage  of  her  population  to  the  United  States  than  Norway. 
During  these  last  forty  years  there  have  migrated  to  this  country 
from  Ireland  about  1,930,000,  which  forms  about  forty-four  per 
cent  of  her  present  population.  Norway  during  these  same  forty 
years  gave  to  this  country  about  1,516,000,  or  about  twenty-three 
per  cent  of  her  present  population. 

And  when  we  recall  that  during  these  forty  years  Ireland's  pop- 
ulation has  decreased  from  5,800,000  in  1866  to  4,388,107  in  1906, 
while  Norway's  population  has  increased  from  1,712.100  in  1866  to 
2,240,000  in  1906,  we  can  readily  see  that  Norway  has  contributed 
almost  as  large  a  percentage  of  her  population  to  this  coimtry  as 
has  Ireland.' 

Dr.  Andre  Hansen,  the  great  Norwegian  economic  writer,  in  an 
article  in  "Samtiden"  (Christiania)  on  Norway's  emigration  problem 
and  its  influence  upon  American  culture,  claims  that  in  1905  there 
were,  according  to  official  figures,  400,000  native  born  Norwegians 
in  this  country,  and  a  larG^er  number  of  those  of  Norwegian  parent- 
age. He  claims  that  in  another  generation  or  two  there  will  be  as 
many  American  citizens  of  pure  Norwegian  pedigree  as  there  are  in- 
habitants in  the  mother  country,  and  that  Norway's  small  mortality 
alone  has  saved  her  up  to  the  present  from  the  fate  of  Ireland.  This 
great  emigration,  he  claims,  is  an  enormous  economic  loss  to  Nor- 
way, "For,"  says  he,  "after  having  educated  men  better  than  other 
countries,  they  leave  their  native  land  at  the  age  of  productivity." 

Some  estimates  have  been  made  as  to  what  the  rearing  and  edu- 
cating costs,  and  at  what  sum  the  man  of  a^c  can  be  capitalized. 
In  conservative  figures  the  loss  for  Norwav  amounts  thus  to  seven 
hundred  million  crowns  (about  $260,000,000). 


^Sweden  comes  next  with  al>out  947,000  during  the  last  forty  years,  or 
about  eijrhteen  per  cent  of  her  present  population ;  and  Germany  stands 
forth  with  a])out  3,4(il'.537,  or  about  six  per  cent  of  her  present  popula- 
tion. 


TABLE    NO   1 

Upper  Graph  Total  Immigration  mto  th$  Unttad  Srat€S „-J««/.  t——^ 

LongrGrraph  /i/ormrs^/on  Imrrnqratiart. ..„ s*»f    /••• 


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STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  187 

The  question  then  arises,  why  cannot  Norway  keep  this  capital 
at  home?  Why  does  Norway  give  so  large  a  percentage  of  her 
population  to  the  United  States?^ 

That  the  causes  are  not  all  of  a  local  nature  is  shown  by  the  inter- 
esting fact  that,  if  we  make  a  graphic  curve  of  the  Norwegian  emi- 
gration during  the  last  forty  y^ars  and  compare  it  with  a  similar 
one  of  the  total  immigration  into  the  United  States  during  those 
same  years,  we  find  that  the  two  curves  follow  each  other  very 
closely.^  This  goes  to  show  that  some  of  the  same  causes  that  pro- 
duced an  increase  in  the  emigration  from  Norway  during  certain 
years,  must  surely  have  existed  in  the  other  parts  of  Europe  at  those 
times.  In  speaking  of  this  immigration  curve,  the  commissioner 
general  of  immigration,  in  his  annual  report  to  the  secretary  of  com- 
merce and  labor  for  1905,  says:  "It  is  interesting  to  note  the  suc- 
cessive periodical  increases,  receding  less  each  time,  coincident  with 
periods  of  financial  depressions,  only  to  reach  a  greater  height  with 
the  next  ascending  wave,  and  passing  the  million  mark,  the  highest 
point  in  history,  during  the  past  year.  Thus  the  three  periods  of 
depression  following  1857,  1873  and  1893,  stand  out  prominently. 
This  periodical  rise  and  fall  will  represent  the  relative  prosperity 
of  the  country,  while  the  gradual  average  increase  from  decade  to 
decade  may  be  taken  as  an  index  of  the  country's  development  and 
growth  and  its  capacity  to  employ  larger  quantities  of  the  alien 
element/'^ 

This  similarity  between  the  two  curves  undoubtedly  goes  to  show 
that  the  conditions  in  the  United  States  have  much  influence  on  the 
emigration  from  Norway.  But  while  the  varying  conditions  in  this 
country  explain  to  a  certain  extent  the  rise  and  fall  of  the  Norwe- 
gian emigration,  they  do  not  make  plain  the  reasons  why  such  an 
exceptionally  large  percentage  of  Norway's  population  emigrate. 

The  explanation  of  this  must  undoubtedly  be  found  in  the  nature 
of  the  people  and  in  local  conditions.  The  great  student  of  Norwe- 
gian emigration.  Dr.  A.  M.  Wergeland,  of  the  university  of  Wyom- 
ing, in  an  article  on  why  the  Norsemen  migrate,  says  that  the 
reasons  for  this  extensive  emifrration  is,  not  that  the  Norse  do  not 
love  their  home  land  enough,  but  that  they  love  one  another 
too  little.  "There,  under  the  high  heavens,"  she  continues, 
"spread  over  breezy  field  and  fjord,  there  is  such  an  oppressive 
spiritual  atmosphere  of  narrow  minded  intolerance,  of  unloving 
readiness  to  raise  teacup  storms,  of  insolence,  private  and  political, 
of  clerical  and  aesthetic  arrogance,  that  the  Norseman,  though 
scarcely  knowing  why,  longs  to  get  away  from  it  all  and  to  breathe 

^According  to  the  Statistical  Year  Book  of  Norway  for  1906,  over 
ninety  per  cent  of  Norway's  emigrants  go  to  the  United  States. 

*See  table  No.  1. 

"Annual  report  commissioner  general  of  immigration,  Washington,  D.  C, 
1905,  p.  110. 


188  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

a  fresher,  sweeter  air.  No  wonder  the  people  emigrate!  There  is 
a  pecuHar  hardness  and  inflexibihty  in  the  Norseman's  nature,  and 
the  mild  virtues  of  forbearance  grow  but  sparsely  in  his  surround- 
ings. That  is  perhaps  the  reason  why  the  Xorse  emigrant  brings  to 
his  new  homestead  for  the  first  fo;ir  or  five  years  nothing  but  an 
open  mouth  and  a  silent  tongue — speechless  astonishment.  And 
that  is  why  to  come  back  to  Norway  after  spending  some  years 
abroad,  is  so  often  like  coming  from  open  fields  into  narrow  alleys, 
where  the  fancies  and  prejudices  of  centuries  still  lie  sleeping  in 
the  gutters."  But  Dr.  Wergeland  is  too  good  a  patriot  to  have  writ- 
ten in  this  fashion  without  a  definite  hope  that  it  would  do  good. 
To  the  charge  that  Norway  is  a  poor  country,  Dr.  Wergeland  re- 
plies that  Norway  is  rich  in  opportunities.  Let  but  a  spirit  of  love 
link  her  children  together  in  a  patriotic  resolve  to  find  these  out 
and  make  the  most  of  them,  and  their  reward  will  not  be  wanting. 

This  explanation  given  by  Dr.  Wergeland  is  to  a  large  extent 
true,  but  the  chief  reason  for  this  extensive  emigration  is  purely  an 
economic  one.  Norway,  by  the  very  nature  of  her  rugged  majestic 
beauty,  is  too  cold,  too  barren  and  unyielding  to  afford  to  her  chil- 
dren more  than  the  barest  of  livings — '*and  men  cannot  live  on 
beauty  alone.'*  Norway  is  yet  largely  a  farming  country,  and  until 
industry  has  reached  another  stage  of  development  it  must  send 
away  its  surplus  population.^ 

By  referring  to  table  No.  2  we  see  that  almost  fifty  per  cent  of 
Norway's  population  make  their  living  from  the  land,  and  yet  less 
than  three  per  cent  of  its  area  is  under  cultivation.  While  the  area 
of  Norway  is  about  3*32,000  kilometers,  to  Denmark's  38,155  kilo- 
meters, the  cultivated  area  of  Norway  is  only  9,(>30  kilometers  to 
Denmark's  28. 875  kilometers.  It  must  also  be  remembered  that  the 
cultivation  of  the  soil  requires  relatively  more  work  than  in  most 
other  agricultural  countries.  Most  of  the  soil  has  to  be  fertihzed 
each  year  in  order  that  it  may  produce  a  paying  crop. 

Norway  has  not  been  sufficiently  deveh^ped  industrially  to  give 
employment  to  the  surplus  population  from  her  agricultural  dis- 
tricts.- 

During  the  last  few  years  Norway  has  begun  to  realize  that  only 
by  developing  manufacturing  industries  can  the  country  ex|>ect  to 
retain  her  young  people  at  home,  and  she  has  consequently  directed 
her  efforts  along  these  lines.^ 


'See  table  No.  2,  p.  1^!». 
'See  table  No.  3,  p.  1!M>. 
'See  table  No.  4.  p.  IIM. 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA 


189 


It  is  impossible  to  find  that  any  political  or  religious  conditions 
of  the  country  are  to  any  degree  responsible  for  the  extensive  emi- 
gration.^ 

TABLE  NO.  2. 

The  following  figures  are  taken  from  For  Alle,  a  statistical  year 
book  for  Norway,  published  in  Christiania  in  1903  by  Karl  Fischer: 


Leadingr  Occupations  of  Norway 


Number  of 

People  en- 

fragred  in  Ha  me 


Per  cent,  of 

Population 

eng-aired   in 

same 


Farming,  cattle   raising  and  lumbering 

Fishing    

Manufacturing   and   mining    

Commerce  and  transportation    

As    seamen    

Unskilled    labor    


975,047 
171,885 
461,751) 
18f),392 
118,729 
82,293 


4^.05 
8.58 

23.04 
9.45 
5.92 
4.36 


Norway's  area  is  about  322,605  kilometers,  which  is  divided  as 
follows : 


Kilometers 


Town   territory    ! 

F'ields    

Cultivated    meadows    

Natural  meadows 

F'orest    

Grazing   land    

Marshes    

Darren    mountain    

Inland  seas 

Glacier,  snow  and  ice 

Total     ' 


249 


Percentai?e 

of  Land 

Area 


0.1 


2,314 

0.7 

3,756 

1.2 

3,138 

1.0 

68,179 

21.1 

24.450 

7.6 

1         12,000 

3.7 

191.0t)7 

59.2 

12,407 

3.8 

1          5,04.5 

1.6 

3:^2,605 

100.0 

^In  answer  to  the  question,  "Have  the  religious  conditions  any  influence 
on  emigration?"  the  following  reply  was  received  from  Nils  Vol!,  the 
secretary  of  the  information  bureau,  a  department  of  Norway's  government : 
"That  the  religious  conditions  sometimes,  to  a  certain  extent,  may  have 
some  influence  on  emigration  is  very  possible,  but  such  an  influence  does  not 
at  present  seem  to  exist  in  Norway."  In  answer  to  the  question,  "What  is 
the  chief  reason  for  the  extensive  emigration  from  Norway,"  the  following 
reply  was  received  from  A.  M.  Kiar  and  M.  R.  Ball,  of  the  statistical 
central  bureau :  "The  chief  cause  of  the  emigration  is  lack  of  paying  employ- 
ment' 


190 


STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


TABLE  NO.  3. 

The  following  table,  taken  from  the  statistical  year  book  of  Nor- 
v/ay  for  1906,  published  by  the  statistical  central  bureau  at  Chris- 
tiania,  shows  that  Norway  is  not  capable  of  giving  employment  to 
all  her  people  * 

MEN. 


No. 

Wanting^ 

Work 


No.  of 

UnOHed 

Places 


No.  of 
Filled 
Places 


Christiania — 
li>02  

1903    

1904    

1905    V. V. V. ! '.  .* '. 

Bergen — 

1902    

1903    

1904    

1905    *.  .'.*.*.* .'.V.V.V.V. '. '. '. '. '. '. 

Trondhjcm — 

1902    

11H)3  

19^4    

idoo  V.V.V.V.*.*.*.'.!  ■!!!!!!' 

Stavanger — 

1903    

1904    

1905    


WOMEN. 


Christiania — 

1902    

1903   

19(4    

1905   

Bt  rgen — 

1902    

1903   

1004    

1905   

Trondhjem — 

VMl   

1903    

lOiU    

1905     

Stavanger — 

1903    

1904    

19i»5    


I 


12,990 
13,287 
13,672 
18,725 

2,849 
2,501 
3,105 

2,818 

1,372 

S^)S 
751 
895 

1M5 
1,409 
4,285 


1,307 
1.326 
1,452 

114 
74 

r>ri 

38 


4,651 
4,331 
4,161 
6,039 

1,220 
1,242 
1,892 
1,831 

816 
622 
384 
630 

8«4 

700 

2,080 


910 
1,032 
1,094 

150 

107 

66 

48 


4,404 
4.099 
3.908 
5.64.3 

1,102 
1,105 
1,653 
1,669 

613 
459 
264 
357 

8t.3 

683 

1,827 


6.037 

4.471 

4,045 

8.428 

6,446 

5,976 

9,i;w 

7,749 

6,545 

9,263 

8,890 

7,110 

1.437 

020 

764 

755 
850 
929 

9-7 

31 
»» 

13 


315 

181 

104 

352 

224 

118 

88r 

920 

1    313 

! 

STATE  OF  NORTH. DAKOTA 


191 


TABLE    NO.   3-Continued. 

The  following  table  from  the  statistical  year  books  of  Norway  for 
1900  and  1906,  shows  the  increase  in  manufacturing  during  the 
ten  years  beginning  with  1896 : 


Numbers  Seeking' 

Work  Per  100 

Unfilled  Places 


Christiania — 

1903    

1904    

1905    

Btrgen — 

1902    

1903    

1904    

1905    

Trondhjem — 

1902    

1903    

1904    

1905    

Stavanger — 

1903    

1904    

1905    


Men 

Women 

307 

329 
310 

234 
201 
164 

131 

118 
104 

155 

144 

128 

154 


I 


133 


168 

139 

140 

69 

196 

100 

142 

79 

191 

174 

178 

157 

206 

96 

TABLE  NO.  4. 


Year 


No.  of 
Establish- 
ments 


No. 
Employed 


1896 

1897 

1898 

1899 

1900 

1901 

ir*02 

1903 

1004 

1905 


I 


2,334 
2,650 
2,921 
3.074 
3.173 
3.330 
3.433 
3,488 
3.571 
3,729 


60,671 
66,840 
73.143 
79,136 
79.457 
80.704 
82,177 
81.813 
82.756 
86.524 


Total 
Horsepower 


126,745 
147,991 
157.279 
177.597 
199,388 
223.164 
233,3.54 
244,237 
253,557 
280,918 


The  writer  also  prepared  a. set  of  questions,  which  were  sent  to 
twenty-six  people,  all  of  whom  had  come  to  Griggs  county,  North 
Dakota  within  the  last  ten  vears. 

One  of  the  questions  was:  What  were  your  chief  reasons  for 
leaving  Norway  and  coming  to  this  country?     Thirteen  answers 


192  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

were  received.     The  answers  were  all  in  the  Norwegian  language. 
Th.e  following  is  a  rough  translation  of  the  answers : 

1.  I  was  told  that  America  w^as  a  good  place,  and  I  had  an  old 
acquaintance  here.     (Came  in  1904.) 

2.  I  expected  to  earn  more  money  in  the  United  States.  (Came 
in  1902.)  '    . 

3.  I  knew  America  was  a  better  place  for  the  common  man  to 
make  money,  and  the  taxes  were  too  high  in  Norway  in  comparison 
with  income.  One  who  earned  from  two  hundred  to  three  hundred 
crowns^  a  year  had  to  pay  sixty  or  seventy  crowns  a  year  in  taxes. 
Moreover,  the  people  wdio  came  from  America  told  glowing  stories 
about  this  land,  and  how  easy  everything  was ;  all  one  had  to  do  was 
to  sit  on  a  machine  and  ride  all  day,  but  I  have  experienced  some- 
thing different.     (Came  in  1903). 

4.  I  came  to  see  the  land  in  which  so  many  of  my  people  live. 
(Came  in  1905). 

5.  I  wanted  to  go  to  sea,  but  my  folks  would  rather  have  me  go 
to  America,  and  so  I  went  and  I  do  not  regret  it.     (Came  in  1905). 

6.  I  expected  to  earn  more  money  in  America.    (Came  in  1899). 

7.  I  had  relatives  here  and  expected  better  pay.  (Came  in 
1902). 

8.  The  main  reason  was  to  earn  money :  I  got  tired  of  the  hard 
struggle  for  existence  without  a  chance  to  enjoy  it.  (Came  in 
1905). 

9.  Wanted  to  get  out  and  see  the  world  and  make  more  monev. 
(Came  in  190r,). 

10.  Norway  is  a  good  country,  but  America  is  better  in  one 
respect,  one  can  make  more  money  here.  If  I  ever  go  back  to  Nor- 
way it  will  be  on  a  visit  only. 

11.  When  I  left  Norway  there  had  been  a  political  struggle 
which  cost  a  lot  of  money ;  that  caused  the  taxes  and  duties  to  be 
rrised;  this  made  living  very  exi)ensive,  as  Norway  has  to  import 
many  of  the  necessaries  of  life.  Then,  also,  Norway  went  through 
a  money  crisis  in  1S!)9-1^H)1,  as  a  result  of  the  so  called  **Jobbetid" 
in  the  years  lS9t-;)S.  After  mv  arrival  in  America  times  in  the  old 
country  have  become  better.     (Came  in  1902). 

12.  When  I  left  Norway  the  times  were  rather  poor  for  the 
laboring  peoj)le.  I''or  that  reason  the  emigration  was  very  large, 
and  the  people  are  beginning  to  realize  that  this  is  very  bad  for 
country  if  it  is  not  stopped.  lUit  now  the  times  are  better  than  they 
have  been  for  a  long  time.     (Came  in  1903). 

13.  I  went  to  school  in  Ni^rway.  As  one  who  was  ])ossesse(l  of 
small  means,  I  tried  to  finish  my  course  in  a  shorter  time  than  that 
ordinarily  reciuired,  but  this  was  too  hard  work.  ( )nlv  well-to-do 
people  can  afford  to  stay  the  required  number  of  years ;  only  they 

*A  crown  in  Xorwej;iTn  money  is  worth  a  litlK*  more  than  twenty  five 
cents. 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  193 

can  secure  a  higher  education.  Those  who  have  less  must  try  their 
luck  along  other  lines. 

If  a  young  man  has  reached  up  to  that  which  is  almost  impossible, 
namely,  to  secure  a  farm,  his  life  at  once  becomes  a  constant  strug- 
gle with  mighty  powers.  The  taxes  are  pressing  down  the  farmer. 
Nearly  everything  is  taxed.  When  a  new  field  is  broken  up,  it  is 
often  postponed  because  of  lack  of  capital  with  which  to  carry  out 
the  work. 

If  anything  is  to  grow,  the  ground  must  be  fertilized.  A  farmer's 
big  question  is.  Where  am  I  to  get  the  fertilizing  material.  When- 
ever a  farmer  has  prepared  some  new  grounrl  the  hungry  tax  comes 
with  its  big  stomach,  and  says:  **You  have  cleaned  a  little  piece  of 
ground ;  this  is  an  increase  to  your  capital,  and  therefore  you  will 
have  to  pay  me  a  little  more."  The  farmer  then  probably  throws  up 
the  whole  thing  and  goes  to  America. 

Another  thinof  fullv  as  bad  as  the  taxes  is  the  militarism.  When 
a  voun?  man  has  reached  the  aq:e  of  twcntv-two  he  has  a  future 
full  of  diflficulties  and  trials  before  him.  For  five  years  he  has  to 
serve  as  a  soldier.  During  this  time  he  is  paid  only  15  ore  (4c)  a 
day  for  his  work. 

Those  who  before  that  age  have  begun  work  on  their  own  account 
with  a  large  debt,  have  had  to  increase  this  debt  because  of  these 
services.  The  best  time  of  the  year  is  spent  in  the  service,  so  to 
support  a  wife  and  children  one  must  hire  people  to  do  the  work 
at  home. 

In  order  to  be  able  to  live  one  must  have  means.  Where  can  this 
be  found?  If  one  is  to  be  happy,  the  conditions  must  be  such  that 
one's  development  will*  not  be  hampered. 

From  these  thirteen  answers  we  note  that  the  chief  reason  for  their 
leaving  the  old  country  is  an  economic  one.  Ten  out  of  the  thirteen 
answers  gave  as  one  of  the  main  reasons  that  they  expected  to  make 
more  money  in  America.  No  political  or  religious  reasons  are  men- 
tioned. 


CHAPTER  II. 


A  BRIEF  STUDY  OF  NORWEGIAN  IMMIGRATION  AND 

NORWEGIAN  IMMIGRANTS. 

To  the  wTiter  of  North  Dakota  historv  a  careful  studv  of  Nor- 
wegian  immigration  is  very  important.  When  we  bear  in  mind 
that,  according  to  the  figures  of  the  commissioner  general's  report 
for  1905.  about  21  per  cent  of  all  the  people  who  came  to  North 
Dakota  from  1892  to  1005  were  Norwegian  immigrants,  and  that 
the  Norwegians  form  about  one- fourth  of  the  present  population  of 
North  Dakota,  we  begin  to  realize  that  a  student  of  North  Dakota 


194  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

history  should  make  a  careful  study  of  the  Norwegians,  of  the 
country  they  come  from  and  the  kind  of  citizens  they  make  in  this 
country. 

A  few  facts  concerning  the  Norwegian  immigrant  may  throw 
some  light  on  his  character,  and  may  go  to  show  whether  he  is  a 
desirable  citizen  for  North  Dakota. 

The  sons  of  Norway  led  the  way  of  the  immigrant  to  our  great 
agricultural  west.  Ten  years  ago,  according  to  MuUhall,  Norwe- 
gians owned  as  much  farming  land  in  our  own  west  as  they  did  at 
home.  Today,  Dr.  Hansen  claims,  they  possess  six  times  as  much, 
and  that  the  best  wheat  producing  land  in  the  world.  "It  is  not  too 
much  to  say,'^  writes  Dr.  Hansen,  "that  Norwegians  during  half  the 
century  past  have  acquired  property  corresponding  to  the  whole  na- 
tional economy  of  Norway."  The  first  Norwegian  immigrants — the 
Sloopers — settled  in  New  York  in  1825  by  the  shore  of  Lake  On- 
tario. 

But  most  of  these  later  moved  westward  with  other  immigrants 
to  IlHnois  (La  Salle  county),  later  to  Iowa  in  1836-40;  Here  in 
the  great  northwest  they  seem  to  thrive  well.  When  Minnesota  and 
the  Dakotas  were  opened  up,  the  Norwegians  were  among  the  first 
to  come  in  and  settle.  In  1900  about  four-fifths  of  all  Norwegian 
immigrants  lived  in  the  seven  north  central  states,  that  is,  Minne- 
sota, Wisconsin,  Iowa,  Illinois,  North  Dakota,  South  Dakota  and 
Michigan.  Although  there  was  a  Norwegian  colony  in  Texas  as 
early  as  1810,  all  the  southern  states  in  1900  had  less  than  one  per 
cent  of  the  Norwegian  immigrants,  while  the  eastern  states  had  only 
about  five  per  cent.^ 

Another  interesting  fact  to  note  is  that  a  smaller  percentage  of 
Norwegian  immigrants  than  of  any  other  nationality  go  to  the 
cities.  Only  twenty-one  per  cent  of  the  Norwegians  go  to  the  cities, 
while  forty-eight  per  cent  of  the  Germans  and  fifty-six  to  fifty-nine 
per  cent  of  the  Irish,  Russians  and  Italians  go  to  the  cities. 

A  larger  per  cent  of  Norwegians  than  of  any  other  nationality, 
the  Americans  included,  own  farms. ^  It  is  not  a  small  part  of  our 
national  wealth  that  is  due  to  the  Norwegians*  hard  work  in  de- 
veloping these  agricultural  states,  "the  bread  basket  of  the  world." 

Below  is  a  brief  summary  of  the  thirteen  sets  of  answers  received 
to  the  questions  already  mentioned  in  chapter  1.^ 

Question  No.  1.     In  what  year  did  you  come  to  .\mcrica? 

Answers.  One  in  1899,  three  in  1902,  three  in  1903,  two  in  1904, 
three  in  1905,  one  in  190G. 

Question  Xo.  2.    What  part  of  Norway  did  you  come  from  ? 

\Sce  table  No.  6,  p.  197. 

*These  figures  are  taken  from  For  Alle  for  1(>03.  a  Korwej^ian  publication 
correspond injf  to  our  World's  Almanac,  published   in  Cbrist-ania. 

n^hesc  questions  and  answers  were  all  writttn  in  the  Norwegian  lanjjuasje, 
and  what  is  given  here  is  only  a  rough  and  literal  transliiion,  which  docs 
in  many  places  make  p<>(  r  English,  but  the  meaning  is  clear. 


TABLE     NO  5 

Humbcf  d Norm^ians  born  in/Hcrt^QY,  /nfbre/gn  Countrtcs  m  l^OO 
Copied  trom  Tht  Sfohstical'Y4ar6ooMof4lDnfifarforW6 


MinnQsoTQ 

\Nisconsin 

/04695 

6/575 

CVl 

«0 

^orrhOddo 

PhftOtS 

loflO 

South 

fhc'fK 

/kv9 

fheOthtr 

DoHoto 

Srafn 

Yctk 

5toUA 

56205 

29979 

e&t54 

mtt 

l97dB 

fBbCt 

1 
1 

ed42B 

Total  in  I  he  United  States  53S524 
TotQl  in  other  countries  about   35C0O 


Otnmen 
5714 


honc€     trno 


Btfqym  torwhhmf^      finlond        Spatn 

U  D  D  D 

OllmrCci/ntngs  of    OthtrCounfritiof 

Ct/rco€  Anutrtca 

vFsc4  atxvtSDO 


obcvi 


Chth 
D 
/ttrtCQ 

obSutdCO 


ilolf 

D 


Austria 
Hunqarf 


ahoUrdOC 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  195 

I 

Answers.    Ten  from  Stavanger  district  or  Amt.    The  other  three 
:  did  not  give  answer  to  this  question. 

i  Question  No.  3  ?    How  did  you  come  across  ?    Mention  steamship 

j  line  and  railroad.    Did  you  come  directly  to  Griggs  county,  or  did 

you  stay  at  some  other  place  for  a  while  first?    How  much  did  the 
trip  cost? 

Answers.  Ten  came  on  the  Cunard  line  and  three  on  the  White 
Star  line ;  four  came  to  Boston,  the  rest  to  New  York.  All  but  one 
passed  through  Chicago  and  Minneapolis;  that  one  went  on  the 
New  York  Central  to  Montreal  and  then  down  through  Duluth. 

Eight  came  directly  to  Cooperstown ;  one  worked  two  months  in 
Canada  first;  the  other  four  gave  no  answer  to  this  part  of  the 
puestion. 

As  to  cost,  the  following  figures  were  given:  One  (1905)  $65, 
two  (1902)  $72,  three  (1902)  $243,  with  wife  and  five  children; 
four  (1904)  194.60  krowns,  five  (1899)  $75,  six  (1902)  252  krowns, 
seven  (1904)  196  krowns,  eight  (1903)  260  krowns,  nine  (1906) 
270  krowns,  ten  (1905)  248  krowns.  The  other  gave  us  figures  on 
cost. 

Question  No.  4  has  already  been  given  in  fgrmer  chapter. 

Question  No.  5.  Why  did  you  come  to  Griggs  county  rather  than 
go  to  some  other  place  ? 

Answers.  Either  relatives  or  acquaintances  or  both  were  men- 
tioned in  every  answer  to  this  question. 

Question  No.  6.    What  was  your  occupation  in  Norway? 

Answers.  Eight  had  been  doing  farm  work ;  two  worked  on  the 
railroad;  one  was  a  shoemaker;  one  a  student,  and  one  a  furniture 
carpenter. 

Question  No.  7.  What  has  been  your  occupation  of  occupations 
since  you  came  to  America? 

Answers.  Farm  work,  six:  carpenter  work,  four.  The  other 
three  did  not  give  answer  to  this  question. 

Question  No.  8.  What  wages  did  you  receive  for  your  work  in 
Norway,  and  how  much  could  you  save  in  a  year?  The  same  con- 
cerning your  work  in  America  ? 

Answers.  In  Norway,  farm  work,  2  1-2  krowns  a  day ;  saved  400 
krowns  a  vear. 

In  America,  farm  work,  $28  a  month;  saved  $200  a  year.  (2) 
In  Norway,  a  young  woman,  100  krowns  a  year ;  savings  not  men- 
tioned. (3)  In  Norway,  farm  work,  225  krowns  a  year;  could 
save  150  krowns  a  year.  In  America,  farm  work,  $30  a  month; 
could  save  $200  a  year.  (4)  In  Norway,  farm  work,  2  krowns  a 
day;  savino^s  not  mentioned.  (5)  In  Norway,  farm  work,  2 
krowns  a  day;  savings  300  krowns  a  year.  (6)  In  Norway,  shoe- 
maker, 1,000  krowns  a  year;  saved  very  little.  In  America,  $350  a 
year:  savings  not  mentioned.  (7)  In  Norway,  railroad  work,  2.50 
krowns  a  day,  including  Sundays;  saved  400  krowns  a  year.     In 


196  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

America,  carpenter,  $2.50  a  day  in  summer;  saved  $100  a  year.  (8) 
In  Xorvvay,  carpenter,  2.50  to  3  krowns  a  day ;  saved  300  to  400 
krowns  a  year.  In  America,  $2.50  a  day ;  saved  about  as  many  dol- 
lars as  he  did  krowns  in  Norway.  (9)  In  Norway,  farm  work,  1 
to  1.50  krowns  a  dav,  on  railroad  2.50  krowns  a  day;  it  was  difficult 
for  a  common  laborer  to  save  anything.  Last  year,  in  America, 
earned  $280;  saved  $200,  (10)  In  Norway,  student.  In  America, 
farm  work,  $300  a  year. 
Two  did  not  answer  this. 

Question  No.  9.  Have  you  become  owner  of  land  since  you  came 
to  America? 

Answers.  The  one  who  came  in  1899  had  land  of  his  own;  four 
others  were  renters. 

Question  No.  10.  When  you  left  Norway,  did  you  have  any 
intentions  of  returning.^ 

Answers.  Nine  answered  yes.  One  expected  to  return  in  ten 
years.  Another  of  the  nine  writes :  "My  idea  was  to  go  home  when 
I  had  made  some  money,  then  I  could  be  better  prepared  to  take  up 
the  struggle  there.  For  one  thing  is  certain,  it  is  much  harder  to 
make  a  living  there."  Another  of  them  writes :  "When  I  left  Nor- 
way, I  intended  to  return  inside  of  five  or  six  years,  but  have 
changed  my  mind;    I  may,  however,  go  home  on  a  visit  some  day.'* 

Four  answered  in  the  negative. 

Question  No.  11.  Have  you  learned  the  English  language?  If 
sp,  at  school,  or  only  by  associating  with  English  speaking  people? 

Answers.  Six  had  learned  it  outside  of  school ;  two  by  schm>l 
and  outside  both ;  one  at  school,  two  years  of  common  school  and 
two  winters  at  the  Aakers  business  college.  Fargo.  Two  had  not 
yet  learned.     Two  did  not  answer  this  question. 

Question  No.  12.  Did  vou  come  alone,  or  with  others?  If  with 
others,  where  did  these  go? 

Answers.  (1)  Alone.  (2)  In  company  with  six;  two  young 
women,  who  went  to  Chicago ;  two  men,  who  stopped  at  V'alley 
City,  and  one  went  to  Montana.  (3)  Three  in  company;  all  came 
to  (iriijgs  county.  (  \)  A  good  many  in  company ;  f(nir  went  to 
(ilendive,  Montana;  one  to  South  Dakota;  the  rest  to  (>riggs  county. 
(5)  Twelve  in  a  company:  all  came  to  Griggs  county;  they  were 
led  by  one  who  had  been  in  America  before,  and  had  gone  home 
on  a  visit.  ( <> )  A  good  many  in  company,  led  by  an  old  settler 
who  had  been  home  on  a  visit.  ( T  )  A  large  company,  all  of  whom 
vvcnt  to  Griggs  county ;  they  came  in  cc>mpany  with  an  old  pioneer 
who  had  been  home  on  a  visit.  (8)  In  company  with  two,  who 
went  to  Montana.  (9)  A  g«v)(|  many  in  company  from  Stavanger; 
one  went  to  Montana,  one  to  the  Pacific  coast,  and  the  others  scat- 
tered all  over.     (10)     A  large  company;  one  to  X'alley  City,  one  to 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  197 

Chicago,  the  rest  to  Griggs  county,  led  by  an  old  settler  who  had 
been  home  on  a  visit.  (11)  In  company  with  four  who  went  to 
Montana.    Two  gave  no  answer  to  this  question. 

TARLE  XO.  (5. 

These  figures,  taken  from  the  commissioner  general's  report  for 
lJ)Oo,  show  when  the  Norwegian  immigration  is  the  heaviest.  From 
18J)2  to  1905  the  Scandinavian  immigration  into* — 

Minnesota  equals  58  per  cent  of  the  total  immigration. 

South  Dakota  equals  13  per  cent  of  the  total  immigration. 

Iowa  equals  46  per  cent  of  the  total  immigration. 

Wisconsin  equals  34  per  cent  of  the  total  immigration. 

Nebraska  equals  29  per  cent  of  the  total  immigration. 

Montana  equals  27  per  cent  of  the  total  immigration. 

Idaho  equals  29  per  cent  of  the  total  immigration. 

Utah  equals  27  per  cent  of  the  total  immigration. 

Washington  equals  24  per  cent  of  the  total  immigration. 

Oregon  equals  20  per  cent  of  the  total  immigration. 

Wyoming  equals  16  per  cent  of  the  total  immigration. 

Michigan  equals  14  per  cent  of  the  total  immigration. 

North  Dakota  equals  47  per  cent  of  the  total  immigration. 


*The   Norwegian   immigration    formed   forty-two  per   cent,   or   nearly   half 
of  the  Scandinavian  during  those  years. 


198  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


APPENDIX. 

Below  is  given  a  rough  translation  from  the  Norwegian  of  two 
letters  received  by  the  writer  from  two  prominent  North  Dakota 
farmers,  who  came  to  America  as  young  men,  and  after  living  fif- 
teen and  twenty  years  respectively  in  America,  spent  a  summer  in 
Norway  visiting.  Their  letters  contain  the  impressions  they  re- 
ceived when  coming  back  to  the  old  country,  of  the  difference 
between  the  Norwegians  in  America  and  the  people  in  the  old 
country : 

THE  NORWEGIANS  IN  AMERICA,  BY  OLE  LIMA. 

Letter  dated  Cooperstown,  N.  Dak.,  March,  1907. 

In  comparing  the  conditions  of  Norway  and  America,  there  is 
found  to  be  quite  a  difference  between  the  two.  When  the  emigra- 
tion from  Norway  first  began  in  earnest  fifty  or  sixty  years  ago,  the 
difference  was  undoubtedly  much  greater  than  it  is  now. 

The  many  Norwegian  Americans  who  have  returned  to  Norway, 
many  of  whom  have  taken  up  their  permanent  abode  there,  have 
had  much  influence  in  changing  conditions  and  customs  in  Norway. 
Norway's  people  have,  during  the  last  generation,  awakened  and  be- 
gun to  utilize  in  a  great  many  ways  the  powers  of  the  individual, 
and  also  the  power  of  nature  for  the  progress  and  uplifting  of  the 
whole  nation. 

.  Raised  in  Norway,  often  in  poor  families,  the  people  heard  about 
the  productive  America,  and  in  many  was  created  a  desire  to  go  to 
that  land.  As  the  years  went  by  the  number  of  those  who  were 
drawn  to  this  country  by  the  glittering  stories  of  their  returning 
comrades  increased.  Older  people,  whole  families,  but  mostly  young 
men  and  women  came.  Everything  was  strange  to  them  in  this  new 
land ;  many  had  to  pass  through  difficulties,  meet  bitter  disappoint- 
ments, anvl  endure  many  hardships  until  they  became  accustomed 
to  the  new  conditions.  Most  of  them,  however,  came  successfully 
out  of  these  early  trials,  thanks  to  their  early  training  in  economy 
and  endurance  in  strutrirling  on  to  the  goal — independence  and  an 
independent  income.  Work  makes  people  virtuous.  This  has  put 
an  indelible  stamp  on  those  who  took  up  the  lives  of  pioneers  out 
on  America's  prairies  and  in  her  forests.  Physical  labor  develops 
one's  thinking  power,  for  a  man  loaded  with  work  will  try  to  think 
of  an  easier  and  more  profitable  way  of  performing:  his  task.  In 
this  country  one  has  to  figure  out  what  is  most  profitable,  and  cannot 
follow  old  customs,  as  is  often  done  in  the  old  country.  Even  a 
farmer  in  America  is  a  real  business  man,  and  has  to  keep  posteJ 
on  the  market  prices,  as  well  as  look  after  his  farm.     He  is  also 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  199 

encouraged  to  keep  in  touch  with  the  government  of  the  country, 
for  with  his  vote  he  can  exert  his  influence  on  the  community. 

All  these  things  have  a  great  influence  on  a  man's  character  and 
habits  of  life.  Let  one  who  has  for  ten  or  twenty  years  gone  in  this 
school  go  back  to  Norway,  and  his  old  acquaintances  cannot  recog- 
nize him.  When  I  came  to  Norway  last  summer  I  was  often  sur- 
prised to  find  that  persons  who  had  never  seen  me  before,  took  me 
at  once  for  an  American.  It  seems  that  even  the  expression  of  one's 
face  is  greatly  changed  here.  I  discovered  during  my  last  visit  to 
the  fatherland  that  my  mode  of  thinking  and  my  spiritual  life  had 
changed  so  much  during  my  thirteen  years  in  America  that  I  did  not 
feel  quite  at  home  with  my  childhood  friends. 

Another  thing  which  has  a  strong  influence  in  changing  the 
nature  of  the  Norwegians  in  America,  is  their  constant  intercourse 
with  people  of  the  difi'erent  nationalities.  Each  of  these  have 
brought  with  them  certain  cliaracteristics.  One  knows  before  com- 
ing that  in  America  he  will  come  in  contact  with  others  than  his 
mother's  best  child.  For  it  has  long  been  known  that  when  one  has 
committeed  a  crime  or  misdemeanor  of  any  kind  in  his  fatherland, 
he  will  flee  to  America  to  escape  the  arm  of  the  law.  Now,  to  know 
one's  self  in  the  possible  proximity  to  thieves  and  other  criminals, 
will  make  one  more  suspicious  of  his  fellow  men.  It  is  an  old  saying 
that  he  who  does  not  keep  his  eyes  open  must  keep  his  purse  open. 
And  not  many  have  escaped  being  taken  in  and  cheated  by  some 
Stuart  American.  The  Norwegian  in  this  way  gets  into  many 
troubles  that  he  never  dreamed  of  in  the  old  country.  This  makes 
him  more  careful  and  conservative  in  his  dealings  with  his  fellow 
men.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  it  cannot  be  denied  that  there  is  a 
chance  for  the  Norwegian  who  has  a  tendency  to  be  dishonest  to 
got  it  developed  here;  a  detriment  to  himself  and  his  community. 
It  must  be  acknowledged  that  the  Norwegians  have  also  contributed 
tlieir  share  to  the  vast  army  in  the  United  States  who  live  as  para- 
sites upon  the  hard  work  of  others.  Work  is  much  better  paid  for 
here  than  in  Norway,  and  be  who  is  willing  to  do  his  share,  is 
generally  able  to  make  a  fairly  good  living.  But  work  is  often  dis- 
agreeable, and  if  one  can  make  money  without  working,  there  is 
a  strong  temptation  to  embrace  the  opportunity.  The  temptation  is 
here,  and  many  have  yielded  to  it,  and  are  now  moral  wrecks  "on 
the  cliff's  of  Mammon."  These  are  today  a  disgrace  to  the  Norwe- 
gian nation. 

Even  the  methods  employed  by  some  in  securing  money  are  op- 
posed to  the  laws  of  justice;  others  secure  it  under  the  name  of 
legal  business,  but  their  object  is  to  secure  money  without  giving 
full  value  in  return.  They  steal  both  openly  and  by  treachery,  and 
have  carried  it  so  far  that  it  has  polluted  the  very  atmosphere  and 
threatens  to  poison  and  pollute  the  whole  nation. 

Influenced  by  this  spirit  of  getting  something  easy,  the  young 
people  leave  home  and  farm  to  prepare  for  the  positions  where 


200  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


physical  labor  is  at  a  minimum.  The  boy  wants  to  do  this  and  that, 
only  no  physical  labor  for  him.  The  girl,  if  she  has  mental  ability 
enough,  hopes  to  become  a  teacher,  and  when  she  has  succeed  eel, 
follows  this  profession  until  some  man  crosses  her  path.  She  mar- 
ries him  without  having  any  preparation  for  the  position  she  is 
assuming.  Too  late  they  discover  their  mistake,  and  have  to  secure 
a  divorce.  The  great  number  of  divorces  in  this  country  is  a  dis- 
grace to  the  nation. 

In  the  light  of  history  it  is  plain  that  if  the  American  people  con- 
tinue in  the  direction  they  are  now  drifting,  the  day  will  come 
when  their  vitality  will  be  exhausted.  We  have  already  drifted  far 
out  of  the  risfht  course.  We  have  taken  in  the  sails  and  are  driftinsf 
downward.    Cirasp  the  rudder  and  turn  the  ship  ere  it  is  too  late. 

On  the  other  hand,  it  must  not  be  forgotten  that  even  under  these 
complex  and  confusing  conditions  there  has  been  going  on  just  as 
important,  though  less  noticed  development,  spiritually.  The  religi- 
ous conditions  in  America  have  been  of  such  a  character  as  to  cause 
the  individual  to  study  it  out  for  himself. 

Our  Norwegian  people  in  the  I'nited  States  are  divided  into 
many  larger  and  smaller  religious  divisions,  which  have  often  op- 
posed each  other  bitterly.  But  this  has  stimulated  the  people's 
power  to  think  clearly  and  conservatively  on  religious  matters.  It 
has  taught  many  to  discern  between  the  assumecl  an^l  the  true  re- 
ligious or  spiritual  life.  The  Norwegian  immigrant  left  a  country 
having  a  state  church,  where  everybody  followed  old  laws  and 
traditions.  When  he  reached  America  he  came  into  a  new  environ- 
ment. He  is  here  free  to  do  as  he  pleases  in  religious  matters  as 
well  as  in  material  ones.  Through  many  years  of  experience  (often 
bitter  ones )  many  of  our  people  in  America  have  reached  a  spiritual 
independence  based  on  the  truths  of  the  Pjible,  which  they  would  not 
have  reached  if  thev  had  remained  in  Xorwav. 

The  conditions  in  America,  in  the  spiritual  realm  as  well  as  in 
the  material,  tend  to  produce  more  wideawake  people  and  more  in- 
dependent thinking.  But  they  also  tend  to  produce  j)arasites  in  the 
religious  organizations  as  well  as  in  the  political.  And  unfortunatelv 
these  are  also  present  among  the  Norwegians. 

In  comparing  the  peo[)le  in  Norway  with  the  Norwegians  in 
America,  it  would  be  about  correct  to  say  that  the  Norwegian,  who 
has  lived  a  while  in  America,  is  more  civilizefl  than  if  he  had  not 
been  here.  He  has  seen  more,  experienced  more,  thought  more,  and 
all  this  has  opened  his  eyes  and  broaclencvl  his  view.  He  is  more 
wideawake,  lives  a  riclier  life  and  in  a  closer  correspondence  with 
his  surroundings.  His  sympathies  are  widened,  and  he  takes  more 
interest  on  what  is  going  on  in  the  world. 

LKTTER    FROM     .WDREW    VATXF. 

What  a  newcomer  will  first  notice  in  us  American  Norsemen  of 
change  is  the  language ;  and  next,  good  manners ;  the  re*^f)ect  shown 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  201 

the  women;  the  small  class  distinction  between  rich  and  poor,  high 
and  lowly ;  and,  finally,  tlie  quickness  and  practical  insight  into  work 
and  business. 

In  Norway  we  were  in  many  respects  a  helpless  tool  in  the  hands 
of  the  state.  There  we  had  the  state  church.  The  child  had  to 
be  baptised  or  a  fine  must  be  paid.  Then  a  little  later  it 
had  to  be  vaccinated  or  another  fine  be  paid.  When  14  or  15  years 
old  the  child  had  to  be  instructed  by  the  minister  and  be  confirmed 
(conformeres).  A  year  and  a  half  later  all  the  men  had  to  appear 
at  a  certain  place  and  register  as  possible  candidates  for  becoming 
soldiers.  When  22  years  old,  if  in  good  health,  they  had  to  spend 
.some  time  in  military  drill.  Tf  any  one  for  religious  reasons  refused 
to  do  this,  he  had  to  sit  in  jail  while  the  others  were  drilling.  So 
there  was  much  restraint  on  the  individual. 

But  Norway  is  a  magnificent  country,  with  clear  streams  and  pure 
air,  and  with  a  people  who  are  renowned  for  their  honesty,  hos- 
pitality and  thrift.  The  Norwegian  women,  who  spend  much  of 
their  time  working  outdoors  in  the  fields,  are  far  healthier  than  the 
women  in  America,  who  seldom  step  outside  the  door. 


202  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


HISTORY  OF  RIVERSIDE  TOWNSHIP,  STEELE  COUNTY. 

MYRTLE  BEMIS. 
THE  SETTLEMENT  OF  RIVERSIDE  TOWNSHIP. 

The  settlement  to  be  considered  in  this  paper  lies  chiefly  in  Riv- 
erside township,  Steele  county.  Some  few  families  live  in  the  town- 
ships which  border  it,  both  in  Steele  and  Griggs  counties.  Riverside 
differs  from  the  settlements  which  surround  it  in  being  composed  of 
varied  elements ;  it  has  a  mixture  of  nationalities.  There  are  Scotch 
from  Canada,  Scotch  from  different  places  in  Scotland,  English 
from  England,  Scotch  Irish  from  Illinois  and  native  born  citizens 
from  our  eastern  states.  They  came  in  groups  of  three  or  four 
families,  or  as  single  men  locating  independently.  Some  men  came 
with  money  to  invest,  others  came  to  start  in  life,  while  others  still 
came  with  their  families  to  start  anew.  Each  group  was  entirely 
strange  to  the  other.  They  had  little  in  common  save  the  fact  that, 
thev  were  English  speaking  pioneers  surrounded  bv  Scandinavian* 
neighbors.       -  ^  -  ,^ 

The  Scotch  formed  the  largest  element  of  a  single  nationality. 
The  aggregate  of  the  other  English  speaking  people  was  greater 
than  this  nationality,  but  no  other  group  equaled  it  in  numbers. 
For  this  reason,  and  because  the  first  permanent  settlers  of  this 
English  speaking  community  were  Scotch,  mere  emphasis  will  be 
placed  there  than  up<^n  any  other  nationality.  Tlie  Scotch  them- 
selves are  divided.  C^ne  part  was  born  in  Scotland,  the  other  in 
Cana.la.    Each  was  a  strani^er  U^  the  otiier  until  tliey  met  here. 

The  first  permanent  settler  was  Alexander  Saunders,  who, 
as  an  adventunnts  vor.ni:  nian.  had  left  Scotland  in  IS? 3.^  He  first 
saw  his  present  home  on  the  Sheyenne  river  on  May  2\r,  18S0.  That 
<ummer  his  hn.  t^ier-in-law,  Alexanier  Cr.alniers,  and  J.'hn  Atchi- 
son.- a  pir>neer  en*  !\':rh'!Kt  CfM-'ty.  !<  cated  i^n  xh^  tiniheretl  part  ot 
tiie  rixc-  Uv^ar  ^^r.  Sann  ler-.  Mr.  \:clr!>  n  ]*:vA  ST«»  f-T  t'.ie  squat- 
ter's ri^'ln  c'f  I'Vank  Axttll.  wl'-i  *':::!t  a  s:r.a!l  p'*le  li  ^iise  in  the  river 

T'ac  tir^t  wirit^T  w:^^  :  -tv  n::.l  I'ard.  Xcvertliel'v*<s.  hiTutcrs  fre- 
qiTcntly  came  'in  tlio  rivt-r.  T'^.-er,  ar.tol-  ;  e  ar.  1  elk  wore  t't:ui  si-en. 
one  luT*!  of  1  ::>  aiittl  '^o  ht-nc  c^"n:c  1  The  last  :xTd  •  f  aiitcl.  \^c 
oi  anv  v're  was  r>  <eon  in  l^^l.  Tl  c^e  Iv/.ntcrs  wanted  c'^icilv  Iv.Ie^i 
and  C'  •   I  STHviir.tr.s  .  :"  elk  he  \  f  r  rr   vr::'r.^.     A  :::an  n:r:ud  Pi:^* 


STATIC  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  203 


rum  stopped  with  Mr.  Saunders.  He  said  he  had  gotten  $300  for  a 
good  elk  head,  sold  to  Vice  President  Sargent  of  the  Northern  Pa- 
cific railway.* 

Besides  the  Scotch,  other  settlers,  some  of  whom  were  temporary, 
came  in  the  summer  and  fall  of  1880  and  the  spring  of  1881,  as  the 
following  quotation  from  a  letter  shows : 

"Granite  Falls,  August  2,  1880. 

"Dear  Friend,  M.  Davidson:  I  received  your  letter  some  time 
ago,  and  I  am  glad  to  hear  from  you  and  that  you  have  found  a 
claim.  I  shall  be  out  there  some  time  in  October.  See  if  you  can 
hold  my  claim  till  that  time.  Send  my  best  respects  to  E.  J.  Fitch, 
and  also  to  John  Lenvig.  Yours  truly,  friend, 

"George  Gullicksox."^ 

In  the  same  connection  a  letter  to  Mr.  Fitch  is  suggestive : 

"Hastings,  Minnesota,  Feb,  10th,  1881. 

"Dear  Friend  :  I  received  your  letter  today  postmarked  Jan.  28th. 
I  had  left  the  woods,  and  the  letter  was  forwarded  to  me.  I  got 
hurt  while  driving,  and  had  about  given  up  the  idea  of  going,  but 
perhaps  I  can't  do  better.  I  will  come,  and  I  will  be  there  by  the  first 
week  in  April.  I  shall  go  to  Granite  Falls  soon.  If  there  is  any- 
thing I  can  do  for  you  there  let  me  know,  Mr.  Fitch.  Had  I  better 
file  on  the  land  before  coming  out?  If  so,  leave  a  No.  of  section, 
town  and  range  in  a  letter  at  Valley  City,  and  I  will  make  sure  of  it. 
I  shall  not  be  here  loni?  enough  to  get  an  answer  from  you,  so  you 
may  write  to  Granite  Falls.  There  will  be  no  land  hunters  out  till 
April  or  May,  I  suppose.  If  this  writing  should  be  blurred,  wet  it 
and  it  will  come  out  plain,  as  it  is  written  with  an  indelible  pencil. 

"Yours  respectfullv, 

"John  Pates. ^'^ 

In  IfiSl  Mr.  S.  J.  Pound,  of  Granite  Falls,  Minnesota,  an  eccen- 
tric bachelor,  put  up  a  small  frame  house  (which  is  still  standing), 
a  sod  granary,  and  a  sod  barn  with  a  hayloft,  in  Riverside  township. 
At  first  Mr.  Fitch  and  Mr.  Pates  took  forty  acres  of  school  land,  and 
the  rest  of  their  quarter  section  on  railroad  land  in  the  hopes  of  hokl- 

'Hunters  have  come  into  the  settlement  occasionally  since  then.  They 
hinted  heaver,  mink  and  coon.  One  trapper  lived  a  hermit  life  in  a  tent, 
and  only  came  to  the  settlers  for  provisions.  One  hunter  wis  a  Maine 
Yankee  named  Gamett.  He  is  said  to  have  shot  four  elk.  He  left  this 
part  of  North  Dakota  for  the  Bad  Lands,  because  it  became  too  settled  to 
suit  his. 

'From  letters  in  possession  of  the  State  Historical  Society  of  North 
Dakota. 

"Mr.  E.  G.  Fitch  and  John  Pates,  erroneously  called  Fich  and  Pich  by 
Mr,  Herigstad,  were  the  men  chiefly  instrurhental  in  eett'nj?  a  settlement 
of  Norwegians  in  their  neighborhord,  as  is  mentioned  by  Mr.  Heritr^tid  in 
Collections  of  State  Historical  Society  of  North  Dakota,  Vol.  I,  p.  137. 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA        .  205 

After  1881  the  land  in  and  around  Riverside  township  was  settled 
very  rapidly.  The  country  was  in  the  midst  of  a  boom.  Some  of 
the  first  settlers  sold  their  claim  rights,  and  all  government  land  was 
soon  filed  on.^  The  Great  Northern  railroad  was  being  built  on  the 
east  and  a  branch  of  the  Northern  Pacific  was  being  built  on  the 
west,  leaving  Riverside  about  half  way  between  the  rival  towns  of 
Hope  and  Cooperstown,  with  the  boom  town  of  Mardell  on  the 
north.  Although  Mardell  only  lived  three  years,  its  existence  added 
to  the  general  unrest  of  the  surrounding  country.  Thus  the  usual 
excitement  and  hurry  of  a  new  settlement  was  intensified  by  the 
location  of  Riverside.-  Riverside  township  is  within  the  grant  of 
land  of  the  Northern  Pacific  railway,  and  accordingly  is  settled  on 
alternate  sections.  As  early  as  1880  \V.  A.  Kindred  had  the  option 
on  several  townships  of  railroad  land  near  Cooperstown  (including 
that  bought  by  the  Cooper  brothers)  and  Riverside  township.  Some 
small  part  of  this  was  bought  by  the  incoming  settlers,  but  most  of 
it  remained  in  Mr.  Kindred's  possession  until  his  death.'  But  even 
when  it  came  into  market  the  land  was  chiefly  bought  by  real  estate 
companies  or  by  large  farmers  for  speculative  purposes,  although 
the  farmers  cultivated  the  part  they  bought.  For  these  reasons  Riv- 
erside still  remains  less  thicklv  settled  than  the  townships  beyond  the 
railroad  grant. 

Some  of  the  settlers  who  came  in  1882  brought  everything  they 
needed  to  start  farming.  They  shipped  their  goods  in  car  lots, 
bringing  teams,  machinery,  household  goods,  etc.  Mrs.  John  Brown 
even  brought  horseradish  and  pieplant  roots.  Those  who  came  so 
well  provided  for  put  up  frame  houses.  The  lumber  was  hauled  from 
Tower  City  and  Valley  City  and,  after  the  railroad  came,  from 
Hope.  Some  of  the  houses  were  built  shanty  fashion,  but  some  of 
the  more  substantial  buildings  then  put  up  still  are  used  as  hencoops, 
etc.  No  sod  houses  were  built  by  the  early  settlers  of  Riverside, 
but  the  frame  house  of  Luellen  Ladbury  was  banked  with  sod  nearly 
to  the  low  eaves  the  first  winter  or  two. 

Those  first  summers  meant  all  the  toil,  disadvantages  and  other 
diflficulties  of  the  prairie  pioneer.  Breaking  was  to  be  done  and 
more  substantial  buildings  put  up  by  those  who  had  built  shanties 
or  pole  houses  for  their  first  shelter.  This  was  not  expensive  for 
those  whose  land  bordered  the  river.  They  built  large  and  comfort- 
able log  houses,  which  are  still  used  as  homes,  and  got  their  fuel 
from  their  own  timber.  As  Griggs  and  Steele  are  both  prairie  coun- 
ties, the  timber  of  the  Sheyenne  river  was  the  only  source  of  fuel 


'Simp«5on  Lowe  sold  his  claim  to  Porter  Kimball,  and  Robert  Wilson  to 
Anjjus  Stewart,  in  1882.  In  1886  L.  N.  Woods  sM  his  tree  claim  right 
to  Geo.   Saunders,  Jr.,  who  used   it  as  a  homestead. 

'Hope  and  Cooperstown  were  each  about  ten  miles  from  Riverside,  and 
Mardell  about  six.     See  map,  opp.  p.  212. 

*W.  A.  Kindred  was  a  real  estate  man,  who  lived  in  Fars^o.  He  became 
vice  president  of  the  Red  River  National  Bank.    He  died  in  the  early  *00's. 


206  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

for  their  early  settlers  until  the  coming  of  the  railroads.  Some  were 
known  to  have  driven  ten  or  fifteen  miles  or  even  more  for  their 
wood.  Some  of  the  settlers  took  the  timber  on  the  railroad  land,  the 
school  land  and  the 'land  of  the  real  estate  companies  indiscrimi- 
nately, without  permission  and  without  pay.  As  a  consequence, 
these  lands  were  rapidly  stripped  of  their  trees.  The  timber  on  the 
claims  of  settlers  was  sold  by  them  to  the  people  on  the  prairie.  The 
farmer  could  buy  a  lot  and  use  the  timber,  or  he  could  buy  the  trees. 
Only  a  few  scattered  acres  of  the  original  growth  remain.  They 
were  preserved  by  the  owners,  and  are  now  frequently  used  as  picnic 
grounds  by  residents  in  the  vicinity  and  by  organizations  in  Coop- 
erstown  or  Hope.  The  rest  of  the  land  that  was  formerly  timbered 
now  has  a  growth  of  young  trees  and  saplings  that  in  time  may  re- 
place the  trees. 

The  winters  of  1881,  1883  and  1883  were  unusually  hard,  with 
deep  snows.  In  a  few  cases  when  fuel  gave  out,  hay  or  straw  or 
screenings  were  used.  Mr.  Ladbury  used  part  of  his  sod  banking, 
shaken  free  of  dirt.  It  did  not  make  a  lively  fire,  but  it  was  better 
than  freezing. 

The  men  of  the  Park  family  worked  on  the  large  Cooper  farm 
the  first  two  winters,  and  received  $26  per  month.  During  this  time 
the  fight  for  the  division  of  the  county  and  the  location  of  the  county 
seat  was  in  progress,  and  is  vividly  remembered  by  them.  The  people 
of  Riverside  were  peculiarly  interested  in  this  because  of  their  loca- 
tion between  the  two  towns.  There  was  plenty  of  work  and  wages 
were  high.  The  liability  of  the  tree  claims  being  "jumped,^'  i.  e., 
contested  by  land  seekers,  made  the  settlers  hurry  to  break  the  re- 
quired amount  of  land.  The  competition  made  breaking  for  new 
settlers  profitable  to  the  man  with  a  team  and  breaking  plow. 

Occasionally  one  of  these  old  tree  claims  is  to  be  found  today. 
With  one  possible  exception,  none  of  these  are  in  Riverside,  how- 
ever. Mr.  Glenn  Dyson  had  a  good  growth  of  willows,  but  after 
about  ten  years  they  began  to  die  out.  Today  there  are  but  one  or 
two  small  clumps  left  of  the  thrifty  ^rove.  The  rest  of  the  land  has 
been  rebroken  and  put  into  cro|).  The  good  intentions  of  the  gov- 
ernment were  usually  frustrated  by  the  frequent  and  fierce  prairie 
fires  which  annually  swept  the  prairies.  The  tall  grass  which  was 
not  closely  fed  down  made  pn^tcction  hard  to  the  uninitiated/  The 
usual  method  of  making  an  efTicient  fire-break  was  to  plow  two  lines 
of  furrows  a  rod  or  more  apart,  just  as  was  considered  necessary, 
and  then  on  a  quiet  day  burn  over  the  ground  that  lay  between. 
Sometimes  the  fire  would  jump  even  this  if  the  wind  was  very  high. 
After  the  passing  of  the  fire  the  blackened  prairie  would  be  whit- 


*Evcry  fall  the  local  papers  of  the  early  days  contained  warnings  in  regard 
to  the  need  of  making  of  fire-hreaks  before  the  grass  got  •loo  dry.  'I  hese 
warnings  have  bien  gradually  oniitttd  in  late  years,  as  the  need  for  them 
lias   passed. 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA 


207 


ened  here  and  there  by  buffalo  bones  that  had  escaped  the  bone  pick- 
ers from  1881  to  1884.  During  these  years  buffalo  bones  were 
numerous,  but  they  disappeared  rapidly  when  people  began  coming 
from  long  distances  to  get  them.  At  first  they  were  hauled  to  Valley 
City;  Mr.  Angus  Stewart  sold  four  tons  there.  Mr.  Andrew  Park, 
Sr.,  piled  up  some  to  get  therti  out  of  the  way  of  the  breaking  plow, 
but  when  the  market  had  opened  at  Hope,  and  he  went  to  get  them, 
he  discovered  that  someone  else  had  been  before  him. 

On  April  6,  1886,  the  civil  township  of  Riverside  was  organized 
by  the  county  commissioners,  and  on  that  date  the  school  districts 
of  Steele  county  were  niiade  to  conform  to  the  civil  townships.    Until 


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208  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOaETY 


then  the  twenty  townships  of  Steele  county  had  been  divided  into 
eleven  districts  of  varying  sizes  that  overlapped  the  civil  township 
boundaries.^  When  it  was  first  organized  the  number  of  officers 
differed  from  the  present  system.  Instead  of  having  three  school 
directors,  a  clerk  and  a  treasurer,  three  men  were  elected  to  fill  all 
offices  for  school  purposes.  All  were  directors,  but  they  chose  one 
of  their  number  as  clerk  and  another  treasurer.  Of  the  three  first 
directors,  L.  J.  Stone  was  chosen  director,  S.  J.  Pond  clerk,  and 
Andrew  Morgan  treasurer.  A  school  house  was  built^  shortly  after 
the  organization  of  the  township.  As  a  result  of  there  being  several 
factions  in  the  settlement,  a  disagreement  as  to  the  location  of  the 
school  house  resulted  in  its  being  moved  twice  after  its  being  built.- 
For  a  time  the  dispute  took  various  forms  from  keeping  the  chil- 
dren out  of  school  to  moving  the  school  house.  Finally  it  was 
thought  best  to  let  the  matter  drop,  as  many  moves  would  have  put 
the  school  house  in  serious  need  of  repair,  and  the  children  needed 
schooling.    The  first  teacher  was  Miss  Kathryn  Slingsby. 

A  postoffice  was  maintained  in  the  community  from  October  24, 
1881,  to  July  14,  1905.  It  was  called  Gallatin,  and  Mr.  John  H. 
Atchison  was  the  first  postmaster.  He  sent  in  two  petitions  before 
he  received  the  appointment.  The  first  petition  was  sent  direct  to 
the  postoffice  authorities  at  Washington,  but  it  was  not  heeded. 
The  second  petition  was  sent  to  the  postoffice  department  through 
the  territorial  representative,  G.  G.  Bennett,  and  was  promptly  acted 
upon.  Because  there  were  few  settlers  there  then,  the  petition  was 
signed  by  people  widely  separated.  The  number  of  signers  was 
small,  but  it  included  the  postmaster  at  Tower  City,  the  postmaster  at 
Ellsbury  and  settlers  who  lived  between  Riverside  and  Valley  City.^ 
Ed.  Hackett  carried  the  mail  for  a  time  between  Tower  City  and  Lee. 
but  it  was  hard  to  get  a  regular  carrier  and  there  were  frequent 
changes  in  the  carriers  at  first.  The  volume  of  mail  was  greater  in  the 
first  few  years  than  later.  After  the  railroads  came  to  Hope  and  Coop- 
erstown,  the  settlers,  who  naturally  did  their  trading  there,  began 
more  and  more  to  get  their  mail  where  they  were  obliged  to  go  fre- 
quently, rather  than  to  make  a  special  trip  of  several  miles  to  Galla- 
tin for  the  mail  alone.  Then,  since  the  rural  free  delivery  has  come 
into  the  settlement  from  Hope  and  from  Cooperstown  and  from  Fin- 
ley,  the  people  are  all  thus  accommodated  with  daily  mail  at  their 
doors,  and  the  postoffice  at  Gallatin  has  been  discontinued. 


*See  map,  opp.  p.  212. 

*Thc  first  location  was  on  the  southwest  corner  of  the  sotithoast  nti'irtor 
of  section  33;  then  it  was  moved  exactly  a  mile  north  to  a  similar  po>iti«»n 
on  section  28;  and  then  to  its  pre«;cnt  position  on  section  21*. 

'Mr.  Atchison  remembers  the  following  si??ners  of  the  petition:  John  II. 
Atchison,  Alexander  Saunders.  Alexander  Chalmers,  XcK  Peterson,  Frank 
Abbott,  Ed.  Hackett,  Jack  Chilberg,  Luellen  Ladbury,  Fre<l  I-Tdbury,  Emma 
Ladbury,  the  postmaster  at  Ell«:bury  and  the  postmaster  at  Tower  City. 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  209 


The  lack  of  unity  among  the  settlers  went  far  to  prevent  a  church 
being  organized  in  the  early  years.  But  the  people  were  not  without 
services.  As  nearly  as  can  be  ascertained  the  first  sermon  was 
preached  at  the  home  of  George  Saunders,  Sr.,  and  the  minister 
was  Rev.  Thos.  Mcllroy,  also  a  Riverside  settler.  Shortly  after  this 
time  services  were  also  held  at  the  homes  of  Mr.  A.  Saunders  and 
Mr.  Atchison.  Their  houses  were  large  for  those  times,  and  con- 
venient meeting  places  until  the  school  houses  were  built.  This  set- 
tlement was  considered  a  home  missionary  field,  and  ministers  from 
Cooperstown  used  to  drive  out  and  preach.  Rev.  \V.  R.  Whidden 
used  to  preach  here,  his  wife  often  accompanying  him  to  lead  the 
singing.  Rev.  O.  D.  Purinton  was  another  who  often  served  the 
people;  these  two  were  Baptist  ministers.  After  the  first  school 
house  was  built  in  Riverside,  services  were  held  there,  as  it  was 
more  central  with  respect' to  the  English  speaking  settlers.  Before 
it  was  built  and  sometimes  afterwards,  part  of  the  people  were  ac- 
customed to  attend  services  in  the  Willow  Lake  school  house,  which 
is  in  the  township  immediately  on  the  south ;  the  minister  from  Hope 
supplied  that  appointment.  In  about  1888  Rev.  Jas.  H.  Baldwin 
tried  to  organize  a  Presbyterian  church  in  Riverside,  but  failed. 
The  Methodist  ministers  from  Cooperstown  held  services  at  diflFer- 
cnt  school  houses  at  the  north  and  at  the  w^est  of  Riverside,  but 
these  were  too  much  in  Scandinavian  neighborhoods  to  have  a  large 
attendance  or  to  be  long  kept  up.  Finally,  Jan.  1,  1899,  the  first 
church  organization  of  the  settlement  was  made.  It  started  with 
thirteen  members.  It  was  called  the  Park  Congregational  church, 
held  its  meetings  in  school  house  No.  3  of  Riverside,  and  was  sup- 
plied from  the  Cooperstown  pulpit.^  Rev.  Edwin  S.  Shaw  was  the 
first  pastor.  But  in  spite  of  the  lack  of  church  organization  for  so 
many  years  an  active  Sunday  school  was  kept  up  for  several  years 
in  what  was  known  as  the  Kimball  school  house.  An  ors:an  was 
bought  and  great  interest  taken  in  the  work.  A  live  Christian  En- 
deavor society  preceded  the  final  church  organization  by  about  two 
years.    It,  too,  was  instrumental  in  the  purchase  of  an  organ. 

EARLY   COMMUNITY   LIFE. 

With  the  coming  of  the  settlers  Riverside  became  a  farming  com- 
munity. Oxen  were  used  by  several  of  the  farmers  until  the  90's, 
but  some  of  them  had  horses  from  the  start. 

As  wages  were  high,  the  farmers  themselves  did  all  of  their  work 
that  they  could  and  hired  as  little  help  as  possible.^  There  were 
times,  too,  when  help  could  hardly  be  gotten  at  any  price.  Accord- 
ingly men  used  to  "change  work,"  as  it  was  called,  that  is,  when  a 
farmer  had  finished  his  work  he  would  then  help  a  neighbor  who 
wanted  help,  and  later  in  the  year  the  equivalent  in  days*  work 


*For  a  sketch  of  the  Park  Congregational  Church,  see  Appendix,  p.  250. 
'Some   of  the   women   did   outside   work  when   they   were  getting  started, 
for  wages  were  high,  and  they  felt  that  they  needed  to  save. 


210  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

would  be  returned.  The  crews  of  the  first  threshing  machines  were 
largely  composed  of  the  farmers  of  the  neighborhood.  Each  farmer 
in  turn  boarded  the  crew  while  his  grain  was  being  threshed.  When 
a  farmer  "had  the  threshers"  it  meant  heavy  work  for  his  wife, 
because  she  had  to  cook  for  the  crew  that  usually  numbered  at  least 
twenty-five  men.  At  such  times  the  women  of  the  neighborhood 
used  to  help  each  other.  But  of  late  years  with  the  improvements 
in  threshing  machines  and  threshing  methods,  the  owner  of  a  ma- 
chine usually  has  a  cook  car  and  cooks  that  go  with  the  rig,  and  a 
hired  crew,  chiefly  of  transients.  The  first  crops  were  almost  always 
stacked,  for  the  farmer  might  not  be  able  to  get  his  grain  threshed 
until  after  the  first  snow  fell.  But  the  large  crops  and  the  abund- 
ance of  threshing  machines  have  changed  this,  and  almost  all  the 
grain  is  threshed  from  the  shock.  Until  the  introduction  of  the 
blower  the  straw  was  hauled  out  in  dumps,  and  usually  fired  after 
the  day's  threshing.  This  indiscriminate  firing  of  straw  often 
caused  prairie  fires.  At  night  these  burning  dumps  could  be  seen 
for  long  d' stances  in  every  direction. 

The  extremely  stony  land  south  of  Riverside  and  west  of  the 
Sheyenne  river  was  not  taken  up  as  claims  until  a  comparatively 
recent  date,  and  so  it  was  used  for  grazing  purposes.  Herds  of 
cattle,  composing  the  young  stock  of  the  farmers  for  miles  around, 
were  formed  every  year  and  sent  there.  The  cows  and  oxen  that 
were  left  were  usually  picketed  on  the  prairie.  For  a  time  some  of 
the  Kindred  land  was  fenced  bv  the  farmers  who  lived  near  it  and 
used  as  pastures,  but, these  fences  all  had  to  be  removed  when  the 
land  came  into  market.  The  settlers  cut  their  hay  from  the  sloughs 
and  lowlands  and  quite  often  from  the  upland  prairie.  The  farmer 
usually  mowed  the  prairie  later  than  the  slough  and  lowland  grass. 
A  kind  of  grass  commonly  known  as  **prairie  needles"  made  it  dan- 
gerous for  the  stock  to  eat  hay  made  of  this  grass  before  the  **need- 
Ics"  had  fallen.  The  "needles"  would  penetrate  even  the  flesh.  Mr. 
Jas.  Park  still  has  one  imbedded  in  his  shoulder.  The  farmers  now 
as  a  rule  have  small  pastures,  and  raise  a  great  deal  of  tame  grass 
and  millet. 

The  wild  fruits  of  the  river  and  prairie  were  much  used  by  the 
settlers.  The  sloughs' were  frequently  bordered  by  great  patches 
of  wild  strawberries  of  very  fine  quality,  but  the  prairie  fires,  several 
wet  years  and  the  breaking  plow  have  destroyed  them.  The  rasp- 
berry and  the  highbush  cranberry  of  the  valley  are  being  destroyed 
by  the  browsing  of  the  cattle  in  the  timber  land  where  they  grow 
best.^  There  still  remain  the  plum,  the  June-berry  and  the  goose- 
berry, all  of  which  yield  abundantly  when  not  destroyed  by  a  late 
frost.  Prairie  chickens  and  ducks  were  plentiful  until  the  country 
became  well  settled,  geese  and  brant  were  numerous  in  the  spring 


'At   first  the  cranberry   was  not  used  by  sonie  of  the  «.ettlcrs,  because   it 
was  a  strange  fruit  to  them  and  they  thought  it  poisonous. 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  211 

and  fall.  The  old  settlers  say  that  great  flocks  of  them  would  alight 
dn  a  field  and  would  cover  acres  like  a  snow  fall.  Timber  rabbits 
were  numerous,  and  were  frequently  eaten  by  the  settlers,  as  were 
also  jackrabbits. 

Political  affairs  have  never  greatly  disturbed  the  life  of  the  people 
of  Riverside.  As  nearly  all  the  residents  are  Republicans  in  a  Re- 
publican county,  there  is  no  cause  for  friction.  In  1905  Mr.  John  S. 
Palfrey  was  sent  to  the  legislature  from  this  district,  and  the  settle- 
ment has  furnished  one  county  superintendent  of  schools.^  Several 
of  the  ladies  have  also  voted  occasionally,  and  have  also  held  office. 
Mrs.  Connor  was  on  the  school  board  for  a  few  years,  and  Mrs. 
George  Slingsby  has  been  clerk  of  the  school  board  since  1891. 

The  social  life  of  the  community  was  very  active  during  the  first 
few  years.  A  few  miles  more  or  less  did  not  make  much  difference 
to  the  early  settlers.  Frequently  drives  of  seven  or  eight  miles 
were  made  to  attend  some  gathering.  Parties  were  common  and 
dancing  a  favorite  form  of  amusement.  When  the  dancers  arrived 
the  horses  and  cattle  of  the  people  who  were  entertaining  were 
usually  turned  outside  and  the  sweaty  teams  put  into  the  stables. 
When  the  barn  was  full  the  remaining  horses  were  heavily  blank- 
eted outside.  In  order  to  accommodate  the  teams  of  as  many  people 
as  possible,  particularly  in  cold  weather,  one  large  sleigh  would 
bring  more  than  one  family.  The  settlers  themselves  were  chiefly 
either  single  young  men  or  young  couples  who  had  but  recently 
married.  These  were  displaced  after  about  ten  years  by  a  younger 
generation.  The  square  dance  was  the  chief  dance,  although  the  waltz, 
the  polka  and  the  schottische  were  danced  occasionally.  These 
dances  were  generally  begun  early  and  kept  up  until  daylight,  espe- 
cially if  it  were  dark  and  there  was  danger  of  being  lost  on  the  way 
home.*  Each  lady  brought  a  cake  and  sandwiches  to  relieve  the  host- 
ess of  what  otherwise  would  have  been  a  heavy  burden  of  baking, 
for  a  midnight  supper  was  always  served.  The  children  were  not 
left  at  home  at  these  times,  but  went  with  their  parents.  If  there 
was  a  scarcity  of  room  (a  condition  very  common  then)  they  were 
put  to  bed  among  the  wraps  of  the  dancers. 

There  were  two  organs  in  the  neighborhood,  and  several  of  the 
settlers  played  the  violin  by  ear.^  The  mouth  organ  and  the  accor- 
dion were  not  unknown,  and  sometimes  were  used  to  dance  by  until 
the  violinist  arrived. 


^Mr.  W.  H.  Butler,  from  1898  to  1902. 

'There  was  real  danj?er  then  of  being  lost  on  the  prairie.  The  roads 
were  not  graded  and  consisted  of  mere  trails  over  the  prairie  in  every 
direction. 

'The  organs  were  owned  by  Mrs.  C.  W.  Connor  and  Mrs.  G.  B.  Slingsby. 
Andrew  Park,  Jr.,  Andrew  Morgan,  Angus  Stewart  and  Tamos  Park  played 
the  violin.  For  a  list  of  some  of  the  old-time  melodies  played  hy  Andrew 
Park,  Jr.,   see  Appendix,  p.  250. 


212  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


Where  only  a  few  gathered  for  an  evening  the  time  might  be 
passed  in  conversation,  but  more  often  some  game  of  cards  was 
played. 

But  cards  and  dancing  were  not  the  only  forms  of  social  pleasures. 
"Socials"  were  held  in  the  school  houses  where  each  person  could 
enjoy  himself  without  being  crowded.  At  these  gatherings  the 
ladies  brought  refi'eshments,  and  coffee  was  made  on  the  school 
house  stove.  As  the  school  houses  were  not  lighted,  each  family 
brought  a  filled  lamp.  The  time  was  passed  in  various  games,  by 
instrumental  music  and  singing.  Each  Christmas  brought  its  tree, 
this  celebration  being  held  under  the  auspices  of  the  Sunday  school. 
The  tree  with  its  trimmings,  and  the  candy,  nuts  and  apples  were 
paid  for  by  the  contributions  of  its  patrons.  The  celebration  was 
usually  held  on  Christmas  eve,  and  all  presents  were  displayed  on 
the  tree.  The  children  spoke  pieces,  and  a  "Santa  Claus"  caused 
great  merriment.  One. of  the  school  houses  was  used  for  card  par- 
ties and  dances  a  few  times,  but  as  the  directors  disapproved  of  its 
use  for  that  purpose,  this  practice  was  discontinued. 

PRESENT  CONDITIONS. 

The  Riverside  communitv  is  surrounded  by  Scandinavian  neigh- 
bors. On  the  north  is  a  Swedish  settlement ;  a  large  number  of 
Norwegians  are  on  the  west ;  the  Danes  are  on  the  south,  and  numer- 
ous Norwegians  are  on  the  east.^  From  the  northwestern  part  of 
the  township  the  Norwegians  are  two  miles  to  the  west,  two  miles 
to  the  east  or  northeast  are  the  Swedes,  and  two  miles  to  the  south 
the  Scotch  and  other  Americans.  When  this  part  of  Steele  county 
was  first  settled,  with  but  few  exceptions,  the  Scandinavian  peoples 
spoke  but  very  little  English.  The  integrity  or  solidarity  of  the 
Riverside  community  was  maintained  and  made  possible  by  the  ina- 
bility of  the  neighbors  to  speak  English  well.  But  as  time  passed 
several  influences  tended  toward  breaking  this  unity.  The  very 
location  itself  seems  a  large  factor;  the  people  in  the  eastern  part 
of  the  township  traded  at  Hope  almost  entirely  until  the  extension 
of  the  railroad  to  Aneta  diverted  part  of  it  to  Blabon.  Those  who 
lived  in  the  western  part  of  the  township  traded  almost  exclusively 
in  Cooperstown.  Those  who  lived  at  nearly  equal  distances  between 
the  two  old  rival  towns  went  to  Hope,  because  in  going  to  Coopers- 
town  the  Sheyenne  river  must  he  crossed,  and  they  disliked  to  go 
down  and  up  the  steep  bluffs  which  border  it.^     Another  element 


*See  Vol.  I.  of  State  Historical  Society  Collections,  pp.  131-153,  for  an 
account  of  the  Norwegian  settlement  on  the  west.  See  also  the  map,  opp. 
p.  212. 

*For  the  same  reason  the  farmers  in  the  northern  part  of  the  settlement 
now  haul  their  jz^rain  to  Hlabon.  They  prefer  the  several  smaller  hills 
of  the  Fergus  Falls  terminal  moraine,  which  they  must  cros<;,  to  the  steepnc>s 
of  the  Sheyenne  River  bluffs. 


DISTRIBUTION 
QFFOREiqN  POPULATION  IN    igoa 
QRIQGS  CO 


EXPLANATION 

Encjiish 

Scotch 

A/oryvegian 

Dane 

Swed§ 

Nonresident  holclin<)6 

School  L  ands 


^ 


^ 


'••■•■' 


HAP  OF  RIVERSIDE  TOWNSHIP  AND  ADJOINING  TOWNSHIPS 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  213 

to  be  considered  is  the  rural  telephone/  The  community  has  two 
distinct  and  separate  lines.  One  is  connected  with  Hope,  the  other 
with  Cooperstown.  These  are  not  farmers'  lines,  but  are  connected 
with  the  Northwestern  Telephone  company.  Those  on  the  same 
telephone  line  or  telephone  system  have  become  better  acquainted; 
the  Scandinavian  people  and  the  Americans  who  are  on  the  same 
lines  thus  tend  more  and  more  to  mix.  This  is  especially  true  now. 
as  the  present  generation  of  Scandinavians  speak  English  fluently, 
and  the  young  people  of  the  settlements  co-operate  quite  freely  in 
social  affairs. 

At  the  time  when  a  large  part  of  the  Riverside  community  got 
mail  at  the  Gallatin  postoffice,  it  acted  as  a  unifying  force,  but  that 
has  passed.  The  rural  free  delivery  from  Hope,  Cooperstown  and 
Finley  also  does  its  part  in  diffusing  the  interests  of  the  settlers. 

Several  cases  of  intermarriage  have  occurred ;  the  wife  is  usually 
the  Scandinavian.  In  every  case,  however,  the  family  use  the 
language  of  the  commuinty  in  which  they  live,  whether  it  is  Swede, 
Norwegian  or  English.  In  a  case  of  intermarriage  between  a 
Scotchman  and  a  girl  recently  from  Norway,  she  has  learned  her 
English  from  the  Scotch  with  a  resulting  brogue  of  Scotch-Norse. 

This  small  community — the  extent  being  only  a  little  more  than  a 
township — is  influenced  by  its  Scandinavian  neighbors.  The  use  of 
prime  or  brown  cheese  (prim  ost  or  myseost),  the  berry  (tyte  baer), 
called  "lingen  berry"  or  the  "Norwegian  cranberry,"  is  not  uncom- 
mon among  the  English  speaking  people.^  This  berry  is  a  red  whor- 
tle  berry ;  it  is  a  small,  red,  sour  berry  that  grows  plentifully  on  the 
hillsides  in  Norway.  It  is  imported  in  large  casks  in  its  own  juice 
by  the  Scandinavian  merchants  of  the  neighboring  towns. 

The  Scotch  are  beginning  to  use  more  coffee — a  custom  directly 
traceable  to  their  neighbors.  At  the  early  Christmas  trees  all  pres- 
ents were  displayed  on  the  tree.  Their  Scandinavian  friends  piled 
their  gifts  at  the  foot  of  the  tree  without  removing  the  wrappings, 
it  being  their  custom  to  use  the  tree  for  decorative  purposes  only. 
This  custom  has  been  followed  by  all  very  largely  at  the  last  few 
celebration.  The  children,  too,  learned  from  their  Scandinavian 
friends  the  use  of  the  long  Norwegian  snowshoe,  called  the  ski,  and 
a  game  of  ball  called  by  them  *'Swede'*  ball  or  "Norwegian"  ball. 


*The  habit  of  listening  to  conversations  over  the  telephone  is  quite 
general.  All  know  this,  and  the  persons  who  are  talking  seldom  care, 
provided  the  listener  keeps  still  and  prevents  sounds  from  entering  the 
telephone  by  covering  the  transmitter.  Some  have  gained  a  fair  under- 
standing knowledge  of  Norwegian  by  this  means,  the  direct  result  of  which 
is  that  the  Scandinavians  use  more  English. 

*For  a  description  of  the  making  of  this  cheese,  see  Collections  of  State 
Historical  Society  of  North  Dakota,  Vol.  I.,  p.  114. 

From  J.  A.  Krohn,  of  the  Central  Statistical  Bureau  of  Norway,  it  was 
learned  that  in  11V>6  the  shipment  to  America  via  England  of  the  tyttebaer 
was  173,601  kegs  (half  barrel),  and  in  1907  it  was  123,013.  In  190G,  19,309 
kegs  were  shipped  direct  to  the  Unitel  States. 


214  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


This  game  was  taught  them  by  some  Swedish  newcomers  and  a 
Swedish  teacher ;  it  is  played  somewhat  like  **one  old  cat." 

The  Scandinavian  languages  became  quite  familiar  to  part  of  the 
English  speaking  young  people,  especially  those  who  lived  on  the 
borders  of  the  community.  The  language  they  learned  depended 
upon  the  part  of  the  settlement  in  which  they  lived.^  One  or  two 
can  talk  the  Scandinavian  languages ;  others  are  able  to  understand 
But  one  Scandinavian  custom  is  almost  universally  known  and  used 
by  all;  it  is  a  game  of  Norwegian  whist  called  grand  and  nole 
whist,  to  distinguish  it  from  trump  whist.  It  is  a  rather  difficult 
game  to  learn  to  play  well,  but  when  once  learned  it  is  very  well 
liked,  and  it  is  gradually  displacing  pedro  and  euchre.  In  mixed 
gatherings  this  is  the  game  that  is  most  frequently  played. 

The  Scotch  of  this  community  are  partly  of  the  Lowlands,  partly 
of  the  Highlands,  and  some  of  mixed  Highland  and  Lowland  blood. 
They  have  few  distinctly  national  customs.  The  Highland  costume 
is  never  seen,  and  the  bagpipes  are  a  memory.  Black  tea  is  the 
favorite  drink,  but  of  late  years  some  are  beginning  to  use  coffee. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Angus  Stewart  had  a  speaking  knowledge  of  Gaelic, 
but  none  know  the  language  now.  The  older  generation  of  Scotch 
people  speak  with  Scottish  dialect,  but  it  is  a  modified  form  of  broad 
Scotch.  But  the  younger  generation  with  English  schools  and 
teachers  and  English  schoolmates  have  scarcely  a  trace  of  a  brogue 
in  their  speech.  Their  books  are  all  English,  and  Burns  is  a  favorite. 
During  the  early  years  some  of  the  young  men  would  dance  the 
sword  dance,  the  Highland  fling,  or  a  Scottish  reel  in  a  costume 
especially  devised  for  the  occasion;  these  dances  are  now  unknown 
to  the  younger  people.^  Some  of  the  old  Scotch  sonjrs  were  very 
popular  and  were  sung  at  gatherings,  but  the  custom  gradually  died 
out.  The  tunes  played  by  Andrew  Park,  Jr.,  and  Andrew  Morgan, 
are  often  the  melody  of  some  Scottish  song  whose  words  have  been 
partly  or  entirely  forgotten.  And  even  these  are  not  played  as 
often  as  formerly.  Some  Scottish  dishes,  such  as  scones  and  haggis, 
are  infrcqnentlv  cooked  as  a  reminder  of  old  times  or  to  please  the 
younger  folks.' 

The  present  social  life  of  Riverside  community  is  not  that  which 
is  described  above.  For  about  fifteen  years  after  the  land  was  taken 
up  and  the  country  became  settled,  all  forms  of  gatherings  were 


*Snme  of  tlic  Anglicized  Swedish  and  Norwegian  dialect  now  spoken 
b}'  tlie  young  generation  is  nearly  as  easy  for  an  Ameriinn  to  tinderstand 
as  the  so-called  "hotr-latin"  oi  childhood  days.  In  fact,  the  newcomer  can 
scarcely   understand  the  young  people  at   all. 

'Very  few  Scotch  articles  are  in  the  settlement.  Mrs.  George  Saunders,  Jr., 
has  a  glass  dish  about  a  hundred  vears  old.  Mrs.  J(  hn  T.  (]  .rnnn  lins 
ai!  old  sampler  worked  by  her  nuther  as  a  girl,  an  inla'd  belt  buckle,  sfmie 
Chrismas  cards  and  the  '*Psalms  <  f  David"  iti  mitre.  1  hi^  b.u.k  is  tw.»  by 
three  inches  and  three-quarters  of  an  inch  tlrrk,  d  .'iN  piges.  leather 
bound,  and  p!d)lishcd  in  18^^(  by  ''Printers  of  the  King.*' 

'For  a  description  of  some  typical  Scotch  dishes,  sec  Appendix,  p.  251. 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  215 


active.  During  that  time  the  young  people  attended  Sunday  school, 
church  services  and  Christian  Endeavor  meetings,  and  various  social 
gatherings,  and  were  interested  in  all  of  them.  But  as  the  unrest 
and  excitement  of  pioneering  began  to  pass  away,  the  people  became 
more  settled  and  conser\'ative.  Some  of  their  children  were  grown, 
others  would  soon  be  young  men  and  young  women,  and  they  began 
to  drop  out  of  social  affairs  while  their  children  gradually  took  their 
places.  Now,  it  is  exceptional  to  find  an  old  settler  who  goes  regu- 
larly to  such  active  gatherings  as  dances,  or  has  done  so  for  a  de- 
cade. About  this  time  several  marriages  took  place,  and  the  young 
couples  began  to  leave  the  settlement.  Since  Riverside  became  set- 
tled, seventeen  young  couples  have  left  the  community  to  found 
homes  elsewhere,  while  only  six  have  remained.  Some  of  the  old 
settlers,  too,  began  leaving  this  settlement ;  thirteen  of  these  families 
have  gone.  In  all  thirty  families  have  left  the  Riverside  community 
within  the  last  ten  or  twelve  years.  The  causes  of  this  emigration 
will  be  considered  in  detail. 

Of  the  old  settlers,  some  went  to  Fargo  to  engage  in  business  and 
to  better  educate  their  children.^  Some  rented  their  farms  and 
moved  to  town  for  the  sake  of  its  better  advantages.^  One  couple 
moved  to  Cooperstown  to  retire  from  active  life.'  Two  old  settlers 
pioneered  in  the  new  Canadian  northwest.*  Some  went  to  the  newer 
American  west.**  Two  have  returned  to  their  old  home,^  two  are 
dead.^  And  the  emigrant  movement  is  still  going  on.  Mr.  Fred 
Brown  sold  out  and  left  for  Alberta  in  March,  1908 ;  others  are  talk- 
ing of  leaving.  Some  of  these  are  thinking  of  either  renting  their 
farms  and  moving  to  a  nearby  town,  or  of  selling  their  land  and 
investing  their  savings  in  Canadian  land  near  the  home  of  their  boy- 
hood days.  Most  of  the  farmers  who  bought  largely  of  the  Kindred 
land  still  own  it.  But  as  their  sons  are  gone  and  their  sons-in-law 
live  elsewhere,  all  except  a  small  portion  of  it  is  rented  to  outsiders.^ 

The  young  people  who  have  left  may  be  roughly  divided  into  two 
classes.  There  are  those  who  have  gone  to  Canada  and  those  who 
have  gone  to  neighboring  towns  or  other  farming  regions.  The 
Canadian  movement  seems  to  have  started  when  the  Canadian  north- 
west was  opened  up.    At  that  time  land  values  were  increasing  rap- 


*Porter  Kimball  and  family  still  live  in  Fargo.  Charles  W.  Connor  lived  in 
Fargo  for  a  few  years,  but  is  now  in  the  cement  business  in  Minot. 

'Charles  C.  Piatt  lives  in  C<X)perstown ;  Henry  Palfrey  lives  in  Hope. 

'Mr.  and  Mrs.  Luellen  Ladbury.  For  a  biography  of  Mr.  Ladbury,  see 
.^ppendix,  p.  238. 

*  Angus  Stewart  and  John  Kitchen.  For  Mr.  Stewart's  biography,  see 
Appendix,  p.  241. 

'Mrs.  Alexander  Chalmers  now  lives  near  Janesburg,  on  the  Cannonball 
River. 

"Thos.  Mcllroy  and  R.  F.  Hadwin. 

Xhas.   Palfrey  and  Dubois  Newell. 

•This  statement  is  from  personal  observation  and  on  the  authority  of 
John   Palfrey.     The   renters  are  chiefly  Scandinavians. 


21  ^  STATE  HlSTOMC\L  SOCIETY 


iv!!y  in  Ri\cr<:.:e/*  Tre  Kir.ire-i  \3jrA  was  being  b.ught  for  specu- 
la live  pi:r:v^>c>  a::.!  wa-^  S^-rc  -^^  i  by  *He  buyers.  The  y  vjn^  pec^'.e 
WAntc.i  t.^  <:,:rt  l:.*v.v<  ^f  :':c:r  c  *r..  and  were  net  prepared  to  pay 
>\!ut  Svvr.vx:  then  :.^  be  b-.  :•::  r rices  i\r  land,  when  it  conid  be  had 
t  r  t>o  Mkr:;:  :n  CarAio.-  There  were,  tro.  ycung  n:en  who  tired 
v"f  fA^**'".C  <*"*  wen:  :n:.^  r:::re  rrcr.tahle  business  in  towns.*    Two 

V  .    ,    V    ;,...>"    ..     .    *v.  .    <.   .    wt .^    — .^  *   i, ^     v^»  \^u.-.a..^i.    I-^>C    . — ?\C\I   lO 


« 


,^    .     >v        *  m.      v«     <av     .*     -    v^     .^».      ,     «    .-♦     .a.      --    ...^,    j.>*     \..*     .-"•  ^» 


^V.V  ^v  >.  -».  >.v\,v»^*v       •«*—«■-..         .-w,^.  ■-,,^_-  ^»^*.C 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA 


217 


TABLE   NO.  1.— SCHOOL   ATTENDANCE   OF   RIVERSIDE 

SCHOOL    NO.    1. 


Term 


Pupils  Enrolled 


Males 


Females 


Total 


'  Averasre 
Attendance 


1891    

1892  (fall)  .. 

1892  (spring) 

1893    

1893-4    

1895    

1895-6    

1896    

1896-7    

1897    

1897-8    

1898    

1898-9    

1899    

1899-1900    ... 

1900    

1901-2    

1902    

1902-3    

1903    

1903-4    

1904    

1904-5    


7 

3 

9 

1 

7 

3 

i 

4 

11 

4 

8 

5 

11 

5 

10 

5 

10 

5 

11 

5 

10 

6 

13 

5 

13 

4 

14 

G 

12 

5 

11 

5 

12 

6 

8 

7 

7 

6 

5 

7 

4 

6 

3 

4 

4 

1 

10 
10 
10 

11 

15 
13 
16 
15 
15 
16 
16 
18 
17 
20 
17 
16 
16 
15 
13 
12 
10 
7 
5 


6.8 

7.6 

8 

6 

7 

9 

•  •  •  » 

10.8 
12.8 

•  •  •  • 

12 
10 
13.5 
12 

•  •  •  • 

11 
11 
9.2 

•  •  •  • 

7 

5.4 
4.2 
3.6 


But  the  schools  are  not  the  only  institutions  affected.  The  Sunday 
school  and  Christian  Endeavor  are  dead,  with  no  possibility  of  their 
being  revived  in  the  immediate  future.  To  unite  with  the  Scandina- 
vians is  impossible,  for  these  people  provide  a  Sunday  school  and  a 
parochial  school  in  their  own  language  for  their  children,  and  their 
services  are  held  in  their  native  tongue  and  the  children  are  expected 
to  be  confirmed  in  it.*  So,  because  of  the  barrier  of  language,  the 
Americans  do  not  co-operate  in  church  work  with  their  Scandina- 
vian friends.  The  Park  Congregational  church  is  nearly  extinct, 
for  scarcely  more  than  a  dozen  now  attend,  and  sometimes  only 
half  that  number.  There  are  now  not  more  than  two  or  three  young 
people  left  in  the  neighborhood  for  a  social  gathering,  except  for  a 
short  time  in  the  summer  months  when  a  few  others  are  at  home  for 
vacation.  As  the  bordering  Scandinavian  neighborhoods  are  brim- 
ful of  young  life  and  give  a  great  many  parties,  the  American  young 
people  who  still  remain  frequent  these  gatherings  where  they  are 
cordially  received. 


*There  have  been  a  few  cases  of  children  confirmed  in  English,  but  they 
are  infrequent. 


218  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

What  the  future  will  bring  can  only  be  roughly  guessed  at.  The 
present  outlook  is  in  two  directions.  The  one  which  now  seems 
most  probable  is  that  the  large  farms  will  be  broken  up,  and  the 
Scandinavians  become  the  chief  landholders.  *This  tendency  is  be- 
ginning to  be  seen  in  their  buying  land  on  every  side  and  encroach- 
ing on  original  American  holdings  and  in  their  being  the  chief  rent- 
ers.^ The  other  possibility  is  not  yet  shown  by  the  change  of  land 
holdings  in  Riverside.  Iowa  people  have  been  selling  their  land  at 
from  $50  to  $75  an  acre,  and  investing  their  money  in  the  cheaper 
North  Dakota  real  estate  near  Cooperstown.  An  Irish-American 
group  is  being  similarly  developed  in  the  neighborhood  of  Hope. 
Thus  the  old  settlers  who  keep  their  land  may  see  the  movement  in 
'  either  of  these  directions  that  have  been  indicated. 


*See  map  opp.  p.  212. 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  219 


APPENDIX 

JOURNAL  OF  R.  D.  ROSS,  ACROSS  THE  PLAINS  IN  1863. 

(The  Foot  Notes  Are  by  Mr.  Ross.) 

Monday,  June  15,  1863. — Very  late  in  the  evening  left  Council 
Bluffs  city  bound  for  the  state  of  Oregon ;  drove  about  a  mile,  and 
encamped  for  the  night.  I  thought  that  if  I  should  get  through,  a 
journal  of  the  trip  would  be  interesting  for  future  reference.  I 
therefore  propose  noting  down  the  most  interesting  incidents  of  the 
journey  in  this  book. 

Tuesday,  June  16,  1863. — This  morning  before  our  train^  was  in 
motion,  my  brother  and  Uncle  Alose  came  up  to  our  camp,  and  I 
had  an  affecting  interview  with  my  brother,  and  he  insisted  on  my 
taking  twenty  dollars  more  money.  I  accepted  ten  in  greenbacks 
and  seventv-five  cents  in  silver.  Crossed  the  Missouri  river  at  noon, 
stopped  a  couj)le  of  hours  at  Omaha,  and  camped  on  Little  Pepper 
creek.  Used  our  camp  stove  for  the  first  time,  and  was  surprised 
to  find  how  little  fuel  was  required.  While  we  were  at  supper  the 
yoke  of  cows  got  mired  in  the  creek,  and  were  extricated  with  diffi- 
culty. Had  it  occurred  a  little  later  on  the  cows  would  have  been 
lost.    Distance  from  C^maha,  six  miles. 

Wednesday,  June  17,  18()3. — Resumed  our  trip  late  in  the  morn, 
and  traveled  seventeen  miles  and  encamped  on  Elkhorn.  In  this 
camp  we  experienced  a  thunder  storm  with  heavy  wind,  but  were  not 
injured  or  wet.  Three  miles  from  our  camp  we  crossed  the  Raw- 
hide. There  is  a  legend  connected  therewith  which  I  will  give  as 
I  heard  it.  In  1819  or  1850  a  father  and  two  sons  left  Illinois  for 
California.  One  of  the  sons  had  repeatedly  declared  with  an  oath 
that  he  would  kill  the  first  Indian  he  might  see.  When  near  this 
creek  the  party  discovered  a  squaw  with  her  papoose:  she  was  comb- 
ing her  hair.  The  young  man  seized  his  rifle,  fired  and  killed  the 
Indian.  The  next  day  the  party  was  waited  upon  by  a  select  com- 
mittee consisting  of  all  the  men  of  the  nation,  attended  by  a  retinue 
of  servants  comprising  all  the  women  and  children.  They  demanded 
the  young  man.  There  being  no  alternative,  he  was  delivered  to 
them,  taken  back  to  the  scene  of  the  late  tragedy,  subjected  to  the 
excruciating  operation  of  being  skinned  alive,  and  then  burned  at 
the  stake.  The  creek  has  ever  since  born  the  name  of  Rawhide. 
While  at  this  camp  a  Mormon  train  passed  us,  the  first  we  had  seen. 

*The  party  consisted  of  L.  R.  Holmes,  his  wife  and  five  children;  a 
young  man  named  John  Hines;  another  named  Ignace  Miller:  Mr.  Ross, 
I'is  wife  and  child.  Mr.  Holmes  had  two  wigons,  prairie  schooners,  and 
a  covered  spring  wagon  drawn  by  a  span  of  mules,  for  himself  and  family. 
Mr.  Ross  had  a  covered  wagon  drawn  by  a  span  of  horses. 


220  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Thursday,  June  18,  18G3. — Camped  at  night  opposite  the  Dale 
house. 

Friday,  June  10,  18G3. — Last  night  I  stood  guard  for  the  first 
time.  Nothing  of  special  note  occurred  today.  The  weather  was 
extremely  cold.  I  heard  today  the  news  of  the  invasion  of  Pennsyl- 
vania by  the  rebels.  We  camped  between  North  Bend  and  Shell 
creek,  where  the  road  comes  near  the  Platte.  A  large  Mormon 
train  camped  just  above  us.^ 

Saturday,  June  20,  18G3. — We  experienced  the  monotony  of  the 
dusty  road  without  any  incident  of  interest.  Stopped  at  Mr.  Aleco- 
son*s  to  get  some  cheese,  and  learned  that  they  believed  that  war  is 
disunion.  Camped  near  the  Pennsylvania  house  with  a  Mormon 
train  just  above  us.  At  this  camp  the  cattle  got  into  a  corn  field, 
and  Mr.  Holmes  paid  four  dollars  damages.  Here  I  learned  through 
Captain  Ricks,  of  the  Mormon  train,  that  Mr.  Tuttle  was 
waiting  for  us  just  across  the  Loup  Fork.  Our  party  here  consisted 
of  L.  R.  Holmes,  wife  and  five  children;  John  Hines  and  Ignace 
Miller,  myself,  wife  and  child. 

Sunday,  June  21,  18G3. — We  started  this  morning  with  the  pleas- 
ing anticipation  of  joining  Mr.  Tuttje  today.  I  passed  through 
Columbus,  where  I  wrote  home,  bought  some  candles  and  sugar  for 
fear  I  had  not  enough,  and  learned  certainly  that  Mr.  Tuttle  was 
waiting  for  us.  We  crossed  the  Loup  Fork  about  twelve  o'clock 
and  found  Mr.  Tuttle  waiting  for  us  on  the  opposite  bank.  He  had 
w^aited  here  five  days.  Our  train  was  now  increased  to  five  wagons 
and  two  carriages.  We  did  not  move  from  Mr.  T.'s  camp  today. 
Loup  Fork  is  a  considerable  stream,  is  very  broad  and  rapid  and  re- 
sembles the  Platte.  The  ferry  boat  is  propelled  by  the  current.  We 
were  dumped  in  the  middle  of  the  stream  and  forded  the  rest.  The 
channel  next  the  west  shore,  although  narrow,  is  very  deep  for  ford- 
ing. The  only  mishap  I  suflfered  that  I  am  aware  of  was  the  loss 
of  my  coffee  mill,  an  old  one  and  very  poor :  it  was  washed  oflf  a 
bucket  pendant  from  the  wagon  box.  A  half  day's  rest  here  was 
very  agreeable. 

Monday,  June  22,  18G3. — We  were  up  very  early  and  started  in 
good  season.  Mr.  Holmes  bought  a  mule  before  starting  from  Mr, 
Guy  Barnum,  in  front  of  whose  house  we  had  been  encamped.  He 
bought  the  mule  in  order  to  have  an  extra  one.  We  stopped  to 
noon  on  Prairie  creek.  In  the  evening  met  the  deputy  marshal  of 
Nebraska  who  told  us  that  there  were  plenty  of  buffalo  this  side  of 
Kearney ;  that  every  wagon  had  a  chunk  of  buffalo  hung  to  it. 
Camped  at  Eagle  island,  where  there  is  good  grass,  wood  and  water. 


^Several  such  trains  were  mtt  in  the  course  of  a  few  days,  affu^rcyatin^. 
it  was  said,  700  wagons.  They  were  goinj?  to  I'tah  by  way  of  the  Missouri 
River  ,with  the  converts  which  Mormon  mi^sioniries  in  Europe  had  made. 
They  also  carried  a  considerable  amount  of  freii^ht  back  with  them  to  Salt 
Lake  merchants. 


ROYAL  D.  ROSS,  : 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  221 

Stood  guard  tonight  with  Joseph  Hildreth.  The  night  was  very 
cold  with  a  heavy  dew. 

Tuesday,  June  23,  1863. — We  were  in  motion  about  seven  o'clock. 
The  morning  was  cloudy,  very  favorable  for  driving,  and  we  trav- 
eled today  twenty-four  miles  and  camped  at  Lone  Tree.  Weather 
threatening  rain.    Disagreeably  cold. 

Wednesday,  June  24,  1863. — Started  early,  and  the  day  being 
cool,  traveled  twelve  miles  before  stopping  for  dinner.  Camped  a 
short  distance  south  of  the  German  settlement.  For  the  most  of  the 
distance  since  leaving  Loup  Fork,  I  have  noticed  the  bottom  instead 
of  being  flat  is  inclined  toward  the  river.  There  are  a  good  many 
farms  along  the  road,  and  crops  look  well. 

Thursday,  June  25,  1863. — Started  at  seven,  our  usual  hour  for 
starting,  and  camped  for  noon  west  of  Wood  river.  Met  a  company 
of  soldiers  from  Kearney  going  to  Loup  Fork  to  quell  an  Indian  out- 
break. Camped  at  six  on  Wood  river.  For  supper  had  some  buffalo 
steak,  the  first  I  ever  ate. 

Friday,  June  26,  1863. — Left  camp  and  traveled  very  fast  till 
noon.  Nooned  at  Wood  river  Center.  I  wrote  two  letters,  one  to 
D.  F.  Eaton,  the  other  to  father.  Stopped  at  Nebraska  Center  and 
wrote  a  letter  to  Bro.  Edwin.  Camped  early  at  the  ranch  where  the 
Kearney  road  leaves  ours  and  crosses  the  Platte.  Stood  q^uard  from 
twelve  o'clock  midnight  till  daylight.  Sam  (Ed.)  Creighton's  train 
camped  five  miles  ahead  of  us.  The  road,  after  crossing  Wood  river, 
follows  it  as  far  as  Nebraska  Center,  about  twenty-five  miles.  From 
Nebraska  Center  the  road  crosses  diagonally  to  the  Platte. 

Saturday,  June  27,  1863. — Moved  early;  on  the  road  passed 
prairie  dog  village,  the  first  I  had  seen.  Independence  killed  one  of 
them.  Joined  Creis:hton's  train  at  nine  o'clock;^  encamped.  The 
women  washed.  The  dav  was  extremely  warm;  I  bathed  in  the 
Platte.  Late  in  the  evening  there  was  a  thunderstorm  with  high 
wind.  It  was  a  rough  night ;  it  rained  and  blowed  very  hard  in  the 
night. 

Sunday,  June  28,  1863. — Traveled  about  twelve  miles  today.  The 
road  here  left  the  Platte.     It  rained  some  in  the  forenoon,  was  a 


*Creighton's  train  was  a  freight  train  consi«;ting  of  forty-four  (about) 
M^ngons.  each  carrying  two  tons  of  merchandise,  destined  for  Salt  Lake 
City.  Ed.  Creiphtcn  was  one  of  the  wealthy  men  of  Omaha.  It  was 
understood  that  he  obtained  his  wealth  principally  by  putting  up  the  Over- 
land Telegraph  Line,  or  a  part  of  it.  The  freight  paid  on  merchandise 
from  the  Missouri  River  to  Salt  Lake  City  was  from  ten  to  fifteen  cents 
per  pound,  so  that  freighting  was  a  fairly  profitable  business.  Tuttle  and 
Holmes  joined  Creighton's  train  in  order  to  be  with  a  larger  party,  as  they 
*\\^ere  about  to  enter  the  Indian  country.  The  train  was  stopping  for  a 
few  days  to  rest  their  cattle,  which  were  very  much  jaded.  On  starting 
from  Council  BlufiFs  ^^r.  Holmes  had  hoped  to  be  able  to  overtake  Capt. 
Fisk,  with  the  escort  of  soldiers,  and  the  main  body  of  the  Oregon  emigrants, 
but  by  the  time  he  had  reached  Creighton's  train  he  had  given  up  this 
plan. 


222  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


cool  day.  Camped  noon  at  a  slough  not  far  from  the  river.  Camped 
for  night  at  a  slough  and  had  to  strain  the  water  before  using. 

Monday,  June  29,  1863. — Stood  guard  the  latter  half  of  last  night. 
Morning  disagreeable,  heavy  fog.  Everything  wet.  Cleared  off 
about  eleven  o'clock ;  about  three  there  was  a  heavv  thunderstorm. 

Tuesday,  June  30^  1803. — Stampede  Camp  No.  1. — This  morning 
at  half  past  three  there  was  a  stampede  of  the  cattle. 

Wednesday,  July  1,  1863. — Left  Stampede  camp  about  eight 
o'clock;  camped  at  noon  two  miles  west  of  Buffalo  creek.  First 
sickness  in  camp.    Independence  was  sick  with  diarrhoea. 

Thursday,  July  2,  1863. — Left  camp  about  seven  o'clock ;  passed 
the  first  sand  hills;  camped  at  noon  near  Platte  river,  having  been 
four  days  and  a  half  from  it.  Two  wagons  stalled  in  a  mud  hole 
before  reaching  the  noon  camp,  and  three  directly  after  leaving  it. 
Four  wagons  overtook  us  at  this  camp,  bound  for  Idaho  territory, 
having  the  chief  justice  of  Idaho.  Moved  only  two  miles  and 
camped.  Distance  from  Kearney  about  fifty  miles  per  guide ;  weath- 
er fine,  not  very  warm. 

Friday,  July  3,  1863,  Stampede  Camp  No.  2. — Last  night  stood 
guard  of  the  corral,  front  part  of  the  night.  About  one  o'clock  there 
was  a  stampede  of  the  entire  herd  of  cattle,  284  head;  witnessed  it 
from  my  wagon.  Four  men  started  after  them  as  soon  as  they  could 
saddle  their  mules,  yet  they  stopped  them  only  after  a  six-mile  race.^ 

Saturday,  July  A,  iHi]:]. — Canij^ed  last  night  by  an  alkali  pond 
about  one  mile  from  the  Platte.    Camped  with  five  Mormon  wagons. 

Sunvlay,  July  5,  1863. — Camped  last  night  on  Cannon  creek;  good 
water  and  grass.    Camped  to  nocni  at  Pawnee  Spring.- 


'Tuttlc  and  Holmes  were  tired  of  traveling  with  Creij^hton's  train,  it 
was  making  such  slow  progress;  l>c>ides  their  cattle  were  learning  to 
stampede  too  often.  Judge  Kdgerton.  the  newly  appointed  chief  justice 
of  Idaho  Territory,  whose  train  of  four  wagons  we  passed  earlier,  had 
learned  of  the  Tuttle  and  Holmes  train  when  passing  through  the  settle- 
ments on  Wood  Creek,  and  had  ma<le  all  po.s-^ihle  si)eed  to  overtake  us. 
But  for  some  reason  Holmes  refu«;ed  to  travel  with  the  judge's  p:\rty.  The 
night  of  the  third  we  camped  near  a  Mormon  camp  of  five  wagon«^.  and 
Tuttle  and  Holmes  arranged  to  travel  with  them.  That  made  a  train 
of  ten  wagons  and  two  carriages,  twelve  vehicles  in  all ;  and  twelve  were 
about  the  right  sized  party  for  fast  traveling.  The  average  speed  of 
trains  with  oxen  waN  alnml  pio  miks  a  week,  but  Creighton's  train  was 
not  making  much,  if  any  more,  than  half  as  much. 

'On  the  previous  morning  Mr<.  Holmes  ha<l  said  to  Mrs.  Ros^  that  as 
it  was  the  Fourth  of  July  she  propn^ed  to  raise  the  C'^nfederate  fVig,  a«;  she 
had  one  with  her.  One  of  Jud«e  Kdj^erton's  party  overheard  the  remark, 
and  early  in  the  morning  the  judge's  train  pulled  out  ahead  of  the  train 
of  Holmes  and  Tuttle  and  stationed  a  Kuard  acr(»^>^  llie  road.  Mr.  Ri^s*?. 
as  he  rode  up  ahead  (ff  the  rest,  was  ordered  to  halt  and  explain  ab  )Ut  the 
S(cesh  flag  on  his  train.  As  Mr.  Ross  declared  himself  a  Union  man.  he 
was  allowed  to  <lrive  (.n.  Presently  the  driver  of  •  ne  of  the  Mormon 
\vag('ns,  an  Englishman,  who  ha<l  lied  a  re<l  bandanna  handkerchief  t<^ 
a  whipstock  and  fa>tened  it  to  his  waj^cn,  was  haltrd  and  asked  the 
meaning  of  hi^  tlag.     He   said   in  a  frightened  way  that   he  was  only  celc- 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  223 

Monday,  July  6,  18G3. — Were  camped  last  night  on  Platte  river, 
as  we  thought  about  six  miles  above  the  junction  of  South  Platte 
and  the  main  stream.    Here  I  lost  some  of  my  horses.^ 

Tuesday,  July  7,  1863. — Were  camped  last  night  by  a  very  jRne 
spring  near  the  bluff.  Early  in  the  morning  about  one  hundred  head 
of  cattle  came  along  the  road,  supposed  to  be  a  stampede  from 
Creighton's  camp.  Some  of  our  party  stopped  them  and  started 
them  on  the  back  track,  but  they  soon  left  the  road  and  went  among 
the  bluffs.  The  warmest  dav  and  worst  road  we  have  had  since  we 
started.  Harriet  (Mrs.  Ross)  was  taken  with  a  chill  about  eleven 
oVlock  a.  m.,  and  very  severe  paroxysm.  Had  about  a  five-mile 
drive  over  the  bluffs ;  very  hot  with  heavy  roads.  Camped  in  good 
season  at  Cold  Spring,  a  mile  or  two  after  striking  the  bottom. 
Nooned  today  on  the  north  side  of  the  North  Fork  of  the  Platte. 

W^ednesday,  July  8,  18G3. — Left  camp  today  to  go  among  the 
sand  hills.  Before  noon  passed  the  worst  we  had  seen.  Soon  after 
passing  them  we  came  to  some  Indian  lodges.  The  Indians  came 
out  to  meet  us,  shake  hands  and  beg.  I  gave  them  a  pan  of  flour 
and  about  two  pounds  of  bacon.  They  were  Sioux  and  friendly. 
We  camped  to  noon  near  a  tolerable  spring.  Passed  more  sand 
hills  this  evening,  and  camped  at  night  immediately  after  passing 
them  on  the  Platte. 

Thursday,  July  9,  18G3. — Left  camp  rather  late ;  had  many  sloughs 
to  cross  before  noon:  none  very  bad.  Camped  to  noon  on  a  small 
branch  near  the  bluffs.  After  leaving  this  camp  we  had  a  pretty 
good  road  to  Rattlesnake  creek.  Camped  about  two  miles  west  of 
that  creek. 

Friday,  July  10,  1863. — Laid  over  at  this  camp  till  four  o'clock. 

Saturday,  July  11,  1863. — Last  night  very  rough  and  some  rain. 
Cold  and  cloudy  weather  with  a  slight  sprinkle  of  rain. 

Sunday,  July  12,  1863.— Rained  all  night  last  night.  Started 
rather  late  from  camp.  Cool  and  pleasant.  Xooned  on  Castle  creek* 
Found  there  a  large  stock  of  Mormon  stores  with  eleven  men  guard- 
ing them. 

Monday,  July  13,  1863. — ^\Vere  camped  last  night  by  a  slough, 
water  poor ;  started  in  good  season ;  had  a  tolerable  good  road  and 
made  thirteen  miles  before  nooning.  Xooned  on  the  Platte.  After 
dinner  made  about  five  miles  and  camped  on  the  Platte  where  grass 
was  good.  Near  this  camp  was  a  grave  with  a  headboard,  but  no  in- 
scription. Put  my  large  trunk  in  Thomas  Clark's  wagon,  Tuesday 
morning,  14th. 


brating    the    Fourth    of   July.      As    no    other    flng    was    observed,    the    guard 
was  withdrawn. 

*The  horses  were  picketed  near  the  canal,  but  the  guard  went  to  sleep, 
and  some  Marauders  probably  Indians,  stole  one  of  them.  The  other 
horse,  frightened  by  the  thieves,  awakened  tlie  guard  just  in  time.  Mr. 
Ross  was  able  to  get  the  use  of  a  horse  from  one  of  the  party,  so  that  no 
delay  was  rccasioned  by  the  loss. 


224  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Tuesday,  July  14, 1803. — This  morning  wet ;  had  an  excellent  road 
all  around  the  bottom.  Camped  at  noon  at  eleven  o'clock,  30  min- 
utes, near  the  Platte,  but  on  a  gravelly  knoll.  Grass  very  poor. 
Camped  late  near  the  Platte.  Mr.  Holmes  crossed  the  river  to  see 
if  he  could  buy  cattle ;  could  not.  He  heard  about  a  battle  at  Win- 
chester; also  that  the  draft  was  being  enforced  generally  in  the 
states. 

Wednesday,  July  15,  18G3. — Camped  to  noon  early  on  the  Platte. 
Overhauled  our  load,  took  out  the  boxes,  gave  one  to  Mr.  Tuttle, 
knocked  the  other  to  pieces  for  fuel.  Camped  very  late  on  the 
Platte.  Much  dissatisfaction  in  camp  on  account  of  late  driving. 
Grass  very  poor.  Before  leaving  camp  this  morning  Mr.  Hines 
crossed  the  river  and  bought  the  four  quarters  of  an  antelope.  The 
judge's  party  came  up  with  us  tonight. 

Thursday,  July  16,  1863. — Morning  dark.  About  ten  o'clock  it 
cleared  away,  and  we  found  ourselves  in  sight  of  Chimney  Rock, 
about  a  half  day's  drive  distant.  Camped  to  noon  a  few  miles  below 
it.  Soon  after  starting  from  our  noon  camp,  a  train  came  down  on 
the  other  side,  and  Mr.  Holmes  crossed  over  and  bought  two  yoke 
of  cattle. 

Friday,  July  17,  1863. — Started  from  camp  in  good  season. 
Camped  to  noon  on  the  Platte.  Had  left  the  noon  camp  but  a  few 
minutes  when  we  had  a  hard  thunderstorm ;  delaved  us  not  more 
than  half  an  hour ;  traveled  till  late  and  camped  near  the  Platte  with 
slough  intervening.    Very  poor  grass.    Weather  threatening. 

Saturday,  July  18,  1863. — Left  camp  rather  later  than  usual,  drove 
till  past  one,  and  camped  to  noon  near  the  Platte,  where  there  is  a 
beautiful  channel  on  this  side,  a  grassy  isle  in  the  middle ;  most  of 
the  boys  went  in  bathing.  Left  camp  at  four,  and  being  threatened 
with  rain,  we  camped  at  five  near  the  Platte. 

Sunday,  July  19,  18()3. — Left  camp  in  good  season,  and  at  eleven 
came  to  a  trading  post.  Camped  to  noon  a  little  above  it.  Went 
across  the  Platte  and  traded  for  a  yoke  of  oxen.^  Camped  at  night 
near  the  Platte. 

Mondav,  Tulv  20,  1863. — Verv  warm  dav,  sandv  road.  Made  a 
long  drive  and  stopped  near  the  Platte,  twenty-eii^ht  miles  below 
Fort  Laramie,  near  an  Indian  camp.  Here  I  thought  I  had  lost  my 
cattle. 

Tuesday,  July  21,  1863. — Had  a  big  hunt  for  my  cattle  in  the 
morning.     Drove  past  Fort  Laramie,  three  miles. 

Wednesday,  July  22,  1863.— Went  to  Fort  Laramie.  Spent  at 
Laramie,  for  sixteen  ox  shoes,  $1.00. 


'Mr.  Ross  traded  his  remaining  harness,  douhlctrecs  and  neckyokc  for 
two  oxen  and  a  yoke.  He  hoiiKht  a  lojj  chain  of  Mr.  Tnttle  and  h:id  a  tiam 
ajsrain.  If  he  had  known  as  much  hefore  k'avinjr  Council  Hhiffs  as  ho  knew 
six  months  later,  he  would  have  sold  his  team  and  houkHit  two  yoke  of 
oxen.  It  is  very  doubtful  if  he  could  have  made  the  wh  )lc  jojrnfy  with 
his  horses. 


STATE  or   NORTH    DAKOTA  225 


Thursday,  July  23,  18G3. — Entered  the  Black  Hills.  Camped  at 
night  on  the  Platte  near  an  abandoned  blacksmith  shop. 

Friday,  July  21,  18G3. — Camped  at  noon  at  some  springs ;  camped 
at  night  at  a  slough  where  there  were  plenty  of  currants. 

Saturday,  July  25,  1863, — Cold  day,  very  fine  rolling  road ;  made 
a  long  drive  without  any  nooning,  and  camped  at  four  on  the  Platte. 

Sunday,  July  26,  1863. — Camped  to  noon  in  grove  on  the  Platte. 

Monday,  July  27,  1863. — Crossed  the  Platte  about  noon.  Laid 
over  till  Tuesday  afternoon. 

Tuesday,  July  28,  1863. — Left  camp  about  two  o'clock.  Drove 
about  seven  miles  and  camped  on  the  Platte.  Feed  splendid.  Stood 
guard  alone  first  watch. 

Wednesday,  July  29,   1863. — Left  camp  early.     Morning  very 

pleasant.    Camped  to  noon  on creek.    Wind  rose  in  the  west. 

Last  half  of  the  day  dusty  and  disagreeable.  Camped  for  night  two 
miles  below  Deer  creek.  About  three  o'clock  this  evening  we  came 
into  the  road  on  which  the  telegraph  is  located. 

Thursday,  July  30,  1863. — Came  to  Deer  creek  this  morning  and 
stopped  about  an  hour;  camped  to  noon  on  the  Platte  where  there 
were  plenty  of  buffalo  berries.  I  bathed  in  the  Platte.  This  after- 
noon very  dusty  and  disagreeable;  camped  for  the  night  in  a  bend 
of  the  Platte ;  grass  poor,  wood  scarce. 

Friday,  July  31,  1863. — Had  one  long  drive  and  camped  on  the 
Platte,  one  and  a  half  miles  below  Platte  bridge,  about  two  o'clock 
or  half  past. 

Saturday,  August  1,  1863. — This  morning  our  cattle  were  not  all 
forthcoming.  I  started  about  two  hours  before  the  rest  of  them 
for  Platte  Bridge.    Spent  at  Platte  Bridge : — 

For  setting  tires  all  around   $5.00 

T.  B.  Clark,  for  hauling  trunk 5.50 

For  small  tin  basin 25 

For  crossing  Platte  bridge 50 

Sunday,  August  2,  1863. — Left  Red  Butte  camp  early  and  made 
a  long  drive  without  nooning.  Incidents :  Met  two  soldiers  carry- 
ing the  mail.  Dog  Jack  went  back.  Saw  a  party  returning  from 
Ores^on,  Washington  territory,  and  met  them  at  Willow  Springs. 

Monday,  August  3,  1863. — Left  Dead  Dog  camp;  camped  to  noon 
on  a  creek ;  camped  for  night  on  Sweetwater,  where  we  found  con- 
siderable driftwood,  and  all  pine. 

Tuesday,  August  4,  1863. — About  ten  o'clock  passed  an  alkali  lake 
and  procured  a  supply  of  salaratus.  Passed  Sweetwater  Brivige  mil- 
itary post,  Independence  Rock  and  camped  on  Sweetwater  for  noon. 
Passed  Devil's  Gate  and  camped  for  night  two  miles  above  for 
night. 

Wednesday,  August  5,  1863. — Camped  to  noon  on  Sweetwater; 
soon  after  leaving  camp  passed  a  new  grave,  Elijah  Craig,  aged 
thirty-eight  years ;  died  August  4th  at  sunrise.  He  belonged  to  James 


226  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Creighton's  train,  bound  for  Bannock  City.  Camped  very  late  on 
Sweetwater. 

Thursday,  August  G,  1863. — Left  Lost  Watch  camp  and  camped 
about  noon  on  Sweetwater,  and  rest  the  cattle  till  next  morning. 
Heard  by  a  soldier  of  a  big  riot  in  New  York. 

Friday,  August  7,  1863. — This  morning  we  left  the  Sweetwater 
and  had  a  very  good  road  on  the  upland;  passed  a  trading 
post  and  military  post  at  Three  Crossings  of  Sweetwater, 
and  camped  to  noon  on  the  Sweetwater.  Soldier  came  and  ordered 
us  off.    Camped  for  night  on  the  Sweetwater. 

Saturday,  August  8,  1863. — This  morning  a  man  came  to  our 
camp  to  get  something  to  eat.  He  said  he  was  from  Mohawk  river, 
in  New  York  state.  He  was  traveling  on  foot  and  alone.  Said  he 
was  going  west.  Soon  after  leaving  camp  we  crossed  Sweetwater 
and  left  it  for  awhile.  Soon  after  one  of  Capt.  Tuthill's  oxen  gave 
out  and  was  left  by  the  roadside.  We  camped  for  noon  at  the  hot 
springs  and  for  night  ^^  ^he  ice  springs. 

Sunday,  August  9,  1863. — Morning  very  cold.  Started  very  early 
in  order  to  be  ahead  of  a  train  of  twenty-two  wagons,  Capts.  John- 
son and  Craig.  Road  somewhat  hilly  and  stony,  though  we  had 
some  long  stretches  of  divides  that  were  excellent.  Passed  the  grave 
of  James  Hogan  and  another,  l^Hlcd  by  the  Indians  in  1802.  Camped 
to  noon  in  the  head  of  a  sitfuQfh ;  grass  good.  This  came  verv  near 
being  a  dry  camp;  camped  for  the  night  very  late  on  the  Sweet- 
water.   Distance  made  today  supposed  to  be  about  twenty-two  miles. 

Monday,  August  10.  1863. — Rested  here  till  noon.  Independence 
Makisell  went  out  with  his  gun  very  ea:!v  and  killed  an  antelope. 
Camped  very  early  near  upper  crossing  of  Sweetwater  military  post. 

Tuesday,  August  11,  1863. — Parted  company  this  morning  with 
Capt.  Tuttle  &  Co.,  and  todk  Lander's  cut-ofF^  with  the  purpose  of 
overtaking  James  Creighton*s  train,  bound  for  Bannock  City,  one 
dav  ahead  of  us.  Traveled  twenty  miles  and  camped  in  a  grassy 
hollow.  Here  our  cattle  were  stolen  by  the  Indians,  and  Mr.  Holmes 
lost  two  head. 

Wednesday,  August  12, 186.'^.— Wc  were  delayed  hunting  the  cattle 
till  nine.^  After  a  drive  of  five  miles,  came  to  Creighton's  train  and 
found  it  lying  over.^ 


^Lander's  cut-off  was  a  road  which  the  I'liitod  Stitos  irovcrmni'iit  opened 
between  the  last  cro^^^^int?  of  the  Sweetwater  River  and  old  Fort  Hall, 
on  Snake  River,  in  Idaho  Territory.  It  was  laid  out  hy  Col.  Lander, 
and  it  was  said  to  have  been  built  to  enable  t!ie  eniij^ranls  to  avoid  the 
Mormon  settlements  in   Utah. 

*The  Indians  had  driven  off  the  cattle  in  the  ni^ht.  \Mun  they  were 
fmnd  by  the  searching  party  two  of  the  fattest  had  been  kdled  an<l  a  con- 
siderable part  of  the  beef  carried   off. 

'Creiirhton's  train  consisted  of  f.  rtv  <  r  fortvf*  nr  wau'ons.  and  there 
were  about  thirty-five  vehicles  beloUK'nj?  to  emij^rant^  travelinja:  with  them 
f(  r  safetv. 


STATE  OF  NOUTII  DAKOTA  227 

Thursday,  August  13,  1863. — Laid  over  today.  I  went  back  to 
where  two  cattle  Were  killed,  and  got  some  of  the  beef,  which  proved 
to  be  excellent.^ 

Friday,  August  14,  1863. — The  cattle  were  brought  into  camp  at 
daylight,  and  we  started  soon  after  sun  up,  crossed  the  summit  of 
South  Pass  in  the  middle  of  the  forenoon ;  camped  to  noon  on  Little 
Sandy.  Started  late  and  drove  till  after  night,  going  down  a  very 
bad  hill,  and  camped  on  the  west  side  of  Big  Sandy. 

Saturday,  August  15,  1863. — Did  not  leave  till  near  eleven 
o'clock ;  made  one  drive  and  camped  on  a  slough  for  the  night. 
Country  an  extensive  sage  plain  with  mountains  in  the  distance  on 
both  sides,  east  and  west. 

Sunday,  August  16,  1863. — Started  early  from  camp;  morning 
cool ;  nooned  on  a  ridge ;  the  cattle  were  driven  down  to  a  slough 
where  there  was  some  water.  Camped  for  the  night  on  east  side 
Green  river.  East  branch.    Was  cattle  herder  all  night. 

Monday,  August  17,  1863. — Crossed  East  brapch,  Green  river, 
this  morning ;  had  a  rather  rough  road  to  the  West  Fork ;  crossed  it 
about  two  o'clock  and  laid  by  till  morning.  The  grass  excellent  and 
plenty.  Harriet  (Mrs.  Ross)  was  quite  sick  after  getting  into  camp. 
Had  a  very  slight  thunder  shower. 

Tuesday,  AuOTst  18,  1863. — Started  in  good  season,  viz:  six 
o'clock.  Mr.  Holmes  herded  cattle  last  night.  Morning  cold. 
Nooned  on  a  creek — Little  Tiny,  I  think,  About  four  o'clock 
passed  a  grave,  Martin  Moran,  of  Missouri,  was  killed  by 
the  Indians  on  the  morning  of  the  18th  of  July,  and  two  others 
wounded.    Drove  till  after  night  and  camped  in  the  sage  bush. 

Wednesday,  August  19,  1863. — Camped  for  noon  on  Big  Tiny, 
at  night  in  a  canon  of  the  Green  river. 

Thursday,  August  20,  1863,  Broken  Wheel  Camp  No.  1. — Camped 
for  the  night  at  Fort  Snyder.^ 

Friday,  August  21,  1863,  Broken  Wheel  Camp  No.  2.— Met  a 
man  traveling  alone ;  said  he  was  going  to  the  states. 

Saturday,  August  22,  1863. — Stayed  in  camp  all  day.  Big  fire  in 
the  mountains.    Broken  wheel  was  repaired,  and  nine  tires  set. 

Sunday,  August  23,  1863. — Started  early,  passed  the  grave  of  Mrs. 
I'llizabeth  Paul,  wife  of  Thos.  Paul.  Died  in  child  bearing  July  27, 
1863.  Her  grave  is  surrounded  by  paling.  Nooned  in  a  grassy 
valley.  Camped  for  night,  long  after  dark,  in  a  mountain  canon ; 
very  disagreeable  and  cold. 


*A  large,  well  armed  party  accompanied  me. 

'Fort  Snyder  was  a  very  substantial  house  of  hewed  logs,  built  at  the 
time  the  road  was  beinsr  made,  and  deserted  when  it  was  finished.  In 
going^  into  camp,  one  of  Creighton's  wagons  broke  a  wheel.  Mr.  Emery  (?) 
repairc<l  it,  using  the  same  stump-  to  hew  the  spokes  on  whicli  he  used 
in  1802  when  he  repaired  a  wagon  that  year  in  the  simc  phce.  Mr. 
Emery  went  down  the  Missouri  River  from  Fort  Benton  in  the  spring 
of  1803  in  a  mackinaw  boat,  and  was  this  year  again  on  his  way  to  Bannock 
City. 


228  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Monday,  August  24,  1863. — Started  very  early  and  traveled  till 
two  o'clock;  ten  minutes  stopped  for  dinner  without  water;  yoked 
and  crossed  a  big  mountain  and  camped  on  a  mountain  stream  at 
the  foot  of  an  awful  hill.  Creighton*s  train  got  but  half  way  down 
and  had  to  corral  for  the  night  and  drive  their  cattle  down  to  the 
valley  for  water  and  grass.    Road  today  very  bad  in  places. 

Tuesday,  August  25,  1863. — Eleven  o'clock.  Creighton's  train 
just  getting  down  hill.^  Twelve  wagons  and  the  buggy  here  started 
on  ahead  at  eleven  o'clock,  drove  till  four.  Stopped  for  a  meal  at 
a  grassy  plat  near  the  top  of  the  mountains.  Started  at  six  and  drove 
till  eight,  and  were  obliged  to  corral  on  the  mountain  side  and  wait 
for  day. 

Wednesday,  August  26,  1863. — Started  soon  after  daylight  with- 
out breakfast,  and  went  down  the  mountain  about  two  and  a  half 
miles  and  came  to  a  fine  stream  of  water.  Got  a  late  breakfast  and 
started  about  eleven  o'clock ;  about  an  hour  by  sun  crossed  a  small 
stream  and  camped  on  its  bank.  Here  elected  a  captain  and  put  an 
axle  in  a  wagon. 

Thursday,  August  27,  1863. — Left  camp  about  seven;  middle  of 
the  forenoon  crossed  a  fine  stream ;  about  twelve  came  to  a  fork  in 
the  road,  consulted  and  concluded  the  right  hand  was  the  expected 
cut-oflf;  proved  to  be  a  camp  road  where  we  nooned  on  a  stream 
without  banks.  From  here  the  road  led  us  into  the  mountains ;  about 
four  o'clock  passed  some  salt  springs,  supposed  Salt  creek;  camp 
early  in  wide  canon,  good  water,  grass  and  pretty  thick  with  willow 
bushes. 

Friday,  August  28,  1863. — Left  camp  early;  our  road  led  over  a 
mountain  range,  was  rather  bad  in  places;  passed  the  summit  and 
nooned  on  a  very  small  branch.  In  the  evening  came  down  the 
mountain  on  to  a  rolling  prairie,  and  camped  near  a  spring. 

Saturday,  August  29,  1863, — Started  at  seven,  drove  twelve  miles 
and  camped  at  a  point  of  bluff  where  there  is  a  spring  and  a  lake 
or  marsh.  Here  we  found  ducks  in  great  numbers,  and  Mr.  Holmes 
killed  a  young  swan.  Left  here  at  three  and  traveled  six  miles  and 
camped  near  a  stream.    No  wood.    Road  today  splendid. 

Sunday,  August  30,  1863. — Herded  cattle  last  night  and  started  at 
seven ;  road  led  over  a  low  chain  of  mountains.  Road  mostly  good. 
Camped  for  noon  between  two  streams.  The  one  at  our  left  we  af- 
terwards learned  was  Black  foot.  Went  in  bathing.  On  starting 
from  this  camp  we  crossed  the  small  stream  and  immediately  turned 
off  on  the  Bannock  road.    Traveled  till  near  dark  and  camped  in  a 


*The  train  was  under  charge  of  James  Creighton,  a  brother  of  Ed.  Creigh- 
ton,  and  a  well-known  freighter.  Late  in  the  fall  of  this  year  it  was  reported 
he  returned  to  Omaha  via  Salt  Lake  City  with  $:33.<MM)  in  gold  dust.  He 
returned  to  Virginia  City  in  the  summer  of  \f<i\i  with  forty  wag«>ns,  each 
drawn  by  four  mules.  John  Creighton,  a  nephew,  was  also  in  this  expe- 
dition, having  charge  of  the  merchandise  with  which  the  wagons  were 
loaded. 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  229 

canon.  Here  was  a  fint  spring  coming  out  from  under  a  rock  in 
the  road.    Got  a  sack  of  flour  from  Mr.  French. 

Monday,  August  31,  1863,  Drunk  Man  Camp. — Started  at  ten 
forty-five;  made  one  drive  and  camped  after  crossing  a  stream 
which  had  a  great  many  willows  on  it.  Camped  about  half  an  hour 
by  sun.  After  supper  the  captain  gave  notice  that  we  should  start 
in  the  morning  at  six,  and  try  to  make  Snake  river,  distance  sup- 
posed to  be  twenty-two  miles. 

Tuesday,  September  1,  1863. — Started  five  minutes  before  six; 
about  eleven  met  a  man  from  Bannock ;  camped  for  noon  at  a  small 
stream,  very  high  wind  and  awful  dusty.  While  here  a  man  came 
up  belonging  to  a  train  which  was  turned  back  by  the  Indians  on 
the  other  road  from  this  place.  We  drove  till  after  dark  and  made 
a  dry  camp. 

Wednesday,  September  2,  1863. — Yoked  as  soon  as  it  was  light 
enough  to  see  and  drove  till  nine,  and  after  crossing  a  stream  camped 
for  breakfast.  Here  came  a  lot  of  Indians  calling  themselves  Sho- 
shones,  but  at  the  ferry  they  are  called  Snakes.  Yoked  and  drove  to 
the  ferry,  six  miles.  Did  not  cross  this  evening.  Very  windy  and 
dustv. 

Thursday,  September  3,  1863. — Commenced  crossing  about  eight 
or  nine,  and  were  all  over  about  twelve.  Drove  about  eight  miles  and 
camped  on  the  Snake  river.  Mr.  Harry  Rickard,  a  Londoner,  owns 
the  ferry.  He  ferried  me  for  nothing  because  I  was  short  of  money. 
The  price  would  have  been  six  dollars. 

Friday,  September  4. — Started  at  four  thirty;  camped  at  noon 
for  an  hour  without  water  or  grass,  traveled  then  till  after  eight. 
This  was  the  hardest  day's  drive  we  have  made.  Camped  on  a  creek. 
The  express  passed,  Dest.  Salt  Lake. 

Saturday,  September  5,  1863. — Got  up  very  late.  Started  about 
eight,  and  at  twelve  camped  on  a  creek  at  a  point  where  the  road 
leaves  the  creek  and  laid  over  till  morning.  In  the  evening  went 
fishing.  It  was  my  turn  last  night  to  herd  cattle.  Harriet  being 
sick,  Joe  herded  in  my  place. 

Sunday,  September  6,  1863. — Started  from  camp  before  daylight. 
Made  a  dry  camp  at  noon.  Camped  afternoon  down  at  a  branch. 
French  camped  a  little  ahead  of  us. 

Monday,  September  7,  1863. — Herded  cattle  last  night  with  Jacob 
Painter.  Soon  after  starting  we  entered  a  canon  of  the  Rocky  moun- 
tains. The  road  was  a  little  bad  in  places.  Noon  in  the  canon. 
Grass  abundant.  Greased  the  fore  wheels  of  the  wagon.  Towards 
night  the  weather  squally.  Camped  on  a  hill;  water  and  grass  in 
a  deep  rocky  ravine. 

Tuesday,  September  8,  1863. — Started  about  daylight  or  soon 
after;  road  good,  and  we  traveled  very  fast,  day  cool;  at  eleven 
Holmes'  double  tree  broke.  We  were  then  near  the  summit  of  the 
pass ;  camped  for  noon  at  a  small  stream.    Mr.  Holmes  made  a  pine 


I 

230  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

double  tree;  camped  for  night  where  the  vStinkwater  road  turns  off. 
Water  a  good  ways  off,  and  got  wood  out  of  a  beaver  dam.  At  this 
camp  a  Mormon  gave  me  an  onion. 

Wednesday,  September  9,  1863. — Left  camp  after  sunrise;  about 
three  miles  from  camp  we  crossed  a  considerable  hill,  and  after 
going  down,  passed  a  branch  that  came  out  of  the  hill.  Camped 
forenoon  on  what  we  supposed  Jefferson  river ;  here  greased  the 
hind  wheels  of  my  wagon.  Camped  for  night  on  Jefferson  river, 
wood  plenty,  water  splendid. 

Thursday,  September  10,  1863. — Left  camp  soon  after  daylight. 
It  rained  this  forenoon.  Camped  to  noon  at  eleven  o'clock  on  Jef- 
ferson river.  Saw  several  persons  from  Bannock.  On  leaving  this 
camp  we  left  the  river,  crossed  a  spur  of  the  mountains,  and  camped 
for  night  on  a  branch :  grass  splendid,  this  evening  cool. 

Friday,  September  11,  1863^ — Herded  cattle  last  night,  and  it  was 
awful  cold.  Very  heavy  frost;  found  ice  in  my  water  pail.  Left 
camp  very  late  for  us,  and  drove  perhaps  eight  miles,  and  stopped 
on  Horse  prairie,  and  laid  over  till  morning.  Harriet  was  quite 
sick  here ;  also  Mrs.  Holmes  had  a  chill.  I  felt  used  up,  had  taken 
cold  the  night  before,  and  loss  of  a  night's  sleep  on  a  twenty-mile 
drive  made  me  feel  logy, 

Saturday,  September  12,  1863. — This  morning  were  roused  long 
before  day,  and  the  train  was  off  before  sun  up.  I  was  a  half  an 
hour  behind  the  rest,  and  drove  into  the  famous  Bannock  City 
by  myself.  I  then  found  my  self  for  the  first  time  in  a  gold  mining 
town,  having  been  on  the  road  from  Omaha  eightv-eight  davs  and 
a  half.^ 

'Mr.  Ross  accompanied  the  Holmes  train  on  the  second  trip  to  ihe 
I'tah  settlements  on  Novemher  2.*).  The  party  consisted  of  Mr.  Holmes, 
(irivin^  a  covered  buj?gy  and  a  span  of  mules;  two  drivers,  one  of  wht^m 
^^as  Sir.  Ross;  a  Frenchman  named  Miller,  who  was  the  cook,  and  a 
Richardson  family.  The  whole  party  '^lept  and  ate  in  a  Sibley  tent  owned 
by   Mr.   Richardson,  except  Ross  and   Miller,  who  slept  in  a  \vaj?on. 

Mr.  Hohnes  thons^ht  he  couhi  make  the  whole  disiince  of  4'h>  miles 
;ti  twenty  days,  and  provisiot^s  for  about  three  weeks  were  carried.  The  party 
n.T(le  excillent  proj;ress  for  the  first  half  or  more  of  the  distance,  but  when 
they  got  into  the  nionntaiii^  that  make  a  part  of  the  rim  of  the  great  b:»sin 
of  the  Salt  Lake,  they  encountered  snow,  which  impeded  their  progress  and 
covered  the  grass  to  a  large  extent,  so  that  the  stock  suftert'd  for  proper 
n  urishment,  and  provisii  i]s  became  nearly  exhausted.  Then  Holmes  started 
(  n  aheid,  to  rcTch,  if  povsiMe.  the  settlements  and  return  with  provisions 
nr<l  sonie  feed  for  the  cattle.  The  train  moved  very  slowly,  owing  to  the 
weakened  condition  of  the  cattle,  and  when  it  came  out  of  the  mountains 
into  the  Malad  Valley  conditions  were  found  V>  be  n^t  verv  much  better 
than  those  in  the  mountains.  i  he  party  had  become  reduced  to  a  <liet  of 
p;uicake«;  and  coffee,  and.  the  bac«in  and  butter  being  g*  ne,  the  a  ok  greastd 
the  fr>ing  pan  in  which  he  baked  the  pancakes  with  a  piece  of  tallow 
candle,  and  even  the  candles  were  giving  out.  I  hen  came  a  morning  when 
the  cook  used  the  last  of  the  flour,  atid  it  looked  as  if  they  would  have 
only  coffee  for  supper,  but  in  the  afternoon  thev  came  to  where  a  train 
b(»und   north   was   lying   over.     Those   bound   north    were    in    doubt    whetlur 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  231 

The  winter  of  Mr.  Ross'  arrival  at  Salt  Lake  City  he  learned 
photography,  and  in  the  spring  went  to  Virginia  City  with  his  outfit, 
but  could  not  use  it  there  because  of  no  place  to  develop  negatives. 
He  worked  at  various  jobs  as  cutting  and  packing  shingles,  and  held 
a  mining  claim  for  a  man  by  working  it  two  days  each  week,  al- 
though Air.  Ross  himself  had  no  claim.  Wages  were  $5.00  a  day. 
In  the  fall  he  returned  to  Utah  and  remained  there  until  the  Union 
Pacific  railway  was  put  through  there. 

Mr.  Ross  went  to  Michigan  in  1869,  and  was  in  the  photographer's 
business  fixc  years  at  Union  City,  Michigan.  He  then  went  to  Sher- 
wood, Michigan,  and  was  there  until  the  spring  of  1881,  when  he 
came  to  Dakota  with  his  son,  Thomas,  arriving  at  Valley  City  April 
28.  He  had  decided  to  take  up  land,  and  came  to  Dakota  at  the  ad- 
vice of  Ira  Lampman  of  Union  City,  Michigan,  who  owned  a  farm 
near  Valley  City.  That  season  Mr.  Ross  and  his  son  worked  for 
Frank  Wright,  and  each  received  $'^0  per  month.  In  the  fall  of  1881 
Mr.  Ross  put  up  a  small  photo  gallery  at  Tower  City,  and  in  the 
spring  (1882)  he  and  his  son  filed  on  the  east  half  of  section  10,  in 
what  is  now  Greenview  township.  They  were  influenced  in  their 
location  by  the  Mardell  boom.  In  the  spring  of  1883  they  moved 
on 'their  claims  to  stay.  The  first  house  was  of  sod,  but  a  lumber 
shack  was  built  in  1883. 

Thomas  Ross  took  up  a  tree  claim  in  Riverside  township  in  1889, 
and  in  1894  the  familv  moved  on  this  land  and  have  lived  there  ever 
since. 


BioGR.\PHiEs  OF  Riverside  Old  Settlers. 

ALEXANDER  SAUNDERS. 

Alexander  Saunders  was  born  November  2.  1854,  in  the  parish 
of  Tyrie,  Aberdeenshire,  Scotland.  As  a  small  boy  he  tended  sheep, 
and  one  of  his  first  remembrances  is  of  herding  two  cows.  He 
worked  as  a  groom  of  race  horses,  and  was  the  first  man  to  race  for 
Murry  of  Fauchfold,  who  was  an  extensive  breeder  of  racini3^ 
horses.  Later  he  worked  for  a  retired  East  India  tea  merchant 
where  he  cared  for  fancy  driving  horses.  At  the  acre  of  nineteen 
he  decided  to  come  to  America.     From  his  reading  he  had  always 


to  proceed  or  go  back  to  the  settlements  and  wait  till  sprinj?,  and  they 
were  told  that  the  road  was  very  bad.  From  this  party  Ross  purclinHcd 
some  flour,  and  the  next  day  met  Holmes  and  went  into  camp.  Holmes 
and  Ross  then  went  back  after  three  oxen  that  had  been  abandoned.  They 
succeeded  in  saving  two  of  them.  While  ont  they  met  at  one  of  their 
camping  places  a  coach  bound  for  Virginia  City,  with  three  passengers, 
two  men  and  one  woman.  The  woman  had  come  to  Salt  Like  City  by 
overland  stage  and  had  resolved  to  brave  the  cold  of  winter  and  the  snows 
of  two  mountain  ranges  to  join  her  husband,  who  was  in  the  northern 
mines.  The  coach  did  not  stop  there  for  more  than  perhaps  an  hour  and 
a   half   and    went    on.      It    was    learned    aftersvards    that    they    got    through. 


232  STATE  IIISTOKICAL  SOCIETY 

wanted  to  see  the  world,  and  had  a  strong  inclination  towards  New 
Zealand.  Rut  he  had  relatives  and  friends  living  near  Brogueville. 
Ontario.  In  1848  his  maternal  grandfather  and  grandmother,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Jas.  Warnder,  and  their  two  sons,  James  and  Alexander, 
left  Scotland  for  Canada.  Their  daughter's  fare  was  also  paid,  but 
at  last  she  decided  to  stay  and  marry  George  Saunders,  who  later 
came  to  North  Dakota. 

When  Alexander  Saunders  was  ready  to  leave  Scotland  friends 
took  him  and  his  trunk  in  a  wagon  to  Turriff,  where  he  took  the  train 
to  Glasgow.  He  left  Glasgow  on  the  steamship  Manitoba,  a  vessel 
named  in  honor  of  the  newly  formed  province  of  Manitoba.  The 
commanding  officer  of  this  vessel  was  Captain  Wylie,  who  was  also 
a  lieutenant  of  the  British  roval  fleet. 

Mr.  Saunders  left  Glasgow  the  first  week  in  May,  1873.  The 
trip  occupied  fourteen  days.  This  was  the  first  ship  to  come  up  the 
St.  Lawrence  that  spring,  and  as  late  as  it  was,  it  became  caught  in 
the  ice  and  was  delayed  for  four  or  five  days.  The  steamship  com- 
pany was  making  a  trial  trip  with  the  Manitoba,  for  this  was  the 
first  trip  since  she  had  been  overhauled,  cut  in  half  and  fifty  feet 
added  to  the  middle  in  the  Glasgow  ship  yards  that  winter.  The 
passengers  saw  scores  of  whales  and  icebergs,  and  at  one  place  the 
seals  were  so  numerous  that  the  crew  amused  themselves  by  throw- 
ing beer  bottles  at  them.  Shortly  after  landing  he  was  taken  sick 
with  scarlet  fever,  which  he  had  contracted  on  the  ship. 

The  first  winter  after  he  recovered  his  strength,  Mr.  Saunders 
worked  in  the  "shanty  pinery**  along  the  Ottawa  river,  then  known 
as  the  Grand  river,  and  still  so  known  by  the  lumbermen.  lie  occa- 
sionallv  worked  in  the  saw  mills  until  he  went  west. 

In  1878  a  party  of  land  seekers  having  a  special  train,  came  west 
over  the  Grand  Trunk  and  the  Wisconsin  Central  railroads  to 
Fisher's  Landing,  where  the  road  ended. ^  The  party  went  by  old 
style  stern  wheeler  flatboat  down  Red  Lake  river  and  the  Red  river 
to  Winnipeg,  arriving  there  May  21,  1878,  while  the  town  was  cele- 
brating the  queen's  birthday.  Mr.  Saunders  took  up  land  in  tht 
Turtle  mountain  region,  eighty  miles  west  of  the  Red  river  and  six- 
teen miles  north  of  the  boundary.  That  same  summer  he  rented  land 
in  Pembina  county  a  mile  from  Neche  and  near  Smuggler's  Point.^ 
He  raised  two  crops  of  wheat  there.  Because  of  hard  winters  and 
a  grasshopper  post,  several  of  the  necessities  were  very  high.  At 
Neche  salt  pork  was  Hfic  a  pound,  salt  IGc  a  pound,  flour  $12  a  sack, 
and  seed  wheat  $3..'>0  a  bushel.  The  prices  of  flour  and  meat  were 
controlled  by  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company.  These  were  lowered  as 

'I'i'^ber's  T.andinjj  is  now  called  Fi>]uT.  Minnc^^otn.  Sec  Cnllcctions  of  Stite 
Hi-itorical  Society  of  North  Dakota,  Vol.  I.,  p.  IH)   (notcV 

'So  called  because  at  tliat  place  the  timber  of  the  rcnibina  River  ^\t»'"d« 
in  a  I(  ng  V- shape  across  the  international  boundary  and  was  a  favorite 
rtsort  of  smugglers. 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  233 

soon  as  the  boats  came  in  the  spring.  In  May,  1880,  Mr.  Saunders 
and  John  H.  Atchison,  a  pioneer  resident  of  Pembina  county,  de- 
cided to  look  for  land.  They  went  to  Glenden,  Minnesota,  to  take  the 
train,  and  from  there  to  see  the  land  near  Valley  City.  They  looked 
over  the  land  near  LaMoure,  but  did  not  like  it.  Mr.  Atchison  then 
went  to  Brookinsfs,  South  Dakota,  to  see  the  land  there,  while  Mr. 
Saunders  left  Valley  City  with  a  pack  made  of  grain  sack  covered 
with  oil  cloth,  and  containing  provisions,  a  rain  coat  and  a  blanket. 
A  stone  was  tied  in  one  corner  to  prevent  the  straps  from  slipping 
off.  He  carried  a  compass  and  a  book  with  the  land  survey,  and 
having  timber  land  in  mind,  marked  in  it  such  land  as  he  thought 
desirable.  On  leaving  Valley  City  he  followed  the  Sheyemie  river 
for  about  sixty-five  miles.  The  first  night  he  spent  at  Sibley  Cross- 
ing with  Frank  Abbott,  and  next  day,  May  24,  1880,  he  saw  his 
present  home  for  the  first  time.  That  night  he  stayed  at  Pioneer 
Nelson's.^  From  there  he  crossed  to  the  Goose  river,  and  followed 
it  fourteen  or  fifteen  miles  to  a  settlement  of  Norwegians.  On  his 
way  north  he  crossed  all  the  rivers  tributary  to  the  Red  river.  At 
the  Goose  river  he  waited  a  short  time  for  the  completion  of  a  foot 
bridge.  The  Forest  river  he  crossed  on  two  logs.  In  crossing  the 
others  he  rolled  his  clothing  into  a  bundle  and  waded.  The  Pembina, 
Turtle  and  Goose  river  land  was  settled ;  the  Forest  river  land  was 
light  and  sandy ;  the  Sheyenne  river  land  suited  best.  Mr.  Saun- 
ders and  his  brother-in-law,  Alexander  Chalmers,  immediately 
started  for  the  chosen  land  with  a  Red  river  cart,  a  yoke  of  young 
oxen  and  plows  for  breaking.  They  followed  the  Indian  trail  for 
twenty-five  or  thirty  miles.  They  passed  through  St.  Joseph  and 
crossed  the  Pembina  river  on  a  raftrail  bridge.  They  had  both  yoke 
and  harness  for  the  oxen.  While  traveling  the  Indian  trail  they 
used  the  harness  by  taking  out  the  shafts  and  putting  on  a  pole  of 
Mr.  Saunders'  making.  The  yoke  was  easier  on  the  cattle  on  the 
prairie.  Shortly  after  their  arrival  Mr.  Chalmers  returned  to  Pem- 
bina to  harvest  their  crop,  bring  his  family  and  Mr.  Saunders'  cattle 
and  goods.  After  Mr.  Chalmers  had  gone,  Mr.  Atchison  appeared, 
after  having  been  to  South  Dakota.  He  liked  the  land  near  Mr. 
Saunders',  and  also  returned  to  Pembina  for  his  family.  That  was 
a  busv  summer  for  Alexander  Saunders.  He  broke  ten  or  twelve 
acres,  and  planted  a  few  potatoes  and  turnips  in  the  sod.  He  built 
his  first  house  in  the  bank  of  the  river.  It  was  lined  with  poles 
about  the  size  of  an  ordinary  stovepipe.  The  roof  was  of  poles  cov- 
ered with  hay,  bark  and  dirt.  This  house  was  14x22,  and  one  of  the 
warmest  he  had  ever  lived  in. 


*The  name  is  Amon  Nelson  or  Amon  Ophime.  The  present  spelling  of 
Ophimc  is  probably  a  corruption  of  Opheim,  meaninp^  upland  home.  Mr. 
Nelson  came  to  Dakota  in  1879  with  three  other  men  whose  names  are 
forgotten.  He  tried  to  bring  a  Norwegian  colony,  but  failed  because 
nearly  all  of  the  desirable  land  was  taken  before  his  settlers  could  come. 
His  home  was  a  well-known  stopping  place  in  the  early  days. 


234  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

After  harvesting  his  crop  in  Pembina  county,  Mr.  Chalmers  re- 
turned, bringing  his  family  and  goods,  two  oxen,  a  wagon,  a  cow 
and  four  pigs  (one  of  which  was  of  stock  imported  by  the  Hudson 
Bay  company)  for  Mr.  Saunders.  That  fall  a  trip  was  made  to 
Valley  City  for  flour  and  seed  wheat,  and  another  trip  to  the  Goose 
river  settlement  for  potatoes. 

In  November  Mr.  Saunders  went  to  Pembina  with  his  Red  river 
cart  for  goods  left  behind  by  Mr.  Chalmers.  Part  were  at  Pembina 
and  the  rest  at  an  Icelander's  where  Mr.  Chalmers  had  had  a  break- 
down. On  coming  over  the  steep  bluff  of  the  Sheyenne  river,  he 
suddenly  came  upon  four  large  elk.  They  seemed  too  frightened  to 
run,  and  parted  just  enough  for  him  to  pass.  The  rest  of  the  jour- 
ney down  was  without  noteworthy  event.  The  first  night  of  the 
return  journey  he  stopped  at  the  home  of  an  acquaintance.  The 
second  day  it  turned  cold  and  began  to  snow.  That  night  he  spent 
at  the  home  of  an  Icelandic  family,  which  consisted  of  a  man  and 
a  woman  and  two  girls,  the  eldest  of  whom  spoke  English  quite 
well.  They  had  but  little  room  in  their  newly  made  pole  house,  but 
they  hospitably  shared  it  with  Mr.  Saunders.  The  next  morning 
it  still  snowed,  but  he  thought  it  best  to  push  on  before  the  snow  be- 
came too  deep.  Just  at  night  he  came  in  the  storm  to  a  house  in  the 
timber,  and  asked  for  shelter  that  night,  if  not  for  himself,  at  least 
for  his  weary  team.  The  man  attempted  to  drive  him  away  with  a 
pitchfork.  It  was  night,  a  snowstorm  raged,  the  oxen  were  ex- 
hausted. The  man  had  plenty  of  room  and  fodder.  There  was  but 
one  thing  to  do.  Mr.  Saunders  drew  a  revolver  *  *  *  and 
stayed.  At  the  Goose  river  he  stopped  over  night  with  a  man  and 
woman  past  middle  life,  who  had  sheltered  him  when  he  went  north. 
It  was  clear  the  next  morning,  and  he  started  on  his  way.  Soon 
the  storm  again  broke,  and  finally  he  became  lost  when  about  ten 
miles  from  his  home.  In  the  storm  he  met  the  driver  of  the  Star 
mail  route,  who  also  was  lost.  They  compared  notes  and  started  on. 
The  mail  carrier's  horses  were  overcome  by  the  storm  and  hard 
driving  and  reported  to  the  government  as  killed  by  Indians.  After 
passing  the  carrier,  Mr.  Saunders  lost  his  direction  again,  and  also 
broke  a  wheel  off  his  Red  river  cart  in  a  snow  bank.  The  cart  and 
the  go(Kls  were  left  in  a  snow  bank.  At  about  3  a.  m.  he  came  to 
the  house  near  what  is  now  known  as  the  Fluto  bridcfe..  In  the 
morning  he  returned  home,  and  with  his  other  team  and  wagon  re- 
covered his  goods.  The  cart  was  abandoned  and  was  destroyed  by 
a  prairie  fire  the  next  spring. 

In  ISH*^  Mr.  Saunders  built  a  large  comfortable  log  house,  in 
which  he  is  still  proud  to  live. 

JOHN    H.    ATCHISON. 

John  Yl.  \tchison  was  born  March  23,  1815,  near  Kelso.  Rock- 
burysliire,  Scotland.     His  father  was  a  laboring  man  who  found  it 


LUELLEN   LADBURY  REV.  JAS.  BALDWIN 

MR.  AND  MRS.  GEO.  SAUNDERS,  SR. 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  235 


hard  at  times  to  provide  for  his  growing  family.  Rockbury shire, 
which  is  near  the  border,  is  a  splendid  agricultural  country.  From 
Kelso,  England  could  be  seen  any  day.  Mr.  Atchison  had  an  uncle, 
(ieo.  Atchison,  who  lived  in  Stratford,  Ontario.  One  day  a  stranger 
appeared  in  Rockburyshire.  He  wore  a  fur  coat  and  a  great  fur 
cap.  Such  garments  had  never  before  been  seen  in  that  part  of  Scot- 
land. The  stranger  proved  to  be  the  uncle  from  America.  He  ad- 
vised his  relations  to  come  to  America,  "where  there  was  free  land 
and  a  prospect  of  a  home."  The  advice  was  taken,  and  in  June, 
1862.,  Mr.  Atchison,  together  with  his  father,  mother  and  brother, 
left  Scotland  for  the  promised  land.  They  went  from  their  home 
by  train  to  Liverpool,  where  they  took  passage. to  Quebec  on  the 
sailing  vessel  William  Rathbone.  The  captain  was  part  owner  of 
the  vessel,  and  this  was  his  twenty-sixth  trip  to  Quebec.  He  brought 
emigrants  to  America,  and  returned  to  England  with  a  cargo  of 
Canadian  lumber. 

The  emigrants  were  five  weeks  and  three  days  in  passage.  One 
day  when  a  light  breeze  was  blowing,  a  three-masted  schooner  passed 
merrily  by  the  William  Rathbone.  Later  in  the  day  when  the  wind 
had  risen  almost  to  a  gale,  they  in  turn  passed  the  schooner,  and 
cheered  lustily.  Another  day  towards  the  end  of  the  voyage,  it  took 
the  William  Rathbone  two  days  to  get  past  Belle  Isle  in  the  St.  Law- 
rence river  because  of  lack  of  wind  and  the  strong  adverse  current 
of  the  river.  The  family  first  went  to  Stratford,  Ontario.  Mr.  Atch- 
ison's father  did  not  like  the  timber  land  around  Lake  Huron  that 
was  then  open  to  settlement,  and  took  no  claim  until  he  did  so  in 
North  Dakota. 

For  seven  years  Mr.  Atchison  worked  as  an  ordinary  workman 
on  the  Grand  Trunk  .railway,  and  received  $1.10  per  day.  During 
this  time  he  married  a  girl  of  English  parentage.  He  lived  in 
Georgetown,  Ontario,  until  he  came  to  the' United  States.  In  1874 
great  changes  were  made  on  the  Grand  Trunk  system.  Large  num- 
bers of  men  were  being  discharged.  As  he,  too.  was  likely  to  be 
discharged  at  any  time,  he  decided  to  stop  working  on  the  railroad 
and  take  up  land  in  the  newly  opened  west. 

At  Sault  Ste.  Marie  Mr.  Atchison,  together  with  his  wife  and  two 
small  children,  boarded  a  steamboat  with  the  intention  of  getting 
oflF  at  Port  Arthur  and  going  overland  to  Manitoba.  Of  this  boat- 
load of  emigrants,  all  but  the  family  of  Mr.  Atchison  and  a  French 
family  did  so.  They,  however,  decided  to  go  to  Duluth,  and  thence 
by  rail  to  Moorhead,  Minnesota,  because  the  great  crowds  made 
overland  transportation  extremely  difficult.  At  Moorhead  they 
waited  two  and  one-half  days  for  a  boat.  The  trip  to  Winnipeg  oc- 
cupied seven  and  one-half  days.  Although  Mrs.  Atchison  was  in 
Winnipeg  three  weeks,  none  of  the  emigrants  who  were  to  come  by 
the  overland  route  were  ever  seen  bv  her.  While  on  the  Red  river 
at  about  five  o'clock  one  morning,  Mr.  Atchison  went  ashore  to  buy 


236  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

milk  at  a  nearbv  farm  house.  At  about  ten  o'clock  that  dav,  after 
going  quite  steadily  since  starting,  the  boat  stopped,  and  again  he 
went  ashore  to  buv  milk  at  a  farm  house.  The  same  woman  that  he 
had  met  in  the  morning  came  to  the  door.  He  said,  "I  declare,  you 
look  just  like  the  woman  I  met  this  morning!"  Her  reply  relieved 
him.  "And  you  are  the  same  man,"  she  said.  "You  are  not  the  only 
one  to  be  fooled  in  that  way."  The  boat  had  been  all  the  morning 
going  around  a  large  bend  in  the  river. 

On  arriving  at  Winnipeg  he  left  his  wife  and  children  and  went 
land  seeking.  He  was  gone  three  weeks,  but  saw  no  land  in  Canada 
that  suited  him.  In  July,  1874,  he  pre-empted  land  three  and  one- 
fourth  miles  south  of  the  line.  It  was*near  Smuggler's  Point,  and 
not  far  from  Neche.  At  Pembina  as  a  boat  loaded  with  land  seekers 
arrived  from  Moorhead,  a  man  with  a  revolver  in  each  hand  said, 
**Xow,  watch!'  and  began  shooting  into  the  air  and  into  the  ground. 
This  frightened  the  people  so  that  none  of  them  would  land  in  the 
states.  On  this  boat  Mr.  Atchison  returned  to  Winnipeg  for  his 
family.  On  coming  back  to  Pembina  two  days  later,  July  G,  1874, 
he  found  the  town  full  of  frightened  and  excited  people  from  the 
country  around.  The  Indians  had  killed  three  half  breeds,  and  the 
people  feared  a  massacre.^  Shortly  after  they  came  to  Pembina. 
Mrs.  Atchison  kept  house  for  Judson  LaMoure  for  two  or  three 
weeks. 

The  Atchison  familv  saw  fiftv  Red  river  carts  come  into  Pembina 
with  buffalo  hides,  the  best  of  which  sold  for  $4.50.  The  spring  of 
1880  the  Mennonites  settled  the  Canadian  land  near  the  border. 
They  made  dugouts  for  houses.  In  the  following  spring  their  homes 
were  flooded,  and  an  epidemic  of  scarlet  fever  and  typhoid  fever 
broke  out.  The  Canadian  government  then  forced  them  to  build 
above  ground.  ^ 

In  the  spring  of  1876  or  1877  Mr.  Atchison  commuted  his  claim, 
and  he  made  a  trip  to  Fargo,  then  going  by  stage.  He  saw  nineteen 
binders  at  work  on  a  Dalrymplc  farm.  His  trip,  which  cost  him  $30, 
was  taken  at  the  advice  of  a  neighboring  farmer  in  Pembina  county 
by  the  name  of  Joe  Brown.  Mr.  Atchison  had  $200  in  gold.  One 
dollar  in  gold  brought  $1.15  in  silver.  So  he  went  to  a  bank  in 
Fargo  and  exchanged  his  gold  for  silver  on  that  basis.  Then  with 
the  $230  thus  gotten,  he  bought  Agricultural  College  scrip  at  65  cents 
on  the  dollar.  He  then  used  the  scrip  at  face  value  to  pay  for  his  land. 

Mr.  Atchison  decided  to  leave  Pembina  countv  in  1880.  He 
thought  that  stock  raising  would  be  more  profitable  than  farming, 
for  the  price  of  stock  was  high.  A  cow  brought  from  $30  to  $50. 
He  sold  his  land  to  a  Mennonite  for  $1,200.  Mr.  Atchison  relates 
how  some  men  in  the  real  estate  business  in  Pembina  county  induced 
several  of  the  Mennonites  to  buy  timber  land  south  of  the  line  at  a 
high  price,  and  then  when  the  Mennonites  attempted  to  take  their 


'This  is  known  as  the  Delorme  Massacre.     It  occurred  July  5,  1874. 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  237 

timber  across  the  boundary,  were  not  allowed  to  without  paying 
heavy  duty.  The  result  was  that  all  the  Mennonites  soon  sold  the 
land  in  Pembina  county  at  a  loss  to  the  real  estate  men  who  had 
sold  it  to  them. 

With  stock  raising  in  view,  Mr.  Atchison  chose  land  near  that  of 
his  friend,  Alexander  Saunders.  He  paid  $70  for  Frank  Axtell's 
squatter's  right.  Mr.  Atchison  then  returned  to  Pembina  and  got  a 
team  and  plow  for  breaking.  In  the  fall  he  brought  his  family  and 
goods  to  his  new  home.  He  came  with  eighteen  head  of  cattle.  He 
had  some  difficulty  on  this  journey,  for  it  snowed,  and  the  prairie 
south  of  the  Goose  river  had  been  burned  over. 

As  these  earlv  settlers  were  near  the  mail  route  that  ran  from 
Valley  City  to  Lee,  Mr.  Saunders  suggested  that  Mr.  Atchison  apply 
tor  an  office.  The  application  was  made,  and  October  24,  1881,  the 
postoffice  of  Gallatin  was  started,  with  Mr.  Atchison  as  the  first 
postmaster. 

At  first  they  paid  the  carrier  to  stop  for  the  mail,  but  after  six 
months  he  was  obliged  to  bring  the  mail.  For  several  years  after 
the  railroad  came  to  Cooperstown  the  mail  was  carrijed  from  Valley 
City,  and  later  from  Cooperstown.  The  number  of  persons  who 
got  their  mail  at  the  Gallatin  postoffice  steadily  decreased  until  the 
rural  free  delivery  displaced  the  countrv  office.  It  was. discontinued 
July  14,  1905. 

ANDREW  PARK,  SR, 

Andrew  Park,  Sr.,  was  born  February  8,  1827,  at  Leonard,  town- 
ship of  Dalhousie,  Ontario.  His  parents,  together  with  the  Morgan, 
the  Stewart  and  the  Christie  families,  had  emigrated  from  Scotland 
to  Dalhousie  in  1826.  The  land  there  was  hillv  and  rockv,  inter- 
spersed  with  cedar  swamps.  The  farms  were  scarcelv  more  than 
garden  patches.  Here  Mr.  Park  spent  his  boyhood  days.  He 
worked  on  the  farm  with  his  father  until  he  was  about  nineteen, 
when  he  left  home  and  worked  in  the  lumber  camps  for  four  years. 
For  this  work  he  received  from  $10  to  $12.50  per  month.  In  1849, 
however,  Mr.  Park  went  west  about  four  hundred  miles  along  the 
Huron  Tract  to  the  township  of  Hibbert,  county  of  Perth,  near 
Lake  Huron.  The  Morgan,  Stewart  and  Christie  families  moved 
west  at  about  this  time,  and  also  took  up  land  in  the  township  of 
Hibbert.  At  this  place  there  was  a  heavy  timber  of  maple,  beech, 
elm  and  birch.  The  land  was  srood  when  cleared,  but,  as  Mr,  Park 
remarked.  "It  was  a  laborious  job  clearing  it."  In  1856  he  married 
Mary  McDougall,  of  Lanark  county  and  township  of  Sherbrooke. 
They  lived  in  Hibbert  until  1881 ;  by  that  time  the  land  became 
valuable,  selling  at  from  $50  to  $75  an  acre.  Mr.  Park  had  signed 
a  note  with  another  man,  and  the  hard  times  just  then  caused  him 
to  fail  in  business,  and  so  brought  on  the  loss  of  all  of  Mr.  Park's 
property.    The  only  thing  left  for  Mr.  Park  was  to  start  again.    As 


228  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Dakota  was  the  nearest  place  he  could  take  land  he  came  here.  At 
about  this  time  others  left  Canada.  There  was  Andrew  Morgan, 
who  wanted  to  start  out  for  himself,  and  so  came  where  land  was 
free,  and  Angus  Stewart,  who  was  a  carpenter,  who  wanted  land 
and  a  settled  home. 

In  July,  1881,  Mr.  Park  came  by  way  of  the  Grand  Trunk  railway 
to  Chicago,  then  by  way  of  St.  Paul  to  Buffalo,  N.  D.,  where  he 
worked  that  summer  at  $2.50  per  day.  After  filing  on  his  land  that 
fall  he  went  to  the,  woods  near  Gull  River,  Minnesota,  where  he 
received  $26.00  per  month  as  sawyer.  He  chose  his  land  where  he 
did  because  he  was  told  at  Valley  City  that  other  Scotch  i>eople 
had  settled  near  there. 

Mr.  Park's  family  came  to  Valley  City  in  1882.  From  there  they 
followed  a  trail  until  near  Willow  lake.  Then  they  came  over  the 
prairie  to  Andrew  Morgan's,  and  arri^^ed  at  their  farm  May  22, 1882. 
That  summer  they  lived  in  a  shanty  built  of  lumber  that  had  been 
hauled  from  Tovver  City.  This  shanty  was  not  water  tight.  Mrs. 
Park  said  that  "When  it  rained  out  it  rained  in." 

Mr.  Park  hired  Andrew  Morgan  to  break  five  acres  for  him.  He 
raised  a  few  potatoes  under  the  sod.  Being  on  the  prairie  they 
hauled  wood  from  the  river  for  fuel.  That  winter  he  and  his  sons, 
Alexander  and  Andrew,  worked  on  the  Cooper  farm  at  $26.00  a 
month.  His  sons  were  of  great  assistance  to  Mr.  Park  in  starting 
anew,  and  their  pioneer  experiences  are  practically  the  same  as  their 
father's.  At  first  the  buffalo  bones  were  so  numerous  in  some  places 
as  to  hinder  the  breaking  plow.  Mr.  Park  took  several  loads  to 
Hope  after  the  market  opened  there  and  used  the  money  for  needed 
clothing  and  provisions. 

Mr.  Park  was  the  first  treasurer  of  Riverside  township  and  was 
school  treasurer  until  his  hand  became  too  stiff  to  write.  He  died 
July  25,  1908. 

LUFXLEN    LADBURY. 

Lucllen  Ladbury  was  born  April  25,  1825,  at  Inkbury,  Wester- 
shire,  England.  He  was  the  younger  son  of  a  wealthy  man.  But 
the  English  law  of  inheritance  threw  him  on  his  own  resources.  He 
was  with  Sir  Charles  Mordant  for  twelve  years.  Before  coming  to 
America  he  was  gamekeeper  at  Warwick  castle.  When  the  prop- 
erty changed  hands  the  old  servants  were  discharged,  and  he  came 
to  America  in  1858.  After  a  voyage  of  twelve  days  and  three  hours 
he,  with  his  family,  arrived  at  Blenham,  North  Oxford,  Canada, 
where  they  lived  for  five  years.  Then  they  moved  to  Michigan, 
where  they  lived  eighteen  years. 

In  the  early  spring  of  1879  Hubbel  Pierce,  a  neighbor,  came  to 
see  the  land  in  Dakota.  He  wrote  back  that  wild  peas  grew  here — 
a  fact  which  Mr.  Ladbury  considered  a  sign  that  the  land  was  fer- 
tile.   In  July  of  that  year  he  came  to  see  for  himself.    He  returned 


STATE  OF  NORTH   DAKOTA  23 

■ , 

to  Michigan,  and  in  the  spring  of  1881,  after  selling  his  goods  at 
auction*  left  for  Dakota,  where  he  arrived  April  9,  1881. 

The  first  house  was  a  shanty  banked  with  sod,  while  the  stable 
was  made  of  logs.  Rumors  of  blizzards  and  hard  winters  had  come 
to  them  while  in  Michigan.  Accordingly  a  large  supply  of  fuel  was 
prepared.  The  winter  of  1881-1882  fulfilled  all  prophecies,  and  in 
order  to  keep  warm,  the  family  burned  part  of  the  sod  with  which 
the  house  was  banked.  Mr.  Ladbury  says  that  the  use  of  peat  in 
England  gave  him  the  idea. 

When  Mr.  Ladbury  came  he  brought  horses  and  some  machinery 
v.ith  li  ;n  He  bought  a  wire  binder  at  Valley  City  for  $325.  This 
he  had  used  only  a  short  time  when  it  was  destroyed  in  a  runaway. 
He  then  bought  a  twine  binder,  for  which  he  paid  $200.  The  Lad- 
bury family  lived  on  the  farm  until  1906,  when  the  farm  was  sold 
and  they  moved  to  Cooperstown. 

GEORGE    SLINGSIJY. 

George  Slingsby  was  born  at  Waukan,  Wisconsin.  He  came  to 
Dakota  in  April,  1883.  He  wished  to  start  for  himself,  and  as 
Charles  Palfrev  had  been  here  in  1881  and  recommended  this  land, 
he  came  here.  He  returned  to  Waukan  for  the  winter  of  1882-1883, 
and  came  to  his  claim  in  the  spring  of  1883  with  teams.  L.  J.  Stone 
filed  on  a  claim  when  Mr.  Slingsby  did,  but  he  remained  only  a  few- 
years.  Mrs.  Slingsby  came  in  1885.  Mr.  Slingsby  has  lived  in  Riv- 
erside continually,  and  has  been  prominent  in  township  aflfairs. 

GEORGE  SAUNDERS,  SR. 

George  Saunders  was  bom  at  Newpitslijro,  Scotland,  March  19, 
1825.  Plis  father  was  a  minister  whose  failing  health  obliged  him  to 
teach.  Before  leaving  Scotland  a  sale  was  held.  A  large  party  of 
relatives  and  neighbors  left  Scotland  at  the  same  time,  but  all  ex- 
cept eight  of  the  p.irty  remained  in  Manitoba.  They  left  Scotland, 
Apii'  10,  1882,  were  eighteen  and  one-half  days  on  the  sea,  and  ar- 
rived al  Valley  City  Alay  13.  1882.  They  crossed  the  Atlantic  on 
the  Manitoba  on  her  first  trip  up  the  St.  Lawrence  that  spring. 
Those  on  the  ship  who  were  without  reading  were  furnished  litera- 
Inre  by  the  National  Bible  society  of  Scotland.  At  Valley  City 
tlw  were  met  by  Alexander  Saunders  and  Alexander  Chalmers 
with  two  yoke  of  oxen  and  two  teams.  Thev  had  waited  at  Vallev 
City  seven  days  for  the  party  to  come.  As  this  was  a  spring  of  very 
high  water  they  met  some  difficulty  on  the  way.  At  one  place  in  the 
Getchell  neighborhood  north  of  Valley  Citv  they  mired  on  a  grade 
and  were  obliged  to  unload  the  goods,  haul  the  wagon  out  to  a  dry 
place  and  reload.  The  first  place  they  stopped  was  Andrew  Hender- 
son's, where  the  women  of  the  nartv  were  refreshed  with  bread,  svrup 
and  black  coffee.  They  pushed  on  the  same  night  and  arrived  at  Mr. 
Saunders*  home  at  about  midnight,  after  which  pancakes  were  baked 


240  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

to  relieve  the  hunger  of  the  party.  Mrs.  Saunders  died  February 
16,  1907.  Mr.  Saunders  now  lives  in  Washington,  where  he  is  en- 
gaged in  fruit  raising.  In  1892  his  daughter,  Jessie,  married  John 
Thomas  Gorman  and  moved  to  Washington.  She  returned,  how- 
ever, after  Mr.  Gorman's  death,  and  now  keeps  house  for  her 
brother,  Alexander  Saunders. 

ANDREW  MORGAN. 

Andrew  Morgan  was  born  in  Dalhousie,  Ontario.  His  mother 
was  Highland  Scotch  and  his  father  Lowland  Scotch.  He  came  to 
Dakota  to  start  life,  because  at  his  Canadian  home  land  was  too  high 
for  a  young  man  to  consider,  and  it  was  also  getting  too  crowded. 
His  father  offered  him  fifty  acres,  but  he  decided  to  try  his  fortune 
in  the  west. 

He  came  to  Dakota  in  March,  1882.  With  his  team  he  secured 
plenty  of  work ;  he  frequently  broke  land  for  new  settlers.  He 
hauled  some  lumber  for  the  boom  town  of  Mardell,  and  also  took 
land  seekers  from  Valley  City  or  Tower  City  to  look  over  the  coun- 
try. On  these  trips  he  carried  a  small  sheet  iron  stove,  which  he  set 
up  on  the  prairie  and  prepared  warm  meals.  When  Mrs.  Morgan 
arrived  in  1886,  Mr.  Morgan  had  home-made  furniture  entirely  and 
used  tin  dishes.  Mrs.  Morgan  related  that  they  had  a  large  number 
of  visitors  the  first  few  years,  because  there  were  so  few  places  on 
the  prairie  for  travelers  to  stay. 

Mr.  Morgan  was  chairman  of  the  first  school  board,  and  was  also 
one  of  the  first  board  of  supervisors. 

E.  C.  BUTLER  AND  B.  A.  UPTON. 

Edward  C.  Butler  was  born  October  24,  1844,  at  Bartlett,  New 
Hampshire,  and  went  with  his  parents  to  Xew  Glouster,  Cumber- 
land county,  Maine,  when  he  was  a  child.  During  his  sixteenth 
year  he  went  to  Indiana,  and  saw  his  seventeenth  birthday  in  Ignited 
States  service.  He  served  for  two  years  in  the  Twenty-third  Maine, 
2d  division  of  the  Third  army  corps.  Army  of  the  Potomac.  After  the 
war  he  tired  of  Maine  and  went  to  Nevada,  where  he  worked  in  a 
mining  camp  for  six  years.  When  the  work  failed  him  there  he  came 
to  Dakota.  He  arrived  in  May,  1882.  filed  on  a  homestead  in  Green- 
view  township,  and  has  lived  there  ever  since. 

Benjamin  A.  Upton  was  born  in  September,  1857,  in  Norway, 
Maine.  He  entered  into  a  partnership  with  Mr.  Butler,  which  lasted 
until  his  death,  April  2,  1901.  During  the  summer  of  1882  and  the 
following  winter.  Butler  and  I'pton  lived  in  Mardell,  where  tlicv 
kq)t  a  meat  market.  For  a  few  years  Mr.  Upton  carried  the  mail 
from  Tower  City  to  Mardell.  The  first  caucus  in  the  western  part 
of  Steele  county  was  held  at  his  home  in  the  fall  of  1881.  Delegates 
were  then  elected  to  the  first  county  convention  held  in  Steele 
countv. 


-im*  t. .ni-riain,  :'^  ■■:>■•<•'..  ,-:■ 
mev  ibt  ~»aeiir  hii:  i;  t^  ;(■■,  r\ 
brother  wa=  the  iaihrr  .m"  IVm. 
He  died  of  hean  failure  al  \  ,ill 


John  G.  BrowTi  was  Ivnn  liih  >iV  I'-ll  iii 
Illinois.  He  came  here  U-<v\\  Piiit  i ,  tlliii..i-  m  n 
land  lor  his  family  of  ninwiiiu  \'-i\'  Mi.  l-in 
1-ice  of  the  apenl,  William  DitK,  n  nuin  hIm  h  ■ 
borhood.  A  larjjc  nnmher  ni  lumlli'  •■  1i  ii  lli'< 
aboat  the  same  time  llie  IliiUMi  Imiiili  ill. I.  tim 
Mr.  Brown  botijitit  tlir  riclii  ..f  u  iH.-i-m-   ■•  \< 

about  forty  acres  on  lii\  rlnjiii      Ml  .i\  ili.  ii  , 

car  which  arrived  Mav   I",   M'"l       M"    Ithi.ii> 

furniture  and  machinerv,  li. -m.I.  ^  m*.  Ii  In 

plant  and  horseraili>.Ii  i.i.its  :iii.|  .  iim,iii<  Im  I.. 
mules  from  the  llpa'llywn  ( ■  H I   .•  ■■ 


James  H.  IJaMwit.  v^.. 

Reccai-ing  hi*  pu-'.- ;  ■ 

he  caTie  wtBt  i-ir  '■ 


STATE  OF  NORTH   DAKOTA  241 

Butler  and  Upton  had  large  landed  interests  in  both  Griggs  and 
Steele  counties.  They  were  also  taxpayers  of  Riverside.  At  present 
Mr.  Butler  has  a  large  herd  of  registered  shorthorns.  Cattle  from 
the  "Greenview  Stock  Farm"  are  now  being  shipped  to  various 
places  in  North  Dakota. 

ANGUS  STEWART. 

Angus  Stewart  was  bom  in  Dalhousie,  Ontario,  in  1840.  He  was 
a  carpenter  by  trade.  He  came  to  Dakota  to  make  a  settled  home  for 
himself  and  his  family.  In  1882  he  paid  $100  for  Robert  Wilson's 
right  to  his  claim.  His  family  came  by  train  to  Hope  in  1883.  They 
brought  with  them  one  horse  and  one  cow.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stewart 
knew  the  Gaelic,  but  it  is  an  accomplishment  not  shared  by  their 
children.  Mr.  Stewart's  mother  was  Kathryn  Livingston,  whose 
brother  was  the  father  of  David  Livingston,  the  African  explorer. 
Mr.  Stewart  pioneered  a  second  time  by  taking  up  land  in  Canada. 
He  died  of  heart  failure  at  Valley  City  in  April,  1906. 

JOHN   G.   BROWN. 

John  G.  Brown  was  born  July  10,  1844,  in  Henderson  county, 
Illinois.  He  came  here  from  Piper,  Illinois,  to  make  a  home  and  get 
land  for  his  family  of  growing  boys.  The  family  came  at  the  ad- 
vice of  the  agent,  William  Dick,  a  man  who  was  from  their  neigh- 
borhood. A  large  number  of  families  left  that  part  of  Illinois  at 
about  the  same  time  the  Brown  family  did,  and  settled  near  Hope. 
Mr.  Brown  bought  the  right  of  a  previous  settler  who  had  broken 
about  forty  acres  on  his  claim.  All  of  their  goods  were  shippcvl  in  a 
car  which  arrived  May  10.  1884.  The  family  brought  five  horses, 
furniture  and  machinery,  besides  such  luxuries  for  pioneers  as  pie- 
plant and  horseradish  roots  and  currant  bushes.  Mr.  Brown  bought 
mules  from  the  Broadlawn  farm  the  second  year  he  was  here. 

REV.   JAMES   H.    BALDWIN. 

James  H.  Baldwin  was  born  in  Spencertown,  New  York,  in  1814. 
Receiving  his  preliminary  training  for  college  at  Stockbridge.  Mass., 
he  came  west  for  his  collegiate  and  theological  courses  at  Oberlin, 
Ohio,  and  still  farther  west  to  begin  his  ministry.  He  commenced 
preaching  as  a  licentiate  in  the  Virginia  settlement  in  McHenry 
county,  Illinois,  and  after  a  year,  became  the  minister  of  what  is 
now  the  Presbvterian  church  of  Rid<2:efield,  Illinois.  There  he  was 
ordained  by  the  Ottawa  Presbytery  February  10,  1817.  He  re- 
mained here  seven  years,  when  failing  health  compelled  him  to  give 
up  preaching  for  a  time.  On  regaining  health  he  went  to  Wiscon- 
sin, where  he  worked  at  Baldwin,  Black  River  Falls,  Prescott  and 
other  places. 

In  the  winter  of  1878-1879,  after  correspondence  with  Rev.  Mr. 
Stevens,  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  church  of  Fargo,  Mr.  Baldwin 


242  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

came  to  North  Dakota  as  an  exploring  and  organizing  missionary 
between  Fargo  and  Jamestown.  With  one  exception  Mr.  Baldwin 
was  the  only  English  speaking  preacher  there.  At  that  time  Maple- 
ton,  Casselton,  Wheatland,  Valley  City  and  Jamestown  were  small 
villages.  Jamestown  was  then  a  little  old  dilapidated  shanty  town, 
formerly  a  temporary  terminus  of  the  railroad,  and  which  had  re- 
ceived supplies  for  Fort  Totten.  He  began  preaching  at  Mapleton, 
Wheatland  and  Jamestown  on  Sunday  and  at  Valley  City  during  the 
week.  The  railroad  furnished  him  a  free  pass,  which  continued  for 
several  years. 

On  Mr.  Baldwin's  first  visit  to  Jamestown  he  secured  the  use  of 
a  small  tarpaper  covered  shanty  belonging  to  a  young  man  who  was 
teaching  a  subscription  school  for  his  first  service,  on  condition  of 
his  furnishing  his  own  fuel  and  light.  He  hired  a  boy  to  draw  scwne 
wood  and  borrowed  some  lamps  of  neighbors.  In  the  morning  he 
had  eight  hearers,  in  the  evening  thirteen.  The  second  service  was 
held  in  the  depot,  and  afterwards  in  a  small  room  vacant  for  the 
winter.  In  the  spring  a  small  building  just  sheeted  up,  with  not 
even  the  cracks  battened,  was  used.  Here  the  first  Sunday  school 
was  organized.  Mr,  Baldwin  organized  Presbyterian  churches  at 
Jamestown,  Wheatland  (which  contained  a  settlement  of  Scotch 
and  Scotch-Irish  from  Canada),  Tower  City,  Mapleton,  Casselton 
and  Buffalo.  Sunday  schools  were  organized  at  all  these  places.  No 
organization  was  made  at  Valley  City.  The  Congregationalists  con- 
tested every  Presbyterian  organization. 

After  state  supplies  and  pastors  were  secured  for  the  towns  on 
the  main  line,  Mr.  Baldwin  established  Presbyterian  churches  at  Ayr, 
Page,  Colgate,  Broadlawn,  Galesburg  and  Erie.  In  his  work  in 
Dakota  Mr.  Baldwin  traveled  over  50,000  miles,  mostly  on  wheels 
and  runners.  In  his  travels  he  had  several  experiences  in  getting 
lost  on  the  trackless  prairies  in  winter. 

During  the  last  few  years  of  his  life  he  organized  a  church  at 
Hannaford  and  at  Baldwin,  a  place  named  in  his  honor.  He  preached 
at  Mardell,  and  also  at  Riverside,  but  in  neither  of  these  places  did 
he  make  a  church  organization.  Mr.  Baldwin  died  in  Cooperstown 
May  7,  1902,  in  his  eighty-eighth  year. 

ROYAL  DANIEL   ROSS. 

Royal  Daniel  Ross  was  bom  in  Brandon,  Vermont,  August  4, 
1830.  He  was  the  second  child,  there  being  a  daughter  younger  than 
he  and  one  son  older.  His  parents  were  Joseph  Gerry  and  Lavina 
Daniels  Ross.  His  father  was  a  practicing  physician  for  fifty-two 
years. 

In  early  life  Mr.  Ross  was  small  and  weak  owing  to  continued 
sickness,  and  this,  coupled  with  the  fact  that  his  eyes  were  not 
strong,  made  him  backward  in  his  studies.  A  severe  attack  of  the 
measles,  occurring  when  he  was  IG,  caused  such  permanent  improve- 


STATE  OF  NORTH   DlKKOTA  243 

ment  in  his  eyesight  that  he  was  enabled  to  take  up  his  academ:c 
work  at  Middlebur>-,  whither  his  parents  had  moved  in  1S39.  He 
graduated  from  M:d'llebiir>-  college  in  I'^o:?,  and  three  years  later 
he  took  his  master's  degree  from  the  same  institution. 

In  1852  he  and  his  brother  went  to  Kentuck\-  to  teach.  There 
\*-as  not  a  continuous  railroad  between  Buffal*^  and  Oeveland  at 
that  time,  and  Mr.  Ross  left  BuflFalo  on  a  lake  steamer  in  the  evening, 
arriv-ing  at  Oeveland  the  following  foren:-:n.  On  the  boat  he  no- 
ticed a  very  distinguished  looking  couple,  and  from  the  passengers 
he  learned  that  the  gentleman  was  a  Captain  Grant,  a  militarv-  officer, 
but  not  then  connected  with  the  U.  S.  army,  and  engaged  in  the  tan- 
nery business  somewhere  out  west.  From  Oeveland  to  Cincinnati 
ilr,  Ross  made  the  trip  by  rail,  and  to  Maysville,  Ky.,  by  river 
steamboat. 

Eighteen  fifty-two  was  the  cholera  year,  and  himdreds  of  people 
died  in  the  neighborhor<l  where  the  Ross  brothers  stayed.  Both  of 
them  contracted  the  disease,  but  as  it  was  but  a  light  form,  they 
soon  recovered.  During  the  summer  of  lSo3,  Mr.  Ross  was  invited 
to  attend  an  auction  sale  on  a  farm  nearby,  but  on  learning  that  some 
slaves  were  to  be  so!d,  he  declined  to  witness  what  to  him  was  a 
shameful  sight.  A  little  later,  when  a  beautiful  quadroon  girl,  em- 
ployed as  a  cor.k  by  a  neighbor,  escaped  to  Canada  in  company  with 
some  other  fugitive  slaves,  he  was  greatly  pleased,  ihoiijjh  he  was 
prudent  enough  to  keep  his  own  counsel.  This  fi^^t  experience  with 
the  actual  working  of  slaver>*  tilled  him  with  a  strong  desire  to  see 
it  ab*'j!ishei,  and  he  hoped  that  he  might  live  to  see  this  accomplished. 

In  l>^')o  he  married,  and  soon  after  this  he  decided  to  go  west. 
His  brother,  who  had  married  a  Kentuck\'  lady,  joined  him.  Mr, 
Ross  had  decided  to  go  to  Iowa,  but  he  was  persuaded  to  first  \'isit 
with  the  relatives  of  his  brother's  wife  in  northwestern  Missouri, 
Both  brothers  were  so  miKh  impresed  by  the  fertility  of  the  soil  and 
the  mildness  of  the  climate  here  that  they  bought  a  farm  and  decided 
to  stay.  When  the  Civil  war  broke  out  they  found  themselves  on 
opposite  sides  of  the  question  in  dispute.  This  region  of  Missouri 
was  at  first  strongly  secessionist,  which  made  it  difficult  for  Mr, 
Ross,  with  his  well  known  union  sympathies,  to  remain  here  and  keep 
out  of  trouble.  Repeatedly  both  brothers  hid  themselves  and  their 
horses  in  the  woods,  the  one  to  avoid  conscription  in  the  southern 
armv,  the  other  to  escape  hanging  or  shooting,  which  quite  often  was 
the  fate  of  a  union  man.  It  naturally  fell  to  the  lot  of  Mr.  Ross  to 
most  frequently  hide  himself  and  the  farm  horses  from  the  jay- 
hawkers  and  other  nicrht  raiders  who  infested  this  border  region. 
Mr.  Ross,  when  he  slept  at  the  house,  kept  ready  at  hand  a  heav\ 
com  knife,  his  only  weapon,  as  he  had  fully  determined  to  sell  his 
life  dearly  if  attacked. 

In  the  fall  of  ISG?  the  southern  army  was  driven  from  this  part 
of  Missouri,  and  the  older  brother  felt  compelled  to  go  to  Coimci! 


244  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


Bluffs.  Iowa,  after  selling  the  farm.  The  following  spring  both 
families  moved  to  this  city.  In  1863  Council  Bluffs  was  one  of  the 
great  centers  of  western  emigration,  as  was  also  I^avenworth, 
Kansas,  and  Nebraska  City,  Nebraska.  These  cities  were  the  points 
where  parties  going  west  made  final  arrangements  for  the  dangerous 
and  toilsome  trip  over  the  mountains.  Mr.  Ross  was  taken  with  the 
''Oregon  fever"  and,  finding  that  his  wife  was  willing  to  go,  they 
joined' a  party  under  the  leadership  of  Mr.  Holmes,  of  Cincinnati. 
They  left  Council  Bluffs  on  June  15,  1863,  passing  through  the  small 
town  of  Omaha  and  camping  the  first  night  a  few  miles  beyond  that 
place.  Mr.  Holmes  was  accompanied  by  his  wife  and  five  children, 
these,  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ross  and  one  child,  Mr.  Hines  and  Mr. 
Miller,  made  up  the  party.  In  about  a  week  they  overtook  another 
party  led  by  Capt.  Tuttle.  and  the  parties  combined  forces  thereaf- 
ter. In  another  week  they  had  overtaken  and  joined  another  wagon 
train  belone^ing  to  Edward  Creighton,  a  wealthy  man  living  in 
Omaha.  There  were  some  forty  wagons  in  this  train,  each  heavily 
loaded  with  merchandise  for  Salt  Lake  Citv.  Later  on  Holmes  and 
Tuttle,  with  whom  Mr.  Ross  traveled,  became  dissatisfied  at  the 
slow  pace,  and  pushed  on  ahead  of  the  Creighton  train  in  hope  of 
overtaking  the  Fisk  expedition,  which,  under  government  escort, 
was  on  its  way  for  Oregon  by  the  northern  route. 

Soon  after  this  they  joined  a  Mormon  train  of  five  wagons,  and 
from  this  time  they  made  better  time,  going  with  their  oxen  about 
100  miles  a  week,  and  arrived  at  Bannock  City  Seprtember  12,  1863. 

The  first  gold  discovery  in  that  region  was  on  a  little  stream  called 
Grasshopper  creek.  The  camp  was  given  the  name  of  Bannock 
City  from  a  small  tribe  of  Indians  of  the  region. 

It  was  a  lively  mining  town  in  1862.  In  1863  a  far  richer  and 
vastly  more  extensive  deposit  of  gold  had  been  discovered  about  'sev- 
entv  miles  from  Bannock,  in  what  came  to  be  known  as  Alder  Gulch, 
in  which  the  most  important  town  was  given  the  name  of  Virginia 
City.  Later,  when  a  new  territory  was  created  called  Montana,  Vir- 
ginia City  was  made  its  capital.  In  the  summer  of  1863  there  had 
been  such  an  exodus  of  people  from  Bannock  to  Virginia  City  that, 
when  the  Holmes  party  arrived  at  Bannock  City  in  September,  there 
were  quite  a  number  of  empty  cabins,  so  that  Holmes  soon  had  his 
family  under  a  roof,  as  did  Ross  and  the  other  members  of  the  party 
who  had  families. 

Holmes  immediately  planned  a  trip  to  Salt  Lake  valley  for  freight, 
and  in  a  few  days  was  on  the  road.  Freighting  from  Utah  was  very 
profitable,  often  as  much  as  one  thousand  dollars  being  made  on  a 
single  trip. 

A  few  days  after  arriving  in  Bannock  City  Mrs.  Ross  was  taken 
sick  with  mountain  fever,  and  died  October  28.  1863,  leaving  a  little 
boy  of  three,  motherless  in  the  new  and  wild  country  to  which  they 
had  emigrated. 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  245 

Mr.  Holmes  made  a  quick  and  profitable  trip  to  the  northern  settle- 
ments in  Utah  and  back.  Late  as  the  season  was  when  he  reached 
Bannock  City  with  his  freight  from  Utah,  he  had  determined  to  re- 
turn to  Utah  and  bring  in  some  more  freight  as  early  as  possible  in 
the  spring. 

Ross  arranged  with  a  woman  in  Bannock  City  to  take  care  of 
his  boy  till  he  should  return,  and  he  started  with  Mr.  Holmes  for 
Salt  Lake  on  the  25th  day  of  November. 

The  distance  from  Bannock  City  to  Salt  Lake  City  was  called  400 
miles,  and  for  considerably  more  than  300  miles  there  was  not  a 
house  or  a  human  habitation  of  any  kind.  To  undertake  so  long  a 
trip  so  late  in  the  season,  through  an  unsettled  country  with  two 
mountain  ranges  to  cross  with  wagons  drawn  by  oxen,  may  seem 
to  us  now  hazardous,  but  at  that  time  it  was  considered  quite  ordi- 
nary. The  party  consisted  of  Mr,  Holmes,  who  had  his  covered 
buggy  drawn  by  a  span  of  mules,  two  ox  drivers,  of  whom  Ross  was 
one,  a  French  cook  named  Miller,  and  a  family  named  Richardson. 
The  Richardson  family  had  a  large  Sibley  tent,  which  was  pitched 
as  soon  as  the  team  stopped  for  the  night.  The  party  cooked  and  ate 
in  the  tent,  and  most  of  its  members  slept  in  it,  but  Miller  and  Ross 
slept  together  in  a  wagon. 

After  a  difficult  journey  of  twenty-nine  days  they  reached  the 
northern  settlements  of  Utah,  where  they  stayed  that  winter.^ 

ROLLEN    C.    COOPER. 

RoUen  C.  Copper  was  born  in  Washnaw  county,  Michigan,  Sep- 
tmber  30,  1845.  In  1858  he  moved  to  Goodhue,  Minnesota,  where 
he  remained  until  1861.  In  that  year  he  went  to  Colorado,  where  he 
and  his  brother,  T.  J.  Cooper,  engaged  in  mining  for  twenty  years. 
Mr.  Cooper  came  to  Dakota  October  5,  1880.  He  outfitted  at  Fargo 
and  drove  to  his  present  location  by  way  of  Sanborn.  He  bought 
about  27,000  acres  of  railroad  land,  and  in  the  spring  of  1881  began 
breaking.  He  employed  a  large  number  of  men  and  teams  in  con- 
ducting these  farming  operations.  In  1881  he  raised  a  crop  of  oats, 
and  in  1882  his  first  wheat  crop. 

Mr.  Cooper  was  chiefly  instrumental  in  getting  the  railroad  to 
come  to  Cooperstown.  The  road  is  a  branch  of  the  Northern  Pa- 
cific, but  it  was  built  under  the  name  of  the  Sanborn,  Cooperstown 
&  Turtle  Mountain  railway.  About  sixty-five  friends  and  acquaint- 
ances of  Mr.  Cooper's  from  St.  Clair  county,  Michigan,  came  in  1881 
and  1882  and  formed  the  Cooper  settlement,  which  later  became  the 
town  of  Cooperstown.  Of  these  settlers  Mr.  Cooper  remembers  that 
the  families  of  Brown,  Washburn,  Barnard,  Glass,  Langford,  Will- 
iams, Houghton,  Bathie,  Hunter,  Crane,  K.  ThomjJson,  Smart,  Pink- 
erton,  Stevens,  Enger,  E.  Stair,  Dr.  Newell  and  Dr.  Kerr  came  in 
1881. 


*For  the  remainder  of  the  sketch  see  p.  231. 


246  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Mr.  Cooper  was  active  in  the  movement  to  make  Cooperstown  the 
county  seat.  As  a  vote  of  the  people  would  be  taken  on  this  ques- 
tion on  November  7,  1882,  the  townsite  was  surveyed  in  October  of 
that  year.^  Mr.  Cooper  says  that  the  following  winter  representa- 
tives of  both  the  Cooperstown  and  the  Hope  interests  lobbied  at  the 
legislature  for  the  division  of  the  county. 

Of  late  years  Mr.  Cooper  has  been  selling  his  land  and  breaking 
his  large  estate  into  the  usual  farms.  He  has  now  only  about  5,000 
acres  remaining  unsold.  He  still  is  actively  engaged  in  business  in 
Cooperstown,  where  he  is  more  contented  than  anywhere  else. 


HISTORY  OF  MARDELL,  BY  HENRY  A.  BEMIS. 


In  a  wide  portion  of  the  valley  of  the  Sheyenne  river  in  what  is 
now  Washburn  tovCnship,  Griggs  county,  ocupying  all  of  the  west 
half  of  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  thirteen,  about  seven  miles 
northeast  from  Cooperstown,  is  where  the  abandoned  town  of  Mar- 
dell  was  platted.  Its  situation  was  beautiful,  its  drainage  excellent. 
A  little  brook  called  Coal  creek,  which  ran  only  in  the  spring,  flowed 
from  the  east  and  cut  into  the  townsite  on  the  south,  and  excellent 
water  could  be  had  at  slight  labor  and  cost.  Had  it  not  been  for  cer- 
tain adverse  circumstances,  Mardell  might  have  been  todiy  another 
Valley  City  or  Jamestown. 

Mr.  Richard  P.  Sherman  and  his  brother  (who  had  a  large  inter- 
est in  the  townsite  company  which  they  afterwards  sold  to  Geo.  H, 
Ellsbury  at  a  loss)  had  the  foundations  laid  for  the  prospective  city 
by  Samuel  H.  Reynolds,  surveyor.  The  plat  made  by  him  was  filed 
at  Cooperstown  July  30,  1882,  and  at  Valley  City.  On  this  plat  the 
streets  were  run  east  and  west  and,  commencing  at  the  north,  were 
named  as  follows:  Robinson,  Lee,  Sherman,  Kindred,  Ellsbury, 
College,  Portland  and  Mill.  Beginning  on  the  west  the  avenues 
Sheyenne,  Cooper,  Park  and  Capital  run  north  and  south. 

The  advantages  of  this  townsite,  both  real  and  imaginary,  were 
widely  advertised  by  means  of  a  boom  map  issued  and  scattered 
broadcast  by  Mr.  Ellsbury,  in  which  Mardell  was  shown  as  a  great 
railway  center.  Inhabitants  then  came,  and  business  enterprises 
were  pushed  forward. 

II.  II.  Wasscm  put  up  the  first  stone  building,  which  is  still  stand- 
ing. John  Wamberg  and  Samuel  Axdahl  followed  with  a  dry  goods 
store,  in  which  was  a  drug  department.  Julius  Stevens  and  Anton 
Enger  put  in  a  hardware  store,  and  Mr.  Samuel  O.  Homme  a  black- 


'On  June  10,  1HS2,  the  county  seat  was  located  at  Hope  by  the  county 
commissioners  appointed  by  the  governor.  Allen  Breed,  R.  C.  C(K>pcr  and 
Wm.  A.  Glines.  On  November  7,  1882,  Cooperstown  was  made  the  county 
scat,  and  en  June  13,  18>'8,  the  county  was  divided. 


STATE  OF   NORTH   DAKOTA  247 

smith  shop.  Meat  was  furnished  by  Benjamin  Upton  and  Dubois 
Newell ;  machinery  by  Andrew  Johnson ;  land  business  was  entered 
into  by  Ole  Serumgard  and  Frank  Axtell.  A  town  lot  was  pur- 
chased by  the  Nelson  school  district  and  a  school  house  erected.^ 
Ole  Serumgard  was  the  first  teacher,  not  only  of  Mardell,  but  also 
of  Griggs  county.  No  saloons  were  allowed  in  the  place.  A  hotel 
named  the  Palace  was  erected  by  the  townsite  company,  and  Captain 
Martin  Robinson  was  chosen  manager.  Here  accommodations  were 
provided  for  home  seekers  going  north  and  west  for  Dr.  Virgo, 
whose  office  was  under  its  roof,  and  for  others  who  were  not  other- 
wise provided  for.  A  mail  route  ran  from  Tower  City  to  Lee. 
It  passed  through  Mardell,  which 'had  been  established  as  a  post- 
office  April  3,  1882,  with  Theodore  F.  Kerr  as  the  postmaster.  Mr. 
Robinson  was  deputy  postmaster,  for  Dr.  Kerr  lived  in  Cooperstown 
and  practiced  there. 

On  Sundays  Mr.  Robinson  conducted  an  informal  Sunday  school. 
Rev.  Lundeby  and  Rev.  James  H.  Baldwin  held  services  there  occa- 
sionally.* 

Mr.  E.  C.  Butler  and  William  Henderson  were  able  to  get  plenty 
of  work  as  carpenters  on  the  new  buildings.* 

Evidently  the  founders  of  this  typical  pioneer  town  of  North  Da- 
kota looked  for  great  things  to  come.  This  was  strengthened  by 
the  settler's  expectation  of  the  coming  of  the  railroad.  Plenty  of 
logs  could  have  been  cut  nearby  for  the  building  of  houses.  Some 
few  log  barns  werq  built,  but  homes  and  places  of  business  made  of 
logs  would  not  comport  with  the  ambition  of  this  town.  Therefore, 
lumber  was  hauled  from  Tower  City  or  Valley  City  for  the  first 
buildings  erected.  In  hauling  this  lumber  the  drive  was  broken  by 
stopping  over  night  at  EUsbury,  a  place  about  ten  miles  southwest 
of  Hope.  It  thus  took  four  days  to  make  the  trip.  As  the  Palace 
hotel  contained  twenty-four  rooms  and  some  of  the  other  buildings 
were  quite  large,  the  time,  money  and  labor  expended  were  no  small 
items. 

Mardell  and  Cooperstown  were  rivals  in  trying  to  get  a  railroad. 
A  branch  from  Sanborn  came  to  Cooperstown  in  the  summer  of 
1883.    There  was  a  general  understanding  that  the  Great  Northern 


*H.  H.  Wa^sem  and  John  Wamberg  engaged  in  business  in  Hope  after 
the  abandonment  of  Mardell;  Julius  Stevens  and  Anton  Enger  went  to 
Cooperstown;  S.  O.  Homme,  E.  C.  Butler,  B.  A.  Upton  and  Dubois  Newell 
farmed  in  the  vicinity.  Mr.  Stevens.  Mr.  Upton  and  Mr,  Newell  aro  now 
dead.  Samuel  Axdahl  afterward  became  superintendent  of  schooh  in 
Steele  County,  and  now  lives  in  Aneta. 

*Rcv.  Lundeby  was  in  the  vicinity  of  Mardell  as  early  as  1881.  .  He  worked 
in  a  neighboring  Norwegian  settlement  for  several  years.  He  died  in 
1807.    For  a  biography  of«  James  H,  Baldwin,  see  Appendix,  p.  241, 

*Mr.  Henderson  farmed  several  years  and  then  sold  out  and  returned  to 
his  old  home  in  Michigan. 


• 


• 


248  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 


railroad  would  extend  the  line  out  from  Hope.^  Their  expectations 
were  never  fulfilled,  however,  and  when  the  inhabitants  began  to 
see  that  their  hopes  for  a  town  would  never  be  fulfilled,  they  began 
making  their  preparations  for  leaving.  When  this  suspicion  was. 
confirmed,  the  buildings  were  torn  down  and  taken  away.  Their 
owners  one  by  one  followed,  and  in  1885  the  town  lots  were  sold 
for  taxes.  For  a  time  the  postoflfice  was  kept  by  S.  H.  Nelson,  of 
Steele  county,  and  later  by  Carl  Carlson.  It  was  discontinued  on 
December  30,  1899.  The  school  house  was  moved  entirely  off  the 
townsite,  and  is  now  used  as  a  granary  by  H.  A.  Sundin.  The  large, 
well  kept  hotel  was  cut  down  into  a  farm  house,  and  nC)w  a  grain 
field  occupies  most  of  the  townsite  of  Mardell, 


STORY  OF  MARDELL,  BY  OLE  SERUMGARD. 


Mardell  brings  back  many  old  memories  to  my  mind  that  have 
been  buried  for  years.  Mr.  Ellsbury  went  to  Everest,  Washington, 
and  I  believe  died  there;  his  partner,  I  think,  was  a  Tower  City 
banker  by  name  of  Sherman.  The  townsite  agent  was  Mr.  Lee,  but 
I  know  nothing  of  him  for  years.  I  have  lost  track  of  all  the  pioneers 
except  John  Wamberg,  of  Hope,  North  Dakota.  The  townsite  map 
made  Mardell  a  wonderful  railroad  center,  in  fact,  a  veritable  hub, 
the  proposed  lines  forming  the  spokes  of  the  wheel,  the  outside  rim 
of  which  to  our  vivid  imaginations  was  the  ends  of  the  world.  I 
remember  there  was  9ne  line  from  Valley  City,  one  from  Tower 
City,  the  Hope  branch  of  the  Great  Northern,  one  west  from  May- 
ville  and  Portland,  and  extensions  to  the  other  side  of  the  map  often 
passing  through  Mardell,  but  this  only  a  part  of  the  proposed  roads 
that  would  converge  at  the  future  metropolis.  I  came  over  there 
from  Mayville.  Had  to  get  out  of  that  town  by  walking  on  the 
railroad  bridge  south  of  town,  as  the  Goose  river  was  over  its  banks. 
I  struck  the  Sheyenne  river  at  Lee  postoffice,  and  ferried  over  the 
mile-wide  stream  in  a  wagon  box.  I  walked  down  the  west  side  of 
the  river  till  I  got  to  Lybeck  postoffice,  about  two  and  one-half  miles 


*The  following  is  a  quotation  from  a  letter  by  Richard  P.  Shcnnnn,  of 
Tower  City:  "NIr.  Elsbury  told  us  Mr.  Hill  had  promised  to  put  his  r>\il- 
road  through  Mardell.  Then  Mr.  E.  and  my  brother,  and  perhaps  onj  (-r 
two  others  interested,  had  a  personal  interview  with  Mr.  Hill,  wh:>  ttild 
them  that  if  they  would  go  to  the  expense  of  a  survey  through  and  out  of 
Mardell  by  a  regular  railroad  expert  and  bring  his  work  to  him  he  would 
put  his  road  through  Mardell  if  the  surveyor's  or  engineer's  notes  -showed 
it  feasible.  After  doing  this  survey  work  at  considerable  expense  the  not  s 
and  figures  were  submitted  to  Mr.  Hill  bv  Mr.  Elsbury,  my  brother  bcin;? 
present  at  the  interview.  Mr.  Hill  examined  the  notes  carefully  "^nd  siid 
to  Mr.  E.  and  my  brother,  "This  is  O.  K.  You  need  not  fear  to  jto  a'uMd 
with  your  outlay  and  advertising.     I  will  put  my  road  through  Mardell." 


••••   •:•••• 


(JALLATIN  POSTOFFICE 
MARDELL  TOWNSITE,  1908. 


'        »  I 


STATE  OF   NORTH   DAKOTA  249 

north  of  Mardell,  and  had  to  repeat  the  ferrying  process.  This  was 
in  April,  1882.  When  I  got  to  Mardell  there  was  already  there  en- 
closed, but  nearly  completed,  a  large  two-story  hotel,  owned  by  the 
townsite  company  and  run  by  Mr.  Robinson.  The  lumber  for  all 
the  buildings  had  been  hauled  from  either  Tower  City  or  Valley 
City.  There  was  also  on  the  ground  and  running  a  general  store, 
including  a  drug  store  owned  by  S.  J.  Axdahl  and  J.  J.  Wamberg, 
and  a  hardware  store  owned  b}'^  Julius  Stevens  and  Anton  Enger. 
A  Dane,  Andrew  Johnson,  and  I  put  up  a  small  office  building, 
where  we  engaged  in  the  proof  and  loan  business,  also  locating  set- 
tlers and  doing  a  general  land  business.  The  townsite  company  had 
an  agent.  Mr.  Lee,  who  tried  to  sell  lots.  Butler  and  Upton,  I  think, 
lived  there  that  summer,  while  they  opened  up  a  big  farm  southeast 
of  town.  Griggs  county  was  not  yet  organized,  and  I  got  signers 
for  a  petition  for  the  appointment  of  three  county  commissioners  who 
would  locate  the  county  seat  at  Mardell.  I  had  no  horses  and  could 
not  have  crossed  the  river  anyway  to  see  the  settlers  living  on  both 
sides  of  the  river,  so  I  walked  and  covered  the  ground  pretty  well. 
Governor  Ordway  was  governor  of  the  territory  and  had  to  pass  on 
the  petition.  The  town  of  Hope  had  been  located  in  Traill  county 
just  across  the  line  from  Griggs  county  territory.  It  was  owned  by 
Small  and  Steele,  of  the  Minneapolis  Big  Boston  Clothing  store,  and 
when  they  found  there  was  a  county  seat  to  be  had  they  moved  th6 
town  across  the  line  into  Griggs  county.  Hope  had  the  railroad, 
but  hardly  anv  settlers  near  it.  The  settlement  and  the  bulk  of  the 
population  was  on  the  Sheyenne  river  through  what  was  then  the 
center  of  Griggs  county,  and  justice  to  the  settlers  would  have  given 
our  set  of  commissioners  their  appointment,  but  Governor  Ordway 
made  a  trip  of  investigation.  He  promptly  refused  our  petition  and 
appointed  another  set  of  commissioners. 

The  county  seat  was  located  at  Hope  and  our  stock  fell.  We  tried 
to  work  up  a  vote  for  a  removal  of  the  county  seat  to  Maniell  that 
fall,  but  before  the  date  of  the  election,  R.  C.  Cooper  and  his  brother 
started  to  build  the  Sanborn,  Cooperstown  &  Turtle  Mountain  rail- 
road north  from  Sanborn.  The  town  of  Cooperstown  was  located, 
and  became  an  aspirant  for  the  county  seat.  It  would  be  sure  of  a 
railroad  the  next  year,  and  the  friends  of  Mardell  gave  up  the  fight. 
We  all  began  to  realize  that  the  greatness  of  Mardell  was  all  on 
paper  and  in  the  fertile  brain  of  EUsbury,  and  we  all  began  to  pre- 
pare to  remove  to  Cooperstown,  which  we  did  in  the  spring  of  1883. 
In  the  meantime  one  more  citizen  had  been  added  to  the  population 
of  Mardell  in  the  person  of  Frank  L.  Axtell.  We  formed  a  partner- 
ship in  the  land  and  loan  business.  He  was  lost  in  a  snowstorm, 
badlv  frozen,  and  had  to  have  the  toes  of  both  feet  amputated.  The 
following  spring  he  was  accidentally  shot  by  Daniel  Anderson.  Stev- 
ens and  Enger  moved  to  Cooperstown.  and  so  did  I.  Wamberg 
moved  to  Hope,  where  he  still  lives.     Samuel  AxjlaJil.^eJjtJout  of 


•  •    •  • 


250  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 

business  and  went  to  farming.  The  townsite  agent,  Lee,  had  de- 
parted long  before  the  final  desertion.  The  Robinson  family  still 
lived  in  the  hotel  during  the  summer  of  1883.  I  taught  the  first 
school  in  Griggs  county,  I  think,  in  a  little  log  house  on  the  farm 
of  Pioneer  Nelson,  a  mile  north  of  Mardell.  It  was  the  Mardell 
school,  and  the  Robinson  children  among  others  were  my  pupils, 
but  there  was  no  quarters  in  the  little  village,  so  the  board  secured 
this  little  old  log  house.  This  was  during  the  winter  of  1882  and 
1883. 


Park  Congregational  Church  at  Riverside. 

Rev.  Edwin  S.  Shaw,  of  Cooperstown,  was  asked  to  preach  in 
Riverside,  and  did  so  every  two  weeks,  from  June  1.  1898,  until  th;* 
organization  of  the  Park  Congregational  church  on  January  1,  1899. 
He  was  assisted  by  Hans  J.  Jager,  a  graduate  student  of  Carlton  col- 
lege, Minnesota.  Thirteen  charter  members  united  in  the  organiza- 
tion, officers  were  electcfl  and  a  Sunday  school  established.  The 
members  afterward  grew  to  twenty-five  by  the  addition  of  others, 
but  constant  removals  always  kept  the  actual  membership  small. 


Names  of  Setti.ers  at  Riverside  Before  1884. 

Heads  of  families.  Andrew  Park,  Sr.,  Angus  Stewart,  George 
Saunders,  Sr.,  Luellen  Ladbury,  L.  J.  Stone,  Henry  Palfrey,  Porter 
Kimball,  Robert  Bussy,  Thomas   Mcllroy,   Frank  Merritt,  R.   F. 

Hadwin.  John  Kitchen,  William  Jones,  J.  A.  Day, Meyers, 

Joseph  Snvder. 

Without  families,  Andrew  Morgan.  George  Slingsby,  Charles  Pal- 
frey, Charles  Connor,  Glenn  Dyson,  S.  J.  Pound. 


List  of  Old  Tunfs  Played  by  Andrew  Park,  Jr. 

Johnnie  Carmichael  and  Sandy,  The  Flower  of  Edinburgh,  The 
Beaux  of  (^ak  Hill.  Miss  McLeod's  Reel,  Durang's  Hornpipe.  Gil 
Duroy.  Royal  Charlie.  My  I.ove  She's  But  a  Lassie  Yet,  White 
Cockade.  My  Sallie's  Nice  Knoutrh  for  Any  Man,  The  Camj)bells 
Are  Coming.  The  l»racs  o'  Mar.  There's  \ae  Good  Luck  Aboot  the 
House,  Auld  Lang  Syne.  Lizzie  and  Charlie,  The  Harvest  Is  All 
Over  and  the  INnuoes  Are  All  Dug,  Over  the  Hills  and  Far  Away. 
The  Queer  Folk  in  the  Shaws.  Duncan  (iray,  Neil  (low's  Farewell 
to  Whiskey,  Jennie  Xettles.  The  De'il  Among  the  Tailors,  Thv.- 
Crafty  Wee  Bovs.  Johnny  O'Xeil,  Green  (irows  the  Rushes.  O.  The 
Soldiei^/JftT:  TJie  Devil's  Dream,  St.  Patrick's  Day  in  the  Morning. 


STATE  OF  NORTH   DAKOTA  251 

King  WiHiam  Crossing  the  Boyne,  Rory  O'Moore,  The  Green  Fields 
of  America,  Rocky  Roads  to  Dublin,  Johnson's  Clog,  The  Bottom 
of  the  Punch  Bowl,  Pat  and  Nellie,  British  Grenadiers,  The  Captain 
With  His  Whiskers,  The  Oak  Stick,  Ricket's  Hornpipe,  Flannigan's 
Ball,  Slide  Schottische,  Coming  Through  the  Rye,  Navy  Island  Reel, 
Military  Schottische,  Wearing  of  the  Green,  Semicircle,  Honest 
Johnnie,  Nellie  Gray,  Nellie  Ray,  Mollie  Darling. 


Typical  Scotch  Dishes. 

Oatmeal  Brose, — Oatmeal  and  salt  with  boiling  water  poured 
over  it.  Eat  with  cream  and  sugar.  This  is  a  bachelor  dish — easily 
made. 

Hatch  Patch, — Soup  bone  cooked  with  all  kinds  of  vegetables. 

Oatmeal  Bread, — Made  from  Scotch  oatmeal  and  salt  and  cold 
water.  Spread  thin  on  a  griddle  and  fry.  Quarter  and  turn  to  bake 
both  sides. 

Hard  Bread, — Made  much  like  oatmeal  bread,  only  made  richer 
with  buttermilk  and  shortening.  After  baking  leave  before  the  fire 
to  thoroughly  dry.    Used  for  Sundays,  holidays,  company,  etc. 

Scones, — Made  like  biscuits  from  wheat  flour.  It  is  always  made 
with  sour  milk  and  soda.  They  are  spread  out  on  a  griddle  and 
fried.    Much  in  use  by  people  who  have  no  ovens. 

Haggis, — Stomach  of  a  sheep  filled  with  oatmeal,  suet,  heart, 
lungs,  seasoned  and  made  into  a  mince.  Boil  well  and  serve  hot. 
Used  at  Burns  or  St.  Andrews  celebrations. 

White  Pudding. — Large  intestines  filled  with  suet,  oatmeal  and 
seasoned  with  pepper  and  salt.    Boil  well  and  then  thoroughly  dry. 

Potato  Scones, — ^Wheat  flour  mixed  with  fine  mashed  potato  and 
made  as  other  scones. 


::• 


•••  -• 


*  » 


BIOGRAPHY— SKETCHES  OF  DECEASED 

MEMBERS 


J.  H.  BOSARD 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  255 


SKETCH  OF  JAMES  HUNTINGTON  BOSARD. 

M.   H.  BRENNAN, 

No  better  pen  picture  of  the  boyhood  and  youth  of  the  late  James 
Huntington  Bosard  can  be  given  then  the  following  from  a  letter 
written  by  Hon.  Charles  Tubbs,  of  Osceola,  Pa.,  an  early  friend  and 
associate  of  our  subject: 

"James  Huntington  Bosard  was  bom  April  21,  1845,  at  Osceola, 
Pa.  (my  native  place),  and  was  twenty-two  months  younger  than 
myself. 

"In  the  common  school  we  were  playmates,  seatmates,  classmates. 
I  can  speak  of  his  ancestry.  I  can  speak  of  him  during  the  years  of 
his  youth. 

"The  name  originally  was  Bosserdt.  His  great  grandfather,  Ma- 
lachi,  having  emigrated  from  Germany  to  Pennsylvania  at  a  date 
not  definitely  known.  His  paternal  grandfather,  Andrew,  married 
Nancy  Hammond,  of  Connecticut ;  her  mother  was  Sibyl,  daughter 
of  James  Huntington,  a  near  relative  of  Samuel  Huntington,  one  of 
the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  For  this  great 
grandfather  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  named.  Bosserdt,  Boz- 
zard,  Bossard,  Bosard,  is  the  ev(?lution  the  name  has  gone  through 
in  the  process  of  Americanization.  His  father,  Andrew  Keller 
Bosard,  began  business  life  as  a  carpenter,  but  became  a  contractor, 
manufacturer,  speculator  and  promoter.  He  had  large  local  influ- 
ence, was  a  colonel  of  militia  and  for  twenty-two  years  a  magistrate. 
His  mother  was  Hetty  Elvira  Gibson  Cilley,  who  was  descended  in 
the  seventh  generation  from  Captain  Robert  Seeley,  who  came  to 
Watertown,  Massachusetts,  in  1630.  From  the  above  recital  it  will 
be  seen  that  J.  H.  Bosard  in  blood  was  one-fourth  Pennsylvania 
German  and  three- fourths  New  England  Yankee. 

'He  was  physically  a  handsome  child,  had  large  expressive  eyes 
peeping  out  beneath  an  ample  brow.  In  mind  he  was  precocious 
beyond  any  person  I  ever  knew.  He  had  an  especial  grasp  of  math- 
ematics, being  able  in  childhood  to  unravel  the  intricacies  of  the 
problem  puzzles  of  Warren  Colburn's  Intellectual  Arithmetic.  The 
winter  before  he  was  ten  years  old  he  completed  in  course  Davis' 
Written  Arithmetic,  "designed  for  academies  and  schools."  It  cost 
him  no  effort  to  do  this.  When  he  read  or  had  read  to  hi  ma  mathe- 
matical proposition  he  at  once  mentally  apprehended  it.  He  never 
recited  definitions  or  rules  verbatim.  He  could  explain  them  in  his 
own  lancruacje.  Whether  he  was  busy  at  plav  or  at  work  in  the  gar- 
den or  his  father's  brickyard,  there  was  no  breakdown,  no  toppling 


256  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


over  of  the  mental  faculties.  He  was  always  ready  to  cut  school  to 
help  a  dog  dig  out  a  wood  chuck.  He  was  not  over  studious  in 
books.  He  learned  much  in  listening  to  the  recitations  of  the  more 
advanced  pupils.  He  thus  often  surprised  his  teacher  by  knowing  all 
about  the  lessons  in  advance  of  his  class. 

"In  manner  and  attitude  he  was  supremely  confident.  In  school 
games  or  class  exercises  he  had  complete  assurance  that  he  was  cor- 
rect and  that  he  and  his  side  were  at  the  head.  He  thus  made  a 
capital  leader  in  a  contest  of  physical  or  mental  skill.  He  bore  de- 
feat (when  it  came  his  way)  with  the  air  of  a  victor.  When  he  won 
and  when  he  lost  he  was  on  hand  to  again  try  conclusions  with  the 
odds  against  him.  His  congratulations  to  a  successful  opponent  were 
most  heartv  and  sincere — he  was  his  friend.  The  contest  was  over 
and  bygones  were  bygones.  He  thus  made  and  held  friends  who 
esteemed  him  through  life. 

**The  ease  with  which  he  acquired  all  kinds  of  knowledge  did  not 
make  him  shun  work.  He  was  active  and  industrious.  His  mind 
was  full  of  projects  which  he  was  anxious  to  work  out  and  to  which 
he  did  not  hesitate  to  put  his  hands.  In  the  years  of  his  advanced 
schooling  he  could  carry  the  schoors  programme  and  at  the  same 
time  earn  his  own  living." 

Mr.  Bosard's  father  was  provost  marshal  during  the  Civil  war. 
His  grandfather,  Andrew,  was  a  native  of  Monroe  county.  Pa.,  and 
served  his  countrv  in  the  war  of  1812. 

Our  subject  was  a  good  Latin  student.  At  the  age  of  fourteen 
he  attended  the  Wcllsboro  academy,  and  while  there  made  his  home 
with  the  family  of  Rev.  X.  L.  Reynolds,  whose  daughter,  Miss  Rey- 
nolds, was  at  one  time  matron  of  the  University  of  North  Dakota, 
and  whose  wife  had  charge  of  the  mother  work  of  the  W.  C.  T.  U. 
of  Pennsylvania. 

At  an  early  ai^e  he  taught  school  in  his  native  village.  His  father 
and  mother  were  both  school  teachers.  He  began  the  study  of  law 
at  Wellsboro  in  the  otTice  of  'M.  F.  Fllliott.  now  counsel  for  the 
Standard  Oil  Company,  and  subsequently  attended  the  State  Xormal 
School  at  Mansfield,  from  which  he  graduated  in  ISOG.  He  taught 
school  at  Addison,  X.  Y.,  for  two  years,  and  then  resumed  his  law 
stuJies  at  Wellsboro,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1870,  and  formed  a 
partnership  with  Mr.  Klliott,  which  continued  seven  years. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that  he  and  l*^x-( Governor  William  A. 
Stone,  of  Pennsylvania,  were  law  students  together  and  close  friends 
during  their  early  practice  at  Wellsboro.  ( Governor  Stone's  estimate 
of  him  as  a  young  man  and  as  a  lawyer  at  that  time  deserves  to  be 
quoted.  He  writes:  "As  I  knew  him  he  was  a  worker  and  seeker 
after  truth.  We  all  looked  upon  him  as  something  beyond  the  ordi- 
nary— a  student  who  worked  hard  to  get  at  the  principle.  He  was 
splendid  in  this  respect.  He  was  an  ardent  searcher.  For  thirty-one 
years  I  have  known  nothing  of  him.  If  he  did  not  Ixxome  a  great 
lawyer,  then  all  our  prophecies  were  wrong." 


STATE  OF   NORTH   DAKOTA  257 

Mr.  Bosard  was  married  in  1872  to  Miss  Rebecca  Faulkner, 
daughter  of  Dr.  Faulkner,  of  Erie,  Pa.  Mrs.  Bosard  took  a  leading 
part  in  the  social  and  musical  activities  of  Grand  Forks.  She  was 
one  of  the  original  members  of  the  Thursday  Musical  club,  often 
contributing  to  its  success  by  her  skill  at  the  piano  and  in  literary 
contributions. 

He  had  three  younger  brothers,  George,  Jerome  and  William,  all 
deceased.  Also  three  sisters,  Mrs.  Marie  Mitchell,  now  of  Devils 
Lake,  N.  D. ;  Mrs.  Florence  Bierly,  who  died  at  Williamsport,  Pa., 
in  1875,  and  Mrs.  Sarah  Bierly,  who  died  in  1907,  survived  by  her 
husband,  Willis  M.  Bierly,  a  publisher  in  Philadelphia,  and  formerly 
of  Cirand  Forks. 

Mr.  Tubbs  calls  the  Bosard  family  German,  but  they  were  Swiss 
German.  They  were  in  Lucerne  in  the  early  part  of  the  IGth  cen- 
tury. In  a  conversation  years  ago  Mr.  Bosard  informed  the  writer 
their  family  was  Helvetian,  and,  although  about  the  time  of  Caesar 
that  valiant  race  disappeared  from  history,  some  to  mingle  with  the 
encroaching  Germans,  others  to  merge  in  the  greater  Gaul,  yet  the 
blood  probably  is  distinguishable,  and  it  may  be  hazarded  from  what 
is  known  of  our  subject's  political  loyalty,  that  if  he  could  have  been 
present  in  the  famous  struggle,  he  would  have  been  found,  not  with 
Caesar's  trimmers,  but  with  the  knightly  Vercingetorix,  fighting  the 
last  battle  for  Gallic  libertv. 

When  the  partnership  with  Mr.  Elliott  was  dissojved,  the  old 
Helvetian  blood  asserted  itself  and,  becoming  restive  within  the  nar- 
row confines  of  Tioga  county,  our  subject  looked  longingly  towards 
the  great  west.  At  that  time  he  could  have  had  no  proper  concep- 
tion of  the  Dakotas  of  today.  But  even  in  its  prairie  state,  Dakota 
must  have  seemed  to  him  a  land  of  great  promise  when  he  arrived 
here  in  1878  and  established  himself  at  Grand  Forks  in  his  chosen 
profession.  Twenty-eight  years  later,  in  October,  1907,  when  he 
was  arguing  his  last  case  in  the  supreme  court  of  the  state,  he  could 
have  cited  the  113th  volume  of  the  Northwestern  Reporter,  the  first 
volume  of  which  was  published  in  1879  when  he  arrived  in  Dakota. 
.  In  the  fabric  of  that  publication  his  life  had  been  interwoven  with 
the  lives  of  many  other  attorneys.  He  was  successful  in  a  majority 
of  nearly  a  hundred  of  his  cases  which  were  taken  to  the  court  of 
last  resort.  As  he  was  generally  opposed  by  lawyers  of  the  best 
standing  in  the  state,  who.  of  course,  might  also  be  expected  to  score 
an  average  success,  his  ability  as  a  lawyer  of  the  first  rank  in  his 
adopted  state  is  firmly  established.  From  a  few  characteristics  cited 
above  by  Mr.  Tubbs,  it  will  be  seen  that  Mr.  Bosard  early  formed 
the  habit  of  solving  problems  mentally,  and  from  that  we  might 
readily  infer  his  unusual  ability  to  carry  in  his  head  all  the  facts  of  a 
complex  transaction.  In  truth,  the  leading  feature  of  our  subject's 
ability  was  his  faculty  of  marshalling  facts  and  presenting  them  to 
the  court  or  jury  in  the  most  lucid  and  forcible  manner.  Bosard's 
mind  was  mercury  to  the  ore  of  evidence,  and  when  the  shapeless 


258  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

mass  of  material  had  passed  through  the  trial  process,  he  was  able 
to  present  the  result  in  shining  nuggets  of  truth.  Having  a  well 
trained  memory  and  clear  brain  he  was  easily  a  fluent  speaker,  and 
became  very  useful  in  matters  of  public  discussion,  particularly  as 
speaker  in  campaigns  for  the  Republican  party,  of  which  he  was  a 
conscientious  and  devoted  member. 

His  most  notable  civic  services  were  rendered  in  establishing,  de- 
veloping and  building  up  the  State  Bar  association,  of  which  he  was 
president,  vice  president  and  member  of  executive  committee.  Many 
valuable  statutory  modifications  of  the  law  were  due  to  the  exertions 
of  our  subject  and  his  co-worker,  the  lamented  Seth  Newman. 
Through  their  exertions  and  their  fearless  prosecution  of  infractions 
of  rules  governing  attorneys'  conduct,  the  standard  of  the  bar  has 
been  raised.  Mr.  Bosard  was  also  a  member  of  the  American  Bar 
Association,  and  attended  the  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  session  of  that  body. 
He  was  state's  attorney  of  his  native  county  before  coming  to  Da- 
kota and  was  state's  attorney  of  Grand  Forks  county  for  one  term 
and  city  attorney  of  Grand  Forks  for  several  terms. 

He  gave  his  name  and  talen  freely  to  all  civic  movements  in  his  dis- 
trict and  deserved  well  of  his  home  and  party,  but  notwithstandinghis 
political  loyalty,  either  because  of  political  barter  among  pretended 
non-partisans,  or  because  of  that  fatuity  which  attends  unselfishness, 
when  he  aspired  to  judicial  honors  near  the  term  of  his  distin- 
guished career,  the  prize  was  like  the  talisman  shown  to  tantilizingly 
by  the  bird  in  the  story : 

"On  branch  after  branch  alighting, 

The  gem  did  she  still  display, 
And  when  nearest  and  most  invitin^r. 

Then  waft  the  fair  gem  away." 

He  was  fortunate  in  his  professional  associates.  Several  of  these 
have  been  mentioned.  He  was  also  a  partner  of  Hon.  Guy  C.  H. 
Corliss  before  the  latter  became  the  state's  fiist  chief  justice.  In 
his  later  years  his  son,  Robert  H.,  studied  in  his  office,  and  then  at- 
tended the  Columbian  law  school,  and  after  admission  to  the  bar; 
was  his  father's  partner  till  he  went  to  Minot,  where  he  is  now  city 
attorney. 

His  other  children  are  Florence  H.,  now  ^Trs.  Sidle  Lawrence, 
of  Los  Angeles,  Cal. ;  Helen  B.,  wife  of  Major  Farnsworth,  U.  S. 
A.,  stationed  at  Fort  Wayne;  Gerald  F. ;  Sarah  K.,  now  Mrs.  Ray 
Jackson,  of  Grand  Forks,  N.  D.,  and  Daphne,  now  Mrs.  J.  P.  Mar- 
quette, wife  of  Attorney  Marquette,  of  Minot. 

Our  subject  died  at  Grand  Forks,  X.  D.,  on  November  1,  1907,  of 
paralysis  resulting  from  a  cerebral  abcess.  He  was  not  so  fortunate 
as  his  work  deserve.d,  but  he  has  left  in  his  reputation  a  treasure  of 
character  and  mind  that  the  weahliicst  mi<^ht  envy.  He  and  his 
esteemed  wife  saw  in  their  family  the  promise  of  something  greater 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  259 

than  laurels  or  lucre,  the  perpetuation  of  ancestral  talents  and  social 
qualities : 

"As  the  reflection  of  a  light 

Between  two  burnished  mirrors  gleams, 
Or  lamps  upon  a  bridge  at  night 

Stretch  on  and  on  before  the  sight 
Till  the  long  vista  endless  seems." 


260  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 


SKETCH  OF  ANTON  GRETHEN. 

LEROY  JACKSON. 

On  March  20,  1907,  Anton  Grethen  died  at  his  home  in  Minne- 
apolis. He  had  moved  to  that  city  a  few  months  previous  from  Har- 
vey, N.  D.,  in  order  to  undergo  medical  treatment  for  cancer. 

Mr.  Grethen  was  born  in  Daun,  Prussia,  November  19,  1834,  and 
came  to  this  country  in  1851^,  settling  first  in  Galena,  Illinois,  and  two 
years  later  coming  to  St.  Paul,  where  he  studied  law  in  the  oflFice  of 
Brisbin  &  Bigelow,  one  of  the  distinguished  firms  of  the  Minnesota 
bar  in  the  early  days.  In  1858  he  was  admitted  to  practice,  locating 
first  in  St.  Anthony  and  soon  after  in  Minneapolis,  Minnesota. 

Upon  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war,  Mr.  Grethen  enlisted  as  a 
volunteer  and  joined  the  First  Minnesota  battery,  serving  therein  as 
quartermaster  sergeant.  He  took  part  in  the  battles  of  Shiloh,  Fort 
Donelson  and  the  siege  of  Corinth,  and  was  thereafter  honorably  dis- 
charged owning  to  disability,  and  returned  to  Minneapolis. 

In  1864  he  was  elected  auditor  of  Hennepin  county  on  the  Repub- 
lican ticket,  and  was  twice  re-elected.  Later  he  became  an  independ- 
ent in  politics,  and  was  elected  alderman  of  the  First  ward,  as  an  in- 
dependent in  1880. 

During  the  early  days  Mr.  Grethen  was  very  active  among  his 
fellow  German-Americans,  and  was  one  of  the  prime  movers  in  the 
organization  of  the  old  Harmonia  and  Turners*  societies.  In  co- 
operation with  Dr.  A.  Ortman  he  foun.led  and  edited  (gratuitously) 
the  Minneapolis  Freie  Presse,  now  the  Freie  Presse-Herald.  He 
was  also  the  first  director  of  the  Harmonia  Singing  society,  giving 
his  services  to  this  and  other  similar  causes.  He  was  a  founder  and 
an  early  member  of  the  Liberal  league  and  an  original  stockholder 
of  the  Minneapolis  Athenaeum,  and  was  also  at  one  time  a  member 
of  the  board  of  education. 

During  his  long  practice  as  a  lawyer  he  had  associated  with  him  as 
partners  at  different  times,  Daniel  G.  Shillnck,  Judge  L.  L.  Baxter, 
S.  A.  Reed,  R.  L.  Penney,  C.  A.  Ebert  and  James  \'.  McHugh. 

In  1901  Mr.  (irethen  moved  to  Harvey,  N.  D.,  and  became  as- 
sociated in  law  practice  with  his  son.  Otto  Grethen,  who  had  pre- 
ceded him  there.  He  remained  there  until  the  fall  of  190G,  when 
he  moved  back  to  Minneapolis  for  the  purpose  of  undergoing  medical 
treatment  for  the  affliction  which  resulted  in  his  death. 


MR.  ANTON   GRETHEN 


■■■ 


C.  J.  ATKINS'  LOGS  OF  THE  MISSOURI 
RIVER  STEAMBOAT  TRIPS,  1863-1868, 

WITH  APPENDIX 


STATE     OF     NORTH     DAKOTA  263 


SKETCH  OF  CAPTAIN  C.  J.  ATKINS. 

Carrol  Jones  Atkins  was  born  in  Waterbury,  Vermont,  November 
5,  1837.  His  father  was  John  Albro  Atkins,  whose  family  had  re- 
moved from  Claremont,  New  Hampshire ;  his  mother,  Abigail  Rood, 
was  born  at  Waterbury.  An  uncle,  Oliver  C.  Rood,  a  lawyer,  lived 
at  St.  Charles,  Missouri,  with  his  family,  a  wife  and  two  daughters. 

After  working  on  the  farm  of  a  neighbor  for  two  years  at  the 
small  wages  of  $30  and  $50  a  year,  Atkins  decided  to  go  west.  On 
October  8,  1855,  he  took  the  train  for  Ogdensburg,  New  York, 
whence  a  steamer  carried  him  to  Lewiston  on  Lake  Ontario.  From 
here  he  went  by  rail  to  Buffalo  and  by  steamboat  to  Detroit.  By 
rail  he  reached  Alton,  Illinois,  and  on  October  14  he  reached  St. 
Charles,  Missouri.  This  was  shortly  before  the  Gasconade  accident 
on  a  trestle  of  the  newly  completed  Missouri  &  Pacific  railroad.  For 
about  a  year  he  kept  books  for  a  lumber  yard  and  then  rented  and 
worked  a  farm  near  St.  Charles  for  two  years.  But  he  had  the 
fever  and  ague  continually  and  had  to  give  up  farming.  He  made  a 
visit  to  his  home  in  the  fall  of  1859,  and  he  recalls  that  he  was  there 
during  the  John  Brown  trial.  Upon  his  return  to  St.  Charles  he 
v^orked  as  clerk  in  the  shoe  store  of  W.  C.  Bodl,  and  after  his  death 
he  worked  in  a  grocery  store.  While  clerking  here  he  met  Captain 
J.  G.  Owen,  superintendent  of  the  St.  Charles  ferry,  who  traded  at 
the  store.  Mr.  Owen  came  to  have  regard  for  Atkins,  and  persuaded 
him  to  learn  the  trade  of  pilot  on  the  ferry.  In  the  summer  of  1860, 
after  a  week's  apprenticeship,  Atkins  began  his  work  as  pilot  on  the 
St.  Charles  ferry  line,  which  position  he  held  until  he  became  a  Mis- 
souri river  steamboat  pilot.  Soon  after  beginning  work  as  a  ferry 
pilot,  Atkins  was  induced  by  Captain  J.  P.  McKinney,  pilot  on  the 
Carrier,  to  go  with  him  on  a  trip  to  Glasgow.  From  this  time  his 
salary  was  increased  until  in  1863  he  was  receiving  $100  a  month, 
greater  pay  than  any  ferry  pilot  in  the  district  was  receiving.  In  the 
spring  of  1863  Captain  J.  P.  McKinney  asked  Atkins  to  ^o  on  the 
Robt.  Campbell,  Jr.,  to  Fort  Benton  with  him  and  learn  piloting  on 
the  Missouri.  Mr.  Owen  tried  to  induce  him  to  remain  on  the  ferry, 
but  though  the  Fort  Benton  trip  brought  no  pay  and  no  return  ex- 
cept experience,  the  temr  cation  to  go  was  too  great  to  be  resisted. 
He  bought  a  gim  and  ammunition  and  joined  the  Robt.  Campbell,  Jr., 
for  the  first  trip  to  the  mountains,  as  it  was  then  called.  His  experi- 
ences on  this  trip  are  well  described  in  the  published  log  that  follows 
this  sketch.  He  str  od  watch  both  with  John  Gunsollis  and  with  Mc- 
Kinney, and  so  came  to  know  the  river  thoroughly,  since  there  were 
no  night  runs.     He  returned  from  the  trip  with  a  good  working 


264  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCllCTY 

knowledge  of  a  steamboat  pilot's  business  and  the  respect  and  confi- 
dence of  all  the  officers  of  the  boat.  He  made  a  fine  record  and 
could  hereafter  count  on  steady  work  in  this  new  field.  During  the 
winter  of  1863-4,  and  in  fact,  immediately  after  the  return  of  the 
Robt.  Campbell,  Jr.,  Atkins  was  at  his  old  place  on  the  St.  Charles 
ferry.  Such  was  Mr.  Owen's  confidence  in  him  that  he  found  his 
place  for  him  whenever  he  cared  to  return  to  it.  John  Gunsollis 
had  asked  Atkins  to  go  with  him  during  the  season  of  1864,  but  for 
some  reason  this  plan  failed.  During  this  season  he  worked  as  pilot 
on  one  of  John  Dozier's  boats,  then  on  the  Jennie  Lewis,  under 
Captain  Henry  McPherson  and  also  under  Captain  Herndon  and 
under  James  Gunsollis.  He  was  employed  also  during  this  seasoiv 
as  pilot  for  short  trips  on  the  Fannie  Leivis,  the  Deer  Lodge,  the 
John  Bell,  the  Sam  Gaty,  the  T.  L,  McGill,  and  several  others. 

When  General  Price  invaded  Missouri  and  struck  at  Jefferson 
City,  he  destroyed  the  Missouri  and  Pacific  railway  and  burned  many 
bridges.  To  drive  him  out  of  the  state  the  U.  S.  government  was 
compelled  to  use  the  river,  and  forty  steamboats  were  pressed  into 
service  under  the  command  of  Wm.  H.  Thompson,  with  the  Jennie 
Brown  as  his  flagship.  To  secure  pilots  for  the  expedition,  force 
was  employed,  as  the  regular  river  pilots  were  openly  hostile  to  the 
war  or  inclined  to  take  a  neutral  position.  All  the  pilots  in  St.  Louis 
were  arrested  and  compelled  to  serve  under  Thompson.  Atkins, 
though  not  a  regular  pilot,  served  with  Gunsollis  on  the  Leonidas 
during  the  expedition. 

One  illustration  of  the  guerilla  warfare  on  the  river  may  be  given 
in  this  connection.  The  Live  Oak  came  from  Ohio  river  with  a 
load  of  freight  for  Leavenworth.  At  St.  Louis  they  changed  pilots 
and  took  on  board  Atkins  and  John  Gunsollis  for  the  Missouri  river 
voyage.  At  Waverly  they  shipped  a  tombstone  booked  for  Berlin. 
The  orders  were  to  stop  at  Berlin  and  put  off  the  tombstone,  though 
the  pilots  warned  the  captain  that  it  was  Joseph  Shelby's  town  and 
full  of  guerillas.  The  shipment  of  the  tombstone  was  a  mere  excuse 
to  get  the  boat  to  stop  at  Berlin.  There  were  two  warehouses  just 
under  the  bluff,  and  Atkins  saw  a  woman  waving  a  sunbonnet  from 
the  bluff  as  the  boat  came  in.  Then,  as  they  tied  up  the  boat  and  pre- 
pared to  get  off  freight,  a  dozen  riders  rode  in  between  the  ware- 
houses and  captured  the  boat.  They  took  the  boat's  money,  $150 
($.*),0()0  had  been  hidden  by  the  clerk);  they  robl>e(l  many  of  the 
passengers,  and  took  cigars  and  liquors  from  the  bartender.  It  was 
reported  that  they  shot  all  the  negroes  on  the  boat  ahead  of  them 
carrying  government  supplies. 

Martin  Belt  was  said  to  have  been  captain  of  the  gang.  Several 
of  the  passengers  knew  the  members  of  the  gang  as  residents  of  the 
neighboring  towns,  auvl  conversed  with  them  while  the  other  passen- 
gers were  being  robbed. 

During  the  time  that  Missouri  was  under  martial  law  Atkins,  as 
manager  of  the  St.  Charles  ferrv,  had  to  see  that  no  one  left  St. 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  265 


Louis  county  by  this  route  without  a  pass,  and  that  no  contraband 
of  war  was  shipped  out  of  the  country  on  his  boats.  This  position 
and  his  strict  orders  brought  him  into  contact  with  all  classes  of  men 
and  gave  rise  to  many  incidents,  both  amusing  and  interesting.  On^ 
one  occasion  he  stopped  a  brigadier  general  going  to  join  his  com- 
mand, and  compelled  him  to  find  a  reputable  citizen  to  vouch  for 
him. 

In  1865  John  Gunsollis  hired  him  at  $200  a  month  to  go  with  him 
as  pilot,  and  before  starting  he  procured  from  the  U.  S.  inspector 
his  license  as  a  pilot  on  the  Missouri  river.  Before  starting  he  was 
married  to  Laura  Boal,  of  Sh  Charles,  and  the  voyage  on  the  Benton 
to  Montana  was  their  honeymoon  trip.  John  Gunsollis  was  a  well 
known  character  on  the  river.  He  was  utterly  illiterate,  a  hard 
drinker  and  very  quarrelsome  and  dangerous  when  under  the  influ- 
ence of  liquor.  But,  in  spite  of  these  failings,  he  was  a  fine  pilot, 
and  Atkins  chose  to  work  with  him  because  he  liked  him  and  under- 
stood how  to  get  along  with  him.  Indeed,  Gunsollis  came  to  depend 
absolutely  upon  Atkins  for  the  running  of  the  boat,  and  the  fact  led 
J.  G.  Copeland,  the  owner,  to  oflfer  the  rising  young  pilot  the  hand- 
some salary  of  $1,200  per  month  if  he  would  take  the  position  of 
head  pilot  the  following  year.  Besides  the  trip  to  Fort  Benton, 
Atkins  made  one  trip  with  Joseph  Fecto  on  the  Deer  Lodge  from  St. 
Louis  to  Omaha.  For  the  season  of  1866  Atkins  hired  out  as  pilot 
for  $800  under  Captain  Herndon,  preferring,  as  a  beginner,  a  smaller 
salary  and  less  responsibility  than  in  the  position  offered  him  by  Mr. 
Copeland.  From  this  time  on  the  steamboat  business  on  the  river 
declined,  and  his  trip  as  pilot  in  1868  was  his  last.  He  had  started 
a  wood  and  ice  business  in  St.  Charles  in  partnership  with  John  K. 
McDearman,  who  attended  to  the  work  of  the  firm  while  Atkins  was 
on  the  river.  When  the  railroad  reached  St.  Charles,  Atkins  was 
pilot  of  the  first  railway  transfer  boat  over  the  Missouri,  and  was 
also  pilot  on  the  steamboat  that  laid  the  first  cable  and  the  first  over- 
head wire  across  the  Missouri  river  at  St.  Charles.  In  1869  he  was 
placed  in  charge  of  the  transfer  boats  of  the  North  Missouri  Railway 
company  at  St.  Charles,  and  he  held  this  position  till  the  bridge  was 
built.  His  next  work  was  to  take  one  of  the  old  transfer  boats  to 
St.  Louis  for  the  Iron  Mountain  Railway  company  and  have  it  re- 
paired, he  then  took  it  to  Columbus,  Kentucky,  opposite  Belmont, 
Missouri,  where  he  turned  it  over  to  the  company.  His  excellent 
service  on  this  transfer  line  led  to  his  being  put  in  charge  of  the 
transfer  boats  of  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Railway  company  at  Louisi- 
ana, Missouri,  on  the  new  extension  to  Kansas  City.  His  visit  to 
Chicago  at  the  railroad  company's  offices  to  receive  his  instructions 
*  was  made  directly  after  the  great  fire,  and  he  recalls  vividly  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  burned  city.  His  first  task  at  the  new  post  was  to 
get  afloat  a  big  double  tracked  transfer  boat  full  of  passen^i^er  cars 
that  had  gone  aground  ?t  the  Louisiana  landing  place  about  four 


266  STATE    HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


hundred  yards  from  the  shore,  in  a  river  full  of  drifting  ice.  He 
was  placed  in  charge  of  the  transfer  boats  here  in  1871,  and  held  the 
place  until  the  bridge  was  completed  in  January,  1874.  At  the  same 
time  he  sold  out  his  wood  and  ice  business  in  St.  Charles  and  moved 
to  Louisiana,  Missouri,  where  he  resided  till  1884.  During  the  last 
ten  years  of  his  residence  here  he  was  in  charge  of  the  drawbridge 
of  the  Chicago  &  Alton  railway  at  this  point. 

In  July,  1884,  he  went  on  a  hunting  trip  to  Dakota  territory  with 
his  wife,  partly  with  a  view  also  of  finding  a  suitable  home  for  his 
six  sons,  who  would  soon  want  to  be  making  homes  for  themselves. 
Captain  P.  P.  Parker,  of  the  U.  S.  army,  was  at  Cando  at  this  time, 
and  he  called  Atkins'  attention  to  advantages  of  this  part  of  the  ter- 
ritory as  permanent  residence.  Atkins  selected  his  claim  and  built 
a  home  the  same  year  of  his  first  visit  to  the  region,  and  the  year  fol- 
lowing, having  sold  out  his  home  in  Missouri,  he  moved  to  Cando, 
where  he  has  since  resided. 

Here  his  wife  died  September  24,  1893,  leaving  eight  children, 
two  daughters.  Mrs.  T.  S.  Conyers,  Cando ;  Mrs.  E.  B.  Page,  Leeds ; 
and  six  sons,  Carroll  Lee  (in  charge  of  the  electric  light  plant  on  the 
United  States  irrigation  plant  in  Arizona)  ;  William  Paxson,  Stone- 
wall Jackson,  Sterling  Price,  Robert  Morse  and  Ralph  Parsons. 

In  1895  he  married  Miss  F.  B.  Englehorn,  and  their  three  children 
are  Laura,  Francis  and  Carrie  Orrella. 

Mr.  Atkins  still  takes  an  active  part  in  the  city's  affairs,  and  has 
recently  developed  an  acetylene  light  business  which  keeps  him  busy 
attending  to  the  wants  of  his  numerous  patrons.  He  has  consented 
to  the  publication  of  his  log  book  at  the  earnest  solicitation  of  his 
friends  and  from  the  conviction  that  it  is  a  record  that  belongs  to  the 
state  and  should  become  a  part  of  the  history  of  the  state. 


STATE    OF     NORTH     DAKOTA  267 


LOG  OF  STEAMER  ROBERT  CAMPBELL,-  JR.,  FROM  ST. 
LOUIS  TO  FORT  BENTON,  MONTANA  TERRITORY. 

[the  FOOTNOTES  ARE  BY  C.   J.   ATKINS.] 

Jos.  La  Barge,  Master. 
Caitains  John  Gunsollis  and  James  P.  McKinney,  Pilots. 

• 

Tuesday,  May  12,  1863. — Left  St.  Louis  at  10 :30  a.  m.  Arrived  at 
St.  Charles  at  7  p.  m. ;  very  dark  and  showery.  Jas.  P.  McKinney 
and  C.  J.  Atkins  got  on  board.  Laid  up  at  Penn*s  wood  yard,  took 
ten  cords  wood.*  Mr.  Hamilton  also  came  on  board.^  We  have 
about  six  hundred  tons  of  freight,  and  drawing  three  feet  of  water*. 

Wednesday,  May  13,  18G3. — Left  Penn's  at  daylight.  Met  steamer 
Cheek  at  Dozier.  Glasgozv  passed  us  below  South  Point,  passed, 
landed  and  let  Mr.  Allison  go  back.  Wooded  below  Widow  Mass- 
ie's.^    All  night  below  mouth  of  Gasconade. 

Thursday,  May  14,  18G3. — Under  way  at  daylight.  Sparred  over 
at  Gasconade  island  by  1  p.  m.  and  wooded.  Met  Omaha  City  below 
Portland  2  :30  p.  m.  Weather  beautiful.  Anchored  out  for  the  night 
to  a  sand  bar,  mouth  of  Bear  creek. 

Friday,  May  15,  1863. — Went  out  sounding  in  the  yawl.  Thick 
fog.  Left  at  5  a.  m.  Ran  one-half  mile  and  lay  by  for  fog.  Ran  up 
Bennett's  bar ;  could  not  get  over ;  backed  down  and  tried  the  other 
ride  Weather  fine.  Went  in,  sparred  awhile;  she  swung  around 
first  to  the  starboard  and  then  to  the  larboard,  and  finally  got  off  and 
landed  for  fuel  4 :30  p.  m. ;  took  a  fresh  start  and  went  over.  Wooded 
opposite  Glenn's;  Ogden  passed  down.  Arrived  at  Jefferson  City 
9 :30  p.  m. ;  lay  by  for  the  night.    Napoleon  fell  overboard. 

Saturday,  May  16.  1863.— Left  at  daylight.  Weather  beautiful. 
River  falling.  Wooded  at  Marion  9  a.  m.  Made  a  fine  run  this 
morning.  Arrived  at  Terrapin  island  2  p.  m. ;  could  not  get  over : 
put  out  some  freight ;  sounded  with  the  yawl.  Laid  up  for  the  night. 
Indications  of  rain.    Steamer  Clarabell  passed  up  at  3 :30  p.  m. 

Sunday,  May  17,  1863. — Left  at  daylight.  Went  over  the  bar; 
rubbed  all  the  way.  Landed  on  the  north  bank  and  put  out  some 
freight.  Several  of  the  passen^jers  and  crew  went  out  hunting.  At- 
kins killed  three  squirrels.     Nine  a.  m.  went  down  for  the  freight 


*Penn's  woodyard  was  four  miles  above  St.  Charles. 

'This  was  the  regular  engineer,  Wm.  Hamilton.  He  was  said  to  have  set 
up  the  machinery  in  the  Confederate  ram,  Arkansas.  He  was  attemptinjy  to 
escape  from  St.  Louis  where  he  was  in  hiding  and  so  he  got  on  at  Penn's 
woodyard,  meeting  the  boat  by  pre-arrangement.  The  temporary  engineer, 
Allison,  returned  next  day. 

'Widow  Massie  was  the  mother  of  John  and  W.  R.  Massie  and  the  wood- 
ward was  at  her  place. 


268  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 

left  below  the  bar.  Wooded  below  Terrapin  island.  Sparred  over 
at  6 :30  p.  m.    Lost  forty  hours,  double  tripped  it  over. 

Monday,  May  18,  1863. — Left  at  7  a.  m.  Quite  foggy;  fine  day. 
Arrived  at  island  below  Booneville  island  at  10  a.  m. ;  took  wood. 
Sounded,  sparred  over  from  the  bar  at  2  p.  m.  Passed  the  battlefield 
of  Booneville  at  2  :30  p.  m.  Got  to  Booneville  at  3 :30  p.  m. ;  did  not 
land.  Wooded  at  LaMein  river  4 :45  p.  m.  Arrived  at  foot  of  Arrow 
Rock  island  6  p.  in. ;  went  up  the  shore,  could  not  get  out,  came  back. 
Captain  sounded,  tried  it,  did  not  make  it.    Laid  up  for  the  night. 

Tuesday,  May  19,  18G3.— Left  at  dayli-ght.  Rub-rub-rub, 
set  spars.  Sun  looks  red  as  a  fox's  tail,  indication  of 
rain.  Wind  south.  Got  over  the  bar.  Steamer  Clarabel! 
passed  down  at  7  a.  m.  Cordelled  up  the  south  bank 
J)elow  Arrow  Rock ;  got  up  to  the  city  at  3  :30  p.  m.^  Arrived  at 
Glasgow  at  7  p.  m.  Landed  one  Confederate  prisoner  taken  at  Roach- 
port.  Here  we  got  the  evening  papers ;  they  contain  nothing  of 
interest,  i.  e.,  if  the  dispatches  be  true.  Lay  by  for  the  night  at  a 
wood  yard  above  Glas.q:ovv.    Mosquitoes  here. 

Wednesday,  May  20,  18()3.— Left  at  daylight.  Wind  south, 
weather  fine.  Passed  Cambridge  at  sunrise.  River  falling.  Rubbed 
at  Mary's  bend,  got  over  without  sparring.  Dry  and  windy.  Got 
over  Buckhorn  without  much  trouble.  Sparred  over  the  bar  below 
Brunswick.  Got  out  of  fuel  and  got  some  with  the  yawl  from  a 
rack  heap.  Got  over  at  7 :15  p.  m.  Laid  up  for  the  night ;  took  some 
drift  wood. 

Thursday,  May  21.  1863. — Under  way  at  early  dawn.  Passed 
Brimsivick  just  after  sunrise.  Had  to  sound  in  Lewis  bend.  Landed 
and  captured  a  house  and  some  rails  and  cord  wood.  Wooded  at 
De  Witt  and  in  bend  below ;  windy.  While  lying  at  De  Witt  the 
ferry  boat  (a  flat)  came  over  and  ran  into  us.  doin:^  no  damage  with 
the  exception  of  frightening  a  ladv  passenger  and  sinking  their  skiff. 
Tried  to  get  up  the  bend  above  Miami ;  not  water  enough.  Laid  up 
for  water  2  p.  m. 

Friday,  ^lay  22,  1863. — Rain  commenced  falling  about  4  a.  m. 
Steamer  Ma^cnt^i  came  down  yesterday  evening — slie  reported  hav- 
ing been  fired  into  at  different  points  along  the  river  from  Hill's 
Landing  to  Napoleon.  Mr.  Jos.  Dilling  had  one  of  his  legs  broken 
by  a  ball ;  she  is  now  aground  below  us.  Nine  a.  m.  another  little 
shower  of  rain  is  falling;  hug  may  it  continue.  Steamer  Fannie 
Ogden  passed  up  about  2  p.  m.  Magenta  got  off  about  12  m.  Rain 
has  been  falling  all  the  evening,  and  the  prospect  looks  fine  for  it 
to  continue 'all  night.    River  raising. 

Saturday,  May  23,  1863.— Dropped  out  into  the  stream  last  night 
for  fear  of  an  attack  from  bushwackers,  but  this  morning  dawned 

*Cordelling  was  done  by  use  of  a  line  fastened  up  stream  to  an  anchor  or 
dead  man  (a  beam  or  lo^  buried  in  the  sand)  antl  the  line  was  wound  up  by 
a  steam  capstan  on  the  boat. 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  269 


clear  and  bright  and  "nary  bushwacker"  to  be  seen,  but  still  they 
may  be  around.  River  rising  slowly,  wind  S.  W.  Went  out  and 
sounded,  but  not  water  enough.  About  2  p.  m.  steamers  Emma  and 
Spread  Eagle  came  up.  Had  to  spar  over.  Weather  clear  and  cool. 
River  falling.  Some  excitement  was  created  this  morning  by  a  man 
being  seen  on  the  bank. 

Sunday,  May  24,  1863. — A  bright  beautiful  morning.  Spread 
Eagle  and  Emma  got  off  some  time  during  the  night.  River  falling. 
Fannie  Ogden  passed  down  about  about  9 :30  a.  m.  Several  of  the 
boys  went  to  Miami  to  church.  During  the  evening  several  ladies 
and  gentlemen  frpm  Miami  paid  us  a  visit,  took  supper  and  returned 
about  sundown.  Messrs.  C.  W.  McKinney  and  Pemberton  went 
with  them.^  Ogden  reports  no  prospects  of  a  rise.  Learned  Magenta 
sank  below  De  Witt. 

Monday,  May  25,  1863. — Four  a.  m.,  weather  beautiful.  Capt. 
John  Gunsollis  and  C.  J.  Atkins  out  hunting ;  met  with  poor  success. 
Bushwackers  numbering  fifty  mounted  men  made  a  raid  into  Miami 
about  11  p.  m.  vesterdav.  Thev  ransacked  several  stores  and  carried 
away  three  citizens^  and  paroled  one  in  town.  They  belong  to  Quan- 
treirs  band.  C.  W.  McKinney  and  Pemberton  were  in  town  and  saw 
it  all.  They  said  they  intended  to  capture  the  Campbell,  but  she  was 
out  in  the  stream.  J.  P.  McKinney  and  C.  J.  Atkins  started  for  St. 
Charles  in  a  skiff.^ 

Tuesday,  May  26,  1863. — Weather  beautiful.  Gunsollis  went  out 
sounding;  found  four  feet.  Gunsollis  and  Steward  went  out  forag- 
ing and  saw  some  young  widows,  and  got  fresh  beef  and  buttermilk. 
River  on  a  stand.  Soldiers  also  got  some  grub.*  Two  or  three 
refugees  came  over  from  Miami ;  said  guerillas  were  coming  in,  but 
it  turned  out  to  be  a  scare. 

Wednesday,  May  27,  1863. — Weather  cloudy.  River  raised  one 
inch.  Sunshine  and  Platte  Valley  passed  up  and  laid  up  opposite  R. 
.C  I. ;  the  Spread  Eagle  came  down  all  riddled  to  pieces  with  bullets ; 
she  was  shot  into  at  or  near  Waverly.  Capt.  Jno.  Gunsollis  and  C. 
W.  McKinney  went  out  fishing  at  Wakanda  creek  with  Messrs. 
Sheeley  and  Carthrie,  and  had  a  good  time  generally.  Somebody 
got  their  greenbacks  wet.  They  had  a  good  fish  fry  and  old  Printz 
felt  his  oats. 


^Pemberton  was  said  to  have  been  in  the  Confederate  army  and  was  es- 
caping to  the  west. 

*They  were  Jewish  storekeepers. 

■J.  P.  McKinney  and  C.  J.  Atkins  lived  at  St.  Charles  and  to  reach  home 
they  went  down  to  Brunswick,  drove  to  the  nearest  station  on  the  Hanni- 
bal and  St.  Joseph  Ry.  where  they  took  the  train  to  Macon  and  from  thence 
to  St.  Charles  on  the  old  North  Missouri  Ry.  When  they  heard  that  the 
boat  was  ready  to  proceed,  they  returned  by  rail  to  St.  Joseph  where  they 
met  the  boat. 

*The  boat  took  on  at  St.  Louis  a  guard  of  twelve  soldiers  and  a  twelve 
pounder  to  protect  the  government  stores  from  the  guerillas. 


270  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 

Thursday,  May  28,  1863. — River  raised  one  inch  and  rained  one 
hour.  A  party  from  the  boat,  John  Gunsollis,  Clamore,^  Lemons, 
Lieutenant went  out  a-hunting ;  found  nothing  but  one  squir- 
rel. There  is  a  pretty  rainbow  shining  with  six  bars.  Everything 
quiet  and  nobody  hurt. 

Friday,  May  29,  1863. — River  raised  two  inches.  Weather  clear 
in  the  forenoon,  but  rained  in  the  evening.  Captain  went  sounding ; 
found  foifr  feet,  but  lumpy. 

Saturday,  May  30,  1863. — Weather  beautiful.  .Sparred  until 
twenty  minutes  after  11,  and  got  over.  Everybody  pleased  and 
nobody  hurt.  Run  up  to  head  Prunty*s  bend.  Wooded  and  lay  all 
night. 

Sunday,  May  31,  1863. — ^Weather  pleasant.  Started  at  daylight; 
run  up  to  head  Cranberry  chute  and  struck  a  break  and  sprung  a 
few  butts.  Went  on  to  Lexington  and  coaled,  and  soldiers  got  fresh 
supplies,  and  had  a  talk  with  pilots  of  Sunshine,  They  reported 
guerillas  at  Napoleon ;  said  they  shot  at  them  going  up  and  coming 
down,  and  reported  a  rise  from  Leavenworth  down.  Laid  all  night 
at  Mani  fee's  wood  yard,  and  old  Daddy  Raphael  drunk. 

Monday,  June  1,  1863. — Left  at  daylight.  Weather  cloudy  and 
raining.  Run  all  day  and  never  seen  a  guerilla ;  landed  at  Richfield 
and  got  wheel  arms  and  buckets  (bucket  plank)  and  saw  Outro, 
paymaster.  He  said  some  rebels  in  crossing  the  river  above  Rich- 
field mired  some  of  their  horses.  Found  five  feet  above  Liberty ;  lay 
all  night  and  wooded  at  Widow  Davis'.  Killed  a  beef  and  butchered 
him.    Clamore  eat  a  big  piece  of  raw  liver. 

Tuesday,  June  2,  1863. — Weather  cloudy  and  river  raised  half 
inch.  Arrived  at  Kansas  City  at  half  past  six;  run  up  to  Spar  Isle 
and  found  plenty  of  water.  Arrived  at  Leavenworth  12  :30  o'clock, 
stopped  about  an  hour  and  went  on  to  Weston,  and  was  detained 
there  taking  on  500  sacks  of  flour.  Laid  all  night  below  Johnson's 
Point  and  wooded.     River  raised  one  inch. 

Wednesday,  June  3,  1863. — Weather  beautiful  and  river  rising. 
Landed  at  Atchison  and  put  off  some  tobacco.  Wooded  at  De  Kalb : 
arrived  at  St.  Joe  (St.  Joseph)  at  3  o'clock.-  Florence  was  lying 
at  St.  Joe  taking  on  freight  going  to  St.  Louis.  Denver  in  port. 
Left  St.  Joe  at  5  o'clock  full  of  passengers,  run  up  to  White  Head, 
sunk  a  skiff  in  taking  aboard  two  passenijers ;  very  narrow  escape. 

Laid  up  at  point  opposite  B .    J.  P.  McKinney  and  Atkins  came 

aboard  at  St.  Joe ;  800  Indians  at  St.  Joe ;  they  are  prisoners,  belong- 
ing to  the  Sioux. 

Thursday,  June  \,  1863. — Left  at  daylight.  Had  a  fine  rain  for 
about  an  hour,  then  strong  wind,  and  finally  it  cleared  off.  Met 
Sioux  City  below  Forest  City;  passed  the  city  at  12  m.     Passed 


^Clamore  was  a  yoiiiiK  Frenchman  about  twenty  years  of  age,  a  passenger, 
?nd  he  taiiiiht  Atkins  the  came  of  "French  checkers." 
'The  soldiers  jfot  off  at  St.  Joseph  with  their  twelve  pounder. 


STATE  OF  NORTH   DAKOTA  271 

White  Cloud  2  p.  m.  Wooded  opposite  Squaw  Point.  River  falling 
fast.  Indications  of  more  rain.  We  are  having  any  amount  of  fun 
out  of  some  of  our  passengers.  Passed  St.  Stevens  before  sunset. 
We  have  made  by  far  the  best  run  today  of  any  day  since  we  left, 
being  full  one  hundred  miles.    Laid  up  at  dark. 

Friday,  June  5,  1863. — We  got  under  way  at  daylight;  foggy. 
Had  a  little  diffculty  at  foot  of  Morgan  island.  River  did  not  fall 
any  last  night ;  weather  tip  top.  We  have  had  rather  a  warm  tedious 
trip  today  of  it;  not  made  any  great  shakes  of  a  run.  One  Mr. 
Stickney  went  out  snipe  hunting ;  the  modus  operandi  is  so  well  un- 
derstood as  to  need  no  explanation.^  Laid  below  Nebraska  City. 

Saturday,  June  6,  1863. — Left  at  daylight.  Arrived  at  Nebraska 
City  about  5  a.  m. ;  put  out  some  flour,  etc.  Saw  two  Indians  above 
Nebraska  City.  At  12  m.  we  arrived  below  Bethlehem,  ran  up  the 
Iowa  shore,  could  not  make  it,  got  out  the  yawl,  sounded  it,  found 
the  channel  on  the  Nebraska  shore,  crossed  right  over  the  head  of  a 
dry  bar,  found  five  and  a  half  and  six  feet.  Laid  up  below  Council 
BluflFs    Very  windy.    Wooded  at  St.  Mary's. 

Sunday,  June  7,  1863. — Left  our  camp  at  daylight.  Heavy  rain 
List  night,  drowned  nearly  every  one  out.  Cleaned  out  boilers ; 
passed  Council  BluflFs  at  6  a.  m.,  and  Omaha  City  at  10  a.  m.  Mailed 
anv  amount  of  letters  at  Omaha.  Cold  and  windv.  Landed  at  two 
places  and  cut  wood  this  evening.  Cold,  cloudy  and  windy.  Several 
of  our  passengers  walked  up  to  Omaha  and  came  across  in  a  hack 
to  Florence.  Lots  of  fun  with  Stickney,  better  known  as  snipe 
hunter.    Laid  below  Cincinnati. 

Monday,  June  8.  1863. — Left  at  early  dawn.  River  stationary. 
Weather  cool.  Passed  the  city  of  Calhoun  on  the  left  bank  under  a 
bluflF  and  Cincinnati  on  a  large  prairie  on  the  right.  About  8  a.  m. 
two  of  the  roustabouts  fell  out,  and  Captain  La  Barge  said  they 
should  fiq:ht  it  out,  so  at  it  they  went,  and  a  more  bull  do^  aflfair  no 
one  need  wish  to  see ;  the  fight  lasted  about  five  minutes ;  both  had 
fair  play  after  the  captain  went  down.  Set  a  spar  above  Uncle  Jake's 
wood  yard.    Came  to  another  bar  and  could  not  make  it.    Laid  up. 

Tuesday,  June  9,  1863. — Left  at  daylight.  Butted  around  at  the 
crossing:  could  not  find  any  water.  Captain  McKinney  went  sound- 
ing in   the  yawl.     Weather  cold,  cloudy  and   raining  very  hard. 


*Mr.  Stickney  was  from  Chicago,  he  was  the  nephew  of  the  proprietor  of 
the  Planter's  House  in  St.  Louis.  Some  of  the  men  of  the  boat  asked 
Stickney  to  go  snipe  hunting  with  them.  They  stationed  him  with  a  lighted 
lantern  in  a  pathway  through  the  woods  near  the  river.  His  instructions 
were  to  sit  holding  open  the  mouth  of  a  bag  into  which  they  were  to  drive 
the  snipe.  Of  course  the  men  who  stationed  Stickney  with  his  lantern  and 
bag  did  not  wait  to  see  what  luck  he  had  but  went  back  to  the  boat  and  to 
bed.  Stickney  came  in  after  several  hours  of  waiting  and  reported  thit  his 
companions  were  lost,  probably  killed  bv  the  Indians.  The  next  morning 
his  companions  of  the  night  before  explained  that  they  were  driven  in  bv 
Indians  and  that  they  had  supposed  he  was  killed. 


272  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 

Wooded  mouth  of  Little  Sioux  river  about  10  a.  m.  Rain  ceased 
about  3  p.  m.  Met  War  Eagle  12  m.  Nothing  out  of  the  usual  rou- 
tine today.  Passed  Decatur,  Nebraska  territory,  6  p.  m.  Boat  steers 
badly.  Below  Decatur  a  boy  and  young  lady  were  standing  on  the 
bank;  as  we  passed  the  boy  hurrahed  for  Jeff  Davis.  Laid  about 
ten  miles  above  Decatur. 

Wednesday,  June  10,  1863. — Under  way  at  daylight.  Weather 
improving.  Cut  wood  9  a.  m.  River  thought  to  be  raising  a  little. 
Running  very  slow.  Very  warm.  Saw  ten  or  fifteen  horses  floating 
in  the  river  below  Sioux  City.  Landed  for  wood  on  the  Nebraska 
side,  but  the  wood  hawk  asked  $3.50  per  cord.  Captain  La  Barge 
would  not  take  any.  Arrived  at  Sioux  City  at  5 :30  p.  m. ;  commenced 
discharging  freight.  This  is  a  quiet  little  city,  situated  in  a  beautiful 
bottom,  surrounded  on  three  sides  by  high  bluffs. 

Thursday,  June  11,  1863. — 6  a.  m.  Still  dischargihg  freight  at 
Sioux  City.  Weather  beautiful.  River  rising.  Left  Sioux  City  at 
1  p.  m.,  went  across  the  river  and  wooded  just  above  the  city.  A 
man  fell  overboard ;  was  rescued.  Wooded  at  a  drift  pile ;  very  hot. 
In  making  a  warping  we  struck  a  lump  and  swung  around,  head 
down  stream,  where  we  remained  until  9  p.  m. ;  lost  about  three 
hours.  Finally  got  off  and  laid  by  for  the  night.  Little  Jo  Culbert- 
son  done  some  fine  dancing.^ 

Friday,  June  12,  1863.— Left  at  daylight.  Weather  fine.  River 
rising.  Got  out  of  wood  and  had  to  burn  the  fortifications  used 
below  Sibley  to  keep  the  bushwackers  from  killing  the  pilots.^  Wood- 
ed 6  a.  m. ;  wooded  8:30  a.  m. ;  wood  was  cut,  but  not  corded  up; 
1 :45  p.  m.  met  steamer  West  Wind  eight  miles  above  Laplant's  wood 
yard.  Landed  at  his  wood  yard,  D.  T.,  2  p.  m. ;  took  a  beef  on 
board.'  Weather  warm.  Made  only  tolerable  progress  today.  Ev- 
erything: moves  on  in  the  usual  strain.  Laid  by  at  dark  on  the 
Nebraska  side. 

Saturday,  June  13,  1863. — Left  at  daylight.  River  very  bad;  got 
into  one  channel  and  had  to  back  out.  Wooded  9  :15  a.  m. ;  took  sev- 
enteen cords  at  $3.00  per  cord.  Passed  Vermillion  river  at  1  p.  m. ; 
ran  up  the  Dacotah  shore :  in  crossing  to  Nebraska  struck  a  lump, 
swung  around,  had  to  spar  off,  backed  out,  tried  lower  down,  could 
not  make  it ;  came  back  to  where  we  started  in  first,  whaled  it  at  her 
and  went  through,  rubbed  very  hard.  Laid  in  Dacotah  territory, 
opposite  Bow  river.    Wooded  from  a  deadning. 

Saturday,  June  14,  1863. — Left  at  daylight ;  windy ;  river  rising. 
Passed  St.  Plelcna,  Nebraska  territory,  5  :30  a.  m. ;  two  houses  and 
a  steam  sawmill.    Passed  St.  James  river  9  a.  m.    About  two  miles 


^Joseph  Cuibertson  was  the  son  of  Alexander  Culbertson  and  a  Blackfoot 
squaw,  all  three  of  them  were  on  hoard. 

*Thes€  fortifications  consisted  of  hewn  lojjs  laid  one  noon  the  other  ut 
each  side  of  the  pilot  house  and  fastened  together  at  the  ends. 

*The  beef  was  bought  of  La  Plante  and  driven  on  I>oard  at  his  woodyard. 


STATl£  OF   NOUTIl    DAKOTA  273 

above  St.  James  river  Captain  La  Barge  had  the  wheel,  came  to  a 
crossing,  could  not  find  the  water,  went  sounding  with  the  yawl, 
came  back;  as  the  men  were  dropping  it  astern  it  went  under  the 
V.  heel,  drowning  one  man ;  rescued  three  with  the  life  boat,  got  the 
\awl.  Tried  up  Nebraska  shore,  could  not  make  it,  laid  by  for  wind. 
Started  6 :30  p.  m.    Laid  at  Yankton,  D.  T. 

Monday,  June  15,  1863. — Left  at  daylight.  Weather  beautiful. 
River  falling  slowly.  Ran  across  river  and  wooded.  Had  a  little 
trouble  eight  miles  above  Yankton  finding  the  channel.  Wooded  at 
foot  of  Bonhomme  island  on  the  Nebraska  side,  2  p.  m. ;  very  windy. 
Captain  La  Barge  sounded  with  the  yawl,  found  four  feet,  landed 
and  cut  wood.  Sounded  after  supper ;  the  men  did  not  want  to  go, 
but  a  club  soon  brought  them  to  their  milk.  Dropped  down  the  river 
one-half  mile  and  laid  up  for  the  night. 

Tuesday,  June  16,  1863. — Captain  Gunsollis  went  out  sounding  at 
daylight  with  yawl,  went  around  island,  found  four  feet,  got  back 
at  8 :30  a.  m.  Very  windy.  Mate  cutting  v;ood.  Lay  at  island  until 
1  p.  m.  Commenced  putting  out  freight  to  light  us  over  the 
bar.  C.  W.  McKinney  and  Atkins  went  out  hunting,  went  down  to 
lower  end  of  island,  shot  at  mark,  took  a  bath  and  returned  at  5  p. 
m.  Cut  our  names  on  a  log  and  letters  B.  L.  Indications  of  rain. 
River  falling. 

Wednesday  June  17,  1863. — Left  at  daylight.  Backed  down  and 
ran  up  the  right  hand  chute,  drawing  four  feet  forward,  had  no 
trouble.  Captain  La  Barge  and  Captain  McKinney  had  some  words 
this  morning.  Weather  cloudy  and  cool ;  a  little  rain  fell  last  night. 
Passed  Running  Water  5  p.  m.  Wooded  above  the  mouth.  Saw 
several  Indian  graves;  several  scaflFolds  where  they  put  their  dead. 
Laid  up  at  dark,  eight  or  ten  miles  above  Running  Water.  Wooded 
after  night.  Old  Raphael  remained  with  the  freight  with  a  little 
whiskey. 

Thursday,  June  18,  1863. — Left  at  daylight.  Weather  cool.  River 
stationary.  Saw  Indians  watering  their  horses  below  the  Yankton 
agency,  7 :30  a.  m.  Arrived  at  the  agency  at  9  a.  m. ;  found  a  large 
number  of  Indians  here  waiting  for  their  annuity  goods,  but  mighty 
little  they  received.  A  party  of  ten  were  out  hunting  yesterday  and 
were  met  hy  a  few  troops,  and  seven  of  the  Indians  were  killed, 
without  any  provocation  whatever.    Arrived  at  Fort  Randall  at  dark. 

Friday,  June  19,  1863. — Discharging  freight  at  Fort  Randall. 
Weather  cool.  River  stationary.  Had  a  fight  on  board  yesterday 
between  two  government  men.  Got  freight  out  and  raised  steam 
and  departed  down  the  river  at  4  :30  p.  m.  Wooded  below  Randall 
on  Dacotah  side.  Ran  down  to  the  agency  and  landed  to  let  some 
ladies  oft.  One  of  the  passengers,  being  in  good  humor  toward  all 
man  and  womankind,  went  out  and  bade  a  few  of  the  squaws  good- 
bye. Lay  about  ten  miles  below  the  agency.  Woode<l  on  Nebraska 
riide. 


274  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 

Saturday,  June  20,  1863. — Left  at  early  dawn.  Weather  very  cool. 
Rain  falling.  Ran  about  ten  miles  and  wooded  at  a  drift  pile  on 
Nebraska  shore.  Left  wood  pile  after  breakfast,  and  reached 
head  of  BonHomme  island  10 :30  a.  ra. ;  going  down  the  chute  on  the 
north  side  she  ran  off  and  struck  bar,  Sifern  swung  around  on  the 
bank,  set  a  spar  and  soon  got  off,  ran  around,  took  in  the  freight. 
Captain  Gunsollis  and  Miller  (the  mate)  had  a  little  set-to.  Left 
the  island  at  4 :20  p.  m.    Laid  above  head  of  island  on  Dacotah  side. 

Sunday,  June  21,  1863. — Left  at  daylight.  Wooded  several  times 
during  the  day.  Arrived  at  Yankton  agency  at  8 :30  p.  m.  Laid  there 
an  hour  and  a  half.  The  Indians  were  a  little  dissatisfied  at  some  of 
the  agents.  Discharged  a  little  freight ;  received  several  passengers, 
and  among  the  others  were  three  Indians  who  are  returning  to  their 
tribe  in  the  mountains.  Left  at  6 :30  p.  m.,  and  reached  Fort  Randall 
at  9 :39  p.  m. ;  discharged  and  received  some  freight.  Passengers 
and  crew  mailed  lots  of  letters. 

Monday,  June  22,  1863. — The  watchman  went  to  sleep,  and  so  we 
did  not  get  started  this  morning  until  after  sunrise.  Weather  beau- 
tiful. River  seems  to  be  ascending  a  little,  although  everything  on 
shore  looks  as  though  there  had  never  been  any  rain  here;  the  hills 
are  perfectly  red  from  drought.  Nothing  out  of  the  usual  routine  of 
steamboat  life  has  occurred  today.  Landed  at  wood  yard,  took 
thirty-five  cords  at  $3.00,  oak  and  cottonwood.  Got  into  a  chute  and 
had  to  back  out.    Laid  up  at  9  p.  m. ;  beautiful  twilight  this  evening. 

Tuesday,  June  23,  1863. — Left  at  daylight;  weather  delightful. 
River  on  a  stand.  Passed  Martha's  island  and  the  brick  yard  about 
sunup.  The  vegetation  grows  less  and  less  as  we  advance;  there 
has  been  no  rain  here  for  a  long  time.  Captain  La  Barge  says  this 
brick  kiln  or  yard  when  he  first  knew  it  was  on  fire  and  burned  for 
three  years,  following  twelve  miles  back  from  the  river.  All  kinds 
of  animals  arc  found  in  perfect  state  of  petrification.  Passed  White 
river  3  :30  p.  m.  Saw  an  elk.  Passed  a  party  of  Indians  camped. 
Laid  up  at  9  p.  m. 

Wednesday,  June  24,  1863. — Left  at  early  dawn.  Weather  beau- 
tiful. River  stationary.  Saw  two  beavers  swimming  in  the  river. 
The  god  of  day  is  just  showing  his  face  over  the  eastern  bluff.  Saw 
lots  of  Indians  on  the  bank.  landed  several  agents,  clerks,  etc., 
belonging  to  the  Winnebago  nation.  Landed  for  wood ;  several  of 
the  passenj^ers  climbed  up  the  bluff  and  saw  a  deer  for  their  trouble. 
Saw  five  Indians  out  hunting;  saw  antelope  this  evening.  C.  W. 
McKinney  and  Laframboy  (I^Frambois)  left  on  horseback  for  Fore 
Pierre.  Laid  up  at  dark.  Several  of  the  passengers  and  crew  saw 
Indians  as  we  came  in  to  shore. 

Thursday,  June  25,  1863. — Left  at  daylight.  Saw  the  Indians  again 
this  morning  in  the  shade  of  two  large  rocks  about  half  way  up  the 
bluff.  Saw  lots  of  antelope  and  deer.  Stickney  (better  known  as 
Snipe)  is  up  to  the  fighting  point ;  look  out  for  something  rich.    He 


STATE  OF  NORTH   DAKOTA  275 

stands  sniping  and  stealing  his  whiskey  pretty  well,  but  ramming  his 
gun  full  of  wet  paper  when  there  was  Indians  in  sight  was  a  little 
too  milch.  There's  breakers  ahead.  Atkins  shot  at  black  tail  deer. 
Arrived  at  Fort  Pierre  at  sundown.  Laid  up  for  the  night.  Very 
windy. 

Friday,  June  26,  1863. — Left  at  daylight ;  ran  up  the  river  about 
eight  miles,  came  in  to  the  south  shore  and  backed  down  to  Fort 
Laframboy  (La  Frambois)  where  we  are  (now  10  a.  m.)  discharg- 
ing annuity  goods.^  Learned  here  that  there  may  be  trouble  ex- 
pected from  the  Indians  above.  Weather  beautiful.  The  savages 
sit  around  on  the  earth  in  silent  groups  that  brooks  evil  to  the  white 
man.'  All  are  painted  and  armed.  Indians  and  Atkins  had  a  grand 
pow-wow,  the  former  seems  dissatisfied.^  Left  at  3 :10  p.  m.,  ran 
thirty  miles.  Laid  up  for  the  night.  Came  on  to  blow  and  rain 
hard. 

Saturday,  June  27,  1863. — Left  at  early  dawn.  The  storm  has 
passed  away,  weather  fine.  Passed  Cheyenne  at  2  p.  m.  War  depart- 
ment has  been  making  gigantic  preparations  today  to  resist  any  at- 
tack that  may  be  made  upon  us.  Major  Latta  has  issued  a  gun  to 
all  those  who  had  none,'  and  plenty  of  powder  and  ball,  and  such 
another  snapping  of  caps  no  one  has  heard  since  the  rebellion  broke 
out.  Stickney  shot  at  a  log  in  the  river  about  one  hundred  yards 
distant ;  did  not  miss  it  over  a  quarter  of  a  mile.  Anchored  out  to- 
night. 

Sunday,  June  28,  1863. — Left  at  early  dawn,  ran  about  eight  miles 
to  Pascal's  island,  struck  a  bar,  came  into  island,  sounded,  found 
water;  left  at  8 :30  a.  m.  This  is  where  steamer  Lake  of  the  Woods 
blew  up,  killing  her  commander.  Landed  for  wood.  Sent  out  two 
hunters ;  they  went  across  a  point,  but  got  no  game.*  Saw  antelope 
and  elk  this  evening.  Passed  mouth  of  Moro  (Moreau)  6:30  p.  m. 
About  five  miles  above  Moro  we  came  to  a  crossing,  found  three 
feet,  tried  several  times,  could  not  make  it.  Anchored  out.  Rev. 
Reed  had  divine  services.    All  were  agreeably  surprised." 

'The  unnuity  goods  were  landed  at  Fort  La  Frambois,  which  was  merely  a 
ti-ading  post  of  Frank  La  Frambois.  This  was  as  near  as  they  could  get 
to  Ft.  Pierre. 

*At  his  conference  with  the  Indians,  Atkins  noticed  several  squaws  who 
had  cut  their  legs  in  many  places  as  a  sign  of  grief  for  their  relatives  killed 
at  Ft.  Randall  on  June  18th. 

'Major  Latta  was  the  government  agent  in  charge  of  the  distribution  of 
the  annuity  goods.  It  was  said  on  the  boat  that  he  had  the  best  of  the  gods 
taken  to  his  cabin  where  he  traded  them  for  robes  and  peltries  for  his  own 
use.     The  guns  he  issued  on  the  boat  were  intended  for  the  Indians. 

*The  hunters  were  sent  down  each  spring  from  the  trading  posts  in  mack- 
inaw  boats  to  meet  the  steamboats  coming  up  and  to  supplv  them  with  jrame. 
There  was  a  hunter  for  each  of  the  two  boats,  the  hunter  of  the  Robert  Camp- 
hell,  Jr.,  was  called  Louis  Elle-  the  other  hunter  was  from  Portage,  Mo.,  just 
above  Alton. 

•Rev.  Reed  was  a  missionary  to  the  Indians. 


276  STATE   HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 

Monday,  June  29,  1863. — Captain  McKinney  sounded  crossing, 
found  three  feet,  started  in,  only  set  one  spar,  went  over.  Weather 
cold,  indications  of  a  storm,  two  rainbows.  Captain  Gunsollis  shot 
at  antelope,  but  missed  him.  Saw  first  buffalo  12  m.  on  south  bank, 
sixty  miles  below  Cannon  Ball  river,  and  such  an  another  excitement 
has  not  been  witnessed  on  this  trip.  Saw  three  buffaloes  about  2  p. 
m.  Saw  elk,  antelope  and  deer  this  evening.  Came  to  anchor  9  p. 
m.    Looks  like  a  storm  coming. 

Tuesday,  June  30,  1863. — Started  at  early  dawn,  ran  about  eight 
miles  and  wooded.  Hunter  went  out,  saw  plenty  of  elk,  but  the  boat 
was  too  fast  for  him.  Weather  beautiful ;  cool  nights.  River  on 
stand.  Passed  Cannon  Ball  river  at  6  p.  m.  Landed  about  five  miles 
above  the  river  to  wood.  A  hunter  and  Atkins  started  to  walk  across 
a  point  and  meet  the  boat,  distance  about  two  miles.  Got  frightened 
at  what  they  thought  to  be  Indians ;  they  beat  Flora  Temple's  best 
t^'me  for  full  a  mile.  It  turned  out  to  be  a  passengier.^  Anchored 
at  9  p.  m. 

Wednesday,  July  1,  1863. — Left  our  anchorage  at  daylight.  Ran 
about  ten  miles ;  saw  a  buffalo  crossing  the  river.  Everybody  got 
their  gun,  some  had  rifles,  some  shot  guns  with  a  full  charge  of  bird 
shot,  and  as  he  raised  the  bank  a  perfect  volley  was  poured  into  the 
poor  brute,  then  not  fifty  yards  distant,  breaking  his  left  shoulder, 
filling  his  body  full  of  balls  and  shot,  but  he  went  off  on  three  legs  and 
we  lost  him.  Arrived  at  Cinibald  island  (Assinniboine  island)  11:30 
a.  m. ;  could  not  find  water ;  laid  up.  Captain  found  water  up  left 
hand  chute. 

Thursday,  July  2,  1863.— Left  at  daylight.  Went  up  the  chute 
where  a  boat  never  went  before.  Weather  fine,  river  falling.  Got 
near  the  head  of  the  chute  when  the  long  looked  for  Shreveport 
hove  in  sight.  She  fired  a  gun,  which  was  answered  by  us;  both 
came  together  backing  up  crossing,  rudder  struck  break,  rudder  irons 
broke,  took  nearly  all  day  to  repair  it.  Got  under  way  at  2  p.  m., 
ran  ten  miles  and  anchored  out.    Shreveport  ahead. 

Friday,  July  3,  1863. — Weighed  anchor  at  daylight.  Weather 
beautiful.  River  declining  slowly.  Heavy  wind  last  night.  11 :30 
saw  buffalo;  sent  out  hunters,  but  got  none.  Very  windy.  Saw 
plenty  of  game.  Arrived  at  the  old  Ree  village  about  6  :30  p.  m. 
Landed  and  wooded.  Visitors  who  went  out  to  the  burying  ground 
discovered  an  Indian  mummy.^  Ran  out  from  the  high  bluff  and  cast 
anchor,  10  p.  m. 


*Thc  passenger  was  one  they  called  "Chickahominy"  on  account  of  bcinp 
from  that  region  of  Virginia.  He  had  been  in  the  Confederate  service  and 
was  escaping  to  the  west. 

*Atkins  found  the  Ft.  Clark  village  in  total  rnin^.  not  a  hnilding  <;tandinif. 
Numerous  graves  were  visited  nnd  he  noticed  that  each  of  them  had  a  chim- 
ney like  opening  built  of  wood  leading  up  to  the  air  and  extending  a  foot 
oi  more  above  the  level  of  the  prairie.  Each  of  the^^e  openings  was  cox'cnci 
over  at  the  top  by  a  board  and  frequently  a  stone  lay  on  this  to  keep  it  in 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKaiA  277 


Saturday,  July  4,  1863. — Left  our  anchorage  at  daylight,  passed 
Shreveport,  Shot  wolves  in  river.  Shreveport  passed  us  12  m., 
we  passed  Shreveport  1  p.  m.  Arrived  at  Fort  Berthold  at  3  p.  m., 
found  a  large  number  of  Indians  there.  Agent,  Major  Latta,  held 
a  grand  pow-wow  of  the  first  magnitude  on  board  the  boat  with  the 
chiefs  and  great  men  of  the  Gros  Ventres.  Learned  a  war  party  of 
500  Sioux  had  been  following  us  for  the  last  week.  Left  at  6 :30 
p.  m. 

Sunday,  July  5,  1863. — ^Weighed  anchor  at  daylight.^  Had  just 
gotten  under  way  when  the  Indians  fired  on  us,  but  done  no  serious 
injury  to  any  one,  but  frightened  some  few.  We  lay  abreast  of  the 
Shreveport  last  night,  about  twenty-five  yards  distant.  Shreveport 
had  landed  to  wood  when  the  Sioux  made  a  charge,  but  the  captain 
cut  the  line  and  backed  out.^  We  fixed  a  breastwork,  ran  by,  saw 
none  of  the  red  devils.  Had  to  spar  some  today.  Anchored  9  :30 
p.  m. 

Monday,  July  6,  1863. — ^Weighied  anchor  at  daylight.  The 
whole  country  was  on  fire  last  night,  but  a  heavy  shower  came  up 
and  spoiled  Mr.  Injun's  fun.  They  are  on  all  sides  of  us,  and  some 
rare  sport  may  be  expected  soon.  Weather  cool.  River  falling. 
Landed  at  wood  pile.  Shreveport  came  in  ahead  of  us;  had  laid 
there  nearly  one  hour  and  a  half  when  all  at  once  the  Shreveport 
cut  her  lines  and  backed  out.  We  followed  suit ;  proved  to  be  a 
scare.    Made  very  fair  time  today.    Anchored  on  a  bar. 


place.  Atkins  looked  down  one  of.  these  openings  which  was  as  wide  as  the 
grave  but  not  so  large  the  other  wav»  and  saw  the  bust  of  a  dead  Indian, 
fitlly  painted  and  dressed  in  war  costume.  He  reached  down  with  his  gun 
stick  and  found  that  the  face  of  the  Indian  was  hard  like  rock. 

*The  boat  was  anchored  at  the  mouth  of  the  Little  Missouri  and  the  Sioux 
fired  at  them  from  that  side. 

'The  Shreveport  had  gone  around  a  point  up  the  river  to  wood.  The  Rob- 
ert Campbell,  Jr.,  lay  at  an  island  wooding  from  a  drift  pile  when  Atkins 
noticed  that  some  Grosventre  Indians  who  were  making  dried  buffalo  meat 
on  the  west  side  were  alarmed  at  something.  The  squaws  started  across  the 
river  with  several  bull  boats  plying  their  paddles  with  frantic  haste  while  the 
four  braves  rode  out  on  their  horses  and  sat  looking  down  stream  with  their 
gune  ready  on  the  pommels  of  their  saddles.  Presently  three  Sioux  rodo  into 
view  and  the  Grosventre  fired  on  them  and  fell  back  into  the  woods  where  the 
Sioux  did  not  follow  them.  Just  then  Atkins  noticed  from  the  pilot  house 
a  large  party  of  Sioux  ride  over  a  hill  to  attack  the  Shreveport.  This  boit 
lay  at  the  bank  wooding  when  the  hunters,  who  were  out  looking  for  game, 
discovered  the  Sioux,  fired  on  them,  and  then  fell  back  with  the  wood  chop- 
pers, everyone  escaping  to  fhe  boat  without  injury.  The  Robert  Campbell, 
Jr.,  took  the  Grosventre  warriors  across  the  river  with  their  horses  and  the 
captain  gave  them  some  hardtack.  Atkins  remembers  noticing  one  Grosventre 
sitting  on  the  bank  eating  hardtack  from  one  hand  while  in  the  other  he  held 
a  field  glass  through  which  he  watched  the  Sioux  across  the  river.  The  Rob- 
ert Campbell,  Jr.,  tried  to  go  up  on  the  east  side  of  the  river  but  there  was 
not  water  enough  so  they  crossed  over  to  Four  Bear  Island  and  went  up  as 
described. 


278  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 

BATTLE  OF  THE  TWO  BOATS. 

Tuesday,  July  7,  1863. — Got  our  anchor  aboard  and  left  at  day- 
light. Weather  beautiful.  River  falling.  Shreveport  ahead.  Saw 
buffaloes.  Saw  no  signs  of  Indians  this  morning  until  11  a.  m.,  when 
a  large  war  party  was  discovered  on  the  south  bank.  They  were  in 
the  timber  and  wanted  to  come  on  board.  The  yawl  containing  seven 
men  was  sent  on  shore.  When  it  landed  some  jumped  in  and  shook 
hands  and  others  fired  and  killed  three  men  and  wounded  another. 
Yawl  returned ;  both  boats  instantly  opened  fire  on  them,  killing  and 
wounding  several  of  them.    They  beat  a  hasty  retreat.^ 


'Opposite  Tobacco  Garden,  which  was  on  the  timbered  side  of  the  river, 
there  was,  on  the  right  hand  side,  a  hi^h  bluff.  Atkins  saw  that  the  woods 
on  the  left  swarmed  with  Indians  and  that  many  ponies  were  tied  there  also. 
He  saw  that  the  Indians  were  making  great  demonstrations  of  friendship, 
throwing  their  tomahawks  down  and  scraping  dirt  over  them  and  calling 
out  for  the  Ixiat  to  land.  Alexander  Culbertson  and  his  squaw  both  told 
Capt.  I>a  Barge  that  this  was  a  dangerous  war  party  and  that  they  meant 
mischief.  From  what  the  Sioux  said  among  themselves  Culbertson  warned 
everyone  to  be  on  guard  against  treachery.  Capt  La  Barge  called  for  volun- 
teers to  go  ashore  in  the  yawl  and  bring  the  chiefs  on  board.  Atkins  volun- 
teered but  Capt.  McKinney  would  not  let  him  go  as  Culbertson  warned  him 
that  the  Sioux  would  kill  every  man  in  the  yawl.  The  steamboat,  with  the 
Shrci'cport  near  at  hand,  stopped  at  a  sand  bar  in  the  river  and  the  yawl  was 
ordered^  to  go  to  a  dry  bar  that  ran  out  into  the  river  several  rods  from  the 
steep  wooded  bank  which  was  at  that  point  four  or  five  feet  higli.  When 
the  Indians  saw  the  yawl  coming  they  crowded  eagerly  down  on  the  sand 
bar  filling  it  completely  from  the  water's  edge  to  the  bank;  to  Atkins  who 
stood  watching  them  gun  in  hand,  they  reminded  him  of  wild  beasts  about  to 
spring  on  their  prey.  The  yawl  was  manned  by  one  of  the  deck  hands  and 
SIX  roustabouts  as  oarsmen  and  as  it  neared  the  shore  an  Indian  picked  up 
a  dead  tree  top  and  threw  it  down  to  indicate  where  the  landing  was  to  be 
made.  When  the  yawl  reached  the  sandbar,  one  of  the  men  got  out  and  pulled 
it  up  and  held  it  steady  while  one  Indian  got  in  and  seated  himself  with  the 
steersman  at  the  stern.  Others  shook  hands  with  the  oarsmen,  standing  in 
the  water  near  the  boat  or  with  one  foot  on  the  gunwale.  When  the  man 
on  the  bank  made  ready  to  <;hove  off  the  boat,  Atkins,  who  was  keeping  close 
watch  of  the  yawl,  saw  an  Indian  suddenly  reach  back  over  hi^  shoulder  for  an 
arrow  and  instantly  leveled  his  gun  and  fired  at  him.  At  the  same  instant  he 
saw  the  Indian  sitting  in  the  stern  of  the  yawl  raise  his  spear  and  thrust  the 
sfokc  oarsman  through  the  body  and  leap  out  of  the  boat  into  the  water. 
The  steersman  instantly  sprang  overboard  and  hidden  by  the  gunwale  man- 
7\.yxd  to  pull  the  boat  off  from  the  shore  amid  a  shower  of  bullets  and  arrows 
and  swam  with  it  back  to  the  Robert  Campbell.  Jr.  On  board  this  boat  a 
barricade  had  been  erected  of  boxes  and  flour  sacks,  extending  around  the 
front  of  the  boat  and  behind  this  lay  eighteen  well  armed  men,  mostlv  pas- 
sengers. When  Atkin's  gun  sounded,  a  heavy  volley  from  l>oth  boats  oit 
through  the  mass  of  Indians  on  the  bar  like  a  reaper  through  erain.  The 
cead  lay  thick  all  over  the  sand  while  among  thnn  the  woimded  stmggl'd 
l>  escape  to  the  woods  before  the  second  volley  was  fire<l.  From  the  sheller 
of  the  timber  the  Indians  opened  fire  on  the  b<*ats  and  a  sharp  fusilade  was 
continued  on  both  sides  for  some  time.  Then  the  whites  began  firing  on  the 
ponies  tied  in  the  timber  and  the  Indians  made  every  effort  to  save  them. 
Atkins  and  Gunsollis  kept  many  of  the  ponies  from  escapinvr  bv  watching  till 
by  the  movements  of  some  ponv  thev  would  know  that  an  Indian  was  crawl- 
ing up  to  cut  the  lariat  and  ride  away.     Whenever  an  Indian  made  such  an 


STATE  OF   NORTH   DAKOTA  279 

Wednesday,  July  8,  1863.— Left  at  daylight.  The  redskins  with- 
drew yesterday  evening ;  nothing  been  seen  of  them  since.  Two  were 
wounded,  one  since  dead.  Buffalo  plenty,  but  the  Indians  are  too 
bad  for  us  to  kill  any.  Keep  a  sharp  lookout,  expect  an  attack  every 
bend  where  there  is  timber.  Buried  the  three  men  killed  yesterday.^ 
Keep  guards  out  while  we  wood.  Met  steamer  Nellie  Rogers  twenty  • 
five  miles  below  Yellowstone.  Came  to  anchor  just  below  the  mouth 
of  the  Yellowstone.    Saw  no  Indians,  but  some  signs. 

Thursday,  July  9,  1863. — Came  above  the  mouth  and  tied  up  to 
the  bank.  Shreveport  went  Axp  to  Fort  Union,  came  back  soon  and 
took  on  a  load  of  our  freight,  ran  up  about  one-half  of  mile  and  an- 
chored out ;  we  also  anchored  in  the  stream.  Three  Indians  came 
from  Fort  Union  on  Shreveport.,  Agent  made  them  some  presents, 
they  returned  on  her.  The  Sioux  are  around  here,  so  that  the  people 
at  the  fort  dare  not  go  out  to  hunt.  We  are  keeping  a  bright  lookout 
for  them,  and  if  they  come,  will  give  them  a  warm  reception.  Water 
so  low  neither  boat  can  go  any  further,  stowing  goods  in  Fort 
Union.* 

Friday,  July  10,  1863. — ^Weather  cold.  Wind  blew  our  stern  into 
shore  last  night.  Nearly  every  one  was  on  guard  for  fear  of  an  at- 
tack from  the  redskins,  but  nothing  was  seen  of  them.  River  falling. 
Shreveport  left  at  daylight  for  Fort  Union  with  a  load  of  our 
freight,  where  she  will  store  it  and  return  to  take  up  the  balance  and 
return  with  us  to  St.  Louis.    She  came  down  and  came  in  alongside 

attempt  both  men  would  fire  and  g^enerally  brinj?  down  botli  horse  and  rider. 
One  Indian,  hideously  painted  with  a  white  stripe  down  the  middle  of  his 
breast  and  transverse  stripes  like  ribs  extendiitj?  from  it  en  each  side,  rode 
out  on  the  bank  in  full  view  and  sat  there  waving  a  lance  upon  which  were 
several  scalps.  All  the  whites  seem  to  have  fired  at  him  tosjether  for  both 
Indian  and  pony  went  down  as  if  struck  by  lightnine:.  Atkins  and  Gunsol- 
li^  were  firing  from  the  rear  of  the  pilot  house  and  an  Indian  who  had  crawled 
dnwn  far  enough  to  command  a  view  of  their  position,  opened  fire  on  them 
vx.  close  range.  By  watching  carefully  they  finally  located  their  assailant  bv 
the  smoke  of  his  discharge,  and  killed  him  at  the  first  fire.  Of  the  men  in 
the  yawl,  besides  the  one  killed  by  the  spear  thrust  in  the  first  of  the  fight, 
tN\^  more  were  shot  while  trying  to  escape  in  the  boat,  one  of  whom  died  in- 
stantly and  the  other  died  soon  after  being  taken  aboard.  One  man  received 
an  arrow  wound  nine  inches  deep  but  recovered,  being  just  able  to  walk  when 
the  boat  got  back  to  St.  Louis.  The  hunter  of  the  Shreveport  was  out  early 
in  the  morning  looking  for  game  on  the  day  of  the  fight.  He  had  killed  a 
deer  and  was  returning  with  it  when  he  discovered  a  large  Sioux  war  trail. 
He  made  for  the  river  at  once  and  wading  out  from  a  bar  as  far  as  he  could 
go  he  sat  down  in  the  water  with  only  his  head  above  the  surface  and  waited 
till  the  boat  came  up  and  took  him  aboard  with  his  game.  This  hunter  was 
Tifierwards  killed  by  the  Sioux  on  the  Milk  river  near  Ft.  William  when  he 
\>as  out  looking  uo  his  traps. 

*The  men  were  buried  on  the  north  side  of  the  river  and  while  the  graves 
v;ere  dug  a  heavy  guard  protected  the  burial  party.  The  ground  was  so  hard 
that  the  graves  were  just  deep  enough  to  hold  the  coffins. 

'Ft.  Union  was  at  this  time  in  charge  of  Thomas  Campbell,  one  of  the 
sons  of  Robt.  Campbell,  the  St.  Louis  merchant. 


280  STATE   HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

of  US  about  sundown.  Her  passengers  say  a  report  is  flying  around 
the  fort  that  we  killed  twenty-eight,  wounded  forty-seven  Indians; 
killed  eight,  wounded  four  horses  on  the  7th.    Hope  it  is  true. 

Saturday,  July  11,  1863. — Weather  warm.  River  falling.  Shreve- 
port  left  with  load  of  freight  at  8  a.  m.  Kept  a  guard  out  last  night, 
but  saw  no  signs  of  Indians.  We  are  penned  upon  the  boat  like  a 
lot  of  sheep  an  the  fold,  afraid  to  go  on  shore  on  account  of  the  red- 
skins. Saw  an  old  bear  and  cub  on  south  bank.  Most  of  the  passen- 
gers went  to  the  fort  on  the  Shreveport  and  returned  with  her  about 
sundown.    Nothing  new  today. 

Sunday,  July  12,  1863. — ^Weather  fine.  River  falling.  Shreveport 
departed  with  her  trip  about  8  a.  m.  Nothing  has  occurred  today 
to  disturb  our  usual  tranquility.  This  evening  Rev.  Mr.  Reed  had 
divine  service,  had  a  fair  congrepation,  gave  us  a  short  but  instruc- 
tive sermon.  No  sign  of  redskins  today.  River  has  fallen  five  inches, 
since  we  came  here.  All  are  anxious  to  get  started  for  the  land  of 
civilization. 

Monday,  July  13,  1863. — ^Weather  fine.  River  falling.  Shreveport 
departed  with  her  fifth  and  last  trip.  All  who  are  going  through 
went  to  the  fort  on  her.  We  separated  with  our  passengers  with 
sad  hearts,  for  the  last  two  months  we  have  had  daily  intercourse 
with  each  other,  and  there  are  many  strong  ties  of  friendship  exist- 
ing between  us.  We  hope  to  see  them  all  do  well  in  their  new  voca- 
tion, and  return  with  their  pockets  full  of  the  root  of  all  evil.  Left 
Yellowstone  for  St.  Louis  at  7:30  p.  m. 

Tuesday,  July  14,  1863. — We  ran  down  about  three  miles  and  an- 
chored on  bar  last  night.  Left  at  5  a.  m.  Wagon  came  from  the 
fort  for  twelve  kegs  of  powder.  Very  cold.  River  falling.  About 
10  a.  m.  killed  buffalo,  fired  at  another  one  about  6 :30  p.  m.  Passed 
battlefield  a  little  before  sunset,  saw  no  signs  of  the  foe,  saw  the 
graves  of  the  three  men  we  lost  in  the  fight,  not  been  disturbed. 
Anchored  below  battlefield  to  dry  bar.  Shreveport  came  in  along- 
side. 

Wednesday,  July  15,  1863. — Left  our  anchorage  at  early  dawn. 
Weather  fine.  River  declining.  Rubbed  at  several  crossings.  Shreve- 
port is  descending  ahead  of  us.  Killed  two  buffaloes  in  river.  Took 
a  buck  Indian  and  two  squaws  on  board,  soon  after  took  four  bucks 
and  a  lot  of  horses  and  meat;  the  latter  are  Grosvonts  (Gros- 
ventres).  Passed  the  battle  of  the  Shreveport  about  5  p.  m.  Have 
rubbed  a  little  today.  Backed  out  of  two  pockets.  Made  fair  time. 
Dropped  our  anchor  forty  miles  above  Fort  Berthold  a  little  before 
sunset. 

Thursday,  July  16,  1863. — Weighed  anchor  at  daylight.  Weather 
cool.  River  falling,  had  some  very  bad  river.  Wind  commenced 
blowing  about  daylight.  Ran  about  ten  miles,  landed  and  wooded. 
Went  out  to  dry  bar  and  cast  anchor.  Laid  here  until  6  :30  P.  M. 
and  ran  down  the  river  about  one-quarter  of  mile  and  anchored 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  28 1 

on  another  bar.  Four  of  the  Indians  that  came  on  board  yesterday 
took  their  horses  and  meat  and  left  this  morning  for  the  Grosventre's 
village. 

Friday,  July  17,  1863. — Weather  good.  River  falling,  windy. 
Weighed  anchor  and  departed  down  the  river  at  daylight,  ran  down 
to  Fort  Berthold  and  landed.  Capt.  Joseph  La  Barge  turned  the 
command  of  the  Campbell  over  to  J.  P.  McKinney,  left  the  fort 
about  11  a.  m.  Wooded  several  times  at  splendid  wood  piles,  got 
a  large  stock  on  hand.  A  little  rain  fell  this  evening.  Anchored 
on  dry  bar  a  little  before  sunset,  saw  no  Indians  and  but  little  game. 

Saturday,  July  18,  1863. — Left  at  daylight.  Weather  cool.  River 
seems  to  be  improving.  Cleared  oflf  at  12  m.  Saw  few  buffaloes. 
Getting  along  down  the  river  first  rate.  About  1  P.  M.  two  red 
skins  came  riding  down  the  bank  after  us,  trying  to  get  us  to  land 
but  we  were  too  sharp  this  time.  They  both  fired  at  us,  we  returned 
'the  ccmpliment  when  they  turned  and  retreated  a  la  siegel.  Ran 
about  125  miles.     Anchored  ten  miles  above  Cannon  Ball  River. 

Sunday,  July  19,  1863. — Left  at  daylight.  Weather  cloudy.  River 
falling.  Ran  three  miles  and  laid  up  for  storm  but  it  passed  to  right 
of  us.  Kept  double  guard  last  night  in  expectation  of  an  attack 
from  the  red  skins,  saw  nothing  of  them.  Our  chambermaid  died 
this  morning  at  3  o'clock,  we  buried  her  twenty  miles  below  Grand 
River  at  5  P.  M.,  she  makes  the  fifth  one  we  have  lost  so  far  on  the 
trip.  Ran  over  some  bad  rocks.  Storms  have  been  all  around  us. 
Cleared  off  fine.  Anchored  on  bar  one  mile  above  Moro  (Moreau) 
8  P.  M. 

Monday,  July  20,  1863.— Left  at  daylight.  Weather  cold.  River 
on  a  stand.  \>ry  windy.  Been  wind  bound  nearly  all  day  but  im- 
proved the  time  in  wooding.  Ran  about  40  miles,  anchored  on  bar 
about  6  :30  P.  M.  Saw  no  Indians  or  game  today.  We  are  now  in 
the  bad  lands  where  nothing  can  live.  Wind  south.  Hope  to  have 
6etter  luck  tomorrow,  saw  new  moon  tonight. 

Tuesday,  July  21,  1863. — Left  our  anchorage  at  10:25  a.  m. 
Weather  fine.  River  falling.  Been  very  windy  all  morning.  Hard 
storm  last  night.  Came  over  some  very  bad  river  today,  close 
rocky  shores.  Mad  some  wind  this  evening.  Passed  Sheyennc 
river  at  6  :30  p.  m.  Ran  down  about  ten  miles  below  the  mouth 
of  Sheyenne  and  anchored  to  bar.  Saw  the  Nellie  Rogers  about  1 
miles  below  us.  Ran  about  50  miles  today,  are  about  40  miles  from 
Pierre. 

Wednesday,  July  22,  1863. — Under  way  at  early  dawn.  Weather 
fine.  River  raised  one-half  inch  last  ni.2:ht.  Passed  Nellie  Rogers 
a  little  after  sunrise,  laying  at  the  bank,  her  yawl  out  sounding. 
Arrived  at  Fort  Laframboys  (La  Frambois)  8  a.  m.,  left  at  1  p. 
m,.  ran  up  around  bar,  came  to,  laid  anchor  on  bank.  Very  windy. 
Rodgers  passed  down.  Shrez'eport  at  fort  yet.  Laid  up  about  15  miles 
below  the  Fort.  Left  Shre^'eport  at  Fort  Laframboys.  Indications 
of  storm.     Laid  at  bank  tonight. 


282  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 


Thursday,"  July  23,  18G3. — Left  at  4  a.  m.  Weather  cool,  looks 
like  rain.  Shrevcport  did  not  get  to  us  last  night ;  tried  to  come  down 
this  morning,  got  aground.  We  came  on  down.  Saw  a  company  of 
soldiers  and  several  wagons,  two  of  them  hailed  us.  Passed  Medi- 
cine river  at  12  m.  Got  through  to  Big  bend  5  p.  m..  Saw  lots  of 
Winnebago  Indians  on  their  way  up  the  river.  Hard  rain  this  fore- 
noon. Wooded  boat  Big  bend,  left  hand  shore  coming  down.  Lay 
here  all  night  and  wooded.    Laid  at  bank. 

Friday,  July  24,  18G3.— Left  at  daylight.  Weather  cloudy  and 
cool.  River  falling.  Ran  down  about  eigfht  miles,  the  Shrevcport 
ahead,  when  a  cannon  from  a  camp  of  soldiers  was  fired  across  her 
bows.  She  immediately  came  to  on  a  bar,  it  being  between  us  and 
the  camp  and  two  miles  in  length,  we  were  intending  to  come  around 
the  foot  of  it,  but  before  we  reached  it  a  ball  came  whizzing  across 
our  bows.  We  came  to,  and  an  officer  came  over  to  us,  boats  ran 
around  to  camp.^  Shrevcport  turned  back.  Belle  Peoria  arrived  12 
m.    We  left  at  5  p.  m. 

Saturday,  July  25.  18(]3. — Were  detained  by  wind.  Left  at  eight 
a.  m.  Laid  fifteen  miles  above  White  river.  Weather  cold.  Passed 
White  river  9  a.  m.  Passed  Brick  Yard  at  12  m.  Saw  Indians.  Have 
seen  no  game  for  several  days.  Passed  a  fine  field  of  corn  above  Ran- 
dall about  forty-five  miles,  ran  within  twenty  miles  of  Randall,  land- 
ed for  wood  and  laid  up  for  the  night.  About  9  p.  m.  an  English- 
man and  American  fell  out  and  fought,  Encflishman  soon  cried  out 
enough;  Heenan  stock  still  in  the  ascendency. 

Sunday,  Julv  26,  1803.— Left  at  daylight.  Weather  cool.  River 
on  a  stand.  Bids  fair  to  be  a  windy  day.  Ran  about  twelve  miles, 
and  laid  up  about  eight  miles  above  Fort  Randall  for  wind.  Several 
of  the  passeneers  and  crew  walked  down  to  the  fort.  C.  W. 
McKinney  and  a  friend  of  his  went  down  in  a  bull  boat.  Wind  lulled 
a  little  about  2  p.  m.  Ran  down  to  the  fort,  got  bacon  at  10c  and  a 
cow  for  $30.  Officers  in  command  wanted  to  turn  us  back.  Sam 
Gat\  in  port.    Left  at  7  p.  m.    Laid  eight  miles  below. 

Monday.  July  27,  1803 — Left  at  daylight.  Ran  four  miles  and 
struck  a  bar,  around  she  went,  sparre<l  her  back,  sounded,  put  her 
into  it  acrain,  rubbed.  Passed  Yankton  Agency  8  a.  m..  Running 
Water  12  m.  Bon  Homme  island  3  p.  m.  Lost  a  little  time  above 
Yankton,  sent  yawl  ahead,  came  on  down,  rounded  to  above  West 
Wind ;  in  backing  down  past  her  our  stern  struck  a  lump,  caus- 
ing our  bow  to  swing  in  against  West  Ulud,  but  done  no  material 
damacfc.     Laid  up  here  all  night.     Goat  beef. 

Tuesday,  Julv  28,  1803.— Left  at  daylight.  West  Wind  departed 
up  the  river.     Got  a^^round  below  the  town,  lost  nine  and  one-half 


*Tliis  was  CitMi.  Snllv\  cxpcditinn  and  he  ^avo  the  order  to  <ton  the  hoat 
cr  sink  her.  Capt.  MoKintiev  wa<  able  to  demonstrate  to  Gen.  Sully  that  his 
b.^at  could  not  carry  any  load  at  all. 


STATE  OF   NORTH   DAKOTA  283 


hours,  sounded  with  life  boat,  found  three,  three  and  a 
half  and  four  feet,  sparred  her  off.  Was  out  of  wood, 
sent  yawl  for  some,  got  to  shore,  took  an  old  house. 
Have  a  paper  of  the  17th,  gives  an  account  of  a  great  riot 
in  New  York  and  other  cities ;  it  appears  that  the  draft  is  rather  un- 
popular among  those  who  cannot  raise  $300  in  greenbacks.  Laid 
up  for  the  night.  Indians  killed  a  young  lady  and  gentleman  near 
here.    Lost  a  man  here  going  up.    Fifteen  days  from  Yellowstone. 

Wednesday,  July  29,  1863.— Left  at  daylight.  Weather  cool. 
River  on  a  stand.  A  little  foggy.  Passed  St.  Helena  5:30  a.  m., 
Vermillion  9:30  a.  m.,  got  aground  below.  Saw  a  drove  of  turkeys 
twenty  miles.  Took  four  cords  of  wood,  $3.50.  Landed  at  La- 
plant's.  Several  of  our  passengers  left  for  Sioux  City,  it  being  only 
six  miles  by  land  and  thirty  by  river.  Took  some  wood  at  $3.00  per 
cord;  have  made  a  big  run  today.  Laid  up  twenty  miles  above 
Sioux  City.    Two  fellows  got  wet. 

Thursday,  July  30,  1863. — Seventeen  days  from  Yellowstone. 
Left  at  daylight.  Weather  cool.  River  on  a  stand.  Arrived  at 
Sioux  City  6  a.  m.  Left  at  8:30  a.  m.  Ran  down  about  215  miles 
and  came  into  the  Iowa  shore  for  wind.  About  12  m.  a  quarrel  arose 
between  the  mate  (John  Miller)  and  several  of  his  men ;  it  ended  in 
a  fight  and  the  death  of  one  of  his  men.  Miller  retired  to  his  room 
where  he  was  securely  tied  and  a  guard  placed  over  him.  The  man 
lived  about  thirty  or  forty  minutes.  Everything  quiet.  Laid  up 
below  Decatur  ten  miles. 

Friday,  July  31,  1863. — Did  not  get  an  early  start.  Weather  pleas- 
ant. River  stationary.  Passed  mouth  Little  Sioux  6  a.  m.  Wooded 
at  L^ncle  Jake's  about  9  a.  m.  Here  we  saw  some  prettv  girls;  some 
two  or  three  thought  of  settling  here.     Passed  P>lack  Bird  hills  1  p. 

m.  and  • 2  p.  m.,  Cincinnati  2  :30  p.  m.,  Florence  3  p.  m.    Came 

through  some  close  snags.  Arrived  at  Omaha  City  5  p.  m.,  fired 
our  cannon  and  landed.  Buried  Chris  here  (the  one  Miller  killed). 
Several  went  up  in  town. 

Saturday,  August  1,  1863. — Left  at  sunrise.  Cleaned  out  boilers. 
Weather  cool.  Ran  about  twenty  miles,  and  laid  up  for  wind. 
Steamer  Huiclic  passed  up  at  11:15  a.  m.,  with  a  full  trip  of  Mor- 
mons. We  started  out  12  m.,  very  windy,  ran  down  to  Kingston, 
Iowa,  took  twenty-seven  cords  of  wood  and  several  deck  passengers. 
Laid  up  for  the  night.  Got  aground  above  Kingston.  Nothing  out 
of  the  usual  routine  today. 

Sunday,  August  2,  1863. — Left  at  daylight.  Weather  warm  and 
looks  like  rain.  Every  one  is  in  fine  spirits  at  the  prospect  of  soon 
having  the  pleasure  of  meeting  the  friends  they  have  not  seen  for 
a  long  time.  Had  several  sprinkles  of  rain.  Landed  at  Arago  to  let 
a  lacly  passenger  oflF.  Met  three  young  ladies  who  were  out  skifT 
riding.  Wooded  and  laid  all  night  forty  miles  above  St.  Joe,  hard 
storm  raging. 


284  STATE   HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 

Monday,  August  3,  1863. — Left  at  daylight.  Weather  cool.  Ar- 
rived at  St.  Joe.  Met  Denver  above  St.  Joe  7  a.  m.  Arrived 
at  St.  Joe  8  a.  m.  Most  of  our  passengers  left  here  to  go  down  by 
'  rail.  Left  at  9:30  a.  m.  Passed  Major's  at  landing  of  Hannibal  & 
St.  Joe  R.  R.,  landing  full  of  people.  Landed  at  Leavenworth.  Laid 
above  Wyandotte,  Kansas,  on  the  Missouri  side.  Made  a  fine  run 
today  considering  everything,  Bushwackers  fired  two  shots  at  us 
below  Leavenworth,  did  not  take  effect. 

Tuesday,  August  4,  1803. — Started  at  early  dawn.  River  station- 
ary. Weather  fine.  Landed  at  Liberty,  one  passenger  got  off,  one 
came  on  board.  Landed  at  Richfield  for  wheel  arms  and  bucket 
planks.  Guerillas  in  here  last  night.  Met  Spread  Eagle  below 
Napoleon,  Ogden  at  Camden.  Saw  Guerillas  in  the  bushes,  got 
aground  at  HilFs  Landing.  Lost  three  hours.  Passed  Miami  at  sun- 
set, Isabella  there.    Laid  up  at  De  Witt. 

Wednesday,  August  5,  18G3. — Left  at  daylight.  Weather  warm. 
River  in  fine  condition.  Met  Mattie  Stephens  above  Providence,  2 
p.  m.  Landed  a  passenger  at  Providence.  Wooded  at  Marion  3  p. 
m.  Very  warm  evening.  Passed  Jefferson  City  at  6  p.  m.  Could 
have  take  any  amount  of  freight,  but  Captain  McKinney  declined  it. 
Passed  Osage  7  p.  m.  River  has  been  falling.  Landed  at  Fergu- 
son's and  took  our  fenders  on.    Laid  just  below. 

Thursday,  August  6,  1863. — Left  at  daylight.  Weather  warm. 
River  falling.  Met  Calypso  above  Portland,  landed  a  pas- 
senger there.  Wooded  at  Bates'  7 :30  a.  m.  Passed  Wash- 
ington 10  a.  m.,  Augusta  11  a.  m.,  Dozier's  12  m. 
Met  Marcellci  at  head  of  Howard  bend.  Arrived  St.  Charles  2 
p.  m.  Fired  six  salutes  coming  down  the  bend  above  town.  Any 
amount  of  people  came  down  to  see  us.^  Left  at  3  p.  m.  Mrs.  Mc- 
Kinney and  several  gentlemen  came  on  board.  Left  3  p.  m.  Ar- 
rived at  St.  Louis  at  sundown.  Police  took  Miller  to  Calaboose; 
Irish  tried  to  mob  him,  but  were  prevented  by  the  policemen's 
pistols.^  Well,  this  is  the  end  of  a  long,  tedious  trip,  and  every  one 
seems  highly  pleased.  The  boat  is  nearly  vacated,  all  that  can  have 
gone  to  their  homes. 


*As  the  boat  came  in  they  displayed  seven  strips  of  black  crepe  from  the 
halyards  to  indicate  that  many  death*^  <.n  the  trip, 

'While  they  waited  for  the  police  the  men  stood  piiard  with  ^nns  and  the 
S'eamer  howitzer  was  trained  ready  for  use  to  keep  the  crowd  from  the  boat. 


STATL  OF  NOKllI  DAKOTA  285 


LOG   OF   THE   STEAMER   BENTON    FROM    ST.    LOUIS, 
MISSOURI,  TO  FORT  BENTON,  IDAHO. 

Captain  William  Howard. 

John  Gunsollis  and  C.  J.  Atkins,  Pilots.^ 

Saturday,  March  11,  1865. — Left  St.  Louis  6  p.  m.,  arrived  at  the 
coal  yard,  Illinois,  11 :30  p.  m.  Coaled  and  laid  by  for  the  night.  L. 
W.  English  is  steering  for  Captain  John  Gunsollis,  we  are  drawing 
four  feet. 

Sunday,  March  12,  18G5. — Left  at  daylight,  arrived  at  St.  Charles 
1 :30  p.  m.  C.  J.  Atkins  and  lady  came  on  board.  A  very  strong 
head  wind  has  been  blowing  all  day,  retarding  our  progress  very 
much.     Laid  up  all  night  Cottleville  Landing. 

Mondav,  March  13,  18G5. — Under  wav  at  early  dawn.  Passed 
South  Point  at  12  m.  Louisa  was  sunk  at  the  wharf,  caught  fire 
and  was  scuttled.  A  nigger  started  out  in  a  skiff  ahead  of  the  boat 
at  S.  P.  (South  Point),  got  scared,  jumped  overboard  and  was 
drowned.  Crossing  in  to  the  bluff  above  Bates'  we  got  aground, 
broke  derrick,  lost  spar  and  all  overboard. 

Tuesday,  March  14,  1865. — Got  over  at  5:30  a.  m.  Wooded  at 
Spring  Gates.  Cut  derrick  and  took  it  on  board.  Started  out  right 
hand  chute,  got  aground,  sparred  off,  went  up  left  hand  shore,  ran 
up  under  bar,  got  around  and  laid  several  hours.  Got  a  line  out, 
hauled  her  head  around,  got  off  and  went  on  our  way  rejoicing. 
Passed  Herman  at  5:30  p.  m.,  went  up  the  bluff,  could  not  make 
it,  dropped  down  and  tried  it  several  times  below  with  no  better 
success.  Wind  blowing  prettv  strong,  went  back  to  Herman  and 
laid  up  for  the  night.  Some  of  the  boys  having  a  good  time.  Mailed 
some  letters.    Raining  hard. 

Wednesday,  March  15,  1865. — Left  at  daylight.  River  raised 
nearly  a  foot  last  night.  Got  through  without  any  trouble.  Wooded 
at  Boatwright's.  Ran  up  to  St.  Aubert  and  wooded.  Met  steamer 
Yellowstone  above  St.  Aubert  at  1 :30  p.  m.  Has  been  raining, 
snowing  and  sleeting  nearly  all  day,  growing  cold.  Passed  Jeffer- 
son Citv  at  6  p.  m..  ran  over  to  the  mouth  of  Cedar,  wooded  and  laid 
up  for  the  night.    "Dark  as  Egypt"  and  getting  windy* 


^ohn  Gunsollis  was  a  man  without  education,  Atkins  wrote  his  letters  for 
him  and  read  those  that  cauie  to  him.  He  was  a  first  class  pilot  and  a  pow- 
erfully built  man  but  quarrelsome  and  danjaferous  when  under  the  influence  of 
liquor.  He  was  said  to  have  killed  a  man  at  two  different  occasions  in  St.  Louis. 


286  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 

Thursday,  March  16,  1865. — Shoved  out  at  daylight.  Passed 
Clayville  at  6 :30  a.  m.  Met  little  steamer  Esther  Bufhngton  four 
miles  above  Clayville  at  7:30  a.  m.  Met  Live  Oak  at  10:15  a.  m. 
at  Eureka.  Put  some  passengers  out  at  Providence,  Shrezcport  at 
the  wharf,  left  ahead  of  us  on  her  way  up.  Passed  her  about  two 
miles  above,  wooded  six  miles  below  Booneville,  arrived  at 
Booneville  at  9  p.  m.  Took  on  some  passengers,  run  about  twelve 
miles  above  and  laid  up. 

Friday,  March  17,  1865. — Left  early  this  morning.  Wind  strong, 
wooded  a  few  miles  above  where  we  laid,  arrived  at  Arrow  Rock  at 
9  a.  m.,  put  out  some  passengers.  Arrived  at  Glasgow  at  1  p.  m„ 
landed  and  took  some  stores,  could  not  get  out  for  the  wind,  tried 
to  spar  out,  got  one  of  the  spars  under  the  boat,  laid  an  anchor  and 
hauled  her  out.  Ran  up  to  the  point,  could  not  get  around,  so  we 
tied  up  just  under  the  point.  Crew  and  passengers  were  out  shoot- 
ing at  a  mark,  soldiers  on  the  other  side  fired  at  them.  Steamer 
Deer  Lodge  passed  up  at  7  p.  m. 

Saturday,  March  18,  1865. — Left  at  3  a.  m.  Weather  delightful. 
Came  in  sight  of  Deer  Lodge  above  Frankfort.  Met  steamer  Cora 
at  Buckhorn  Point.  Arrived  at  Brunswick  at  1  p.  m.,  put  out  and 
took  on  passengers.  Arrived  at  Miami  at  3  :30  p.  m.,  put  out  a  pass- 
enger. Deer  Lodge  two  miles  ahead.  Passed  Deer  Lodge  at  5  :30 
p.  m.,  wooding  at  Chicken  Point.  Ran  up  to  the  bend  and  wooded, 
had  trouble  getting  through.  Deer  Lodge  passed  us.  Met  Calypso 
in  the  same  bend,  6  :30  p.  m.,  ran  up  to  Snodin's  Point  and.  laid  up 
just  astern  the  Deer  Lodge. 

Sunday,  March  19,  1805. — Left  at  daylight.  Very  windy.  Ran 
up  to  Hill  Landing,  tried  to  get  up  the  lower  chute,  could  not  make 
it,  went  up  the  bend,  could  not  make  it.  Captain  Gunsollis  and  Cad 
(Atkins)  went  out  and  souuvled,  found  water  below,  dropped  down 
and  started  at  it,  took  several  hours  to  get  through.  Deer  Lodge 
ahead.  Met  Evening  Star  at  Waverly,  3  p.  m.  Wooded  opposite 
Waverly,  passed  Deer  Lodge  aground  just  above  Dover.  Laid  up 
at  a  dry  bar  one  mile  below  Berlin.    Deer  Lodge  passed  up. 

Monday,  March  20,  ISf;."). — Left  at  5:30  a.  m.,  arrived  at  Lexing- 
ton at  10  a.  m.  Took  coal.  Wooded  above  Wellington  at  2  p.  m. 
Weather  warm  and  cloudy.  Rained  hard  in  afternoon.  Laid  up  at 
6  p.  m.  at  a  wood  yard  above  Sibley,  took  wood. 

Tuesday,  March  21,  18(>5 — Left  at  5  :30  a.  m.  Saw  Deer  Lodge  just 
ahead.  Met  Hattie  May  in  the  Ix^id  above,  passed  Sioux  City  agroimd 
high  and  dry  just  below  Richfield.  The  crew  are  digging  a  canal  from 
her  head  up  through  the  bar  to  turn  the  water  through  (a  la  (irant). 
She  was  captured  by  guerillas  one  day  last  week,  they  took  nothing 
but  a  box  of  boots.  Passed  the  Sam  Gaty  at  Richfield,  H)  a.  m.  Had 
a  great  vleal  of  trouble  in  the  bend  above,  tried  to  get  through  the 
upper  way,  could  not  make  it.  sounded,  tried  again,  no  better  success. 
Ciara  came  up,  sounded,  but  could  not  get  over.  We  went  down,  ran 


STATE  OF   NOmil   DAKOTA  287 


in  below  her  and  got  through  at  2  :30  p.  m.  Got  aground  below  Wayne 
City,  got  off  and  ran  up  to  wood  yard  and  laid  up.  Clara  passed  up 
at  8  p.  m. 

Wednesday,  March  22,  18G5. — Left  at  daylight,  arrived  at  Kan- 
sas City  at  9  a.  m.,  landed  and  took  on  a  passenger.  Passed  Clara 
at  Wyandotte.  Well,  here  we  are  at  Leavenworth  (4  p.  m.),  and  a 
beautiful  day  it  is.  Met  Welcome  below  town,  Tom  Morgan  and 
Clara  came  up  while  we  were  here,  and  now,  5  :15  p.  m.,  we  are  off 
for  the  goldfields  of  Redeho.  Landed  at  the  fort  and  tried  to  get 
a  cannon,  but  did  not  succeed.    Laid  up  at  the  point  two  miles  above. 

Thursday,  March  23,  18G5.— Left  at  daylight.  Clara  at  Weston. 
Wooded  a  few  miles  above.  Clara  passed  us  while  wooding,  run 
eight  or  ten  miles  and  wooded  again.  Arrived  at  Atchison  at  1 :30 
p.  m.,  landed  and  put  out  a  passenger.  Clara  in  port.  Ferryboat  Ella 
has  been  just  ahead  all  day,  passed  her  at  Doniphan,  3  p.  m.  Met 
steamer  Denver  just  above  Wisner  City.  Wooded  a  few  miles 
above.    Laid  up  at  the  point  just  below  Palermo  on  the  Kansas  side. 

Friday,  March  24,  1865.— Left  at  5  :30  a.  m.  Wooded  in  the  bend 
below  St.  Joe,  arrived  at  St.  Joe  at  9  a.  m.  All  hands  went  ashore 
and  made  various  purchases,  got  letters,  etc.  Got  a  cannon.  Steam- 
ers Chippma  Falls,  A.  Majors  and  Deer  Lodge  in  port.  Steamer 
Colorado  left  just  after  we  landed.  Deer  Lodge  left  just  before  we 
did,  departed  at  12  :30  p.  m.,  wooded  opposite  Nodaway  island,  run 
up  to  head  of  the  island  and  laid  up,  took  some  wood. 

Saturday,  March  25,  18(>5. — Left  at  5:30  a.  m.  Had  trouble  just 
above  Lafayette,  run  up  the  left  bank,  could  not  make  it,  backed 
down  about  a  mile  and  got  over  at  the  second  trial.  Met  Kate  Kin- 
ney just  below  Forest  City,  1  p.  m.  Had  trouble  opposite  Squaw 
Point,  got  too  high  under  upper  bar,  had  to  back  down  about  150 
yards.  Laid  up  at  7:15  p.  m.  about  one  mile  above  Rush  bottom 
bend.  lots  of  shoal  water  below. 

Sunday,  March  2G,  18()5. — Left  our  camp  at  earlv  dawn.  Met 
Jennie  Lewis  at  G  a.  m.,  five  miles  below  Arago.  Enquired  of  us 
about  lower  river.  Weather  cloudy  and  smoky.  River  falling,  wind 
east.  Passed  Brownville  3  p.  m.,  lots  of  people  came  down  to  see 
the  boat  go  bv.  Met  /.  H.  Lacy  at  Peru,  5  :15  p.  m.  Got  up  in  right 
bend  below  Sidney  Landing,  could  not  get  out.    Laid  up  7  :15  p.  m. 

Monday,  March  27,  18G5. — When  daylight  came,  found  we  had 
to  back  out,  as  the  Deer  Lodge  done  before  us.  Sounded  lower,  we 
found  water  on  face  of  lower  bar.  At  Sidney  we  started  up  shore, 
backed  out  and  went  over  to  Willow  bar,  then  across  head  of  dry  bar 
ti  bend,  Fannie  Ogden  came  up  while  we  were  trying  below  Sidney, 
left  her  in  chute  we  backed  out  of.  A  yahoo  hailed  us  at  Line  island 
wood  yard,  saving  we  had  better  wood  as  we  would  get  no  more  for 
forty  miles.    We  done  it.    Landed  Nebraska  City. 

Tuesday,  ^^a^ch  28.  1805.— Under  wav  at  daylight.  Wooded  at 
Kingston.     Met  Montana  below  Rock  Bluff,  0  a.  m.     Lay  above 


288  STATK    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 


Wyoming  last  night.  Weather  cold.  River  declining  slowly.  Passed 
Plattesmouth  11:15  a.  m.  Soldiers  hailed,  but  we  ain't  in  that  trail 
just  now.  Landed  at  Council  Bluffs  3:45  p.  m.,  arrived  at  Omaha 
City  6:15  p.  m.  Saw  Indians  here.  Rocks  above  upper  landing. 
Laid  up  six  miles  above  Omaha. 

Wednesday,  March  29,  1865. — Left  our  camp  at  daylight.  Weath- 
er cold,  wind  north.  River  falling.  Steamer  Yellozvstone  passed 
us  just  above  Florence,  8  a.  m.  Rocks  below  and  opposite  town,  also 
at  Esop's  Point.  Saw  Indians  below  Esop's.  Came  in  sight  of  Deer 
Lodge  2  p.  m.,  laid  up,  has  broken  a  flange.  Passed  her,  took  a  little 
wood,  she  shoved  out  after  us.  We  took  some  more  wood  and  she 
went  by.  Saw  Indians  at  DeSoto,  5  :15  p.  m.  Met  first  cake  of  ice 
seven  miles  above  DeSoto.  Laid  up  8  p.  m.  below  Soldier  river, 
Deer  Lodge  with  us.    Struck  break  below  where  we  laid  up  this  eve. 

Thursday,  March  30,  1865. — Under  way  at  5  a.  m.  Deer  Lodge 
ahead.  Lost  forty  minutes  below  Cumming  City.  Saw  five  red- 
skins. Came  up  to  Deer  Lodge  butting  at  bar,  got  tired  waiting 
for  her,  went  through,  left  her  aground.  Fired  our  cannon.  Saw 
Indians  below  Little  Sioux,  passed  L.  S.  3  p.  m.  Wooded  at  Cooke's 
6  p,  m.  Injuns  here  took  pay  for  wood.  Laid  up  for  night  fifteen 
miles  below  Decatur.  Fifty  miles  today.  Deer  Lodge  laid  three 
miles  below  us. 

Friday,  March  31,  1865. — Under  way  at  daylight.  Weather  pleas- 
ant. River  falling.  Lost  little  time  butting.  Deer  Lodge  passed 
on  ahead  when  we  passed  Decatur,  9  :15  a.  m.  Above  Decatur  on 
same  side  above  the  bluff  Indian  shined  our  eyes  with  looking  glass, 
distance  about  one  mile.  Wooded  at  the  Omaha  mission,  3  :30  p.  m. 
Saw  lots  of  Indians  ten  miles  above  the  mission.  Swung  down  on 
snag  and  a  little  above  found  three  and  one-half  feet  water.  Sounded 
until  away  round  bend,  10  p.  m. 

Saturday,  April  1,  1865. — Laid  at  middle  bar  last  night.  Started 
up  bend,  got  to  head,  could  not  get  out,  came  back,  sounded,  lower- 
ing again,  found  three  feet  ten  inches.  Broke  out  a  wheel  arm.  the 
first  on  the  trip,  got  over  11 :30  a.  m.,  lost  seven  and  a  half  hours. 
Saw  people  from  Deer  Lodge  out  hunting.  Weather  fine.  River 
fell  one  and  one-half  inches.  Saw  a  lot  of  turkeys  today. ^  Have 
left  any  amount  of  bad  river  behind  us  for  the  Deer  Lodge,  Laid 
four  miles  above  Dacota  on  Iowa  side,  just  above  first  right  hand 
point. 

Sunday,  April  2,  1865. — Under  way  at  early  dawn.  Weather  is 
warm  and  pleasant.  River  falling.  Arrived  at  Sioux  City  8  a.  m, 
took  on  some  freight  and  departed  at  12:30  p.  m.  Windy.  About 
fifteen  miles  above  Sioux  City  snag  pulled  rudder  off.  boat  swung 
down  on  break  and  stopped,  got  lines  out  and  hauled  her  off  side- 
wise,  lost  two  and  one-half  hours.    Went  on  about  two  miles  with 

*These  were  wild  turkeys,  in  the  timber  on  the  south  side  of  the  river 


STATE  OF   NORTH   DAKOTA  289 


two  rudders,  ran  some  very  close  snags,  laid  up  for  the  night  6 :30 
p.  m.,  and  to  ship  up  rudder. 

Monday,  April  3,  1865. — Sounded  left  hand  chute,  found  three 
and  one-half,  went  up  right  hand  bend,  could  not  get  out  at  head,  got 
aground  trying  to  get  out,  got  her  head  down  and  then  got  aground. 
Deer  Lodge  hove  in  sight  8 :45  a.  m.  Weather  cool  and  cloudy.  Got 
back  to  bar  where  we  laid  last  night,  sounded  again,  only  three  and 
one-half.  Deer  Lodge  tried  it,  could  not  make  it.  We  went  it,  got 
line  to  snag,  hauled  and  sparred  to  it,  then  laid  anchor  on  bar,  Deer 
Lodge  above  us  hauling  over.    We  got  over  12  midnight. 

Tuesday,  April  4,  1865. — ^Departed  5  :30  a.  m.  Rainy.  *  River  ris- 
ing slowly.  Wooded  foot  of  left  hand  bend  6  :15  a.  m.,  took  a  few 
rails.  Cut  our  first  wood  yesterday  while  aground.  Wooded  and 
cut  spar  two  miles  above  Sioux  City,  six  miles  by  land,  eight  miles 
above  wood  yard.  Laid  up  three-quarters  of  an  hour  for  wind. 
Captain  got  up  and  shoved  her  out,  got  too  high,  laid  anchor,  parted 
hawser  weighing  it,  also  buoy  line.  Picked  up  buoy  with  yawl. 
Dragged  for  anchor  with  a  line  and  both  yawls  until  12  p.  m.,  but 
without  success.    Laid  at  bar  just  above. 

Wednesday,  April  5,  1865. — Departed  at  daylight.  Cold  and 
windy.  Cleaned  out  boilers  last  night,  no  steam  this  morning.  Had 
to  sound  crossing,  four  feet,  sparred  over,  lost  three  hours.  Raining, 
growing  colder.  Wooded  at  Chestunt  Landing  3 :30  p.  m.  Cold  N. 
W.  wind  with  sleet  and  hail.  About  five  miles  above  where  we 
wooded,  came  to  crossing,  wind  blowing  a  perfect  gale,  we  ground- 
ed. Captain  said  we  would  hang  up  on  a  neighboring  snag  for  the 
night,  so  here  we  are,  5 :25  p.  m. 

Thursday,  April  6,  1865. — Wind  still  blows  a  perfect  gale,  and  we 
are  still  fast  to  the  snag.  Wind  will  not  admit  of  any  sounding 
today,  so  we  can  only  wait  and  hope  for  better  weather.  Everybody 
is  amusing  themselves  as  best  they  can. 

Friday.  April  7,  1865. — Sounded  this  morning  and  found  only 
three  and  one-half,  which  is  not  enough  for  us  by  six  inches,  so  we 
dropped  down  the  river  about  a  mile  and  laid  up  at  a  wood  yard.'' 
Captain  Howard,  Messrs.  English,  Brown,  Harry  and  Atkins  went 
over  the  river  hunting,  but  no  game ;  all  returned  with  fine  appe- 
tites. Some  of  the  crew  and  passengers  killed  rabbits  on  Dacotah 
side.     Ice  too  heavy  to  sound. 

Saturday,  April  8.  1865. — Sounded  again  this  morning,  but  found 
only  three  and  one-half  feet  of  water.  A  heavy  snow  storm  set  in 
about  8  a.  m.  and  continued  during  the  day,  and  at  dark  there  was 
five  or  six  inches  of  snow.  Ice  is  very  heavy  and  making  fast,  was 
too  heavy  to  sound  yesterday  and  is  worse  today.  Everybody  that 
wanted  to  went  hunting  today,  but  brought  in  little  or  no  game. 

Sunday,  April  9,  1865. — River  gorged  below  last  night  and  backed 
the  water  up,  causing  it  to  rise  two  feet,  so  at  11 :20  a.  m.  we  got 
up  steam  and  started  to  try  and  get  above  the  bar  before  it  falls.    Ice 


290  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETV 


« 


very  thick.  Grounded  the  first  trial,  sparred  off,  backed  down,  came 
in  again  and  got  through  all  right.  Came  about  twenty  miles  and 
found  a  crossing  with  only  three  and  one-half,  so  we  sounded  and 
laid  up  for  the  night  at  the  west  side  of  island  where  Kate  Sweeney 
sunk. 

Monday,  April  10,  1865. — Sounded  the  crossing  this  morning, 
found  three  and  one-half  scant.  River  full  of  ice,  so  we  concluded 
to  remain  where  we  are.  Ground  is  covered  with  snow.  Could 
not  lighten  with  yawls  on  account  of  ice,  nor  could  freight  be  put 
out  without  being  very  much  damaged.^ 

Tuesday,  April  11,  1865. — Sounded  crossing  again,  but  only  found 
three  feet  \argc.    River  fell  one  and  one-half  inches  last  night. 

ONE  MONTH  OUT  OF  PORT. 

Tuesday,  April  12,  1865. — Sounded  as  usual  this  morning,  but 
with  no  better  success.  Ground  still  covered  with  snow.  Every- 
body is  amusing  themselves  as  best  they  may. 

Thursday,  April  13,  1865. — River  falling  all  the  time.  Sounded, 
but  found  no  water  as  usual.  Learned  that  the  Bertrand  had  sunk 
above  Omaha.  W^ent  around  island  but  could  not  find  water  enough. 
Papers  state  that  Richmond  with  25,000  prisoners  has  been  captured 

Friday,  April  14,  1865. — Sounded,  but  found  only  two  and  one- 
half  feet.    River  still  continues  to  fall. 

Saturday,  April  15,  1865. — As  usual  we  sounded,  but  could  find 
only  two  and  one-half  feet  of  water.  River  is  thought  to  be  raising 
a  li'ttle. 

Sunday,  April  16,  1865. — Went  around  island,  but  the  wind  was 
too  high  to  sound.  We  had  sail  in  the  large  yawl  Mailed  twenty- 
four  letters  at  Green  Point  postoffice.  River  is  still  raising.  A  skiff 
containing  two  men  went  down  about  dark,  they  would  not  come  on 
board,  but  kept  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river. 

Monday,  April  17,  1865. — Sounded  this  morning,  found  four  feet, 
so  we  raised  steam  and  departed  at  9  a.  m.  Got  in  to  crossing  and 
she  stopped,  ran  small  line  out  to  shore  snag,  parted  it,  then  ran  out 
another  and  larger  one,  got  strain  on  it,  set  both  spars  and  got  over 
and  landed  at  Mate's  wood  pile  at  10:15  a.  m.,  took  our  wood."* 
Atkins  went  to  Green  Point  with  yawl.  At  1 :15  p.  m.  wind  lulled  and 
we  got  under  way.  Made  about  thirty  miles.  Laid  up  7  :30  p.  m.  Some 
of  the  boys  went  to  Vermillion.    Barkeeper  (TIarry)  came. 


*'riie  freiirbt  had  been  handk^d  so  much  that  the  hoops  of  the  cask';  were 
brcakinti  and  the  boxes  were  rackinp  badly  and  any  further  handling?  would 
entail  daniaj^es  on  the  steamboat  company.  Two  set  of  purchase  falls  (ropes) 
of  the  spars  had  been  worn  out  by  constant  sparrinj^  and  they  laid  up  rather 
tlnn  c(mtinue  runninj?  under  such  conditions. 

'The  line  is  alwivs  fastened  up  stream  first  and  piid  out  from  a  coil  of 
rf>pe  in  the  stern  of  the  vawl.  Two  anchors  are  sometimes  laid,  both  in  line, 
one  farther  up  stream  tlian  the  other.  In  case  the  rope  is  not  long  enou(?h 
to  reach  the  steamboat,  it  mu>t  be  bouyed  and  more  line  obtained  and  spliced 
en. 


STATE  OF  NORTH   DAKOTA  291 

Tuesday,  April  18,  186."). — Under  way  at  early  dawn.  Captain 
Gunsollis  shot  at  turkeys.  Saw  three  deer  running  across  prairie. 
Passed  St.  James  river  12  m.,  had  a  little  trouble.  Atkins  shot  at  a 
beaver  fifteen  miles  below  river  at  large  island.  Passed  Yankton, 
D.  T.  2:30  p.  m.,  learned  that  the  Deer  Lodge  was  at  Bonhomme 
island  Sunday  p.  m.  Wooded  at  Frankfort  5 :45  p.  m.  Dutchman 
here  says  he's  '*chust  four  years  from  Yarmany  and  is  postmaster 
already."^  Bully  for  him.  Laid  up  at  7:15  p.  m.,  six  miles  above 
wood  yard. 

Wednesday,  April  19,  18G5. — Our  barge  was  gotten  under  way  at 
early  dawn.  River  fell  a  little  last  night,  and  a  little  rain  fell  also. 
Passed  Bonhomme  island  T  :30  a.  m.,  Running  Water  at  1 :30  p.  m. 
Laid  up  at  3  p.  m.,  nine  miles  above  for  wind,  lost  three  and  one-half 
hours.  At  last  it  lulled  a  little  and  We  crossed  over  and  laid  up  for 
the  night  one-quarter  mile  abo.ve  Choteau  creek.  Wooded  here. 
Deer  Lodge  three  days  ahead.  Was  about  an  hour  making  the  cross- 
ing. 

Thursday,  April  20,  1865. — Left  at  5  a.  m.  Cold  and  windy. 
River  still  rising.  About  five  miles  below  the  Yankton  agency 
the  wind  was  so  strong  we  were  compelled  to  go  to  the  bank  at  11 :30 
a  m.  Mr.  Hatcher  (second  clerk)  went  up  to  the  fort.  Mr.  ( W.  H.) 
Donaldson  came  down  to  boat,  is  going  up  with  us.  About  3  :30  p.  m. 
the  wind  lulled  and  we  got  under  way,  ran  up  to  the  agency,  took 
Mr.  Hatcher  on  board.    Laid  up  six  miles  below  Fort  Randall. 

Friday,  April  21,  1865. — Under  way  at  daylight.  River  fell  a 
little  last  night.  Weather  cold  and  ground  is  whit€  with  snow.  A 
very  strong  head  wind  is  blowing,  and  we  are  making  but  slow 
progress.  At  8  a.  m.  it  became  too  strong  for  us,  and  we  came  to  the 
bank  about  one  mile  below  the  fort.  Went  up  to  postoffice,  received 
lots  of  letters.    Heard  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  death. 

Saturday,  April  22,  1865. — Started  very  early  this  morning,  ran 
t.p  to  Cedar  island  and  wooded,  8  a.  m.  Weather  is  cold  with  strong 
wind  from  X.  N.  W.  River  falling.  Old  Sol  is  out  this  morning 
for  the  first  time  during  several  days  past.  Took  some  wood,  and 
after  an  hour  trial  to  get  from  the  bank  we  concluded  (to)  wait 
until  the  wind  subsided.  Captain  and  second  steward  fell  out,  and 
the  latter  was  paid  off,  went  ashore  on  island,  crossed  to  north  bank 
in  canoe.    Got  aground  in  crossing  two  miles  above  Randall,  6  p.  m. 

Sunday,  April  23,  1865. — Worked  until  3:15  a.  m.,  and  finally  got 
back  into  shore  and  laid  up.  Left  at  5  a.  m.,  had  five  feet.  Weather 
beautiful.  River  falling.  Passed  Little  Cedar  8  a.  m.  Sounded 
crossing  abreast  of  the  Large  Sister  (island).  Set  four  spars  and 
went  through  about  1  p.  m.  We  came  up  along  left  hand  shore  and 
stopped,  sounded,  four  feet  scant,  went  out  and  tried  other  side. 


'Frankfort  consisted  of  a  dugout  in  the  bank  occupied  by  the  German  and 
his  family.     Not  a  house  was  to  he  seen  anywhere. 


292  STATE    HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

no  water,  cahie  back  and  lightened  with  ya\vls.  About  sundown  a 
Mackinaw  (boat),  containing  a  lot  of  njiners  from  Virginia  City 
came  down,  don't  like  the  mines.    Lost  one-half  day  here. 

Monday,  April  24,  1865. — Got  our  freight  up  to  Point  during  the 
night  and  started  up  with  boat  4:30  a.  m.,  had  to  set  two  or  three 
spars.  Got  it  on  board  and  started  up  river  7  a.  m.  Weather  fine, 
river  falling.  About  one  and  one-half  miles  above  where  we  laid 
found  four  feet  aft^r  sounding  a  long  time,  this  was  at  Martha's 
island.  Wooded  opposite  island.  At  head  met  a  fleet  of  canoes 
containing  Winnebago  Indians.  Below  the  Brick  Kiln  we  had  trouble, 
sounded,  found  three  and  one-half  feet.  Concluded  to  lighten,  so 
at  6 :30  p.  m.  we  went  at  it. 

Tuesday,  April  25,  1865. — At  4:30  a.  m.  we  shoved  out,  drawing 
three  feet  three  inches,  but  she  would  not  mount  the  reef,  so  after 
several  trials,  w^e  went  in  and  lightened  up  to  three  feet.  Sounded 
and  found  three  and  one-half,  and  went  into  it  again,  but  had  to  spar 
all  the  way  through,  got  over  at  11  a.  m.  W.  English  (steersman) 
and  some  of  the  other  boys  went  out  hunting.  Returned  for  our 
freight  3  p.  m.  Got  it  on  board  and  started  back  5 :30.  Made  several 
ineffectual  attempts  to  mount  the  reef,  so  windy.  Captain  and  mate 
had  some  words.    Got  to  freight  pile  No.  2  at  sundown. 

Wednesviay,  April  26,  1865. — Boat  was  a^^round  this  morning,  and 
we  did  not  get  away  until  5:30  a.  m.  Weather  cloudy  and  cooV 
River  falling.  Grass  in  the  valleys  is  quite  green  and  the  trees  are 
beginning  to  bud,  while  the  snow  still  clings  to  the  top  of  the  bluff. 
Lost  two  hours  sparring  over  above  Bijou's  hills.  Went  on  about 
five  miles  and  sparred  over  another  crossing.  Rain  commenced  fall- 
ing about  5  p.  m.    Laid  up  to  wood  about  5 :30  p.  m. 

Thursday,  April  27,  1865. — Under  way  at  4:45  a.  m.  Weather 
cloudy  and  cold.  River  falling.  About  four  miles  above  where 
we  laid  we  found  a  crossing  with  only  three  feet  large,  and  after 
sounding  it  thoroughly  we  backed  down  to  right  hand  shore  and 
went  to  cutting  wood.  After  dinner  we  sounded  again,  and  all  the 
chutes  in  the  river,  but  only  three  feet  large  could  be  found.  So  we 
concluded  to  lay  up  for  water. 

Friday,  April  28,  1865. — Had  a  thunder,  rain  and  windstorm 
last  night.  This  morning  the  wind  is  strong  and  cold 
from  the  northwest.  Tried  to  sound,  but  the  wind  being  down 
stream  the  yawl  could  not  stem  it,  and  after  giving  it  a  good  trial 
we  returned  to  the  boat.  River  is  rising  slowly.  Just  before  sundown 
the  wind  lulled  a  little  as  we  sounded,  found  three  and  one-half  feet. 

Saturday,  April  29,  1865. — Got  under  way  at  4:15  a.  m.,  ran  up 
bar  as  far  as  we  could,  sounded,  found  three  and  one-half,  so  we 
commenced  putting  out  freight.  Lightened  her  to  three  feet  two 
inches  and  sparred  over,  anchored  her  out  (had  a  great  time  doing 
it),  brought  freight  to  boat  in  yawls.     Three  miies  below  White 


STATE  OF   NORTH   DAKOTA  293 

river  we  landed  and  sounded  several  chutes,  but  ran  none  of  them. 
Laid  three  miles  above  mouth  of  White  river. 

Sunday,  April  30,  1865. — Under  way  at  4 :45  a.  m. — Weather  cold. 
River  on  a  stand.  Saw  beavers  two  miles  above  where  we  laid.  Had 
trouble,  sounded,  found  four  feet,  but  had  to  haul  and  spar  her  over, 
losl  three  hours.  Weather  has  turned  out  fine  this  evening.  Wooded 
on  left  hank.  Bought  wood  from  Indians  five  miles  below  Crow 
creek.  Passed  the  agency  7  p.  m.  Met  Mackinaw  (boat).  Laid 
up  7 :15  p.  m.,  got  cord  wood.    Yawl  went  over  to  agency. 

Monday,  May  1,  1805. — Ere  the  first  tint  of  morn  had  become  vis- 
ible in  the  eastern  sKy,  our  moorings  were  cast  loose  and  we  were 
under  full  sail  for  the  gold  mines.  Old  Sol  has  just  made  his  appear- 
ance over  the  eastern  bluff,  gladdening  every  one  with  his  smiling 
face.  Weather  fine.  River  falling.  Sparred  over  at  foot  of.  Big 
bend.  Had  quite  a  time  sounding.  Too  windy  to  run.  Captain 
got  impatient  and  started  out  5  p.  m.  Ran  about  five  miles  and 
sounded  about  same  distance.    Sparred  over  at  11  p.  m. 

Tuesday,  May  2,  1805. — Got  under  way  5  a.  m.  River  fell  one 
and  a  half  inches.  Weather  pleasant.  Steward  after  the  boys. 
English  said  in  a  dream,  **Yes,  yes,  she'll  rub  on  a  thousand  feet.*' 
Heavy  boat  for  a  river  only  three  and  one-half  in  it,  and  falling  at 
that.  Saw  beaver  and  muskrat.  Wooded  at  head  of  Big  bend,  right 
hand.  Sparred  over  head  of  left  hand  Big  bend,  lost  three  and  one- 
half  hours.  Saw  first  elk  just  above  ^Medicine  river,  4:20  p.  m.  Cap- 
tain John  Ciunsollis  shot  at  wild  cat  5 :25,  right  hand  bank.  Sounded 
and  sparred  over.    Laid  up  9  p.  m. 

Wednesday,  May  3,  1805. — Daylight  again  finds  us  under  way. 
Game  in  sight,  English  and  steward  went  out  for  some.  Sparred 
over,  swung  down  over  spar,  had  a  fine  time  getting  it  out,  got 
aground  in  doing  it.  Got  over  about  2  p.  m.  Picked  up  our  hunters 
and  their  game,  which  was  about  as  much  as  you  could  put  in  your 
eye,  though  it  is  said  thev  did  approach  a  curlew  in  regular  hunter 
style.  I^id  up  about  7  p.  m.  Englishman  shot  at  game  about  one 
mile  off. 

Thursday,  May  4,  1805. — Ere  the  day  had  dawned  we  were  glid- 
ing up  the  turbid  waters  of  the  Mo.  Sparred  over  about  one  mile 
above  old  Fort  George.  Landed  clerk  and  steward  and  they  walked 
up  to  Fort  Sully,  12  m.  W^e  got  aground  in  crossing  below  Farm 
island.  Sounded  and  sparred  over.  Arrived  at  fort  0  p.  m.,  they 
fired  a  cannon  for  us  to  land.  Took  passengers,  baggage  and  horses 
for  Fort  Rice.  Wooded,  crossed  back  to  bluff  where  wooded,  hauled 
out  in  river  and  laid  up.    A  camp  of  Indians  here. 

Friday,  May  5,  1805. — Under  way  at  daylight.  River  bad  and 
falling.  Passed  Fort  Pierre  9  a.  m.  Very  windy,  boat  can  hardly 
stem  it;  12  m.  about  opposite  Fort  Laframboy  (LaFrambois).  She 
ought  to  go  to  the  bank  such  days  as  this.  About  2  :20  p.  m.  we  laid 
by  at  a  good  wood  pile,  and  wooded  until  six  p.  m.,  then  we  got  under 


294  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 

way  and  ran  about  five  miles  and  laid  up  for  the  night.  We  cast  an 
anchor  about  fiftv  vards  from  shore,  then  made  fast  to  a  tree  and 
hauled  out  to  anchor,  so  Indians  can't  get  to  us. 

Saturday,  May  6,  1865. — The  sable  hue  of  night  was  not  entirely 
dispelled  by  the  coming  dawn  ere  we  were  on  our  way  to  Benton. 
Hard  aground  three  miles  above  where  we  laid  last  night.  Wind 
raised  8  a.  m.  River  stationary.  Weather  pleasant.  Everybody  in 
bad  temper.  Found  a  crossing,  only  three  feet,  and  after  butting 
many  times,  we  sounded  and  laid  up,  and  sounded  again. 

Sunday,  May  7,  18()5.— Sounded  at  4  a.  m.,  found  only  three  feet. 
Weather  pleasant.  River  falling.  At  10:15  we  got  up  steam  and 
started  into  crossing,  only  three  feet,  and  we  want  four  to  go  over. 
Got  over  at  5  p.  m.,  but  found  another  bar  about  as  bad  as  first  one. 
Anchored  to  bar.  A  dove  flying  across  the  river  passed  between  our 
chimneys,  about  6  :30  p.  m.,  in  crossing  back  done  the  same  thing, 
and  seemed  to  fly  out  of  its  course  in  so  doing.    What  does  it  mean  ? 

Monday,  May  8,  18G5. — Sounded  and  tried  it  and  sparred  through. 
Ran  about  five  miles  and  found  another  crossing  with  only  tfiree 
feet  three  inches,  laid  up  and  lightened.  Mr.  L.  W.  English  went 
out  in  the  broad  bottom  and  killed  a  very  large  elk ;  it  is  about  thirty- 
six  miles  above  Sully  and  twenty  below  Cheyenne.  We  will  call  it 
English's  point,  a  soldier  is  buried  here.  Started  in  to  crossing  6 
p.  m.,  and  at  11  we  had  only  gotten  half  way,  so  we  anchored  to  dry 
bar. 

Tuesday,  May  9,  IHOr). — At  5  a.  m.  we  got  under  way,  reached  left 
bank  at  5  :.S0,  landed  and  commenced  putting  out  freight.  English 
and  Atkins  took  a  short  hunt,  saw  no  game.  Some  rain  fell  last 
nitrht  and  the  weather  is  cold  and  unpleasant.  X.  N.  W.  wind  blow- 
ing.   We  returned  for  the  freight  left  on  right  bank. 

Wednesday.  May  10,  1S()5, — Got  our  freight  aboard  last  night.' 
Started  at  7  :'U)  a.  m.  for  the  left  shore,  had  a  great  deal  of 
trouble.  Sparred  over  two  feet  nine  inches.  Weather  cold.  Wiutl 
X.  X.  W.  Cad  (Atkins)  is  quite  sick,  having  taken  a  violent  cold. 
Tie  has  not  been  at  work  today.  Got  over  to  "Hatcher's  Camp"  at 
2  p.  m..  laid  up.  Got  our  freight  aboard  and  took  on  wood.  Camp 
Jackson's  fourth  anniversary  (St.  I^rniis.  18()1).' 

Thursdav.  ^Tay  11,  1805.— Weather  beautiful.  Left  *'ITatchef's 
Camp"  at  (>  a.  m.,  had  considerable  trouble  just  above.  Cad  is  no 
better.  Saw  a  wild  goose  nest  on  a  rack  heap  with  four  eggs  in  it. 
Woofled  at  foot  of  lUillberry  island,  laid  there  on  account  of  wind 
until  ()  p.  m.  Some  of  the  passengers  saw  a  deer  while  we  were  wood- 

*A  pof)ii1ar  sf  ntr  well  known  to  St.  Louis  people  \va'>  compo«%e(i  in  honor 
of  the  capture  of  tlie  fort.     It  l)egan  : 

"It   was  on  the  KKh  of  Mav,  when  Kelly  was  away, 
And  the  Hessians  surrounded   Camp  Jackson. 
Headed  by  Lyon,  the  Hear.  T^onustecn  at)d  lilair, 
For  to  take  us  from  the  happy  land  of  Canaan." 


STATR    OF     NORTH     DAKOTA  295 

ing.  Saw  a  herd  of  antelope  on  the  opposite  shore.  Ran  up  to 
mouth  of  Big  Cheyenne  and  laid  up  for  the  night.  All  hands  fishing, 
seven  or  eight  fish  were  caught. 

Friday,  Alay  12,  1865. — Left  at  daylight,  ran  about  four  miles 
and  found  shoal  water.  Captain  Gunsollis  went  sounding,  found 
three  and  one-half  scant  and  put  her  into  it.  Got  through  at  12:30 
p.  m.  Cad  is  a  little  better  today.  Hope  he  will  soon  recover.  Struck 
lots  of  rocks  this  afternoon.  Some  pretty  hard  blows,  but  none  did 
any  serious  damage.  Saw  lots  of  antelope.  Took  driftwood  at  4 
p.  m.    Laid  up  at  dark  and  took  more  driftwood. 

Saturday,  May  13,  18(i5. — ^Weather  cold  and  disagreeable.  De- 
parted at  T)  a.  m.  and  soon  found  bottom.  Captain  John  went  sound- 
ing, found  water  and  went  through.  Ran  up  shore,  could  not  get 
out,  backed  down,  got  on  a  rock  that  came  near  putting  a  hole 
through  her.  Laid  up  to  bank.  Captain  John  went  soundins^,  found 
three  feet  eight  inches.  Wind  blows  so  hard  Captain  Howard  will 
not  try  to  get  over  tonight.    Lots  of  rocks  ^11  along  the  shore. 

Sunday,  May  14,  18()5. — Weather  cool.  River  raised  several 
inches  last  night.  Started  at  5  a.  m.,  had  a  good  deal  of  trouble 
for  some  distance.  About  8  a.  m.  a  vawl  came  down  from  Fort  Rice, 
reports  the  Deer  Lodge  thirty  miles  this  side  of  Rice,  lightening  over 
bar,  Yellowstone  above  Fort  Rice.  About  2  p.  m.  the  wind  com- 
menced blowing  very  hard,  struck  a  bar,  backed  off  and  let  her  come 
into  shore.    Cad  is  much  better,  was  in  the  pilot  house  this  morning. 

Monday,  May  15,  1805. — Weather  cool.  River  rising  slowly.  Got 
under  way  at  5  a.  m.,  had  some  trouble  just  after  we  started,  ran 
about  two  miles  and  broke  a  rudder,  came  into  the  bar  for  repairs. 
Captain  John  went  sounding.  Cad  is  at  work  this  morning.  Started 
out  with  three  rudders.  Saw  a  buffalo  about  9  a.  m.  on  south  side, 
the  first  one  we  have  seen.  Passed  Pascal's  island  11 :30  a.  m.,  here 
we  had  some  trouble.  Eighty  miles  from  Sully,  ten  and  one-half 
days  out.  Saw  elk,  antelope  and  beaver.  Had  some  trouble  this 
eve.    Laid  up  8  p.  m. 

Tuesday,  May  16,  1865. — ^V.ery  dense  fog  detained  us  until  5 :30  a. 
m.  River  raised  finely  last  night,  but  as  usual  no  one  knows  how 
much.  Weather  cloudy  and  cold,  N.  W.  wind.  Have  had  more  or 
less  trouble  during  the  day.  About  6  p.  m.  we  arrived  at  mouth  of 
the  Moreau,  stopped  to  wood.  Gunsollis,  En^rlish  and  Atkins  went 
out  hunting,  saw  antelope  and  deer,  but  did  not  get  a  shot.  Tried 
to  rob  an  eagle's  nest,  but  could  not  reach  it.  After  we  laid  up  a  reg- 
ular expedition  went  for  it,  but  failed.  Laid  three  miles  above 
Moreau. 

Wednesdav,  Mav  17,  1865. — Started  earl  v.  Gunsollis  fired  at  a 
beaver.  Sun  disappeared  last  night  at  7:15  and  rose  this  morn  at 
5:13.  Weather  cool.  River  raised  one  and  one-half  inches,  all  from 
rains.  Saw  any  amount  of  antelope  this  forenoon.  Wooded  just 
above  Grand  river,  11 :30  a.  m.    Atkins  and  English  went  out  hunt- 


29f>  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 

ing.  Gunsollis  wounded  antelope  from  boat.  Saw  antelope,  wolves 
and  buffaloes  this  eve.  Sjme  of  the  passengers  saw  buffalo  climbing 
a  tree.    Made  about  fiftv  miles.    Anchored  out. 

Thursday,  May  18,  1865. — Under  way  at  4  a.  m.  River  station- 
ary. Weather  cloudy,  cold  and  windy.  Saw  five  antelope.  River 
yesterday  eve  and  this  morning  has  been  good.  Snow  is  still  laying 
in  the  ravines  along  the  bluffs.  Passed  Beaver  river  12  m.  Arrived 
at  Fort  Rice  5  p.  m.,  landed  and  laid  up  for  the  night.  Mailed  let- 
ters.   Soldiers  sick  with  scurvy.    Officers  took  supper  on  board. 

Friday,  May  19,  1865. — Got  under  way  4:45  a.  m.,  ran  up  right 
bank  about  two  miles,  were  passing  a  very  high  bank  when  we  re- 
ceived a  volley  of  shots  and  arrows.  Five  bullets  entered  the  pilot 
house,  one  struck  Atkins  (he  being  at  the  wheel),  it  passed  through 
his  coat,  bruised  but  did  not  enter  the  flesh.  Ran  over  to  bars  and 
put  up  irons.  The  Indians  were  known  to  be  a  war  party  of  San- 
tees.^    Passed  Cinabald  isle  (Assinniboine  island)  3:30  p.  m.    Laid 


*There  was  a  hij?h  bluff  half  a  mile  back  from  the  bank.  On  the  flat  top 
cf  the  bank,  about  ten  or  fifteen  feet  above  the  pilot  house  twelve  Indians 
were  lying  concealed,  waiting  for  the  boat.  Four  arrows  were  left  sticking 
in  the  pilot  house,  indicating  the  number  of  Indians  who  were  armed  with  bows 
and  arrows.  One  bullet  passed  through  Atkin's  overcoat  and  coat  on  his  right 
side  and  glanced  down  the  side  of  his  hip,  throwing  him  down  and  paralyz- 
ing his  right  leg  for  some  little  time.  He  was  sure  he  was  mortally  wounded 
and  instinctively  he  reached  for  his  gun,  which  always  stood  within  reach, 
at  the  same  time  glancing  up  to  the  top  of  the  bank  where  he  judged  tlie 
Indians  were.  Just  at  that  moment  he  saw  several  of  them  on  all  fours  cran- 
ing their  necks  over  the  bank  to  see  the  result  of  their  volley.  They  ^w  him 
reach  for  his  gun  and  drew  back  out  of  sight  to  reload.  Gunsollis  and  English 
were  both  sitting  on  the  bench  in  the  pilot  house  when  the  volley  was  fired 
and  both  leaped  to  their  feet  and  dashed  out  of  the  door  for  the  rear  of  the 
pilot  house.  Atkins  called  to  Gunsollis  that  he  was  hit  and  for  him  to  take 
the  wheel  but  no  attention  was  paid  to  him  by  either  of  the  men.  His  only 
thought  now  was  for  the  safety  of  the  boat  and  the  passengers  and  though 
unable  to  rise  he  managed  to  draw  the  wheel  down  with  his  hands  and  head 
the  boat  acro'is  the  'Stream.  Then  in  a  short  time  he  was  able  to  struggle 
into  an  upright  po«^ilion  and  was  much  surprised  not  to  see  the  floor  of  the 
pilot  house  covered  with  blood.  A"^  the  boat  pas-^ed  across  the  river  he  was 
in  full  view  from  the  bank  and  the  Indians  fired  a  second  volley  at  him  but 
fortunately  he  escaped  without  injury.  By  the  time  the  boat  got  across  the 
river  he  felt  all  right  again  and  turning  the  wheel  over  to  Gunsollis,  he  joined 
English  in  firing  back  at  the  Indians,  shooting  wherever  the  smoke  of  a  dis- 
charge was  visible.  Thev  sm)n  gave  this  up,  however,  and  after  seeing  thit 
the  boiler  iron"^  were  placed  around  the  pilot  house,  they  went  on  up  stream. 
A  little  later  Atkins  sighted  these  Indians  riding  uyt  the  river  and  through 
hi«  glass  he  counted  tlu*m  as  they  emerged  fr(  m  the  timber  some  distance 
b,'ck  from  the  bank.  This  band  afterwards  rep<)rted  tliat  they  had  killed  the 
nipn  in  the  *'little  house  at  the  top  of  a  steamboat."  The  affair  occurred  ^oon 
after  sunrise  and  no  one  but  the  watch  knew  of  it  at  the  time,  Mrs.  Atkins 
h(  ard  of  it  fnMii  her  husband  when  he  came  into  their  ?later(K>m  to  examine 
his  wound  and  she  could  hardly  be  persuaded  that  he  was  not  seriously  hurt, 
/vlkins  picked  up  the  bullet  on  the  floor  of  the  pilot  house  and  has  preserved 
it  as  a  souvenir.     For  photo  of  the  bullet  see  p.  201. 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  297 

up  about  dark.    Wooded  on  willow  bar,  hauled  out  in  river.    Large 
banks  of  snow  on  the  shore. 

Saturday,  May  20,  1865.— Started  4  a.  m.  River  falling.  Weath- 
er cold.  Ran  about  twenty  miles  and  came  to  a  crossing  where  we 
could  not  find  the  water,  a  very  strong  head  wind  is  blowing.  Tried 
several  times,  but  failed  every  time,  so  Atkins  took  yawl  and  sounded 
a  little  up  ri^jht  hand  shore,  found  no  water.  Then  Gunsollis  went 
on  opposite  side  of  river,  went  over  with  boat,  she  struck,  swung 
aroimd  and  we  landed  head  down  stream  on  right  bank.  Went  over 
and  laid  at  left  hand  point,  are  now  at  Painted  Woods. 

Sunday,  May  21,  1865. — Gunsollis  went  out  sounding,  returned 
to  boat  and  ran  up  one-quarter  of  a  mile.  Atkins  sounded  head  of 
chute,  no  water.  Gunsollis  took  yawl  and  Atkins  backed  boat  down 
to  right  hand  shore.  A  few  drops  of  rain  fell  this  morning.  Weather 
cool.  River  on  a  stand.  Found  three  and  one-half  scant,  com- 
menced sparring  over  8  :30  a.  m.,  over  at  9  :30.  Sounded  several 
crossings.  Saw  a  band  of  twenty  elk  on  south  side,  some  wolves 
and  elk  on  north.    Laid  up  three  miles  below  old  Ree  village. 

Monday,  May  22,  1865. — Weighed  anchor  and  got  under  way  at  4 
a.  m.  Weather  clear  and  cold.  River  raising  slowly.  Passed  old 
Fort  Clark  of  the  old  Rce  village  5  a.  m..  Saw  a  wolf  below  Fort. 
Wooded  on  bar  i)  a.  m.  Wooded  on  left  hand  point  1:30  p.  m. 
Passens^ers  went  out  to  look  at  dead  Indians  on  scaffold  and  got 
left,  had  to  walk  about  one  mile.  Wooded  again,  left  hand  point  4 
p.  m.,  no  one  had  any  curiosity  to  go  ashore.  Plenty  of  game  signs. 
Laid  up  at  0  p.  m.  twelve  miles  below  Fort  Berthold. 

Tuesday,  ^^ay  23,  1865. — Got  under  way  at  3:15  a.  m.  Saw  In- 
dians herdins^  cattle  below  fort,  also  Indian  on  opposite  side. 
Wooded  below  fort.  Indian  came  to  us  on  horseback.  Arrived  at 
fort  7 :30  a.  m.  YcUoivstone  and  Deer  Lodge  left  here  a  week  ago. 
Yesterday  had.  no  trouble  below.  Gunsollis  learned  that  Indians 
would  probably  be  bad  above.  Saw  wolves,  elk,  antelope,  deer  and 
Indians.  Have  had  a  beautiful  day.  River  rising.  Laid  up  ten 
miles  above  Little  Mo.,  9  p.  m. 

Wednesday,  May  24, 1865. — ^Weighed  anchor  at  3  :15  a.  m.,  passed 
place  where  Sioux  ran  off  Gros  Ventres'  horses  two  years  ago.  Have 
seen  any  amount  of  buffaloes  today.  Sent  out  yawl  to  drive  them  off 
bar  towards  boat,  but  they  failed  to  do  it.  Saw  cows  and  calves. 
Laid  up  on  south  bank  about  8 :20  p.  m.  tb  wood,  being  the  sixth 
time  today.    Killed  beaver.    Hunters  went  out  for  buffalo,  got  none. 

Thursday,  May  25,  1865. — At  3  :30  a.  m.  we  got  under  way.  Saw 
large  herds  of  buffalo  close  to  the  river,  but  they  ain't  good  so  early 
in  the  day.  Saw  six  elk  and  lots  of  prairie  grouse.  Gunsollis  and 
Atkins  went  out  for  elk — turned  out  to  be  antelope,  wounded  one, 
but  did  not  get  it.  Passed  the  battlefield  of  the  two  boats,  Campbell, 
Jr.,  and  Shreveport,  1 :40  p.  m.  Larc:e  herds  of  buffalo  on  both 
shores.  Captain  John  and  Atkins  killed  a  beaver  each.  Captain 
Howard  killed  an  elk.    English  killed  a  wolf. 


298  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Friday,  May  26,  1865.— Started  a  little  after  3  a.  m.  Weather 
fine.  River  falling  a  little.  Saw  three  deer  and  a  few  buffalo.  Cap- 
tain John  killed  a  beaver,  some  one  below  also  killed  one.  Passed 
the  graves  of  the  men  killed  on  the  Campbell  two  years  ago  at  11 
a.  m.  Wooded  at  drift  pile  at  2  p.  m.  River  very  bad  today.  Laid 
up  at  7:30  p.  m.  to  wood  on  north  bank,  twenty-five  miles  below 
Yellowstone. 

Saturday,  May  27,  1865. — Got  our  anchor  on  board  and  started 
on  our  way  3:15  a.  m.  Saw  two  deer,  shot  at  mountain  sheep  (at) 
head  of  last  bluff  before  reaching  Yellowstone.  Passed  mouth  of 
Yellowstone  10 :30  a.  m.  Arrived  at  Fort  Union  11 :30  a.  m.,  left 
fort  3 :30  p.  m.  Laid  by  four  hours  for  the  captains  to  get  drunk. 
Ran  about  eighteen  miles,  and  laid  up  for  the  night  and  to  wood. 
Met  six  dead  buffalo  in  the  river.    Now  in  Montana  Terr. 

Sunday,  May  28,  1865. — Got  under  way  3:15  a.  m.,  in  weighing 
anchor  our  line  parted,  and  we  lost  our  second  and  last  anchor,  and 
a  great  loss  it  is,  too,  for  now  we  can't  lay  any  place  but  at  the  shore. 
About  11  a.  m.  captain  and  English  went  out  in  yawl  after  buffalo. 
Killed  three  antelope  and  one  deer.  Killed  buffalo  in  river  2  p.  m. 
Shot  at  others  3 :30  p.  m.»  wounded  some.  Landed  8  p.  m.  to  wood 
and  for  the  night.  Moved  up  about  a  boat's  length  for  more  wood. 
Gunsollis  and  English  went  ashore  and  killed  buffalo. 

Monday,  May  29,  1865. — Left  3  a.  m.  Laid  at  bank  last  night. 
Steward  stood  guard.  The  hills  and  plains  are  covered  with  game 
of  all  kinds,  but  buffalo  predominates.  Caught  two  buffalo  calves. 
Passed  a  herd  of  buffalo  numbering  many  hundreds.  The  river  so 
far  above  Yellowstone  seems  to  have  about  as  much  water  as  we 
found  below,  but  is  not  generally  speaking  so  wide.  Saw  any  amount 
of  buffalo.  Landed  for  the  night  and  to  wood  on  N.  bank  below  Big 
prairie.    Passed  Fort  Charles  11 :30  a.  m. 

Tuesday,  Mav  30,  1865. — Started  3:45  a.  m. — Engineer  saw  some 
Indians.  Weather  cool.  River  raised  one  inch  lasSt  night.  Rain, 
wind,  thunder  and  lightning  this  morning.  Shot  a  buffalo  in  river, 
caught  a  calf  under  bank.  River  bad.  Any  amount  of  buffalo  on 
both  sides  of  the  river,  they  may  be  numbered  by  thousands,  in  sight 
at  once.  Found  crossing  only  foujr  feet,  close  up  shore,  and  as  *twas 
about  dark  we  came  in  for  the  night.    Captain  killed  deer. 

Wednesday,  May  31.  1865. — Sounded  and  came  through  all  O.  K. 
River  falling.  Weather' fine.  Any  amount  of  game.  Had  to  sound 
a  crossing  this  forenoon.  After  dinner  we  came  to  a  very  wide  place 
in  river  and  tried  four  or  five  chutes  before  we  got  one  to  suit,  and 
so  square  a  crossing  is  seldom  seen  in  the  Mo.  river.  l^a<;sed  the 
mouth  of  Milk  river  3  p.  m.  Current  is  very  strong  above  and 
below.  Laid  up  at  8  p.  m.  for  the  night  and  to  wood.  Not  so  much 
game  today  as  for  several  days  past. 

Thursday,  June  1,  1865. — Left  3:45  a.  m.  Weather  cool  and 
pleasant  in  the  mornings  and  evenings,  but  the  middle  of  the  days 


STATE  OF   NORTH  DAKOTA  299 

are  very  warm.  River  stationary^  Passed  Fort  Galpin  5 :45  a.  m., 
twelve  miles  above  Milk  river.  Had  to  sound  and  spar  over  one 
mile  above  Galpin.  Had  trouble  at  first  towhead.^  The  bluffs  back 
from  the  river  on  right  are  covered  with  pine.  Game  of  all  kinds 
is  plenty.  River  this  eve  has  been  pretty  good.  Very  few  dead  buffalo 
have  been  seen  this  eve.  Laid  up  8  p.  m.  English  got  elk  horns. 
Atkins  killed  black  tailed  deer. 

Friday,  June  2,  1865. — Under  way  at  4  a.  m.,  heavy  rain,  thunder 
and  lightning.  Weather  cloudy  and  cool.  Don't  know  what  the  river 
is  doing,  but  think  it's  rising.  Gunsollis  shot  at  buffalo.  Had  trou- 
ble below  Round  butte,  lost  four  hours,  Passed  the  butte  about  5 
p.  m.  Game  plenty.  Have  seen  no  Indians  since  leaving  Fort 
Union.  Passed  Bluebeard's  Castle  and  the  Three  Haystacks  7  p.  m. 
About  8  p.  m.  the  Yellozvstone  came  in  sight,  landed  and  we  laid  up 
together  for  the  night.    Some  beaver  here. 

Saturday,  June  3,  1865. — Eighty-fifth  day  out.  Started  at  3:30 
a.  m.  Captais  Howard  was  up  when  we  started  out  this  morning 
for  the  first  time  on  the  trip.  Yellowstone  departed  down  river. 
Weather  cool,  river  falling  a  little.  Have  had  very  good  river  today, 
and  we  have  improved  all  the  time,  wooded  three  times.  Saw  signs 
of  Indians  at  several  different  places.  Learned  from  the  Yellozvstone 
that  the  Blackfeet  killed  eleven  men  at  the  mouth  of  Maria's  river.^ 
Had  a  very  severe  wind,  rain  and  hailstorm  5  p.  m.  Laid  up  for 
night  below  Muscle  Shell  river. 

Sunday,  June  4,  1865. — Cast  our  line  loose  and  started  for  Benton 
at  3 :30  a.  m.  Weather  cool  and  pleasant,  a  little  rain  fell  last  night. 
Don't  know  what  the  river  is  doing,  as  we  caWt  have  a  mark  out  at 
night.  Passed  Fort  Andrew  at  11  a.  m.  Met  the  Deer  Lodge  at  2 
p.  m.  at  head  of  big  island  about  fifteen  miles  above  Fort  Andrew 
(hard  rain  falling  at  the  time),  landed,  had  big  talk,  ran  up  little 
further,  came  in  and  wooded.  Deer  Lodge  took  our  trip  and  we 
are  to  go  back  and  meet  the  Grant.  Had  some  whiskey,  passengers 
got  g:ood  and  drunk. 

Monday,  June  5,  1865. — Deer  Lodge  departed  up  river  7  a.  m. 
and  Benton  down  same  time.  We  have  eight  or  ten  Crow  Indians 
for  L^nion  from  Deer  Lodge,  Wooded  at  Dry  Pt.,  left  a  large  pile 
for  our  return  trip.  Started  down  at  11:45  a.  m.,  wooded  and  put 
a  large  pile  on  bank  at  big  deadine:  on  left  hand  bend.  Started  down 
river  at  6  p.  m.  Killed  two  buffalo,  but  did  not  get  them.  Landed 
for  the  night  at  left  hand  point.    Indian  killed  an  elk. 

Tuesdav,  June  6,  1865.— Started  at  3:30  a.  m.  Weather  fine. 
River  falling  a  little.     Killed  five  buffaloes  in  the  river,  but  onlv 


*A  towhead  is  a  small  island  in  the  river. 

*A  number  of  men  had  started  a  rival  town  eij^ht  or  ten  miles  below  Ft. 
Benton  at  the  month  of  Marias  river.  They  had  built  some  huts  there  which 
Atkins  saw  in  1866.  The  ret>ort  t-hat  the  Indians  killed  them  was  not  be- 
lieved on  board  the  steamboats  but  it  was  thought  to  have  been  done  at  the 
instigations  of  their  rivals  at  Ft.  Benton. 


300  STATE   HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

got  two  Have  been  making  good  time.  Passed  Dry  Fork  12  :20 
p.  m.  At  2  p.  m.  we  met  the  St.  Johns  and  Effie  Deans,  saw  several 
of  our  old  friends  on  their  way  to  Idaho,  landed  and  had  a  talk. 
Steward  killed  three  antelope,  only  got  one.  Passed  Milk  river  3 :30 
p.  m.  Passed  by  Porcupine  4:30  p.  m.  R.  B.  (right  bank)  going 
up.    Laid  up  for  the  (night)  8:45  p.  m.    Pableau  campment. 

Wednesday,  June  7,  1865. — Left  3:20  a.  m.  Run  down  about  ten 
miles,  came  in  sight  of  Grant  5:30  a.  m.,  seventy-five  miles  below 
Milk  river,  came  in  to  bank.  Grant  came  alongside,  took  part  of  her 
freisfht  and  started  up  river  10 :30  a.  m..  Grant  following.  Wooded 
at  old  Fort  Charles  5  p.  m.,  and  waited  one  and  three-quarter  hours 
for  Gen.  Grant,  went  on  to  first  left  hand  bend  above  the  fort,  landed 
and  wooded.  She  came  up  about  9:30  p.  m.  Our  hunter  killed  a 
deer.  Atkins  killed  a  wolf.  Passengers  are  having  a  gay  time 
tonight. 

Thursday,  June  8,  18(15. — Both  boats  under  wav  3  a.  m.,  Gra:it 
ahead.  We  passed  her  in  first  right  hand  bend  in  making: crossing.  At- 
kins got  too  high  and  in  backing  down  got  aground  and  Grant  went 
bv.  We  lost  about  an  hour.  Passed  Bi^  Porcupine  1 :30  p.  m.  Passed 
Milk  river  6 :07  p.  m.  Laid  up  one-half  mile  above,  took  good  wood. 
Gen.  Grant  came  up  10  p.  m.  and  laid  just  above  us.^ 

Friday,  June  9-,  1865. — Both  boats  left  at  3  a.  m.  Passed  Fort 
Galpin  6:30  a.  m.,  saw  an  Indian  just  below  on  left  shore  running 
through  timber.  Watchman  fired  at  him.  Passed  Dry  Fork  9  a. 
w."  Negro  cook  died  last  night,  buried  him  on  third  point  above  Dry 
Fork,  arrived  there  at  11  :ir)  a.  m.  Left  at  2  p.  m.  Came  in  sight 
of  Round  Butte  at  Deserted  creek  at  7  p.  m.  Ran  about  sixty-five 
or  seventy  miles  today,  and  laid  up  about  twenty  miles  below  Round 
Butte.    Indians  got  mad  at  something  and  all  skedaddled.^ 

Saturdav,  June  10,  1865. — 3  a.  m.  found  us  under  way.  Laid  in 
a  very  bad  place  for  Indians,  had  an  extra  guard,  but  were  not  dis- 

*Da\  id  I  Taney  was  captain  on  the  Gen.  Grant. 

'Dry  Fork  (now  crJled  Big  Drv  Creek)  is  between  Ft.  Peck  and  Ft.  Gal- 
pin.    There  is  water  in  it  only  in  the  '^orinsr. 

'The  hf)at  had  on  board  a  party  of  Prairie  Crows.  Among  them  were  a 
one-eyed  chief,  T^^hpenootz.  an  Indian  named  Peaver  Head  and  one  called 
Horse  Thief,  who  had  the  print  of  a  horse<ht?e  branded  in  his  left  arm  just 
below  the  top  of  his  slioujder.  He  was  very  proud  of  this  mark  and  claimeJ 
to  have  stolen  l.oiM)  horses  the  previous  winter.  Tbere  was  a  white  man 
among  them  known  as  Dutch  Jake,  who  lived  with  them  and  had  two  squaws. 
He  was  a  Sif)ux  interpreter  and  the  Indians  were  useful  for  hunting  and  were 
allowed  on  the  boat  and  stayed  a  long  time.  A  short  time  before  leaving  one 
of  them  was  ashore  and  gave  a  yell  which  brought  the  whole  batid  to  him. 
They  consulted  together  and  nosed  about  hunting  the  trail  of  a  war  partv  of 
Sioux  they  had  found  traces  of.  When  they  returned  on  board  they  wrrc 
irmch  alarmed  at  what  they  had  seen  and  kept  sharp  watch  for  their  enemies, 
the  Sioux.  At  night  thev  were  given  guns  and  they  stood  guard  very  well. 
On  this  night  the  boat  lav  at  the  bank  and  the  next  morning  the  Indians 
were  all  gone  and  Dutch  Jake  with  them. 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  301 

turbed.  Weather  fine.  River  raised  one  inch.  Passed  Round  Butte 
8:30  a.  m.  Captain  and  mate  had  a  quarrel,  which  at  one  time 
looked  as  though  it  might  be  serious.  Met  the  Deer  Lodge  2  p.  m., 
eighteen  miles  above  Round  Butte.  Transferred  our  passengers  and 
freight  and  started  back  to  meet  the  Gaty.  Ran  twenty  miles  and 
grounded,  got  off  and  laid  up. 

Sunday,  June  11,  1865. — Started  down  the  river  and  (at)  daylight 
r.iet  the  Grant miles  below.  Informed  us  that  her  yawl  was  at- 
tacked near  Fort  Galpin,  and  three  men  were  killed  by  Sioux  In- 
dians. We  picked  up  the  yawl  three  miles  below  Fort  Galpin  at  12 
m.^  Went  on  to  Milk  river  and  wooded  2  p.  m.  Left  at  4  o'clock, 
got  aground  and  lost hours.  Had  a  fight  between  a  deck  pass- 
enger and  the  head  dook.  Knives  and  guns  were  drawn,  no  one  hurt. 
Indians  were  seen  hovering  around  us,  but  did  not  molest  us. 

Monday,  June  12,  1865. — Started  down  the  river,  came  on  pretty 
well.  Met  the  steamers'  Tzvilight  and  Lilly  Martin  one  hundred 
miles  above  Union,  laid  together  all  night.  Could  learn  nothing 
definite  concerning  the  Gaty,  will  have  to  go  on  until  we  meet  her. 
Everything  is  very  unpleasant  on  board,  crew  are  all  out  of  sorts 
generally. 

Tuesday,  June  13,  1865. — Got  started  down  the  river  about  5  a. 
m.,  ran  until  10  a.  m.,  the  wind  being  too  high.  We  laid  up  and  re- 


'The  pilot,  John  T.  Doran,  had  taken  the  yawl,  after  the  Gen.  Grant  went 
aground  at  a  point,  and  with  three  men  to  row  had  gone  down  stream  search- 
ing for  the  channel  they  had  missed.  When  he  had  found  it  he  raised  an  oar, 
"v^hich  is  the  usual  signal,  and  then,  instead  of  returning  to  his  boat,  he  rowed 
ashore  at  the  left  hand  or  south  side.  Leaving  one  man  with  the  yawl,  they 
climbed  the  bank  and  sat  down  to  wait  for  the  boat.  There  was  a  small 
gully  leading  down  to  the  river  from  the  prairie  near  where  they  sat  and 
a  large  band  of  Sioux,  numbering  nearly  a  hundred,  crept  down  this  ravine 
and  suddenly  attacked  them.  Two  were  killed  at  the  first  fire,  a  third,  who 
was  a  reputed  foot  racer,  dashed  out  on  the  prairie,  thinking  to  outrun  the  In- 
c!ians  but  they  took  their  ponies  and  soon  captured  him  alive.  From  th(J 
Gen.  Grant  the  whole  encounter  was  plainly  visible  though  no  help  could  be 
sent  and  thev  were  besides,  wholly  unprepared  for  this  attack.  The  pilot 
threw  off  his  vest,  taking  care  even  in  his  haste  to  save  his  watch,  and  plung- 
ed into  the  river,  diving  as  much  as  possible,  and  succeded  in  reaching  the 
opposite  shore  in  spite  of  the  bullets  fired  at  him.  Several  of  the  Indians  rode 
their  ponies  in  after  him  but  the  steep  cut  bank  with  overhanging  roots  help- 
ed him  to  escape  them  while  it  compelled  the  Indians  to  seek  a  landing  lower 
down.  Leaving  their  ponies  they  gave  him  a  close  chase  through  the  dense 
underbrush  but  he  succeeded  in  reaching  the  steamboat.  The  man  left  with 
the  yawl  had  meanwhile  let  it  go  down  stream  and  had  run  under  the  bank 
v'here  there  was  a  considerable  cavity.  The  Indians  apparently  did  not  dare 
approach  him  from  the  lower  bank,  possibly  because  they  feared  his  gun, 
(which  he  did  not  have)  but  they  began  digging  a^vay  the  hank  from  abovo. 
He  remained  under  cover  for  a  time  till  he  saw  they  were  about  to  reach  him 
and  then  dashc<i  into  the  river.  His  hat  floated  off  and  at  first  drew  most  of 
the  fire  when  he  came  up  to  breathe  he  was  almost  instantly  killed.  Doran 
came  alK>ard  the  Benton  later  and  related  the  adventure.  His  legs  were  badly 
scratched  and  full  of  rose  thorns  from  his  desperate  run  through  the  bushes 
The  Benton  went  down  and  got  the  yawl,  there  was  a  bullet  hole  in  it. 


302  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

mained  until  3  p.  m.  Started  out  and  arrived  at  Union  7  p.  m.,  found 
Kate  Kearney  there,  she  is  waiting  for  the  Effie  Deans  to  relieve 
her  of  her  freight.  Got  2,000  lbs.  of  ice.  Laid  up  for  the  night. 
Received  letters  here  from  home. 

Wednesday,  June  14,  1865. — Started  out  at  4  a.  m.,  tried  several 
times  to  get  over  the  reef,  could  not,  so  came  to  the  bank  and 
sounded,  found  water  down  the  bend,  got  below  Yellowstone,  laid 
up  for  wind,  started  down  at  1  p.  m.,  ran  until  nearly  dark  and  laid 
up  on  left  shore.  Coming  down  the  mate  would  not  haul  the  boat 
out  with  an  anchor  nor  shove  her  out  with  spars,  so  a  guard  will 
be  kept.^ 

Thursday,  June  15,  1865. — Started  at  3  :30  a.  m.,  no  enemy  was 
seen  last  night.  Met  steamer  Roanoke  7  o'clock,  landed  and  had  a 
pow-wow.  Came  on  until  9  a.  m.,  got  aground  below  where  we  had 
a  fight  on  the  Campbell.  Broke  out  three  wheel  arms,  ran  about  five 
miles  further  and  laid  up  for  wind.  It  did  not  abate,  and  we  laid 
up  for  the  night.  Sparred  out  from  shore  for  the  first  time  in  a  long 
while. 

Friday,  June  16,  1865. — Started  out  at  4  a.  m.  At  5:30  we  met 
the  steamers  Fannie  Ogden  and  Ddtid  Watts,  landed,  had  a  talk 
and  received  some  letters.  IVatts  fired  into  by  Indians  yesterday. 
Weather  cold,  rainy  and  disagreeable.  All  departed  on  our  way  re- 
joicing. Had  a  strong  head  wind  all  forenoon.  Passed  mouth  of 
Little  Mo.  1  p.  m.  Met  Hattie  May  at  2  p.  m.,  fifteen  miles  above 
Berthold.    Arrived  at  the  fort  4  p.  m. 

Saturday,  June  17,  1865. — Departed  at  4  a.  m.,  ran  thirty  miles 
before  breakfast.  A  very  strong  wind  from  the  west  has  been 
blowing  all  the  morning.  Ran  about  fifty  miles  and  wooded  on  right 
hand  willow  bar  near  where  we  wooded  going  up,  but  this,  like 
nearly  every  place  we  have  wooded  since  leaving  the  states,  it  does 
not  suit,  and  instead  of  filling  the  boat  up  as  it  could  have  been 
done,  so  we  could  have  gone  down  to  Rice  without  wooding  again, 
all  knocked  oflf  and  went  to  bed.  Laid  up  here  for  night,  too  windy 
to  run. 

Sunday,  June  18,  1865. — Under  way  at  4  a.  m.  Passed  the  old  Ree 
village  5  o'clock  in  the  morning.  Found  the  Gaty  5 :30  four  miles 
below  the  village,  landed,  of  course.  Found  several  old  friends  on 
board,  took  140  tons  of  her  freight.  But  the  wind  was  too  strong  for 
us  to  run,  so  we  laid  by  all  dav.  The  ladies  on  the  Gaty  paid  us 
several  visits,  but  none  of  our  ladies  seem  to  care  about  returning 
their  calls.  Got  out  some  extra  lines,  and  the  Gaty  sparred  out  from 
shore.     We  are  outside  of  her. 

Monday,  June  19,  1865. — Started  up  the  river  at  4  a.  m.  Passed 
old  Fort  Clark  at  6  a.  m.  Weather  very  cold  and  a  strong  wind  from 
the  north  is  blowing,  which  compelled  ns  to  land  at  6:30  a.  m.  in 


*Thc  mate  was  Wm.  Hutchinson. 


STATE  OF   NORTH   DAKOTA  303 


first  right  hand  bend  above  fort.  Gaiy  came  in  below  us.  Laid  by 
all  the  balance  of  the  day  for  wind.  Landed  Jeff  Smith  and  a 
roustabout  on  opposite  side  of  river,  and  Gaty's  yawl  landed  another 
man  at  8  p.  m.  to  go  to  Berthold. 

Tuesday,  June  20, 1865. — Under  way  at  3 :30  a.  m.,  a  pretty  strong 
wind  is  still  blowing.  Wooded  on  left  hand  point.  Gaty  picked  up 
her  man,  and  we  Smith  and  roustabout.  Sioux  fired  upon  them  last 
night,  and  they  barely  saved  themselves  by  flight.  Wooded  at  bar 
above  Knife  river.  Have  made  a  tolerably  good  run  today.  Laid 
by  at  8  p.  m.  for  the  night.    Have  seen  no  Indians. 

Wednesday.  June  21,  1865. — Early  dawn  finds  us  under  way. 
The  weather  is  fine.  River  falling.  Have  lost  some  time  wooding. 
Arrived  at  Fort  Berthold  1  p.  m.,  wooded  on  bar  below,  left  fort 
1 :30  p.  m.  Met  General  Grant  in  first  left  hand  bend  above.  We 
all  came  to,  and  she  took  some  freight  off  the  Gaty,,  Started  at 
5 :30  p.  m.  and  ran  up  to  the  old  Indian  village  and  laid  up  for  the 
night.  Gaty  and  Grant  one-quarter  of  a  mile  below  us.  Saw  In- 
dians on  horseback. 

Thursday,  June  22,  1865. — Wind  detained  us  until  4:15  a.  m. 
Wooded  9  a.  m.  Weather  cloudy  and  cold.  Rain  falling.  Sent 
Granfs  yawl  to  her.  Had  a  fine  rain  1  p.  m.,  after  which  the  clouds 
cleared  away  and  the  sun  came  out  and  the  afternoon  has  been  quite 
warm.  Have  made  only  a  tolerable  run  this  eve,  wood  not  good. 
Gaty  and  Grant  ahead.  Wooded  and  laid  up  for  the  night.  Gaty 
and  Grant  below. 

Friday,  June  23,  1865. — Out  and  under  way  for  Benton  3:30  a. 
m.  Gaty  and  Grant  ahead.  Picked  up  a  snag,  broke  out  a  little  bulk 
I'.eading.  Got  aground  below  Buffalo  point,  lost  five  hours.  Grant 
waited  for  us.  Grant  came  alongside  and  took  some  of  our  freight, 
we  being  overloaded.  Killed  several  buffaloes  in  river  at  Buffalo 
point.  Came  on  about  twelve  miles  and  laid  up  to  wood  and  for  the 
night. 

Saturday,  June  24,  1865. — 3 :25  a.  m.  found  us  under  way.  Gaty 
and  Grant  ahead.  Passed  them  before  coffee  was  brought  up,  4  a. 
m.  Cold  and  cloudy.  The  regular  routine  has  been  gone  through 
with  today,  and  those  who  have  read  the  foregoing  pages  know  what 
that  is. 

Sunday,  June  25,  1865. — Got  under  way  at  3:30  a.  m.  Made  a 
fair  run  and  laid  about  fifteen  miles  below  Yellowstone.  Met  Settler 
about  seventy-five  miles  below  L^nion.  Nothing  unusual  has  oc- 
curred, and  therefore  have  very  little  to*  record. 

Monday,  June  26,  1865. — Started  at  daylight.  Passed  Yellowstone 
8 :45.  Met  steamer  St.  Johns  at  9  a.  m,  she  only  got  to  mouth  of 
Maria,  says  river  is  falling  all  the  way  down  and  only  twenty-four 
inches  at  Galpin.  Landed  opposite  Union,  and  Gaty  discharged  her 
freight  to  the  Grant,  latter  taking  to  fort.  Kate  Kearney  came  over 
and  landed  above  u?.    Captain  John  sounded  chute. 


304  STATE   HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Tuesday,  June  27,  1865. — Got. under  way  at  daylight  and  sparred 
over  to  the  fort.  Grant  got  the  last  of  the  Gaty's  freight  over  about 
noon,  and  Gaty  went  down  in  bend  below  fort  to  wood.  Put  our 
freight  out  and  assorted  it,  took  it  on  board,  and  in  company  of  the 
Grant,  took  our  departure  up  the  river.  How  far  we  will  get  re- 
mains to  be  seen,  the  river  is  low  and  falling.  Laid  up  sixteen  miles 
above  fort  on  right  hand  side,  wooded  below. 

Wednesday,  June  28,  1865. — Under  way  at  daylight.  Weather 
cool.  River  very  low  and  falling.  Atkins  shot  bald  eagle,  measured 
seven  feet  from  tip  to  tip.  Have  had  more  or  less  trouble  in  nearly 
every  crossing.  Saw  a  large  bear,  Atkins  and  English  shot  at  him. 
Passed  Fort  Rulett  at  3:15  p.  m.,  had  a  little  butting  to  do  here. 
Ran  up  one  of  the  closest  shores  one  need  wish  to  see  about  6  p.  m. 
Laid  up  to  wood  at  sundown  in  right  hand  bend  next  above  where 
we  met  the  Lilly  Martin  and  Twilight  as  we  went  down. 

Thursday,  June  29,  1865. — Under  way  at  daylight.  Passed  Fort 
McKenzie  5 :40  a.  m.,  it  is  on  right  shore  between  two  groves  of  tim-  I 

ber  at  foot  of  bluflf,  and  about  ninety  miles  above  Fort  Union.    It  is 

now  deserted.  Passed  Poplar  Rod  and rivers  7 :50  a.  m.  Overtook 

David  Waits  at  12  m.,  about  130  miles  above  Union,  lig;hting  over 
bar.  Sounded  left  shore,  three  and  one-half,  very  close,  went  over. 
Laid  up  for  the  night  five  miles  below  old  Fort  Charles.  Had  a 
little  sounding  to  do  this  eve.  Eight  miles  below  where  we  laid 
passed  hides  and  wool  on  shore. 

Friday,  June  30,  1865. — Under  way  about  3  o'clock,  Grant  be- 
hind. Killed  four  elk  at  5 :30,  we  gave  one  to  the  Grant.  Had  lots 
of  fun.  Killed  four  or  five  buflfaloes  at  12  m.,  Grant  took  two  of 
tiicm.  Passed  Big  Porcupine  creek  2  :15  p.  m.  About  four  miles 
above  and  in  next  right  hand  bend,  we  came  outside  way,  had  to 
sound  and  help  boat  through  with  spars,  three  and  one-half  scant. 
Five  miles  below  Milk  river  we  got  aground,  got  out  a  line,  sparred 
her  up  and  ran  up  shore  short  distance  and  laid  up  for  the  night. 
Boats  have  had  trouble  here  before. 

Saturday,  July  1,  1865. — Grant  under  way  first,  while  butting  we 
passed  her.  Sounded,  set  our  spar  and  came  through  under  foot  of 
tow  head.  Wooded  about  mouth  of  Milk  river  5  :30  a.  m.  Weather 
warm  and  pleasant.  River  raised  a  little  last  night.  In  the  second 
right  hand  bend  above  Milk  river  we  came  in  sight  of  the  Fannie 
Ogden,  Hattie  May  and  Effie  Deans  laid  up  at  the  bank,  and  at  10 
a.  m.  WT  came  in  below  them.  Fort  Copilin  (Copeland)  is  the  name 
of  the  place ;'  2  p.  m.  discharging  freight. 

Sunday,  July  2,  1865. — Got  our  freight  all  out  and  started  down 
the  river  for  the  Gaty*s  freight  at  l^ion.  Fannie  Ogden  following 
Both  grounded  in  first  crossing.    Left  Hattie  May  at  fort.     Grant 

*John  G.  Copeland,  son-in-law  of  John  J.  Roe.  a  weaUhy  man  in  St.  Louis, 
owned  the  line  of  boats  to  which  the  Benton  belonj<ed.  Ft.  Copeland  was 
simply  a  place  where  freight  was  put  off  temporarily. 


STATE  OF   NORTH  DAKOTA  305 


and  Effie  Deans  departed  up  the  river  at  daylight,  each  boat  left  one 
or  two  men  to  guard  fort.  Wooded  at  Milk  river,  started  down  11 
a.  m.  Watts  in  the  left  hand  chute  coming  up.  Passed  Big  Porcu- 
pine at  2:20  p.  m.  Laid  up  fifteen  miles  above  old  Fort  Charles, 
Ogden  passed  down. 

Monday,  July  3,  1865. — Under  way  at  daylight,  ran  about  two  or 
three  miles  below  old  Fort  Charles  and  laid  up  for  wind.  Passed 
the  Ogden  at  bank  above  with  yawl  out  sounding.  We  have  had 
trouble  in  several  crossings.  Gunsollis,  Captain  Howard  and  Atkins 
went  ashore  and  killed  a  huge  buffalo.  English  killed  one  in  the 
eve,  and  Atkins  two  more  buffaloes,  got  their  tongues  and  skinned 
their  heads.    Caught  lots  of  fish.    Ogden  laid  up  below  us. 

Tuesday,  July  4,  1865. — Wind  detained  us  until  7 :30  a.  m.  We 
went  down  and  grounded  in  first  crossing  and  had  to  sound,  lost 
four  hours  here.  Came  on  down  and  had  to  go  up  out  of  right  hand 
shore  over  to  left  side,  sounded,  came  on,  wind  took  us  into  the 
bank.  Got  out  of  that  and  on  we  came,  found  the  Fannie  aground 
in  wrong  chute.  Wind  took  us  broadside  onto  a  bar,  and  we  quit 
until  the  wind  quits.  Ogden  got  off  by  hauling  over.  Wind  still 
blows. 

Wednesday,  July  5,  1865. — Got  under  wav  at  4  a.  m.,  anchored 
on  drv  bar  below  where  we  met  the  Grant.  Came  on  down.  Found 
Ogden  aground,  had  trouble  above  her,  sounded,  came  through. 
Passed  Fort  McKenzie  9 :30  a.  m.  Had  three  feet  when  we  passed 
the  Watts.  In  second  crossing  below  McKenzie  had  two  feet  with 
lead  and  was  in  all  the  water.  Passed  Fort  Rulett  12 :45  p.  m.  Got 
aground  fifteen  miles  above  Fort  Union,  got  off  and  laid  up  for 
night. 

Thursday,  July  6,  1865. — Fog  delayed  us  till  5  a.  m.  Hattie  May 
came  up  just  before  we  left.  Mr.  Glen  and  a  doctor  from  the  fort 
got  off  the  Hattie  and  came  down  with  us.  We  reached  the  fort 
7:30  a.  m..  took  on  our  freis:ht  and  left  at  11 :30  a.  m.  Repaired  our 
wheel.  Weather  is  fine.  River  falling.  Met  the  Ogden  twenty 
miles  above  Union  3  p.  m.  Ran  until  7  p.  m.  and  laid  by  for  the 
night  and  to  wood.    Have  run  thirty  or  forty  miles. 

Friday,  July  7,  1865. — Got  under  way  3:30  a.  m.  Weather  is 
warm  and  pleasant.  River  on  a  stand.  Passed  Big  Muddy  5  a.  m 
Passed  Fort  Rulett  7:20  a.  m.  and  Cannon  Ball  bluff  10:40  a.  m. 
Passed  Fort  McKenzie  2 :45  p.  m.  Passed  Poplar  rivers  at  4 :45  p. 
m.  Made  a  rouo:h  estimate  of  what  this  boat  has  run  since  she  left 
St.  Louis  on  this  trip,  and  up  to  this  time  it  is  5,476  miles.  Ran 
Skeleton  bend  after  supper,  came  on  to  just  below  where  we  laid 
night  of  4th.    Laid  up,  sounded. 

Saturday,  July  8, 1865. — Under  way  at  4 :10  a.  m.,  ran  upper  chute 
where  Ogden  was  aground  when  we  came  down  ( wind  blew  us  into 
bar  and  we  laid  up),  three  feet  scant  with  lead.  Where  we  laid  last 
night  is  half  way,  got  to  our  wood  pile  7  a.  m.    Met  Twilight  and 


306  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Lilly  Martin  8:10  a.  m.  fifteen  miles  below  Fort  Charles.  Passed 
Fort  Charles  10:45  a.  m.  Passed  Porcupine  7:45  p.  m.  Tried  an 
outside  way  above  Porcupine,  had  to  back  out,  came  in  to  cut  shore 
bar  and  laid  up  for  the  night,  took  some  drift. 

Sunday,  July  9,  1865. — Under  way  at  4  a.  m.  Had  to  sound  above 
Porcupine,  found  water  lower  down  than  it  was  last  trip,  three  feet 
with  stick.  Passed  Milk  river  8:30  a.  m.  Came  in  sight  of  Hattic 
May  five  miles  below  Milk  river.  Arrived  at  Fort  Copilin  (Cope- 
land)  11  a.  m.,  less  than  three  days  from  Union.  Hattie  May,  Effie 
Deans  and  Daznd  Watts  in  port.  Deer  Lodge,  Grant  and  Roanoke 
came  down  during  the  evening,  seven  boats  here  now. 

Monday,  July  10,  1865. — Left  Fort  Copilin  (Copeland)  4  a.  m., 
all  the  other  boats  at  the  bank.  River  fell  one  inch  last  night. 
Wooded  above  Milk  river.  Weather  warm.  Passed  Porcupine 
8 :40  a.  m.  Atkins  killed  eagle  above  Milk  river.  Passed  old  Fort 
Charles  2  p.  m.  Backed  into  bank  and  bent  cam  rod,  broke  cam 
yoke  and  wheel  arms.  Sounded  one  crossing.  Killed  buflFalo  3:15 
p.  m.  Met  Hattie  May,  she  in  bend  above  Fort  Charles  and  we  be- 
low.   Twenty-five  miles  below  we  had  to  haul  over,  thirty  inches. 

Tuesday,  July  11,  1865. — Left  our  camp  4  a.  m.  Hattie  May 
passed  us  at  6  p.  m.  yesterday.  Had  a  good  time  sounding  before 
breakfast,  thirty-two  inches  of  water.  Came  on  to  Skeleton  bend, 
and  here  we  sounded  and  sounded,  and  at  last  found  it.  Got  through 
about  10:30  a.  m.,  got  aground  above  Poplar  river  11:30,  got  off  at 
1  p.  m.  Passed  Fort  McKenzie  2  p.  m.  and  Cannon  Ball  bluflf  7  p. 
m.     Killed  buffalo. 

Wednesday,  July  12,  1865. — Came  down  the  river  a  short  distance 
and  laid  by  for  wind.  Remained  until  eve  and  ran  about  six  or  seven 
miles  and  laid  up  for  wind  and  the  night.  Weather  warm  and  wind. 
River  is  falling  fast  all  the  time,  and  all  we  can  find  is  thirty  inches 
with  a  stick,  and  we  can  carry  no  freight  on  that  much  water. 

Thursday.  July  13,  1865. — Got  under  way  at  9  a.  m.  Wind  de- 
tained us.  Reached  Fort  Union,  strong  wind  all  the  way.  Stored 
the  remainder  of  the  freight  in  the  fort,  sounded  the  crossing  and 
started  for  home  at  7  p.  m.  Met  Prairie  State  below  mouth  of  Yel- 
lowstone, and  laid  up  together.  She  reports  the  mate  of  the  St.  Johns 
killed  by  Indians  below  Berthold,  and  that  they  are  very  bad  on 
both  sides  of  the  river.^ 

Friday,  June  14,  1865. — Got  away  at  4  a.  m.,  left  Prairie  State 
at  the  bank.  Met  Comrrse  below  Fort  William  at  the  bank^  She 
had  letters  for  us,  landed  for  them.  Wood  head  first,  right  hand  bend. 


'When  this  occurred  the  St.  Johns  was  headed  for  a  hi^h  bhifF  across  the 
river  and  the  mate  was  sittinpr  in  the  how  of  the  boat  on  the  stairs  leading? 
from  the  main  deck  to  the  boiler  deck.  As  they  came  near  the  bluff  the  In- 
dians fired  down  from  ambush  and  killed  the  mate. 

'Ft.  William  had  been  a  trading  post  but  all  that  could  be  seen  at  this  time 
was  a  ruined  log  house  between  Ft.  Peck  and  Ft.  Copeland. 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  207 

Lixed  up  barricades  for  Indians,*  and  we  are  counting  off  the  bends 
right  fast.  English  and  Atkins  killed  a  buffalo  each.  Laid  up  about 
100  miles  above  Berthold.  Saw  a  bear,  but  could  not  get  a  shot. 
Hauled  out  to  a  bar  about  10  p.  m.    Very  windy  and  cool. 

Saturday,  July  15^  1865. — Under  way  at  4  a.  m.  Weather  cool 
and  cloudy.  River  falling.  Wood  below  where  we  laid ;  of  course, 
the  wood  did  not  suit.  Got  aground  below  in  first  crossing.  Ran 
about  fifteen  miles  and  laid  up  for  wind  until  5  p.  m.  Passed  the 
place  where  Indians  fired  on  Shreveport  (July  5,  1863)  7  p.  m. 
Met  G.  IV.  Graham  in  same  bend,  landed,  and  the  Graham's  captain 
wants  us  to  take  all  of  her  freight  up  to  Union.  Our  Captain  won't 
CO  it."    Laid  up  together  for  the  night. 

Sunday,  July  16,  1865. — Held  several  councils  last  evening,  but  no 
conclusion  was  arrived  at,  so  we  are  going  to  remain  until  the 
Roanoke  comes  down  or  something  else  turns  up.  About  10  o'clock 
we  dropped  down  alongside  of  the  Graham  to  take  a  portion  of  her 
freight,  but  from  some  cause  it  was  all  knocked  in  the  head,  and  we 
are  not  farther  ahead  than  when  we  arrived  here,  another  day  lost. 

Monday,  July  17,  1865. — More  talk,  but  no  cider.  A  large  party 
of  Indians  made  their  appearance  on  the  opposite  shore.  They  are 
Gros  Ventres  and  Rees  going  a-hunting,  one  swam  over  to  the  boats. 
Captain  of  Graham  sent  him  back  in  yawl,  and  some  sugar,  coffee 
and  bread  for  the  balance.  Came  to  terms  about  1  p.  ra.,  commenced 
taking  freight,  got  it  all  on  board  about  11  p.  m.,  and  we  leave  in 
the  morning. 

Tuesday,  July  18,  1865. — Under  way  at  2:45  a.  m.  Weather  fine. 
River  falling.  Left  the  Graham  at  the  bank.  Passed  the  Gros 
Ventres  and  Rees.  Came  below  Buffalo  point.  Killed  two  buffa- 
loes at  the  point,  and  such  shooting,  some  of  the  balls  missed  ten 
feet  to  one  side  and  away  beyond.  The  afternoon  has  been  very 
warm.  Laid  up  at  6  p.  m.  to  wood  and  for  the  night.  Have  made 
a  good  run  today.    No  boat  yet. 

Wednesday,  July  19,  1865. — 3  a.  m.  found  us  steaming  up  the 
river.  Met  Effie  Deans  6  a.  m.,  landed  alongside  of  her  to  deliver 
letters.  Comemnced  raining  6  a.  m.  River  fell  one-half  an  inch. 
About  8  a.  m.  we  were  fired  on  at  the  Tobacco  Garden  by  a  small 
party  of  Indians,  three  shots  struck  the  boat,  but  injured  no  one.^ 

*The  only  barricade  erected  was  that  around  the  pilot  house.  It  consisted 
of  hewn  logs  placed  one  upon  the  other  on  each  side  of  the  pilot  house,  leav- 
injr  a  space  for  a  window  on  each  side. 

*].  P.  McKinney  was  pilot  at  this  time  on  the  G.  IV.  Graham. 

*On  coming  up  to  this  place  where  there  was  a  high  bluff  on  the  right  hand 
side,  Atkins  noticed  that  the  water  looked  bad,  though  it  was  the  usual 
crossing  place,  so  he  tried  farther  out  in  the  river.  On  the  bluff  a  little 
to  one  side  there  was  a  shallow  gully  running  down  from  the  prairie  to  the 
edge  of  the  bank  about  level  with  the  pilot  house.  Here  a  party  of  Sioux 
Jay  in  wait  for  the  steamboat  and  if  he  had  gone  into  the  channel  on  that 
side  the  lack  of  water  would  have  compelled  him  to  ba'^k  out  and  the  delay 


310  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

place  where  wood  was  very  scarce,  kept  her  there  three  hours. 
Heavy  head  wind  today,  which  retards  our  progress  very  much.  Laid 
by  for  storm  at  Tobacco  Garden  2  :30  p.  m.,  were  not  detained  very 
long.  Wooded  at  4 :30  p.  m.,  ran  till  10  p.  m.  and  laid  up  for  the 
night.    Saw  two  bears,  one  was  chasing  a  large  elk. 

Thursday,  August  3,  1865. — Did  not  get  started  until  6:30  a.  m. 
Weather  cool.  Passed  grave  yard  at  10  a.  m.  and  Looking  Glass 
prairie  1  p.  m.  Wood  in  left  hand  bend  above.  Killed  a  buffalo  in 
next  right  hand  bend.  Got  a  fine  pair  of  elk  horns.  At  head  of  next 
bend  Atlcins  concluded  to  run  awhile  this  eve,  and  at  12  p.  m.  we  ar- 
rived at  mouth  of  Yellowstone. 

Friday,  August  4,  1865. — Came  on  to  bight  of  bend  below  Fort 
Union  and  landed  1  a.  m.  At  daylight  we  commenced  putting  out 
freight.  Yawl  went  up  to  the  fort.  Grant  came  to  the  fort  this 
morning.  Some  officers  from  fort  called  this  eve.  Got  freight  out 
and  covered  up  with  brush  and  ran  down  to  head  of  first  bluff  and 
landed  for  wood.    Laid  up  for  the  night. 

Saturday,  August  5,  1865. — At  2:30  a.  m.  we  had  quite  an  In- 
dian scare,  cleared  our  decks  for  action,  but  it  was  a  false  alarm,  or 
they  failed  to  come  to  the  scratch.  Was  probably  buffalo  or  elk,  as 
Indians  would  hardly  ride  up  to  a  boat  on  horseback.  Left  at  day- 
light, ran  about  forty  miles  and  wooded  head  Looking  Glass  prairie. 
Cold  and  foggy.  River  fell  four  inches  last  night.  Laid  up  six  or 
eight  miles  above  Buffalo  point.    Caught  young  eagle. 

Sunday,  August  6,  18G5. — Off  for  home  at  daylight.  River  very 
bad,  have  had  a  great  deal  of  trouble  today,  have  sparred  off  six  or 
seven  times.  Made  a  poor  run.  Laid  up  for  the  night  fifteen  miles 
above  Fort  Berthold.  Nothing  of  special  interest  has  occurred  dur- 
ing the  day. 

Monday,  August  7,  1865. — Started  early,  grounded  in  first  cross- 
ing. Captain  John  went  sounding,  found  water,  went  through, 
rubbed  a  little.  Arrived  at  Fort  Berthold  at  8  a.  m.,  passed  old  Fort 
Clark  at  3  p.  m.  Ran  twenty  miles  below  the  old  fort,  grounded, 
went  into  shore,  wooded  and  cut  spars.  Laid  up  for  the  night. 
Mosquitoes  and  porcupine  very  bad.^  River  fell  four  inches  last 
night. 

Tuesday,  August  8,  1865. — Cast  off  our  moorings  and  got  under 
V  av  at  earlv  dawn.  Passed  Painted  Woods  5  a.  m.  River  fell  one 
and  one-half  inches  last  night.  Met  steamer  Bii^  Horn  8  a.  m.  She 
hailed  us  and  had  some  letters,  also  got  St.  Louis  and  Fort  Rice 
papers.  Latter  contains  an  account  of  a  fight  at  the  fort  on  the  28th 
of  July  with  the  Sioux,  who  were  defeated  and  lost  ten  or  twelve 
braves,  the  garrison  went  outside  pf  the  fort  to  fight  them,  whites 
lost  one  killed.    Reached  Rico  'i:'M^  p.  ni.     Hard  storm  (>  p.  m. 


'This  was  a  pet  porcupine  wandcrinj?  all  over  the  boat.     It  fell  into  the  river 
accidentally   (?)   that  night. 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  311 


Wednesday,  August  9,  1865. — ^We  did  not  get  away  from  the  fort 
until  daylight  this  morning.  The  storm  has  all  passed  away  and  the 
morning  is  beautiful.  For  two  nights  past  the  mosquitoes  have  been 
very  troublesome.  Saw  two  fine  elk  in  first  bottom  below  the  fort. 
Passed  Grand  river  3:30  p.  m.,  found  steamer  Spray  four  miles 
above  Moreau  hard  aground.  Laid  up  for  the  night  just  above 
mouth  of  Moreau. 

Thursday,  August  10,  1865. — Sounded  the  first  crossing.  Ran 
about  twenty  miles,  laid  up  for  wind  and  to  sound.  Belle  Peoria 
here  on  middle  bar,  high  and  dry.^  Got  aground  below  bar,  got 
off,  went  out,  sounded  and  concluded  to  wait  until  wind  ceased. 
Saw  an  Indian  on  bank,  too  far  to  shoot.    Laid  up  for  the  night. 

Friday,  August  11,  1865. — Got  under  way  at  4  a.  m.  Had  trouble 
rounding  to,  but  finally  did  make  it.  Came  over  crossing  all  O.  K. 
Hard  wind  last  night.  Ran  about  ten  or  twelve  miles  and  laid  up  on 
right  or  west  bank  for  wind,  laid  until  3  p.  m.  Started  out  and  ran 
five  miles,  laid  by  for  wind.  Started  out  at  6  p.  m.,  ran  seven  miles 
and  laid  by  head  of  Plum  island  for  night. 

Saturday,  August  12,  1865. — Away  we  go  for  home,  4  a.  m.  Had 
shoal  water  getting  in  to  right  shore.  Passed  Pascal  island  8  a.  m. 
About  8  :30  we  grounded,  got  off  at  11 :30  a.  m.  and  laid  up  for  wind. 
Remained  all  the  balance  of  the  day  wind  bound.  Captain  saw  a 
deer  swimming  the  river,  sent  yawl  for  it,  turned  out  to  be  a  snag. 

Sunday,  August  13,  1865. — Still  wind  bound.  Several  of  the  boys 
went  hunting  to  get  something  or  anything  for  dinner,  as  our  meat 
is  all  out,  started  12  m.  Ran  down  nearly  to  mouth  of  Big  Chey- 
enne, got  aground,  sounded,  got  off,  went  in  to  shore  and  laid  by  for 
the  night.  Atkins  and  Hatcher  sounded,  but  dark  caught  them  be- 
fore they  were  through. 

Monday,  August  14,  1865. — Daylight  found  us.  sounded  and  came 
through  all  O.  K.  Passed  Hatcher's  camp  and  English  Point  5 :30 
a.  m.  Reached  Fort  Sully  12  m.,  tried  to  get  to  the  fort,  but  failed, 
so  backed  down  opposite  shore.  They  hailed  us  with  muskets.  Cap- 
tain Howard  and  Atkins  went  over  in  vawl.  Thev  have  a  few  boxes 
to  send  down  the  river.  Gaty  stored  her  freight  on  the  bank  and 
went  home,  also  Roanoke  and  Deer  Lodge. 

Tuesday,  August  15,  1865. — ^\Vind  detained  us  until  10:30  a.  m., 
another  hail  from  the  fort.  Captain  went  over  again,  came  to  the 
boat  below  Farm  island.  Ran  about  forty  miles  and  laid  up  at  right 
hand  bluff.  Nothing  out  of  the  usual  routine  has  occurred  today. 
Everybody  and  some  in  particular  are  growling  all  the  time  about 
something. 

Wednesday,  August  16,  1865. — Fog  detained  us  until  6 :30  a.  m. 
9  a.  m.  are  now  passing  wood  yard,  center  of  Big  bend.    Weather 


'The  Belle  Peoria  was  abandoned  at  this  time,  there  was  no  water  any- 
where near  her. 


312  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

fine.  River  very  badly  cut  up,  any  amount  of  rocks  along  this  bend. 
Arrived  at  Crow  creek  11 :30  a.  m.,  took  cord  wood  on  opposite  side 
below,  belongs  to  an  old  Indian  that  came  with  us  from  Sully. 
Passed  White  river  5  p.  m.  Sounded  across  head  of  upper  large 
towhead,  ran  chute  above  it,  five  feet.    Laid  above  Bijou's  hills. 

Thursday,  August  17,  1865. — One  hundred  and  sixty-two  days 
out.  Sounded  crossing,  found  four  feet.  The  mosquitoes  and  bed- 
bugs came  near  carrying  off  five  or  six  men  last  night.  Passed 
Bijou's  hills  and  the  Brick  Yard  6 :30  a.  m.  Saw  cattle  in  hills  below 
Brick  Yard.  Laid:  up  for  wind  7  a.  m.,  lost  three  and  a  half  hours. 
Passed  a  fine  cornfield  12  m.  twenty-five  miles  above  Randall.  Wood- 
ed on  Big  Cedar  island  3 :30  p.  m.  Arrived  at  Fort  Randall  6  p.  m., 
will  lav  here  all  night. 

Friday,  August  18,  1865. — Left  at  daylight.  Mosquitoes  very 
troublesome  last  night.  Weather  cool.  River  on  a  stand.  Got  some 
stores  and  received  several  letters  last  night  at  the  fort.  Passed 
mouth  of  Running  Water  7:30  a.  m.  Lost  three  hours  aground. 
Passed  Bon  Homme  island  12  m.,  ran  back  of  it.  Passed  Yankton 
3 :15  p.  m.  Wooded  above,  bought  milk.  Lost  two  hours  by  break- 
ing the  wheel.    Laid  up  ten  miles  below  St.  James  river. 

Saturday,  August  19,  1865. — Left  our  camp  5  a.  m.  Had  rain  last 
night.  Hurrah!  Hurrah!  Our  captain  is  up  before  breakfast,  is 
standing  on  the  roof  in  the  rain.  Got  aground  in  wrong  chute,  wind 
detained  us  half  a  day,  departed  12  m.  The  river  improves  as  we 
get  down.  Broke  some  buckets,  stopped  to  fix  them.  Laid  up  at 
dark  fifty  miles  above  Sioux  City.     Mo3quitoes  very  bad. 

Sunday,  August  20,  1865. — Fifteen  and  one-half  days  from  Union 
to  Sioux  City.  Left  at  8  a.  m.,  fog  detained  us.  Arrived  at  Sioux 
City  10  a.  m.  Everybody  at  church.  Got  flour,  potatoes,  eggs  and 
apples.  Weather  very  warm.  Some  parties  here  tried  to  send  us 
back  up  the  river,  but  we  could  not  see  it,  not  much,  six  months  is 
?bout  long  enough  up  in  this  out-of-the-world  country.  Left  2  p.  m. 
Laid  below  Decatur. 

Monday,  August  21,  1865. — Daylight  found  us  under  way.  Met 
Hattie  May  8 :30  a.  m.,  five  miles  below  Little  Sioux,  bound  for  Fort 
Union.  She  left  St.  Louis  on  the  12th  of  August.  Wooded  at  Cin- 
cinnati 12  m.  Met  Fanny  Ogden  at  Esop's  Point  2:15  p.  m.,  thirty 
miles  above  Omaha.  Passed  Omaha  City  4:15  p.  m.  Hatcher  and 
Atkins  did  not  go  up  town,  not  much.  Met  Lacy  4:40.  Laid  up 
below  Plattesmouth. 

Tuesday,  August  22,  1865. — Left  at  daylight.  Passed  Nebraska 
City  7:30  a.  m.  Passed  Peru  10  a.  m.  Pilots  were  informed  by  a 
flatboat  ferryman  that  unless  they  blew  the  whistle  on  rounding  the 
point  at  Peru  they  would  have  the  flat  to  pay  for.  Atkins  asked  him 
his  weight  when  fat.  1:15  p.  m.  met  Glasi^ozc  at  Arago.  Wooded 
ai  Tarkio  2 :30.  Took  several  passengers  at  Forest  City.  Met 
Colorado  5  p.  m.  at  Lafayette.    Laid  up  at  Savannah  for  the  night. 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  313 

Wednesday,  August  23,  1865. — One  hundred  and  sixty-five  days 
out.  Left  at  daylight.  Arrived  at  St.  Joseph  6  a.  m.,  left  at  9 
o'clock.  Landed  a  passenger  at  Atchison  12  m.  Left  Peoria  City 
in  port.  Wooded  above  Weston.  Met  Stephen  Decatur  at  Fort 
Leavenworth,  landed  passengers  at  city  3:15..  Met  Emilie  at  Dia- 
mond island,  Omaha  above  Wyandotte.  Landed  a  passenger  at 
Kansas  City  G  p.  m.    Laid  up  at  Randolph  for  the  night  and  to  wood. 

Thursday,  August  24,  1865. — Left  at  5  a.  m.,  daylight.  Met 
Ithaca  and  Lockwood  in  first  crossing,  Montana  at  Wagon  City. 
Passed  Lexington  10  a.  ni.  Met  David  Tatum  and  Marcella  at 
Berlin.  Met  Decatur  at  Mobley's.  Passed  Brunswick  3:40  p.  m: 
Landed  at  Glasgow  5:45  p.  m.  Received  several  passengers.  Got 
stores,  apples,  peaches,  etc.,  left  immediately.  Laid  up  at  BluflPport 
for  the  night  and  to  wood.    Ran  195  miles. 

Friday,  August  25,  1865. — Landed  a  lady  and  children  at  Arrow 
Rock,  5:30  a.  m.  Met  MoUie  Dozier  at  Ikownsville  at  7  a.  m.,  St. 
Johns  below  Whist's  wood  yard.  Wooded  at  Marion  10  a.  m. 
Passed  Jefferson  City  12  m.  This  end  of  the  river  is  very  high,  also 
all  of  its  tributaries.  Met  Sioux  City  at  ferryman's  1  p.  m.,  Gaty 
lx?low  St.  Aubert,  Cora  in  Emilie  bend,  Isabelle  dt  Washington.  6  :40. 
Laid  up  at  South  Point.  Platte  Valley  passed  up  with  troops  on 
board. 

Saturday,  August  26,  1865. — Out  169  days.  Left  our  moorings 
at  early  dawn,  ran  nearly  to  Dozier 's,  and  were  compelled  to  lay  by 
for  fog,  7  a.  m.  We  started  again  and  again  wx  were  forced  to  lay 
by  for  fog.  Everybody  chafes  at  the  delay,  but  there's  no  help  for 
it.  Met  Deer  Lodge  at  Penn's.  Landed  at  St.  Charles  10  a.  m.  to 
put  C.  J.  Atkins  and  lady  off,  gave  the  city  three  guns.  Reached  St. 
Louis  2  p.  m.  After  an  absence  of  one  hundred  and  sixty-nine  days, 
have  run  about  ten  thousand  miles  since  we  left  St.  Louis  and  done 
more  work  than  any  other  boat  in  the  river  and  made  more  miles. 
We  are  now  safe  at  home.  We  have  passed  through  some  scenes  of 
peril,  but  not  one  of  our  crew  have  been  killed,  only  one  death  oc- 
curred on  the  trip.  It  is  recorded  on  the  day  of  its  occurrence. 
Peace  and  harmony  have  ruled  the  day,  and  but  one  or  two  difficul- 
ties of  minor  importance  have  occurred  on  the  voyage.  And  now 
all  have  separated  and  gone  to  their  several  homes,  probably  not  all 
of  us  will  ever  be  on  the  boat  together,  but  may  we  all  meet  in  the 
haven  of  rest  where  parting  is  unknown,  and  now,  to  one  and  all, 
good  bye,  good  bye. 


312  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

fine.  River  very  badly  cut  up,  any  amount  of  rocks  along  this  bend. 
Arrived  at  Crow  creek  11 :30  a.  m.,  took  cord  wood  on  opposite  side 
below,  belongs  to  an  old  Indian  that  came  with  us  from  Sully. 
Passed  White  river  5  p.  m.  Sounded  across  head  of  upper  large 
towhead,  ran  chute  above  it,  five  feet.    Laid  above  Bijou's  hills. 

Thursday,  August  17,  1865. — One  hundred  and  sixty-two  days 
out.  Sounded  crossing,  found  four  feet.  The  mosquitoes  and  bed- 
bugs came  near  carrying  off  five  or  six  men  last  night.  Passed 
Bijou's  hills  and  the  Brick  Yard  6 :30  a.  m.  Saw  cattle  in  hills  below 
Brick  Yard.  Laid  up  for  wind  7  a.  m.,  lost  three  and  a  half  hours. 
Passed  a  fine  cornfield  18  m.  twenty-five  miles  above  Randall.  Wood- 
ed on  Big  Cedar  island  3 :30  p.  m.  Arrived  at  Fort  Randall  6  p.  m., 
will  lav  here  all  night. 

Friday,  August  18,  1865. — Left  at  daylight.  Mosquitoes  very 
troublesome  last  night.  Weather  cool.  River  on  a  stand.  Got  some 
stores  and  received  several  letters  last  night  at  the  fort-  Passed 
mouth  of  Running  Water  7:30  a.  m.  Lost  three  hours  aground. 
Passed  Bon  Homme  island  12  m.,  ran  back  of  it.  Passed  Yankton 
3 :15  p.  m.  Wooded  above,  bought  milk.  Lost  two  hours  by  break- 
ing the  wheel.    Laid  up  ten  miles  below  St.  James  river. 

Saturday,  August  19,  1865. — Left  our  camp  5  a.  m.  Had  rain  last 
night.  Hurrah!  Hurrah!  Our  captain  is  up  before  breakfast,  is 
standing  on  the  roof  in  the  rain.  Got  aground  in  wrong  chute,  wind 
detained  us  half  a  day,  departed  13  m.  The  river  improves  as  we 
get  down.  Broke  some  buckets,  stopped  to  fix  them.  Laid  up  at 
dark  fifty  miles  above  Sioux  City.     Mo3quitoes  very  bad. 

Sunday,  August  20,  1865. — Fifteen  and  one-half  days  from  Union 
to  Sioux  City.  Left  at  8  a.  m.,  fog  detained  us.  Arrived  at  Sioux 
City  10  a.  m.  Everybody  at  church.  Got  flour,  potatoes,  eggs  and 
apples.  Weather  very  warm.  Some  parties  here  tried  to  send  us 
back  up  the  river,  but  we  could  not  see  it,  not  much,  six  months  is 
?bout  long  enough  up  in  this  out-of-the-world  country.  Left  2  p.  m. 
Laid  below  Decatur. 

Monday,  August  21,  1865. — Daylight  found  us  under  way.  Met 
Hatiie  May  8  :30  a.  m.,  five  miles  below  Little  Sioux,  bound  for  Fort 
Union.  She  left  St.  Louis  on  the  12th  of  August.  Wooded  at  Cin- 
cinnati 12  m.  Met  Fanny  Ogdcn  at  Esop's  Point  2  :15  p.  m.,  thirty 
miles  above  Omaha.  Passed  Omaha  City  4:15  p.  m.  Hatcher  and 
Atkins  did  not  go  up  town,  not  much.  Met  Lacy  4:40.  Laid  up 
below  Plattesmouth. 

Tuesday,  August  22,  1865. — Left  at  daylight.  Passed  Nebraska 
City  7:30  a.  m.  Passed  Peru  10  a.  m.  Pilots  were  informed  by  a 
flatboat  ferryman  that  unless  they  blew  the  whistle  on  rounding  the 
point  at  Peru  they  would  have  the  flat  to  pay  for.  Atkins  asked  him 
his  weight  when  fat.  1 :15  p.  m.  met  Glas^otv  at  Arago.  Wooded 
ai  Tarkio  2 :30.  Took  several  passengers  at  Forest  City.  Met 
Colorado  5  p.  m.  at  Lafayette.    Laid  up  at  Savannah  for  the  night. 


STATB  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  313 

Wednesday,  August  23,  1865. — One  hundred  and  sixty-five  days 
out.  Left  at  daylight.  Arrived  at  St.  Joseph  6  a.  m.,  left  at  9 
o'clock.  Landed  a  passenger  at  Atchison  12  m.  Left  Peoria  City 
in  port.  Wooded  above  Weston.  Met  Stephen  Decatur  at  Fort 
Leavenworth,  landed  passengers  at  city  3  :15. ,  Met  Emilie  at  Dia- 
mond island,  Omaha  above  Wyandotte.  Landed  a  passenger  at 
Kansas  City  G  p.  m.    Laid  up  at  Randolph  for  the  night  and  to  wood. 

Thursday,  August  21,  1805. — Left  at  5  a.  m.,  daylight.  Met 
Ithaca  and  Lockwood  in  first  crossing,  Montana  at  Wagon  City. 
Passed  Lexington  10  a.  ni.  Met  David  Tatum  and  Marcella  at 
Berlin.  Met  Decatur  at  Mobley's.  Passed  Brunswick  3:40  p.  m*. 
Landed  at  Glasgow  5:45  p.  m.  Received  several  passengers.  Got 
stores,  apples,  peaches,  etc.,  left  immediately.  Laid  up  at  BluflPport 
for  the  night  and  to  wood.    Ran  195  miles. 

Friday,  August  2T^^  18(55. — Landed  a  lady  and  children  at  Arrow 
Rock,  5 :30  a.  m.  Met  Mollie  Docier  at  ]>rownsville  at  7  a.  m.,  St. 
Johns  below  Whist's  wood  yard.  Wooded  at  Marion  10  a.  m. 
Passed  Jefferson  City  12  m.  This  end  of  the  river  is  very  high,  also 
all  of  its  tributaries.  Met  Sioux  City  at  ferryman's  1  p.  m.,  Gaty 
Ik^Iow  St.  Aubert,  Cora  in  Kmilic  bend,  Jsabclle  q^.  Washington,  6  :40. 
Laid  up  at  South  Point.  Platte  Valley  passed  up  wnth  troops  on 
board. 

Saturday,  August  2G,  18()5. — Out  1G9  days.  Left  our  moorings 
at  early  dawn,  ran  nearly  to  Dozier's,  and  were  compelled  to  lay  by 
for  fog,  7  a.  m.  We  started  again  an<l  again  we  were  forced  to  lay 
by  for  fog.  Fverybody  chafes  at  the  delay,  but  there's  no  help  for 
it.  Met  Deer  Lodi^^c  at  Pcnn's.  Landed  at  St.  Charles  10  a.  m.  to 
put  C.  J.  Atkins  and  lady  off,  gave  the  city  three  guns.  Reached  St. 
Louis  2  p.  m.  After  an  absence  of  one  hundred  and  sixty-nine  days, 
have  run  about  ten  thousand  miles  since  we  left  St.  Louis  and  done 
more  work  than  any  other  boat  in  the  river  and  made  more  miles. 
We  are  now  safe  at  home.  We  have  passed  through  some  scenes  of 
peril,  but  not  one  of  our  crew  have  been  killed,  only  one  death  oc- 
curred on  the  trip.  It  is  recorded  on  the  day  of  its  occurrence. 
Peace  and  harmony  have  ruled  the  day,  and  but  one  or  two  difficul- 
ties of  minor  importance  have  occurred  on  the  voyage.  And  now 
all  have  separated  and  gone  to  their  several  homes,  probably  not  all 
of  us  will  ever  be  on  the  boat  together,  but  may  we  all  meet  in  the 
haven  of  rest  where  parting  is  unknown,  and  now,  to  one  and  all, 
good  bye,  good  bye. 


312  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

fine.  River  very  badly  cut  up,  any  amount  of  rocks  along  this  bend. 
Arrived  at  Crow  creek  11 :30  a.  m.,  took  cord  wood  on  opposite  side 
below,  belongs  to  an  old  Indian  that  came  with  us  from  Sully. 
Passed  White  river  5  p.  m.  Sounded  across  head  of  upper  large 
towhead,  ran  chute  above  it,  five  feet.    Laid  above  Bijou's  hills. 

Thursday,  August  17,  1865. — One  hundred  and  sixty-two  days 
out.  Sounded  crossing,  found  four  feet.  The  mosquitoes  and  bed- 
bugs came  near  carrying  off  five  or  six  men  last  night.  Passed 
Bijou's  hills  and  the  Brick  Yard  6  :30  a.  m.  Saw  cattle  in  hills  below 
Brick  Yard.  Laid  up  for  wind  7  a.  m.,  lost  three  and  a  half  hooirs. 
Passed  a  fine  cornfield  12  m.  twenty-five  miles  above  Randall.  Wood- 
ed on  Big  Cedar  island  3 :30  p.  m.  Arrived  at  Fort  Randall  6  p.  m„ 
will  lay  here  all  night. 

Friday,  August  18,  1865. — Left  at  daylight.  Mosquitoes  very 
troublesome  last  night.  Weather  cool.  River  on  a  stand.  Got  some 
stores  and  received  several  letters  last  night  at  the  fort.  Passed 
mouth  of  Running  Water  7:30  a.  m.  Lost  three  hours  aground. 
Passed  Bon  Homme  island  12  m.,  ran  back  of  it.  Passed  Yankton 
3 :15  p.  m.  Wooded  above,  bought  milk.  Lost  two  hours  by  break- 
ing the  wheel.    Laid  up  ten  miles  below  St.  James  river. 

Saturday,  August  19,  1865. — Left  our  camp  5  a.  m.  Had  rain  last 
night.  Hurrah!  Hurrah!  Our  captain  is  up  before  breakfast,  is 
standing  on  the  roof  in  the  rain.  Got  aground  in  wrong  chute,  wind 
detained  us  half  a  day,  departed  12  m.  The  river  improves  as  we 
get  down.  Broke  some  buckets,  stopped  to  fix  them.  Laid  up  at 
dark  fifty  miles  above  Sioux  City.     Mosquitoes  very  bad. 

Sunday,  August  20,  1865. — Fifteen  and  one-half  days  from  Union 
to  Sioux  City.  Left  at  8  a.  m.,  fog  detained  us.  Arrived  at  Sioux 
City  10  a.  m.  Everybody  at  church.  Got  flour,  potatoes,  eggs  and 
apples.  Weather  very  warm.  Some  parties  here  tried  to  send  us 
back  up  the  river,  but  we  could  not  see  it,  not  much,  six  months  is 
?bout  long  enough  up  in  this  out-of-the-world  country.  Left  2  p.  m. 
Laid  below  Decatur. 

Monday,  August  21,  1865. — Daylight  found  us  under  way.  "  Met 
Hattie  May  8  :30  a.  m.,  five  miles  below  Little  Sioux,  bound  for  Fort 
Union.  She  left  St.  Louis  on  the  12th  of  August.  Wooded  at  Cin- 
cinnati 12  m.  Met  Fanny  Of^den  at  Esop's  Point  2  :15  p.  m.,  thirty 
miles  above  Omaha.  Passed  Omaha  City  4:15  p.  m.  Hatcher  and 
Atkins  did  not  go  up  town,  not  much.  Met  Lacy  4:40.  Laid  up 
below  Plattesmouth. 

Tuesday,  August  22,  1865. — Left  at  daylight.  Passed  Nebraska 
City  7 :30  a.  m.  Passed  Peru  10  a.  m.  Pilots  were  informed  by  a 
flatboat  ferryman  that  unless  they  blew  the  whistle  on  rounding  the 
point  at  Peru  they  would  have  the  flat  to  pay  for.  Atkins  asked  him 
his  weight  when  fat.  1:15  p.  m.  met  GJas^oiv  at  Arago.  Wooded 
at  Tarkio  2 :30.  Took  several  passengers  at  Forest  City.  Met 
Colorado  5  p.  m.  at  Lafayette.    Laid  up  at  Savannah  for  the  night. 


STATB  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  313 

Wednesday,  August  23,  1865. — One  hundred  and  sixty-five  days 
out.  Left  at  daylight.  Arrived  at  St.  Joseph  6  a.  m.,  left  at  9 
o'clock.  Landed  a  passenger  at  Atchison  12  m.  Left  Peoria  City 
in  port.  Wooded  above  Weston.  Met  Stephen  Decatur  at  Fort 
Leavenworth,  landed  passengers  at  city  3:15.,  Met  Emilie  at  Dia- 
mond island,  Omaha  above  Wyandotte.  Landed  a  passenger  at 
Kansas  City  G  p.  m.    Laid  up  at  Randolph  for  the  night  and  to  wood. 

Thursday,  August  21,  1805. — Left  at  5  a.  m.,  daylight.  Met 
Ithaca  and  Lockzcood  in  first  crossing,  Montana  at  Wagon  City. 
Passed  Lexington  10  a.  ni.  Met  David  Tatum  and  Marcella  at 
Berlin.  Met  Decatur  at  Mobley's.  Passed  Brunswick  3:40  p.  m: 
Landed  at  Glasgow  5:45  p.  m.  Received  several  passengers.  Got 
stores,  apples,  peaches,  etc.,  left  immediately.  Laid  up  at  BluflPport 
for  the  night  and  to  wood.    Ran  195  miles. 

Friday,  August  25,  18(>5. — Landed  a  lady  and  children  at  Arrow 
Rock,  5  :30  a.  m.  Met  Mollie  Dozier  at  r>rownsville  at  7  a.  m.,  St, 
Johns  below  Whist's  wood  yard.  Wooded  at  Marion  10  a.  m. 
Passed  Jeflferson  City  12  m.  This  end  of  the  river  is  very  high,  also 
all  of  its  tributaries.  Met  Sioux  City  at  ferryman's  1  p.  m.,  Gaty 
l)elow  St.  Aubert.  Cora  in  I^nilie  bend,  Isabelle  q^  Washington,  6:i0. 
Laid  up  at  South  Point.  Platte  I  alley  passed  up  with  troops  on 
board. 

Saturday,  August  26,  1865. — Out  169  days.  Left  our  moorings 
at  early  dawn,  ran  nearly  to  Dozier's,  and  were  compelled  to  lay  by 
for  fog,  7  a.  m.  We  started  again  ami  again  we  were  forced  to  lay 
by  for  fog.  Everybody  chafes  at  the  delay,  but  there's  no  help  for 
it.  Met  Deer  Lodge  at  Penn's.  Landed  at  St.  Charles  10  a.  m.  to 
put  C.  J.  Atkins  and  lady  off,  gave  the  city  three  guns.  Reached  St. 
Louis  2  p.  m.  After  an  absence  of  one  hundred  and  sixty-nine  days, 
have  run  about  ten  thousand  miles  since  we  left  St.  Louis  and  done 
more  work  than  any  other  boat  in  the  river  and  made  more  miles. 
We  are  now  safe  at  home.  We  have  passed  through  some  scenes  of 
peril,  but  not  one  of  our  crew  have  been  killed,  only  one  death  oc- 
curred on  the  trip.  It  is  recorded  on  the  day  of  its  occurrence. 
Peace  and  harmony  have  ruled  the  dav,  and  but  one  or  two  difficul- 
ties  of  minor  importance  have  occurred  on  the  voyage.  And  now 
all  have  separated  and  gone  to  their  several  homes,  probably  not  all 
of  us  will  ever  be  on  the  boat  together,  but  may  we  all  meet  in  the 
haven  of  rest  where  parting  is  unknown,  and  now,  to  one  and  all, 
good  bye,  good  bye. 


312  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

fine.  River  very  badly  cut  up,  any  amount  of  rocks  along  this  bend. 
Arrived  at  Crow  creek  11 :30  a.  m.,  took  cord  wood  on  opposite  side 
below,  belongs  to  an  old  Indian  that  came  with  us  from  Sully. 
Passed  White  river  5  p.  m.  Sounded  across  head  of  upper  large 
towhead,  ran  chute  above  it,  five  feet.    Laid  above  Bijou's  hills. 

Thursday,  August  17,  1865. — One  hundred  and  sixty-two  days 
out.  Sounded  crossing,  found  four  feet.  The  mosquitoes  and  bed- 
bugs came  near  carrying  off  five  or  six  men  last  night.  Passed 
Bijou's  hills  and  the  Brick  Yard  6  :30  a.  m.  Saw  cattle  in  hills  below 
Brick  Yard.  Laid  up  for  wind  7  a.  m.,  lost  three  and  a  ;half  hours. 
Passed  a  fine  cornfield  12  m.  twenty-five  miles  above  Randall.  Wood- 
ed on  Big  Cedar  island  3 :30  p.  m.  Arrived  at  Fort  Randall  6  p.  m., 
will  lav  here  all  night. 

Friday,  August  18,  1865. — Left  at  daylight.  Mosquitoes  very 
troublesome  last  night.  Weather  cool.  River  on  a  stand.  Got  some 
stores  and  received  several  letters  last  night  at  the  fort.  Passed 
mouth  of  Running  Water  7:30  a.  m.  Lost  three  hours  aground. 
Passed  Bon  Homme  island  12  m.,  ran  back  of  it.  Passed  Yankton 
3 :15  p.  m.  Wooded  above,  bought  milk.  Lost  two  hours  by  break- 
ing the  wheel.    Laid  up  ten  miles  below  St.  James  river. 

Saturday,  August  19,  1865. — Left  our  camp  5  a.  m.  Had  rain  last 
night.  Hurrah!  Hurrah!  Our  captain  is  up  before  breakfast,  is 
standing  on  the  roof  in  the  rain.  Got  aground  in  wrong  chute,  wind 
detained  us  half  a  day,  departed  12  m.  The  river  improves  as  we 
get  down.  Broke  some  buckets,  stopped  to  fix  them.  Laid  up  at 
dark  fifty  miles  above  Sioux  City.     Mosquitoes  very  bad. 

Sunday,  August  20,  1865. — Fifteen  and  one-half  days  from  Union 
to  Sioux  City.  Left  at  8  a.  m.,  fog  detained  us.  Arrived  at  Sioux 
City  10  a.  m.  Everybody  at  church.  Got  flour,  potatoes,  eggs  and 
apples.  Weather  very  warm.  Some  parties  here  tried  to  send  us 
back  up  the  river,  but  we  could  not  see  it,  not  much,  six  months  is 
pbout  long  enough  up  in  this  out-of-the-world  country.  Left  2  p.  m. 
Laid  below  Decatur. 

Monday,  August  21,  1865. — Daylight  found  us  under  way.  Met 
H attic  May  8 :30  a.  m.,  five  miles  below  Little  Sioux,  bound  for  Fort 
Union.  She  left  St.  Louis  on  the  12th  of  August.  Wooded  at  Cin- 
cinnati 12  m.  Met  Fanny  Oi^den  at  Esop's  Point  2  :15  p.  m.,  thirty 
miles  above  Omaha.  Passed  Omaha  City  4:15  p.  m.  Hatcher  and 
Atkins  did  not  go  up  town,  not  much.  Met  Lacy  4:40.  Laid  up 
below  Plattesmouth. 

Tuesday,  August  22.  1865. — Left  at  daylight.  Passed  Nebraska 
City  7:30  a.  m.  Passed  Peru  10  a.  m.  Pilots  were  informed  by  a 
flatboat  ferryman  that  unless  they  blew  the  whistle  on  rounding  the 
point  at  Peru  they  would  have  the  flat  to  pay  for.  Atkins  asked  him 
his  weight  when  fat.  1 :15  p.  m.  met  Glasgow  at  Arago.  Wofxded 
at  Tarkio  2 :30.  Took  several  passengers  at  Forest  City.  Met 
Colorado  5  p.  m.  at  Lafayette.    I^id  up  at  Savannah  for  the  night. 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  313 

^  ■     M  ■  -  —        .—  I       I    -  ,  ■  -_^         ■     -      I  ^—      m^      -III  ■■■  ■  .  ■     ^^l-  fc 

Wednesday,  August  23,  1865. — One  hundred  and  sixty-five  days 
out.  Left  at  daylight.  Arrived  at  St.  Joseph  6  a.  m.,  left  at  9 
o'clock.  Landed  a  passenger  at  Atchison  12  m.  Left  Peoria  City 
in  port.  Wooded  above  Weston.  Met  Stephen  Decatur  at  Fort 
Leavenworth,  landed  passengers  at  city  3  :15. .  Met  Emilie  at  Dia- 
mond island,  Omaha  above  Wyandotte.  Landed  a  passenger  at 
Kansas  City  G  p.  m.    Laid  up  at  Randolph  for  the  night  and  to  wood. 

Thursday,  August  24,  18^5. — Left  at  5  a.  m.,  daylight.  Met 
Ithaca  and  Lockzcood  in  first  crossing,  Montana  at  Wagon  City. 
Passed  Lexington  10  a.  m.  Met  David  Tatum  and  Marcella  at 
Berlin.  Met  Decatur  at  Mobley's.  Passed  Brunswick  3:40  p.  m*. 
Landed  at  Cilasgow  5:i5  p.  m.  Received  several  passengers.  Got 
stores,  apples,  peaches,  etc.,  left  immediately.  Laid  up  at  Bluflfport 
for  the  night  and  to  wood.    Ran  195  miles. 

Friday.  August  25,  18()5. — Landed  a  lady  and  children  at  Arrow 
Rock,  5:30  a.  m.  Met  Mollie  Docier  at  Brownsville  at  7  a.  m.,  St. 
Johns  below  Whist's  wood  vard.  Wooded  at  Marion  10  a.  m. 
Passed  Jefferson  City  12  m.  This  end  of  the  river  is  very  high,  also 
all  of  its  tributaries.  Met  Sioux  City  at  ferryman's  1  p.  m.,  Gaty 
below^  St.  Aubert,  Cora  in  Emilie  bend,  Isahelle  d^  Washington,  6  :10. 
Laid  up  at  South  Point.  Platte  Valley  passed  up  with  troops  on 
board. 

Saturday,  August  2(),  18(>5. — Out  109  days.  Left  our  moorings 
at  early  dawn,  ran  nearly  to  Dozier's,  and  were  compelled  to  lay  by 
for  fog,  7  a.  m.  We  started  again  and  again  we  were  forced  to  lay 
by  for  fog.  Everybody  chafes  at  the  delay,  but  there's  no  help  for 
it.  Met  Deer  Lodi^^e  at  Pcnn's.  Landed  at  St.  Charles  10  a.  m.  to 
put  C.  J.  Atkins  and  lady  off,  gave  the  city  three  guns.  Reached  St. 
Louis  2  p.  m.  After  an  absence  of  one  hundred  and  sixty-nine  days, 
have  run  about  ten  thousand  miles  since  we  left  St.  Louis  and  done 
more  work  than  any  other  boat  in  the  river  and  made  more  miles. 
We  are  now  safe  at  home.  We  have  passed  through  some  scenes  of 
peril,  but  not  one  of  our  crew  have  been  killed,  only  one  death  oc- 
curred on  the  trip.  It  is  recorded  on  the  day  of  its  occurrence. 
Peace  and  harmony  have  ruled  the  day,  and  but  one  or  two  difficul- 
ties of  minor  importance  have  occurred  on  the  voyage.  And  now 
all  have  separated  and  gone  to  their  several  homes,  probably  not  all 
of  us  will  ever  be  on  the  boat  together,  but  may  we  all  meet  in  the 
haven  of  rest  where  parting  is  unknown,  and  now,  to  one  and  all, 
good  bye,  good  bye. 


312  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

fine.  River  very  badly  cut  up,  any  amount  of  rocks  along  this  bend. 
Arrived  at  Crow  creek  11 :30  a.  m.,  took  cord  wood  on  opposite  side 
below,  belongs  to  an  old  Indian  that  came  with  us  from  Sully. 
Passed  White  river  5  p.  m.  Sounded  across  head  of  upper  large 
towhead,  ran  chute  above  it,  five  feet.    Laid  above  Bijou's  hills. 

Thursday,  August  17,  1865. — One  hundred  and  sixty-two  days 
out.  Sounded  crossing,  found  four  feet.  The  mosquitoes  and  bed- 
bugs came  near  carrying  oif  five  or  six  men  last  night.  Passed 
Bijou's  hills  and  the  Brick  Yard  6  :30  a.  m.  Saw  cattle  in  hills  below 
Brick  Yard.  Laid'  up  for  wind  7  a.  m.,  lost  three  and  a  half  hours. 
Passed  a  fine  cornfield  12  m.  twenty-five  miles  above  Randall.  Wood- 
ed on  Big  Cedar  island  3 :30  p.  m.  Arrived  at  Fort  Randall  6  p.  m., 
will  lav  here  all  night. 

Friday,  August  18,  1865. — Left  at  daylight.  Mosquitoes  very 
troublesome  last  night.  Weather  cool.  River  on  a  stand.  Got  some 
stores  and  received  several  letters  last  night  at  the  fort.  Passed 
mouth  of  Running  Water  7:30  a.  m.  Lost  three  hours  aground. 
Passed  Bon  Homme  island  12  m..  ran  back  of  it.  Passed  Yankton 
3 :15  p.  m.  Wooded  above,  bought  milk.  Lost  two  hours  by  break- 
ing the  wheel.    Laid  up  ten  miles  below  St.  James  river. 

Saturday,  August  19,  1865. — Left  our  camp  5  a.  m.  Had  rain  last 
night.  Hurrah!  Hurrah!  Our  captain  is  up  before  breakfast,  is 
standing  on  the  roof  in  the  rain.  Got  aground  in  wrong  chute,  wind 
detained  us  half  a  day,  departed  12  m.  The  river  improves  as  we 
get  down.  Broke  some  buckets,  stopped  to  fix  them.  Laid  up  at 
dark  fifty  miles  above  Sioux  City.     Mosquitoes  very  bad. 

Sunday,  August  20,  1865. — Fifteen  and  one-half  days  from  Union 
to  Sioux  City.  Left  at  8  a.  m.,  fog  detained  us.  Arrived  at  Sioux 
City  10  a.  m.  Everybody  at  church.  Got  flour,  potatoes,  eggs  and 
apples.  Weather  very  warm.  Some  parties  here  tried  to  send  us 
back  up  the  river,  but  we  could  not  see  it,  not  much,  six  months  is 
pbout  long  enough  up  in  this  out-of-the-world  country.  Left  2  p.  m. 
Laid  below  Decatur. 

Monday,  August  21,  1865. — Daylight  found  us  under  way.  Met 
Hattie  May  8 :30  a.  m..  five  miles  below  Little  Sioux,  bound  for  Fort 
Union.  She  left  St.  Louis  on  the  12th  of  August.  Wooded  at  Cin- 
cinnati 12  m.  Met  Fanny  Oij;den  at  Esop's  Point  2  :15  p.  m.,  thirty 
miles  above  Omaha.  Passed  Omaha  City  4:15  p.  m.  Hatcher  and 
Atkins  did  not  go  up  town,  not  much.  Met  Lacy  4:40.  Laid  up 
below  Plattesmouth. 

Tuesday,  August  22,  1865.— Left  at  daylight.  Passed  Nebraska 
City  7:30  a.  m.  Passed  Peru  10  a.  m.  Pilots  were  informed  by  a 
flatboat  ferryman  that  unless  they  blew  the  whistle  on  rounding  the 
point  at  Peru  they  would  have  the  flat  to  pay  for.  Atkins  asked  him 
his  weight  when  fat.  1 :15  p.  m.  met  Glas^^ow  at  Arago.  Wooded 
at  Tarkio  2 :30.  Took  several  passengers  at  Forest  City.  Met 
Colorado  5  p.  m.  at  Lafayette.    I^id  up  at  Savannah  for  the  night. 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  313 

Wednesday,  August  23,  1865. — One  hundred  and  sixty-five  days 
out.  Left  at  daylight.  Arrived  at  St.  Joseph  6  a.  m.,  left  at  9 
o'clock.  Landed  a  passenger  at  Atchison  12  m.  Left  Peoria  City 
in  port.  Wooded  above  Weston.  Met  Stephen  Decatur  at  Fort 
Leavenworth,  landed  passengers  at  city  3  :15. .  Met  Emitie  at  Dia- 
mond island,  Omaha  above  Wyandotte.  Landed  a  passenger  at 
Kansas  City  G  p.  m.    Laid  up  at  Randolph  for  the  night  and  to  wood. 

Thursday,  August  21,  1805. — Left  at  5  a.  m.,  daylight.  Met 
Ithaca  and  Lockicood  in  first  crossing,  Montana  at  Wagon  City. 
Passed  Lexington  10  a.  m.  Met  David  Tatum  and  Marcella  at 
Berlin.  Met  Decatur  at  Mobley's.  Passed  Brunswick  3:40  p.  m*. 
Landed  at  Glasgow  5:15  p.  m.  Received  several  passengers.  Got 
stores,  apples,  peaches,  etc.,  left  immediately.  Laid  up  at  Bluflfport 
for  the  night  and  to  wood.    Ran  195  miles. 

Friday,  August  25,  18()5. — Landed  a  lady  and  children  at  Arrow 
Rock,  5:30  a.  m.  Met  MoUie  Dozier  at  Brownsville  at  7  a.  m.,  St, 
Johns  below  Whist's  wood  yard.  Wooded  at  Marion  10  a.  m. 
Passed  Jefferson  City  12  m.  This  end  of  the  river  is  very  high,  also 
all  of  its  tributaries.  Met  Sioux  City  at  ferryman's  1  p.  m.,  Gaty 
l)elow  St.  Aubert,  Cora  in  Emilic  bend,  Isahelle  d^  Washington,  G :  10. 
Laid  up  at  South  Point.  Platte  Valley  passed  up  with  troops  on 
board. 

Saturday,  August  2G,  18G5. — Out  1G9  days.  Left  our  moorings 
at  early  dawn,  ran  nearly  to  Dozier's,  and  were  compelled  to  lay  by 
for  fog,  1  a.  m.  We  started  again  and  again  we  were  forced  to  lay 
by  for  fog.  Everybody  chafes  at  the  delay,  but  there's  no  help  for 
it.  Met  Deer  Lod^c  at  Penn's.  Landed  at  St.  Charles  10  a.  m.  to 
put  C.  J.  Atkins  and  lady  off,  gave  the  city  three  guns.  Reached  St. 
Louis  2  p.  m.  After  an  absence  of  one  hundred  and  sixty-nine  days, 
have  run  about  ten  thousand  miles  since  we  left  St.  Louis  and  done 
more  work  than  any  other  boat  in  the  river  and  made  more  miles. 
We  are  now  safe  at  home.  We  have  passed  through  some  scenes  of 
peril,  but  not  one  of  our  crew  have  been  killed,  only  one  death  oc- 
curred on  the  trip.  It  is  recorded  on  the  day  of  its  occurrence. 
Peace  and  harmonv  have  ruled  the  dav.  and  but  one  or  two  diflPicul- 
ties  of  minor  importance  have  occurred  on  the  voyage.  And  now 
all  have  separated  and  gone  to  their  several  homes,  probably  not  all 
of  us  will  ever  be  on  the  boat  together,  but  may  we  all  meet  in  the 
haven  of  rest  where  parting  is  unknown,  and  now,  to  one  and  all, 
good  bye,  good  bye. 


314  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


LOG  BOOK  OF  STEAMER  W.  J.  LEWIS. 

List  of  Officers. 

E.  T.  Herndon,  captain;  C.  J.  Atkins,  pilot;  Henry  Smith,  first 
clerk ;  Bob  Clark,  second  clerk ;  Rob  Ferguson,  first  engineer ;  Oliver 
Catterel,  second  engineer;  Tom  Hill,  mate;  John  Hoeback,  watch- 
man ;  Bill  Curtis,  barkeeper ;  G.  W.  Vaughan,  assistant  pilot ;  W. 
F.  Whitney,  assistant  pilot ;  Bedford  Percival,  carpenter ;  George, 
striker,  apprentice  to  engineer,     (wages  of  pilot,  $800  per  month.) 

Tuesday,  March  27,  1866. — Steamer  William  /.  Letvis  left  St. 
Louis,  Mo.,  for  Fort  Benton,  Montana,  4:30  p.  m.,  drawing  three 
and  one-half  (feet)  with  260  tons  of  freight.  Lay  all  night  at 
Madison,  Ills.  Weather  cool.  Hard  rain  tonight.  Wooded  and  got 
spars. 

Wednesday,  March  28,  1866. — Left  our  moorings  4:30  a.  m. 
Weather  cool.  Met  Paragon  in  mouth  of  Mo.  5 :30.  Got  aground 
^t  Brick  house  (bend)  at  9  a.  m.  Yawl  and  two  men  without  oars 
got  loose  from  boat,  sent  large  yawl  for  them.  Lexington  passed 
down  at  2  p.  m.  Atkins  sounded,  found  three  and  one-half,  got  off 
at  8  p.  m.,  lost  ten  hours.  Arrived  at  St.  Charles  11 :30  p.  m.  At- 
kins and  Whitney  stopped  in  town,  got  passengers.  Laid  above  St. 
Charles,  we  got  horses,  overtook  the  boat  below  Howard  bend. 

Thursday,  March  21),  1866. — Left  at  4:15  a.  m.  Atkins  and 
Whitney  came  on  board.  Wooded  foot  of  Howard  bend.  Evening 
Star  passed  up.  Met  Isabella  foot  of  Bonhomme  Isl.  Glasgozv 
passed  us  here.  Met  Clara  above  Dozier*s  11  a.  m.  While 
spar(r)ing  over  a  bar  below  South  point  the  Eevening  Star  in  at- 
tempting to  cross  above,  swung  across  our  bow.  shattered  her  lar- 
board wheel  house,  then  floated  off.  Grounded,  got  spars  at  St. 
Johns  island,  li'arerly  passed  us  here.  Struck  a  break  at  Miller'^? 
Landing. 

Frirlay,  March  30,  1866. — Passed  the  Waverly  last  night,  below 
Miller's,  Wornled  at  ^lillcr's.  W^avcr^y  passed  us  here.  Ran  all 
niirht,  passed  the  Waverly  again  aground.  Met  Fannie  Ogden  at 
Fisher's  8  a.  m.  One  of  our  yalioos  saw  a  flock  of  little  ducks,  and 
exclaimed.  *'0,  just  look  Pt  those  recse."  Passed  the  Osage  at  VI 
m.  Wooded  below  Providence.  Evening  Star  passed  up.  Total 
eclipse  of  the  moon  10  p.  m.  Landed  at  Providence  11:30  f(^r  pass- 
engers and  freight.  Lay  here  (Mie-(jnarter  of  an  hour  f(^r  eclipse  to 
pass  off.    River  very  bad. 

Saturday,  March  31,  1866.— Daylight  found  us  at  White's,  Glas- 
gow at  Booneville  6  :30  a,  m.    Arrived  at  Arrow  Rock  9  a.  m.    Met 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  315 


Rubicon  11 :15.  Arrived  at  Glasgow  12  m.  Ran  up  to  upper  landing 
and  put  off  a  lot  of  lumber  and  boxes.  Left  at  2.  Met  Welcome 
above  Cambridge.  Aground  two  hours  below  Frankfort.  Glasgozv 
passed  us  here.  Arrived  at  Brunswick  4  a.  m.  Sunday.  Received 
letters,  mailed  letters. 

Sunday,  April  1,  1866. — Arrived  at  Miami  7  a.  m.  Broke  a  cam 
yoke  above  Chicken  point,  laid  at  the  bank  for  some  time.  Captain 
suffering  with  toothache.  Lots  of  Glasgow  geese  on  the  bars.  Ar- 
rived at  Waverly  5:20  p.  m.,  wooded  here.  Met  Kate  Kinney  at 
De  Witt  at  sunrise.  Ned  Tracey  passed  down  at  5 :30  p.  m.  Passed 
the  Graham  at  Lexington  island.  Sounded  the  bar  here,  arrived  at 
Lexington  at  2  a.  m. 

Monday,  April  2, 1866 — Took  on  1500  bushels  of  coal  at  Lexington. 
Under  way  at  sunrise,  arrived  at  Wellington  at  8  a.  m.,  landed  and 
took  passengers.  Weather  warm,  river  declining.  Stormy  south 
wind.  Wooded  in  right  hand  bend  above  Wellington.  Wooded  at 
Richfield.    Passed  the  Cornelia  at  5  p.  m.,  laid  up  for  wind. 

Tuesday,  April  3,  1866. — Landed  below  Wayne  City.  Met  Mexico 
below  Blue  Mills.  Paragon  close  behind  us.  Landed  at  Kansas  City 
and  Wyandotte,  left  Paragon  at  K.  C.  Rain  and  wind  this  morning*. 
Landed  at  Wyandotte  11 :30.  Wind  was  so  strong  we  could  hardly 
make  the  crossing  above.  Wooded  in  right  hand  bend  above.  Emilic 
passed  down.  Paragon  passed  us  while  wooding.  Met  IVar  Eagle 
below  Parkville,  T.  L.  McGill  in  Platte  bend,  and  Turner  ahead  of 
bend.    Arrived  at  the  mouth  (of  the  Platte)  10  p.  m.    Laid  up. 

Wednesday,  April  4,  1866. — Under  way  at  5  a.  m.  Weather  cool", 
strong  head  wind.  Landed  passengers  at  Weston  and  wooded  in 
bend  above.  Met  Peoria  City  11 :15.  Laid  at  Foss  Lake  and  wood- 
ed. Had  snowstorm  in  afternoon.  Laid  up  for  night  and  to  wood 
at  Foss  Lake.    Met  a  raise  this  eve. ' 

Thursday,  April  5,  1866. — Left  our  moorings  at  daylight.  Met 
Paragon  at  Lost  Lake  and  Columbian  at  Hell's  Half  Acre.  Weather 
windy  and  cold.  Arrived  at  Saint  Jo  10 :40  a.  m.,  got  several  pass- 
cn<.^ers  and  left  at  12  m.  River  risini^:.  run  about  fifty  miles,  got 
aground  at  Buffalo  Ridge  at  9  :30  p.  m.  Received  letters  from  home, 
mailed  letters. 

Friday,  April  6,  1866. — Still  aground,  prospects  for  getting  off  are 
not  very  flattering,  9  a.  m. ;  off  at  11  a.  m.  Met  Montana  above  La- 
fayette 12  m.  Passed  Forest  City  3  :25  p.  m.  and  White  Cloud  5 
p.  m.  Weather  still  clear  and  warm.  Met  the  Yellozvstone  6  p.  m. 
niouth  of  Little  Nemaha.  Wood-ed  mouth  of  Big  Tarkio  7  p.  m. 
Laid  up  until  2  a.  m.    Colorado  passed  up  4  p.  m. 

Saturday,  April  7,  1866. — ^Under  way  at  daylight.  River  falling. 
Weather  cool.  Came  up  above  Rulo  at  2  a.  m.  Landed  at  St. 
Deroin  11 :4o  a.  m.  for  wheel  arms  and  buckets.  Denver  passed 
down.    Met  Benton  at  foot  of  Morgan  Isl.  at  12  m.     Passed  Peru 


16  STATE    IIISTOIUCAL   SOCIETy 


at  6  p.  m.  Ran  until  11  p.  m.  and  laid  up  to  wood  below  foot  of  Kan- 
sas Bend. 

Sunday,  April  8,  1866. — Started  at  3  a.  m.  Passed  Oto  City  7  a. 
ni.  Ran  up  left  hand  shore.  Met  St,  Jo  and  Evening  Star  at  head 
of  chute,  they  went  down  the  prairie.  Weather  cool,  river  station- 
ary. Landed  at  Nebraska  City  9  a.  m.,  learned  that  five  steamboats 
were  burned  in  St.  Louis.  Passed  Plattesmouth  5  p.  ni.  Xot  a 
vestige  of  the  Gen.  Grant  is  to  be  seen,  she  has  passed  beyond  the 
gaze  of  mortal  eyes.^  Have  made  good  run  today.  Laid  up  about 
8  :45  for  the  night  at . 

Monday,  April  9,  1866. — Left  our  camp  at  5:10  a.  m.  Weather 
cold  and  rain  falling.  Found  Tacony  five  miles  below  Omaha.  We 
sounded  and  came  over,  left  Tacony  aground.  Arrived  at  Omaha 
11:10  a.  m.  Met  Colorado  at  lower  landing.  Left  12  m.,  took 
Nugget's  yawl  and  some  men  on  board.  Wooded  at  upper  Council 
Bluffs  landing,  $8  per  cord.  Raining.  Passed  Florence  at  4  p.  m. 
Laid  up  opposite  Esop's  Point.  Rocks  here  on  Esop's  point,  we  are 
hard  up  for  wood.    Passengers  don't  like  our  butter. 

Tuesday,  April  10,  1866. — Weather  cool  and  very  foggy,  it  de- 
layed us  until  8:20  a.  m.  Met  first  cake  of  ice  ten  miles  above 
Esop's  point  10:17  a.  m.  while  wooding  in  left  hand  bend.  Indian 
following  boat  for  wood  we  took  yesterday.  Introduced  our  axes 
yesterday,  and  today  we  have  been  at  it  again.  Paid  Indian  for  his 
wood,  gave  him  some  tobacco,  and  he  went  on  his  way  rejoicing. 
Cut  wood  1 :30  p.  m.  Took  cord  wood  at  Cincinnati  landing  3  :20 
p.  m.  Ciot  aground  in  first  crossing  above.  Passed  DeSoto  6  :30  p. 
111.     Wooded  in  first  bend  above.  .  Laid  up 

Wedmsday,  April  11,  1866. — Started  the  Ram  at  5  a.  m.  Weather 
clear  and  very  windy.  Ran  five  miles  with  the  rudders  hard  star- 
1  (jard,  larboard  wheel  going  ahead  and  starboard  (wheel)  stopped, 
all  from  the  effect  of  a  small  quantity  of  wind.  Wooded  at  1  p.  m. 
on  rack  heap  (drift  wood).  Wolff's  gim  shot  out  of  both  ends  and 
slightly  wounded  him.  Mr.  Weber  narrowly  escaped  the  charge 
from  the  other  end.  Had  trouble  after  getting  through  the  left 
hand  chute,  and  finally  sounded,  went  up  right  hand  shore.  Green 
wood,  poor  steam  and  sk)w  headway.    Laid  up  8  p.  m. 

Thursday,  April  12,  18()6. — This  morning  the  wind  being  strong, 
we  did  not  got  away  until  5:15  a.  m.  Water  very  stormy.  Wooded 
?t  6:20  a.  m.  below  Little  Sioux,  St.  Johns  in  sigiit.  l>reeze  fresh- 
ens, got  aground  below  Little  Sioux.  P>roke  a  derrick,  St.  Johns 
passed  up  and  landed  above  the  Nu<^i^et.  A  perfect  hurricane  has 
been  blowing  all  day.  (iot  off  the  bar  at  11a.  m.,  laid  up  for  wind. 
After  dinner  Atkins  sounded,  found  water  and  went  through.  Cap- 
tr.in  and  clerk  of  Nugget  visited  us.  Left  St.  Johns  with  the  Nugget. 

'The  Gen.  Grant  yd\\k  at  Plattesmouth. 


STATE     OF     NORTH     DAKOTA  317 

Ran  left  of  towhead  below  the  (Little)  Sioux  and  (at)  right  above 

(it). 

Friday,  April  13,  1866. — We  laid  last  night  fifteen  miles  above 

Little  Sioux.    Two  roustabouts  had  fight  yesterday.     We  left  our 

moorings  on  the  Iowa  shore  at  5  a.  m.    St,  Johfis  got  adrift.  Weather 

cool,  river  falling.    Had  a  race  with  St,  Johns,  we  Jed  the  way.  for 

twent\'five  miles,  then  wooded  at  Decatur  10  a.  m.,  where  she  passed 

us.     Decatur  ladies  in  pilot  house,  one  of  them  had  frizzled  hair. 

Rather  windy,  slow  headway,  no  steam  and  green  wood.     Water 

very  strong.     Passed  Omaha  mission  7  p.  m.    Wooded  on  opposite 

shore,  ran  four  miles  after  dark.    Found  Only  Chance  laid  up,  can't 

stem  current.    Laid  up  10  p.  m. 

Saturday,  April  14,  18G(). — Ram  started  4:45  a.  m.,  ran  up  to  the 
strong  water  above  Only  Chance  and  could  not  stem  it,  backed  down 
and  came  back  again.  She  stopped  still  and  looked  it  square  in  the 
face,  backed  down,  got  her  headed  and  came  up  asrain,  hit  the  gong 
and  she  roared  like  thunder  and  came  through.  How  much  steam 
she  had  I  don't  know.  Left  Only  Chance  at  bluflF  trying  to  warp 
around  point.  Landed  10  a.  m.  to  wood.  Left  2  p.  m.,  current  so 
strong  we  could  not  make  any  headway,  so  we  came  in  about  half  a 
mile  above  where  we  started  from,  will  remain  until  morning. 

Sunday,  April  15,  1866. — Daylight  found  us  at  the  bank  still 
waiting  for  the  waters  to  subside.  Heavy  cakes  of  ice  running. 
River  has  raised  sixteen  inches  since  we  came  here.  Mollie  Dozier 
in  sight.  Weather  cool,  frost  last  night.  Dozier  boat  made  several 
efforts  to  make  the  crossing  below  us,  and  finally  succeeded.  Her 
captain  and  pilots  came  up,  had  a  big  talk.  At  1  p.  m.  we  backed 
down  to  timber  for  wood  we  had  cut  during  the  morning.  Return- 
ing from  getting  wood,  5  p.  m.,  ran  into  bank,  broke  nosing  and 
shivered  bridge  tree  and  gallows  frame.  Laid  up  for  repairs,  got 
stick  from  woods  and  hewed  it  out.  Received  letters  from  home, 
mailed  letters. 

Monday,  April  16,  1866.— We  are  still  at  the  bank.  River  raising 
and  the  weather  beautiful.  Only  Chance  passed  up  at  9  a.  m.  We 
left  our  two  days'  camo  at  10:15  a.  m.,  passed  Only  Chance 
in  first  left  hand  bend.  Picked  up  a  log  and  tore  the  wheel  house 
considerably.  Johnnie  Hoeback,  our  watchman,  weighing  about 
240  lbs.,  smashed  a  chair  down  as  he  was  retiring  from  a  sumptu- 
ous dinner.  It  is  difficult  to  say  which  made  the  most  noise.  Uncle 
Johnny  or  the  bursting  bulkhead.  Arrived  at  Sioux  City  at  6  p^  m., 
..  discharged  freight  and  left  at  7  p.  m.  Mollie  D osier  and  Only 
Chance  came  up  while  there.  Got  stores.  Docier  took  a  trip  of 
two  miles  up  Big  Sioux  after  dark. 

Tuesday,  April  17,  1866.-^-Laid  last  night  one  mile  above  Big 
Sioux  river,  we  are  now  in  Dakota,  just  a  little  beyond  no  place, 
Mollie  Dosier  passed  us  7 :30  a.  m.,  we  ran  a  cut-off,  and  came  out 
ahead.    She  came  up  and  passed  us  again.    Afterwards  tried  to  run 


318  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 

off  over  a  snag,  could  not  do  it,  had  rain,  river  high.  Wooded  at 
Cleaveland's  4  p.  m.  The  day  has  been  a  cool,  rainy  and  disagree- 
able one.  Cut  a  derrick.  7  p.  m.  MoUie  Dosier  passed  up.  We  ran 
about  two  miles  after  dark  and  laid  up  on  Nebraska  shore,  one- 
quarter  mile  below  Dosier, 

Wednesday,  April  18,  18G6. — Left  our  camp  at  daylight.  Dozier 
got  out  ahead,  ran  to  left  of  willow  bar,  but  it  was  not  the  water. 
Weather  cool,  river  rising,  had  rain  last  night.  Wooded  at  Ponka 
Landing,  passed  the  Mollie  while  wooding,  she  passed  us  also  while 
wooding,  we  passed  her  again.  Have  had  a  cold,  rainy  and  disagree- 
able day.  River  rising  and  the  current  very  strong.  Got  bucket 
plank  at  Iowa.  Strong  water  above.  Laid  up  at  dark  foot  of  right 
hand  bend  below  Vermillion,  and  Dozier  below  us. 

Thursday,  April  19,  1866. — Left  at  daylight.  River  raised  two 
inches.  Weather  cool  and  cloudy.  Dozier  after  us.  Passed  Ver- 
million 6 :15  a.  m.,  ran  left  of  ice.  Came  to  big  island,  went  to  right 
of  it,  Dozier  went  to  left  and  came  out  two  and  one-half  miles  ahead. 
Saw  mill  on  Nebraska  shore  at  head  of  island,  saw  wild  turkeys  on 
island.  We  caught  up  with  the  Dozier  at  first  right  hand  point  abovi* 
and  raced  with  her  for  some  time ;  finally  in  attempting  to  go  around 
a  left  hand  point,  both  ran  off  and  we  took  the  lead.  Laid  up  one 
mile  above  Yankton  8  :30  p.  m. 

Friday.  April  20,  180G.-At  1  a.  m.  a  heavy  gorge  of  ice  came 
down  and  the  cakes  were  very  large  and  from  one  to  three  feet  in 
thickness,  and  large  amount  of  drift  with  the  ice.  Crew  and  pass- 
engers were  all  up,  and  some  thought  the  boat  must  sink,  but  there 
really  was  no  danger  of  it.  The  ice  drift  mashed  our  starboard 
wheel  nearly  to  pieces,  some  of  our  bra^e  passengers  got  their  traps 
and  went  ashore  and  remained  until  dayli.c:ht,  then  returned  and  took 
a  drink.^  We  are  repairing  damaje:es.  Dozier  passed  up  9 :10  p.  m. 
Have  been  here  all  day  and  will  remain  tonight. 

Sunday,  April  21,  'l8<;i;.— Txft  at  davh\^-ht.  Passed  Big  Horn 
at  the  bank  5  :30  a.  m.,  Dozier  aground  at  6  a.  m.  River  rising, 
weather  fine.  Cani^ht  Marcclla  and  passed  her  9  a.  m.,  eight  miles 
above  Yankton.  She  passed  us  and  we  passed  her  warping.  Passed 
Bonhomme  isle  2:'M)  p.  ni.  Found  Jenny  Broken  laid  up  above  head 
of  l>onhomnie,  Marcella  above  her  warping.  We  tried  it  several 
times^,  but  failed  every  time,  and  finally  around  left  hand  point  got 
through  at  dark,  ran  up  to  left  hand  bluff  and  laid  up. 

Sunday,  April  22,  1H()6. — Had  heavy  rain  last  night.    River  raised 
two  inches  and  is  over  iiianv  of  the  hott  )nis  and  risinix  fast.     Left  . 
our  camp  at  daylight,  ran  up  ritrht  hand  bend  and  stopped  to  wood. 
Raining  hard.     Bottoms  are  under  water  and  wood  very  hard  to  be 
gotten.     Passed  mouth  of  Running  Water  1 :30  p.  m.     Wooded 


'The  pas.scn^ers  who  went  ashore  wore  cared  for  at  bij?  fires  built  for  them. 
The  outside  wheel  was  walkintr  over  the  drifting  ice  causing  the  l)oat  to  ca- 
rtel! enouj^h  to  roll  the  smokestacks  out  of  her. 


i 


STATE  OF  NORTH   DAKOTA  319 


above  the  mouth,  Indians  had  cord  wood,  gave  them  a  pan  full  of 
crackers.  Heard  here  that  Wavcrly  was  sunk.  Had  very  hard  work 
to  stem  several  places  this  eve.  Laid  up  ten  miles  below  Yankton 
agency,  right  shore,  Indian  town.    Hail  storm  and  rain  this  eve. 

Monday,  April  23,  1866. — Under  way  at  daylight.  River  raised 
nine  inches.  Weather  cool  and  pleasant.  Landed  at  a  little  dry 
ridge  to  wood,  bottom  all  overflowed  and  river  extends  from  bluff 
In  bluff.  We  cut  wood  until  after  dinner  and  then  went  over  to  the  bluff 
and  wooded  from  the  ravines,  getting  cedar,  ash  and  hickory.  Some 
of  the  passengers  and  crew  went  hunting,  but  no  game  was  killed. 
Will  remain  here  all  night  and  cut  wood  in  the  morning.  Men  quit 
wooding  at  12  o'clock  midnight. 

.  Tuesday,  April  24,  1866. — 4:30  a.  m.  the  Mickeys  were  called 
from  repose  to  labor.  Weather  beautiful.  River  raised  five  inches 
last  night.  10 :45  a.  m.  we  have  our  wood  on  board  and  are  off  for 
Benton.  We  have  the  best  wooding  of  any  since  we  came  in  the 
river.  Ran  about  three  miles  and  came  to  one  of  those  places,  tried 
both  sides  of  the  river,  and  the  center,  and  all  over  it,  could  not  make 
it,  strong  head  wind.  Men  climbed  up  the  bluff  and  laid  a  warp,  it 
parted,  we  dropped  to  ravine,  injured  larboard  wheel  a  little.  Laid 
up  4 :30  p.  m.    Thirty  days  out.    Received  letters,  mailed  letters. 

Wednesday,  April  25,  1866. — Left  at  daylight,  weather  fine,  river 
about  on  a  stand.  Came  up  to  the  Agency  last  night  and  laid  up. 
I-anded  at  Fort  Randall  9:30  a.  m.  Atkins  and  Smith  received  let- 
ters. Took  wood.  Put  two  of  our  cabin  crew  ashore,  all  wanted  to 
go,  but  were  restrained  by  the  bayonet.  Wooded  ten  miles  above 
Randall,  took  sixty  cords.  Dozier  and  Marcella  came  up,  both 
wooded.  We  left  5:30  p.  m.,  ran  about  thirteen  miles  and  laid  up 
and  took  twenty  cords  of  wood,  100  on  board.  Dozier  passed  us, 
Marcella  came  up  and  wooded. 

Thursday,  April  26,  186(). — Out  and  at  'em  4  a.  m.  Marcella  passed 
us  and  we  her,  and  at  breakfast  time  she  set  her  sail  and  went  by 
again,  Dozier  still  ahead.  At  Little  Cedar  (island)  we  ran  to  left  of 
it,  Dozier  tried  right,  came  back  and  followed  us.  Marcella  went 
to  the  right  of  it.  Ran  left  of  first  Sister,^  and  between  first  and 
second  above  bluff  and  Martha's  island.  Dozier  tried  to  pass  us. 
At  first  island  above  the  Brick  Kiln  (we  passed  it  3  p.  m.)  we  went 
to  left  of  it,  tried  one  chute,  backed  out:  Dozier  went  up  shore,  so 
did  we  and  the  Marcella  also.  We  went  down  to  foot  of  island  and 
came  up  to  right  of  it.  Passed  island  and  Bijou's  hills  7  p.  m.  Laid 
up  seven  miles  above  9:30  p.  m.  Marcella  with  us  and  Dozier 
ahead.    Snow  on  bluff. 

Friday,  April  27,  1866.— Departed  at  daylight.  Weather  cold, 
cloudy  and  windy,  river  has  fallen  about  four  feet.  Mr.  Whitney 
has  been  sick  for  two  days  past,  thinks  he  is  a  little  better  this  morn- 


IT 


There  was  a  group  of  islands  here  called  the  Sisters. 


320  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 


ing.  Passed  Dosicr  wooding  at  mouth  of  White  river  10 :15  a.  ni. 
Strong  head  wind  all  day  long  has  retarded  our  headway  very  much. 
Laid  up  twenty  miles  below  Crow  creek  to  wood  and  clean  out 
boilers.  Dozier  came  up,  landed,  and  captain  and  pilot  came  over 
to  see  us,  said  she  would  go  on  at  10 :30  a.  m.,  and  she  departed. 

Saturday,  April  28,  18GG. — We  departed  at  3  a.  m.  Had  very  bad 
river.  Came  up  with  Doder  at  Crow  Creek  agency  8  a.  m.,  did  not 
make  much  by  her  night  work.  Passed  Dozier  wooding.  A  party 
of  tenderfeet  went  out  hunting.  Dozier  wooding  again,  three  land- 
ings in  five  miles.  Wonder  which  is  most  profitable,  running  day 
or  night?  Saw  horses  and  buggies  on  right  hand  shore  foot  Big 
bend  11 :45  a.  m.  Ran  to  left  of  first  island,  below  foot  of  second 
island  is  a  chain  of  rocks,  extending  out  from  W.  bank  opposite  bare 
point  of  prairie  and  from  rocky  shallows.  Right  of  second  islanl 
looks  like  rocks  at  head  running  out  from  shore.  Ran  until  12  m. 
for  our  hunters,  saw  them,  but  could  not  get  at  them. 

Sunday,  April  29,  1866. — Started  the  ship  at  4  a.  m.,  no  Dosier 
yet.  The  Nimrods  came  on  board  at  6  a.  m.,  had  nothing  to  eat 
since  breakfast  yesterday,  they  killed  no  game.  River  falling, 
weather  warm.  Wooded  twenty  miles  below  Sully.  Passed  old 
Fort  George  6  p.  m.,  came  on  to  within  about  seven  miles  below  Sully 
and  it  got  too  dark  to  run,  so  we  came  to  for  the  night.  Looks  like 
a  storm.    Have  not  seen  any  boats  today. 

Monday,  April  30,  1866. — Started  out  at  4  a.  m.,  but  the  wind  was 
so  strong  we  had  to  land  again.  Weather  cold.  Landed  at  Fort 
.^ully  10  a.  m.,  found  some  of  our  old  friends,  Mr.  Thos.  Campbell 
(among  others)  are  going  up  to  (Fort)  Union.  Left  at  11:20  a. 
m.,  hard  rain,  wind  and  strong  water.  Laid  up  at  1  p.  m.  for  wind 
and  to  wood  at  mouth  of  Little  Missouri.  Left  at  2  p.  m.,  wind  com- 
pelled us  to  lay  by  again  at  3  p.  m.  At  7  we  started  again  and  ran 
until  10  p.  m.  The  colonel  commanding  at  Sully  informed  us  that 
it  is  not  safe  to  lay  at  the  bank  at  night. 

Tuesday,  May  1,  1866. — Departed  at  daylight.  Weather  cool, 
river  falling.  Wooded  below  De  Bo  (Beau)  creek.  At  the  island 
we  tried  to  go  around  left  hand  point,  but  could  not.  Went  up  the 
island  ( in)  four  feet  (of  water)  a  mile.  Atkins  saw  first  wolf  twelve 
n.iles  above  this  bad  i)Iace.  Captain  had  trouble  gettin.^j  over  from 
the  prairie,  left  hand  bend,  a  snag  with  three  prongs  on  it,  we  came 
below  it.  About  2  p.  m.  Mr  HilFs  (mate)  pistol  went  off  accidentally 
and  came  near  shooting  Atkins  and  the  second  engineer.  Laid  up 
9  :30  p.  m.  one  mile  below  Big  Cheyenne. 

Wednesday,  May  2,  1866. — Started  the  leviathan  out  at  4  a.  m., 
landed  at  8  o^clock  to  wood  in  valley  between  bluffs.  Mr.  Atkins 
went  hunting,  good  signs  of  elk  and  antelope,  killed  no  game. 
Weather  cloudy  and  windy,  river  raised  one  inch  last  night.  We 
are  wooding  at  first  right  hand  bluff  above  Big  Sheyenne,  came  to 
right    of    island    below    bhiff,    got    fine    wood,    had    pickets    out. 


STATE  OF  NORTH   DAKOTA  321 


Dozier  came  6  p.  m.,  we  left  at  6  p.  m.,  had  trouble.  Dosier  sounded 
and  got  over  at  11  p.  m.  We  laid  by  for  the  night.  Mr.  Whitney 
sick  again,  hope  he  will  be  better  soon. 

Thursday,  May  3.  1866. — Left  at  daylight,  came  over  on  right, 
a  little  above  where  we  wooded  and  (saw)  a  band  of  antelope  on 
opposite  bluff.  Weather  pleasant,  river  falling.  Lots  of  antelope 
on  the  bluffs.  Dozier  ahead  of  us,  she  had  trouble  at  PascaFs  island. 
Passed  Pascal  island  lip.  m.,  Dozier  at  1  p.  m..  Laid  up,  about  two 
miles  below  here  Belle  Peoria  was  aground,  for  the  night  and  to 
wood.  Dozier  came  up  and  landed  above  us.  In  first  right  hand 
bend  above  Fox  island  is  where  Isabella  hurt  herself  in  '64.  Rocks 
all  the  way,  half  way  across  the  river. 

Friday,  May  4,  1866. — Started  at  4  a.  m.,  went  up  right  shore  and 
had  to  back  out.  Tried  under  upper  reef  and  got  aground.  Yawl 
sounded,  backed  out  and  had  to  come  back  again,  no  channel  here. 
Dozier  got  aground  on  opposite  shore.  Snow  on  the  high  bluffs.  At 
10:30  a.  m.  we  picked  up  a  life  boat  and  several  soldiers  with  a 
prisoner  who  had  escaped  from  (Fort)  Rice.  He  killed  a  man  in 
Wisconsin.  This  was  at  head  of  Swan  Lake  bend.  Wooded  above 
Moro  (Moreau)  river  and  took  antelope.  Whitney  fell  in  the  river. 
Our  passengers  had  a  pitched  battle  with  antelope,  killed  seventeen. 
The  day  has  been  preomant  with  evants.  Laid  up  seven  miles  above 
Fox  island,  opposite  Big  island,  12  m. 

Saturday,  May  5,  1866. — Under  way  at  daylight,  weather  fine, 
river  rising.  Left  Dozier  at  the  bank.  Two  chains  of  rocks  in  first  . 
left  hand  bluff  above  where  we  laid,  extend  half  way  across.  Passed 
Grand  river  at  6  :30  a.  m.  High  buttes  back  of  river  can  be  seen 
from  Fox  island.  Captain  shot  at  beaver  above  Grand  river.  Laid 
up  to  wood  and  clean  out  boilers  10  a.  m.  Messrs.  Whitney,  Davis 
and  Atkins  went  hunting,  saw  lots  of  antelope,  but  eot  no  shots  at 
them.  Atkins  killed  two  jack  rabbits  and  one  prairie  dog.  Dozier 
wooded  and  passed  up  5:15  p.  m.  We  lay  here  all  night.  About 
11  p.  m.  had  quite  an  Indian  scare,  all  a  farce,  but  we  like  that  kind. 

Sunday,  Alay  6.  1866. — Left  at  2  a.  m.,  found  Dozier  asleep  and 
passed  her  at  3:30  a.  m.  Wooded  opposite  Square  Buttes  from  10 
a.  m.  until  2  p.  m.  Made  a  fine  run  this  evening,  only  one  bad  place. 
Laid  up  five  miles  below  Beaver  river  9  p.  m..  could  not  get  out  at 
head,  will  probably  be  compelled  to  back  out  in  the  morning.  Dozier 
with  us.  River  is  rising  a  little,  weather  is  delightful.  Atkins  saw 
first  buffalo  this  eve,  thirty  miles  below  Fort  Rice  tonight. 

Monday.  May  7.  1866. — Left  at  daylight,  had  to  back  out  across 
below  dry  bar.  Passed  Beaver  river  at  breakfast  time.  Wooded 
below  mouth  of  Cannon  Ball  11 :30  a.  m.,  Dozier  above  the  river. 
Left  our  wood  pile  Rt  2  :20  p.  m.  Arrived  at  Fort  Rice  3  :30  p.  m. 
Left  at  4:45,  lots  of  Indians  and  soldiers  here.  Got  some  rice,  heard 
no  news  of  interest.  Passed  the  place  5 :30  p.  m.  where  the  Indians 
shot  Atkins  last  year,  May  19.    We  are  seven  days  ahead  of  the 


322  STATE    IIIJTORICAL   SOCIETY 

Campbell's  time  in  1863  and  twenty-seven  days  ahead  of  the  Benton's 
in  1865.  Are  forty-two  days  out.  Laid  up  about  twenty-five  miles 
above  (Fort)  Rice. 

Tuesday,  May  8,  1866.-Started  the  Ram  at  3 :45  a.  m.  Weather 
cool,  but  pleasant,  river  falling.  Wooded  at  6  a.  m.  from  Indian 
deading,  foot  of  right  hand  bend.^  Dorur  came  up  while  we  were 
wooding,  came  in  above  us.  She  left  at  8  a,  m.,  we  at  10.  Passed 
Acinibald  island  (Assiniboine  island)  11:30  a.  m.,  fifty  miles  above 
Rice.  Saw  our  first  elk  about  sunrise,  discovered  by  Whitney.  Came 
over  some  very  bad  river  this  evening,  the  wind  at  some  places  blew 
the  sand  in  such  clouds  that  we  could  hardly  see  at  all.  Found 
Docier  about  supper  time,  passed  her  wooding.  Laid  up  ten  or  twelve 
miles  below  the  Painted  Woods.    Dozier  went  on. 

Wednesday,  May  9,  1866. — Left  our  camp  at  daylight,  weather 
fine,  river  on  a  stand.  Found  the  Dozicr  boat  at  Painted  Woods. 
We  tried  several  places  and  then  Atkins  sounded.  After  break- 
fast captain  sounded  and  Docicr  came  in  above  us  and 
put  out  freight.  We  tried  to  spar  our  way  around  and 
came  near  sparring  ourselves  and  Docicr  to  pieces.  About 
12  m.  Docicr  tried  to  go  above  us,  she  swung  down  and  car- 
ried away  our  yawl  derrick.  Both  got  nearly  over  and  both  got 
aground,  we  above  her,  got  off  and  on  many  times  today.  Finally 
we  laid  up  at  10  p.  m.  to  dry  bar,  Docicr  still  fast. 

Thursday,  May  10,  18G6. — At  daylight  we  opened  the  ball  by 
trying  to  get  off,  succeeded  about  6  p.  m.,  got  in  to  opposite  shore 
and  wooded.  Docicr  put  out  no  freight,  but  went  back  for  what 
was  put  out  yesterday.  We  tried  several  places,  but  could  not  get 
over,  and  Atkins  took  yawl  and  sounded  all  the  chutes,  found  three 
and  a  half,  and  we  put  her  in  and  sparred  over.  Docicr  came  up  at 
noon  and  tried  below  us  and  above  us,  and  finally  got  aground,  got 
off,  came  above  us,  and  away  around.  Got  aground,  got  off  and  in 
to  shore,  and  went  to  cutting  wood,  entirely  out,  laid  up  for  the 
night. 

Friday,  May  11,  1866. — Left  5  a.  m.,  raining.  Docicr  cutting 
wood.  Had  a  little  Indian  scare,  nothing  serious.  Got  aground  twice 
this  morning.  Laid  up  at  11  a.  ni.  for  wind  and  for  wood.  Docicr 
above  u<i.  Travis,  Foxie  and  Atkins  took  a  short  hunt,  but  saw  no 
f;ame,  ])ut  plenty  of  signs  of  buffahxvs,  elk,  antelope  and  wolves.^ 


*An  Indian  deadinj^  is  an  old  Indian  camp  where  the  Indians  have  cut  down 
ri)ttonw(>od  trees  fur  the  smaller  limhs  which  they  feed  their  horses  durin;:» 
ht^vy  snow  in  winter. 

*I)avi^  and  F<»xie  (James  Boyd)  were  pa^^senpers.  Foxie  had  cluh  feet  and 
wore  hoots  especially  made  for  him.  His  track  in  the  snow,  with  its  two  rows 
f)f  impressif.ns  shilling  inward,  was  a  curious  sjj^ht  to  his  comi>aninns.  He 
v.as  employed  at  a  ''imll  Iradinir  post  just  at  the  month  of  Musselshell  river 
called  Fort  Hawley.  The  first  time  t'le  Indians  encountered  his  trail  in  the 
snow  at  this  tK»st  they  followed  it  to  see  what  manner  of  creature  had  made 
the  strange  track. 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  323 

Wind  went  down  a  little  and  we  left  at  6  p.  m.  Ran  about  seven 
miles,  and  laid  up  ten  miles  below  old  Fort  Clark.  8  p.  m.  took 
driftwood. 

Saturday,  May  13,  1866. — Left  at  4  a.  m.  Atkins  and  captain  had 
a  few  words.  Passed  Fort  Clark  7 :45  a.  m.  Weather  pleasant. 
Whitney  shot  at  wolf.  Wooded  above  Knife  river,  passengers  went 
out  hunting,  got  no  game.  River  tonight  bad,  only  made  a  tolerable 
run.  Big  change  in  river  above  first  right  hand  coal  bluff  above 
Knife  river,  passed  our  rocks  and  buffalo  skulls  at  6 :30  p.  m. 
Wooded  on  same  left  hand  point  we  did  last  year.  Laid  up  on  left 
shore  thirtv  miles  below  Berthold.    Mailed  letters. 

Sunday,  May  13,  1866. — Left  our  camp  at  daylight,  ran  about  one 
mile  and  got  aground,  lost  two  hours.  Wooded  at  Fifteen-Mile 
rock  9  a.  rn.,  here  one  and  three-quarter  hours,  took  drift.  Weather 
beautiful,  river  on  a  stand.  Took  two  buck  Rees  on  board  at  clump 
of  timber  in  right  hand  bend  below  Berthold,  several  of  the  passen- 
gers embraced  the  Indians.  Landed  at  Fort  Berthold  4  p.  m.,  In- 
dians went  ashore.  Took  squaw  and  two  papooses  for  Union. 
War  party  of  Sioux  been  here  every  day  for  the  past  two  weeks. 
Watchman  cut  negro  with  an  ax.  Laid  up  9  :30  p.  m.,  twenty  miles 
above  Berthold. 

Monday,  May  14,  1866. — Wind  detained  us  until  5  a.  m.  Landed 
to  wood  6:30  a.  m.  Weather  cool,  river  on  a  stand.  Atkins  and 
Whitney  went  out  on  bluffs  and  shot  pistols  at  a  rock,  saw  Indian 
signs  six  or  eight  days  old.  Passed  Little  Missouri  river  at  9  a. 
m.  Saw  lone  Indian  on  bluff  opposite  mouth  of  Little  Mo.  Wooded 
11  a.  m.  in  chute  of  first  island  above.  Little  Mo.  squaws  in  bull 
boats  came  to  us.  Met  Rees  in  bull  boats  where  Sioux  ran  off  Gros 
Ventres  horses  in  '63.  Met  a  Mackinaw  boat,  found  Dosier  where 
Benton  took  Graham's  freight  in  '65.  Sounded  and  laid  up  to  bar. 
Indians  fired  on  Dosier, 

Tuesday,  May  15,  1866.— Left  at  daylight.  Met  a  fleet  of  bull 
boats  numbering  about  forty.  Came  over  some  very  bad  river. 
Kangaroo  Guards  organized  this  morninjr,  Webber  elected  Captain. 
Saw  three  black  tailed  deer.  Wooded  and  got  some  coal  12  m.  in 
first  bluff  above  Strawberry  island.  Passed  a  camp  of  Gros  Ventres 
out  hunting.  Passed  Buffalo  point  4 :30  p.  m.,  saw  no  buffalo.  Laid 
up  at  10  p.  m.  on  left  hand  bar.    Dozier  ahead. 

Wednesday,  May  16,  1866. — Left  at  3 :30  a.  m.,  ran  up  left  shore, 
Dozier  up  right  shore,  we  passed  her  wooding.  We  wooded  above 
island  and  above  rocks  on  left  shore.  Gros  Ventres  came  to  us.  Put 
our  barricades  up.  Passed  the  Tobacco  Garden  at  12  m.,  ran  around 
point.  Dozier  up  bluff  wooding  and  sounding.  We  wooded  on  bar. 
Fresh  signs  of  buffalo.  Nimrods  went  out  on  a  huge  hunt  and  re- 
turned with  a  jackass  rabbit,  bully  for  them.  Saw  two  elk.  Wooded 
at  7  p.  m.  from  ash  twenty  miles  above  Tobacco  Garden.  Will 
remain  here  all  night.    Hunters  went  out,  killed  no  game. 


324  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Thursday,  May  17,  1866.— Started  at  daylight.  Weather  cool 
and  pleasant,  had  a  little  rain  last  night.  River  on  a  stand.  Passed 
Dozier  under  way  just  after  breakfast.  At  foot  of  Swan  bend  she 
went  up  bend  in  outside  chute,  she  stopped  to  wood,  but  will,  we 
think,  have  to  back  out.  Passed  Looking  Glass  prairie  12  m. 
Wooded  in  first  bend  above.  Windy.  Left  wood  pile  2  p.  m. 
Wooded  on  right  hand  shore,  twenty-five  miles  below  Union,  7  p.  m. 
Left  at  sundown,  ran  ten  miles  and  laid  up  in  left  hand  bend. 
Dozier  came  up,  passed  and  went  on. 

Friday,  May  18,  1866. — Left  at  3  :45  a.  m.,  passed  mouth  of  Yel- 
lowstone 6:15  a.  m.,  took  logs  at  Fort  Campbell,  arrived  at  Fort 
Union  9  :15  a.  m.  Dozier  here.  Departed  10:40  a.  m.,  Paul  (roust- 
about) quit  and  went  ashore.  Dozier  following  us.  We  are  twenty- 
five  days  ahead  of  the  Benton's  time  last  year  and  four  days  ahead 
of  the  Campbell's  in  '63.  Campbell,  Jr.,  fifty-seven ;  Benton,  seventy- 
eiirht:  (IV.  J.)  Lexcis,  firty-threc  (days)  from  St.  Louis.  Had  some 
trouble  in  Little  Muddy  bend,  hard  wind  and  rain.  Laid  up  thirty 
miles  above  L^nion.  Wooded,  a  guard  was  stationed  after  dark. 
Atkins  came  near  shooting  one  of  our  men,  he  being  a  long  way  from 
where  he  belonged.    Atkins  killed  a  large  wild  goose  8  p.  m. 

Saturday,  May  19,  1866. — We  left  our  camp  at  daylight.  River 
rising,  think  it  the  June  rise.  One  of  the  guard  who  were  out  last 
night  r/as  fired  on  and  returned  the  fire,  then  another  shot  was  fired, 
1  wo  of  which  are  recorded  in  my  story.^  Shot  at  antelope  this  morn- 
ing. Passed  Lone  Rock  point  6  a.  m.  Strong  wind  all  forenoon, 
and  at  12  m.  we  laid  up  in  left  hand  bend  to  wood.  Hunters  went 
out,  GriflFith  killed  black  tailed  deer,  Hubbel  and  Nelson  an  antelope.- 
Dozivr  passed  up  3  p.  m.    We  left  at  8  p.  m.,  ran  luitil  ten. 

Sunday,  May  20,  1866.— Started  the  Ark  at  3  :30  a.  m.,  ran  nine 
bends  before  breakfast.    Passed  McKenzie's  fort  8 :15  a.  m.    Weath- 


\\tkins  and  Davis  were  out  on  a  scout  that  afternoon  and  came  on  a  fresh 
Indian  trail.  They  reported  it  at  once  at  the  boat.  They  were  woodin;?, 
choppinK  down  the  trees  and  cuttinpf  them  up  into  the  right  lengths,  in- 
tending to  carry  the  wood  on  board  after  dark.  Owing  to  the  report  of  In- 
dians, volunteer  guards  were  thrown  out  in  a  convex  line  from  above  to 
below  the  boat  and  within  the  line  the  men  were  carrying  wood  to  save  time. 
Several  large  fires  lit  up  the  landing  place  for  the  men  to  work  by.  The  or- 
ders were  to  fill  back  to  the  boat  when  a  shot  was  fired.  After  a  time  the 
hne  was  fired  on  and  all  fell  back  and  took  refuge  on  the  boat.  After  a  time 
the  line  was  again  thrown  out  and  the  wooding  continued.  A  roustabout, 
shipped  at  Ft.  Union  to  work  his  way  to  Ft.  Benton,  tried  to  sneak  away 
from  the  work  and  get  aboard  the  l)oat.  He  ran  into  the  guard  line  and  At- 
kins shot  at  him  without  seeing  who  it  was  in  the  intense  darkness  of  the 
woods.  The  bullet  was  fired  at  short  range  and  missed  him  by  the  accident 
of  the  path  turning  off  abruptly  just  at  the  point  where  the  shot  w^s  fired. 
This  drove  the  men  all  aboard  again  and  the  wo-xling  was  finished  in  the 
morning. 

'Sam  GriflFith  was  a  passenger;  he  and  his  familv,  a  wife  and  three  children, 
were  going  from  St.  Charles,  where  they  had  lived  on  a  firm,  to  Helena, 
Montana   Ter.     Hubbel    and    Nelson   were   also   passengers. 


STATK  OF   NOUTH    DAKOTA  325 

er  fine,  river  rising.  Passed  Poplar  river  10 :30  ten  or  twelve  miles 
above,  just  below  Skeleton  bend  we  had  trouble.  Wooded  above. 
Hunters  killed  deer.  Left  at  4  p.  m.,  found  Skeleton  bend  good, 
but  bad  above.  Saw  antelope  crossing  river,  also  buffalo.  Nimrods 
went  for  them,  some  with  guns,  pistols  and  axes,  of  course,  they  got 
none.  Laid  above  Wolf  point  on  left  shore.  Dozier  passed  12 
o'clock  m. 

Monday,  May  21,  1866. — Departed  at  daylight.  Weather  fine. 
River  rising:  slowly.  Passed  old  P'ort  Charks  8  a.  m.  Passed  Dozicr 
wooding,  her  larboard  guard  is  torn  away.  We  wooded  just  above 
her.  8  a.  m.  Hosier  went  on.  We  left  10:30  a.  m.,  found  Dozier 
hard  aground  at  Wolf  creek,  gave  her  two  pulls,  but  could  not 
move  her.  So  we  took  her  hawser  and  went  ashore,  made  our  boat 
fast  and  pulled  her  off.  Learned  Sioux  killed  man  below  Milk 
river  two  days  ago.  Took  our  Nimrods  on  board.  All  of  the  other 
boats  only  three  days  ahead.  Passed  Big  Porcupine  8  p.  m.  Laid 
eight  miles  above.  10  p.  m. 

Tuesday.  May  22,  1806. — Weather  beautiful.  River  rising  slowly. 
Bull  boat  left  her  moorings  as  the  first  streak  of  dawn  brightened 
the  eastern  horizon,  head  and  tail  up  for  Benton.  Wooded  at  mouth 
of  Milk  river  7  p.  m.  Dozier  just  above.  We  got  in  a  tremendous 
hurry  and  left,  wind  blowing  a  gale  (12  m.),  and  got  aground  cross- 
ing over  to  the  opposite  bluff.  Got  off  and  had  very  strong  water 
around  first  right  hand  point  above.  Dozier  warped.  We  wooded 
in  bend  above.  Passed  Fort  Smith  8  p.  m.  Laid  up  at  Fort  Gal- 
pin  10  p.  m.  Dozier  here.  Deer  Lodge  two  miles  above,  coming 
down.  7  a.  m.  went  up. 

Wednesday,  May  23,  1866. — Departed  at  daylight.  River  rising. 
Weather  fine,  but  windy.  Deer  Lodge  passed  down.  We  got  wind 
bound  at  8  a.  m.  at  tovvhead  above  Galpin,  laid  up,  Dozier  also. 
Nimrods  went  out  and  found  Indians,  three  out  yet.  About  12  m. 
the  cry  was  raised  that  the  Indians  were  running  our  men  to  the  boat 
and  passengfcrs  and  crew  ran  on  to  roeet  them,  but  it  proved  to 
be  a  false  alarm.  The  three  men  returned  with  us.  Wind  continued 
all  day,  and  we  will  remain  here  all  night. 

Thursday.  May  24.  1866.— Left  at  daylight.  Wind  above  the 
island,  backed  out  and  went  below  it,  passed  Dozier,  Strong  head 
wind.  River  rising,  saw  buffalo  and  antelope,  plenty  of  wood.  Have 
had  no -trouble  of  any  kind  today.  Saw  buffalo,  elk,  antelope,  deer 
and  beaver,  but  killed  none.  Have  run  120  miles  and  laid  up  oppo- 
site Round  Butte,  10  p.  m.  Tiller  rope  stranded.  No  wood.  Dozier 
not  in  sight  since  supper.     Sixty  days  out. 

Friday,  May  25.  1866. — Left  our  camp  at  daylight.  Weather  cool 
and  pleasant.  River  rising  slowly.  Saw  buffalo.  At  8  a.  m.  we 
shopped  to  wood,  twentv-five  miles  above  Round  Butte,  on  left  shore. 
dropped  down  inside  of  a  little  island,  we  called  it  Turtle  point.  Left 
at  1 :30  p.  m.  •  Dozier  came  up  and  we  collided,  and  ran  side  by  side 


326  STATE    HISTORICAL    SOCIETY 


for  some  time,  finally  separated,  she  getting  ahead.  Strong  stern 
wind.  Hunters  went  out  and  shot  at  buffalo.  Met  Cora  3 :30  p.  m.. 
landed  alongside,  delivered  letters  and  separated.  Rocks  above  on 
right  shore.  Passed  Dozicr  wooding.  We  laid  up  at  left  shore  for 
the  night  and  Dozicr  went  on  up. 

Saturday,  May  26,  18GG.— Left  at  3:20  a.  m.  Passed  Dozicr 
wooding,  ran  11  bends,  2  bluffs  and  1  reach  before  breakfast,  25 
or  30  miles.  Met  St.  Johns  8:30  a.  m.  Passed  Muscle  Shell 
9:30,  lots  of  Indians  here  (Crows),  some  white.*  Passed  Dry  point 
1 :45  p.  m.  Benton's  sign  straight  up.  Atkins  dreamed  about  his 
wife  and  boy  while  taking  a  nap  this  morning.  Passed  Fort  Andrew 
12  :30  p.  m.,  it  is  burned.  Landed  at  Grosventre's  camp  10  miles 
below  Beauchamp*s  creek,  1  p.  m.  for  packs  of  robes.  Ran  to 
right  of  two  first  islands  and  to  the  left  of  two  about  twenty  miles 
above.  Wooded  on  left  hand  point,  6 :30.  Rocks  on  left  hand 
|:oint  above  two  islands.    Laid  up  to  wood  9  p.  m.    Rain  9  p.  m. 

Sunday,  May  27,  186(). — Rain  started  at  2:15  a.  m.  Weather 
cool.  River  rising.  Dozicr  ahead,  sighted  her  at  5  a.  m.  Wooded 
at  Grand  island  10  a.  m.  Dozicr  came  up  and  wooded,  ran  below 
Faggage  island  and  Grand  island.  Left  11  a.  m.,  passed  Dozicr 
under  way,  left  her  aground  at  Cow  island  1  p.  m.  Saw  9  buffaloes 
in  the  river,  we  killed  5,  took  three  aboard  and  left  two  for  Dosier, 
Ran  till  1  a.  m.  Arrived  at  Dauphin's  Rapids  and  laid  up.  Had 
a  beautiful  night,  one  never  to  be  forgotten,  pretty  scenery. 

Monday,  May  2^,  1806. — Daylight  found  us  backing  away  at 
Dauphins  Rapids,  laid  our  warps  and  after  a  hard  struggle  we 
frot  over  at  10  a.  m.  Lost  ten  hours  here.  !Mct  the  Wavcrly  1:30 
p.  ni..  S  miles  below  Judith  (River)  sent  letters  by  her.  Saw 
JniiYalo  in  the  river  and  on  shore.  Arrived  at  Judith  4:30  p.  m.. 
wooded  inside  of  little  island  at  foot  of  left  hand  bend.  Departed 
7  p.  m.,  arrived  at  Drowned  ^Fan's  Rapids  9  p.  m.  Laid  on  our 
small  warp  and  parted  it.  ran  out  onr  hawser  at  12  p.  m.,  commenced 
to  haul  over,  this  is  the  strongest  water  we  have  found. 

Tiie^dav,  May  29,  ISi^G. — 2  a.  m.  the  Dozicr  hove  in  sight,  came 
up  and  landed  under  our  stern  after  making  several  ineffectual 

'There  wa^  a  little  tndimr  post  at  the  mouth  of  tlic  Mu^^cUhell  river  on 
the  «;onth  side  of  thr  Missouri.  Early  this  m  >minK  a  hunter  had  ridden 
up  from  this  post  to  the  tip  of  a  neiulihoritiii:  hill  to  lo-  k  for  ijame.  A  h'xntX 
of  seven  Sioux  on  the  other  side  of  the  river  saw  him  and  swam  their  ponies 
noross,  ambushed  and  fired  on  him,  killinir  his  horse  and  lircakinsi  his  lci(. 
]M»rtunately  he  fell  near  a  larj/e  mck  and  manai^ed  to  erawl  behind  it  and 
kill  one  of  the  Indians.  He  hid  a  Winolu -ter  rill^  and  as  they  had  ncvor 
btfore  seen  a  repiatiuL'  ritle.  the  Sioux  eharv;cd,  thinkinv?  to  reich  him  before 
lie  could  reload.  I  le  killed  three  m  re  and  the  others  ran  away.  After  the  Sioux 
had  gone  the  Cr<')ws  fr"  m  tlie  fo-t  rnme  u[).  earriid  tlie  hunter  down  to 
the  trading  post  and  dratreed  the  bodies  nf  the  dend  Si"U\  to  the  bank  of 
the  Miss(vnri.  Wlien  the  W.  J.  Lci^ts  arrived  the  Crows  were  sitting  f^n  the 
bank  shooliuK  at  the  dead  b< dii^  of  their  enemies  wth   revidvers 


STATE  OF  NORTU  DAKOTA  327 


attempts  to  get  over  without  a  line.  As  she  was  in  the  act  of 
landing,  our  hawser  gave  way,  we  came  ahead  on  both  engines 
under  the  eoner,  but  the  current  swept  us  down  with  great  force 
striking  the  Dozier,  tearing  away  her  lower  guard  and  boiler  deck 
and  knocking  a  small  hole  in  our  larboard  bow  on  a  rock.  Both 
laid  up  then.  Laid  another  warp  and  came  through  all  O.  K. 
Wooded  9  p.  m.    Left  11:30,  left  Dozier  at  Drowned  Man's  Rapids. 

Wednesday,  May  30,  1866. — At  12:30  jp.  m.  we  came  to  Pablois 
Rapids  and  i)Ottled  up  a  big  head  of  steam,  came  over.  Passed 
Pfole  in  the  Wall  4  a.  m..  Eagle  creek  7:30  a.  m.,  Sandy  creek 
10  a.  m.  Weather  fine.  River  rising.  Wooded  12  m.  Spanish 
island.  Wofxied  at  nxmth  of  Maria  (river)  7:30  p.  m.  Left  at  8:30 
p.  m.  Changed  watches  10  miles  below  Benton,  twelve  o'clock, 
midnight.^ 

Thursday,  May  31,  1866. — 66th  day  we  reach  Fort  Benton, 
Montana  Territory.  At  a  right  hand  point  below  the  fort  we 
could  not  make  it  so  went  to  left  of  island.  Saluted  the  fort  with 
cannon  and  landed  at  4:30  a.  m.,  Atkins'  watch.  The  Lewis  is 
215  feet  Ion?,  36  feet  beam  and  60  feet  over  all,  draws  3  feet  8  inches 
and  has  260  tons  of  freight,  and  is  the  largest  boat  that  ever  came 
above  Yellowstone  and  has  more  freight  and  less  water.  Had  a  little 
shower  of  rain  this  eve.  25  houses  and  two  forts  comprise  Fort 
Benton.  Tts  inhabitants  are  miners,  traders  and  Indians.  Boat 
charges  board  for  passengers  $4.00  per  day. 

Friday,  June  1,  1866. — ^Weather  clear  and  beautiful.  River 
fallinij  still.  Discharging  freight.  Indians  ran  off  some  horses 
last  night.  MoUie  Dozier  came  up  and  landed  under  our  stern  2:15 
p.  m..  bein<r  33  hours  and  45  minutes  behind,  had  to  warp  from  be- 
low the  fort  up  to  us.  Everything  presents  a  business  appearance, 
a  good  many  passengers  are  coming  on  board.  Weather  cool 
this  eve.  Atkins  found  lots  of  old  friends  here,  those  who  he  had 
not  seen  for  years. 

Saturday,  June  2,  1866. — Whistle  aroused  all  hands  at  an  early 
hour  and  after  breakfast  we  got  things  settled  up.  All  our  passen- 
gers went  ashore,  and  some  with  sad  hearts,  I  think.  At  12  m. 
we  backed  out  amid  the  wavincr  of  hats,  handkerchiefs  and  hands, 
and  turned  our  faces  homeward.  Atkins  on  watch  sounded  the 
whistle  twice.  cr<x>d  bye,  and  soon  was  out  of  sight,  Maria  1 :30  p. 
m.  wooded  below.  Met  Marcella  below  Eae:le  creek,  6  p.  m.,  Big 
Horn  Drowned  Man's  Rapids.    Laid  above  Judith  for  night. 

Sunday,  June  3,  1866. — Left  4  a.  m.  Weather  cool.  Met 
Ontario  4:45  a.  m.,  mouth  of  Judith.     Killed  buffalo  in  the  river, 


*The  nenV^d  nf  ''4  hoiir^  was  divided  into  five  watches,  7  a.  m.  to  12  m., 
(noon),  12  m.  to  6  p.  m.,  6  p.  m.  to  12  midnii?ht,  12  midnight  to  4  a.  tn.,  i 
a.  m.  to  7  a.  m.  On  each  watch  there  was  one  pilot,  and  one  engineer,  and 
<«nc  striker,  or  nnnrentice  encineer.  The  short  watch  from  4  a.  m.  to  7  a.  m. 
enabled  the  men  to  be  on  duty  on  altemate  afternoons  and  forenoons. 


328  STATE   HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 

ran  90  miles  before  breakfast.  Met  Iron  City  10  a.  m..  W.  B, 
Dance  11 :15  a.  m.,  she  brought  a  letter  for  Atkins.  Met  Amelia, 
Foe  about  noon,  Favorite  at  Fort  Andrew,  3  p.  m.  Passed  Muscle 
Shell  at  4  p.  m.  Met  Only  Chance  at  first  right  hand  point  below. 
Found  Tacony  8  p.  m.,  saw  Jack  Owen  (engineer),  he  had  a  letter 
for  Atkins  (A.  is  in  luck  today).  Laid  up  for  the  night  and  to  wood. 
Tacony  below  us.    Saw  a  large  amount  of  game  today. 

Monday,  June  4,  1866. — Left  at  daylight.  Weather  cool.  Met 
Fcter  Balen  (Ballou?)  6  a.  m.,  no  letters.  Passed  Round  Butte 
breakfast  time.  Strong  wind.  Met  Gold  Finch.  Passed  Dry  Fork 
dinner  time,  120  miles  below  Round  Butte  (Atkins'  watch).  Left 
cannon  at  Fort  Smith,  saw  Foxie.  Wooded  above  Milk  river. 
l^^oxie,  Jake  and  several  Indians  came  to  see  us,  Ispenootz  with  tliem. 
Atkins  found  his  old  friend  Jake  and  Ishpenootz.  Will  remain  liere 
all  night  (two  days  from  Benton),  266  miles  per  day. 

Tuesday,  June  5,  1866. — About  midnight  Foxie  came  in  with  two 
letters  for  Atkins,  brought  by  the  Miner,  which  was  down  at  Milk 
river.  Miner  passed  up  after  daylight.  We  are  still  wind  bound, 
but  are  getting  a  fine  lot  of  wood.  Atkins  is  sick  today.  About  6 
p.  m.  wind  slacked  up  a  little,  and  we  raised  steam  and  got  away  at  7 
o'clock.    Came  about  fifty  miles,  and  laid  up  in  right  hand  bend. 

Wednesday,  June  6,  1866. — Left  at  daylight.  Weather  fine.  River 
about  stationary.  Atkins  quite  ill.  Met  Luclla  10  a.  m.,  Helena  12 
m.  Landed  at  Union  3  :15  p.  m.,  left  at  3 :30  p.  m.  Passed  Fort 
Campbell  and  mouth  of  Yellowstone  4  p.  m.  Little  over  three  days 
running  time  from  Benton,  nineteen  days  from  Union  to  Benton  and 
back.  Met  Dazid  Watts  4 :30  p.  m.,  Tom  Stevens  5 :30  p.  m.  Passed 
Looking  Glass  prairie  6 :30  p.  m.  Met  Lilly  Martin  8  p.  m.  Laid 
up  above  Tobacco  Garden  10  o'clock,    itave  run  300  miles  today. 

Thursday,  June  7,  18G6. — Bull  Boat  departed  down  the  creek  at 
3  a.  m.  Weather  cool.  River  on  a  stand,  head  wind.  Met  Iluntsville  at 
1  obacco  Garden  before  light,  Sunset  30  miles  below.  Passed  Buffalo 
point  6  a.  m.,  Strawberry  isle  7  a.  m.  Met  Mary  McDonald  at  9  a. 
m.,  sixty-five  miles  above  Berthold.     Met  Agnes  fifty  miles  above 

Berthold,  Shreveport  .     Lost  a  few  hours  for  wind  twenty 

miles  above  IkTthold.  Whitney  received  letter  from  his  mother,  all 
well  at  home.  Hard  rain  and  wind  tonight.  Laid  up  at  little  isle 
twenty  miles  above  Berthold,  same  place  we  laid  up  as  we  went  up. 

Friday,  June  8,  1866.— Left  at  4:30  a.  m.  Landed  at  Berthold  6 
a.  m.  Hard  wind  this  morning.  Met  Gallatin  fifty  miles  below 
Berthold,  she  had  mail  for  us,  but  we  could  not  possibly  stop  for  it, 
time  being  so  very  precious.  Laid  up  for  wind  below  Fort  Clark 
^t  10  a.  m.  A  man  who  would  not  stop  for  letters  when  he  could  as 
well  as  not,  must  be  small  potatoes  and  few  in  a  hill.  Wind  detained 
us  here  until  dark,  so  we  concluded  to  remain  for  the  night. 

Saturday,  June  0,  1866. — Seventy  days  out.  Wind  detained  us 
until  5  a.  m.    Met  the  Marion  six  miles  below  old  Fort  Clark,  Jennie 


STATE     OF     NORTH     DAKOTA  329 


Lewis  below  Painted  Woods.  Passed  Acinibald  isle  (Assinniboine 
isle)  10  a.  m.  Landed  at  Fort  Rice  12  m.,  discharged  a  few  packs 
of  peltries,  received  letters  for  down  the  river,  our  letters  went  up 
on  the  Gallatin.  Departed  12  :30,  passed  Cannon  Ball  river  1  p.  m. 
Beaver  creek  2  o'clock,  Grand  river  7  p.  m.  Atkins  ran  110  miles 
on  this  evening's  watch,  Fox  isle  at  dark.  Laid  up  three  miles  above 
Moro  (Moreau  river)  9  p.  m.  We  are  out  of  the  Indian  country  and 
we  can  sleep  in  peace  once  more. 

Sunday,  June  10,  18G6. — Wind  was  too  strong  for  captain  to  start, 
but  after  breakfast  (wind  if  anything  harder)  he  started  (Atkins' 
watch),  came  one  mile  below  Moro  and  the  wind  sailed  her  broad- 
side for  over  a  hundred  yards  into  shore  and  landed  her  head  down 
stream  and  quit.  A  little  rain  is  falling.  11:30  a.  m.,  wind  is  in- 
creasing every  moment,  there  is  great  danger  of  losing  texas,  chim- 
neys and  cabin,  waves  are  six  or  eight  feet  high.  Wind  detained  us 
all  day.    We  ran  277  miles  yesterday. 

Monday,  June  11,  1866. — Left  at  daylight.  Weather  cool,  but 
pleasant.  River  on  a  stand.  Wooded  from  5.45  to  8 :30.  Passed 
Bullberry  isle  9  :30,  to  right  of  it.  passed  Pascal's  isle  10  a.  m.  Met 
Rubicon,  Cora,  Montana  and  St.  Johns  at  10:45  a.  m.  Met  the 
Waverly  11 :30  a.  m.  Passed  Big  Cheyenne  12  :30.  Met  Le.xington 
2  p.  m.  Took  cord  wood  at  3  p.  m.,  same  place  we  got  some  going 
up,  De  Bo  creek.  Lost  one  and  one-half  hours  aground  at  old  Fort 
Laframboy  (Laframbois).  Landed  at  Fort  Sully  6  p.  m.  Met  Nel- 
lie Rogers  at  landing,  Ben  Johnston  in  Fort.  Left  7  p.  m.,  lay  fifteen 
miles  below,  English  and  Gunsollis  at  fort. 

Tuesday,  June  12,  1866. — Left  at  daylight.  Wooded  behind  big 
island  about  thirty  miles  below  fort.  (Captain  thumped  her  around 
a  little  yesterday  eve.  Atkins  received  an  ambrotype  of  his  boy, 
brought  by  English.  Old  Bygon  (Captain  Herndon)  at  his  old 
game,  viz.,  jewing  woodchoppers  20  cents  on  the  cord.  Wooded  in 
the  Big  bend  11  a.  m.,  passed  Crow  creek  1  p.  m.,  Bijou's  hills  5  p. 
m..  Brick  Kiln  5:15.  ^let  Amanda  7  p.  m.,  thirty-five  miles  above 
Randall.  Landed  for  the  night  and  to  wood  twenty-five  miles  above 
Randall  (laid  here  going  up  with  MarceUa.)  Crossed  over  and 
wooded. 

Wednesday,  June  13,  1866.— Left  at  3  :30  a.  m.  Landed  at  Randall 
5  a.  m.,  passed  Yankton  agency  6  o'clock.  Weather  pleasant.  River 
good  and  on  a  slant.  Passed  Running  Water  4 :30  a.  m.  Old  man 
got  up  very  hostile  this  morning.  Met  Denver  foot  of  Bonhomme 
island  9:30  a.  m.  Passed  Yankton  11  a.  m.,  passed  Vermillion  1 :30 
p.  m.  Wooded  at  Ponka  Landing  4  p.  m.,  left  at  5.  Landed  at 
Sioux  Citv  sundown.  Stonci\.'all  in  port,  Captain  J.  P.  McKinnev, 
also  C.  W.  McKinney  and  J.  G.  Copelin  (Copeland)  here.  Atkins 
got  lettei. 

Thursday,  June  14,  1866.— Left  at  daylight.  Weather  fine.  Took 
R.  R.  ties  opposite  Decatur  8  a.  m.     Left  at  9:15.     Passed  Little 


330  STATE    HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Sioux  12  m.  Some  wind  today.  Met  Deer  Lodge  below  Cincinnati 
2  p.  m.  Landed  to  let  John  G.  Copelin  (Copeland)  have  a  talk  with 
his  captain.  Arrived  at  Omaha  5  p.  m.,  put  our  ties  out.  Yellowstone 
left  before  we  landed,  we  left  at  7  p.  m.,  came  to  Bethlehem  and  laid 
up  for  the  night  9 :30  p.  m. 

Friday,  June  15,  1866. — Left  at  3:30  a.  m.  Evening  Star  and 
Cornelia  passed  up  last  night.  Met  Colorado  at  Wyoming  5  a.  m. 
Landed  at  Nebraska  City  5 :45,  Nile  here.  Wooded  above  Oto  City 
6 :30.  Passed  Yellowstone  laying  at  Sonoro  8 :30  a.  m.  Met  IVel- 
come  at  Arago  11  a.  m.  Wooded  above  Rulo  12  m.  Met  /.  H.  Lacy 
below  Lafayette,  Columbian  just  landing  at  Whiter  Cloud.  Arrived 
at  St.  Jo  5 :30  p.  m.,  left  6  p.  m.,  met  Clara  below  St.  Jo.  Lay  at 
Leavenworth  City. 

Saturday,  June  16,  1866. — Left  at  daylight.  Met  McGill  above 
Maridotte  at  5 :30  a.  m.  Weather  cool.  Landed  at  Lexington  11  a. 
m.,  took  coal.  Had  some  rain.  Departed  11 :45.  Wooded  above  De 
Witt.  Met  M.  S.  Mepham  foot  of  bend  below  De  Witt.  Passed 
Brunswick  4:30  p.  m.  Met  War  Eagle  at  Buckhorn  point.  Met 
Elkhorn  above  Cambridge.  Landed  at  Glasgow  6:30  and  left  8  p. 
m.,  took  tobacco.  Paragon  came  up  as  we  left.  Wooded  9  p.  m. 
below  Lisbon. 

Sunday,  June  17,  1866. — Eiehtv-three  davs  out.  3  a.  m.  found 
us  at  Clayville  wooding  and  taking  on  tobacco.  Passed  Jefferson 
City  at  4 :30,  took  corn  opposite  Bennett*s  5 :30  a.  m.  Weather  cool 
and  pleasant.  River  on  a  stand.  Met  Peoria  City  in  Augusta  bend, 
Glasgow  above  Cambridge  Landing,  Isabella  below  Bonhomme 
island.  Arrived  at  St.  Charles  4:30  p.  m.  Atkins  anH  Whitney  got 
off,  boat  went  down,  twelve  and  one-half  days'  running  time  from 
Benton,  thirteen  days  to  St.  Louis.    Arrived  at  St.  Louis  4 :20  p.  m. 

CONTINUATION  OF  THE  IDA  FULTON'S  LOG.^ 

Tuesday,  June  18,  1867. — ^Thirty-seven  days  out.  4  o'clock  a.  m. 
we  siehtcd  the  Grace  woodins:,  came  to  the  Painted  Woods  7  a.  m. 
Met  the  Nile  8:30  a.  m.,  she  had  lost  a  portion  of  her  larboard 
guard.  Met  Mountaineer  9  a.  m.  Wooded  three  hours,  have 
made  very  poor  time  today.  AVooded  4:30  p.  m.  thirteen  miles 
below  old  Fort  Clark.  Found  Lady  Grace  on  left  hand  shore  wood- 
ine.  We  came  in  above  her  and  laid  un  for  t^e  niq^ht  to  clean  out 
boilers  and  wood,  four  miles  below  old  Fort  Clark. 


*The  officers  of  the  boat  were  as  follows:  Captain — Jacob  Lawrence  (his 
wife  was  on  Ijoard)  ;  Clerk— Capt.  Win.  dault ;  Pilots — C.  J.  Atkins  and 
Ben  Jewell;  1st  Enprineer — Clark;  2(1  Entjinccr — Goo  Crawford;  Mate — 
Hinman.  The  boat  drew  fonr  feet  and  had  only  freisfht  for  Ft.  Benton.  At 
Omaha  the  boat  took  on  a  company  of  U.  S.  soldi'^r*^  under  Capt.  Smith  nt 
Chicago  and  Lieut.  J.  C.  Chance  and  hoimd  for  Ft.  Ellis  on  the  Snn  River, 
P«lontana  Ter.  The  \o^  is  defective  from  the  loss  of  a  number  of  pages  torn 
out  of  the  original   record  book.     They  raced   with  the  Sihcr  Lake   No.  4. 


STATE  OF  NORTH   DAKOTA  331 

Wednesday,  June  19,  1867. — Started  at  daylight.  Grace  behind 
us.  Hard  rain.  Are  making  very  poor  time.  Met  Yorktown  just 
below  Knife  river  8:30  a.  m.,  had  letters  for  her,  but  did  not  hail 
her.  Wooded  on  left  hand  shore  11  a.  m.  Rain  still  falling.  1 :30 
p.  m.,  just  as  we  had  gotten  above  the  red  chalk  bluff,  first  right 
bluff  above  Knife  river,  one  of  the  soldiers  fell  overboard.  The  yawl 
was  lowered  and  Atkins  saved  the  poor  fellow's  life  just  as  he  was 
sinking  for  the  last  time.^  Wooded  above  Skull  bluff  6  p.  m.  Laid 
up  for  the  night. 

Thursday,  June  20,  1867. — ^Weather  cold  and  windy.  Guards 
were  doubled  last  night.  Men  wooded  until  11  p.  m.  About  2  a. 
m.  fifty  Indians  who  were  on  the  war  path  approached  the  boat  and 
inquired  if  we  had  a  chambermaid  on  board,  but  receiving  a  reply  in 
the  negative,  departed  in  peace,  saying  that  they  were  only  killing 
chambermaids  and  would  have  no  one  else  (like  the  man  who  was 
cat  fishing).  Will  soon  be  after  mates.  River  falling.  Departed 
1 :30  p.  m.,  2 :30  p.  m.  New  Berthold.  Wooded  above  on  right  shore 
5  p.  m.    Indians,  Indians.    Laid  up  9  p.  m. 

Friday,  June  21,  1867. — Had  storm  last  night.  Heavy  wind  de- 
tained us  until  4  a.  m.  Coming  up  right  bluff  above  Fifteen-Mile 
rock  she  quit  on  Mr.  Jewell.  Very  strong  wind.  Wooded  seven 
miles  below  fort  on  right  bar.  Weather  pleasant,  but  very  windy. 
River  falling.  Mr.  Jewell  saw  fifteen  Indians,  so  he  says.  Arrived 
at  Berthold  1  p.  m.,  left  at  1 :40  p.  m.  Wooded  5 :30  p.  m.  right  hand 
bend.  Huntszille  passed  down.  Wooded  until  dark.  Cleaned 
out  boilers  and  laid  up.  Sparred  boat  out.  Got  splendid  wooding 
on  board. 

Saturday,  June  22,  1867. — ^Departed  at  2 :30  a.  m.  Weather  fine. 
River  is  rising.    Passed  mouth  of  Little  Missouri  10  a.  m.    Atkins 


Capt  Todd,  all  the  way  up  to  Ft.  Benton  and  back  to  St.  Louis. '  She  left 
three  days  ahead  of  the  Ida  Fulton  but  they  overtook  her  before  they  qror 
to  Leavenworth.  At  St.  Joseph  they  started  24  hours  behind  her  but  beat 
her  to  Sioux  Citv  and  arrived  at  Ft.  Benton  so  far  ahead  that  they  met  tne 
Silver  Lake  No.  4  at  the  mouth  of  Judith  river.  Tbey  arrived  at  St.  Louis 
on  the  return  trip  ten  days  ahead  of  her  and  Atkins  chaffed.  Capt.  Todd 
a  good  deal  over  his  speedy  boat,  of  which  the  captain  had  braced  consid- 
erably before  starting  for  Ft.  Benton.  The  Ida  Fulton  was  a  much  slower 
boat  but  they  made  up  for  lack  of  speed  by  night  work  and  because  of  At- 
kins thorough  knowledge  of  the  river.  On  one  occassion  when  Jewell  wis 
sick  Atkins  stood  at  the  wheel  for  60  hours  on  a  stretch  so  anxious  was 
he  not  to  be  beaten  by  the  Silver  Lake  No.  4. 

*The  soldier  was  watching  the  wheel  and  as  his  footing  was  slippery  and 
insecure  at  this  particular  place,  he  fell  overboard.  He  had  the  presence  of 
mind  to  swim  down  stream  otherwise  he  could  not  have  been  saved.  Ar 
the  cry  of  "man  overboard"  the  mate  tried  to  lower  the  vawl  away  but  not 
bfing  familiar  with  it  he  lost  time.  Atkins  saw  the  need  of  prompt  action 
and  took  charge  of  the  yawl,  called  for  his  own  crew  who  always  went  ot't 
with  him  and  they  got  away  in  a  very  short  time.  The  men  in  the  boat  obeyed 
their  orders  efficiently  and  the  bow  oarsman  caught  the  soldier  by  the  hair 
just  as  he  was  going  down  for  the  third  time. 


332  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

shot  at  antelope  just  below.  Ran  to  left  of  first  isl.  above  Little  Mis- 
souri, Atkins  shot  at  antelope  in  prairie  below.  Sounded  and  went 
out  across  head  of  middle  bar.  Wooded  in  left  hand  bend  below 
towhead,  below  where  Sioux  ran  off  Gros  Ventres'  horses  in  1863. 
Wooded  5  p.  m.  on  point,  foot  of  left  bend  below  Four  Bear  ist. 
Passed  the  isl.  7  p.  m.,  laid  up  9  p.  m.  at  right  hand  prairie,  head  of 
scattering  timber.    Jewell  saw  fifteen  Indians.^    Rain  tonight. 

Sunday,  June  23,  1867. — F'irst  and  second  ene^ineers  killed  each 
a  beaver.  Atkins  sounded,  laid  up  here.  Departed  at  daylight. 
River  rising  fast.  Weather  cool  and  pleasant.  Passed  big  Indian 
camp  in  left  hand  bend,  first  big  timber,  good  place  to  wood  next 
year.  River  very  full  of  drift.  Dry  timber  in  next  right  hand  bend. 
On  coming  into  this  reach  one  can  see  low  sugar-loaf  peaks  away  on 
left  bluflf,  to  right  of  them  is  another  butte  that  looks  like  an  old 
fortress.  Came  right  over  the  rocks  along  left  bluflf  to  right  of  wil- 
low towhead,  below  coal  banks.  Wooded  below  point,  got  some  coal, 
was  sorry  they  did  not  take  more.  Wooded  on  left  point  above, 
fine  ash. 

Monday,  June  24,  1867. — Backed  out  of  chute.  Atkins  saw  first 
buffalo  on  hill  back  of  BuflFalo  Point,  6  :30  a.  m.  Weather  cool  and 
pleasant,  river  rising,  current  very  strong.  Had  to  warp  up  head 
of  first  left  hand  bend  above  BuflFalo  Point  where  the  rocks  are. 
Atkins  had  a  mighty  tight  point  to  come  around,  but  failed  not. 
Laid  up  in  right  hand  ten  miles  below  Atkins*  peak  to  clean  out 
boilers.  Captain  Smith,  Lieutenant  Chance  and  Atkins  went  on 
bluflf,  had  a  fine  view,  saw  Grace  four  bends  ahead.  Saw  Indians 
today,  one  rode  out  on  horseback.  Laid  up  for  the  night  here.  At- 
kins saw  a  wild  honey  bee  this  evening. 

Tuesday,  June  25,  1867. — Started  at  daylight.  Weather  cold  and 
windy.  River  on  a  stand.  Passed  Strawberry  island  7  a.  m.,  just 
below  Atkins'  peak,  this  peak  is  in  sight  for  a  long  distance  each 
way.  In  first  left  hand  bend  above  Strawberry  island  we  landed 
above  rocks  and  took  about  600  bushels  of  coal.  It  burns  very  well, 
makes  no  smoke  and  leaves  no  clinkers.  That  which  has  been  exposed 
to  the  air  l^irns  best,  after  getting  into  the  vein  it  is  too  damp.  The 
wind  has  blown  hard  all  dav,  so  we  have  lost  no  time.  Some  rain 
today.    Will  remain  here  for  the  night. 

Wednesday,  June  26,  1867. — At  4  a.  m.  we  got  the  butterfly  under 
way.  Weather  cold  and  windy.  River  fell  two  inches.  About  5 
a.  m.  the  clouds  broke  away  and  the  sun  shone  out.  Saw  one  ante 
lope.  Wooded  opposite  Tobacco  Garden  9  a.  m.  Atkins  killed 
black  tailed  deer  foot  of  bluflf  above.  Passed  Xytnf^Ji  Xn.  j  at  the 
bank  10:30  a.  m.,  she  is  going  up.    Wooded  12  m.  on  left  point,  six 


*This  was  a  wcaknc^'^  of  Jewell^,  he  was  in  the  hahit  of  sayinif  to  Atkins 
a<4  he  came  on  watch  that  he  had  just  seen  fifteen  Indians  a  few  moments 
before  but  they  were  out  of  sijfht  now. 


STATl?     01'     MURTII     DAKOTA  333 

miles  above  Tobacco  Garden.  Wooded  3:40  p.  m.,  right  shore. 
Saw  one  h^ne  hiv  alo  on  left  point.  Wooded  on  right  shore  7  p.  m. 
Captain  Smith  shot  at  mountain  sheep  below,  and  here  he  went  out 
and  shot  at  large  elk.    Left  9 :30,  laid  up  11  p.  m.  on  right  point. 

Thursday,  June  27,  1867. — Started  daylight.  Weather  fine.  River 
falling.  Met  Ben  Johnston  6  a.  m.  just  below  first  cutoff.  Left 
7 :30  p.  m.  Passed  grave  yard  10 :30,  Looking  Glass  Prairie  2  p.  m. 
On  ri"^ht  shore  below  first  cut-oflf  there  is  fine  ash,,  and  oposite  grave 
yard  the  bank  is  strewn  with  the  best  wood,  it  is  amall  sized  poles 
and  dry  as  a  bone.  Wooded  4:30,  foot  of  second  left  hand  bend 
above  Looking  Glass.  Lett  at  8  p.  m.,  ran  until  11  p.  ni.,  and  laid 
up  about  twelve  miles  below  second  cut-oflf  to  clean  out  boilers. 
Graham  passed  up. 

Friday,  June  28,  1867. — Left  our  camp  at  daylight.  Weather 
fine.  River  falling.  Passed  Graham  6  a.  m.,  she  was  wooding  on 
left  shore  in  cottonwood  deading.  Saw  wolves  and  deer  this  morn- 
ing Wooded  in  bend  below  Fort  Buford  11  a.  m.,  shot  at  panther 
below.  Passed  Buford  12  m.  Met  the  Octavia  1:30  p.  m.  Landed 
at  Union  1 :15,  left  at  2 :15  p.  m.  Changed  watches  supper  time  at 
mouth  of  Little  Muddy.^  Laid  up  10  p.  m.  on  left  shore  to  wood 
«i!i(*  for  the  niqfht.  Poor  place  for  wood,  twenty-one  miles  above 
Union.  Mosquitoes  very  bad.    Forty-eight  days  out. 

Saturday,  June  29.  1867. — Five  days  ahead  of  IV,  J.  Lewis'  time 
to  L^nion.  Started  the  flutter  wheel  at  daylight.  Atkins  shot  at 
mountain  sheep  on  top  of  bluff  seven  miles  above  where  we  laid. 
Had  quite  a  blow  last  night,  captain  wanted  to  have  some  extra  lines 
put  out,  asked  Mr.  Hinman  to  do  it,  but  he  was  too  sleepy,  so  the 
captain  awoke  him  in  good  style.  Landed  to  wood  in  left  bend 
below  Lone  Rock  point  9:30  a.  m.  Soldiers  went  out  and  killed  a 
black  tailed  deer.    Left  our  wood  yard  6  p.  m.    Passed  Lone  Rock 

^Atkins  claims  the  distinction  of  having  been  on  the  first  steamboat  to  go 
itp  the  Yellowstone.  It  came  out  of  a  joke  he  played  on  Jewell.  The  latter 
always  claimed  to  have  been  up  the  river  before  and  Atkins  knew  better. 
On  this  day  Jewell's  watch  ran  till  noon  and  by  an  arrangement  with  the 
steward  Atkins  got  dinner  delayed.  Before  Jewell's  watch  was  up,  therefore, 
they  reached  the  mouth  of  the  Yellowstone  and  at  this  point  the  course  of 
the  Missouri  was  hidden  by  a  sharp  wooded  bend.  When  they  reached  the 
current  of  the  Yellowstone,  which  was  running  strongly  to  the  opposite  shore 
and  checking  the  current  of  the  Missouri  river.  Jewell  made  the  remark  that 
this  was  a  new  cut  off  since  he  was  up  last,  to  which  Atkins  assented.  Thcj'^ 
proceeded  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  mile  up  the  Yellowstone  before  Atkins  in- 
formed Jewell  where  they  were  and  advised  him  to  stick  to  the  Missouri 
river  as  long  as  it  lasted.  On  the  way  up  Capt.  Lawrence  had  arranged 
M  ith  the  officers  of  the  boat  that  they  were  to  serve  without  pay  while  they 
turned  off  at  the  mouth  of  the  Yellowstone  on  their  return  trip  and  spend 
some  time  exploring  what  was  then  an  unknown  river.  W'hen  he  arrived 
at  Benton,  however,  he  found  orders  awaiting  him  which  put  an  end  to  this 
plan.  Had  it  not  been  for  this  unforeseen  circumstance,  this  trip  might  have 
been  a  notable  one  in  the  annals  of  Missouri  river  steamboating. 


334  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


point  7  p.  m.,  ran  until  11 :15  p.  m.  and  laid  up  for  the  night  two 
miles  below  Big  Muddy  river.  It  is  a  beautiful  night.  We  have  come 
over  some  bad  river. 

Sunday,  June  30,  1867. — Started  out  at  3  a.  m.,  just  above  where 
we  laid  we  came  to  two  whirl  pools.  Could  not  stem  middle  carreiit, 
so  dropped  ont  of  it  and  bottled  up  big:  head  of  steam  and  came 
through.  Weather  fine.  River  on  a  decline.  Wooded  at  5  a.  m.  in 
left  hand  bend,  just  above  is  fine  vein  of  coal.  11  a.  m.  saw  a  large 
drove  of  buffalo.  Laid  up  1 :30  p.  m.  to  repair  steam  pipe.  Men  will 
improve  the  time  cutting  wood.  We  are  in  right  hand  bend  about 
eighty  miles  above  Union.  Four  soldiers  went  out  for  two  buffa- 
lo five  miles  away,  and  Indians  got  after  them,  so  they  say.  Got 
steam  pipe  all  O.  K. 

Monday,  July  1,  1867. — Left  at  daylight.  Weather  fine.  Passed 
around  Ball  bluff  6  a.  m.,  saw  buffalo  above.  Met  Benton  foot  of 
first  right  bend  above  Cannon  Ball  bluff  6:45  a.  m.  Passed  Fort 
McKenzie  9 :45,  house  in  bend  below.  Foot  of  first  right  bend  be- 
low Poplar  bend  we  made  three  attempts  before  we  got  through. 
Passed  Poplar  river  2 :10  p.  m.,  threw  letters  ashore  below.  Landed 
4  p.  m.  to  wood  (of  course),  left  9  p.  m.,  broad  daylight.  Tried  the 
lower  way  at  Skeleton  bend,  but  failed,  laid  up  below  point  10:45 
p.  m. 

Tuesday,  July  2,  1867. — Left  at  3  a.  m.,  up  the  left  bend,  close,  ten 
miles  above  we  got  on  reef  and  lost  two  hours.  Ran  up  right  shore 
out  from  voung  cottonwoods,  up  middle  into  bluff.  Had  lots  of  mean 
river.  Soldiers  and  Atkins  shot  at  and  wounded  buffalo.  Atkins 
and  Clark  went  out  and  killed  buffalo  calf  in  prairie  opposite  and  be- 
low old  Fort  Charles.  Atkins  killed  first  buffalo  in  timber  below 
and  opposite  old  Fort  Charles.  6  p.  m.  wooded  in  bend  below. 
Soldiers  went  out  for  buffalo,  killed  three  calves  and  one  jackrabbit. 
Laid  up  four  miles  above  Fort  Charles. 

Wednesday,  July  3,  1867. — Started  3  a.  m.  Weather  fine.  River 
sullen,  i.  e.,  on  a  stand.  Saw  buffalo.  Atkins  shot  at  antelope  at 
Little  Dry  fork.  Wooded  from  2  p.  m.  until  5.  Atkins  went  after 
two  deer,  but  did  not  get  a  shot,  but  killed  a  sage  hen.  Ida  Stock- 
dale  passed  down  4  p.  m.  Passed  Big  Porcupine  7  p.  m.  Wooded 
in  first  left  hand  bend  above  and  laid  up  for  the  night.  Got  wood  in 
about  11  p.  m.  Mosquitoes  very  bad.  About  12  o'clock  wind  blew 
and  some  rain  fell. 

Thursday,  July  4,  1867. — Dark  and  cloudy.  Under  way  at  4  a.  m. 
Soldiers  fired  a  salute  at  sunrise.  Had  some  bad  river  this  morn- 
ing. Soldiers  are  all  sick  from  eating  too  much  buffalo.  We 
wooded  immediately  after  breakfast  in  left  hand  prairie,  dead  ash. 
ten  miles  below  Milk  river.  Left  our  wood  yard  6 :30  p.  m.  Passed 
Milk  river  8  p.  m.,  ran  until  10:30  p.  m.  and  laid  up  three  miles  be 
low  Fort  Copelin  (Copeland). 


bTATE    OF     NORTH     DAKOTA  335 


Friday,  July  5, 1867. — Left  our  camp  at  4  a.  m.,  got  up  right  shore 
at  old  Fort  Copelin  and  had  to  back  out.  Went  over  to  opposite 
side,  sounded  and  had  to  go  out.  G.  A,  Thompson  came  down, 
landed  above,  her  yawl  sounded,  sent  letters  down  by  her  pilot,  Mr. 
Doran.  We  came  through  middle  way,  got  aground  opposite  Fort 
Galpin.  Amaranth  passed  down  12  m.  Got  off  12:30  p.  m.  Rain 
and  wind,  ^^assed  Dry  Fork  3  p.  m.  Laid  up  10:30,  thirty  miles 
above  Dry  Fork.  Passed  old  man  and  woman  on  bluff,  this  eve, 
sunset. 

Saturday,  July  6, 1867. — Departed  3  a.  m.  Weather  cold  and  clear. 
Riv«r  falling  slowly.  Wooded  5  a.  m.  Wooded  9  a.  m.,  left  12  m. 
Had  a  very  close  bend  to  run,  went  over  some  snags.  Found  Viola 
Belle  just  above  wooding,  she  was  inside  of  willow  towhead,  we  up 
bend.  Passed  her  under  way.  4  p.  m.  we  got  up  left  shore  and  had 
to  back  out.  Viola  hacked  out  and  went  up  opposite  side,  we  followed. 
Laid  up  at  left  bluff.  Above  islands,  little  towhead  above,  planted 
anchor.    W'^'^d  <;cprce  from  Milk  river  for  seven  miles  above. 

Sunday,  July  7,  1867. — Started  at  daylight  up  inside  of  little  tow 
head,  five  feet,  over  to  right  hand  point  and  wooded,  poor  place. 
7 :30  pfot  as:round,  larboard  rudder  struck  break  and  broke  it.  Got 
off.  landed  and  repaired  it.  Left  4  p.  m.,  ran  one-quarter  of  a  mile 
and  wooded.  Have  made  about  four  miles.  The  weather  is  fine. 
River  fell  one-half  inch  last  night.  Laid  up  for  night.  Got  good 
wood  and  built  his:  fires.  A  meteor  was  seen  this  eve  fifteen  miles 
below  Round  butte. 

Monday.  July  8,  1867. — Cleaned  boilers.  Started  3  a.  m.  River 
^ood.  Passed  Round  Butte  7  a.  m.  Passed  Turtle  point  2  p.  m. 
Met  Abeona  two  miles  above  2 :45.  Wooded  3  p.  m.  on  left  shore. 
Passed  James  H.  Trover  stuck  in  the  mud  under  a  right  hand  point 
about  thirty  miles  below  Muscle  Shell,  wrecked  and  abandoned, 
looks  like  she  mieht  have  been  gfotten  out.  Passed  a  log  house  in 
first  left  hand  bend  above,  little  creek  comes  in  above  on  right. 
Captain  and  Jewell  had  some  words  about  whistling  at  points.^ 
Landed  for  wood  7  p.  m.,  laid  up  for  the  night. 

Tuesday,  July  9,  1867. — ^Departed  at  3  a,  m.  River  on  a  stand. 
Weather  fine,  last  night  was  the  warmest  of  the  season,  lots  of  mos- 
quitoes. Jennie  Broivn  5 :30  a.  m.  Wooded  10 :30  a.  m.  on  left  shore. 
Got  ice  at  McGinnis'  point.  Met  Antelope  between  McGinnis' 
point  and  Muscle  Shell,  12  m.  Passed  Muscle  Shell  12:30  p.  m. 
ATet  A^^nes  2  :45  p.  m.,  she  got  scared,  backed  and  swung  around. 
Arrived  at  Fort  Hawley  8  p.  m..  landed  and  Atkins  saw  some  friends. 
Left  8 :30,  passed  Viola  Belle  11  p.  m.    We  quit  12. 


^Whistling  at  sharp  wooded  points  was  a  matter  of  safety  both  for  the 
boat  coming  up  and  the  one  going  down.  Atkins  began  this  practice  .on  the 
Ida  Fulton  and  Capt.  Lawrence  insisted  that  the  other  pilot,  Jewell,  do  the 
8ame. 


336  STATIC  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Wednesday,  July  10,  1867. — Sixty  days  out.  Departed  at  day- 
light. River  on  a  stand.  Weather  cool  and  pleasant  Passed  Little 
Rock  creek  and  a  large  Crow  camp  9:30  a.  m.  Landed  to  wood 
10:30  a.  m.  in  left  bend,  second  above  Crow  camp.  Viola  passed 
up.  The  Crows  are  on  opposite  shore  with  Federal  flag,  Union 
down.  Tacony  passed  down  8  p.  m.  We  have  about  nine  cords  of 
wood  that  we  got  here  and  five  on  board,  fourteen  in  all.  Will  re- 
main here  for  the  night. 

Thursday,  July  11.  18G7.-Did  not  get  our  wood  on  board  so  as 
to  leave  until  5  a.  m.  Weather  fine.  River  falling  fast.  Passed 
Two  Calf  island  9  a.  m.  to  left  of  first  up  bluff,  close  rocks  outside. 
Go  over  to  shoulder  of  second,  around  reef  of  rocks  back  to  bluflF 
under  upper  reef  of  rocks.  Passed  Baggage  and  Grand  islands* 
10 :30  a.  m.,  got  to  foot  of  Grand  island,  not  close,  up  middle  to  left 
bluff.  Viola  in  sight  ahead.  Saw  herd  of  buffaloes.  Passed  Cow 
island  3  p.  m.,  six  and  one-half  feet.  Atkins  went  after  buffalo,  got 
none.  Passed  Viola  at  the  bank,  sundown.  Laid  up  10:30  just  be- 
low Bear's  rapids. 

Friday,  July  12,  1867. — Left  at  early  dawn.  River  falling  at  the 
rate  of  six  inches  in  twenty-four  hours.  Weather  fine.  Landed  at 
Bear's  rapids  for  pine.  Our  mate  had  three  arrows  fired  at  him 
while  out  hunting  wood  last  eve,  took  lantern  and  found  them,  and 
killed  large  rattlesnake.^  Big  Horn  passed  down  4 :15  a.  m.  Came 
Dauhin's  rapids  9  a.  m.,  went  up  right  shore,  but  had  to  back  out. 
Sounded  and  found  four  and  four  and  one-half  feet,  warped  up  left 
shore,  got  over  at  4  p.  m.  Jewell  and  Atkins  had  a  few  words.^ 
Laid  up  10  p.  m.  at  foot  of  first  island  below  Judith.     Storm. 

Saturday,  July  13,  1867. — Departed  at  daylight.  Met  Tom  StezTns 
4 :30  a.  m.  Warped  up  left  bluff.  Landed  at  Camp  Cooke  8  a.  m., 
Gallatin  in  port.  Put  out  fortv  tons  of  freight.'  Left  3  p.  m.  Got 
two  cords  of  fine  wood  from  Gallatin  at  $20  per  cord.  Arrived  at 
Drowned  Man's  rapids  4  p.  m.,  laid  a  warp.  She  got  her  back  up 
and  took  a  dart  on. the  pilot  and  fizzled,  but  made  it  in  the  second  at- 
tempt. Got  over  6  :30  p.  m.,  cut  a  little  wood  above.  Laid  up  9  p. 
m.  on  left  shore,  six  miles  above  Dead  Man's  rapids. 

Sunday,  July  14,  1867. — Started  3  a.  m.,  weather  very  cold. 
River  falling  slowly.  Had  to  warp  around  a  left  point,  three  miles 
above  where  we  laid.    Passed  Arrow  river  6:30  a.  m.    Met  Luella 


*Atkins  teased  the  mate  by  throwing  bullets  from  the  pilot  house  over  into 
the  bushes  near  him  and  he  came  back  and  reported  them  as  arrows  fircJ 
at  him. 

"The  only  way  to  go  up  Dauphin's  rapids  was  by  warping  un  the  left  Ijank 
but  Je^vell  insisted  on  trying  the  right  hand  channel  and  relinquished  the 
wheel  to  Atkins  just  in  time  to  save  the  l>oat  from  going  on  the  island  in 
the  cepter  of  the  river. 

'Camp  Cooke  was  a  temporary  government  post  and  it  was  government 
stores  they  put  off  here. 


STATE  OF  NORTH   DAKOTA  337 


10  a.  m.,  Lady  Grace  10 :30  below  Hole  in  the  Wall.  Passed  Hole  in 
the  Wall  11  a.  m.,  Citadel  12  m.  Had  a  great  wild  goose  chase, 
caught  three,  everybody  had  a  good  hearty  laugh,  saw  a  beaver,  all 
this  was  just  above  Kipp's  rapids.  Wooded  below  Eagle  creek. 
Went  over  to  opposite  side  and  laid  up  for  the  night.  Atkins  and 
others  went  over  hills  and  up  the  creek. 

Monday,  July  15,  1867. —  Started  at  daylight.  Passed  Sandy 
creek  5  a.  m.  Coaled  6  a.  m.  on  right  bluff,  $1.50  per  box,  is 
a  little  better  than  the  coal  we  dug  below.  Met  Lilly  1  p.  m.,  five 
miles  below  Marias.  Passed  mouth  o£  Marias  1 :40  p.  m.,  thirty-one 
head  of  cattle  just  above  at  foot  of  bluff.  Struck  a  rravel  reef, 
scarine  somebody  nearly  to  death.  Wooded  4  p.  m.  on  b>tle  island, 
Hwo  soldiers  on  main  shore.  Reef  of  rocks  extend  across  river 
(above  old  Fort  Bruler)  from  bluff  to  left  point,  gap  in  middle  of 
river.  We  are  suffering  terribly  from  mosquitoes.  Laid  up  10  p. 
m.,  five  miles  below  Benton. 

Tuesday*  July  16,  1867. — Sixty-seven  days  out.  Started  at  day 
light.  Reached  Benton  6:30  a.  m.  Guidon,  Little  Rock  in  port. 
Gravel  lump  in  right  bend  opposite  town,  could  not  come  up  shore. 
Weather  cool  and  pleasant.  River  falling.  Our  running  time  from 
St.  Louis  to  Fort  Benton  is  sixty-two  days,  were  drawing  four  feet. 
Put  out  all  our  freight  in  good  order.  Captain  Smith,  Lieutenant 
J.  C.  Chance  and  all  the  soldiers  took  their  departure  for  Sun  river. 
Atkins  met  several  friends.  Cleaned  boilers.  Will  remain  here  some 
little  time. 

Wednesday.  July  17,  1867. — Raised  steam  and  dropped  down  to 
town  (we  put  our  freight  out  above  town  where  government  re- 
ceives freight).  Weather  cold  and  rainy.  River  falling.  Atkins 
left  bundle  and  letters  with  Messrs.  Milton,  Taylor  and  Kinsel.  Re- 
ceived elk,  deer  and  big  horns  for  Balmer  &  Weber  of  St.  Louis. 
Benton  improves  slowly.  Large  amount  of  freight  still  here.  Have 
a  laree  fire  in  the  cabin  stove.  Overcoats  and  gloves  are  quite  com- 
fortable.   Will  remain  here  tonight. 

Thursday,  July  18,  1867. — Departed  6  a.  m.  Wooded  ten  miles 
below  Benton,  cord  wood.  Weather  cold.  River  fell  two  inches  last 
night.  Took  eleven  and  three-quarter  cords  of  cut  wood  at  $10  per 
cord,  left  at  12  m.  Met  Gallatin  six  miles  below  Marias  1  p.  m. 
2:40  met  Nymph  No.  2  twelve  miles  below  Marias.  Met  Viola  Belle 
4:25  p.  m.  below  Eagle  creek.  Arrived  at  Camp  Cooke  7  p.  m., 
Silver  Lake  in  port.  Rear's  Paw  mountains  in  sight,  can  be  seen 
from  Benton.  Left  7 :30,  ran  down  to  foot  of  last  island  in  group 
below  Judith  and  laid  up.  laid  here  going  up. 

Friday,  July  19,  1867.— Left  at  daylight.  Weather  cold.  River 
on  a  stand.  Passed  Dauphin's  rapids  at  sunrise,  made  crossing  in 
them  not  right.  Cord  wood  below.  Met  Luella  full  of  wood  8  a.  m., 
fifteen  miles  below  Two  Calf  island,  Richmond  8:30  a.  m.    Arrived 


338  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

at  Fort  Hawley  12  m.  Dropped  around  the  point  and  took  forty- 
two  cords  Cottonwood  and  two  and  one-half  cords  pine.  Atkins 
found  some  friends  here,  sold  two  pistols.  Several  of  the  crew 
visited  the  fort,  Atkins  was  presented  with  robes,  etc.,  etc. 

Saturday,  July  20,  1867. — Seventy-one  days  out.  Departed  2  :30 
a.  m.  Weather  cold  River  on  a  stand.  Passed  Muscle  Shell  5 :30 
a.  ra.,  Trover  point  7 :15  a.  m.  Millions  of  grasshoppers  fill  the  air 
like  clouds.  Met  Tom  Stevens  opposite  Round  butte  10  a.  m.,  Stevens 
coming  down.  River  very  bad.  We  sounded  same  place  we  had 
trouble  on  the  way  up.  Atkins  shot  at  a  buffalo  and  grizzly  bear 
above  Dry  Fork.  Below  were  three  buffaloes,  but  by  the  Stevens^ 
foolishness  we  got  none.  She  grounded,  we  grounded,  got  off  anc^ 
laid  up  (at)  a  little  towhead. 

Sunday,  July  21,  1867. — Wind  detained  us  until  6  a.  m.  Sounded 
and  came  between  the  right  hand  towheads.  Killed  buffalo.  Met 
Ida  Stockdale  six  miles  below  Bic:  Porcupine  on  her  second  short 
trip.  Got  aground  12 :30  p.  m.,  got.  off  4  p.  m.  No  one  ever  saw  such 
work  trying  to  spar  a  boat  around.  Tom  Stevens  passed  down  3 
p.  m.  We  grounded  in  reach  above  Skeleton  bend,  grounded  ten 
miles  below  Skeleton  bend  6  p.  m.  Such  work  trying  to  spar  was 
never  sein  before,  12    m.  still  aground. 

Monday,  July  22,  1867. — Got  off  6  a.  m.  Imperial  came  up. 
Weather  fine.  River  on  a  stand.  Passed  Poplar  river,  passed  old 
Fort  McKenzie  9  150  a.  m.  Reached  l^nion  T)  :45  p.  m.,  got  ice.  Left 
6  p.  m.  Passed  Yellowstone  6  :30.  landed  at  Fort  Buford  7  p.  m. 
Tom  Stcicns  liere.  We  left  7 :20  p.  m.,  received  no  letters.  Twenty- 
fnir  and  one-half  daiys  to  Benton  and  return.  Ran  fifteen  miles  and 
laid  up  for  the  niffht  and  to  clean  boilers.    Mosquitoes  are  very  bad. 

Tuesday,  July  23,  1867. — Started  at  break  of  day.  Weather  cool. 
Met  Sunset  4  a.  m.,  she  hailed  us,  wanted  to  send  a  passenger  down. 
Passed  the  grave  yard  6  a.  m.  Landed  at  our  coal  bank  10  a.  m.. 
Fifteen  miles  below  Tobacco  Garden  and  a  little  below  Atkins' 
peak.  Took  300  or  400  bushels  and  left  3  :15  p.  m.  Passed  Buffalo 
point  5:15  p.  m.  I-^id  up  for  the  night  8  p.  m.,  above  Four  Bear 
island,  same  place  we  laid  going  up.  No  one  able  to  sleep  tonight 
for  mosquitoes,  they  are  awful.    Looks  like  a  storm. 

Wednesday,  Julv  2K  1867. — Departed  at  davlieht,  passed  Little 
Missouri  5  a.  m.  Landed  at  Berthold  8  a.  m.,  left  8 :40.  Weather 
cold  and  windy.  River  falling:.  Any  amount  of  coal  below  Little 
Mo.  on  same  side  and  below  Berthold  also.  Landed  at  Camp  Doueflas 
10:15  a.  m.,  left  11:30  a.  m.  Wind  detained  us  for  three  hours 
just  below  Camp  Dotiglas.  No  letters,  what  can  be  the  reason? 
Would  e:ive  anv  price  for  a  letter  from  home  telling  me  all  were  well. 
Landed  at  old  Fort  Clark  to  get  petrified  Indian,  but  failed.  I^id 
up  8  p.  m.  Painted  Woods. 


STATE    OF     NORTH     DAKOTA  339 

Thursday,  July  25,  1867. — Started  at  daylight.  Fog  detained  us 
one-half  an  hour.  Weather  fine.  River  falling  fast.  Passed  Assinni- 
boine  island  7:15,  Apple  river  7:40,  down  timber  right  below. 
Landed  at  Fort  Rice  10  a.  m.,  got  letters,. left  10:30  a.  m.  Met 
Miner  11 :15  a.  m.,  five  miles  below  Beaver  river,  hailed  us,  went 
alongside  of  her,  wanted  a  pilot  who  knows  where  wood  is  (in  a 
horn).  Passed  Grand  river  6  p.  m..  Fox  island  about  dark.  Water 
scatterin^r.  Laid  up  five  miles  above  Moreau  in  left  hand  bend 
coming  down.    Foot  of  tixid>er,  iadiaxis. 

Friday,  July  26,  1867.— Departed  at  daylight.  Weather  fine. 
River  falling.  Met  Mountaineer  4:30  a.  m.  opposite  where  Belle 
Peoria  was  lost.  River  badly  cut  up  and  hard  to  find.  Wind  strong. 
Landed  to  wood  6:15,  ei"^bT''»n  n^jles  below  Moreau,  risrht  bluff.  The 
wind  raised  with  the  sun  and  has  been  increasing  ever  since.  Finally 
we  concluded  to  remain  here  and  cut  wood.  Carrie  came  up  8  p.  m., 
laid  lip  above  us.  Mr.  A^.  Gr'mes  (her  pilot)  came  down  and  had 
a  talk  with  our  pilot,  Jewell.    Hard  wind  and  rain  storm. 

Saturday,  July  27,  1867. — Left  at  daylight.  Weather  cool  and 
windy.  River  falling.  Below  Pascall's  island  we  came  down  the 
left  shore,  should  have  come  the  bluff,  two  and  one-half  and  three 
feet.  First  island  above  Big  Cheyenne,  came  to  left  of  it.  Wood 
on  bluff  above.  Met  Only  Chance  mouth  of  Big  Cheyenne,  8:25 
a.  m.  Wooded  at  9  a.  m.  at  foot  of  willows  below  Cheyenne.  Land  • 
ed  at  Fort  Sullv,  took  tw^  r»o<en^ers,  10:30  a.  m.  Pnssed  old  Fort 
Sully  2 :30  p.  m.,  Huntsville  3 :45.  Sounded  above  Medicine  creek. 
Laid  up,  9:30  p.  m.,  one  mile  above  St.  John's  wood  yard  in  Big 
bend. 

Sunday,  July  28,  1867. — Started  at  daylight.  Wind  bothered  us 
about  ronndin<y  to.  BnrVed  lown  to  St.  John's  wood  vard.  took  two 
cords,  ran  to  left  of  island  foot  of  Big  bend.  Passed  Crow  creek 
7:30  a.  m.  Grounded  four  miles  above  White  river  and  lost  seven 
hours.  Laid  two  anchors  to  hold  her  head  up,  such  work  trying  to 
spar  nobody  ever  saw  before.  Met  Last  Chance  five  miles  above 
Bijou  hills  6 :45.  Laid  up  five  miles  below  Brick  Kiln  at  La  Roach's 
wood  yard. 

Monday,  Julv  29,  1867.-Stprted  at  davlieht.  Weather  fine.  River 
declining.  Heard  a  cow  bell  last  night,  thought  is  was  very  sweet 
music,  indeed.  Saw  a  rail  fence  this  morning,  looks  homelike.  Saw 
cornfields  above  Randall.  Arrived  at  Randall  8:25  a.  m.,  Lilly 
in  sight.  Left  at  10  a.  m.,  passed  Lilly  aground  four  miles  above 
Yankton  agency  10:45  a.  m.  Passed  Running  Water  1  p.  m.,  Bon- 
homme  island  3 :30  p.  m.  Below  Yankton  we  tried  outside  of  snags 
(in  left  bend),  stopped,  sounded  and  laid  up  for  the  night.    Cut  off 


340  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

our  snag.    Heavy  wind.    Atkins  went  to  town  four  miles  away  for 
doctor.^ 

Tuesday,  July  30,  1867. — Started  at  5  a.  m.,  sounded  outside 
chute,  but  was  not  water  enough.  Weather  fine.  River  fell  one  inch. 
Wooded  at  Jones^  wood  yard,  six  miles  below  Yankton.  Left  7  :l() 
a.  m.  Sounded  above  St.  James  river,  lost  nearly  an  hour.  Passed 
Vermillion  11  a.  m.,  Ponka  Landing  2 :30  p.  m.,  we  found  river  gooci. 
Arrived  at  Sioux  City  5 :30  p.  m.,  lots  of  wood  all  along  the  river. 
Left  Sioux  City  6:30  p.  m.  Atkins  ran  117  miles  on  his  evening 
watch.  Ran  about  fifteen  miles  and  laid  up  for  the  night  and  to 
wood.    "Captain,  I  wish  my  copper  was  ashore."^ 

Wednesday,  July  31,  1867. — Started  before  daylight.  Weather 
cool.  River  falling.  Passed  Decatur  6 :45  a.  m.  Nothing  but  the 
breaks  of  the  Nora  and  Marmion  are  to  be  seen.  Passed  Little  Sioux 
9:15  a.  m.  Met  Amanda  11:45  just  above  De  Soto.  Arrived  at 
Omaha  3  :15  p.  m.,  left  at  4  p.  m.  Dark  came  on  us  just  below  Rock 
bluff,  but  the  captin's  ladv  was  verv  ill  and  we  came  on,  as  her  life 
depended  on  getting  a  doctor.  Reached  Nebraska  City  10  p.  m.,  the 
night  was  dark  and  river  full  of  snags.' 

Thursday,  August  1,  1867. — Captain's  lady  had  a  very  sick  night, 
doctor  remained  with  her  until  daylight.  We  laid  here  until  8  a.  m., 
and  left.  Dr.  with  us.  Weather  fine.  River  falling.  /.  //.  Lacy 
passed  up  last  night.    Just  above  Peru  is  a  grand  cut-off,  saves  fif- 


*Atkins  went  back  to  Yankton  on  foot  and  alone  for  a  doctor  but  could 
find  none. 

*lst  engineer  Clark  had  obtained  some  copper  up  the  river  and  he  was 
very  much  worried  for  fear  the  boat  would  sink  and  he  would  lose  his  cop- 
per. 

•Atkins  stopped  the  boat  at  dark  just  above  a  sharp  bend  which  wa<»  full 
of  danj?erous  snag^  over  which  the  water  could  be  heard  running:,  thoug^h 
nothing  could  be  seen  ahead.  The  June  rise  had  altered  the  channel  a  good 
deal  and  just  before  stopping  for  the  night  he  had  dodged  to  the  left  and 
passed  between  the  bank  and  some  tall  trees  that  had  slid  into  the  river  and 
stood  in  the  middle  of  the  channel.  Capt.  Lawrence  protested  against  stop- 
ping the  boat  as  his  wife  was  likely  to  die  before  morning  unless  medical 
aid  could  be  secured.  They  discussed  the  situation  and  the  captain  decided 
to  lay  the  matter  before  the  passengers  as  Atkins  was  willing  to  take  the 
risk  of  going  on  if  they  gave  their  consent.  The  passengers  were  assembled, 
Capt.  Lawrence  laid  the  case  before  them  and  by  a  large  majoritv  they 
voted  to  take  the  risk.  Before  starting  Atkins  insisted  that  each  passenger 
should  put  on  a  life  preserver  and  he  out  one  on  himself.  Realizing  the 
hopelessness  of  attempting  the  left  hand  channel  which  was  choked  with 
snags,  he  attempted  what  he  had  never  done  before,  the  finding  of  a  new 
channel  in  complete  darkness  by  means  of  double  sounding,  one  on  each  side 
of  the  boat.  Fortune  favored  him  and  he  succeeded  in  running  clear  till  he 
approached  the  spot  where  he  remembered  a  huge  snag  barred  the  right  hand 
fhmnel.  Here  he  ordered  the  engines  to  stop  and  then  starting  slowlv  the 
boat  passed  on  at  half  speed  till  just  ahead  he  could  hear  the  gurgle  of 
the  water  running  over  the  snag.  Deflecting  the  boat  he  passed  this  last 
obstacle  and  then  felt  his  way  down  stream  with  both  leads.  On  arriving 
at  Sioux  City  a  doctor  was  secured  and  Mrs.  Lawrence  recovered. 


STATE  OF   NORTH    DAKOTA  341 

teen  miles.  Passed  Brownsville  10  a,  m.  Came  through  the  cut-off 
below  White  Cloud,  it  leaves  Forest  City  out  entirely.^  Wooded 
above  Dallas  3:30  p.  m.  Wooded  again  just  above  Dallas*  ware 
house,  left  5 :30  p.  m.  Arrived  at  St.  Jo  7  :30  p.  m.  Laid  up  for  the 
night. 

Friday,  August  2,  1807. — Fog  detained  us  until  n  :30  a.  m.  Weath- 
er fine.  River  declining  slow.  Met  Columbian  below  Gerry  City  7 
a.  m.,  Colorado  in  Smith's  bend  8  a.  m.,  Hensley  and  Deer  Lodge 
below  Weston  10  a.  m.  Landed  at  Leavenworth  11  a.  m.,  left  at  12 
o'clock.  Passed  Kansas  City  3  p.  m.,  passed  Mo.  City  5  p.  m.,  passed 
Camden  at  7  p.  m.  At  foot  of  bend  below,  the  Hiram  Wood  backed 
out  to  give  us  a  race,  but  we  left  her  quick.  Landed  at  Goodin's 
coal  yard  7 :30  p.  m.  to  (get)  some  coal,  and  laid  up  for  the  night. 

Saturday,  August  3,  1867. — ^Departed  at  daylight.  Passed  Lex- 
ington 4 :25.  Fog  detained  us  at  Lexington  island  until  5 :30  a.  m. 
Weather  fine.  River  falling.  Met  the  Lexington  at  Berlin  6  a.  m. 
Passed  Nile  at  Baltimore  taking  freight  6 :30.  Passed  Miami  9  a. 
m.  Met  H.  S,  Turner  10 :30  a.  m.  at  Buckhorn  point,  Paragon  at 
Slaughter  House  island.  Passed  Booneville  2:30  p.  m.  Met  Ben 
Johnston  below  Claysville  5 :30  p.  m.  Passed  Jefferson  City  6  p.  m. 
Met  Benton  below  Portland  8 :30  p.  m.    Laid  up  at  Bluff  ton  9  p.  m. 

Sunday,  August  4, 1867. — ^Twelve  and  one-half  days*  running  time 
from  Benton,  eighty-sixth  day  out.  Got  wheelbarrow  under  way  at 
daylight.  Weather  fine.  River  falling  slowly.  Passed  Herman  5 
a.  m..  Miller's  6 :15,  Washington.7 :20.  Met  Washington  below  Mil- 
ler's. Met  W,  /.  Lezvis  at  Bonhomme  island  9  :30  a.  m.  Arrived  at 
St.  Charles  11  a.  m.,  Atkins  got  off,  boat  went  on  and  arrived  at 
St.  Louis p.  m. 


NOTES  BY  CAPTAIN  W.  H.  SIMS. 

BEN   JEWELL. 

Ben  Jewell  was  a  well  known  character  on  the  river.  As  given  in 
the  log,  he  had  a  bad  attack  of  Indian  scare.  He  saw  Indians  on 
all  watches  and  behind  every  bush  as  he  stepped  ashore,  until  it  was 
a  standing  joke  with  the  men  on  the  river.  He  was  also  supposed 
to  know  all  of  the  wood  yards  along  the  river,  and  every  time  he 
stopped  for  wood  he  would  tell  the  captain  to  take  on  an  extra  large 
load  because  it  was  a  long  way  to  the  next  wood  yard.  This  came 
to  be  a  joke  with  the  river  men. 

WOOD  PRICES. 

Wood  was  verv  hieh  at  this  time.  Cottonwood  eicjht  and  ten  dol- 
lars a  cord  and  pine  knots  ten  to  twenty-five  a  cord.    The  captains 


'These  two  cnt-oflfs  were  made  by  the  river  between  the  time  of  their  g:o- 
ing  up  and  their  return.     It  occurred  during  the  June  rise. 


342  STATE    HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


paid  almost  any  price  to  get  the  wood,  and  a  high  price  was  charged 
because  of  the  attendant  dangers  in  chopping  and  cording  it.  The 
men  who  went  out  into  the  country  to  chop  wood  had  to  have  their 
guns  at  their  elbows  all  the  time  because  of  the  incursions  of  the 
Indians. 

REPAIRS    FOR    STEAMBOATS. 

Going,  as  the  captains  did,  out  into  a  hostile  country,  thousands 
of  miles  from  all  shops  and  places  to  repair  their  boats,  they  must 
carry  enough  extra  pieces  for  emergencies.  Sometimes  they  could 
almost  make  another  boat. 

INSURANCE. 

Insurance  was  very  high,  often  from  15  to  20  per  cent. 


STATE  OF   NORTH   DAKOTA  343 


LOG  OF  STEAMER  SCARRED  WOLF,  SOMETIMES 

CALLED  BERTHA. 

Saturday,  April  4,  1868. — Log  of  steamer  Bertha.  Captam  J.  P. 
Arnold.  Pilots,  Jesse  B.  Baber  and  C.  J.  Atkins.  Captain  Gault, 
clerk.  Messrs.  Siebottom  and  Geo.  Crawford,  first  and  second  en- 
gineers. Left  St.  Louis  7  a.  m.  Passed  Miner  below  coal  banks 
woodine  1  p.  m.,  Peninah  in  Amazon  bend  laid  up,  Elkhorn  at 
Green  island,  12  m.  laid  up. 

Sunday,  April  5, 1%^%,— Cornelia  passed  us  at  foot  Holmes  island 
at  sunrise.  Landed  at  St.  Charles,  Mrs.  Atkins  and  two  children 
and  Miss  Allie  Boal  came  on  board.^  Wooded  at  Penn's  9  a.  m. 
St.  Luke  passed  us  at  Washington.    Wooded  at  Miller's. 

Monday,  April  6,  1868. — Arrived  at  Jefferson  City  7:30  a.  m. 
Mrs.  Baber  got  off.  Wooded  opposite  Booneville  10 :30  p.  m.,  one- 
half  an  hour  behind  Deer  Lodges  time. 

Tuesday,  April  7,  1868. — ^Mr.  Baber  was  sick,  could  not  come  on 
watch.  Passed  Glasgow  at  sunrise.  Met  W.  /.  Lewis  below  Bruns- 
wick.   Laid  up  at  Chicken  point  at  8 :30  p.  m.  to  clean  out  boilers. 

Wednesday,  April  8,  1868. — Left  at  3  a.  m.  Arrived  at  Goodin's 
coal  banks  and  took  on  300  boxes  of  coal,  and  413  sacks  of  coal  as 
freight  for  Omaha,  left  at  2  p.  m.  Since  leaving  here  the  boat  does 
not  nm  at  all,  it's  over  one  thousand  dollars  damage  to  the  boat 
taking  this  coal.  Came  to  the  chain  below  Sibley  and  she  stopped.^ 
We  laid  up  until  12  o'clock.  Miner  and  Peninah  passed  up. 

Thursday,  April  9, 1868. — Passed  Missouri  City  at  6  a.  m.,  weather 
cold  and  windy.  Met  Stonewall  at  Blue  Mills  8 :40  a.  m.  Wooded 
below  Randolph  12  m.,  train  of  cars  passed  by.  Passed  Kansas  City 
2  p.  m.  Arrived  at  Leavenworth  9  p.  m.,  left  about  11  p.  m.,  left 
Miner  and  Benton  in  port.  Passed  the  Cornelia.,  Above  Weston 
sounding,  12  p.  m.,  lost  two  hours  hunting  for  water. 

Friday,  April  10,  1868. — Wooded  above  latan  4  a.  m.  Fog  de- 
tained us  until  5  a.  m.  Arrived  at  St.  Jo  5  p.  m.,  left  at  6  p.  m., 
shipped  some  men.  Miner  came  up  while  we  were  at  St..  Jo,  left  her 
in  port.  Landed  at  Bon  Ton  for  wood,  left  at  11 :30  p.  m.  Had 
trouble  finding  water  in  first  crossing.  Henssley  passed  up  just  as 
we  landed  for  wood. 

Saturday,  April  11,  1868. — After  trying  some  time  to  find  the 
water,  landed  on  the  island  and  sounded,  found  the  water,  went  into 
it.    In  backing  away  from  a  break,  got  aground  at  3  a.  m.    Sparred 

*Miss  Allie  Boal  was  Mrs.  Atkins*  sister. 


344  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


her  head  up,  then  laid  anchor.  Strong  wind  sprung  up  and  blowevl  boat 
off  and  in  slinre.  yfitjcr  passe  1  up  at  6  :'M)  a.  m.  Discovered  that  our 
outside  larboard  rudder  was  gone,  got  our  anchor  and  left  at  1  p.  ni. 
Shrez'c  (.  liu\cport)  passed  down.  Cornelia  passed  us  below  La- 
fayette. We  left  her  at  the  town.  Came  on  and  laid  in  the  cut-off 
above  Iowa  point. 

Sunday,  April  12,  1868.— Left  at  4:30  a.  m.  Weather  cold  and 
cloud  <ard  storm  bst  ni"^^it.     Wooded  abov^  Satiaw  point. 

Cornelia  passed  up.  Met  Mary  McDonald  below  Nemehaw  river. 
Got  up  the  wrong  side  of  the  river  below  Rulo,  lost  three  hours. 
Benton  passed  up.  Landed  after  dark  opposite  St.  Droin  for  the 
night  and  to  wood.    Had  quite  a  fine  rain  this  evening. 

Monday,  April  13,  1868. — Left  at  daylight.  Weather  cold  and 
windv  nn  '  •' r-rnn's  chute.  Passed  Brownsville  8:30  a.  m.  \ret 
H.  S,  Turner  just  above.  Virginia  laying  up*  at  foot  of  Sonora 
chute.  1  ri*  (I  «^cveral  times  to  get  around  her.  Met  St.  John,  got 
line  aront^ri  {^'^rifjia's  stern  and  came  on  up  the  chute.  Had  any 
amount  of  trouble,  had  to  lay  two  lines  to  make  her  steer  around 
points.  Lost  several  hours  here  for  the  want  of  our  larboard  rudder, 
it  has  been  off  three  days,  wooded  on  Line  island  6  :20  p.  m.,  some 
rain  falling.    Laid  above  Oto  City. 

Tuesday,  April  14,  1868.— Left  at  daylight.  Weather  cold  and 
windy.  Had  a  hard  rain  last  night.  Shipped  up  the  rudder,  and  it 
makes  a  great  difference  in  the  handling  of  the  boat.  Landed  at 
Nebraska  City  7  a.  m.  Cornelia  and  Benton  went  up  outside  at 
Sonora  island,  had  to  go  back  and  come  up  chute,  came  in  sight  of 
us  at  H  r'  n-  island.  We  were  wooding  on  bank  below  Kingston 
Landing,  coming  over  from  Jones'  water  was  low  down  on  head  of 
lower  bar  and  thin.  Met  Welcome  four  and  one-half  below  Plattes- 
mouth.    Laid  up  for  the  night  five  miles  above  E . 

Wednesday,  April  15,  1868. — Cornelia  passed  up  before  daylight, 
W^e  could  not  mount  reef,  so  came  up  the  left  hand  upper  bar  in 
dead  water  four  feet.  Arrived  at  Omaha  and  put  out  the  coal.  It 
has  cost  this  boat  over  a  thousand  dollars  more  than  the  freight  came 
to.  r  '  '*•  Pt  ''  "^>  a.  ni.  \'erv  hard  wind  and  rain  nearly  all  even- 
ing. Since  putting  out  the  coal  she  seems  like  another  boat.  Laid 
up  fifty  miles  above  Omaha.  Atkins  made  thirty  or  thirty-five  miles 
on  afternoon  watch. 

Thursday,  April  16,  1868. — ^Left  at  daylight,  cold  and  windy. 
Wind  blew  us  into  the  bank  below  DeSoto,  lost  an  hour  more  than 
there  was  any  need  of  by  bad  management.    Wooded  below  cut-off 

above  DeSoto  10  a.  m.     Left  at  a.  m.     Been  running  with 

green  wood  they  took  last  night  until  10  a.  m.,  could  hardly  steam 
it,  a  great  way  to  make  time,  plenty' of  dry  woo<I  they  might  have 
gotten.  About  2  p.  m.  wind  blew  boat  into  bank  below  Soldier  river, 
big  log  sticking  out  of  bank  came  in  on  top  of  the  lx)ilers.  Had  it 
been  l^  r-      ^'ct  ahead  would  have  knocked  chimiievs  dmvn.  three 


STATE  OF   NORTH   DAKOTA  345 


feet  aft  off  would  have  went  steam  drum,  or  a  foot  lower  over  would 
have  went  the  boilers.    Lay  fifteen  miles  below  Little  Sioux. 

Friday,  April  17,  1868. — After  laying  by  all  night,  took  wood  this 
morning.  Weather  cold  and  windy.  (Passed  Gallatin  sunk  above 
Soldier  river,  Ab  Grimes  came  down  in  yawl,  says  Carrie  sunk  yes- 
terday). Passed  Little  Sioux  7  a.  m.,bad  snags.  Captain  and  At- 
kins had  some  words  about  running  very  bad  snags  below  Decatur 
where  Louisville  and  Nora  sunk.  For  the  last  two  days  we  have 
taken  all  the  chnnces  of  sinkinp^  this  boat  by  running  in  lii£2:h  winds. 
Passed  Miner  about  4  p.  m.,  wooded  above  Omaha  mission  7  p.  m. 
Carrie  lies  sunk  in  crossing  above.  Miner  came  up  and  went  by. 
We  still  remain  here  for  the  night. 

Saturday,  April  18,  1868. — Left  at  daylight.  Weather  cool.  River 
falling.  Wind  raised  as  usual.  Came  through  snags  in  first  right 
hand  bend  all  right.  Mounting  reef,  got  too  high,  and  backed  down. 
Passed  Miner  in  crossing  below  where  Lcivis  laid  up  for  two  days  in 
'66.  River  is  very  badly  cut  up.  Arrived  at  Sioux  City  1 :30  p.  m. 
Miner  came  some  hours  after.  Atkins  got  a  very  pleasant  place  for 
his  family  to  board.  Put  out  our  freight  for  Sioux  City.  Mr.  Ab. 
Grimes  came  up  on  the  cars  this  evening. 

Sunday,  April  19,  1868. — Captain  Arnold  paid  Mr.  Baber  off  and 
hired  Mr.  Grimes.  Atkins  asked  him  to  pay  him  oflF,  too,  but  would 
not  do  it,  tried  all  day  to  effect  it,  but  failed.  Took  in  freight  alt 
day,  will  be  ready  to  leave  in  the  morning.  Sallie  came  up  this 
evening,  took  some  passengers  and  went  on.  We  get  all  the  passen- 
gers we  can  accommodate.  Atkins  and  captain  finally  settled  their 
trouble,  and  A.  will  go  on,  hope  nothing  more  will  occur  to  make  it 
unpleasant.  Sallie  sparring  through  to  the  right  hand  way  below 
cut-off. 

Monday.  April  20,  1868. — Whistle  aroused  Atkins  from  pleasant 
dreams  with  his  family,  hastened  to  the  boat  and  left  at  daylight.  We 
went  up  the  left  hand  side  of  cut-off  very  close  and  not  much  water,, 
only  four  feet  with  stick  and  lead,  lost  several  hours  here.  Crossing 
out  of  first  right  hand  bend  Mr.  Grimes  got  too  high  in  backing 
down,  struck  a  snag  and  broke  fourteen  ribs,  laid  up  for  repairs, 
Atkins  sounded,  lost  seven  hours.  Octazia  passed  up  3 :45  p.  m.  We 
left  4:45  p.  m.,  had  trouble  in  second  crossing,  laid  up  for  nighty 
sounded,  fifteen  miles  from  Sioux  City. 

Tuesday,  April  21, 1868. — Left  at  daylight,  got  over  without  much 
trouble.  Wood  six  miles  (by  land)  from  Sioux  City.  Atkins  sent 
letter  to  Mrs.  A.  Wooded  at  Hedge's  and  Granger's  upper  wood 
yard  11 :45  a.  m.  Weather  warm  and  windy.  River  falling.  Five 
miles  above  Ponca  we  found  the  Octavia  at  1 :30  p.  m.  trying  to 
spar  over.  We  tried  it  and  sounded.  Octazna  was  not  in  the  water, 
she  came  down  to  where  Atkins  sounded  and  went  through.  Grimes 
went  over  a  break  several  times.  We  sparred  through  behind  Octavia^ 


346  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


laid  soon  as  we  got  over.  Atkins,  Grimes  and  ladies  went  up  to 
Octavia  in  yawl. 

Wednesday,  April  22,  1868.— Started  the  Scarred  Wolf  at  day- 
light. Weather  cold  and  windy.  River  falling.  Passed  Octavia 
at  the  bank  putting  out  freight  to  get  over  bar,  says  there  is  three 
feet  three  inches.  We  jarred  ourselves  with  it,  and  comenced  spar- 
ring over.  Benton  hove  in  sight  about  6  a.  m.  Benton's  yawl  came 
up  past  us  sounding.  We  got  over  9 :4r>,  then  the  Octaina  came  in 
and  began  sparring  over.  Windy.  We  crossed  over  to  first  left 
point,  sounded  long  time,  found  four  feet  three  inches  between  bars 
next  to  lower  chute.  Laid  up  for  wind.  Sensible.  Octavia  came  up 
at  6:15  p.  m.  and  laid  by.  Grimes  kpocked  a  hole  in  Bertha  here, 
small  one.    We  camped  on  sand  bar. 

Thursday,  April  23,  1868. — Got  under  way  at  daylight.  Octavia 
sounded  last  night  above  us  and  in  the  chute  above  where  the  water 
is,  and  this  morning  rushed  frantically  into  it  so  as  to  get  over  before 
we  did.  But  we  did  not  propose  to  go  that  way,  we  went  in  the  chute 
we  sounded  yesterday  and  came  through  all  right.  Peninah  came 
up  and  followed  us,  then  Octavia  came  out  and  followed  us.  Benton 
came  in  sight,  and  into  the  Octavia' s  chute  she  went.  Octavia  passed 
us  and  was  there  aground.  Wooded  below  lona,  Octavia  went  on, 
we  left  Peninah  aground.  Caught  Octai  ia  at  Vermillion  island  12 
m.  We  got  over  ahead,  then  she  passed  us.  Atkins  struck  break 
this  eve,  did  not  show,  hurt  nothing.     Laid  below  B island. 

Friday,  April  24,  1868. — Started  at  daylight,  two  inches  of  snow 
fell  last  night.  Weather  cold  and  rainy.  River  rose  five  inches, 
river  bad  below  Yankton.  Landed  below  Octavia  at  Yankton,  11 
a.  m.  Left  11:30  a.  m.,  Octavia  ahead.  Atkins  mailed  letter,  re- 
ceived none.  Had  trouble  in  finding  water  at  Frankfort.  Went 
up  the  bluff,  but  not  until  every  other  place  had  been  tried.  La 
Barge  told  a  lie,  and  by  this  means  got  over  first,  but  we  caught  him 
and  laid  above  him  at  Bonhomme  island.  John  Poindexter  called 
on  Atkins  this  eve.* 

Saturday,  April  25,  1868. — Got  awav  at  daylight,  but  did  not  find 
the  place,  log  got  in  rudder,  had  to  land  and  get  it  out.  Octavia 
went  out  from  shoulder  of  island,  we  up  the  shore.  Weather  pleas- 
ant, but  cool.  Wooded  10  a.  m.  above  creek,  came  on  below  Run- 
nimr  water,  there  we  ha.l  trouble.  .Sounded  up  left  shore,  found 
water,  tried  it,  but  it  was  no  go.  Then  Atkins  sounded  and  found 
the  water  and  went  on.  The  Peninah  came  up  and  went  over  first. 
We  got  in  the  wrong  chute  again.    Laid  at  Ponka  agency  9  :15  a.  m. 

Sunday,  April  26.  1868. — Peninah  came  up  at  4  a.  m.,  she  started 
out  ahead.  We  passed  bar.  We  eot  too  high  and  she 
w^ent  by.  Passed  Yankton  agency  9  a.  m.  Sighted  Oc- 
tavia,  but     she     got     away     from     us.      Passed     Randall.      Cap- 

*John  Poindexter  was  a  passenger  en  the  Octai'ia. 


STATE    OF     NORTH    DAKOTA  347 

tain  said  yesterday  that  he  would  land  at  the  fort,  so 
we  expected  to  receive  and  mail  letters,  but  he,  the  captain,  changed 
his  mind  and  did  not  land.  River  has  been  very  bad  all  day.  We 
laid  up  for  the  night  at  first  island  above  Randall.  Peninah  with  us. 
Has  been  a  beautiful  day. 

Monday,  April  27,  1868. — ^Left  our  camp  at  daylight.  Weather 
fine.  River  falling  slowly.  About  11  a.  m.  we  came  up  with  the 
Octavia  some  twenty-five  miles  above  Randall,  she  is  out  in  a  middle 
chute  sparring  over.  We  sounded  and  found  there  was  not  room 
enough  for  us  to  pass,  and  into  middle  dry  bar.  Peninah  landed  below. 
After  dinner  sounded  up  right  shore,  and  went  up  and  sparred  over. 
Peninah  went  up  by  Octavia  and  lightened.  We  got  over  at  6:30 
p.  m.,  Octavia  about  same  time.  We  wooded  and  laid  up  for  the 
night  at  first  island  above,  thirty  miles  from  Randall. 

Tuesday,  April  28,  1868. — Started  at  daylight,  had  a  very  bad 
river.  Wooded  on  island  where  Pochahontas  sunk,  9  a.  m.  Octavia 
and  Peninah  behind.  Sounded  shore  at  foot  of  island  below,  all 
rocks.  Octavia  sounded  right  of  island.  Weather  warm  and  looks 
like  rain.  Rain  falling.  Passed  Brick  Kiln  3  p.  m.,  ran  shore  very 
close,  had  little  trouble  above  Bijou's  hills.  Wooded  in  right  hand 
bend  above.  Have  been  ahead  all  day.  Laid  up  for  the  night  at 
the  first  left  hand  bluff  above  Bijou's  hills.  Octavia  laid  at  wood 
yard  below  us. 

Wednesday,  April  29,  1868. — Left  at  daylight.  Weather  cool  and 
^vindy.  River  falling.  Wind  very  strong.  Atkins  shot  at  grouse 
and  sage  hen.  Landed  for  wind  and  to  wood  seven  miles  below 
White  river  10:35  a.  m.  Left  at  12:25  p.  m.  Went  up  outside  of 
towhead  below  White  river,  sounded  and  backed  out.  Went  up  in- 
side, huge  rocks  all  along  bluflF.  Passed  White  river  4:30  p.  m., 
found  Ida  Stockdale  below  American  island,  she  was  sounding.  We 
got  over  first  and  landed  on  right  shore  just  below  island,  shore 
"below  very  close.  Have  not  seen  Octavia  or  Peninah  since  8  a.  m. 
Large  fires  on  both  sides  of  the  river. 

Thursday,  April  30, 1868. — Got  the  Scarred  Wolf  out  and  at  'em  at 
break  of  day.  Passed  Stockdale  at  left  prairie  below  old  Fort  Look- 
<5ut.  Weather  cool.  Wooded  on  the  prairie.  7  a.  m.  at  Brule 
agency.  Passed  Fort  Thompson  11  a.  m.  Windy  above  the  fort, 
crossing  over  into  foot  of  Big  bend,  the  wind  blowing  a  gale  at  the 
time,  we  got  too  hiijh,  got  over  after  a  little  delay.  Went  up  bluflF, 
laid  up  for  the  night  and  to  put  a  coupling  on  rudder,  only  had  the 
use  of  three  rudders  since  the  wind  blew  us  too  high  below  foot  of 
bend.    Saw  Henry  Atkins. 

Friday,  May  1,  18G8. — Saw  first  beaver  6  :30  p.  m.  head  Big  bend. 
Started  at  daylight.  Boat  refused  to  go.  Captain  Arnold  sounded 
in  person,  reports  no  water  where  Atkins  found  three  feet  ten  inches, 
so  he  will  spar  her  over  three  feet  three  inches,  it  is  one  of  the  most 
mulish  tricks  I  have  ever  seen.    After  sparring  up  over  three  feet 


34  3  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

three  inches,  could  not  get  out,  so  had  to  go  back  down  the  bluff,  and 
come  up  lower  way.  Ida  Stockdale  worked  all  night,  and  this  morn- 
ing is  lightening  over  upper  bar,  we  came  over  without  any  trouble. 
Wooded  off  bar.  Wooded  on  dry  point  12  m.  Grimes  broke  twenty 
timbers  below  St.  John's  Landing.  L^d  up  10 :45  p.  m.  on  left  bluff 
above  Medicine  creek,  Stockdale  above  us. 

Saturday,  Alay  2.  1808.— Started  at  dayliijht,  siehted  Henry  At- 
kins 7  a.  m.  above  D island  going  up  right  bluff.    Weather  cool 

and  windy.  River  on  a  stand.  Boat  made  three  inches  of  water  last 
nio^ht  caused  bv  the  break  she  received  yesterday.  Caueht  Henry 
Atkins  at  old  Fort  George,  got  aground,  got  off  and  tried  to  make 
crossing.  Atkins  and  us  failed,  so  into  the  right  shore  we  went  and 
laid  up  for  wind,  Stockdale  at  our  head.  Mr.  Ben  Adams  from  the 
Atkins  called.  Wooded  here.  Wind  blowing  a  gale,  wind  lulled  at 
sunset  and  off  we  put,  increased  again,  had  trouble  getting  over  bar. 
Laid  up  for  night  five  miles  above  old  Fort  George,  same  side. 

Sunday,  May  3,  1868. — Left  at  daylight.  Weather  cold  and  windy. 
River  on  a  stand.  Atkins  grounded.  Stockdale  and  Bertha  went  on 
away  up  left  hand  willow  bar,  found  Fort  Benton.,  Sounded  and 
backed  out,  went  through  bars  next  to  lower  chute.  River  bad. 
Wind  got  so  strong  opposite  head  Farm  island  we  had  to  land.  All 
this  happened  at  11 :45  a.  m.  Wind  detained  us  until  after  supper, 
then  we  started,  and  after  figuring  around  for  some  time  we  landed 
about  three  miles  above  where  we  started  from.  Atkins  got  aground. 
(Thirty  days  out). 

Monday,  May  4,  1868. — Atkins  came  up  about  2  a.  m.  We  left 
at  daylight,  got  too  high  at  mouth  of  Little  Mo.  and  Atkins  went  by. 
Wooded  8  a.  m.  opposite  old  Fort  Laframboy  (LaFrambois).  Took 
eight  cords  wood  and  paid  for  seven,  it's  nobody  but  Indians,  no 
harm  to  steal  from  them,  but  if  they  shoot  some  precious  cuss  like 
our  clerk  or  captain,  why  thcv  should  all  be  killeil.  This  boat  will 
have  a  fine  name  if  she  continues  to  steal  as  she  has  been  doing. 
Landed  near  Fort  Sully  4:30  p.  m.  Mailed  letters,  received  none. 
Had  trouble  above,  also  opposite  English  point  up  through  middle. 
We  got  over  and  laid  up  at  head  of  left  bend.  Atkins  did  not  get 
over. 

Tuesday,  May  5,  1868. — Left  our  camp  at  daylight.  Weather  cool. 
River  falling.  Yesterday  while  trying  to  get  over  the  bar  above 
old  Fort  Laframl)ov,  came  in  alongside  of  Atkins,  the\'  tried  to  hoist 
their  yawl  up,  boats  caught  it  below  guards  and  mashed  it.  Wood- 
ed 6 :30  a.  m.  below  Big  Cheyenne  and  10  a.  m.  in  bend  above. 
Windy  and  rainy.  Started  out  11 :30  a.  m.  Atkins  laid  up  foot  of 
island,  we  started  into  right  hand  way,  wind  stronc:,  did  not  find 
channel,  got  aground,  broke  hog  chain,  finally  got  off  and  into  shore 
below  Atkins.  Captain  says  this  river  is  fit  for  no  man  to  steamboat 
in,  don't  like  running  in  wind.  Stockdale  and  Pcninah  came  up  and 
went  bv.    Stockdale  landed  above,  Pcninah  went  on,  we  remained. 


STATE  OF   NORTH    DAKOTA  349 


Wednesday,  May  6,  1868. — ^Weather  cold  and  rainy,  with  strong 
N.  N.  W.  wind.  We  started  out,  and  finally  wind  and  reef  banked 
us.  Stockdale  went  by,  Atkins  landed  below.  We  got  line  to  dry 
bar  and  hauled  out.  When  Atkins  came  up,  done  the  same  as  us. 
We  wooded  along  bluflF.  Very  windy.  Atkins  struck  rocks,  it's 
entirely  too  windv  to  rim,  my  ooinion  is  that  captain  wants  this  boat 
sunk.  Found  Huntsville  a«rf  Mountaineer,  there  is  six  boats  here 
now.  We  had  some  trouble  in  finding  and  getting  into  channel, 
finally  landed  on  right  hand  bar  for  wood  and  night.  Weather  cool 
and  rainv. 

Thursday,  May  7,  1868.— Got  the  Bertha,  Scarred  Wolf  or  Thief, 
as  she  is  sometimes  called,  under  way  at  daylight.  Weather  cool. 
River  falling.  Caught  Mountaineer  just  below  Pascall's  island 
10 :30  a.  m.,  she  broke  one  of  our  hog  chain  braces.  We  injured  our 
starboard  rudder,  landed  to  wood,  been  running  with  only  three  rud- 
ders this  eve.  Wooded  opposite  Pascal  island.  Mr.  Grimes  and 
captain  had  a  few  words.  Large  wood  yard  and  several  houses  on 
next  island  above  Pascal.  Laid  up  for  night  and  to  wood  at  foot  of 
big  left  hand  bluflF,  rocks  on  right  shore  below.  Boys  set  the  prairie 
on  fire. 

Friday,  May  8,  1868. — Started  at  daylight,  had  little  trouble  cross- 
ing out  from  bluflF.  Found  large  wood  yard  where  we  came  back 
to  left  hand  shore,  found  Mountaineer  laid  up  repairing  wheel,  snag 
below  her  looked  as  though  she  had  picked  it  up.  We  wooded  on 
left  shore  VZ  ni.  Mountaineer  passed  ud.  Weather  fine.  River 
falling.  Left  wood  pile  1 :30  p.  m.,  passedM(7Mn/am^^r  two  miles 
above  aground.  Passed  mouth  of  Moreau  6  p.  m.  Mr.  Grimes  got 
too  high,  Atkins  sounded,  found  water  on  opposite  side  of  the  river, 
did  not  get  back  until  after  dark.  Laid  up  just  above  Moreau.  Saw 
antelope  and  wolf  this  eve. 

Saturday,  May  9,  1868. — Left  at  daylight.  Weather  pleasant. 
River  raised  one-half  an  inch.  Mountaineer  passed  up  while  we  were 
backing  down.  Passed  Fox  island  6 :30,  got  aground  crossing  over 
above  Fox  island  7  :30  a.  m..  and  did  not  get  oflF  until  4  p.  m.,  six 
hours  of  this  time  was  lost  by  Captain  Arnold  refusing  to  spar  the 
boat  as  Atkins  wished  it  done.  Finally  after  dinner  Atkins  got  the 
mate  to  lay  a  line  and  pull  our  stern  oflF  a  reef  she  had  been  backed 
on  to,  and  she  went  out  all  right,  ran  to  left  of  first  large  island 
above. 

Sunday,  May  10,  1868. — We  laid  up  last  night  just  above  Battle 
creek.  Yesterday  Atkins  went  out  after  antelope,  got  none.  Started 
at  daylight,  sounded.  Atkins  found  water  with  boat  before  yawl. 
Octavia  came  up  this  morning.  Weather  cold  and  raihy.  Wooded 
on  left  shore  before  Ashley's  island  5 :30  a.  m.  Wood- 
ed a;2^in  at  11  a.  m.  Octavia  below  us.  This  afternoon 
the  wind  has  been  stron9^  anrl  the  river  close  and  bad.  We  landed 
to  wood  about  4 :30  p.  m.,  wind  went  down  and  we  left  at  6 :30  p. 


350  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


m.    Had  trouble  getting  over  to  left  hand  shore,  laid  up  at  9  p.  m 
on  left  point. 

Monday,  May  11, 1868. — Started  out  at  daylight.  Foggy.  Weath- 
er cool.  River  raised  a  little.  Saw  beaver.  Had  some  trouble  find- 
ing water  just  after  breakfast,  got  over  and  wooded  on  right  shore. 
Captain  forbid  pilots  having  coffee  before  breakfast,  he  is  getting 
very  low  down.  Wooded  on  bar  above  log  houses.  Reid  (a  passen- 
ger from  Mass.)  went  hunting,  saw  two  soldiers  on  horseback,  took 
them  for  Indians  and  he  made  the  best  time  to 'the  boat  that  is  on 
record.  One  of  the  cabin  boys  was  out  also,  he  saw  Indians,  was 
black  when  he  went  out  and  white  when  he  returned.  Took  cord 
wood  just  above  this,  named  Reid*s  Retreat,  forty  miles  below  Rice. 
Laid  four  miles  below  Beaver  river.    Octavia  above  us. 

Tuesday,  May  12,  1868. — Started  out  at  daylight,  had  trouble 
finding  water.  Weather  fine.  River  raising  slowly.  Captain  is  on 
the  war  path  this  morning,  he  scalped  the  porter  and  Dutch  cook. 
He  has  forbid  the  ladies  coming  to  the  pilot  house,  but  all  but  one 
came,  and  it  was  not  fear  that  kept  her  away.  The  dog  is  showing 
itself  very  plainly  in  him  and  Gault.  Every  passenger  is  down  on 
him.  Landed  at  Fort  Rice  3  p.  m.  Octavia  there  half  an  hour  ahead. 
We  left  at  3  p.  m.,  rope  ferry  here  got  line  in  our  wheel.  Landed  for 
night  and  wood  ten  miles  above  fort,  took  dead,  soggy  wood,  as  bad 
as  green. 

Wednesday,  May  13,  1868. — Started  out  at  dawn  today.  River 
is  raising  slowly.  Weather  fine.  Made  a  good  run  before  breakfast, 
also  before  dinner.  Soon  after  dinner  we  had  a  little  trouble,  had 
some  trouble  in  the  long  reach,  got  out  at  the  head  6  p.  m.  Saw 
antelope  this  a.  m.  Saw  snow  and  ice  on  bank  opposite  Assiniboine 
island.  l^Dat  ran  into  ice  bank  and  eot  a  little,  could  have  filled  ice 
box  in  one-half  an  hour,  but  we  are  in  too  big  a  hurry.  Had  some 
trouble  this  eve.  Laid  up  for  night  and  wood  on  right  bank  below 
Square  {  ?)  Inittes. 

Thursday,  May  11,  18()8. — .Started  at  daylight,  got  aground,  lost 
two  hours.  Weather  pleasant.  River  raised  11-2  inches.  Passed 
Square  (  ?)  buttes  at  8 :25  a.  m.,  eighty-five  miles  from  Rice,  they  are 
on  left  bank,  just  below  Painted  Woods.  Windv.  (Forty-one  days 
out).  Laid  up  at  Painted  Woods  for  wind  and  to  wood.  Hunters 
went  out,  got  nix.  Atkins  went  over  the  river  after  antelope,  killed 
curlew.  Amelia  Poc  came  up  this  eve,  she  laid  up  at  dark  and  we 
went  on.  finally  got  as  far  as  we  could  go  and  laid  up,  don't  think 
it's  right  chute. 

Friday,  Mav  15,  18r>8.-Started  at  davlicfht.  Mitr  buttine 
around  for  a  time,  broke  seven  wheel  arms,  Atkins  sounded  and 
found  three  feet.  Poc  went  up  other  side  and  we  backed  out.  Poe 
is  five  miles  ahead,  all  for  night  work.  Weather  fine.  River  rais- 
ing slowly.  Calico  brigade  triumphant.  Captain  Arnold  and  Captain 
Gault  have  found  out  that  thev  are  not  wanted  at  the  table  with 


STATE    OF     NORTH     DAKOTA  351 


the  ladies,  so  they  eat  at  the  second  table.  Passed  old  Fort  Clark  12 
m.  Wooded  on  left  bar  above  Red  bluffs.  Laid  up  here  for  night. 
Atkins  and'  others  went  out  to  bluffs  and  found  snow  five  feet  deep. 
Mosquitoes  very  bad. 

Saturday,  May  16,  1868. — Left  our  camp  at  early  dawn.  Weather 
cool.  River  falling  slowly.  Atkins  shot  a  huge  wolf.  Arrived  at 
Fort  Stevenson  8  a.  m.,  put  off  two  boxes  and  some  letters.  Arrived 
at  Berthold.  1 :15  p.  m.  got  a  beef,  left  at  2  p.  m. 
Twelve  miles  above  we  met  white  men  and  Indians  in  boat,  told  us 
that  Stockdale  and  Peninah  had  been  fired  into  by  Indians  twenty 
miles  above.  Wooded  just  above,  third  point  from  fort.  Ladies  are 
terribly  frightened  and  the  captain  don't  know  whether  he  is  afoot 
or  horseback.  Laid  up  for  the  night  on  left  shore,  twenty  miles 
above  fort. 

Sunday,  May  17,  1868. — Got  the  ship  under  way  at  dawn  of  day. 
Weather  delightful.  River  falling  slowlv.  We  have  about  two-thirds 
of  our  journey  accomplished.  Put  barricades  up  aroimd  pilot  house. 
Saw  horses  of  a  small  war  partv  12  m.  above  Little  Mo.  Passed 
Four  Bear  island  5  p.  m.  The  river  we  have  passed  over  today  has 
been  very  bad.  Laid  up  for  night  and  to  wood  on  left  shore  bar, 
ten  miles  above  Four  Bear  island.  Mosquitoes  terrible.  Saw  but 
little  era  me  today.  No  signs  of  war  as  yet.  Xot  seen  Foe  since 
morning*. 

Monday,  May  18,  1868. — Started  the  Ram  at  the  first  peep  of  day. 
Weather  warm.  River  falling.  Wooded  at  old  Indian  camp  ground 
on  left  bank,  fifteen  miles  above  Four  Bear  island,  left  at  8  a.  m. 
Large  piles  of  ice  on  bar  just  above.  Had  to  back  out  of  left  shore 
above  the  reef  of  rocks.  Had  little  trouble  making  crossing  over  to 
Coal  Bank  No.  1.  Houses  on  left  shore.  Very  hard  wind.  Passed 
White  Earth  river  3  p.  m.  Crossing  over  to  Buffalo  point  had  a  storm, 
snow  on  left  bluff  above  Buffalo  point.  Went  up  right  bar  and  had 
to  back  out.    Wooded  on  the  middle  bar  and  laid  un  for  the  ni^ht. 

Tuesday,  May  19,  1868.— Weather  fine.  River  falling.  Left  at 
dawn  of  dav.  Captain  and  Atkins  fell  out  again  todav,  captain  be- 
gan the  disturbance  because  the  boat  was  not  handled  to  suit  him, 
the  wind  was  blowing  a  perfect  gale  at  the  time,  the  crossing  was 
hard  to  eet  into  and  Atkins  was  doine  his  best.  Landed  to  wood  op- 
posite Strawberry  island  12  m..  terrible  wind  has  been  blowin^:  all 
dav.  Wooded  all  evening,  and  after  supper  took  it  in.  Wind  still 
blowin<r.  Did  not  get  the  wood  in  until  after  dark,  so  will  remain 
here  all  night.     Rain  falling  (river  raising). 

Wednesday,  May  20,  1868.— Started  at  3:30  a.  m.,  went  to  the 
rifjht  of  Strawberry  island,  got  to  head  and  could  not  get  out.  so  md- 
ed,  and  backed  out  and  went  between  island  up  shore  past  coal  banks. 
Passed  Tobacco  Garden  9  a.  m.  Made  good  run  this  forenoon. 
This  afternoon  .Atkins  ran  thirty-three  miles.  Passed  Looking  Class 
prairie  or  Big  Sandy  creek  7 :15  p.  m.    Had  a  hard  wind  and  rain 


352  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


storm  this  eve  just  below  the  first  cut-off,  landed  a  moment  for  it. 
Fine  ash  on  right  shore,  and  lots  of  good  wood  in  bends  below. 
Landed  opposite  Big  Sandy  to  wood  and  laid  up  for  night. 

Thursday,  May  21,  1868. — Forty-eight  days  out,  one-half  day  be- 
hind Ida  Fulton's  time  to  Buford.  Started  at  dawn  of  day.  Weath- 
er cool  and  pleasant.  River  raising  slowly.  Mate  put  a  stopper  on 
Captain  Gault  rushing  out  at  wood  piles,  he  is  in  a  bad  fix  now,  can't 
go  off  the  boat,  and  hardly  anv  one  will  converse  with  him  except 
Captain  Arnold.  They  are  a  fine  pair,  and  should  be  kept  together, 
but  not  on  a  steamboat,  for  this  (is)  a  business  they  have  no  knowl- 
edge of.  Wooded  on  left  bank  8  a.  m.,  thirty  miles  below  Buford. 
Skiff  with  Indians  and  white  man  came  down,  told  us  that  Invlians 
killed  men  above.  Left  9:15  a.  m.,  wooded  11  a.  m.,  could  have 
bought  ash  for  87.  Arrived  at  Buford  6  p.  m.  Laid  up  four  miles 
above  L^nion.     River  bad. 

Fridav,  Mav  22,  18G8.— Started  at  3 :30  a.  m.  Weather  cool.  River 
rising.  Changed  watches  breakfast  time,  just  below  Little  Muddy. 
(Had  Q^gs  for  breakfast),  second  cook  accidentally  threw  some 
water  on  mate,  some  words  passed  and  mate  shot  at  cook,  no  blood 
shed.  Wooded  below  Low  Rock  point  11  a.  m.  Left  after  dinner. 
Went  around  point  where  rock  in  middle  of  river,  it  is  dry,  never 
saw  it  so  before.  Passed  Big  Muddy  3:45  p.  m.  Wood  yard  just 
below.  Shot  at  black  tailed  deer  G  p.  m.  on  left  bluff.  Laid  up  to 
wood  7  p.  m.  on  rij^ht  bank  just  below  where  we  laid  up  with  Fulton 
to  repair  steam  pipe.    Ran  sixty-five  or  seventy  miles. 

Saturday.  May  23,  18(18. — Left  our  camp  at  daylight,  ran  one  and 
one-half  miles,  and  got  on  tail  of  upper  bar.  lost  six  hours.  Left  10 
a.  m.  Weather  fine.  River  risine:  fast.  Passed  lots  of  fine  drift  on 
bar  below  Cannon  Ball  bluff.  Came  up  left  bar,  then  crossed  over 
to  right  bank,  below  micKlle  dry  lump.  12  :45  p.  m.  passed  fine  cord 
wood  in  right  bend,  $n  per  cord,  took  none.  Houses  in  bend  below 
old  Fort  AfcKenzie,  parsed  here  2  p.  m.  Passed  Poplar  river  6  p. 
m.  landed  to  wood  and  for  nie^ht.  the  meanest  place  that  could  be 
found.  Mrs.  B.  told  Captain  A.  that  the  white  folks  had  been  to 
supper,  he'd  better  get  his  now. 

Sunday,  May  21.  18G8.— Started  little  before  daylight.  Weather 
cool,  cloudy  and  rainy.  Passed  Skeleton  bend  all  right.  River  in 
reach  above  is  very  bad.  Wooded  on  right  shore  7  a.  m.  to  wood, 
took  twenty  cords,  all  there  was,  no  one  here  to  get  pay  for  it. 
Could  not  get  out  and  had  to  go  back  and  up  the  left  shore.  Hard 
rain  this  morning.  This  is  Spread  Eagle  camp.  Passed  old  Fort 
Charles  4 :15  p.  m.  Just  above  we  began  to  meet  barrels,  boxes,  etc., 
picked  up  two  or  three  barrels  of  dried  apples,  etc.,  they  belong  to 
Amelia  Poe.  Passed  Wolf  point  6  p.  m.,  took  man  on  here  that  says 
he  was  left  off  the  Poe.  Picked  up  some  barrels  of  stores  of  the  Poe. 
Landed  at  9  p.  m.  on  right  bank. 

Monday,  May  25,  1808. — Left  at  daylight.  Weather  cool.  River 
rising.    We  have  a  very  sick  lady  on  board,  Mrs.  Crounse  from  Wis- 


STATE    OF     NORTH     DAKOTA  353 

consin.  About  6  p.  m.  we  found  the  Poc  at  the  head  of  a  bhiff  on 
right  shore,  ten  miles  below  Porcupine  creek.  Landed  and  took 
freight  and  pasengers.^  Left  9  a.  m.,  sent  some  letters  back  by  Mr. 
Joseph  Fecto,  pilot  of  Poe,  Passed  Milk  river  4 :30.  Met  two  cakes 
of  ice  here.  Took  hunters  aboard  below  mouth.  Had  any  amount 
of  trouble  here  and  below.  Grimes  and  captain  had  a  row.  Wooded 
on  right  bend  above  Milk  river  6  p.  m.  Left  7,  got  up  to  left  point 
above  old  Fort  Copilin  (Copeland)  and  laid  up.    Rain  and  wind. 

Tuesdav,  May  26, 1868.— Started  6ut  daylight.  Weather  cold  and 
windy.  Had  little  trouble  getting  over  to  right  shore,  got  up  shore 
near  old  Fort  Galpin,  sounded  and  backed  down.  Landed  to  repair 
rudder  coupling.  Atkins  sounded.  Started  9  a.  m.  Order  posted  on 
steps  forbidding  passengers  coming  into  the  pilot  house.  Passed  Fort 
Peck  12 :30  p.  m.,  it  is  in  first  right  bend  above  Dry  Fork.  Deer  Lodge 
left  here  yesterday  with  the  freight  she  put  out  on  her  first  trip. 
.Took  cabin  for  wood  4  p.  m.  on  right  point.  Captain  paid  carpenter 
off  this  eve,  think  the  thing  has  been  concocted.  Laid  up  at  wood 
vard  thirtv-five  miles  above  Fort  Peck. 

Wednesday,  May  27,  1868.— Started  the  Thief  dawn  of  day. 
Weather  fine.  River  on  a  stand.  From  breakfast  to  dinner  the  river 
has  been  bad.  Landed  on  right  towhead  for  storm.  Met  Cora  at  next 
towhead  18  miles  below  Round  butte,  12 :15  p.  m.  Passed  Round  butte 
5  p.  m.  About  7 :30  we  saw  first  buflFalo,  landed  and  put  out  sixteen 
men,  of  course,  they  got  nowhere  near  them,  but  frightened  them 
across  the  river.  Detained  the  boat  about  one-half  hour,  and  lots 
of  fnn  langhinc:  at  them.  Mrs.  Crounse  is  a  little  better  this  eve. 
Landed  to  wood  and  for  the  ni<^ht  on  left  shore.  9  p.  m. 

Thursday,  May  28,  1868. — ^Departed  at  daylight.  Weather  fine. 
River  risin^r  slowly.  Wooded  on  right  point  7  a.  m.  Passed  /.  H. 
Trover  8 :45  a.  m.  Captain  ordered  carpenter  out  of  pilot  house,  put 
man  off  in  skiff  at  next  point  above.  Lots  of  wood  here.  Mrs.  Crounse 
still  improving.  Landed  to  wood  in  left  hand  bend  below  Muscle 
Shell  (river)  3:30  p.  m.  Left  6  o'clock.  Passed  Muscle  Shell 
(river)  6:^^  p.  m.  Soldiers  buildings  post  above  the  river.  Ran 
until  0  p.  m.  and  laid  up  on  the  right  shore.  Have  made  about 
eightv  miles  todav.    Everything  quiet  along  our  lines  this  eve. 

Fridav.  Mav  29,  1868.— Started  at  davligfht.  Weather  cold.  River 
risincf.  Atkins  got  off  and  went  across  point  to  Fort  Hawley,  found 
Foxie  and  Tom  Campbell  there,  also  Jake.  They  said  A.  took  big 
chances  coming  across  the  point,  as  the  Sioux  were  here  everv  day  or 
two.  P>oat  came  up  and  put  Jake's  gun  and  some  whiskey  off  for  the 
bovs.  5:30  p.  m.  wanted  some  wood,  but  were  in  such  a  hurry 
could  not  wait  to  find  out  where  it  was.  Found  Sncccss  10  a.  m.,  came 
a:r  rgside  of  her.    Met  Only  Chance  10 :45  a.  m.  Passed  Little  Rocky 


*They  landed  and  took  on  board  the  freigibt  and  passengers  of  the  Amelia 
Poe. 


354  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


12:30  p.  m.  Met  Deer  Lodge  4:30  p.  m.,*  Two  Calf  island  5:15. 
Laid  up  on  Baj^gage  island  6  p.  m.  to  wood  and  clean  our  boilers. 

Saturday,  May  30,  1868.— Got  the  wood  in  and  started  4  a.  m. 
River  falling.  Weather  cool.  Took  thirty-two  cords  (so  Gault 
says.)  Mrs.  Crounse  is  very  low.  Passed  Cow  island  8:45  a.  m.,  five 
feet.  Above  Cow  island  we  saw  a  buffalo,  fired  several  shots  at  him, 
but  he  still  lives.  Met  Sallie  11 :20  a.  m.,  hailed  her  and  got  a  doctor 
for  Mrs.  Crounse.  A.  sent  a  letter  by  Sallie,,  Arrived  at  Dauphin's 
rapids  7  p.  m.,  went  up  right  side,  backed  out  and  went  up  left  side, 
got  line  out.  Atkins  sounded,  found  four  feet,  set  a  few  spars  and 
came  over  all  right.    Got  landed  above  the  rapids  11  p.  m. 

Sunday,  May  31,  1868! — Ere  the  first  blush  of  morn  again  had  re- 
turned we  were  out  and  aeain  under  way.  River  fell  one  and  one- 
half  inches,  11  p.  m.  till  3  a.  m.  Met  5*^  Luke  three  miles  ^bove 
Dauphin's.  Wooded  on  Taper's  island  9  a.  m.,  left  10 :20.  Landed  at 
Camp  Cook  11:40.  Arrived  at  Dead  Man's  rapids  12:20  p.  m.,  laid 
a  warp.  Took  pine  wood  just  above  the  rapids.  Had  some  rain  this 
eve.  Coal  bank  has  been  opened  about  five  miles  above  Dauphin's. 
Met  Nile  5 :  30  p.  m.  below  Pablois  rapids,  Miner  7 :  30  at  Steamboat. 
Hpd  little  trouble  just  above.    Laid  up  at  Hole  in  the  Wall. 

Mondav.  Tune  1,  18f)8. — Started  at  4  a.  m..  did'not  get  li^fht  be- 
iovf'.  Rqin  began  to  fall  at  12  o'clock  last  night  and  continued  until 
7  this  mornine.  Weather  cold.  River  stationary.  Changed  watches 
7  a.  m.  five  miles  above  Eagle  creek.  Went  to  left  of  first  island. 
Landed  at  coal  banks  9  :30  a.  m.,  got  a  few  boxes  of  coal  (given  to 
\^s^  and  went  up  to  first  bier  island  in  behind  middle  bar  and  took 
green  cotton  cord  wood.  Left  island  2  p.  m.  Current  is  very 
strong  and  our  prosfress  is  very  slow.  We  killed  two  white  tailed 
deer  this  eve.  Landed  at  10  p.  m.  just  below  mouth  of  Marias  river 
on  left  bank  for  the  night. 

Tuesdav,  Tune  2,  1868. — Sixtv  davs  out.  Started  for  Benton  at 
davlight.  Weather  cold  and  rain  v.  Met  Henry  Atkins  just  above 
old  Fort  Bruler  8  a.  m.  Had  a  little  trouble  getting  over  gravel  reef 
here.  Steward  and  deck  passengers  had  a  fight  here,  all  of  the 
passengers  are  verv  much  displeased  with  the  treatment  they  have  re- 
ceived from  captain,  clerk  and  steward.  Arrived  at  Benton  4  p.  m. 
Htintsinlle,  Peninah,  Stockdale,  Mountaineer,  Oetavia  and  Antelope 
in  port.  Commenced  putting  out  freight.  Atkins  met  several 
friends.     Eleven  and  three-quarter  days  from  Union. 

Wednesday,  Tune  3,  1808. — Weather  clear  and  cold.  River  on  a 
stand.  Boats  all  busy  discharging  freight.  Benton  has  grown  some 
durin*^  the  last  year,  and  now.  with  seven  boats  discharging  freight 
and  huge  trains  arrivin^f  and  departing,  presents  quite  a  business 
appearance.  Town  is  full  of  people,  rooms  are  worth  any  price, 
horses  are  high  and  transportation  hard  to  get.  Coaches  are  behind 
and  seats  engaged  several  days  ahead.  Some  of  our  passengers  left 
this  eve.    Mrs.  Croimse  was  removed  to  a  hotel,  is  improving  rapidly. 


STATE    OF     NORTH     DAKOTA  355 


Captain  of  Mountaineer  wanted  Atkins  to  exchange  with  Mr.  Trip, 
one  of  his  pilots. 

Thursday,  June  4,  1868.— Weather  cold.  Rain  fell  last  night. 
River  on  a  stand.  Captain  of  Mountaineer  sent  for  Atkins  again  this 
morning,  but  Captain  Arnold  would  not  let  him  go,  offered  him 
Grimes,  but  did  not  want  him.  Mountaineer  left  9  a.  m.,  Antelope 
10 :20.  Captain  Arnold  wants  Atkins  to  run  the  boat  to  Sioux  City. 
Carpenter,  steward  and  cooks  discharged.  Delivered  Jas.  Gallagher's 
barrel  of  dried  fruit  to  Lieutenant  Chance.  Our  passengers  left  this 
eve.  Peninah  left  4  a.  m.  One  of  our  deck  hands  died  about  9  :30 
this  eve. 

Friday,  June  5,  1868. — ^Weather  fine,  a  little  shower  of  rain  fell 
last  night.  River  rising.  Mr.  Brainard  and  lady  left  this  a.  m. 
Buried  our  deck  hand,  Robt.  French.  Are  not  through  with  our 
freight  yet,  have  been  here  three  days  and  over  trying  to  get  through 
with  this  little  dab  of  freight.  Finally,  after  clerk  and  agent  going 
all  over  town  several  times,  we  got  it  all  right,  and  left  at  sundown, 
one  passenger  only.  Ran  down  five  miles  and  landed,  head  down 
stream,  at  a  wood  ])ilc  on  left  hand  side.  Will  remain  here  all  night. 

Saturday,  June  G,  1868. — Departed  at  daylight.  Weather  cool. 
River  stationary.  We  got  into  the  bank  below  where  tent  is  on  the 
left  shore.  Hnntsvillc  came  down  and  passed  us,  into  the  bank  she 
went.  Passed  Antelope  at  foot  of  island  above  Fort  Bruler,  hard 
aground, nearly  dry  forward.  Passed  mouth  of  Marias  6  :10  a.m.  Met 
Lacon  and  Guidon  below  Hole  in  the  Wall  11  a.  m.  Landed  at  Camp 
Cooke  12  m.  Passed  Dauphin's  1:45  p.  m..  Cow  island  4  p.  m., 
Grand  island  5.  Saw  buffalo  on  top  of  high  bluff  on  right,  had  an 
engagement  with  the  buflfalo.  captain  fired  a  musket  that  (had)  sev- 
eral loads  in  it,  came  near  kicking  his  head  ofF.^  Laid  up  10  p.  m. 
above  Fort  Hawley,  took  a  little  wood. 

Sunday,  June  7,  1868. — Under  way  at  daylight.  River  rising. 
Weather  cool.  Passed  Muscle  Shell  6  a.  m.  Passed  Trover  point 
8 :45,  any  quantity  of  wood  on  next  point  above  Trover's.  Wooded 
9  :lo  at  same  place  as  we  wooded  going  up.  Left  at  11  a.  m.  Passed 
Round  butte  2  p.  m.  Met  Yorktown  6  :20  p.  m.  Landed  to  wood 
7  p.  ni.,  wooded  here  goin^  up.     Indians  ran  the  wood  choppers  in 


*The  cabin  boy  had  a  grudge  of  long  standing  against  Capt.  Arnold  and 
had  been  told  how  he  could  pay  off  the  score.  It  was  his  duty  to  keep  clein 
tlie  loaded  muskets  in  a  rack  outside  the  captain's  room.  One  of  these 
Opt.  Arnold  reserved  especially  for  himself  and  was  very  particular  about 
its  being  kept  clean.  The  cabin  boy  had  to  fire  off  the  muskets  occasionally, 
clean  and  reload  them.  This  duty  he  forgot  to  perform  for  the  captain's 
musket,  but  instead  he  put  in  an  extra  load  and  rammed  it  down  hard.  The 
musket  not  only  cut  the  captain's  cheek  open  and  knocked  him  flat  on  the 
deck,  but  the  recoil  carried  the  musket  across  to  the  opposite  side  of  the 
beat  and  overboard  into  the  river. 


350  STATK    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 

this  evenintj.^  Had  any  amount  of  bad  river  this  evening  and  wind. 
too.  Set  one  spar,  ran  it  half  down.  Laid  up  at  this  wood  yard  for 
the  night.    Wind  has  troubled  us  very  much  today. 

Monday,  June  8,  1868. — Off  for  home  at  peep  of  day.  Weather 
cool  River  swelling  slowly.  Met  Ida  Reese  above  Peck  5 :30  a.  m. 
Passed  Fort  Peck  6 :  35  a.  m.,-  Benton  here,  have  beaten  her  in  this 
race,  10:  2k  Met  Andy  Ackley  above  old  Fort  Copilin  (Copeland) 
11  a.  m.,  Hiram  Wood  below  12  m.,  North  Alabama  came  up  chute 
opposite  Milk  river  1  p.  m.  We  lost  a  little  time  aground  here,  at 
the  mouth  of  Milk  river  we  lost  a  little  more.  Huntsinlle  came  down, 
we  landed  at  wood  yard  on  Wolf  point  for  the  night  and  to  wood. 
Atkins  sold  Hawkins  rifle,  $60,  also  powder,  bullets,  etc.  Everybody 
on  the  trail  tonight. 

Tuesday,  June  9,  1868. — Off  for  home  at  daylight.  Weather  fine. 
River  falling.  Found  Fannie  Barker  at  the  bank,  boilers  burned 
five  miles  below  wood  yard.  Importer  4 :55  below  old  Fort  Charles. 
About  6  a.  m.  we  found  ^vq  buffaloes  in  the  river,  killed  three,  got 
one  ashore.  Have  been  tlirough  several  buffalo  excitements,  but  this 
beats  them  all,  this  was  at  Spread  Eagle  camp.  Stockdale  and 
Ihintsvillc  passed  us  here.  7  a.  m.  found  Stockdale  and  Huntsiille 
in  Skeleton  bend.  Laid  up  for  wind,  so,  of  course,  we  must  come  in, 
too.  Countrv  en  the  ritrbt  bank  is  black  with  buffalo,  9:20  a.  m.  De- 
parted  3:30  p.  m.,  Biq-  Muddy  8:40  p.  m.  Laid  up  10  p.  m.,  eigh- 
teen miles  below  Big  Muddy. 

Wc(hirsdnv,  June  10.  1868. — Away  we  eo  for  home  at  dawn  of 
day.     Weather  fine.     River  stationary.     Met  Columbia  and   Viola 

'When  they  landed  to  wood  at  7  p.  m.  they  were  hailed  by  a  man  who 
put  his  head  out  of  the  cnhin  door  and  cilled,  "Lookout,  the  woods  are  full 
of  Indians.*'  Evcry(;ne  got  his  j^un  ready  and  presently  the  three  woodchop- 
pcrs  came  dt-wn  to  the  hoat  and  told  their  story.  It  seemed  that  their  oxen 
wore  left  to  graze  in  the  woods  at  night  and  on  this  particular  morning  one 
of  the  men  went  to  drive  them  in  and  found  their  track  leading  away  from 
the  cahin  and  some  moccasin  prints  in  the  trail.  This  he  recognized  as  a 
dtvice  of  the  Indians  to  di^aw  him  into  am])ush  and  he  retreated  to  the  cabin 
and  told  his  cimpiiiions  of  his  discovery.  The  baffled  Indians  then  began 
their  attack  and  had  kept  it  up  all  day  from  the  woods  and  behind  the  wood- 
piles on  every  side  of  their  clearing.  As  the  steaml>oat  left  they  were  warn- 
ed it  was  safer  for  them  at  Ft.  Peck  and  they  were  invited  to  go  there  on 
the  hoat.  They  refused  to  Unve  their  woodyard  and  d-eclared  themselves 
ready  to  fight  it  out  with  the  Indians. 

'When  the  boat  arrived  at  Ft.  Peck  this  morning  the  woodchoppers  were 
already  there.  They  told  Atkins  that  after  the  boat  had  left  the  previous 
night  the  Indians  had  ch  ^ed  in -on  them  in  such  numbers  and  at  surh  ad- 
vantage that  they  saw  their  po«iition  was  hopeless.  Their  cabin  was  of  wood 
and  piles  of  wond  on  every  side  offered  abundant  m<'ans  of  driving  th-.*m 
from  cover  by  fire.  So  after  dark  they  made  a  sudden  dash  out  of  the 
cabin,  killing  an  Indian  in  front  of  the  door  and  got  away  into  the  woods 
where  in  the  darknt«;s  they  were  not  followed  by  the  rest  of  the  Indians. 
If  the  boat  lay  at  this  woodyard  all  night  as  the  log  for  June  says,  it  must 
have  been  at  a  considerable  distance  since  no  one  on  the  boat  heard  the  fir- 
ing or  knew  of  the  fight  till  they  heard  of  it  from  the  woodchoppers  at  Ft. 
Peck. 


STATE     OF     NORTH     DAKOTA  357 

Belle  about  fourteen  miles  above  Union,  6  a.  m.  Landed  at  Fort 
Buford  7:30  a.  m.  Met  Uritda  sevenfy-five  miles  below  Buford 
12:20  p.  m.  (nineteen  days  and  four  hours  to  Benton  and  return). 
At  Fort  Buford  we  took  several  guards  and  a  prisoner  (the  soldier 
that  shot  the  English  officer  on  the  Octavia  in  '67).  Captain  inquired 
of  Atkins  for  the  first  time  on  the  trip  in  regard  to  wood.  We 
landed  for  wood  at  old  Indian  camp  and  laid  up  for  the  night,  7 :45 
Huntsville  passed  down. 

Thursday,  June  11,  1868. — ^Left  our  bed  at  daylight.  Weather 
pleasant.  River  falling.  Got  aground  below  Four  Bear  island  in 
bend  on  head  of  middle  bar,  lost  four  and  one-half  hours.  Passed 
Little  Mo.  12  m.,  took  two  cords  dry  wood  on  right  shore,  as  we  left 
Indian  came  on  bank  and  hailed  us,  but  we  did  not  stop  to  pay  him 
for  it.  2:30  just  above  Berthold,  three  more  cords,  no  one  here. 
Baker  at  Buford  made  us  pay  for  twenty  cords  of  ash  taken  on  the 
bank  as  we  went  up.  Arrived  at  Berthold  2 :50  p.  m.,  took  five  and 
one-half  cords  below  fort,  and  here  came  the  Indian  for  his  two 
cords  of  wood  we  took.  Aeain  we  stopped  where  nobody  was,  they 
came  before  we  left.  Landed  at  Fort  Stevenson  5 :30  p.  m.  LaW  up 
below  Fort  Clark. 

Friday,  June  12,  1868. — Were  visited  by  a  terrific  storm  last  night 
of  wind  and  rain.  Did  not  get  an  early  start  on  account  of  the 
weather.  River  looked  all  day  yesterday  like  it  was  rising.  We  got 
aground  above  Painted  Woods.  Met  Tom  Stevens  and  Silver  Lake 
No,  4  7 :30  a.  m.,  below  Painted  Woods.  Landed  alongside  of  the 
latter,  everybody  received  letters  but  Atkins.  Wooded  11  a.  m., 
very  poor  places.  Remained  here  until  5  p.  m.  Arrived  at  Rice  6 
p.  m.,  did  not  land.  Laid  up  at  wood  yard  below  Battle  creek.  Wood 
yard  man  says  he  has  been  swindled  in  measure. 

Saturday,  June  13,  1868.^ — ^Departed  at  3 :30  a.  m.  Weather  pleas- 
ant. River  falling.  Wood  we  got  last  night  makes  poor  steam.  Met 
Ben  Johnson  4:45  a.  m.,  fifty-five  niiles  below  Fort  Rice.  Grand 
river  8 :  35.  Came  down  the  right  of  Dry  island  close  at  foot,  same 
way  we  went  up.  Moreau  (river)  10:35.  Landed  at  Dry  point 
wood  yard  117  miles  above  Sully  and  took  forty  cords  wood.  Left 
at  5 :15  p.  m.,  came  on  down  with  no  trouble  until  after  supper,  came 
to  right  of  Pascal  island,  struck  rocks.  Came  on  down  and  hit  some 
more,  got  aground  crossing  over  to  left  shore,  got  over  and  came 
down.    Laid  up  on  right  shore. 

.  Sunday,  June  14,  1868. — ^Daylight  found  us  homeward  bound,  but 
it  did  not  last  long.  Got  aground  getting  into  big  left  bluflF  above 
Big  Cheyenne.  A  pile  of  freight  is  on  left  shore,  supposed  to  be- 
long to  the  Ben  Johnson.  At  this  place  there  is  two  and  one-half 
with  a  stick,  boat  by  her  marks  is  not  drawing  two  feet,  yet  she  will 
not  go  over  and  the  bottom  is  smooth  as  a  floor.  Passed  Big  Chey- 
enne 8:30,  New  Sully  10  a.  m.,  old  Fort  George  3  p.  m.    Came  in 


358  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

sight  of  Ida  Stockdale  above  Medicine  creek  5 :30  p.  m.  Got  aground 
at  dusk  in  big  bend  below  Dry  point. 

Monday,  June  15, 1868. — At  1  a.  m.  a  terrible  storm  came  up,  and 
for  a  few  moments  it  looked  like  it  would  be  a  serious  affair.  Sound- 
ed and  came  on.  River  falling.  Weather  cool  and  windy.  Passed 
White  river  9  a.  m.  Landed  opposite  mouth  to  repair  burned  boilers, 
it  detained  us  until  2  p.  m.  Came  down  outside  of  towhead  below 
White  river.  Met  Deer  Lodge  2  125  p.  m.  Passed  Brick  Kiln  4 :  20 
p.  m.  Got  little  too  low  in  crossing  where  Octazna  and  Peninah 
lightened  goinjr  up.  Lost  one-half  an  hour.  Laid  up  at  wood  yard 
on  left  shore,  fifteen  miles  above  Randall. 

Tuesdav,  June  16,  1868. — Off  we  12:0  for  home,  but  fog  soon  caused 
us  to  land.  Passed  Ida  on  the  rocks  at  left  point  just  below  where 
we  laid.  Mosquitoes  very  troublesome  last  night.  Passed  Randall 
6:  10  a.  m.,  fog  laid  us  up  below  fort.  Left  8  .  m.  Met  Leoni  Leoti 
9 :30,  foot  of  bluff  below  Yankton  agency.  Changed  watches  dinner 
time  Bonhomme  island.  Met  Agnes  1 :30  p.  m.  below  Frankford. 
Passed  Yankton  2 :15.  Arrived  at  lona  at  dusk,  laid  up  for  the  night, 
got  lumber,  milk,  eggs  and  ice.    Mosquitoes  very  bad. 

Wednesday,  June  17,  1868. — ^Departed  for  home,  shure  for  shure, 
and  arrived  at  Sioux  City  7 :30  a.  m.,  and  never  were  men  so  glad 
before.  This  eve  everybody  was  paid  off  and  the  boat  laid  up.  Most 
of  the  crew  went  to  St.  Louis.  We  arrived  here  on  the  morning  of 
the  seventy-fifth  day. 


W.  H.  SIMS.  18(111. 


C,  J.  ATKINS,  ISm. 


STATE    OF     NORTH     DAKOTA  359 


LOG  OF  STEAMER  BERTHA  FROM  SIOUX  CITY,  IOWA, 

TO  FORT  BENTON,  MONTANA. 

OFFICERS. 

John  p.  Arnold,  master ;  W.  Gault,  clerk ;  C.  J.  Atkins  and  Wm. 
H.  Sims,  pilots;  Norman  Siebottom,  first  engineer;  John  Cooper, 
second  engineer ;  Jim  McGarry,  mate ;  Mike ,  watchman. 

Tuesday,  July  7, 1868. — Left  Sioux  City  7 :15  p.  m.,  drawing  three 
feet  by  marks,  takes  three  and  one-half  for  her  to  go  on.  At  foot 
of  bluff  above  town  she  stopped,  laid  her  over  and  she  went  on. 
River  high  and  falling,  had  a  shower  of  rain  before  we  left.  Wood- 
ed ten  miles  above  town  on  left  shore.  Atkins  went  off  watch  12 
o'clock  below  La  Planters. 

Wednesday,  July  8, 1868. — i  a.  m.  changed  watches  in  Eagle  bend. 
Wooded  in  same  bend  5  a.  m.  Met  Agnes  11 :20  Kate  Sweeny  bend. 
Ran  cut-off  at  foot  of  bend  below  Vermillion.  Wooded  2  p.  m.  in 
same  bend  above  cut-off.  River  rising  very  fast,  one  inch  an  hour. 
7 :15  p.  m.  are  125  miles  from  Sioux  City  and  twenty- four  hours  out. 
Ran  St.  Helena  chute,  landed  at  Yankton  12  o'clock  midnight  and 
put  out  freight. 

Thursday,  July  9,  1868. — Left  Yankton  1  a.  m.,  ran  up  right 
bend,  did  not  cross  to  left  shore  at  all.  Ran  Buffalo  chute.  Wooded 
head  of  chute  just  below  Bonhomme  island  7  a.  m.  Ran  Bonhomme 
island  chute.  Weather  hot  and  river  rising,  had  a  little  sprinkle 
of  rain  last  night.  Landed  at  Ponka  agency  5  p.  m.,  put  off  a  few 
pkgs.,  took  some  wood  and  went  on.  Met  Viola  Belle  seven  miles 
below  Yankton  agency  7:30  p.  m.,  arrived  at  agency  10  p.  m.,  put 
out  and  took  on  some  freight. 

Fridav.  July  10,  1868. — ^Departed  from  Yankton  agency  2  a.  m. 
Wooded  just  above  on  opposite  shore.  Arrived  at  Fort  Randall  7 
a.  m.,  put  out  and  received  freight  and  passengers  and  departed  2 
p.  m.  Atkins  received  letters  that  were  here  for  him  last  trip. 
Weather  very  hot,  thermometer  90  in  the  shade.  River  rising.  Met 
Argonaut  No,  2  11  a.  m.,  she  reports  a  rise  of  ten  feet  coming  down. 
Wooded  Pease's  island  fifteen  miles  above  Randall,  and  again  at 
Papinaw's  (Papineau)  twenty-two  miles  above  Randall  7  p.  m.,  put 
out  a  little  freight  here.  Landed  on  Little  Cedar  island,  put  soldiers 
off  who  came  to  take  possession  of  the  island  10 :15  p.  m. 

Saturday,  July  11,  1868. — Landed  at  Pocahontas  island  1 :30  a. 
m.  for  ice.  Chpnged  watches  4  a.  m.  in  bend  below  La  Roaches  and 
12  m.  at  head  of  towhead  below  White  river,  ahead  of  Deer  Lodge's 
lime  here.     Weather  pleasant.     River   falling.     Heavy  head  wind 


360  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


and  a  little  rain  this  eev.  Landed  on  large  island  below  Fort 
Thompson  9  a.  m.  Wind  and  rain  storm  came  up  and  we  subsided 
for  the  night  and  cleaned  out  boilers. 

Sunday,  July  12,  1868. — ^Weather  cool  and  raining.  River  falling 
fast.  Started  out  at  5  a.  m.  Crossed  back  to  bluff,  whistled  and 
landed  on  right  point  below  Fort  Thompson  7  a.  m.  H.  M.  Shreve 
passed  down  10:35  a.  m.  We  took  seventy  cattle  aboard  and  left 
10 :40  a.  m.  Got  too  high  in  big  bend  and  had  to  back  down.  Passed 
St,  Johns  7  p.  m. 

Monday,  July  13, 1868. — Changed  watches  midnight,  head  of  bluff 
above  Big  Medicine.  Wooded  on  Dorcas'  island  3:30  a.  m.  Met 
Peninah  7 :40  a.  m.  below  Chaparall  creek.  Passed  old  Fort  George 
*):  10.  Met  Columbia  above  old  Fort  Pierre  5:  30  p.  m..  G,  B.  Allen 
7 :30  p.  m.    Had  a  very  bad  rain  tonight. 

Tuesday,  July  14,  1868. — Arrived  at  Fort  Sully  2  a.  m.  Had  very 
bad  river  below.  Left  5  a.  m.,  backed  down.  Crossed  over, 
wooded  opposite  landing.  Weather  fine.  River  falling.  Stopped 
above  wood  yard  and  cut  grass  for  the  cattle.  Met  Urilda  (?)  11 :20 
a.  m.,  two  miles  below  Big  Cheyenne.  Zephyr  11 :  40  just 
•  below  Big  Cheyenne.  Landed  below  point  of  first  bluff 
above  Bic^  Chevcnne  and  put  off  some  Indian  goods.  I^ft  at 
2  p.  m.  Heavy  head  wind  6  p.  m.  Had  just  crossed  from  bluff  to 
left  point,  landed  6 :30  to  cut  grass,  have  run  all  afternoon  and  made 
seven  miles  and  burned  all  our  wood.  Now  we  must  cut  our  wood 
for  thirty  miles.  After  we  landed,  concluded  to  remain  here  all 
night  and  clean  out  boilers.  The  wind  blows  too  hard  to  run,  have 
run  only  about  thirty  miles  today. 

Wednesday,  July  15,  1868. — ^Weather  warm.  Wind  has  blowed 
all  night  and  this  morning  it  is  too  hard  for  us  to  make  any  progress. 
River  falling.  Departed  9:30  a.  m.  Passed  Plum  island  11  a.  m., 
Pascal  1  p.  m.  Wooded  on  Bullberry  island  3 :40  p.  m.  Head  wind 
since  leaving  wood  yard.  Arrived  at  wood  yard  below  Swan  lake 
sundown.  Took  sixty  cords  wood  and' the  river  being  bad  above, 
we  will  remain  here  all  night.  Head  wind  all  day  and  at  dark  it  is 
yet  blowing. 

Thursday,  July  16,  1868. — ^Departed  at  3 :16  a.  m.,  had  very  bad 
river  until  we  got  above  Swan  lake.  Passed  Moreau  8:45  a.  m. 
Weather  warm.  River  looks  to  be  rising  slowly.  Passed  Fox  island 
12  m.,  Blue  Blanket  (island)  4  p.  m.,  Grand  river  6  p.  m.,  landed 
opposite  Ashley's  island  for  grass  7 :30,  left  9  p.  m.,  landed  to  wood 
in  first  right  hand  bend  above  Mosquito  10 :  20  p.  m. 

Friday,  July  17,  1868. — Took  twenty  cords  of  wood  and  departed 
1 :30  a.  m.,  ran  all  night  and  made  good  time  because  she  was  down 
by  the  head.  Wooded  4  p.  m.,  forty  miles  below  Rice  at  Battle  creek 
boat  sprung  a  leak  and  we  had  to  land  and  stop  it,  water  was  over 
the  timbers.  Passed  Beaver  river  7  p.  m.,  changed  watches  midnight, 
Horse  Head  point. 


STATE  OF   NORTH   DAKOTA  361 

Saturday,  July  18, 1868. — Arrived  at  Rice  5  a.  m.  Discharged  and 
received  some  freight.  Departed  7 :30  a.  m.  Passed  prairie  dog  town 
on  left  bank  12  m.,  point  of  rocks  here,  twenty  miles  above  Rice. 
Weather  fine.  River  looks  to  be  on  a  stand.  Met  Silver  Lake  1 :30 
p.  m.,  Deer  Lodge  2 :20  p.  m.  Passed  Acinibald  island  ( Assiniboine 
island)  G  p.  m.  Landed  to  cut  grass  7:30  p.  m.  Started  out  about 
dark  and  ran  until  10  p.  m.,  laid  on  right  point  above  first  reach 
from  Rice. 

Sunday,  July  19,  1868. — ^We  were  attacked  and  driven  from  the 
bank  at  3  a.  m.  by  mosquitoes,  they  were  terrible  and  daylight  brings 
no  relief.  Weather  fine.  River  falling  slowly.  Found  Ida  aground 
above  Knife  river  5:30  p.  m.  Ran  until  after  dark  and  got  out  of 
wood.  Captain  wished  to  get  into  a  bar  as  close  as  he  could  and  got 
aground.  Got  off  and  landed  for  wood  at  foot  of  second  right  hand 
bend  below  Fort  Stevenson.    Mosquitoes  terrible. 

Monday,  July  20,  1868.— Started  at  daylight.  Weather  hot.  Mos- 
quitoes savage.  River  falling.  Took  coal  at  bluff,  head  of  bend  we 
laid  in.  Captain  and  Siebottom,  first  engineer,  fell  out.  Landed  at 
Stevenson  7:30  a.  m.,  put  out  little  freight  and  proceeded  up  the 
river.  Wooded  at  head  of  timber  in  right  bend  above  fort.  Put 
cattle  out  below  Fort  Berthold,  came  up  to  fort,  put  out  freight  and 
laid  up  for  the  night.    Cleaned  boilers. 

Tuesday,  July  21,  1868. — Departed  at  4  a.  m.,  putting  out  freight 
and  wooding  detained  us.  Sioux  and  Gros  Ventres  had  a  fight 
opposite  the  fort  on  the  second.  Learned  yesterday  that  Fort  Peck, 
one  of  the  Northwest  Co.'s  trading  posts  above  Dry  Fork,  had  been 
captured  by  Indians  and  seven  men  killed.  Weather  pleasant.  River 
falling.  There  is  entirely  too  much  whiskey  drunk  by  one  of  the  of- 
ficers of  the  boat.  The  lives  of  all  on  board  were  jeopardized  to  a 
terrible  extent  yesterday  evening  for  an  hour  and  a  half.^  Passed 
Four  Bears*  island  5  p.  m.  Got  out  of  wood  and  had  to  land  and 
pick  up  some.  Ran  up  to  Mack  Klenan's  wood  yard,  sixty  miles 
above  Berthold.  and  landed.  Will  remain  here  all  night.  Took 
sixtv-five  cords  at  $4.    Had  a  rain  storm.    Mosquitoes  bad. 

Wednesday,  July  22,  1868. — Did  not  get  the  wood  in  until  5  a.  m. 
Weather  warm  and  rainy.  River  about  on  a  stand.  Killed  three 
geese  at  Buffalo  point  12 :30  p.  m.  Large  fires  ahead  of  us  and  the 
air  full  of  smoke.  Passed  White  Earth  river  5  p.  m.  Have  made 
poor  time  this  eve,  the  wood  makes  poor  steam.  Passed  Strawberry 
island  8  p.  m.,  ran  the  lowest  chute  of  all  to  the  left  of  island, 
changed  watches  midnig^ht  at  Tobacco  Garden. 

Tuesday,  July  23,  1868. — Sixteen  days  and  four  hours  out. 
Chan.Q^ed  watches  in  sixth  bend  above  Tobacco  Garden  4  a.  m. 
Passed  cut-off  8  a.  m.,  grave  yard  10  :15  a.  m.,  Little  Muddy  12  :30 

^Engineer  Cooper  happened  on  deck  one  niclit  during:  Siebottom's  watch  and 
ff  nnd  him  asleep  and  drunk..  He  was  just  in  time  to  prevent  a  boiler  ex- 
plosion. Atkins  protested  to  the  captain  about  the  liquor  on  board  and  it 
was  destroyed. 


362  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


p.  m.,  forty  miles  below  Buford.  An  approaching  storm  caused  us 
to  land  7 :16  p.  m.  on  right  shore,  twenty  miles  below  Buford.  Start- 
ed at  9  p.  m.,  reached  Buford  11  p.  m.,  put  out  a  little  freight.  The 
Indians  are  said  to  have  been  here  this  eve. 

Friday,  July  24,  1868. — ^Departed  at  3 :45  a.  m.  River  is  too  bad 
to  run  after  night.  Weather  fine.  River  falling.  Never  saw  the 
river  worse  cut  up  than  it  now  is  from  Yellowstone  to  the  first  right 
hand  point  above  old  Fort  Union.  Twelve  miles  above  Union  we 
passed  a  family  of  swans.  The  mosquitoes  are  terrible.  Got  aground 
below  Lone  Rock  point  and  lost  two  hours.  Atkins  lost  one-half  an 
hour  at  Lone  Rock  point.  Passed  Big  Muddy  6  p.  m.  Wooded  in 
first  left  hand  bend  above,  got  ash,  wood  choppers  just  began.    Ran 

until p.  m.,  and  laid  up  about  five  miles  above  Chardon's  creek 

on  right  point.  Mosquitoes  are  very  bad,  mosquito  bars  are  no  pro- 
tection, they  ^o  right  through  them  like  a  dose  of  salts. 

Saturday,  Julv  25,  1 868.— Started  out  at  daylight.  Weather  hot. 
River  falling.  Met  Guidon  four  miles  below  Cannon  Ball  bluflF  5 :30 
a.  m.  Captain  Sam  D.  Bo  came  on  board.  Wood  in  bend  below  Pop- 
lar river  11  a.  m.  Saw  buffalo  in  the  distance.  Passed  Poplar  river 
1  p.  m.  Buffalo  on  the  bank  above  and  below  the  river.  Caught 
two  buffalo  in  the  river  above  Poplar  river,  shot  them  several  times, 
but  both  escaped.  In  foot  of  Skeleton  bend  we  found  one  lone  fel- 
low and  shot  him  innumerable  times  and  finallv  sent  yawl  out  and 
men  in  it  shot  him  time  after  time,  and  at  last  he  got  desperate  and 
ended  his  life  bv  drowning  himself.  Wind  blew  us  into  bank,  foot 
of  Spread  Fagle  and  mashed  the  vawl.  Wind  detained  us  a  short 
time.    T  anded  for  wood  (5  p.  m.    Cleaned  out  boilers  and  laid  up. 

Sundav,  Julv  26,  1868.— We  left  our  camp  at  daylight.  Weather 
cool  and  wind  from  the  north.  River  fell  two  and  one-half  inches 
last  nicrht.  Came  over  Spread  Eagle  all  right,  but  the  river  is  very 
bad.  At  11  o'clock  last  night  Mrs.  Townsend  breathed  her  last.  She 
was  with  her  husband  and  two  little  bovs  on  her  wav  to  Montana, 
had  been  sick  with  consumption  for  several  years.  What  Mr. 
Townsend's  feelines  are  at  the  thouerht  of  leaving  the  bodv  of  his 
wife  along  the  bank  of  the  river  in  this  wild  country,  inhabited  only 
by  wild  beasts  and  wilder  men.  may  be  imagined,  but  by  no  pen  de- 
scribed. The  poor  little  bovs  of  course  do  not  realize  the  irreparable 
loss  they  have  sustained.  An  Indian  rode  along  the  bank  below  old 
Fort  Charles,  more  camped  near  bluff.  Wooded  Wolf  point.  10:30 
to  12  m..  heap  Indians  here.  Passed  Foe's  wreck  4:10  p.  m.  Got 
through  Milk  river  chute,  and  laid  up  10  :30  p.  m. 

^fondav,  Tiilv  27,  1^68.— Out  and  under  way  at  daylight.  Weath- 
er cold.    River  fell inches  last  niofht.    Arrived  at  Fort  Cope- 

lin  fCopeland)  5:30  a.  m.,  had  some  little  delay  finding  the  water, 
finallv  pfot  her  into  chute  under  upper  middle  bar  and  sparred  over. 
As  we  have  no  yawl,  we  have  to  do  all  the  sounding  with  the  boat. 
Tried  the  lower  chute  but  one,  leaving  the  Fort  Galpin  shore,  no  go. 
went  into  upper  one  of  all.    Going  out  of  head  she  swung  down  and 


STATE  OP  NORTH  DAKOTA  363 

had  to  be  sparred  up.  River  we  found  very  bad  to  Dry  Fork.  Land- 
ed at  wood  yard  below  Fort  Peck  1 :15  p.  m.,  took  forty  cords  wood. 
One  of  the  men  belonging  to  the  fort  got  drunk  and  made  a  good 
deal  of  disturbance.  We  paid  the  last  sad  rites  to  Mrs.  B.  J.Townsend 
at  sundown,  her  grave  is  near  Fort  Peck  at  the  foot  of  the  bluflf. 
We  took  our  leave  of  the  fort  a  little  before  dark. 

Tuesday,  July  28,  1868. — We  ran  all  night  last  night,  at  daylight 
we  were  at  the  head  of  the  seventeen  bends,  forty-five  or  fifty  miles 
above  Peck.  Weather  pleasant.  River  declining.  Saw  a  lone  buf- 
falo on  left  bluff  8  a.  m.  River  since  day]ie:ht  has  been  bad.  Passed 
Round  butte  12  m.,  lots  of  buffalo  on  both  sides  of  the  river.  We 
killed  two  fat  cows  1  p.  m.,  ten  miles  above  Round  butte.  Any 
amount  of  buffalo  on  both  sides  and  in  the  river.  Passed  Trover 
7  p.  m.  Wood  on  point  below  and  above.  We  are  getting  up  the 
river  very  fast,  but  this  boat  is  entirely  too  heavv. 

Wednesday,  July  29,  1868. — We  arrived  at  McGinnis*  wood  yard 
one  mile  below  Muscle  Shell  2  a.  m.,  took  thirty-three  cords  wood, 
got  away  at  5  a.  m.  Met  Tom  Stevens  just  above,  went  aloncrside. 
Landed  passenofers  at  Fort  Hawley  1  p.  m.  (ran  chute  below  fort, 
five  feet).  The  large  Bbl.  rock  above  Little  Clear  at  first  bluff  on  left 
is  four  feet  or  more  out  of  water  and  others  outside  of  it  are  dry. 
Ran  to  Rondeau  island  and  laid  up  10  p.  m.  Ran  up  right  bend  three 
feet  at  head.  The  river  is  very  low  and  full  of  gravel  lumps  and 
large  boulders,  making  it  unsafe  to  run  at  night,  but  the  thing  on  here 
in  place  of  a  captain  wants  to  run.  It  shows  how  little  sense  he  has, 
he  is  certainly  the  poorest  steamboat  man  I  have  ever  met. 

Thursday,  July  30, 1868. — Started  at  daylight.  River  falling  slow- 
ly. Weather  cool.  Passed  Two  Calf  island  6  a.  m.,  ran  in  nook 
across  head  of  left  island,  had  to  put  out  a  line  to  prevent  her 
swinging  down  on  reef  of  rocks.  Captain  says  nothing  has  broken 
his  heart  like  laying  up  last  night.  Passed  Grand  island  8 :45  a.  m., 
plenty  of  ice  here  that  has  been  given  to  the  N.  W.  Fur  Co.  by  the 
man  who  lived  here,  but  was  driven  away  bv  Indians,  so,  of  course, 
would  cost  nothinof.  but  our  captain  had  the  dumps  so  badly,  he 
would  not  land  for  anv.  Came  to  Cow  island,  sounded  above  right 
bluff,  in  crossing  over  head  of  island  to  left  bluff  she  swung  down 
and  had  to  be  sparred  up,  lost  four  and  one-half  hours.  Atkins  wrote 
a  letter  to  his  wife  while  a^^round  here.  Run  to  right  of  first  island 
and  second  above  Cow,  left  of  third.  Laid  up  for  night  9:15  p.  m., 
below  Bird's  rapids. 

Friday.  July  31,  1868. — Twenty- four  davs  out.  Departed  at  peep 
of  day.  Ran  up  to  Bird's  rapids,  struck  rocks,  finally  got  over.  Next 
bluff  is  a  huere  rock  above  the  coolie  that  usuallv  makes  a  break, 
now  it  is  four  or  five  feet  out  of  water.  We  do  not  run  anv  distance 
without  striking"  rocks.  Weather  cool.  River  stationarv.  Have  had 
no  mosquitoes  for  several  night^.  Got  on  a  rock  at  the  foot  of  Rear's 
rapids.  Captnin  went  contrary  to  advice  of  pilots  and  laid  line  to 
right  shore,  after  sparring  over  some  huge  rocks  she  started  for  the 


364  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

right  shore  and  brought  up  on  some  large  rocks,  got  off  and  sounded. 
Came  over,  rubbed  and  bumped  around  terribly,  got  over  at  dinner 
time.  We  strike  rocks  at  nearly  every  boat's  lengtn  we  go.  Arrived 
at  Dauphin's  6  p.  m.,  sounded  and  put  out  warp,  found  thirty  inches, 
went  into  it,  but  she  did  not  get  to  the  shoal  water.  In  sparring  her 
about  a  rock  came  through,  water  was  over  her  timbers  two  or  three 
times. 

Saturday,  August  1,  18G8. — About  2  a.  m.  we  got  into  the  left 
shore  and  began  putting  out  freight.  About  6  a.  m.  the  Leoni  Leoti 
came  down,  put  out  a  line  and  dropped  through.  She  says  the  Success 
was  at  Drowned  Man's  rapids  (thirty- four  miles  above)  at  dark 
last  night,  and  the  Leoni  Leoti  reports  only  twenty-two  inches  here 
at  Dauphin's.  Her  pilot,  Mr.  Jacobs,  says  the  Success  found  thirty 
inches,  same  as  we  did.  We  put  out  nearly  all  of  our  freight  ( three 
or  four  yawl  loads)  on  left  shore  and  cordeled  it  up  to  left  point  above 
the  rapids.  We  succeeded  in  getting  her  a  little  further  up  than  she 
was  last  night,  but  rubbed  very  hard  on  the  rocks,  broke  our  wheel 
badly,  dead  man  pulled  up  or  broke  in  two  and  we  were  compelled  to 
drop  into  shore.    Sounded  left  chute,  two  feet,  laid  up. 

Sunday,  Au;:^ust  2,  18()8. — ^Weather  beautiful.  .River  fell  one  inch 
last  night.  We  are  still  at  the  bank.  Cleaned  our  boilers  last  night. 
Andrew  Acklcy  came  down  about  9 :30  a.  m.  and  landed  on  left  shore 
above  the  rapids.  Her  passengers  walked  down  to  the  Leoni  Leoti, 
she  left  as  soon  as  all  were  on  board.  We  made  arrangements  with 
the  Acklcy  to  take  our  freight  to  Benton  for  1  1-4  cents  per  lb.  She 
came  down  over  the  rapids  about  10  :30  a.  m.,  got  the  freight  on 
board,  also  the  passengers,  and  started  up  about  6  p.  m.,  went  up 
without  a  line,  struck  some  rocks.  Atkins  and  Sims  went  up  to  the 
freight  pile  above  rapids.  We  bade  all  our  friends  adieu  and  re- 
turned to  our  boat  after  dark.  Acklcy  leaves  at  daylight  for  Benton 
and  we  for  Sioux  City.    God  speed  both. 

Monday »  August  3,  18()8. — Departed  for  home  at  daylight.  The 
nights  and  morning  are  really  cold.  The  river  is  falling  fast,  there 
is  now  about  twenty-seven  inches  on  Dauphin's  rapids.  At  first  left 
bluff  alx)ve  Rondeau  island  reef  of  rocks  run  away  out  in  river.  We 
rubbed  some  pretty  hard  rocks  this  morning.  Came  over  Bear's  rap- 
ids all  right,  the  channel  is  the  shape  of  the  point.  At  Bird's  we  came 
to  the  upper  gap,  think  it's  the  best  water.  Saw  a  mountain  sheep 
bounding  away  up  the  side  of  a  high  bluff,  closely  followed  by  a 
musket  ball.  Atkins  shot  at  a  large  band  of  mountain  sheep.  Rubbed 
very  hard  over  head  of  Cow  island,  t\>'o  feet  with  head,  8  a.  m. 
Passed  ( jrand  and  r>aggage  islands  9 :30  a.  m.  landed  at  Fort  Jones 
12  m.  and  took  several  horses  (  ?).  Wood  choppers  told  us  they 
saw  a  white  bear  here  a  few  days  ago.  Left  at  5  •.1.5  p.  m.  Got 
aground  about  7:30  p.  m.  at  first  island  above  Hawlcy  (fifteen 
miles):  Atkins  wounded  an  elk  today.  Saw  two  fine  deer  while 
here  aground. 


STATE  OF   NORTH   DAKOTA  365 


Tuesday,  August  4,  1868. — Got  off  1:30  a.  m.  Mr.  Sims  took 
yawl  and  sounded,  found  three  and  one-half  feet  close  down  the 
willows  on  right  shore  (going  down).  Laid  up  until  daylight  and 
started  down  the  river.  Arrived  at  Fort  Hawley  5  :45  a.  m.,  got 
several  passengers  and  departed  6 :30  a.  m.  The  weather  is  cool  and 
windy.  River  falling  fast.  Got  aground  at  foot  of  towhead  below 
Ilawlcy,  lost  two  hours,  ran  chute  below.  Saw  a  splendid  Indian 
lying  dead  in  gully  below  Hawley,  about  ten  miles.  River  low,  close 
and  sna;T:gy.  The  river  from  Hawley  up  puts  one  in  mind  of  traveling 
over  a  corduroy  bridge  in  a  wagon  without  springs.  Put  passengers 
off  at  a  point  above  fort  at  Muscle  Shell  11  a.  m.  Took  cord  logs  in 
first  left  hand  bend  below  MuFcle  Shell,  left  2  p.  m.  Killed  two  fine 
cows,  captain  caught  a  calf.  Captain  got  mad  and  threw  one  cow 
overboard.  Thousands  of  buffalo  in  and  on  both  sides  of  the  river. 
Laid  up  for  night  twelve  miles  above  Round  butte  9  p.  m. 

Wednesday,  August  5,  18C)8. — Departed  4  a.  m.  Weather  cool. 
Had  a  little  rain  last  night.  River  falling.  Passed  Round  butte  5 
a.  m.  While  trying  to  land  last  night  at  a  right  hand  point,  we  heard 
animals  snorting  and  took  them  to  be  horses,  it  was  dark  and  we 
could  not  see,  but  thought  it  was  not  a  safe  place,  so  we  came  on 
down  the  river  for  two  miles  and  laid  up  opposite  side.  Came  over 
all  of  the  bad  river  all  right,  got  aground  getting  into  first  left  bluff. 
Passed  the  point  where  those  seven  wood  choppers  were  killed,^ 
white  dog  on  opposite  shore.  Met  IJrilda  just  below,  9  :40  a.  m. 
About  10:30  a.  m.  at  first  right  hand  point  above  Fort  Peck  we  came 
on  to  a  war  party  of  Sioux  Indians  crossing  the  river.  Judging  from 
the  number  of  horses  there  must  have  been  some  300  of  them.  When 
we  got  opposite  to  them  they  began  firing  at  us.    Atkins  on  watch 


*The  seven  woodchoppers  were  from  Pittsburj?  or  Philadelphia.  They 
were  all  young  men  and  had  come  west  to  see  the  country  and  for  the  love 
of  adventure.  They  had  aj^reed  to  chop  wood  for  the  steamboat  (probably 
the  Penittah)  that  had  brousfht  them  from  somewliere  on  the  Ohio  river 
and  they  had  decided  to  start  a  woodvard  for  steamboats.  The  captain  of 
the  boat  that  had  broujfht  them  west  told  Atkins  about  their  being  killed  by 
Indians.  Each  of  them  had  a  Henry  rifle  with  plenty  of  ammunition.  When 
Atkins  saw  them  on  this  first  trip  up  the  river  in  1868  they  were  all  sitting 
on  a  log  by  the  river  and  he  remarked  to  Sims  that  those  fellows  would  not 
bst  till  fall  for  they  were  sitting  there  without  a  gun  and  at  a  distance  from 
their  cabin  where  all  their  arms  and  ammunition  were.  When  their  steam- 
boat on  her  way  back  from  Ft.  Benton  landed  for  the  wood  they  were  to 
cut  for  it  no  one  was  to  be  seen.  On  going  to  their  cabin  they  were  all 
found  dead,  four  lying  in  the  doorwav  and  the  others  in  their  bunks.  Thiy 
had  evidently  been  surprised  by  the  Indians  early  in  the  morning  and  hid 
been  shot  or  tomahawked  where  they  were  afterwards  found.  Everything  in 
the  cabin  had  been  taken  by  the  Indians. 

•The  Sioux  were  crossing  from  the  Ft.  Peck  side  to  the  south  side  of  the 
river.  Their  ponies  were  swimming  across,  driven  in  by  the  Indians  who 
were  on  both  sides  of  the  river.  The  orders  were  to  keep  from  firing  unlesj? 
they  were  fired  upon.  With  full  steam  on  they  made  down  the  river  as 
rapidly  as  a  bad  crossing  would  allow.  The  swimming  or  the  wading  of  the 
ponies  in  the  river  helped  to  show  Atkins  where  the  best  channel  lay. 


366  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

with  no  barricades  up,  had  a  bad  crossing  to  make,  but  came  through 
all  right.  We  returned  the  fire,  but  doubt  if  we  injured  them  any.^ 
We  met  Only  Chance  in  next  bend  below,  told. about  the  Indians. 
Arrived  at  Peck  12  m.,  on  the  hill  above  the  fort  was  about  twenty- 
five  Indians,  they  fired  on  us,  we  returned  the  shots,  but  no  damage 
done  on  either  side.  They  have  been  fighting  at  the  Fort  all  day. 
Killed  one  Grosventre  Indian  belonging  to  the  fort.^  Met  Lacon 
at  old  Fort  Copilin  4  p.  m.,  landed,  she  had  letters  for  us.  Came 
lowest  chute  of  all,  she  was  next  one  above,  had  to  back  out,  one  of 
our  rudder  couplings  was  broken  and  we  had  to  lay  by  and  fix  it. 
Lacon  went  into  chute  we  came  out  of,  there  is  only  two  and  one- 
half  with  lead.  We  rubbed  all  the  way  through.  River  from  Dry 
Fork  here  is  very  bad.  Lacon  swung  down  several  times,  but  finally 
got  through,  she  is  drawing  two  feet.  We  could  not  get  our  rudder 
repaired  in  time  to  leave*  before  dark,  so  went  over  to  dry  bar  and 
put  anchor  and  dead  man  out  and  laid  up  for  the  night.  Some  of  our 
great  braves  thought  it  not  safe  to  lay  at  the  bank,  but  at  other  time^ 
when  no  Indians  have  been  seen  for  some  time,  say  they  are  not 
afraid,  but  when  they  appear  and  begin  to  shoot,  they  like  a  safe 
place  the  same  as  anyone  else.  Think  we  may  have  some  wind  be- 
fore morning. 

Thursday,  August  6,  18G8. — About  2  a.  m.  wind  was  so  strong:  the 
anchor  began  to  drag,  raised  steam  and  removed  it  and  planted  a 
dead  man  that  held  her.  Got  under  way  at  4:30  a.  m.  Weatlier 
cold  and  windy.  River  falling.  Came  over  very  bad  river,  passed 
mouth  of  Milk  river  5  1,30  a.  m.  Cannoned  on  some  snags  in  bend 
above  Porcupine,  laid  lip  below  to  repair  wheel  and  for  w^nd.  Got 
fine  wooding  here.  Wind  detained  us  until  7  p.  m.,  ran  one  mile 
below  Porcupine,  when  boat  was  found  to  be  sinking,  struck  nothing 
after  we  started  out.  We  ran  her  on  a  shoal  bar  and  she  settled 
down  in  about  four  feet  of  water  astern.  Found  the  hole  (it  was 
in  the  rake),  stoppe^l  it,  set  the  pumps  to  work,  and  there  is  every 
prospect  that  by  morning  she  will  be  all  right  again. ^  We  are  in  a 
goovl  place,  no  Indians  can  get  to  us.  Fire  in  hall  stove  today^very 
comfortable. 

r>i(lay,  August  7,  18()8. — Departed  at  4  a.  m.  Weather  cold. 
River  falling.  Landed  two  men  at  Hiram  Wood  and  Amelia  Pocs 
wreck  4:10  a.  m.  Passed  Wolf  point  8:30  a.  m.,  houses  are  deserted. 
Indians  have  probably  run  the  men  off.  Terrible  windy.  Large  herds 
of  buflfalo  in  the  river  and  on  both  banks.  Wind  was  so  high  we 
have  had  hard  work  to  get  down  the  river  at  all.    Killed  a  cow  ani 

'The  Gr(i«;vtntre  Indian  had  been  sent  out  as  a  messenger  and  had  fallen 
into  an  ambush.  He  was  killed  by  the  Sioux  after  making  a  desperate  6ght 
in  the  underbrush  where  he  was  surrounded  by  his  enemies. 

'It  was  supposed  that  the  hole  was  made  by  the  blow  of  a  limber  snnx 
they  rode  oxer  earlier  in  the  day.  Very  little  water  came  in  until  they  started 
the  wheel  and  then  she  filled  rapidly  from  the  backing  up  of  the  water  by 
the  revoluticm  of  the  wheel. 


STATE  OF   NOUTU   DAKOTA  367 


calf  in  river,  landed  foot  of  Mitchell's  bend.  Atkins  went 
ashore  and  killed  a  huge  bull.  Indians  running  buffalo  on  the  hills. 
Captain  thinks  we  had  better  leave.  Wind  went  down  and  we  left 
3 :30  p.  m.  We  came  over  Spread  Eagle  camp  all  right,  ran  down  to 
within  three  miles  of  Poplar  river,  got  on  a  reef  and  lost  one-half 
an  hour,  got  off  and  went  to  dry  cut  bar  and  laid  up  for  night.  No 
danger  of  Indians  here. 

Saturday,  August  8,  1868. — Left  our  camp  4  a.  m.  River  falling. 
Weather  cold.  Got  on  a  lump  backing  out,  and  had  to  set  a  couple  of 
spars.  Ran  down  to  bend  above  McKenzie  and  got  down  around  the 
point  too  far  and  had  to  go  up  out  of  it,  lost  one  and  one-half  hours. 
About  five  miles  above  Cannon  Ball  bluff  we  landed  at  wood  yard 
and  to  repair  balance  rudder,  landed  10  a.  m.  It  will  detain  us  until 
morning.  The  stocks  are  so  small  that  they  twist  around  and  the 
rudders  do  not  move.  We  came  through  some  very  close  snags  in 
left  hand  bend  above  wood  yard.  Camp  of  whites  and  Indians 
camped  on  opposite  side  of  river  going  after  buffalo.  Gault  sold  a 
little  bottle  of  eye  water  for  $2.^  Took  wood  and  will  remain 
here  all  night.    Dickered  largely  here. 

Sunday,  August  9,  1868. — Did  not  get  away  until  5 :  15  a.  m. 
Weather  cool  and  windy.  The  river  continues  to  fall  fast.  Saw 
Indians  at  Dawson's  cut-off,  they  acted  like  hostile  Indians, 
but  did  us  no  harm.  We  fixed  up  some  breastworks  of  logs.  Met 
North  Alabama  at  Lone  Rock  point  12 :30  p.  m.,  she  had  been  sound- 
ing. We  tried  to  run  between  bars,  but  she  would  not  go  over  the 
reef.  The  Alabama  went  up  shore,  she  did  not  hail  us.  Saw  Indian 
on  bluff  opposite  point,  rock  at  point  is  about  four  inches  out  of 
water.  Saw  buffalo  2  p.  m.,  foot  of  right  bluff.  Went  down  past 
old  Fort  Union,  got  aground  below,  did  not  get  off  until  11 :15.  We 
rubbed  for  one  mile  before  we  grounded,  could  see  water  nowhere 
else  and  very  little  here.    Laid  on  dry  bar. 

Monday,  August  10,  1868. — Fog  detained  us  until  7  a.  m.  Weath- 
er cold.  River  falling.  Sounded  and  came  down  bend.  Arrived 
at  Buford  8:40  a.  m.  Mr.  Sims  had  some  words  with  Captain  Ar- 
nold about  sounding,  captain  said  he  would  put  Sims  ashore  be- 
tween old  Fort  Union  and  Fort  Buford,  there  is  not  a  more  hostile 
country  on  the  river.  At  Buford  Sims  wanted  to  go  ashore  and  ask- 
ed Atkins  to  wait  a  moment  for  him  to  do  so.  Captain  ordered 
Atkins  to  go  ahead,  but  he  would  not,  but  the  boat  was  floating 
down  the  bank,  head  down  stream.  Captain  then  said  he  would  ar- 
rest us  both  for  mutiny,  and  landed  the  boat  for  that  purpose,  but 
weakened  and  let  her  go  again.*  This  is  mutiny  on  the  high  seas 
and  the  river  is  low.    Got  aground  in  cut-off  seventy-five  miles  below 


*A  white  man  at  this  camp,  a  woodchopper,  had  very  sore  eyes  and  asked 
at  the  boat  for  eyewater.  Gault  dissolved  a  little  blue  vitrol  in  rainwater 
and  sold  it  to  him  for  $2. 

*Sec  notes  by  Capt.  W.  H.  Sims  on  page  370. 


368  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


Buford,  broke  rudder  coupling,  got  off  and  went  down  in  first  left 
hand  bend  and  cut  wood,  repaired  wheel  and  rudder  and  laid  up. 

Tuesday,  August  11,  1868. — Departed  at  daylight.  Weather  cool 
River  falling  slowly.  We  got  about  four  or  five  cords  of  wood  last 
night.  Passed  Tobacco  Garden  6  :15  a.  m.  Passed  White  Earth 
river  9  a.  m.  Passed  Buffalo  point  10  a.  m.  Passed  old  Indian 
village  12  :30  p.  m.  Have  had  a  strong  head  wind  all  forenoon. 
Landed  at  Mack  Killan's  wood  yard  sixty-five  miles  above  Berthold, 
but  nary  stick  of  wood  is  there  here,  12 :45  p.  m.  Left  2  p.  m.,  got 
nothing  but  some  green  wood  and  one  cord  of  dry.  Passed  Four 
Bear  island  2  loO  p.  m.,  Little  Mo.  4 :45  p.  m.,  are  making  very  poor 
time  for  want  of  steam.  Came  into  the  Little  Mo.  shore  just  below  its 
mouth,  reef  makes  in  very  close.  Arrived  at  Berthold  at  dark,  laid 
up  for  the  night.  Learned  here  that  while  the  Lconi  Leoti  was 
here  she  was  fired  upon  by  Sioux  from  opposite  side  of  river. 

Wednesday,  Ausfust  12,  1868.— Left  Berthold  at  4  a.  m.  Weather 
cold  and  windv.  River  fallinof  slowlv.  Ran  down  about  seven  miles 
and  wooded  on  bar,  the  wood  is  plenty  and  dry,  have  never  been  able 
to  get  here  before.  Told  us  at  Berthold  to  look  out  for  the  redskins 
between  here  and  Rice.  Left  wood  pile  7:45,  arrived  at  Fort  Stev- 
enson 1)  :25,  took  Major  General  Marcy  and  Mr.  Warner  of  the 
Southern  hotel  (St.  Louis)  on  board  and  left  11:50  a.  m.*  Met 
Fanny  Barker  at  mouth  of  Knife  river.  She  hailed  us,  came  along- 
side and  gave  us  some  letters.  Atkins  got  one,  the  first  one  he  has 
received  on  the  trip.  Mr.  .Sims  went  back  on  the  Barker,  there  be- 
ing but  one  pilot  on  her.  That  leaves  Atkins  all  the  work  to  do  on 
the  Bertha.  River  from  Knife  to  Painted  Woods  is  terrible.  We 
laid  up  at  Painted  Woods  at  6 :30  p.  m. 

Thursvlay,  August  13,  1868. — Started  out  4  a.  m.,  it's  hardly  light 
enough  to  see  well,  but  we  are  going  home.  Weather  cool.  River 
falling.  Had  bad  river  until  we  got  below  foot  of  first  reach  out 
from  Rice,  from  foot  of  this  reach  to  Knife  river  there  is  no  good 
river.  Wood  from  drift  piles  on  prairie,  7:20  a.  m.  first  left  bend 
below  reach.  Backed  down  to  the  point  and  cut  ash.  At  8:30  a.  m. 
a  turtle  dove  came  and  lit  on  the  window  sill  of  the  pilot  house. 
Left  our  wood  yard  2  p.  m.  Got  aground  at  point  above  Rice,  lost 
fifteen  minutes.  Went  down  to  Rice,  run  right  shore.  Got  aground, 
lost  one-half  hour,  landed  at  Rice  6:30  p.  m.  Will  remain  here  for 
the  night.    Atkins  got  letter  and  some  antelope  skins. 

Fridav,  August  14,  1868.— Departed  at  daylight.  River  falling 
fast.  Weather  cool  and  windv.  Landed  to  wood  at  cabin  on  right 
shore  f  going  down)  8  a.  m.,  left  8:45.  We  now  feel  as  though  we 
were  out  of  the  hostile  country.  Passed  Grand  river  2  p.  m..  Fox 
island  3 :  30  p.  m.     Started  down  left  shore  below  Fox  island,  lost 

'Maj.  Gen.  Marcv  had  hecn  out  inspecting  army  oosts  and  had  just  come 
from   Ft.  Tottcn.     Mr.  Warner  was  with  him  hy  invitation. 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  3b9 

one-half  an  hour.  Came  down  little  below  Moreau  and  got  aground, 
lost  one  hour.  Wind  blowing  very  hard,  it  is  dead  ahead  at 
sometimes,  at  others  astern,  and  again  on  first  one  side  and  then 
the  other  as  the  river  bends.  Came  on  to  Swan  lake  (it  was  dark 
enough  to  lay  up  before  we  made  last  crossing,  but  we  were  after  a 
wood  pile).  Wind  blew  us  into  dry  bar  and  we  subsided  for  the 
night. 

Saturday,  August  15,  1868. — ^Wind  blew  all  night,  and  this  morn- 
ing it  is  still  blowing,  and  we  have  still  got  this  great  sand  bar  tied 
to  us,  so,  of  course,  we  can't  leave.  Since  the  general  and  his  party 
came  on  board,  we  have  lived  fine  compared  with  our  fare  before, 
that  was  terrible.  We  are  now  making  up  for  lost  time.  Wind  lulled 
a  little  and  we  started  out  11 :30  a.  m.  to  try  to  get  down  to  a  wood 
yard.  For  want  of  steam  we  got  on  a  lump  here,  we  lost  three- 
quarters  of  an  hour  trying  to  land  for  wood  that  the  Miner  cut  here. 
The  wind  blew  us  on  to  foot  of  bar  and  wc  had  to  get  a  line  ashore 
to  haul  her  in.  Took  two  piles  of  wood  that  (had)  steamer  Miner 
sign  on  them.  Atkins  sounded,  wind  was  so  strong  we  did  not  start 
out.  will  remain  here  all  night. 

Sunday,  August  16,  1868. — Departed  at  daylight.  Have  had  a 
rainy,  windy  night.  Got  aground  head  of  Bullberry  island  6  a.  m., 
got  off  11 :30.     There  was  no  need  of  our  being  here  half  of  this 

time  if  she  had  been  sparred  as  pilot  wished  her  to  be,  this we 

have  for  a  captain  is  the  most  contrary  any  one  need  wish 

to  see.  Wooded  on  Bullberry  island  12  m.  Pirates  get  no  chance  to 
dicker  (steal)  here,  this  wood  man  is  too  sharp.  Left  12:40  p.  m., 
got  aground  below  foot  of  first  bluff  below  Pascal  island  1  :oO  p.  m. 
While  here  one  of  the  most  terrific  storms  of  wind  and  rain  came  up 
that  is  seldom  seen,  it  raised  the  river  and  blew  us  off  the  bar,  blew 
lots  of  things  overboard,  burst  open  doors,  windows,  etc.  Came  down 
below  towhead  above  Cheyenne,  got  aground,  got  off  and  laid  up  10 
p.  m. 

Monday,  August  17,  1868. — Left  at  daylight.  Weather  cool.  River 
falling.  Arrived  at  Fort  Sully  6:50  a.  m.  Our  clerk  ordered  two 
hams  from  the  fort  (we  are  again  out  of  meat),  one  for  the  use  of 
the  boat  and  one  to  dicker  with.  General  and  party  went  up  to  visit 
the  fort,  and  detained  us  until  10  a.  m.  Wind  blew  us  into  the  bank 
below  De  Bow  creek  above  the  rocks,  and  we  lost  three-quarters  of 
an  hour.  Passed  Farm  island  2 :40  p.  m.  Storm  compelled  us  to 
land  on  left  shore  3  p.  m.,  lost  one-half  an  hour.  Wooded  at  Chapell 
creek  4 :30  p.  m.,  left  5  :45  p.  m.,  got  aground  just  at  dark,  foot 
of  the  first  left  hand  bend  below  Dores'  island.  John  Cooper  struck 
one  of  the  fireman  on  the  head  with  a  wheel  wrench  and  cut  a  terri- 
ble gash,  and  may  have  broken  his  skull.  We  got  into  shore  at  10 
p.  m. 

Tuesday,  August  18,  1868. — Started  at  4  a.  m.  River  falling. 
Weather  cold  and  windy.    Passed  Fort  Thompson  9 :  10  a.  m.  River 


370  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

from  here  to  where  we  laid  last  night  has  been  very  bad.  Got 
aground  just  below  Thompson,  have  had  hard  wind  all  morning. 
Captain  stopped  engines  when  they  were  at  work  as  the  pilot  wished 
them  to  work,  and  sparred  the  boat  contrary  to  pilot's  advice,  and 
the  result  was  as  usual  that  he  got  her  in  a  worse  position  than  she 
was  when  she  first  stopped.  Had  she  been  managed  according  to 
pilot's  advice  she  would  have  washed  over  the  reef  in  a  short  time. 
We  left  at  3  p.  m.,  storm  caused  us  to  land  just  below  where  we  had 
been  laying,  came  inside  of  willow  towhead  atjove  White  river. 

Landed  at  wood  yard  in  Sh bend  9  p.  m.,  just  above  White  river. 

Wednesday,  August  19,  1868. — Started  at  4  a.  m.  Weather  cool. 
River  falling.  Got  aground  going  over  inside  of  towhead  below 
White  river.  •  There  is  very  little  current  in  the  river  and  it  is  very 
badly  cut  up,  no  regular  channel,  and  the  water  is  hard  to  find,  and 
besides  we  are  so  deep  we  have  to  find  the  best  of  it.  Got  aground 
foot  of  Pocahontas  island  9  a.  m.,  captain  sounded.  Got  oflf  the  reef 
and  wind  blew  us  on  to  head  of  lower  bar,  from  here  we  got  off 
3:30  p.  m.  Wooded  on  Little  Cedar  island  4:30  p.  m.,  took  some 
soldiers  and  departed  at  5  :45  p.  m.  Arrived  at  Randall  8  p.  m.,  very 
dark.  Atkins  received  a  letter  intended  for  him  as  he  went  up.  W^e 
got  some  provisions  here,  so  we  will  live  again,  were  nearly  out  of 
everything  to  eat  when  we  arrived  here.* 


NOTES  BY  CAPTAIN  W.  H.  SIMS. 

CAPTAIN  JOHN  P.  ARNOLD. 

Captain  Arnold  was  a  good  man  in  his  way,  but  he  was  used  to 
the  Mississippi  river,  where  he  could  run  night  and  day.  When  he 
struck  the  Missouri  river  he  tried  to  do  the  same  thing,  and  his  per- 
sistence made  him  many  enemies.  There  was  so  much  shallow  water 
in  the  Missouri,  and  the  snags  and  rocks  did  not  make  it  safe  to  run 
at  night. 

Just  after  dinner  above  old  Fort  Peck  Pilot  Sims  saw  some  In- 
dians on  the  shore,  and  supposed  that  they  were  Farwell's  Indians, 
but  as  soon  as  they  got  down  opposite  them 'they  dodged  behind  the 
trees.  Pilot  Sims  was  sitting  on  the  bench  and  Atkins  was  at  the 
wheel.  As  they  came  up  to  them  they  acted  queer,  and  the  two  men 
didn't  realize  what  the  Indians  were  doing  until  they  started  to  shoot 
at  the  boat.  Atkins  caught  up  his  gun  and  shot  back.  This  kept  the 
.Indians  from  coming  out  and  making  a  clear  attack.  They  were  part 
of  the  Sitting  Bull  party.    McGarry  saw  their  horses  up  the  river  a 


*Atkins  p:ot  off  at  Sioux  City  and  refiise<!  to  return  with  Capt.  .Arnold.  H*: 
hired  in  his  stead  a  pik)t  named  Joseph  Ohlman,  a  German  with  a  fierv  tem- 
per. Atkins  heard  later  that  he  chased  Capt.  Arnold  around  a  woodpile  try- 
ing to  kill  him..  This  log  is  incomplete,  part  of  it  being  torn  out  of  the  old 
record  book. 


r-.. 


•> 


CAPT.  W.  II,   SIMS.   lOtta. 


STATE  OP  NOKTII  DAKOTA  371 


little  ways,  and  said :  "Let's  kill  their  horses,"  but  the  boat  went 
right  on  to  Fort  Peck.  At  Fort  Peck  a  few  words  started  between 
Arnold  and  Sims.  Pilot  Sims  wanted  some  protection  against  the 
attack  of  the  Indians,  but  Captain  Arnold  said  there  was  no  need  for 
it  at  all.  Then  Sims  told  the  captain  that  it  was  easy  for  him  to  go 
down  and  hide  behind  the  barrels  while  the  two  pilots  were  exposed 
at  the  wheel.  There  was  a  narrow  place  just  below  old  Fort  Peck 
and  the  two  men  at  the  wheel  were  afraid  of  this  place,  so  they  got  a 
lot  of  spokes,  and  put  them  up  as  a  barricade.  They  were  fired  upon 
at  this  place,  but  were  not  hit.  This  little  incident  led  on  to  more 
talk,  and  ended  as  we  find  it  in  the  log. 

SKETCH  OF  CAPTAIN  W.  H.  SIMS. 

Captain  W.  H.  Sims  was  born  in  Wheeling,  Va.,  in  1842.  His 
mother  was  a  Virginian  and  his  father  a  Marylander.  When  he  was 
six  months  old  the  family  moved  to  St.  Louis.  During  his  younger 
days  he  was  a  sickly  child,  and  so  he  could  go  to  school  very  little. 
As  his  relatives  all  took  to  boating  he  became  in  1857  cub  pilot  under 
his  uncle,  Captain  C.  W.  Blunt,  Sr.  For  three  years  he  ran  between 
St.  Louis  and  Sioux  City,"  and  his  occupation  was  really  an  appren- 
tice steersman  for  the  boat. 

When  the  war  broke  out  in  1861  he  at  once  eAtered  the  service  of 
the  country  and  was  pilot  on  the  first  government  boat  out  of  St. 
Louis.  He  was  on  the  General  Lyon's  expedition  up  and  down  the 
Mississippi  and  on  the  Missouri.  After  the  fall  of  Vicksburg  he 
was  on  the  river  near  Memphis.  In  1864  he  left  the  government  ser- 
vice and  came  up  the  Missouri  and  took  on  the  soldiers  for  Sully's 
expedition  at  Sioux  City.  On  this  trip  they  established  Fort  Thomp- 
son and  Fort  Sully.  The  boat  wintered  at  Fort  Sully.  Three  other 
boats  were  sent  to  Fort  Rice  and  established  that  place.  The  next 
year  Sims  was  pilot  on  the  Montana,  carrying  supplies  to  Fort  Rice. 
When  the  war  closed  and  the  volunteers  were  clamoring  to  get  home, 
Captain  Sims  was  sent  up  the  Missouri  on  the  Lexington  with  regu- 
lars who  took  place  of  the  volunteers  at  the  forts  along  the  river. 
From  1867  to  the  present  time  Captain  Siins  has  been  on  the  Tacony, 
Bertha,  Fanny  Barker,  Far  West,  Josephine,  Nellie  Peck,  Terry,  and 
now  he  is  at  work  for  Captain  Baker. 

Captain  Sims  was  married  in  May  2, 1962.  to  Miss  Jennie  Ward  at 
Sioux  City.  Miss  Ward's  father  was  a  southern  planter  and  holder 
of  many  slaves,  but  the  family  had  moved  north  and  located  on  the 
Missouri. 

Captain  Sims  at  present  lives  at  Bismarck.  He  has  a  very  keen 
memory  for  the  events  of  the  early  days,  and  always  enjoys  talking 
over  his  experiences  on  the  river  in  the  palmy  days  of  early  steam- 
boat life. 


366  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

with  no  barricades  up,  had  a  bad  crossing  to  make,  but  came  through 
all  right.  We  returned  the  fire,  but  doubt  if  we  injured  them  any.^ 
We  met  Only  Chance  in  next  bend  below,  told. about  the  Indians. 
Arrived  at  Peck  12  m.,  on  the  hill  above  the  fort  was  about  twenty- 
five  Indians,  they  fired  on  us,  we  returned  the  shots,  but  no  damage 
done  on  either  side.  They  have  been  fighting  at  the  Fort  all  day. 
Killed  one  Grosventre  Indian  belonging  to  the  fort.*  Met  Lacon 
at  old  Fort  Copilin  4  p.  m.,  landed,  she  had  letters  for  us.  Came 
lowest  chute  of  all,  she  was  next  one  above,  had  to  back  out,  one  of 
our  rudder  couplings  was  broken  and  we  had  to  lay  by  and  fix  it. 
Lacon  went  into  chute  we  came  out  of,  there  is  only  two  and  one- 
half  with  lead.  We  rubbed  all  the  way  through.  River  from  Dry 
Fork  here  is  very  bad.  Lacon  swung  down  several  times,  but  finally 
got  through,  she  is  drawing  two  feet.  We  could  not  get  our  rudder 
repaired  in  time  to  leave*  before  dark,  so  went  over  to  dry  bar  and 
put  anchor  and  dead  man  out  and  laid  up  for  the  night.  Some  of  our 
great  braves  thought  it  not  safe  to  lay  at  the  bank,  but  at  other  times 
when  no  Indians  have  been  seen  for  some  time,  say  they  are  not 
afraid,  but  when  they  appear  and  begin  to  shoot,  they  like  a  safe 
place  the  same  as  anyone  else.  Think  we  may  have  some  wind  be- 
fore morning. 

Thursday,  August  6,  18G8. — About  2  a.  m.  wind  was  so  strong  the 
anchor  began  to  drag,  raised  steam  and  removed  it  and  planted  a 
dead  man  that  held  her.  Got  under  way  at  4:30  a.  m.  Weather 
cold  and  windy.  River  falling.  Came  over  very  bad  river,  passed 
mouth  of  Milk  river  5  :30  a.  m.  Cannoned  on  some  snags  in  bend 
above  Porcupine,  laid  lip  below  to  repair  wheel  and  for  wind.  Got 
fine  wooding  here.  Wind  detained  us  until  7  p.  m.,  ran  one  mile 
below  Porcupine,  when  boat  was  found  to  be  sinkinj^,  struck  nothing 
after  we  started  out.  We  ran  her  on  a  shoal  bar  and  she  settled 
down  in  about  four  feet  of  water  astern.  Found  the  hole  (it  was 
in  the  rake),  stopped  it,  set  the  pumps  to  work,  and  there  is  every 
prospect  that  by  morning  she  will  be  all  right  again. ^  We  are  in  a 
good  place,  no  Indians  can  get  to  us.  Fire  in  hall  stove  today,  very 
comfortable. 

Friday,  August  7,  1808. — Departed  at  4  a.  m.  Weather  cold. 
River  falling.  Landed  two  men  at  Hiram  Wood  and  Amelia  Poes 
wreck  4:40  a.  m.  Passed  Wolf  point  8  :30  a.  m.,  houses  are  deserted. 
Indians  have  probably  run  the  men  off.  Terrible  windy.  Large  herds 
of  buflfalo  in  the  river  and  on  both  banks.  Wind  was  so  high  we 
have  had  hard  work  to  get  down  the  river  at  all.    Killed  a  cow  and 

*Thc  Grosventre  Indian  had  been  sent  out  as  a  mes*^en8:cr  and  had  fallcit 
into  an  ambush.  He  was  killed  by  the  Sioux  after  makiuK  a  desperate  fight 
in  the  underbru'?h  where  he  was  surrounded  by  his  enemies. 

'It  was  supposed  that  the  hole  was  made  by  the  blow  of  a  limber  snatr 
they  rode  over  earlier  in  the  dny.  Very  little  water  came  in  until  they  started 
the  wheel  and  then  she  filled  rapidly  from  the  backing  up  of  the  water  by 
the  revolution  of  the  -wheel. 


STATE  OF  NOUTH  DAKOTA  367 


calf  in  river,  landed  foot  of  Mitcheirs  bend.  Atkins  went 
ashore  and  killed  a  huge  bull.  Indians  running  buffalo  on  the  hills. 
Captain  thinks  we  had  better  leave.  Wind  went  down  and  we  left 
3 :30  p.  m.  We  came  over  Spread  Eagle  camp  all  right,  ran  down  to 
within  three  miles  of  Poplar  river,  got  on  a  reef  and  lost  one-half 
an  hour,  got  off  and  went  to  dry  cut  bar  and  laid  up  for  night.  No 
danger  of  Indians  here. 

Saturday,  August  8,  1868. — Left  our  camp  4  a.  m.  River  falling. 
Weather  cold.  Got  on  a  lump  backing  out,  and  had  to  set  a  couple  of 
spars.  Ran  down  to  bend  above  McKenzie  and  got  down  around  the 
point  too  far  and  had  to  go  up  out  of  it,  lost  one  and  one-half  hours. 
About  five  miles  above  Cannon  Ball  bluff  we  landed  at  wood  yard 
and  to  repair  balance  rudder,  landed  10  a.  m.  It  will  detain  us  until 
morning.  The  stocks  are  so  small  that  they  twist  around  and  the 
rudders  do  not  move.  We  came  through  some  very  close  snags  in 
left  hand  bend  above  wood  yard.  Camp  of  whites  and  Indians 
camped  on  opposite  side  of  river  going  after  buffalo.  Gault  sold  a 
little  bottle  of  eye  water  for  $2.^  Took  wood  and  will  remain 
here  all  night.    Dickered  largely  here. 

Sunday,  August  9,  1868. — Did  not  get  away  until  5 :  15  a.  m. 
Weather  cool  and  windy.  The  river  continues  to  fall  fast.  Saw 
Indians  at  Dawson's  cut-off,  they  acted  like  hostile  Indians, 
but  did  us  no  harm.  We  fixed  up  some  breastworks  of  logs.  Met 
North  Alabama  at  Lone  Rock  point  12 :30  p.  m.,  she  had  been  sound- 
ing. We  tried  to  run  between  bars,  but  she  would  not  go  over  the 
reef.  The  Alabama  went  up  shore,  she  did  not  hail  us.  Saw  Indian 
on  bluff  opposite  point,  rock  at  point  is  about  four  inches  out  of 
water.  Saw  buffalo  2  p.  m.,  foot  of  right  bluff.  Went  down  past 
old  Fort  Union,  got  aground  below,  did  not  get  off  until  11 :15.  We 
rubbed  for  one  mile  before  we  grounded,  could  see  water  nowhere 
else  and  very  little  here.    Laid  on  dry  bar. 

Monday,  August  10,  1868. — Fog  detained  us  until  7  a.  m.  Weath- 
er cold.  River  falling.  Sounded  and  came  down  bend.  Arrived 
at  Buford  8:40  a.  m.  Mr.  Sims  had  some  words  with  Captain  Ar- 
nold about  sounding,  captain  said  he  would  put  Sims  ashore  be- 
tween old  Fort  Union  and  Fort  Buford,  there  is  not  a  more  hostile 
country  on  the  river.  At  Buford  Sims  wanted  to  go  ashore  and  ask- 
ed Atkins  to  wait  a  moment  for  him  to  do  so.  Captain  ordered 
Atkins  to  go  ahead,  but  he  would  not,  but  the  boat  was  floating 
down  the  bank,  head  down  stream.  Captain  then  said  he  would  ar- 
rest us  both  for  mutiny,  and  landed  the  boat  for  that  purpose,  but 
weakened  and  let  her  go  again. ^  This  is  mutiny  on  the  high  seas 
and  the  river  is  low.    Got  aground  in  cut-off  seventy-five  miles  below 


*A  white  man  at  this  camp,  a  woodchopi>er,  had  very  sore  eyes  and  asked 
at  the  boat  for  eyewater.  Gault  dissolved  a  little  blue  vitrol  in  rainwater 
and  sold  it  to  him  for  $2. 

*Sec  notes  by  Capt.  W.  H.  Sims  on  page  370. 


374 


STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


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STATE  OF  NORTH   DAKOTA 


375 


LIST  OF  GOVERNMENT  FREIGHT  SHIPPED  UP  THE  MISSOURI 
RIVER  BY  BREVET  LIEUT.  COL.  C.  W.  THOMAS,  QUARTER 
MASTER  U   S.  ARMY,  ST.  LOUIS,  MISSOURI.   » 


Date— 

1867 


Name  of  Steamer  and  Destination 


Mar.  25 

Mar.  29 

Mar.  30 

Apr.  3 

Apr.  3 

Apr.  4 

Apr.  10 

Apr.  10 

Apr.  11 

Apr.  10 

Apr.  10 

Apr.  10 

Apr.  10 

Apr.  12 

Apr.  12 

Apr.  13 

Apr  13 

Apr.  12 

Apr.  12 

Apr.  10 

Apr.  13 

Apr.  17 

Apr.  17 

Apr.  18 

Apr.  18 

Apr.  18 

Apr.  18 

Apr.  18 

Apr.  20 

Apr.  20 

Apr.  20 

Apr.  20 

Apr.  22 

A  pr.  22 

Apr.  25 

Apr.  25 

Apr.  25 

Apr.  25 

Apr.  25 

Apr.  20 

Apr.  25 

Apr.  26 

Apr.  27 

Apr  27 

Apr,  27 

Apr.  27 

May  1 

May  3 

May  4 

May  3 

May  4 

May  6 


Yellowstone,  Fort  Leavenworth  .... 

Sam  Gaty,  Omaha    

G.  B.  Allen,  Fort  Leavenworth 

Mary  McDonald,  Omaha 

H.  S.  Turner,  Fort  Leavenworth 

Mary  McDonald,  Fort  Leavenworth 

War  Ea^le,  Omaha 

Yellowstone,  Fort  Leavenworth    

Jennie  Lewis,  Omaha 

St.  John's,  Fort  Sully 

St.  John's,  Fort  Buford 

St.  John's,  Fort  Benton 

St.  John's.  Camp  Cooke 

Big  Horn,  Fort  Benton 

Big^  Horn,  Camp  Cooke 

H.  S.  Turner,  Camp  Cooke   

H.  S,  Turner,  Fort  Benton 

Benton,  Fort  Benton 

Benton.  Camp  Cooke 

Jennie  Lewis,  Omaha 

Columbian,  Omaha    

Abeona,  Fort  Benton 

Abeona,  Camp  Cooke 

Ida  Stockdale.  Fort  Buford 

G.  B.  Allen,  Fort  Leavenworth  ,    .    . 

Lilly,  Fort  Benton 

Lilly,  Camp  Cooke 

Lilly,  Fort  Buford 

W.  L.  Lewis,  Omaha    

W.  L.  Lewis,  Fort  Leavenworth   ... 

Carrie,  Fort  Buford     

Gallatin,  Camp  Cooke     

G.  A.  Thompson,  Camp  Cooke   

G.  A.  Thompson,  Fort  Benton 

Marcella,  Fort  Randall 

Marcella,  Yucoton    

Marcella,  Omaha 

Luella,  Camp  Cooke    

Luella,  Fort  Buford    

Lilly,  Fort  Benton     

Silver  Lake  No.  4,  Camp  Cooke 

G.  W.  Graham,  Fort  Sully    

Ned  Tracy,  Fort  Rice 

Ned  Tracy,  Fort  Berthold    

Yellowstone,  Fort  Leavenworth    . . . 

Kate  Kinney,  Omaha 

G.  B   Allen,  Fort  Rice    

Glasgow.  Fort  Leavenworth    

War  Eagle,  Fort  Leavenworth   

Cornelia.  Fort  Berthold 

Lady  Grace,  Fort  Buford 

War  Eagle,  Omaha 


F'ounds 
Weight 


189,120 

353,513 

38,593 

20,018 

4.097 

200 

72,242 

32,9i^6 

535,344 

2,000 

220 

188,856 

57,844 

298,375 

28,440 

18  293 

384,873 

20,494 

297,536 

123 

80.827 

142,675 

100.000 

22.628 

105,247 

186  742 

39.569 

485.952 

4,440 

434,232 

24,085 

130,516 

70,.338 

212,715 

86,899 

16,900 

99,127 

,35,838 

48.510 

82.100 

540,047 

241  642 

410,200 

124,648 

81.963 

750,.368 

3,246 

64.000 

670.190 

161 ,666 

372  976 


1     Ex.  Doer.  House  of  Rep.,  3rd.  Scrs.,  40th  rooif..  Report  of  Secy,  of  War,  Cong.  Series 
1388,  p.  666. 


376 


STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


LIST  OF  GOVERNMENT  FREIGHT.— (Continued.) 


Dale 
—1867 


Name  of  Steamer  and  Destination 


Poonds 
Weight 


May 

7 

7 

7 

7 

7 

7 

7 

6 

8 

8 

8 

8 

8 

11 

11 

11 

12 

12 

14 

14 

14 

14 

14 

14 

14 

14 

8 

18 

18 

19 

18 

IS 

18 

18 

2'> 

22 

23 

2<) 

24 

22 

25 

IS 

25 

25 

25 

28 

2^ 

31 

31 

31 

18 

Jane 

1 

4 

4 

7 


Sam  Gaty,  Fort  Lrearenworth  . . 

Lexing^ton,  Fort  Sully 

Lexington,  Fort  Randall 

Lexington,  *i  ankton 

Silver  Lake  No.  4,  Camp  Cooke 
Silver  Lake  No.  4,  Fort  Buford  . 

Ludy  Grace,  Fort  Benton 

War  Eagle,  Omaha    

Richmond*  Fort  Buford 

Richmond,  Camp  Cooke 

Richmond,  Fort  Benton  

H.  S.  Turner,  Fort  Leavenworth 

H.  S.  Turner,  Omaha 

Yellowstone,  Fort  Leavenworth 

Ida  Fulton,  Fort  Benton 

Ida  Fulton,  Camp  Cooke 

Tom  Stevens,  Camp  Cooke  ... 

Tom  Stevens,  Fort  Benton 

Nora,  Fort  Sully 

Nora,  Fort  Benton    

Nora.  Fort  Berthold 

Nora,  Camp  Cooke 

Imperial,  Fort  Berthold 

Imperial,  Fort  Benton 

Imperial,  Fort  Buford    

Imperial,  Camp  Cooke    

Montana.  Omaha 

Paragon,  Fort  Buford 

Paragon,  Fort  Berthold 

Paragon,  Fort  Rice 

Paragon,  Fort  Sully  

Montana,  Fort  Leavenworth  . . . . 

Evening  Star,  Fort  Berthold 

Evening  Star,  Fort  Rice 

Zephyr,  Camp  Cooke 

Dicta'tor,  Fort  Sully    

Zephyr,  Fort  Benton  

Glasgow,  Omaha 

Yellowstone,  Fort  Leavenworth 
Mary  McDonald,  Fort  Bertholi. 

Mary  McDonald,     *'      Rice 

Montana,  Omaha 

City  of  Pekin,  Fort  Buford 

Columbian,  Omaha 

T.  L.  McGill,  Fort  Sully    

T.  L.  McGill.     "      Berthold 

H.  S.  Turner,  Omaha 

Jennie  Lewis,  Yankton 

Jennie  Lewis,  Fort  Randall ...    . 

Jennie  Lewis,     "       Sully 

H.  S.  Turner,  Omaha 


W.  J.  Lewis.  Fort  Leavenworth 

Stonewall,  Omaha 

Stonewall,  Fort  Leavenworth     . 
Isabella.  Fort  Leavenworth  . . . . 


72,500 
616.899 

64,249 
361,617 
324,037 

29,880 
155.109 
464.668 

65,668 

i.30,ao 

10i),000 
142.976 

8,087 

274,093 

82,065 

113,403 

5,008 
148.71  8 

4,S92 
175,000 

3.264 
134,347 

4,476 
231685 

8.692 
109,111 
109,413 
a)9.982 
261845 
108.139 
119,79;< 

407,270 

100  613 

690 

377,585 

i.-^uioo 

59.768 

92,026 
678,SH8 

72.1K30 
1,450 
ri:>.3,424 
2U,6i3 
101,487 
73i>.125 
H  16,069 

21,938 

5.176 

707.839 

a4> 

3112 

3.J7.27I 

752 

18,713 


STATE  OF  NORTH   DAKOTA 


377 


LIST  OF  GOVERNMENT  FREIGHT,— (Continued.) 


Date 
-1867 

June 

6 

6 

6 

12 

12 

14 

17 

17 

17 

17 

18 

19 

22 

24 

22 

24 

25 

26 

26 

30 

Jnly 

3 

3 

3 

3 

3 

2 

2 

4 

4 

4 

3 

5 

6 

6 

6 

6 

9 

12 

13 

16 

16 

19 

24 

24 

27 

27 

29 

29 

29 

29 

31 

31 


Name  of  Steamer  and  Destination 


Pounds 
Weight 


War  Eagle,  Omaha 

Montana,  Fort  Lea venworlh  ... 

Montana,  Omaha 

Glasgow,  Omaha 

W.  J.  Lewis,  Fort  Leavenworth. 

Columbian,  Omaha 

Last  Chance,  Fort  Sully 

Last  Chance,     '*      Rice 

Last  Chance,     **      Berthold 

Last  Chance,     **      Buford    

Kate  Kinney,  Omaha 

Isabella,  Omaha 

Stonewall,  Omaha    

Deer  Lodge,  Camp  Cooke , 

W.  J.  Lewis,  Fort  Leavenworth 

Deer  Lodge,     **      Benton   

Montana,  Omaha 

H.  S.  Turner,  Omaha 

H.  S.  Turner,  Fort  Leavenworth 
Cornelia,  Omaha 


Mountaineer,  Fort  Berthold 

Mountaineer,      **    Rice 

Mountaineer,      **     Sully 

Mountaineer,   '*       Randall 

Mountaineer,  Yankton 

Carrie,  Fort  Sully 

Carrie,     **      Buford 

Only  Chance,  Fort  Sully 

Only  Chance,     "      Rice 

Only  Chance,    "      Buford    

W.J.Lewis,      "      Leavenworth. 

Kate  Kinney,  Omaha 

Huntsville,  Fort  Benton 

Huntsville,     '*      Rice 

Huntsville,    "      Berthold 

Huntsville,     "      Sully 

Columbian,  Omaha 

Stonewall,  Omaha    

W.  J.  Lewis,  Fort  Leavenworth  . 
H.S.Turner,    *'     Leavenworth. 

H.  S.  Turner.  Omaha 

Glasgow,  Omaha  

Kate  Kinney,  Omaha 

G.  B.Allen,  Fort  Leavenworth  .. 

Columbian,  Omaha 

Columbian,  Fort  Leavenworth  .. 
Deer  Lodge,     *'     Berthold    .*.... 

Deer  Lodge,    "     Sully   

Deer  Lodge,     "     Rice 

Deer  Lodge,  Yankton 

H.  S.  Turner,  Omaha 

H.  S.  Turner,  Fort  Leavenworth 


23,080 

X  2.464 

301,954 

291,361 

24,862 

47,176 

5  084 

104,591 

86,554 

27,885 

257,918 

171,144 

789,933 

102  644 

8,544 

59,735 

496,339 

435.116 

8,681 

170.319 

227  605 

290,097 

7,656 

7,644 

25 

a3,822 

400,V17 

50,340 

104,450 

4,340 

137 

14,875 

2 

97,260 

2 

8 

53,548 

1,0.H5 

107,127 

1,710 

76,375 

148,875 

23.371 

178,921 

122,627 

93.179 

175,609 

13.;^0 

16,500 

7,6:^6 

82.767 

93.838 


378 


STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


LIST  OP  GOVERNMENT  FREIGHT.-(Continued.) 


Date 

-1867 


Name  of  Steamer  and  Destiuation. 


Pounds 
Weiirht 


Aug. 

1 

8 

8 

6 

6 

10 

10 

10 

12 

12 

13 

14 

16 

16 

22 

20 

20 

22 

24 

27 

26 

29 

31 

31 

Sept. 
2 

2 

4 

4 

7 

7 

7 

13 

14 

14 

19 

20 

20 

20 

20 

21 

20 


Amaranth,      Fort  Rice 

Amaranth^         **      Stevenson 

Glasgow,  Omaha 

Glasgow,  Fort  Leavenworth   

W.  B.  Dance,  Fort  Leavenworth 

W.  B.  Dance,  Omaha 

Mary  McDonald,  Fort  Rice 

Mary  McDonald,     '*      Sully    

Mary  McDonald,     **      Stevenson 

Montana,  Omaha 

Montana,  Fort  Leavenworth  .. 
G.B.Allen,    **    Leavenworth..., 

W.  J.  Lewis,  **   Leavenworth 

Kate  Kinney,  Omaha 

Kate  Kinney,  Fort  Leavenworth 
H.  S.  Turner,  '*  Leavenworth 
Columbian,         "     Leavenworth 

Columbian,  Omaha 

H   S.  Turner,  Omaha 

W.  J.  Lewis,  Fort  Leavenworth  . 

Ben  Johnson ,  Omaha  

Glasgow,  Omaha 

G.  B   Allen,  Fort  Leavenworth.. 

Octavia,  Omaha    

Octavia,        Fort  Leavenworth 


Lady  Grace,    **    Stevenson   . . . . , 

Lady  Grace,    "    Sully    

W.J.Lewis,     **     Leavenworth  .. 

Cornelia,  Omaha 

Amelia  Poe,  Fort  Randall    

Amelia  Poe,    **     Sully 

Amelia  Poe,     '*     Rice 

Sam  Gaty,  Omaha    

G.  B.  Allen,  Omaha 

G.  B.  Allen,  Fort  Leavenworth.. 

Mountaineer,   "     Randall 

Antelope,  Omaha 

Antelope,  Fort  Leavenworth 

Deer  Lodge,  Omaha 

Deer  Lodge,  Fort  Leavenworth  . 

Mountaineer,  Yankton 

Ben  Johnson,  Fort  Leavenworth 


61,031 
261,600 

656 

88,064 

909 

3,773 

2,848 

240,648 

61,789 

262.919 

73,347 

282,276 

14,344 

163,616 

243,256 

165.041 

2.354 

158.4W2 

233,750 

147,521 

268.a39 

142.011 

107,740 

160.848 

50,288 

24.735 

193,689 

8,053 

30.402 

2:^,527 

225,071 

247,773 

5,995 

99,589 

22.884 

41,259 

42.670 

12.125 

35 

6,635 


STATE  OF  NORTH   DAKOTA  -  379 

The  following  report  on  the  obstacles  to  navigation  in  the  Missouri 
river  in  3867,  and  detailed  account  of  a  trip  from  Sioux  City,  Iowa, 
to  Fort  Benton,  Montana  Territory,  for  the  same  year,  are  appended 
here  as  throwing  much  light  on  the  foregoing  narrative  contained  in 
the  logs  of  Captain  Atkins . 

OBSTACLES  TO  NAVIGATION  IN  THE  MISSOURI 

RIVER  IN  1867. 


Office  Western  River  Improvements,  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  June  24, 
1867. — Sir:  You  will  proceed  without  delay  to  St.  Louis,  Missouri, 
and  from  that  city,  by  river,  to  Fort  Benton,  for  the  purpose  of  in- 
specting the  condition  of  the  Missouri  river  with  a  view  to  its  im- 
provement. 

You  are  authorized  to  employ  one  assistant  to  accompany  you, 
and  make  as  complete  and  accurate  a  sketch  of  the  river  as  practic- 
able, to  illustrate  your  report. 

On  completion  of  this  duty  you  will  return  to  Cincinnati,  and  make 
to  this  office  a  detailed  report,  in  writing,  embracng  all  information 
of  importance  you  may  have  gained. 

You  will  pay  particular  attention  to  the  obstructions  in  the  river, 
including  snags,  bars  and  rapids,  and  report  on  the  feasibility  of  re- 
moving them,  together  with  approximate  estimates  of  time,  labor, 
machinery  and  expense  necessary  to  render  navigation  more  safe 
and  speedy. 

I  remain,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  N.  Macomb, 
Colonel  Engineers,  Brevet  Colonel  U.  S.  Army. 

Brevet  Major  C.  W.  Howell, 

Captain  Engineers  United  States  Army. 


Office  Western  River  Improvements,  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  December 
3^  1867. — Colonel :  In  the  continuation  of  the  duties  designated  in 
your  order,  dated  June  24,  1867,  I  have  the  honor  to  submit  the  fol- 
lowing report : 

The  maps  and  sketches  intended  to  accompany  this  report  are  not 
yet  completed,  but  will  be  forwarded  the  latter  part  of  February, 
1868. 


380  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  sir,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  ser- 
vant, 

C.  W.  Howell, 
Captain  Engineers,  Brevet  Major  U.  S.  Army. 

Colonel  John  M.  Macomb, 

Corps  of  Engineers  United  States  Army. 


The  Missouri  river,  owing  to  the  rapidity  of  its  current  and  the 
geological  characteristics  of  its  immediate  valley,  is  at  all  times, 
after  leaving  the  highlands,  400  miles  below  Fort  Benton,  a  wide  and 
comparatively  shallow  stream. 

The  average  velocity  of  its  current  has  been  estimated  at  three 
miles  per  hour,  and  this  is  greatly  increased  during  the  flood  season, 
in  contracted  portions  of  the  river  frequently  reaching  five  or  six 
miles  per  hour,  and  forcing  the  most  powerful  steamers  to  use  the 
towing  line. 

The  immediate  valley  of  the  river  presents  the  same  general  char- 
acteristics throughout  the  greater  part  of  its  length.  The  stream 
winds  through  a  narrow  bottom  of  light  alluvial  formation,  closely 
shut  in  by  high  rounded  hills  or  rolling  table  lands,  cushioning  the 
bends  and  throwing  the  current  from  side  to  side  across  the  valley. 
A  luxuriant  growth  of  cottonwood,  interspersed  at  points  with  ash, 
elm,  plum  and  cherry,  covers  the  most  fertile  portions  of  the  bottom, 
while  dense  willow  thickets  fringe  the  lower  banks  and  creep  out 
upon  the  long  sand  points  and  higher  bars. 

The  barren  plateaus,  which  often  intervene  between  the  bottoms 
and  the  base  of  the  hills,  support  but  a  scanty  covering  of  coarse, 
short  prairie  grass  and  stunted  sage  brush,  and  the  short  narrow 
ravines  furnish  a  straggling  growth  of  pine  and  cedar. 

These  characteristics,  though  generally  pertaining,  are  greatly 
modified  in  that  portion  of  the  valley  below  Fort  Randall,  at  which 
point  the  bottom  lands  begin  to  widen  and  increase  in  fertility,  and 
civilization  adds  its  changes  to  the  general  features  of  the  country. 
Cottonwood  groves  continue  to  hold  their  places  on  the  lower 
grounds,  but  the  hillsides  gradually  exchange  their  nakedness  for  a 
valuable  covering  of  oak,  hickory  and  walnut 

The  light  loosely  aggregated  character  of  the  bottom  formation 
renders  it  peculiarly  susceptible  to  the  action  of  the  current,  which 
at  all  stages  of  the  river  cuts  its  way  into  exposed  banks  and  fills  the 
channel  with  the  debris. 

Even  the  more  substantial  bluffs  are  not  exempt  from  the  en- 
croachments of  the  river  when  in  flfwxl,  being  subject,  by  their  non- 
homogeneous  formation  to  the  undermining  action  of  the  current, 
which  washes  away  the  layers  of  drift  and  precipitates  the  rock  into 
the  channel,  always  at  such  points  running  close  in  shore. 


STATE  OF   NORTH   DAKOTA  381 

From  Round  Butte  to  St.  Louis  every  bend  of  tibe  river  gives 
more  or  less  emphatic  evidence  of  this  cutting  action,  the  bed  of  the 
river  at  peculiarly  susceptible  points  shifting  in  a  few  weeks  from 
200  to  300  yards  into  the  bottom  lands,  and  frequently  cutting 
through  necks  of  bends,  changes  the  whole  channel  for  miles  on 
either  side. 

The  disproportion  between  the  current  velocity  and  the  stability 
of  the  banks  causes  the  obstructed  condition  of  the  lower  river.  Dur- 
ing the  height  of  the  flood  season,  but  more  particularly  at  a  medium 
stage,  the  current  cuts  material  from  the  banks  faster  than  it  can 
remove  and  arrange  it ;  the  water,  already  charged  to  the  extent  of 
its  carrying  power,  rolls  the  surplus  along  the  bottom,  fills  up  the  low 
water  channel,  and  evenly  raises  the  river  bed  throughout  its  length 
and  breadth ;  as  the  river  falls  below  its  medium  height,  work  is  grad- 
ually transferred  from  the  bank  to  this  accumulation  of  sand  and  mud 
upon  the  bottom ;  the  two  are  sorted  by  the  current,  the  mud  carried 
away  and  deposited  in  the  stiller  portions  of  the  stream  to  form  the 
top  dressing  of  a  willow  bar  or  bottom,  and  the  sand,  left  without  its 
sedative  influence,  is  shifted  from  place  to  place  by  the  erratic  efforts 
of  the  water,  while  accommodating  itself  to  a  channel.  In  conse- 
quence the  whole  bed  of  the  river  is  choked  by  sifting  sand-bars, 
giving  one  day  a  good  channel  and  the  next  changing  so  as  to  ob- 
struct the  whole  water-way ;  every  change  in  the  stage  of  the  river, 
and  every  modification  in  the  shape  of  its  banks,  either  by  cutting 
or  filling,  changes  the  direction  of  the  current  and  forces  a  corre- 
sponding change  in  the  sand  deposits,  so  that  these  latter  are  never 
at  rest,  since  the  causes  of  the  disturbance  continue  throughout  the 
vear. 

TIMBER    DEPOSITS — DRIFT. 

In  addition  to  these  sand  obstructions  others  of  a  more  dangerous 
character  are  formed,  due  to  the  same  cause.  By  the  caving  in  of 
timbered  banks  great  numbers  of  cottonwood  trees  are  precipitated 
into  the  stream,  filling  it  with  drift  and  snags.  Trees  washed  in  by 
the  higher  stages  are  generally  carried  to  a  distance  before  they 
are  deposited ;  their  roots  are  washed  clear  of  earth ;  they  are  in 
consequence  less  liable  to  anchor  in  the  bed  of  the  river,  and  the  ma- 
jority of  such  are  drifted  on  the  bars  and  sand  bottoms,  where  they 
dry  and  form  the  drift  of  succeeding  floods.  Drift,  though  at  times 
dangerous,  has  its  use,  and  the  benefit  derived  from  it  in  those 
stretches  of  the  river  where  firewood  is  scarce  more  than  counterbal- 
ances the  risk  of  broken  wheels  and  rudders,  or  the  breaking  of  a 
few  planks  in  a  weak  hull. 

SNAGS. 

Snags,  on  the  contrary,  are  useless  and  extremely  dangerous.  They 
are  to  be  found  in  every  bend  of  the  river,  solitary  or  in  clusters, 
standing  out  boldly  above  the  surface  of  the  water,  or  lurking  be- 


382  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 

neath  it  with  but  a  ripple  on  top  to  warn  the  pilot  of  their  presence. 
Some  have  grown  gray  and  lawn-like  in  their  stations,  while  others, 
new  comers,  retain  their  limbs  and  stretch  widely  across  the  channel. 

No  portion  of  the  river  bed  in  the  vicinity  of  the  timbered  bottoms 
is  w4tlK>ut  its  snags.  The  newest  are  near  the  bank ;  the  oldest  have 
passed  in  turn  across  the  channel  and  into  the  opposite  growing 
point.  The  most  dangerous  are  those  old  settlers  in  the  crossings, 
where  each  season,  as  the  channel  shifts  back  and  forth,  they  lie  al- 
ternately in  the  channel  or  buried  in  the  sand.  The  ice  of  each 
spring  freshet,  during  a  series  of  years,  has  added  to  their  sharpness 
and  curtailed  their  length  till  many  of  them  only  reach  above  the 
surface  at  low  water;  no  pilot  can  tell  their  exact  position,  and  to 
strike  them  is  almost  certain  destruction.  Manv  of  them  lie  buried 
for  years  before  tlie  channel  aits  around  them ;  their  places  have 
passed  from  the  memory  of  even  those  best  acquainted  with  the  river, 
and  their  presence  is  only  manifested  by  the  disaster  they  cause.  The 
new  comers  are  the  least  dangerous  of  snags ;  they  are  only  trouble- 
some ;  they  block  the  channel  along  freshly  cut  banks  and  cause  de- 
lay, but  in  time  as  the  bank  cuts  more  and  more,  they  are  thinned  out 
by  the  ice  and  by  freshets,  leaving  the  more  stubborn  to  settle  in  the 
bars  and  wait  the  shifting  of  the  channel,  to  become,  in  their  turn, 
dangerous.  In  determining  what  snags  ought  to  be  removed  to  im- 
prove navigation  only  long  experience  should  be  consulted,  and  even 
that  may  often  mislead.  A  cutting  bank  is  always  a  good  guide  where 
the  bends  are  deep  and  regular,  for  the  channel  usually  runs  close  to 
it,  but  in  long  stretches  or  where  islands  divide  the  stream,  only  an 
experienced  pilot  accustomed  to  the  river  can  tell  where  to  clear  the 
way.  No  certain  estimate  of  the  dimensions  of  a  snag  can  be  based 
on  its  showing  above  water;  its  inclination  and  the  depth  of  the 
water  around  it  may  in  the  majority  of  cases  give  an  idea  of  its 
length,  but  not  with  certainty;  many  small  appearing  snags  are  but 
the  limbs  of  large  trees  imbedded  in  the  sand,  while  those  showing 
large  diameters  vary  from  20  to  100  feet  in  length. 

It  will  be  safe  to  premise  that  all  snags  come  from  large  trees,  if 
only  they  have  sufficient  root  to  give  a  firm  anchorage. 

ROCK. 

Rock  obstructions  occur  wherever  rocky  bluffs  border  the  stream, 
but  not  in  troublesome  numbers  until  entering  the  rapid  section  of 
the  river.  A  few  disasters  have  occurred  from  their  presence  in  the 
lower  and  middle  river,  but  all  from  want  of  thorough  pilots.  Ob- 
structions of  this  kind  hold  their  place :  do  not  occur  where  the  chan- 
nel is  liable  to  shift,  and  for  this  reason  can  always  be  avoided  with 
proper  care  and  knowledge. 

RATIOS. 

The  rapids  properly  begin  at  Two-calf  island,  and  are  obstructed 
by  rocky  reefs,  or.  as  in  the  majority  of  cases,  by  lx>ulders  congre- 


STATE  OF  NORTH   DAKOTA  383 

gated  so  as  to  partially  dam  the  stream,  rendering  the  channel  tortu- 
ous and  difficult.  All  of  the  rapids,  even  at  low  water,  have  a 
sufficient  depth  of  water  over  the  channel  bed  to  carry  boats  adapted 
to  the  mountain  trade,  provided  the  channel  be  cleared  of  obstruc- 
tions and  several  of  the  minor  island  chutes  closed  so  as  to  throw  the 
water  into  the  main  channel. 

Throughout  the  rapids  section  the  river  bed  is  subject  to  but  slight 
change ;  the  channel  does  not  shift ;  the  water  is  free  from  sediment ; 
the  banks  cut  but  very  little,  and  are  sparsely  timbered ;  snags  but 
seldom  occur,  and  the  bars,  all  of  gravel,  are  permanent. 

Between  the  rapids  the  channel  gives  from  three  to  ten  feet  water, 
and  although  studded  with  boulders,  is  perfectly  safe  when  run  with 
care.  Between  Two-calf  island  and  Fort  Benton  there  are  fifteen 
rapids,  more  or  less  difficult,  the  principal  of  which  are  Cow  island, 
Snake  Point,  Dauphin's,  Drowned  Man's  and  Marias.  Should  these 
five  be  well  cleared,  navigation  will  be  insured  until  the  first  of  Oc- 
tober each  season.  The  other  rapids  are  simply  difficult,  not  impass- 
able, at  any  season.  They  are  known  as  Two-calf,  Bird,  Bear,  Lone 
Pine,  Holmes,  Pablois,  Nos.  1,  2  and  3,  and  Kiddes. 

The  rapids  are  the  only  points  above  Fort  Randall  warranting  im- 
provement. That  their  improvement  is  of  importance  will  be  clearly 
proved  by  reference  to  the  appended  commercial  statistics.  The  ex- 
pense of  improvement  will  be  fully  repaid  the  government  in  a  single 
year  by  the  decreased  rates  of  freight  incident  to  increased  safety 
and  certainty  of  navigation,  and  by  dispensing  with  expensive  wagon 
transportation  from  Cow  island.  The  improvements  necessary  will 
be  of  the  simplest  kind,  as  shown  by  the  following  description  and  an- 
nexed sketches: 

TWO-CALF    ISLAND. 

Two-calf  island  is  at  the  foot  of  the  rapids  section.  At  this  point 
the  river  is  divided  into  three  parts  by  two  small  islands,  the  greatest 
depth  of  water  being  found  in  the  right  and  middle  chutes,  each 
about  forty  yards  in  width  and  giving  from  three  to  six  feet  water. 
The  middle  chute,  which  is  now  the  navigable  channel,  branches 
from  the  right-hand  chute  below  the  head  of  the  larger  island,  and 
re-enters  it  before  uniting  with  the  left  chute  below.  The  water  is 
deflected  from  its  natural  direction  and  thrown  into  this  middle  chan- 
nel by  a  rocky  bar  formed  across  the  right  chute  by  the  washing  of 
a  large  ravine.  Should  this  bar  be  removed  and  its  cause  guarded, 
the  bulk  of  the  stream  would  naturally  seek  the  right  shore  and  make 
a  safe,  deep  and  permanent  channel  through  the-  right  chute,  com- 
pletely closing  the  middle  one. 

The  middle  chute  branches  from  the  right  at  such  an  obtuse  angle 
that  the  boats  are  obliged  to  send  a  hawser  ahead,  both  in  passing  up 
and  returning  to  prevent  being  driven  on  the  bar  and  damaged.  The 
left  channel  is  never  used  except  in  high  water. 


384  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


TO  IMPROVE  TWO-CALF  ISLAND. 

To  improve  this  point  I  propose  the  removal  of  the  bar  in  the  right 
chute,  and  that  a  boulder  dam  be  thrown  across  the  ravine  100  yards 
above  its  mouth  to  detain  further  drift  from  that  quarter.  Owing  to 
the  want  of  time  my  observations  were  not  sufficiently  minute  to 
warrant  detailed  estimates  of  time  and  labor  required  to  make  the 
proposed  improvement,  but  approximate  estimates  will  be  found  ap- 
pended with  sketch. 

In  passing  up  the  next  point  worthy  of  improvement  is  the  cross- 
ing at  the  head  of  Grand  island.  This  is  obstructed  by  a  gravel  bar 
extending  across  the  main  channel  from  Grand  island  to  the  foot  of 
a  small  island  above,  and  giving  but  thirty  inches  in  the  crossing. 
About  one-fourth  of  the  water  is  diverted  from  the  natural  channel 
bv  the  two  island  chutes.  If  these  were  closed  a  fair  channel  three 
feet  deep  would  be  cut  through  the  bar,  and  the  troublesome  suck 
through  the  Grand  island  chute  removed.  The  present  crossing  is 
very  square,  and  after  sparring  over  the  bar  boats  are  liable  to  swing 
into  the  head  of  the  chute  and  ground,  as  did  the  steamers  Miner  and 
Only  Chance  on  their  second  trip  this  season. 

cow  ISLAND. 

At  Cow  island  the  river  is  again  divided  into  three  channels,  the 
principal  of  these  following  the  left  shore  and  giving  three,  four  and 
five  feet  of  water  off  the  rocks.  The  onlv  obstructions  are  loose 
boulders  irregularly  distributed  over  the  bottom,  and  rendered  troub- 
lesome by  the  rapidity  of  the  current. 

IMPROVEMENT. 

To  improve  these  rapids  it  will  only  be  necessary  to  clear  a  direct 
channel  through  these  boulders  so  that  the  boats  may  keep  head  to 
the  current  in  going  up.  With  time  further  improvement  might  be 
made  by  closing  the  right  chute,  by  which  the  left  channel  will  be 
considerably  deepened. 

SNAKE  POINT. 

At  Snake  Point  a  ledge  of  rocks,  with  boulders  lodged  upon  it, 
starting  from  the  left  shore,  runs  obliquely  across  the  channel  to  the 
lower  right-hand  shore,  having  near  its  center  a  gap  wide  enough 
and  deep  enough  for  the  passage  of  boats,  but  infested  with  bouKlers 
and  oblique  to  the  current,  so  that  boats  passing  up  are  not  only  in 
danger  of  striking  boulders  in  the  gap,  but  are  also  in  danger  of 
swinging  on  the  reef  below.  In  passing  down  there  is  yet  greater 
danger,  and  it  is  usual  to  drop  through  with  bow  and  stern  lines.  By 
clearing  the  gap  of  boulders  the  channel  will  be  made  as  good  as  in 
other  portions  of  the  river. 

BIRD.  BEAR,  LONE  PINE. 

At  Bird,  Bear  and  Lone  Pine  rapids  a  few  boulders  might  be  re- 
moved to  the  great  benefit  of  these  points ;  but  I  would  not  recom- 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  385 

mend  work  on  them  till  more  troublesome  points  are  improved,  since 
they  can  be  safely  passed,  with  proper  care,  at  all  seasons  of  the  year 
when  the  other  rapids  are  passable. 

dauphin's. 

Dauphin's  rapids,  the  highest  point  on  which  I  can  report  from 
personal  inspection,  is  considered  the  most  difficult  of  the  series  of 
rapids.  It  is  the  first  to  become  impassable,  and,  except  in  very  fav- 
orable seasons,  it  is  the  terminus  of  the  second  trip  of  the  season. 
But  one  boat  of  the  mountain  fleet  passed  it  on  the  second  trip  this 
year,  and  she  only  succeeded  after  clearing  a  number  of  rocks  from 
the  channel,  and  sustaining  very  considerable  injury  about  her  hull. 
The  river  is  here  obstructed  by  a  rocky  chain  across  the  channel, 
with  loose  boulders  lodged  above  and  below. 

As  with  the  other  rapids,  the  plan  of  improvement  proposed  con- 
templates clearing  a  direct  channel  through  these  boulders  and  blast- 
ing through  the  reef.  At  the  head  of  the  rapids  a  small  island  divides 
the  current,  and  both  chutes  have  been  used  by  boats ;  but  from  the 
best  of  my  observation  the  channel  along  the  left  shore  is  best  adapt- 
ed to  improvement,  and  may  have  all  the  water  thrown  into  it  by 
damming  the  right  chute  at  the  head  of  the  island.  By  improving 
only  this  one  point  two  trips  from  St.  Louis  to  Benton  will  be  in- 
sured to  the  regular  mountain  fleet  each  year. 

OTHER  RAPIDS. 

Of  those  rapids  above  I  can  only  report  on  information  derived 
from  others.  Drowned  Man*s,  and  the  rapids  near  the  mouth  of  the 
Marias  river,  are  considered  the  only  points  of  real  diffculty  after 
leaving"  Dauphin's,  and  they  are  only  represented  as  obstructed  by 
boulders  which,  when  removed,  will  leave  a  good  channel. 

BOAT    FOR   SERVICE    IX    CLEARING   THE    RAPIDS. 

* 

To  effect  the  improvements  above  recommended  to  be  made  in 
the  rapids  section  of  the  river,  I  would  propose  the  building  of  a  boat 
especially  adapted  to  the  service — a  small  side-wheel  steamer  with 
strong  engines,  and  draught  not  to  exceed  eighteen  inches,  strongly 
built  forward  to  sustain  a  derrick  capable  of  lifting  ten  tons,  to  be 
used  in  removing  loose  rocks ;  to  be  provided  with  tools  for  drilling 
rocks  and  materials  for  blasting ;  to  carry  a  crew  of  from  fifteen  to 
twenty  able-bodied,  intelligent  men,  and  to  be  otherwise  equipped 
as  the  most  approved  steamers  of  the  mountain  fleet.  I  annex  de- 
tails of  a  suitable  steamer,  drawn  up  and  recommended  by  Mr.  E.  M. 
Shield,  with  estimate  of  cost  of  construction  and  working.  With  the 
steamer  and  crew  proposed,  all  the  necessary  improvements  can  be 
made  in  a  single  season  of  three  months,  beginning  on  the  1st  of  July 
and  ending  on  the  1st  of  October,  and  at  an  expense  much  less  than 
would  be  warranted  by  the  importance  of  the  work. 


386  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


SNAGS. 

In  consideration  of  the  vastness  of  the  work,  even  if  it  should  be 
deemed  desirable,  I  would  not  recommend  an  attempt  to  clear  the 
riv.er  of  snags  above  Fort  Randall.  The  vastly  greater  importance 
of  the  lower  river  and  its  more  obstructed  condition  call  for  thorough 
and  speedy  attention,  and  is  deserving  of  all  the  efforts  that  can  he 
made  to  clear  it.  The  yearly  loss  in  this  portion  of  the  river  from 
snags  alone  averages  half  a  million  of  dollars,  and  injures  the  spirit 
of  river  enterprise  to  a  much  more  serious  extent.  With  two  of  the 
snag  boats  now  in  process  of  construction  the  channel  may  be  thor- 
oughly cleared  of  these  dangerous  obstructions  in  a  single  season 
from  Randall  to  St.  Louis. 

The  season  favorable  for  operations  begins  about  the  middle  of 
July  and  continues  until  the  middle  of  October,  after  which  the 
river  becomes  so  low  that  navigation  is  practically  suspended  for  all 
except  steamers  of  the  lightest  draught.  For  probable  expense  of  a 
single  season's  operations  I  refer  to  annexed  estimate. 

Owing  to  the  changeable  nature  of  the  river-bed  and  the  continual 
additions  of  fresh  deposits  from  cutting  banks,  it  w'ill  be  necessary 
to  employ  one  boat  during  each  season,  for  a  number  of  years,  on 
this  duty,  after  which  work  may  be  suspended  for  a  time,  but  must 
be  resumed  at  intervals  of  a  few  years,  so  long  as  the  importance  of 
the  river  transportation  will  warrant  the  expense. 

WRECKS. 

As  might  be  expected  from  the  character  of  the  river,  a  great 
number  of  wrecks  lie  sunken  in  this  lower  section,  but  the  majority 
of  them  at  present  are  not  in  the  way,  and  pilots  are  familiar  with 
their  positions.  Many  of  them  have  been  partially  removed  by  the 
underwriters,  leaving  but  the  hull  and  wheels,  so  that  the  labor  of 
clearing  them  out  of  the  channel  has  been  greatly  simplified.  I  would 
recommend  the  employment  of  the  steamer  Tot  ten  during  the  months 
of  August  and  September,  1808,  in  the  removal  of  those  deemed  dan- 
gerous or  likely  to  become  so. 

BARS. 

To  free  the  river  from  the  troublesome  sand-bars  which  choke 
and  complicate  its  channel  for  a  distance  of  2,r)0()  miles,  although 
practicable,  would  yet  involve  an  outlay  not  warranted  by  the  present 
importance  of  the  stream.  It  would  be  necessary  to  protect  the  hanks 
for  that  distance  from  the  cutting  action  of  the  current,  and  to  so 
confine  the  water  way  as  to  give  a  constant  channel.  This  is  of 
course  not  contemplated,  and  may  never  be  deemed  advisable. 

Boats  must  clear  their  own  wa^-  in  the  future  as  they  have  done  in 
the  past,  but  with  better  machinery.  The  old  system  of  sparring, 
though  generally  achieving  its  purpose,  is  yet  too  clumsy  and  at 
times  inefficient.    A  machine  for  plowing  through  the  bars  might  be 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA*  387 

made  as  effective  as  the  snow  plow  in  use  on  our  railroads,  and  even 
more  effective,  for  the  material  of  bars  is  of  that  kind  easily  moved 
by  the  current,  and  when  slightly  disturbed  is  quickly  rolled  away  by 
the  rush  of  water  past  the  bows  of  a  vessel. 

SPARRING. 

In  sparring  advantage  is  taken  of  the  instability  of  the  sand-bars. 
The  forward  part  of  the  boat  is  lifted  bodily  upon  the  bar,  pushed 
forward  by  the  engines  and  allowed  to  settle  down  upon  the  sand, 
the  current  rapidly  washes  underneath  the  hull,  and  the  operation  is 
repeated  as  fast  as  the  spars  can  be  taken  up  and  reset.  This  mode  is 
tedious  and  dependent  on  the  height  of  the  bar  and  velocity  of  the 
current,  but  with  ordinary  bars,  though  slow,  is  successful  when 
properly  directed. 

A  light  plowing  machine  in  front  of  each  boat  with  strong  engines 
to  push  the  vessel  ahead  would  be  more  effective,  more  expeditious, 
less  expensive  and  less  cumbersome,  involving  less  wear  and  tear  of 
tackle,  and  avoiding  racking  the  hull. 

FUEL. 

This  important  item  in  the  economy  of  the  river  is  found  in  abund- 
ance between  St.  Louis  and  Fort  Randall  ready  cut  and  dried  for  use. 
Wood  yards  are  at  convenient  intervals  and  prices  reasonable.  From 
Randall  to  Fort  Buford  firewood  is  scarce,  although  green  timber 
exists  in  reasonable  quantity.  Boats  depend  for  the  greater  part  of 
their  supply  upon  the  drift  found  lodged  upon  points  and  bottoms; 
nomadic  wood  choppers  occasionally  appear,  but  their  tenure  is  too 
precarious  for  dependence,  and  steamers  receive  but  little  benefit 
from  their  services.  Above  Fort  Buford,  and  until  entering  the  rap- 
ids section,  wood  is  abundant ;  large  cottonwood  deadenings  present- 
ing themselves  at  short  intervals,  and  making  excellent  wooding  sta- 
tions. 

COMMERCE. 

The  commerce  of  the  Missouri,  although  not  equal  to  the  natural 
demands  of  the  country  dependent  upon  it,  is  steadily  increasing  in 
importance  and  will  continue  its  growth  to  meet  the  necessities  of 
our  northern  territories  as  their  resources  are  developed,  and  naviga- 
tion is  rendered  more  safe  and  speedy.  At  present  the  commerce 
above  the  rapids  is  concentrated  at  the  two  ports.  Camp  Cooke  and 
Fort  Benton ;  the  former  receiving  only  army  and  suttler*s  supplies 
for  the  military  post  established  there,  and  the  latter  receiving  sup- 
plies for  the  mining  country  of  Montana,  for  the  military  posts  of 
Fort  Benton  and  Sun  river,  and  for  the  northern  Indians. 

During  the  season  of  1867,  forty-three  steamboats  engaged  in  this 
trade  cleared  from  the  port  of  St.  Louis;  of  these  one  made  two 
round  trips.  Two  on  the  second  trip  were  unable  to  pass  Dauphin's 
rapids,  and  left  their  freight  at  Cow  island ;  one  on  the  first  trip 


388  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


could  get  no  higher  than  Fort  Hawley,  and  the  steamer  Imperial 
on  the  first  trip  discharged  freight  at  Cow  island,  and  is  now  on  her 
return,  last  reported  November  20,  at  St.  Joseph,  with  300  passengers 
and  a  large  consignment  of  specie.  The  /.  H,  Drover  was  wrecked 
at  Point  au  Roche,  the  Nora  sunk  near  De  Soto,  the  Deer  Lodge 
had  her  shaft  broken  by  drift  near  Decatur,  and  gave  up  her  second 
trip. 

Of  the  freight  carried  by  this  fleet,  2,095  tons  belong  to  the  gov- 
ernment, and  5,966  to  private  parties,  making  a  total  of  8,061  tons  de- 
pendent on  the  navigation  of  the  rapids  section  of  the  river.  Of  the 
return  cargoes  I  can  give  but  little  information.  Hides,  peltries,  gold, 
silver  and  copper  are  the  only  exports,  and  all  seek  river  transporta- 
tion 

It  is  safe  to  say  that  five-sixths  of  the  mining  products  of  Montana 
reach  the  east  by  way  of  Missouri  river.  The  passenger  traffic  is 
also  an  item  of  considerable  importance,  and  it  is  estimated  that  10,- 
000  persons  during  this  season  have  taken  this  route  to  and  from 
Montana  at  an  average  rate  of  $150  each,  making  a  total  of  $1,500,- 
000  for  payment  of  passages. 

It  is  not  expected  that  the  river  will  in  the  future  be  the  passenger 
route  from  Montana,  for  the  reason  that  the  tcip  can  be  made  in  much 
sliorter  time  by  way  of  the  Western  Pacific  railroad,  and  stage  to  the 
mines.  Indian  troubles  may  influence  a  few  travelers,  but  the  great 
majority  will  naturally  seek  the  shortest  and  most  speedy  route,  with 
its  attendant  risks.  Travel  from  Montana  in  the  spring  and  summer 
will,  however,  be  by  the  river,  the  boats  then  being  able  to  compete 
successfully  in  point  of  time  with  the  stage  route,  besides  furnishing 
a  safer  and  more  pleasant  mode  of  traveling. 

Nor  does  the  river  at  present  enjoy  a  monopoly  of  the  Montana 
trade  owing  to  the  high  rate  of  river  transportation,  the  present  un- 
certainty of  navigation  and  insufficient  number  of  boats  employed. 

It  has  been  found  necessary  and  economical  to  transport  by  wagon 
trains  from  Utah,  California  and  the  terminus  of  the  Union  Pacific 
railroad,  a  large  proportion  of  the  breadstuff s  and  sundries  consumed 
in  the  Tcrritorv. 

P»y  removing  difficulties  of  navigation  this  trade  will  naturally  be 
directed  to  the  east.  Rates  will  be  reduced.  A  large  fleet  employed 
on  the  river  and  the  prosperity  of  Montana  and  of  the  river  interest, 
mutually  dependent,  will  rapidly  increase. 

In  view  of  this  mutual  dependence,  projects  have  been  set  afoot, 
for  railroad  communication  between  Helena,  the  ca])ital  of  Montana, 
and  the  river.  A  railroad  from  the  mouth  of  the  Mussel  Shell  river 
is  deemed  feasible,  thus  cutting  off  the  rapids. 

With  the  rapids  improved,  a  railroad  from  Fort  Benton  would  be 
desirable.  Montana  is  a  thrifty,  growing  country,  but  its  growth  is 
;?rcatly  retarded  by  difficulty  of  communication.  Kvcn  should  it  be 
at'tmpted  to  o\trconie  the  difficuUy,  by  a  railroad  from  the  Mussel 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  389 

Shell,  or  a  branch  from  the  Union  Pacific  railroad,  years  will  be 
necessarily  elapse  before  such  roads  can  be  made  of  use,  and  in  the 
meantime  the  Missouri  must  retain  its  importance. 

Taking  such  views  of  the  case,  I  esteem  the  improvement  of  the 
rapids  of  the  upper  Missouri  not  only  a  necessity,  but  a  duty  the 
government  owes  to  a  Territory  that  promises  to  be  one  of  our  most 
flourishing  States,  and  a  portion  of  that  mountain  belt  whose  settle- 
ment will  do  more  towards  settling  the  Indian  question  than  can  be 
done  by  a  powerful  and  expensive  army. 

In  the  middle  section  of  the  Missouri  the  ports  are  only  at  military 
or  fur-trading  posts,  and  are  enumerated  as  follows :  Fort  Thomp- 
son, New  Fort  Sully,  Fort  Rice,  Fort  Stevenson,  Fort  Berthold,  Fort 
Buford  and  Fort  Hawley.  Consignments  to  these  posts  are  either 
military  supplies,  Indian  annuities,  or  the  goods  of  fur-traders.  Dur- 
ing the  season  of  1867  twenty-eight  cargoes  were  cleared  from  St. 
Louis  for  these  several  points,  amounting  to  8,094  tons,  of  which  the 
government  shipped  5,832  tons,  and  private  parties  2,262  tons.  The 
receipts  from  these  ports  are  hides,  horns  and  peltries  from  the  fur 
companies. 

The  number  of  passeng^ers,  though  not  great,  is  yet  considerable, 
mostly  officers  and  soldiers  coming  from  and  returning  to  their 
pc>sts. 

The  lower  section  of  the  river,  that  is,  from  St.  Louis  to  Fort 
Randall,  has,  of  necessity,  from  the  fact  of  its  winding  through  a  fer- 
tile and  well  populated  country,  the  greatest  commercial  value,  be- 
sides carrying  all  the  commerce  of  the  upper  river ;  its  own  packet 
trade  is  perhaps  as  considerable  as  that  of  any  western  river,  and  its 
through  trade  from  its  great  commercial  center,  St.  Louis,  though 
competing  with  railroad  transportation,  is  of  fair  importance. 

From  the  1st  of  February,  1867,  to  the  1st  of  October,  1867,  from 
St.  Louis  212  clearances  are  recorded  for  this  section,  and  169  ar- 
rivals. Of  the  trade  from  St.  Charles,  Fort  Leavenworth,  St.  Jo- 
seph and  other  important  ports  along  the  section,  I  am  unable,  to 
furnish  information  further  than  to  say  it  is  very  considerable. 

The  government  freight  transported  on  this  section  amounted 
during  the  above  eight  months  to  6,000  tons,  and  was  consigned  to 
Fort  Leavenworth  and  Omaha. 

For  details  of  exports  and  receipts  at  the  port  of  St.  Louis  I  will 
refer  to  the  tables  annexed  and  furnished  me  bv  courtesv  of  Mr. 
George  H.  Morgan,  secretary  of  the  Union  Merchants'  Exchange, 
St.  Louis. 

For  annexed  list  of  government  freight  I  am  indebted  to  Brevet 
Lieutenant  Colonel  C.  W.  Thomas,  United  States  army. 

Navigation  opens  on  the  lower  Missouri  on  the  breaking  up  of  the 
ice  about  the  last  of  February  or  the  first  of  March,  and  continues 


390  STATE   HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


good  until  the  first  or  middle  of  September,  when  the  river  becomes 
so  low  as  to  cause  great  trouble  from  bars ;  boats,  however,  continue 
running  till  late  in  November,  or  in  favorable  seasons,  until  Decem- 
ber, when  ice  closes  the  season.  For  the  middle  section  the  channel 
is  good  until  the  first  of  August  above  the  Yellowstone  and  until  the 
middle  of  August  below.  From  the  latter  period  until  the  1st  of 
November  the  channel  is  full  of  bars  and  difficult.  Boats  have  cleared 
from  Fort  Buford  after  the  1st  of  November,  but  with  great  risk. 

In  the  upper  section  but  little  trouble  is  anticipated  until  the  Isf 
of  August ;  after  that  the  rapids  become  quite  impassable  in  ordi- 
nary seasons.  The  first  boats  for  Fort  Benton  start  from  St.  Louis 
the  latter  part  of  March,  and  encounter  floating  ice  on  the  spring 
rise  above  Randall.  With  boats  specially  built  for  the  mountain 
trade,  the  up  trip  is  made  in  sixty  to  sixty-five  days,  the  return  in 
fifteen  to  twenty  days.  On  the  second  trip  the  time  to  Benton  ranges 
from  fifty  to  sixty  davs. 

During  the  last  season  many  boats  not  adapted  to  the  river  at- 
tempted the  trip  to  Benton  and  without  success.  The  Cenfralia  start- 
ed June  12.  and  was  eighty-two  days  in  reaching  Fort  Hawley; 
thirtv-five  on  return. 

The  Imperial  started  May  17th,  and  was  eightv-six  days  in  making 
Cow  island  ;  other  boats  made  equally  long  trips.  The  increasing 
demands  of  the  up  river  trade  caused  this  addition  to  the  mountain 
fleet,  and  has  proven  the  impolicy  of  sending  any  but  light  draught 
powerful  steamers  to  Fort  Benton,  except  at  the  commencement  of 
the  season. 

Parties  interested  in  the  upper  river  begin  to  recognize  the  neces- 
sity of  a  higher  initial  point  than  St.  Louis.  Sioux  City  will  probab- 
ly soon  become  the  rendezvous  of  the  mountain  fleet,  since  from  that 
point  the  trip  will  be  much  shortened,  the  dangers  of  the  lower  river ' 
avoided,  and  two  round  trips  to  Benton  assured.  Rates  of  freight 
and  insurance  will  be  c^reatly  reduced,  and  the  commercial  interests 
of  Chicairo  will  come  in  direct  competition  with  those  of  St.  Louis, 
cheapeninir  the  value  of  goods  to  the  consumer  in  Montana.  Should 
it  be  decided  to  communicate  with  tlie  river  by  wagon  trains,  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Mu'^scl  Shell,  boats  can  make  from  four  to  five  trips 
in  a  season  with  ease,  by  starting  from  Sioux  City,  thus  diverting 
the  whole  ^fontnna  trade  to  the  river.  The  map  of  the  river,  now 
being  made  under  mv  direction,  will  not  be  finished  until  late  in  Feb- 
ruary, when  it  will  be  submitted. 

For  details  of  mv  tour  of  inspection  of  the  obstructions  in  the 
river,  and  of  the  river  commerce.  I  refer  you  to  the  papers  accom- 
panvinc:  this  report.  For  kind  attention  and  material  assistance  in 
performinc:  the  duty  intrusted  to  me  I  am  ereatly  indebted  to  Cap- 
tain Hawlev  and  the  officers  of  the  steamer  Miner. 


STATE  OF  NORTH   DAKOTA  391 

For  many  civilities  and  much  useful  information,  thanks  are  due 
to  the  officers  of  the  army  stationed  at  the  various  military  posts 
along  the  river. 

In  conclusion  I  have  the  honor  to  be,  sir,  very  respectfully,  your 
obedient  servant, 

C.  W.  Howell, 
Captain  Engineers,  Brevet  Major  U.  S.  A.^ 


'Ex.  Docs.,  House  of  Rep.,  3d  Sess.,  40th  Cong.,  Report  of  Sec.  of  War, 
Cong.  Series  13(:8,  p.  022-3. 


392  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


REPORT  OF  A  TRIP  ON  THE  STEAMER  MINER  FROM 

SIOUX  ,CITY,  IOWA,  TO  FORT  BENTON, 

MONTANA  TERRITORY. 

June  28,  1867,  6  p.  m. — In  obedience  to  orders  from  Colonel  John 
N.  Macomb,  corps  of  engineers  United  States  army,  dated  office  of 
Western  River  Improvements,  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  June  24,  1867,  I 
today  started  from  Cincinnati  en  route  for  Omaha,  Nebraska,  via 
Chicago,  Illinois.  It  is  my  intention  to  reach  Omaha  on  the  after- 
noon of  June  30,  in  time  to  secure  passage  for  Fort  Benton,  Mon- 
tana Terrritory,  on  the  steamer  Deer  Lodge,  which  leaves  Omaha  on 
the  1st  of  July.  I  have  secured,  as  an  assistant  in  the  duties  speci- 
fied in  my  orders.  Major  F.  Von  Werner,  a  stranger  to  me,  but  hav- 
ing very  complimentary  letters  of  recommendation  from  several 
distinguished  officers,  under  whom  he  has  served  as  a  stafif  officer 
during  the  rebellion. 

I  have  directed  him  to  collect  such  instruments  and  materials  as 
may  be  required  for  surveys  and  sketching,  and  with  them  to  over- 
take me  at  Omaha  or  Sioux  City,  with  as  little  delay  as  possible. 

June  29,  1867. — Arrived  at  Chicago  1  p.  m.  and  left  via  Chicago 
&  Northwestern  railroad  3  p.  m.,  crossing  the  Mississippi  shortly 
after  dark. 

June  30,  1867. — Arrived  at  Ames  station,  Iowa,  8  a.  m.,  and  was 
detained  to  1  p.  m.,  awaiting  repairs  to  a  broken  bridge  one  mile 
west  of  station.  Reached  Council  Bluffs  9  p.  m.,  and  owing  to  the 
high  stage  of  the  Missouri  could  not  cross  during  the  night.  I  am 
informed  that  the  river  is  over  its  banks  at  the  usual  ferry  landing, 
and  ferry  boats  only  run  during  the  day,  landing  five  miles  above 
the  citv. 

July  1,  1867.-Arrivcd  in  Omaha  12  noon,  two  hours  after  the  de- 
parture of  the  Deer  Lodge,  and  from  the. best  information  I  could 
gain,  thought  it  best  to  await  the  arrival  of  the  steamer  Last  Chance, 
reported  due  on  the  2d  or  3d. 

July  2,  1867.— Omaha  is  a  city  containing  from  8.000  to  10,000 
inhabitants,  and  derives  its  importance  from  being  the  eastern  ter- 
minus of  the  Union  Pacific  railroad.  Its  interests  are  sustained  and 
forwarded  by  eastern  capitalists  and  speculators,  on  the  supposition 
that  it  will  remain,  at  least  for  a  number  of  years,  the  great  entrepot 
for  the  commerce  of  the  country  west  and  north.  It  is  at  present 
a  large  depot  for  the  supply  of  our  troops  on  the  plains,  and  enjoys 
a  lucrative  trade  with  the  Territories  of  Idaho  and  Montana,  re- 
ceiving its  supplies  by  rail  from  Chicago  and  by  river  from  St.  Louis. 


STATE  OF   NORTH   DAKOTA  393 

It  is  rapidly  increasing  in  wealth  and  population,  but  as  there  is  no 
agricultural  country  to  the  west  on  which  it  can  depend,  it  can  never 
expect  to  be  more  than  a  distributing  point  for  eastern  products,  and 
will  soon  outgrow  the  limited  demand  for  those.  In  case  the  railroad 
bridge  across  the  Missouri  is  constructed  at  Belleville,  fifteen  miles 
below  Omaha,  we  may  expect  to  see  the  latter  city  sink  to  a  second 
place  as  a  commercial  point,  and  gradually  decay.  The  business  por- 
tion of  the  city  is  built  on  the  bluffs  above  the  overflow ;  the  railroad 
and  buildings  connected  with  it  are  located  on  a  sand  flat  beneath  the 
bluffs,  and  at  this  time  surrounded  by  water. 

Not  hearing  from  the  Last  Chance,  I  telegraphed  to  St.  Louis  for 
information,  and  on  receipt  of  answer,  concluded  to  overtake  the 
Deer  Lodge,  if  possible,  at  Sioux  City  or  Fort  Randall.  This  is 
made  posible  by  reason  of  the  tortuous  course  of  the  river ;  the  trip 
by  boat  consuming  from  three  to  four  days  and  by  stage  but  twenty- 
four  hours. 

July  3,  1867. — Starting  from  Omaha  at  10  a.  m.,  I  arrived  at 
Council  Bluffs  station  18  m.,  and  at  St.  John's  1  p.  m.,  where  I  took 
stage  3  p.  m.  for  Sioux  City,  a  distance  of  100  miles.  St.  John's  is 
a  village  of  six  months'  growth,  at  the  junction  of  the  Sioux  City 
branch  of  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  railroad.  The  branch  is  but 
just  commenced,  but  I  am  informed  is  being  pushed  rapidly  forward, 
and  will  be  completed  during  the  coming  winter,  making  Sioux  City 
the  most  northern  point  on  the  Missouri  river  having  railroad  com- 
munication with  the  east. 

The  stage  road,  after  leaving  St.  John's,  runs  for  forty  miles 
through  a  hilly  country,  sparsely  settled  and  timbered ;  it  then  strikes 
the  bottom  lands  below  the  mouth  of  the  Little  Sioux  river,  and  does 
not  again  turn  into  the  hills  until  reachin^^  Sargent's  bluffs,  a  few 
miles  below  Sioux  City.  Through  the  bottom  lands  the  road  is  but 
a  trail,  and  at  many  points  is  subject  to  overflow.  The  soil  is  a  rich 
alluvium,  well  adapted  to  farming  and  grazing.  The  higher  por- 
tions of  the  bottom  are  well  timbered  with  a  vigorous  growth  of 
Cottonwood.  On  reaching  the  Little  Sioux  bottom,  9  p.  m.,  I  found 
the  road  flooded  nearly  to  the  top  of  the  prairie  grass  for  a  distance 
of  nearly  five  miles ;  the  overflow  caused  by  a  storm  above,  conjoint- 
ly with  the  high  stage  of  the  Missouri.  By  liberally  feeing  the 
drivers  I  induced  them  to  attempt  the  crossing.  The  night  was  quite 
dark  and  the  read  only  indicated  by  the  absence  of  grass  above  the 
water.  In  the  middle  of  the  swamp  the  driver  lost  the  trail  and 
mired  the  horses  in  a  slough,  and  it  was  with  great  difficulty  that  we 
succeeded  in  extricating  them  and  recovering  the  road.  At  4  o'clock 
on  the  morning  of  the  4th  we  effected  the  crossing. 

July  4,  1867. — Arrived  at  Sioux  City  at  3  p.  m.,  and  found  that  I 
had  anticipated  the  arrival  of  the  Deer  Lodi^e,  thus  gaining  time  to 
form  an  estimate  of  the  importance  of  the  place. 


394  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Sioux  City  is  a  village  of  between  2,000  and  3,000  inhabitants,  all 
thoroughly  imbued  with  the  idea  of  the  future  greatness  of  their 
town.  It  is  located  at  the  base  of  the  hills  above  the  mouth  of  the 
Floyd  river,  and  the  business  portion  is  above  the  overflow.  The 
landing  is  good,  but,  owing  to  a  large  cut-off  which  occurred  last 
spring  a  few  miles  above,  is  being  slowly  cut  away,  and  unless  pro- 
tected, will  continue  to  cut  for  several  years,  probably  forming  u 
bar  at  the  present  landing. 

The  valleys  of  Floyd  and  Big  Sioux,  together  with  the  rich,  wide 
bottom  lands  on  the  west  side  of  the  Missouri,  are  tributary  to  the 
town,  and  when  fully  settled  will  sustain  a  thriving  city. 

While  in  St.  Louis  last  month,  collecting  information  about  the 
upper  Missouri,  I  was  informed  that,  except  in  extraordinary  sea- 
sons, two  trips  to  Fort  Benton  are  impossible.  It  then  appeared  rea- 
sonable to  suppose  that  owners  of  mountain  boats  would  select  some 
starting  point  farther  up  the  river.  Omaha  at  that  time  suggested 
itself,  as  the  two  round  trips  could  be  shortened  from  three  weeks 
to  a  month.  Yet,  with  all  the  enterprise  and  capital  concentrated  at 
Omaha,  nothing  of  the  kind  has  been  projected,  probably  owing  to 
the  one  absorbing  idea,  railroad. 

I  am  now  disposed  to  think  that  Sioux  City  is  the  proper  point 
for  concentrating  the  upper  river  trade.  The  completion  of  railroad 
communication  with  Chicago  will  bring  that  powerful  rival  in  direct 
competition  with  St.  Louis,  and,  aided  by  Sioux  City  enterprise — 
which  can  only  expand  in  that  one  direction — we  may  expect  to  see, 
within  the  next  few  years,  the  trade  of  Montana  and  the  upper  Mis- 
souri passing  from  the  grasp  of  St.  Louis  and  absorbed  by  Chicago 
capital  invested  in  Sioux  City. 

By  starting  from  Sioux  City  on  the  opening  of  navigation  in  the 
spring,  boats  can  complete  two  round  trips  in  the  time  now  taken  to 
make  one  from  St.  Louis,  and  return  to  Sioux  City  in  the  second, 
or,  in  other  words,  from  five  to  six  weeks  less  time  than  two  round 
trips  from  St.  Louis. 

July  5. — Today  hear  that  Deer  Lod^^e  broke  her  shaft  below  Deca- 
tur, and  will  return  to  St.  Louis.  I  shall  remain  here  to  await  the 
Last  Chance. 

Tulv  G. —  Joined  bv  Major  Von  Werner. 

Tilly  T.  8,  9.  10,  11. — Vor  Sioux  City:  Last  Chance  reported  dis- 
able! nt  Little  Sioux. 

July  12,  10  a.  m. — The  steamer  Miner.  Captain  ITawley,  in  the 
service  of  the  Xortlnve^tern  Fur  compauv-,  arrived  at  Sionx  City, 
haviu'^  cleared  from  St.  Louis  for  Fort  I>enton  on  the  21Hh  Juno. 

This  bf^at  having  a  ixf)0(\  reputation  for  speed,  comfort  and  the 
uniform  courtesy  of  her  officers.  I  (leci(le<l  to  secure  passap^^e  on  her 
for  myself  and  assistant,  although  prepos-^cssed  in  favor  of  the  Only 
Chance,  reported  cleared  from  St.  Louis  on  the  1th  of  July.  Cap- 
tain  Ilavvley  kin<lly  afforded  me  every  assistance  in  his  power  in 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  395 


furtherance  of  my  duty,  and  placed  at  my  disposal  the  best  accom- 
modations in  the  boat.  We  left  Sioux  City  10 :30  a.  m.,  and  at  2  :30 
p.  m.  stopped  at  Brazeau's  wood  yard,  where  half  an  hour  was  spent 
in  wooding.  We  tied  up  for  the  night  above  Ponka,  12  p.  m.  At 
Brazeau's  wood  yard  I  found  the  river  six  feet  lower  than  the  high- 
est flood  mark  for  this  season.  From  the  1st  to  the  10th  of  July  the 
river  fell  slowly.  We  are  now  going  up  on  a  very  slight  rise,  prob- 
ably due  to  a  storm  on  some  of  the  tributaries  just  above.  I  find 
the  river  at  too  high  a  stage  to  make  a  report  on  its  condition  of  any 
value  for  future  operations  in  clearing  obstructions. 

The  snags  visible  are  mostly  on  bars  .and  sand  points,  and,  al- 
though numerous,  are  not  in  the  way  of  navigation.  Those  visible 
in  or  near  the  course  of  the  boat  are  to  be  seen  at  all  stages  of  the 
river,  and  are,  in  consequence,  not  dangerous.  The  channel  is  at 
present  so  wide  that  boats  can  choose  their  way.  It  is  only  when  the 
channel  becomes  contracted  (at  low  water),  and  boats  are  forced  to 
seek  the  deepest  water,  that  snags  become  very  troublesome  and 
cause  disaster  or  delav. 

On  the  up  trip  I  shall  confine  myself  to  generalities,  and  on  re- 
turning devote  my  attention  to  the  obstructions,  in  that  way  getting 
the  best  information  possible.  I  have  stationed  my  assistant  in  the 
pilot  house  with  all  the  necessary  materials  rnd  instructions  for  mak- 
ing a  sketch  of  the  river. 

July  13.-Started  3  a.  m.  River  full  of  drift,  as  it  has  been  for  the 
last  four  days.  All  the  drift  passed  yesterday  and  today  has  been 
large  timber,  both  dry  and  green.  The  maximum  stage  of  the  spring 
floods  swept  the  bottom  lands  clear  of  smaller  drift  and  placed  it  be- 
yond the  influerjce  of  the  succeeding  stages.  The  present  drift  comes 
from  the  higher  bars,  where  it  was  left  by  the  water  before  the  pres- 
ent rise,  and  from  banks  now  being  cut  away.  In  every  bend  of  the 
river  the  banks  are  now  undergoing  this  slow  but  steady  undermin- 
ing process,  and  the  large  cottonwood  trees  are  one  by  one  toppling 
into  the  stream,  to  anchor,  if  their  roots  are  sufiicientlv  loaded  with 
earth;  to  drift  on  bars  if  not.  The  bottom  lands  thus  far  I  have 
found  quite  well  timbered,  but  it  is  worthy  of  note  that  the  timber, 
though  some  of  it  large,  is  with  but  few  exceptions  young  and  vig- 
orous, even  the  dead  timber  showing  that  old  age  was  not  the  cause 
of  death.    I^y  for  the  night  above  Bone  river. 

July  11:. — Started  3  a.  m.  and  reached  Yankton  village  6:30  a.  m. 
The  river  wide  and  clear,  the  drift  less  frequent.  Lay  up  at  12  :30 
of  the  15th.  The  country  passed  during  the  day  similar  to  that 
passed  yesterday,  but  with,  perhaps,  less  timber,  the  bottom  lands 
are  sparsely  settled,  but  fertile,  judging  from  the  fine  looking  corn 
fields. 

July  15. — Started  at  4  a.  m.,  arrived  at  Yankton  agency  7  a.  m. 
and  at  Fort  Randall  12  noon,  where  we  lay  two  hours.  Lay  up  for 
night  twenty  miles  above,  and  for  the  first  time  on  the  trip  were 


396  STATE   HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

obliged  to  cut  wood  for  use  of  the  boat.  During  the  day  observed 
the  bottom  lands  contracting,  the  timber  becoming  less  abundant. 
At  the  mouth  of  the  Niobrara  and  Ponka  there  are  good  bottoms, 
but  above  the  farming  land  is  confined  to  the  east  bank  of  the  river. 
W^  are  lying  near  the  ranch  of  Major  Hamilton,  said  to  be  the  last 
farm  we  shall  see  in  going  up.  The  hills  on  either  side  are  very 
regular  in  appearance,  neatly  rounded  in  outline  and  covered  with 
short  scanty  grass,  giving  at  a  distance  the  idea  of  a  well  shaven 
rolling  meadow,  but  when  near  at  hand  disclosing  the  barren  soil, 
and  looking  dry  and  stinted.  Timber  is  confined  to  the  narrow  bot- 
tom lands  and  islands,  and  to  the  short  ravines  occurring  every  few 
hundred  feet.  Cottonwood  and  cedar  were  the  only  species  1  could 
discover,  the  cottonwood  choosing  the  low  grounds  and  the  cedar 
growing  in  the  ravines  and  on  the  larger  islands.  The  island  cedar 
is  of  a  very  fair  growth,  that  in  the  ravines  stunted,  and  in  many 
instances  deadened  by  the  fires  that  annually  denude  the  hills. 

July  IG.-After  a  good  day*s  run  lay  up  for  the  night  at  the  mouth 
of  creek  opposite  Bijou  hills.  The  river  during  the  day  full  of 
islands,  and  no  doubt  bad  in  low  water.  The  timber  not  abundant, 
but  in  sufficient  quantities  to  meet  the  necessities  of  boats.  Scrub 
oak  at  several  points.  The  cut  bluffs  expose  a  blue  stratified  rock, 
having  the  appearance  of  soft  slate  easily  affected  by  the  weather. 
The  lines  of  stratification  are  nearly  horizontal,  and  with  frequent 
faults.  Drift  is  becoming  less  frequent  and  the  river  is  falling 
slowly.  Day  clear  and  warm.  Night  close  and  mosquitoes  so  an- 
noying as  to  prevent  sleep. 

July  17. — Started  at  daybreak,  and  late  in  the  afternoon  passed 
Fort  Thompson  without  stopping,  lying  up  for  the  night  at  St.  John's 
woo<l  yard.  Slate  bluffs  continue  to  bend  above  Fort  Thompson, 
and  there  terminate.  The  fort  is  located  above  the  entrance  to  the 
valley  of  Cow  creek,  on  a  wide  open  bottom  land,  from  which  the 
Santee  Sioux  manage  to  raise  a  scanty  croi)  of  corn ;  the  fort  is  gar- 
risoned by  a  single  company  of  infantry  for  the  protection  of  the 
agency.  Wood  scarce.  Bottoms  narrow,  occasional  narrow  plateaus 
or  prairie  taking  the  place  of  bottom  lands,  many  of  the  hills  barren 
and  topped  with  a  dark  colored  soil. 

July  18. — Reached  old  Fort  Sully  in  the  afternoon  and  spent  the 
remainder  of  the  day  in  wooding.  The  fort  is  the  property  of  the 
Northwestern  Fur  company,  and  was  occupied  until  recently  by  the 
I'nited  States:  it  is  now  deserted,  and  the  buildings  being  torn  down 
for  wood.  We  ref)lenished  our  ice  box  from  a  well  stored  ice  house 
near  the  fort.  The  hills  in  the  rear  of  the  fort  are  covered  with 
cobble  stones  of  all  sizes,  and  although  the  same  in  contour  as  hills 
heretofore  met  are  very  diflerent  in  formation,  having  a  lar^e  pro- 
portion of  gravel.  Wood  from  this  point  to  the  moutli  of  the  Yel- 
lowstone is  reported  very  scarce ;  boats  depend  on  getting  what  they 
use  from  drift  piles  and  deadenings  in  ravines.     Green  cottonwood 


STATE  OF  NORTH   DAKOTA  397 

is  the  poorest  of  fuel,  and  even  when  mixed  with  dry  wood,  does  not 
generate  steam  fast  enough  to  move  boats  against  a  rapid  current. 
Fortunately  for  the  interests  of  commerce  each  year  the  bars  and 
various  bottoms  above  detain  enough  drift  to  supply  the  wants  of 
boatmen,  but  often  detain  it  in  inconvenient  places.  As  the  com- 
merce of  the  river  expands,  woodchoppers  will  find  lucrative  employ- 
ment in  establishing  wood  yards  along  the  barren  reaches,  and  col- 
lecting drift  at  poinits  easy  of  access. 

July  19. — Reached  New  Fort  Sully  early,  and  remained  until  the 
morning  of  the  20th.  discharging  freight  for  the  fur  companies. 
We  were  obliged  to  land  three  miles  below  the  fort,  the  landing  near 
the  fort  being  obstructed  by  a  large  sand  bar.  The  location  of  the 
fort  is  not  well  chosen,  and  subject  to  severe  criticism.  The  build- 
ings are  substantial,  roomy  and  comfortable.  All  are  not  yet  com- 
pleted, but  will  probably  be  before  winter  sets  in.  Wood  can  be  ob- 
tained opposite,  and  also  a  few  miles  above. 

Lieutenant  Walker,  adjutant  of  the  post,  kindly  offered  to  keep  a 
guage  record,  and  collect  information  of  interest  as  soon  as  men 
can  be  spared  from  work  on  the  fort. 

July  20. — Left  New  Fort  Sully  12  noon,  and  lay  for  the  night 
near  the  mouth  of  the  Big  Shayenne.  But  little  drift  in  the  channel, 
and  water  falling  slowly.  Current  very  rapid.  Noticed  for  the  first 
time  a  growth  of  box  elder.  The  Ida  Stockdalc  passed  down  yes- 
terday, and  reported  hostile  Indians  on  the  bluffs  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Big  Shayenne.  It  is  a  favorite  place  for  attacking  boats.  The 
bluffs  are  high  and  the  channel  runs  under  them :  the  assailants  have 
good  cover  and  a  plunging  fire.  To  guard  against  attack  we  placed 
semi-circular  shields  of  boiler  iron  six  feet  in  height  on  either  side 
of  the  wheel  in  the  pilot  house,  and  constructed  log  breastworks 
along  the  front  guards  of  the  boiler  deck  and  around  the  ash  pans 
and  engines  on  the  lower  deck.  Arms  were  all  loaded  and  placed  in 
racks  at  convenient  places,  and  a  small  old  fashioned  field  piece  was 
placed  in  a  conspicuous  position  on  the  forward  boiler  deck.  No 
danger  has  been  apprehended  below  this  point.  Many  boats  after 
leaving  Fort  Randall  take  the  precaution,  when  tied  to  the  bank,  of 
sparrinc:  off  and  mountim^r  guard.  We  have  tied  to  the  bank  every 
night  and  kept  no  guard  but  the  regular  watchman.  Captain  Haw- 
ley  informs  me  that  he  has  never  deemed  greater  precaution  neces- 
sary. 

July  21. — Run  to  small  creek  five  miles  above  mouth  of  Little 
Shayenne,  and  tied  up  to  right  bank.  Very  good  dry  wood  200  yards 
from  lx>at.  Were  engaged  in  wooding  until  12  m.  Steamer  Cen- 
tralia  100  vards  above  us.  She  cleared  from  St.  Louis  June  12, 
18r»7,  loaded  with  army  supplies  for  Camp  Cooke,  and  has  been  de- 
layed by  reason  of  having  pilots  and  captain  unacquainted  with  the 
river,  and  in  addition  a  mutinous  crew  of  Irishmen.  The  captain 
informed  me  that  he  had  been  burning  green  Cottonwood,  and  that 


398  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 

he  could  not  make  enough  steam.  We  are  now  in  the  lower  part  of 
Swan  Lake  reach,  known  among  river  men  as  one  of  the  most 
troublesome  sections  of  the  river  at  all  stages.  It  is  from  fifteen  to 
twenty  miles  in  length  and  very  much  obstructed  by  sand  bars,  mak- 
ing the  channel  tortuous  and  difficult  to  find. 

I  am  informed  that  Irish  crews  almost  invariably  give  trouble; 
they  are  clannish  and  unwilling  to  bend  to  the  authority  of  the  mate. 
When  they  work  it  is  not  with  alacrity  desirable,  and  they  seriously 
object  to  wooding  in  the  night.  Our  crew  of  roustabouts  is  made 
up  of  negroes ;  they  are  always  cheerful,  obedient  and  willing.  When 
brought  in  contact  with  other  crews,  the  contrast  in  the  manner 
of  working  is  greatly  in  favor  of  the  colored  crew.  Our  mate,  who 
is  an  old  river  man,  tells  me  that  he  has  worked  both  white  and  black 
crews,  and  has  a  decided  preference  for  the  blacks. 

July  28. — Started  after  sunrise,  and  passed  Swan  Lake  reach  with 
less  trouble  than  apprehended.  Once  attempted  a  false  channel,  and 
were  delayed  an  hour  in  sparring  over  a  bat  having  on  it  three  feet 
of  water,  the  Miner  drawing  three  and  a  half  feet  forward.  This 
bar  extended  diagonally  across  the  channel,  and  at  no  place  gave  a 
greater  depth  of  water  than  three  feet.  Bars  in  straight  reaches  of 
this  kind  are  subject  to  more  frequent  shiftings  than  in  tortuous  por- 
tions of  the  river,  and  only  approximate  to  stability  during  low 
water.    Lay  up  for  the  night  below  Fox  island. 

July  23.-Lay  up  at  night  and  wooded  at  the  mouth  of  Bowerbenoc 
creek.  River  in  excellent  boating  condition  and  falling.  No  de- 
tention during  the  day ;  channel  well  defined,  running  close  inshore 
around  the  bends  and  making  good  crossings.  Valleys  of  the  Mo- 
reau  and  Grand  rivers  comparatively  well  timbered  in  the  lower 
portion.  Good  grazing  on  the  middle  slopes ;  the  lower  bottoms  thus 
far  observed  all  present  the  same  geological  features.  They  have 
been  formed  by  sand  and  mud  deposits  from  annually  recurring 
floods — the  deposits  aided  by  luxuriant  growth  of  willows,  incident 
to  lands  subject  to  overflow.  The  depth  of  successive  deposits  is 
well  shown  in  sections  by  alternating  layers  of  sand  and  mud ;  even 
the  small  deposits  from  secondary  and  tertiary  overflows  being  well 
defined.  Owing  to  this  regularity  of  formation  and  cause,  the  ages 
of  points  and  bottoms  can  be  very  accurately  ascertained. 

July  2l:.-Wooded  and  lay  by  during  the  night  below  the  mouth 
of  Battle  creek.  During  the  day  took  on  board  a  deputation  of 
Crow  chiefs  on  their  return  to  Milk  river,  where  they  expect  to  re- 
join their  tribe.  They  were  sent  to  hold  a  council  with  General 
Sully,  the  Indian  commissioner,  but  failed  to  overtake  him,  and  are 
returning  to  their  tribe  very  much  dissatisfied.  I  am  informed  that 
the  Crows  are  the  best  of  up  river  Indians,  and  uniformly  peaceful, 
but  that  bad  faith  has  been  kept  with  them.  They  have  three  times 
sent  deputations  to  hold  council  with  commissioners,  and  each  time 
the  commissioners  have  been  in  too  great  haste  to  wait  for  them. 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  399 


The  next  commissioner  will  have  to  meet  them  in  their  own  country, 
and  not  in  the  hostile  Sioux  country.  River  very  good ;  banks  cut- 
ting rapidly. 

July  2J). — Reached  Fort  Rice  4  p.  m.,  and  remained  until  next 
morning.  Landed  near  the  fort  inside  the  bar.  The  day  has  been 
sultry,  with  indications  of  a  storm ;  the  river  has  been  good  during 
the  day  and  has  fallen  slightly;  dry  timber  has  been  scarce,  and  for 
the  last  three  days  we  have  been  obliged  to  wood  several  times  each 
day,  and  pick  up  such  small  supplies  as  we  could  find ;  green  timber, 
though  not  abundant,  is  yet  in  sufficient  quantity  to 'furnish  boats, 
provided  woodchoppers  could  safely  establish  wood  yards.  Several 
wood  yards  have  been  attempted,  but  the  Indians  gave  so  much 
trouble  that  they  were  soon  abandoned.  The  Indians  attack  the 
choppers,  drive  them  to  their  cabins  and  then  fire  the  wood  piles. 
The  territorial  government  also  interferes  by  levying  a  heavy  tax 
per  cord,  considered  by  those  I  have  conversed  with  on  the  the  sub- 
ject a  species  of  blackmail  and  not  sanctioned  by  law. 

July  26. — Started  at  3  a.  m.,  and  after  running  about  forty  miles 
stopped  to  wood  on  right  bank ;  on  starting  out  again  encountered  a 
sudden  and  very  severe  storm  and  blow,  which  forced  us  to  the  bank 
for  an  hour,  during  which  time  a  cottonwood  tree  of  one  foot  diam- 
eter was  blown  across  the  boat  in  rear  of  the  cabin,  breaking  our 
larboard  hog  chains  and  crushing  through  a  portion  of  the  boiler 
deck.  The  storm  ceased  as  suddenly  as  it  began,  and  after  clearing 
away  the  fallen  tree  we  ran  a  few  hundred  yards  up  the  river,  and 
tied  up  alongside  a  cut  bank  to  repair.  When  we  lay  up  the  bank 
was  cutting  slowly,  but  soon  began  to  fall  in  so  fast  as  to  make  our 
position  dangerous,  tons  of  earth  and  willows  falling  frequently  on 
the  lower  deck  and  threatening  to  sink  the  boat.  We  lay 
at  this  place  for  half  an  hour,  when  the  small  cotton- 
wood  to  which  we  had  tied  100  feet  from  the  bank 
was  washed  in,  and  we  were  obliged  to  move  to  a  better  anchorage, 
which  we  found  three  miles  above,  where  we  lay  for  the  night.  As 
an  instance  of  the  instability  of  these  bottom  lands,  I  can  cite  noth- 
ing better  than  the  above.  The  bank  under  which  we  lay  was  eight 
feet  high,  and  of  the  characteristic  bottom  formation,  supporting  a 
heavy  growth  of  willows  and  young  cottonwoods  between  five  and 
six  years  old.  On  our  arrival  we  found  the  current  slowly  undermin- 
ing the  banks ;  the  presence  of  the  boat  caused  a  stronger  current  in 
the  narow  chute  between  bank  and  hull  .and  an  eddy  above.  This 
slight  change  in  velocity  increased  the  rate  of  cutting  a  hundred 
fold. 

July  27. — Although  our  repairs  were  not  completed  this  morning. 
we  were  obliged  to  run  higher  for  wood.  This  we  found  in  the 
bight  of  the  next  right  hand  bend,  where  a  large  pile  of  excellent 
drift  had  lodged  on  the  bottom.  We  lay  by  all  day  wooding  and  re- 
pairing the  damage  of  yesterday.    In  the  afternoon  a  hurricane  came 


400  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

up  from  the  north-northwest  and  continued  until  late  at  night,  with 
occasional  lulls  and  heavy  storms.  As  the  wind  was  blowing  us  di- 
rectly on  shore,  no  damage  was  done,  although  our  chimney  guys 
were  strained  at  times  to  their  utmost,  and  our  pilot  house  and  cabin 
were  roughly  shaken.  The  air  was  filled  with  clouds  of  sand,  and 
the  water  was  full  of  grasshoppers  blown  off  shore.  The  waves  dur- 
ing the  night  of  the  hurricane  ran  three  and  four  feet  high,  and  rap- 
idly beat  down  exposed  banks ;  a  large  quantity  of  green  drift  passed 
us  during  the  day. 

July  28. — Made  a  good  run  and  lay  up  for  the  night  above  Square 
Buttes,  twenty  miles  below  Fort  Stevenson.  Noticed  coal  at  one 
point  cropping  out  of  the  bluffs  at  the  water's  edge,  but  not  in  any 
quantity.  Did  not  have  time  to  examine  it.  Hills  very  bare ;  good 
grazing  in  the  bottoms  and  larger  ravines.  Fire  wood  continues 
scarce.    River  good. 

July  29. — Started  at  3 :30  a.  m.  and  reached  Fort  Stevenson  6  p. 
m.,  landing  under  a  cut  bank  and  very  good.  The  officers  at  this 
post  report  plenty  of  coal  in  the  neighboring  hills,  but  of  a  poor 
quality.  It  has  been  used  in  stoves,  but  did  not  give  entire  satisfac- 
tion. It  has  also  been  used  in  the  blacksmith  shop,  but  did  not  give 
a  good  welding  heat ;  it  is  a  species  of  cannel.  Stevenson  is  at  pres- 
ent but  an  encampment;  it  is  expected,  however,  that  before  winter 
fairly  sets  in  buildings  enough  to  shelter  the  garrison  and  stores 
will  be  finished.  The  quarters  are  to  be  of  adobes  with  shingle  roofs, 
and  will  present  a  very  neat,  comfortable  appearance.  The  material 
for  the  adobes  is  found  near  the  site  of  the  fort,  and  when  mixed 
with  cut  prairie  grass  promises  to  make  very  substantial  walls.  The 
bricks  are  made  larger  than  usual,  but  dry  well  and  retain  their 
shape.  The  buildings  will  have  stone  foundations,  and  the  walls  will 
be  strengthened  by  framing. 

July  30. — Left  Stevenson  3:30  a.  m.,  and  arrived  at  Berthold  9 
a.  m.,  where  we  lay  during  the  day  and  night,  landing  freight  for  the 
Northwestern  Fur  company.  At  Berthold  I  found  coal  outcropping 
a  few  yards  above  the  landing,  and  secured  several  specimens;  it  is 
a  coarsely  laminated  lignite  of  a  dark  brown  color,  breaking  into 
small  fragments  with  irregular  dull  fracture  when  exposed  to  the 
air  for  any  length  of  time,  burning  with  a  heavy  yellow  flame  and 
smoke,  and  not  possessed  of  great  heatin^  or  illuminating  power; 
the  deposit  exposed  is  in  two  seams,  one  of  ten  inches  thickness  and 
the  lower  of  three  inches,  conformably  superp(\<^cd  on  a  bed  of  shale 
and  covered  with  a  compact  gravel.  In  the  hills  back  of  Berthold 
I  am  informed  this  deposit  has.  for  several  years,  been  burning,  and 
so  near  the  surface  as  to  cause  the  subsidence  of  many  acres.  (Ma- 
jor Galpin,  Fur  Company.)  Wood  scarce  between  Stevenson  and 
Berthold.    River  good. 

July  31.-T.eft  Berthold  3:30  a.  m.,  after  a  wakeful  night  spent  in 
fighting  mosquitoes.     Lay  during  the  night  on  a  sand  bar  in  Great 


STATE  OF  NORTH   DAKOTA  401 

• 

bend.  Passed  good  timber  at  the  mouth  of  the  Little  Missouri. 
Drift  in  bottoms  scarce;  dead  timber  becoming  more  frequent. 
Channel  quite  clear  and  of  good  depth.  Noticed  several  outcrops  of 
coal  during  the  day,  all  having  the  same  appearance  as  at  Berthold, 
but  showing  larger  seams  and  a  greater  number  of  them.  In  one 
cut  bluff  about  fifty  feet  high  I  counted  seventeen,  three  of  about 
eighteen  inches  thickness  each,  separated  by  shale  of  about  same 
thickness,  and  above  them  fourteen  at  irregular  intervals,  ranging 
from  one  and  a  half  inch  to  three  inches  in  thickness.  The  seams 
might  be  worked  to  advantage. 

August  1,  1867. — Started  3:30  a.  m.,  and  although  detained  by 
stoppages  for  wood,  made  a  fair  run,  tying  up  at  dusk  to  a  sand 
point  where  we  found  a  very  fine  drift  pile.  The  hills  have  gradu- 
ally lost  that  regularity  of  outline  so  familiar  in  that  section  of  the 
valley  above  Sioux  City,  Randall  and  Sully,  and  now  appear  broken 
and  frequently  rocky.  Sandstone  of  an  indifferent  quality  and  poor- 
ly cemented  conglomerate  alternate  with  the  shales  and  frequently 
crown  the  bluffs ;  the  immediate  valley  of  the  river  is  very  narrow, 
rarely  exceeding  2,500  or  3,000  yards,  and  presenting  low  plateaus 
and  bottom  lands  in  nearly  equal  proportion ;  the  bends  of  the  river 
in  nearly  all  cases  cut  into  the  hills,  making  high,  steep-cut  bluffs 
with  opposite  narrow  timbered  points,  concealing  barren  plateaus, 
outwardly  bounded  by  bluffs  and  high  table  lands. 

August  2.-Started  at  daylight,  and  without  stoppae^e  run  until  3 
p.  m.,  when  we  encountered  a  violent  wind  storm,  and  were  obliged 
to  tie  up  fifteen  miles  below  Muddy  river,  and  lay  by  for  the  re- 
mainder of  the  day.  The  river  continues  at  a  good  stage,  though 
falling  slowlv.  The  general  characteristics  of  the  valley  remain  as 
yesterday.  Coal  occasionally  appears,  and  breaks  of  boulders  may 
be  seen  in  the  channel  under  rocky  bluffs. 

Aucfust  3.-Started  at  daylight,  and  without  incident  arrived  at 
Fort  Buford  5:40  p.  m.  On  approaching:  the  mouth  of  the  Yellow- 
stone the  valley  widens  perceptibly,  and  the  bottoms  appear  more 
fertile.  The  timber  looks  more  vigorous  and  less  scattered,  the  cur- 
rent is  stronger  and  the  waterway  has  a  more  equitable  width.  The 
influence  of  the  very  rapid  current  of  the  Yellowstone,  while  Sfrad- 
ually  accommodating  itself  to  the  slower  Missouri,  is  beneficial  to 
the  channel  of  the  latter  for  a  distance  of  nearly  100  miles  below 
Buford ;  it  then  begins  to  deposit  freely  and  spread  out,  forming  at 
low  water  troublesome  bars  with  shallow  chutes.  Fort  Buford  is 
situated  on' the  left  bank  of  the  Missouri,  twelve  miles  below  the 
mouth  of  the  Yellowstone,  and  on  a  wide  plateau  about  twentv  miles 
long  and  from  twentv  to  fifty  feet  above  low  water  mark.  During 
the  winter  of  1866-07  it  was  garrisoned  bv  a  single  company,  now 
increased  to  five  companies.  A  new  fort  is  now  in  process  of  con- 
struction to  occupy  a  portion  of  the  old  site,  to  be  much  larger,  and 
to  be  built  of  adobes.     The  timber  for  the  new  buildings  will  be 


/ 


402  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 

• 

obtained  near  the  mouth  of  the  Little  Muddy,  some  thirty  miles 
above.    The  adobes  are  made  near  the  fort,  and  are  of  good  quality. 

Yesterday  the  Sioux  made  a  raid  on  the  cattle  herd  and  killed 
several  animals,  but  did  no  further  damage,  easily  escaping  from  the 
infantry.  Garrisons  along  this  portion  of  the  river  are  continually 
annoyed  because  of  their  inability  to  pursue  Indian  raiders.  A  com- 
pany of  cavalry  at  each  post  would  be  invaluable. 

August  4. — Started  from  Buford  at  8:30  a.  m.,  and  were  three 
hours  in  reaching  Fort  Union.  Started  from  Union  at  1 :30  p.  m., 
and  lay  during  the  night  about  thirty  miles  above  Fort  Union  at  an 
old  trading  post,  by  land  three  miles  above  Buford.  It  will  be  dis- 
mantled shortly,  and  the  traders  removed  lo  the  latter  place. 

Found  the  river  between  Buford  and  Union  very  much  cut  up 
and  difficult.  Above  Union  quite  good  and  with  very  few  snags ; 
the  bed  of  the  river  much  narrower,  and  the  bottom  lands  wider. 
The  bluffs  are  continuous  on  either  side,  running  nearly  parallel, 
touching  the  river  only  at  each  bend,  and  clearly  defining  the  valley. 
Timber  is  not  abundant," but  the  bottoms  are  full  of  young  cotton- 
woods,  giving  promise  in  the  future.  I  today  left  my  assistant  at 
Fort  Buford,  with  orders  to  report  for  office  duty  in  Cincinnati,  pre- 
ferring to  sketch  the  remainder  of  the  river  myself. 

August  5. — Started  at  daylight,  and  after  a  fair  run  lay  up  at  8 
p.  m.  in  bend  above  Poplar  river,  where  we  were  stopped  by  a  very 
difficult  crossing.  Were  delayed  for  several  hours  in  the  forenoon 
by  a  difficult  series  of  bends  below  and  above  old  Fort  Kipp  cut-off. 
Although  the  cut-off  occurred  several  years  ago,  the  river  has  not 
yet  accommodated  itself  to  its  bed,  and  in  medium  stage  of  water 
cuts  into  the  bank  so  rapidly  that  the  debris  cannot  be  carried  away 
by  the  already  well  charged  current,  and  is  consequently  left  to  form 
troublesome  bars  in  the  channel  and  crossings. 

The  points  are  well  timbered  with  cottonwood,  and  frequent  dead- 
enings  at  convenient  landings  supply  the  necessities  of  steamboats. 
Noticed  during  the  day  the  ruins  of  several  encampments,  from 
which  woodchoppers  were  forced  last  winter.  Passed  large  herds  of 
buffalo,  the  first  seen  this  trip,  and  run  into  one  herd  crossing  the 
river.  The  channel  was  so  completely  blocked  up  by  the  living  mass 
that  the  boat  was  stopped  to  let  them  get  out  of  the  way.  A  number 
were  carried  under  the  hull  and  into  the  wheel,  but  cleared  us  with- 
out damage.  The  scene  was  one  of  great  exciteirent,  passeni^ers 
and  crew  firing  with  such  recklessness  as  to  endanger  their  own  lives 
to  as  great  an  extent  as  the  lives  of  the  frightened  buffaloes. 

August  T). — Were  engaged  from  daylight  until  (>  :'?0  a.  ni.  sounding 
for  a  practicable  channel,  and  at  no  place  could  find  a  crossing  giv- 
ing more  than  two  feet,  the  steamer  drawing  thirty-three  inches.  At 
6  :30  attempted  the  lower  channel  and  after  six  hotirs  sparring  acn:>ss 
the  principal  bar,  and  ran  into  good  water  above,  where  we  found 
the  side-wheel  steamer  Viola  Belle  waitinir  for  a  channel  to  cut  out 


STATE  OP  NORTH  DAKOTA  403 

SO  that  she  could  go  down.  She  had  been  waiting  three  days.  The 
Zephyr  ai)d  Imperial,  bound  up,  were  delayed  for  the  greater  part 
of  three  days  in  this  place  sparring  over.  We  lay  for  two  hours  one 
mile  above  bar  and  partially  wooded,  but  finding  timber  very  un- 
handy, 900  yards  from  the  boat,  ran  into  next  bend  and  found  a 
fine  deadening,  where  we  lay  for  the  night,  and  took  in  a  good 
supply. 

The  sand  of  which  these  bars  are  formed  is  of  the  nature  of 
quicksand.  Iron  and  stone  or  other  materials  too  heavy  to  be  moved 
by  the  current  sink  below  the  surface  of  the  sand  in  a  few  seconds ; 
men  or  animals  wading  on  the  bars  are  obliged  to  keep  in  motion 
even  on  bars  apparently  dry.  I  yesterday  saw  buffalo  mired  down 
to  their  sides  and  exhausted  by  their  efforts  to  get  out.  This  char- 
acteristic of  the  bottom  makes  it  simply  necessary  for  a  boat  when 
working  through  a  bar  to  push  ahead  with  its  spars,  and  keep  in 
position  so  that  the  current  may  wash  under  and  around  it. 

August  7. — Started  at  4  a.  m.  and  entered  a  very  troublesome  part 
of  the  river  known  as  Spread  Eagle  reach,  similar  in  every  respect 
to  the  Swan  Lake  reach  below  Fort  Rice;  we  were  five  hours  in 
making  a  distance  of  ten  miles.  Above  the  reach  we  ran  into  a  series 
of  very  good  bends,  and  with  but  a  single  delay  of  two  hours,  caused 
by  taking  a  false  channel,  reached  a  fine  deadening  near  the  mouth 
of  Porcupine  creek,  and  lay  up  for  the  night.  The  part  of  the  river 
run  today  is  but  little  obstructed  by  snags,  and  is  sufficiently  well 
timbered  to  meet  the  wants  of  boats.  Deadenings  are  of  frequent 
occurrence  and  convenient  for  wooding;  they  are  located  on  the 
higher  portions  of  each  point,  and  are  said  to  be  caused  by  fire, 
though  they  but  seldom  show  traces  of  it.  The  great  majority  of  the 
dead  cottonwoods  are  stripped  of  bark  and  are  perfectly  dry  and 
sound. 

August  8. — Started  at  daylight,  and  at  8  a.  m.  reached  Milk  river. 
Above  Milk  river  found  the  channel  very  shallow  and  much  ob- 
structed. At  7  p.  m.  lay  up  above  the  mouth  of  Dry  (Dorun's) 
Fork,  having  made  but  fifteen  miles  in  the  last  eleven  hours.  Were 
three  times  obliged  to  spar  over  bars  giving  but  two  and  a  half  feet 
of  water.  The  obstructions  in  this  section  are  due  to  a  cut-off  which 
occurred  several  years  ago  in  the  bend  above  Milk  river,  by  which 
two  large  bends  have  been  obliterated.  The  bed  of  the  river  is  now 
in  a  transition  state,  gradually  working  towards  a  natural  shape ; dur- 
ing high  water  the  current  cuts  material  for  lower  stages  to  carry  off, 
and  in  consequence  in  a  medium  stage  such  as  we  now  have,  when 
the  cutting  and  distributing  powers  are  about  equally  balanced,  this 
and  similar  parts  of  the  river  are  in  their  least  favorable  condition 
for  navigation.  Landed  our  Crow  passengers  at  Dry  Fork  to  rejoin 
their  tribe. 

August  9.-Started  4  a.  m.,  and  until  4  p.  m.  had  but  little  trouble. 
Not  much  water  in  channel,  but  bends  quite  regular,  and  in  conse- 


404  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

quenoe  the  channel  well  defined.  Lay  by  fTX)m  8  a.  m.  to  12  m.  for 
wood ;  4 :30  p.  m.  obliged  to  spar  over  a  difficult  bar,  and  in  doing 
it  broke  a  guy  rope  of  derrick,  and  were  detained  by  the  accident 
until  6 :30  p.  m.  After  crossing  the  bar  we  ran  until  9  p.  m.,  when  we 
lay  up  for  the  night.  Passed  several  rocky  bottoms  during  the  day, 
but  with  good  depth  of  water,  and  enough  channel  room  to  avoid 
boulders  by  running  carefully. 

August  10. — Started  4  a.  m.,  and  ran  what  is  known  as  the  Round 
Butte  section,  beginning  fifteen  miles  below  the  butte  and  ending 
three  miles  above.  We  ran  carefully,  and  without  sparring,  cleared 
the  Butte  bend  1  p.  m.  The  channel  is  badly  cut  up  by  sand  and 
gravel  bars,  with  boulders  in  portions  near  shore. 

The  river  throughout  this  section  is  wide  and  shallow,  and  the 
channel  tortuous.  After  passing  the  butte,  the  valley  assumed  a 
character  not  before  observed.  The  river  winds  in  short  regular 
bends  through  bottom  lands  ranging  from  half  a  mile  to  a  mile  in 
width,  shut  in  by  bold  fancifully  shaped  hills  bearing  a  stunted  ir- 
re^ilar  growth  of  cedar  and  pine.  The  points  are  all  well  wooded 
midway  to  the  hills;  the  banks  are  low  and  rounded,  except  in  the 
bight  of  bends,  where  the  current  has  cut  into  the  base  of  the  hills 
and  left  perpendicular  bluffs  of  from  five  to  thirty  feet  in  height. 
Sand  points  but  seldom  occur,  and  the  few  bars  to  be  seen  are  form- 
eil  near  the  middle  of  the  stream.  The  river  is  very  clear  of  snags, 
and  the  depth  of  the  channel  is  quite  uniform. 

There  are  but  few  signs  of  recent  flood  changes,  and  those  but 
slight.  At  one  point  in  a  cut  bluflf,  twenty-five  feet  high,  saw  a  large 
Cottonwood  tree,  eighteen  inches  diameter,  half  washed  out  by  the 
last  flood,  showing  that  after  the  tree  had  obtained  its  present 
growth,  the  plateau  on  which  it  grew  had  received  a  deposit  fifteen 
feet  in  depth.  The  top  was  stunted  and  decayed,  and  trees  having 
the  same  appearance  were  to  be  seen  around  it,  and  on  all  similar 
plateaus  observed  durin<2:  the  day.  From  the  general  formation  of 
these  plateaus,  I  am  disposed  to  think  that  they  were  made  by  wash- 
ing from  the  hills,  and  indicate  a  verv  rapid  denudation,  which 
gives  to  tliis  portion  of  the  river  its  stability  by  giving  it  firmer  ma- 
terial for  its  bottom  lands  than  the  ordinary  flood  deposit.  Eight  p. 
m.  passed  the  steamer  Zephyr  bound  up.  and  8 :30  p.  m.  tied  up  for 
the  night  and  wooded  below  Point  au  Poche. 

August  11. — Started  4  a.  m.,  and  reached  Fort  Hawley  9  p.  m., 
river  continuing  the  same  as  yesterday.  Plenty  of  good  timber  on 
all  the  points.  Channel  in  mid  river  nearly  all  day,  frequent  boul- 
dered  bottoms  requiring  care  in  passing  them ;  width  of  river  quite 
constant,  ranging  from  150  to  200  yards. 

August  12.-Started  4:30  a.  m.,  and  without  trouble  reached  Two- 
calf  island  8  p.  m.  Tried  to  pass  the  right  hand  chute,  and  found  it 
closed  at  the  head  bv  a  bar,  giving  only  one  foot  water.  So  backed 
out  and  lay  up  for  the  night.    River  same  as  the  11th  and  12th,  with 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  405 

the  exception  that  the  valley  is  more  contracted  and  timber  is  less 
abundant.  Two-calf  island  is  the  beginning  of  the  rapid  section  of 
the  river.  Passed  the  steamers  Richmond  and  Guidon,  bound  down, 
below  Harriott's,  island.  Lay  up  from  12  m.  until  6  p.  m.  above 
Harriott's  for  wood;  cut  pine  and  cedar  on  the  bluffs,  and  were 
obliged  to  carry  it  several  hundred  yards  to  the  boat. 

August  13. — Started  4 :30  a.  ni.,  and  passed  up  the  middle  chute 
at  Two-calf  island;  obliged  to  get  out  cable  and  pull  over  rapids  at 
head  of  chute.  Two  and  a  half  hours  in  passing  the  rapids ;  made  slow 
progress  against  a  very  rapid  current  to  head  of  Grand  island,  where 
we  were  obliged  to  spar  over  a  gravel  bar,  giving  two  and  a  half 
feet  water ;  made  the  crossing  1  p.  m.,  and  reached  Cow  island  5  p. 
m.,  where  we  lay  up  to  sound  the  rapids  for  a  channel;  obliged  to 
keep  the  lead  going  most  of  the  time  during  the  day ;  from  three  to 
eight  feet  in  the  channel;  bottom  rocky,  bottom  land  very  narrow, 
and  covered  with  sage  brush;  good  timber  on  Grand  island;  found 
three  feet  over  the  rapids  in  east  chute,  and  would  have  no  trouble 
in  getting  over  if  it  were  not  for  the  boulders  that  infest  the  chan- 
nel. Will  have  to  pull  over  tomorrow.  Laid  a  dead  man  on  shore 
above  the  rapids  to  fasten  our  cable  for  pulling  up.  A  dead  man  is 
laid  in  the  following  manner :  a  trench  four  feet  long  perpendicular 
to  the  line  of  torsion,  and  from  two  to  three  feet  deep,  is  dug  on 
shore,  and  a  log  of  wood  securely  fastened  on  the  bottom  by  sitakes ; 
to  this  log  the  towing  line  is  fastened,  and  a  small  trench  dug  in  the 
direction  of  the  boat  to  accommodate  the  rope  and  prevent  a  lifting 
strain.  From  this  dead  man  a  line  is  taken  to  the  capstan. 

August  14. — Passed  the  rapids  3  p.  m.,  and  lay  up  twO  miles  above, 
at  the  terminus  of  the  Fort  Benton  and  Cow  island  wagon  road. 
With  the  present  stage  of  water  it  is  not  considered  probable  that 
we  can  get  above  Dauphin's  rapids.  Captain  Hawley  has  decided  to 
leave  his  Fort  Benton  freight  here,  and  attempt  the  upper  rapids 
drawing  as  little  water  as  possible.  On  our  arrival  we -found  the 
steamer  Imperial  lying  at  the  bank  with  all  her  freight  ashore.  She 
was  obliged  to  double  trip  from  Grand  island  to  this  point,  drawing 
three  feet,  and  was  two  days  in  passing  Cow  island.  She  cleared 
from  St.  Louis  May  18th,  drawing  three  and  a  half  feet.  During 
the  night  put  our  Benton  freight  ashore,  and  lightened  to  twenty- 
six  inches. 

August  15. — Started  7  a.  m.,  and  at  11  a.  m.  had  made  six  miles, 
when  we  were  laid  up  for  an  hour  by  a  wind  storm.  After  the  storm 
we  again  pushed  ahead,  and  tied  up  for  the  night  two  and  a  half 
miles  below  Dauphin's  rapids ;  found  from  three  to  four  feet  in  the 
channel ;  found  plenty  of  water  over  Snake  Point  rapids,  and  passed 
them  without  trouble,  although  for  a  moment  in  danger  of  swinging 
on  the  rocks  and  wrecking  the  boat.  Channel  much  obstructed  by 
loose  rocks  in  the  greater  part  passed  today.  Current  very  strong, 
wood  very  scarce. 


40b  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

-I —   --■  I      ■  II  —     ^^^^^^— ^-^^^^— 

August  16. — Started  at  5  a.  m.,  and  at  8  a.  m.  tied  up  one  mile 
below  Dauphin's,  having  made  one  and  a  half  mile  in  three  hours. 
Careful  sounding  gave  but  eighteen  inches  water  over  the  boulders 
in  the  rapids,  and  three  feet  if  they  could  be  removed.  The  captain 
then  decided  to  abandon  the  trip  to  Benton,  and  return  to  his  freight 
above  Cow  island,  rather  than  further  risk  the  safety  of  his  boat.  At 
7  p.  m.  we  started  on  our  return,  and  after  making  three  miles  tied 
up  for  the  night.  During  the  day- 1  examined  the  rapids,  and  climbed 
to  the  top  of  the  hills.  A  distance  of  two  or  three  miles  from  the 
river  I  found  abundance  of  excellent  pine  timber  growing  in  the 
ravines  and  hollows.  To  the  south  I  could  see  the  Judith  mountains 
and  intervening  ridges,  apparently  all  well  timbered. 

August  17. — Started  at  daylight,  and  had  nO  trouble  until  reach- 
ing Snake  point,  where  it  was  deemed  necessary  to  get  out  bow  and 
stern  lines  to  drop  the  boat  through.  In  executing  this  maneuver  we 
grounded  on  a  flat  rock,  and  were  delayed  until  noon  before  getting 
off.  Two  miles  below  Snake  point,  in  making  a  crossing,  the  cur- 
rent drove  us  on  a  gravel  bar,  where  we  lay  all  night.  Everything 
movable  on  the  boat  was  put  ashore  in  yawls  to  lighten  her,  after 
which  we  took  a  cable  ashore,  and  made  ready  to  pull  off  in  the 
morning. 

August  18. — At  11  a.  m.,  by  pulling  and  sparring,  succeeded  in 
getting  off  the  bar  and  taking  wood  and  freight  on  board ;  reached 
our  Benton  freight  pile  without  trouble  at  1  p.  m.  The  rapids  I  have 
had  an  opportunity  to  examine  can  be  very  much  improved  and  ren- 
dered passable  by  simply  removing  the  boulders  in  the  channel ;  most 
of  them  can  be  taken  out  without  blasting.  Further  improvements 
can  be  made  by  closing  island  chutes,  thus  gaining  increased  depth 
of  channel  and  greater  scouring  power  to  the  current.  Improvements 
of  the  latter  kind  can  be  made  permanent,  and  at  small  expense,  as 
all  the  necessary  material  can  be  found  at  hand,  and  much  of  it  ready 
for  use. 

.\ugust  19.-Spent  the  day  among  the  hills  to  the  south  of  Cow 
island,  and  in  making  a  survey  of  the  obstruction*^.  Found  plenty  of 
good  stone  on  the  north  bank,  and  plenty  ci  gi^od  pine  timber  con- 
venient for  use,  on  the  south  sile.  Game  is  abundant :  a  working 
party  could  easily  supply  themselves  during  the  summer 
and  iall  without  going  manv  lumdrcd  yards  from  camp.  Indians 
make  their  appearance  but  seldom.  It  is  t<vi  far  nt^rth  for  the  Sioux, 
and  the  Crows  are  friendly,  and  have  bettor  hnntini;  s:rounds.  The 
steamers  Ofily  CIuvicc  atid  Zephyr  passed  the  rapiils  this  morning 
with  but  little  trouble,  but  arc  double-tripping  from  Grand  island. 
Only  Chance  discharged  her  frcij^lit,  and  returned  to  Grand  island 
for  the  remainder. 

August  20. — Seven  a.  m.  started  down  the  river.  Had  no  trouble 
imtil  we  reached  the  head  of  Grand  island.  There  foimd  the  Only 
Chance  hard  a:.;rt)un(l  at  the  head  oi  the  chute,  having  been  carried 


STATE  OF   NORTH   DAKOTA  407 

there  by  the  current  after  crossing  the  bar.  In  attempting  to  cross 
the  bar  too  high  up,  we  ran  aground  10  a.  m.  and  did  not  get  over 
until  5  p.  m.    Ran  until  dark  without  further  trouble. 

August  21. — Started  at  daybreak,  and  at  9 :30  a.  m.  arrived  at  Fort 
Hawley,  a  trading  post  of  the  Northwest  Fur  company.  Left  Haw- 
ley  12  noon,  and  at  4  p.  m.  reached  our  wood  pile  of  the  11th,  where 
we  lay  up  for  the  night.  During  the  afternoon  we  were  greatly  re- 
tarded by  a  strong  head  wind,  which  twice  drove  us  into  the  bank, 
and  twice  set  the  boat  on  fire  by  sparks  from  the  chimneys.  The 
crew  were  engaged  in  wooding  until  11  p.  m.  Since  leaving  Fort 
Buford  we  Jiave  been  well  supplied  with  fresh  meat,  principally  of 
buflFalo,  deer,  antelope  and  wild  geese.  The  country  is  full  of  game, 
and  several  of  the  mountain  boats  we  have  met  depend  so  much  on 
a  good  game  supply,  that  they  only  bring  as  stores  hard  bread,  hams, 
bacon,  sugar,  coffee  and  a  few  cans  of  vegetables. 

August  22.-Started  at  daylight,  and  at  noon  ran  hard  aground  on 
a  bar,  nearly  opposite  Round  butte.  Put  our  wood  and  freight  ashore 
with  the  boat's  yawls,  and  after  five  hours*  sparring,  aided  by  a  shore 
line,  worked  off  and  tied  up  for  the  night.  Thus  far  down  I  have  not 
noticed  any  perceptible  change  in  the  channel ;  just  below,  the  chan- 
nel through  which  we  ran  in. coming  up  is  completely  filled,  and  a 
channel  worked  out  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  giving  two  feet 
large  in  the  shoalest  place.  The  Miner  is  now  drawing  two  feet 
scant,  which  will  not  be  greatly  increased  by  the  little  freight  she 
expects  between  this  and  St.  Louis. 

Auirust  23. — Started  at  davlight,  and  at  7  a.  m.  ran  aground  on  a 
hard  bar  opposite  Round  butte.  Again  landed  our  wood  and  stores  in 
the  yawl,  and  tried  to  spar  off,  but  without  success,  and  finally  laid  a 
deadman  on  shore  above  us,  and  at  4  p.  m.  pulled  off  and  reloaded. 
Made  a  short  run,  and  without  further  trouble  made  a  landing  ten 
miles  below  the  butte ;  tied  up  for  night  and  wooded. 

August  21. — Started  at  davlight,  and  without  sparring  reached  a 
point  two  miles  below  Milk  river,  where  we  found  a  very  bad  cross- 
in<2:,  and  were  obliged  to  lie  up  for  the  night  and  sound  for  a  chan- 
nel. Found  the  river  from  Round  butte  to  Milk  river  greatly 
changed,  and  for  the  better.  The  majoritv  of  crosMY.^..s  are  lower 
down  than  we  found  them  on  the  up  trip,  and  deeper;  several  bars 
have  entirely  disappeared,  and  no  new  ones  found.  The  channel  has 
now  reached  its  low  water  position,  and  unless  shifted  by  a  fall  flood, 
will  probably  remain  as  at  present  until  the  breaking  up  next  spring. 

On  the  up  trip  I  noticed  a  peculiaritv  of  all  wooded  points,  from 
the  mouth  of  the  Yellowstone  to  the  Round  butte,  which  proves  a 
continual  shiftinor  of  the  river  bed  towards  its  mouth.  On  the  upper 
side  of  all  points  the  banks  are  cut,  and  large  cottonwoods  are  grow- 
ing to  the  brink.  In  passing  around  the  point,  the  cut  bank  becomes 
less  and  less  in  height,  and  the  growth  of  the  timber  graduallv  be- 
comes younger,  until  the  point  culminates  in  a  growth  of  willows. 


408  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

and  beyond  these  plain  sand.  On  the  lower  side  of  the  point,  until 
entering  the  bight  of  the  succeeding  bend,  the  shore  slopes  to  the 
water  with,  first,  a  sand  beach,  then  willows,  young  cotton- 
woods,  old  cottonwoods,  and  next  the  plateau's  dead  cottonwoods,  in 
regular  gradation  of  age ;  showing  plainly  regular  denudation  of  the 
upper  part  of  the  point  and  regular  formation  on  the  lower  side. 
This  gradual  movement  towards  the  direction  of  the  current  is  also 
shown  by  the  bluffs  on  either  side;  the  whole  line  showing  that  at 
some  time  each  portion  of  it  has  been  subjected  to  the  direct  action 
of  the  river.  The  bearing  of  this  characteristic  upon  any  plan  of 
improvement  is  plain,  showing  that  any  improvement  jiow  made, 
unless  it  be  for  protecting  the  banks,  for  a  few  years  hence  will  be 
on  dry  land. 

August  25. — Started  at  5  a.  m.,  and  in  attempting  to  enter  the 
chute  in  the  rear  of  the  island  to  which  we  tied  last  night,  ran 
aground,  and  were  swung  around  by  the  current  so  as  to  He  directly 
across  the  channel ;  as  the  width  of  the  chute  was  a  little  less  than 
the  length  of  the  boat,  and  as  the  current  set  in  very  strong,  we  found 
great  difficulty  in  getting  off,  but  succeeded  after  two  hours*  sparring, 
and  had  no  further  trouble  of  moment.  The  island  and  chute  lie  near 
the  center  of  Milk  River  reach,  and  the  cutting  of  the  channel  at  this 
point,  determines  its  characteristics  through  the  reach.  Should  the 
channel  choose  the  chute,  the  reach  will  be  fair ;  but  should  it  choose 
to  cross  the  bar,  it  will  continue  bad  quite  through  the  bend  below. 

The  channel  through  the  reach  we  found  tortuous,  but  regularly 
formed  and  good,  giving  three,  four,  five  and  six  feet  of  water.  We 
stopped  to  wood  about  noon,  and  were  detained  about  two  hours, 
after  which  we  ran  to  Fort  Charles  bend,  and  at  4 :30  p.  m.  lay  up  for 
the  night  alongside  a  good  deadening.  During  the  day  saw  thou- 
sands of  buffalo  and  abundance  of  other  game. 

August  2G. — Started  at  5  a.  m.  and  laid  up  at  4  p.  m.  on  account  of 
wind  in  bend  below  Elk  Horn  prairie.  Had  no  trouble  during  the 
day ;  found  three,  four  and  four  and  a  half  feet  of  water  over  the 
worst  crossings  in  Spread  Eagle  reach,  and  two  and  a  half  feet  over 
crossing  in  bend  above  Poplar  river.  The  crossing  at  this  latter 
place,  although  the  river  has  fallen  about  two  feet,  is  nearly  the  same 
AS  we  found  it  going  up.  It  is  in  the  same  place,  an.d  has  the  same 
depth  of  water,  but  is  not  so  tortuous.  Two  bends  above  Wolf  poini 
are  much  ohstructed  by  snags,  but  are  cutting  freely  and  shifting  the 
channel. 

August  27. — Started  at  daybreak  and  reached  Fort  Ruford  at  G  :30 
p.  m.  Were  delayed  by  a  strong  wind  which  sent  us  to  the  bank  sev- 
eral times,  but  without  damage.  Below  the  Big  Muddy  at  several 
points,  high,  steep,  rocky  bluffs  rise  from  the  water's  edge,  and  de- 
posit dangerous  rocks  in  the  channel,  which  it  would  Im?  desirable  to 
clear.  Coal  makes  its  first  appearance  in  these  bluffs  on  the  right 
hand  side,  and  in  fair  seams.  I  am  informed  that  these  deposits  of 
coal  outcroT)  on  the  Yellowstone  as  far  up  as  Powder  river  and  no 
doubt  underlie  the  whole  peninsula  between  the  Yellowstone  and 


STATE  OF  NORTH   DAKOTA  409 

Missouri.  The  buildings  at  Fort  Union  are  nearly  demolished,  and 
the  material  taken  to  Fort  Buford.  The  river  between  Union  and 
Buford  is  very  much  cut  up,  but  has  fair  water  in  the  channel.  The 
Yellowstone  is  very  low,  and  at  its  junction  with  the  Missouri  falls 
about  eighteen  inches  in  a  distance  of  100  yards,  over  loose  rocks, 
and  with  a  very  rapid  current. 

August  28. — Started  from  Buford  at  8  a  m.,  and  at  12  m.  were 
forced  by  a  strong  wind  to  tie  up.  Started  again  at  6 :30  p.  m.,  and 
at  dusk  lay  by  for  night  twenty  miles  below  Muddy  river.  Channel 
fair,  but  little  changed  in  the  last  month.  But  few  snags,  and  those 
not  large  or  troublesome.    The  river  full  of  drowned  grasshoppers. 

August  29. — Started  at  daylight,  and  after  a  fair  run  lay  up  below 
Tide  creek.  After  passing  Little  Knife  river,  found  the  channel  full 
of  bars  and  difficult;  grounded  several  times,  but  were  not  greatly 
delayed  except  by  the  necessity  of  running  slow  and  sounding  fre- 
quently.   Day  very  warm  and  indications  of  a  storm. 

August  30.-Arrived  at  Fort  Berthold  12  noon,  and  left  6  p.  m., 
expecting  to  make  Fort  Stevenson  before  dark.  Eight  miles  below 
Fort  Berthold  encountered  a  violent  wind  storm,  were  driven  to  the 
bank,  and  obliged  to  tie  up  for  the  night.  The  wind  was  so  strong 
that  the  birds  left  the  trees  and  sought  shelter  in  the  underbrush. 
Just  before  dark  one  of  our  pilots  caught  a  half  grown  war  eagle, 
who  had  sheltered  himself  in  the  bushes  and  could  not  rise  from 
them.  From  Little  Knife  river  to  Berthold  the  river  is  obstructed 
by  bars  and  a  few  snags ;  below  Berthold  it  is  in  better  condition. 

August  31. — Arrived  at  Fort  Stevenson  8:30  a.  m.,  and  left  11 
a.  m.  River  improving,  day  cold,  damp  and  windy.  Four  p.  m.  lay  up 
below  the  mouth  of  the  Big  Knife  river  to  wood,  and  remained  dur- 
ing the  night.  Channel  well  defined  and  with  good  water.  Not  ma- 
terially changed  since  going  up,  although  the  river  has  fallen  about 
four  feet  in  that  time. 

September  1. — Started  5  a.  m..  and  without  trouble  reached  Fort 
Rice  3  :30  p.  m.  Here  we  expected  to  find  forty  cords  of  good  dry 
wood,  cut  and  awaiting  us.  but  were  disappointed.  The  wood, 
though  cut  and  well  concealed,  attracted  the  attention  of  another 
boat,  and  we  reached  the  wood  pile  only  in  time  to  see  the  Centralia 
leaving  with  thirty  cords  on  board,  and  Captain  Hawley  obliged  to 
pay  the  bill  at  $8  per  cord. 

Left  Rice  at  6  p.  m.  and  ran  below  the  Cannon  Ball,  where  we 
spent  the  greater  part  of  the  night  picking  up  drift. 

September  2.-Started  5  a.  m.  and  ran  until  4  p.  m.,  when  we  were 
forced  by  wind  to  lie  up  forty  miles  above  Grand  river.  Day  raw 
and  windy,  with  occasional  drizzle.  River  good  and  had  but  little 
trouble,  only  groundin^:  twice,  and  both  times  sparring  off  with  ease. 
In  conversation  with  Major  Galpin,  one  of  the  oldest  fur  traders  in 
this  country,  and  the  best  informed  I  have  met,  he  expressed  the 
desire  of  all  those  interested  in  the  development  of  the  upper  Mis- 


410  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


souri  valley  of  a  thorouo:h  geo.e:raphic  and  geological  survey  of  the 
country  drained  by  the  Little  Missouri,  Heart,  Big  Knife,  Cannon 
Ball,  Grand  and  Moreau  rivers. 

He  has  been  over  the  greater  part  of  the  basin  drained  by  those 
streams,  and  is  impressed  with  its  value  as  a  grazing  and  mining 
country. 

From  his  report  I  should  judge  a  survey  of  importance  in  estab- 
lishing future  reservations  for  the  Sioux  Indians.  I  am  informed 
that  the  climate  is  undergoing  a  gradual  but  marked  change  for  the 
better,  noticed  even  by  those  who  have  spent  but  a  few  years  along 
the  river.  Rain  is  more  frequent,  vegctatirn  more  luxuriant,  and  the 
winter  sets  in  late,  and  in  places  Cottonwood  trees  are  giving  way 
to  ash  and  elms.  Corn,  potatoes  and  oats  have  been  grown  as  far  up 
as  Fort  I^nion,  and  although  the  stocks  were  stunted  the  grain  was 
of  fair  size  ^nd  quality.  At  Berthold  1  saw  ears  of  corn  six  to  eight 
inches  in  length,  grown  on  stalks  from  eighteen  inches  to  two  feet  in 
height. 

September  3. — Started  at  5  a.  m.  and  made  a  good  dav's  run,  tying 
up  at  7  p.  m.  to  the  right  bank  below  Plum  island,  and  fifteen  miles 
above  mouth  of  Big  Shayenne.  River  quite  good  with  the  exception 
of  Swan  Lake  reach,  where  we  found  the  channel  well  cut  but  verv 
tortuous.  In  passing  the  reach  we  were  favored  bv  a  dead  calm, 
which  facilitated  the  handling  of  the  boat,  and  enabled  us  bv  running 
carefully  to  keep  the  channel.  Below  the  reach  we  were  delayed  an 
hour  by  taking  the  wrong  outlet,  but  afterwards  had  no  trouble. 
The  bluffs  passed  todav  are  based  on  a  blue  clav  shale,  crumbling 
where  exposed,  and  easily  blown  down  bv  wind.  On  the  bluffs,  un- 
der which,  we  lay  during  the  night,  I  found  a  group  of  svenitic  boul- 
ders, some  of  them  weighing  as  much  as  three  or  four  tons.  Wood 
•scarce. 

Sef)tcmber  4. — Reached  the  Bie  vShavenne  9  a.  m.,  and  lav  for 
night  ten  miles  below,  having  found  a  verv  bad  river,  much  spread 
out  and  full  of  sand  bars.  Stroncr  wind  durincr  the  niirht,  slightlv 
abating  before  morning.  Near  this  point,  when  croing  up,  we  found 
in  abundance  a  plant  used  bv  the  Indians  to  cure  the  bite  of  a  rattle 
snake.  The  stem  is  from  two  to  four  feet  in  len<^th,  and  from  an 
eighth  to  a  quarter  of  an  inch  in  diameter,  the  leaves  long  and  slen- 
der, and  from  four  to  six  inches  apart.  jcMuine  the  «item  alopfr  the  line 
of  a  verv  oblique  s])iral.  The  stem  is  crowned  bv  a  vellow  flower 
abrMit  two  inclies  in  diameter,  and  havinir  the  aT>penrance  of  a  *:mall 
sunflower.  The  root  is  lonir  nnd  has  but  few  ramifications.  \Mien 
stritMH'd  of  it*^  thicV  (vitor  contin^r.  it  sliows  mnrVines  and  color  verv 
much  resenibliuG:  the  skin  of  the  rattlo^^nake.  "Mv  informant,  an  old 
hunter,  who  t)ointed  out  the  plant,  informed  that  he  had  often  S'.^en 
it  used,  and  with  success.  The  per^^on  bitten  chews  a  sn-^all  piece  of 
the  root,  swallows  the  iuice  and  applies  the  pulp  to  the  bitf^.  The 
ro(n  has  a  pungent  acid  taste,  but  is  not  unpleasant.     Dr.  Kimball. 


STATE  OF   NORTH    DAKOTA  411 

United  States  army,  stationed  at  Fort  l»uford,  has  a  quantity  of  the 
plant,  and  will  report  on  it  to  the  medical  department. 

September  ^.-Started  5  a.  m.,  and  reached  Old  Fort  Sully  12  noon. 
Were  several  hours  in  passing  Farm  island.  The  day  clear,  but  cool 
and  windy.  Run  the  channel  to  the  right  of  Farm  island,  and  were 
several  times  blown  aground  five  miles  below  the  island,  and  lay 
during  the  night  on  the  bar.  Steamer  Last  Chance  overtook  us, 
and  lay  during  the  night  a  few  hundred  yards  above. 

Farm  island  is  considered  one  of  the  worst  places  on  the  river, 
as  the  channel  shifts  frequently  from  one  side  to  the  other.  The 
buildings  at  Old  Fort  Sully  are  all  torn  down. 

September  6. — Made  about  fifteen  miles  and  lay  up  on  account  of 
the  wind.  Channel  fair,  but  the  surface  of  the  water  is  so  much 
broken  by  the  wind  as  to  make  it  difficult  to  determine  its  position. 
Dav  clear  and  cool. 

« 

September  7. — We  were  not  able  to  ^art  until  6  p.  m.  We  then 
made  five  miles,  and  tied  up  for  the  night.  Wind  continuing.  Plen- 
ty of  water  in  the  channel,  from  three  to  ten  feet,  but  the  surface 
too  rough  to  make  the  crossings.  A  stern-wheel  boat  is  unmanage- 
able in  a  high  wind  unless  loaded  down,  and  even  then  it  is  generally 
safer  to  tie  up  than  to  run.  The  wheel  can  only  act  in  the  direction 
of  the  boat's  longer  axis,  and  in  consequence  when  moving  obliquely 
to  the  wind  the  boat  has  a  certain  amount  of  leeway  for  which  there 
is  no  remedy,  and  she  is  blown  on  a  bar  in  narrow  crossings  or  ashore 
in  bends. 

With  a  side- wheel  steamer  it  is  different,  for  the  wheels  can  be 
used  in  steering,  and  become  powerful  aids  to  the  rudder  when  used 
skillfully.  The  only  objection  to  side  wheels  is  the  amount  of  drift 
met  in  the  early  and  middle  seasons,  to  which  they  are  very  much  ex- 
posed, and  from  which  stern  wheels  are  in  a  measure  protected  bv  the 
hull. 

September  8. — Started  at  daylight,  and  at  9  a.  m.  were  blown 
ashore  by  the  wind,  about  twenty  miles  above  Fort  Thompson,  where 
we  lay  until  4  p.  m.  The  bluffs  at  this  point  are  composed  of  alter- 
nating layers  of  sand,  gravel  and  clay  shale :  at  their  foot,  and  ap- 
parently coming  from  the  gravel  beds.  I  found  large  numbers  of 
two  casts  (shell  and  reptile),  some  of  them  having  a  metallic  filling 
of  a  light  reddish  brown  color,  very  finely  granulated  structure,  and 
of  such  hardness  as  to  scratch  glass  with  as  much  ease  as  a  diamond 
would.  The  cross  section  of  these  reptile  casts  is  an  ellipse  showing 
a  vertebral  joint,  solid  in  the  center  of  the  ellipse,  and  with  six  radical 
points  running  to  the  outer  coating,  which  is  a  rich  pearly  covering, 
oak  leaf  markings  on  the  inner  skin.  I  have  found  at  this  place,  ancl 
at  several  points  further  up  the  river,  a  larire  number  of  these  re- 
mains with  metallic  spar  and  clavstone  fillings;  yet,  although  I 
searched  diligently,  could  not  find  a  head. 


412  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

The  diameter  of  those  seen  varied  from  one-fourth  of  an  inch  to 
one  foot.  One  small  specimen  in  my  possession  has  become  highly 
polished  in  the  exposed  point,  and  resembles  polished  copper.  The 
shell  casts  are  sand  and  clay  stone,  some  of  them  with  the  shell  yet 
adhering. 

Started  again  at  4  p.  m.  and  at  night  lay  up  at  right  bank  opposite 
Crow  creek,  with  wind  continuing  strong. 

September  9. — Ran  well  all  day,  and  reached  upper  landing  at 
Fort  Randall  point  5:30  p.  m.  The  channel  runs  close  to  Randall 
point,  and  is  obstructed  by  loose  rocks,  causing  a  very  swift  current 
around  the  point.  At  6:30  we  attempted  to  cross  the  bar  opposite 
Randall,  and  ran  hard  aground.  The  bar  washed  from  under  us 
very  rapidly,  and  at  12  midnight  washed  us  across  where  we  lay 
until  morning.  An  anchor  put  out  above  us  in  eighteen  inches  of 
water,  when  raised  in  the  morning,  was  found  in  a  pocket  six  feet 
deep.  This  bar  is  a  very  troublesome  one,  and  can  only  be  remediel 
by  clearing  the  channel  at  the  point  above,  and  throwing  the  water 
in  bulk  to  the  left  shore.  All  the  boats  down  within  the  last  two 
v/eeks  have  grounded  here,  and  lain  from  six  to  forty-eight  hours. 
The  day  has  been  quite  windy,  and  we  were  several  times  driven 
ashore.  We  passed  the  Centralia  above  Hamilton  ranch,  waiting  on 
the  wind. 

September  10. — Started  7  a.  m.,  and  at  8  a.  m.  ran  aground  oppo- 
site Tower  butte.  The  morning  is  clear  and  cold,  with  but  little 
wind ;  cleared  the  bar  at  noon,  and  at  2  p.  m.  reached  Yancton 
aiicncy,  the  wind  in  the  meantime  having  suddenly  revived  and 
driven  us  once  ashore.  Since  leaving  Fort  Rice  I  have  noticed  a 
[  eculiarity  in  the  bar  formation,  but  seldom  observed  above.  Sand 
bars  and  sand  islands  form  the  middle  of  the  stream,  giving  a  series 
of  middle  bars  and  doubtful  crossings,  the  channel  shifting  frequent- 
ly from  one  side  to  the  other,  and  giving  a  difference  in  depth  on 
either  side  so  small  as  to  often  deceive  the  most  practiced  pilots. 

Above  Fort  Rice  these  middle  bars  are  the  exception,  the  bars 
forming  Mow  each  point,  and  running  obliquely  towards  the  next 
lower,  permitting  but  a  single  crossing,  and  that  generally  well  de- 
fined. Left  Yancton  agency  5  :30  p.  m.,  and  lay  for  the  night  above 
the  mouth  of  the  Niobrara. 

September  11. — Started  at  daylight,  and  lay  up  for  the  night  at 
the  mouth  of  the  \^ermillion  river.  Found  the  channel  much  ob- 
structed by  snails,  those  most  in  the  way  being  of  recent  deposit. 
In  the  bend  below  Yancton  village  boats  have  l>ecn  obliged  to  cut 
a  channel  throueh  a  cluster  of  very  large  green  trees  vlepnsited  within 
the  last  six  weeks;  the  snails  vary  in  diameter  from  six  to  eighteen 
ipches,  and  the  most  troublesome  come  from  this  season's  cutting. 

The  mouth  of  the  \'ermillion  is  dammed  up  for  a  distance  of  200 
yards  by  a  deposit  of  mud  and  sand  from  the  Missouri.  Over  this 
distance  the  Vermillion  falls  five  and  one-half  feet,  with  a  rapid  cur- 


STATE  OF  NORTH   DAKOTA  413 

rent ;  the  waterway  is  ten  feet  wide  and  from  one  to  two  feet  deep— 
the  water  clear  and  cold.  All  the  small  streams  below  the  Yellow- 
stone have  been  dammed  in  a  similar  manner,  but  have  cut  out,  so 
far  as  observed.  Above  the  dam  the  Vermillion  is  about  fifty  yards 
wide,  and  with  a  sluggish  current. 

September  12.-Started  at  daylight  with  a  better  river  than  yester- 
day, but  still  much  obstructed  by  snags.  Morning  cloudy  with  a  little 
wind ;  reached  Sioux  City  2  p.  m.,  and  remained  until  3  p.  m.  Lay 
up  for  the  night  fifteen  miles  below.  In.  the  first  bend  below  Sioux 
City  made  a  square  crossing,  and  at  its  terminus  found  the  channel 
contracted  to  about  100  feet,  very  deep,  and  so  full  of  snags  that  we 
were  half  an  hour  in  working  our  way  through  them.  The  bank 
was  from  ten  to  fifteen  feet  high,  and  falling  in  rapidly,  promising 
to  increase  the  width  of  channel  and  the  number  of  snags.  At  Sioux 
City  recommenced  sketch  to  connect  with  starting  point  of  my  as- 
sistant. 

September  13. — Started  at  daylight,  and  ran  well  all  day,  reaching 
Omaha  shortly  after  dark.  The  river  very  tortuous  and  the  bends 
full  of  snags.  The  section  from  Sioux  City  to  Omaha  is  considered 
the  most  dangerous  part  of  the  Missouri,  and  when  once  cleared' will 
require  constant  attention  to  keep  it  free  from  snags.  Winding  for 
the  greater  part  of  the  distance  throus:h  low  easily  cut  bottom  lands, 
it  is  subject  to  very  rapid  and  radical  changes  of  its  bed ;  each  flood 
sweeps  into  the  channel  many  hundred  acres  of  timber  to  form  dan- 
gerous snags,  and  frequently  cut-oflPs  occur  to  add  further  obstruc- 
tion. At  several  points  today  the  pilots  informed  me  that  the  whole 
waterwav  had  shifted  within  the  last  two  months  from  300  to  400 
yards  into  timbered  points,  leaving  the  last  year's  channel  a  barren 
sand  bottom.  On  the  niierht  of  the  8th  of  July  a  cut-oflf  occurred 
above  Peru,  completely  changing  the  channel  for  fifteen  miles  on 
either  side ;  several  boats  were  carried  throueh  on  the  9th,  and  barely 
escaped  being  wrecked.  Another  shortly  afterward,  less  fortunate, 
struck  a  log  and  was  lost,  together  with  several  of  her  crew. 

September  14. — Started  at  11  a.  m..  and  at  1  p.  m.  were  driven 
ashore  bv  the  wind  at  St.  Mary's  cut-off,  and  were  obliged  to  lie  by 
the  remainder  of  the  day.  Boats  have  had  trouble  just  above  and  in 
the  bend  below  us,  even  the  packet  getting  aground,  yet  the  river  is 
considered  at  a  good  boating  stage,  and  the  river  trade  is  quite  brisk. 
Toward  night  the  wind  increased  in  violence,  and  the  clouds  of  sand 
from  the  old  bed  of  the  river  and  from  the  point  below  us  were  al- 
most blinding. 

September  15.-Wind  very  strong  all  day,  and  we  have  not  moved 
from  our  landine.  Every  portion  of  the  cabin  and  state  rooms  coat- 
ed with  sand.  Three  boats  passed  us  bound  up ;  two  of  them  side- 
wheel  steamers,  and  the  third  a  stern-wheeler.  The  side-wheel  boats 
passed  the  bar  above,  and  the  stern-wheel  was  driven  aground  by  the 
wind.    Direction  of  wind  from  south  to  north. 


414  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

September  16. — Wind  at  times  increasing  to  a  hurricane,  and  con- 
tinuing from  the  south,  with  indications  of  a  storm  coming  up  from 
the  northwest.  The  side-wheel  packet  Cornelia  passed  us  down  late 
in  the  afternoon,  and  the  Sunset  ditto  after  dark,  tying  up  one  mile 
below.  Lay  by  all  day,  and  have  fair  hopes  of  being  able  to  push 
ahead  tomorrow,  as  these  blows  generally  last  but  three  days. 

September  17. — The  wind  having  moderated  during  the  night, 
we  started  down  at  6  a.  m.,  and  made  a  run  of  about  seventy  miles, 
when  the  wind  increased  to  such  a  violence  as  to  drive  us  to  the  bank 
at  Nemaha,  1  p.  m.  A  pelting  rain  accompanied  the  wind  and  forced 
me  to  put  my  sketch  aside  and  depend  on  my  notes  of  obstructions. 
The  wind  abating  in  a  few  hours,  we  again  started  down,  and  lay 
up  for  the  night  twenty  miles  below  Nemaha.  Passed  the  Cornelia 
at  Hrownsville,  the  St,  Joseph  and  Sunset  at  Plattsmouth  and  the 
Undemriter  of  Cincinnati  at  the  wreck  of  the  H.  S.  Turner,  em- 
ployed in  raising  it.  With  our  light  draft  we  have  been  able  to  run 
well,  but  boats  drawing  from  three  to  three  and  a  half  feet  experience 
great  trouble  in  several  of  the  crossings.  Dangerous  snags  are  of 
frequent  occurrence,  and  all  the  bends  are  more  or  less  obstructed. 

September  18. — River  fair  all  day.  Reached  St.  Joseph's  5:30  p. 
m.,  and  remained  until  next  morning.  The  crossing  above  St. 
Joseph's,  which  three  days  ago  gave  great  trouble  and  necessitating 
sparring  on  three  feet  of  water,  is  now  cut  out,  and  at  no  place  has 
less  than  five  feet  over  the  bar.  Snags  have  not  been  so  frequent 
as  yesterday.    Day  fair  and  warm. 

September  19. — After  a  run  of  175  miles  lay  up  for  night  at  a 
wood  yard  below  Liberty.  Night  clear  and  cool.  As  wood  is  quite 
an  item  in  the  economy  of  a  steamboat,  I  have  collected  the  following 
tariff  of  prices : 

At  r^ort  Ifawley,  $8  per  cord;  Fort  Rice,  $8;  Fort  Randall  and 
above,  $0  to  $8 ;  above  Sioux  City,  $5 ;  above  Omaha,  $2.50  to  $3.50 ; 
from  ( )maha  down,  $2  to  $3.  The  Miner  burns  in  twenty-four  hours 
twenty-four  cords  of  hard  wood  or  thirty  cords  of  dry  cottonwood. 
A  portion  of  the  river  passcvl  today  is  in  very  good  condition,  and 
other  portions  shallow  and  snaggy.  Almost  every  bend  has  its 
wreck  to  attest  the  dangers  of  navigation.  Many  of  them  are  rotten 
with  age,  but  others  are  of  recent  date,  and  have  become  dangerous 
obstructions.  The  current  is  slowly  eating  into  the  upper  bight  of 
each  bend,  removing  the  flood  deposit,  and  daily  disclosing  new 
snags.  It  is  a  peculiarity  of  the  Missouri  river,  due  to  its  wide 
flrxxl  bed  and  low  bottom  lands,  that  when  at  flood  lieight  the  channel 
is  cut  across  the  sand  points,  making  the  bij^lU  of  the  bend  low  down 
and  filling  in  above.  As  the  water  falls  the  channel  gradually  works 
out  from  the  point ;  the  bight  is  made  further  and  further  up ;  shallow 
bars  form,  cut  away  and  reform  with  wonderful  rapidity  and  uncer- 
tainty, and  when  the  river  attains  its  medium  stage  the  channel  has 
passed  over  the  greater  part  of  the  bed  in  the  upi>er  half  of  the  ben:l. 


STATE  OF   NORTH    DAKOTA  415 

and  brought  in  succession  each  snag  in  that  portion  directly  in  the 
way  of  navigation. 

September  20. — Ran  to  Slaughter-house  island,  just  above  Lexing- 
ton, and  tied  up  for  the  night.  During  the  day  we  have  passed  alter- 
nating sections  of  good  and  bad  river,  reported  in  detail  in  my  snag 
records.  Above  Glasgow  one  very  bad  bend  obstructed  by  bars,  and 
also  a  similar  series  of  bends  and  crossings  above  and  below  Slaugh- 
ter-house island.  From  Glasgow  to  the  latter  section  the  channel  is 
remarkably  good.    The  day  has  been  warm  and  pleasant. 

September  21. — Were  detained  at  our  moorings  until  8  a.  m.  by 
a  fog ;  we  then  ran  until  dusk,  and  tied  up  half  a  mile  above  Pinkney. 
Found  the  channel  much  obstructed  by  bars  and  snags.  Loaded 
boats  have  had  great  difficulty  at  several  points  passed  during  the 
day.  As  we  draw  but  two  feet,  we  have  had  no  trouble.  The  fog 
this  morning,  though  not  heavy,  clung  to  the  water  and  obscured  the 
view  at  a  distance  ahead,  so  that  the  pilots  could  not  judge  of  the 
terminus  of  the  Pinkney  and  Miller's  landing  crossing,  and  be  sure 
of  taking  the  proper  channel. 

September  22. — Again  detained  by  a  fog  until  8  a.  m.,  when  we 
started  from  Slaughter-house  island,  and  at  1 :30  p.  m.  made  St. 
Charles  without  trouble,  although  we  passed  several  very  bad  bends 
full  of  snags.  Made  St.  Louis  5:30  p.  m.  The  river  from  St. 
Charles  to  St.  Louis  very  good,  with  the  exception  of  the  Chobenier 
islands  section,  where  the  channel  is  liable  to  frequent  shiftings  from 
one  side  of  the  islands  to  the  other.  The  importance  of  clearing  the 
river  of  snags  from  its  mouth  to  Omaha  is  in  a  great  measure  due 
to  the  packet  trade  on  that  section,  which  necessitates  running  at 
night,  and  makes  obstructions  of  the  kind  so  much  more  dangerous. 

September  23,  24. — Remained  in  St.  Louis  collecting  commercial 
statistics  from  the  quartermasters'  and  commissary  departments,  and 
from  the  records  of  the  Union  Merchants'  Exchange. 

September  26. — Three  p.  m.  started  for  Cincinnati  via  Ohio  & 
Mississippi  railroad. 

September  27.-Arrived  in  Cincinnati  5  a.  m.^ 


STEAMBOAT  OWNERS,  CAPTAINS  AND  PILOTS  OX 

THE  :^ITSSOrRI  RIVER  IN  1808. 

''^St.  Louis.  Mo.,  Sept.  28,  1808. 

We,  the  undersigned,  owners,  captains  and  pilots  of  boats  navi- 
gatins:  the  Missouri  river,  herehv  respectfully  certify  that  the  *Kan- 
sas  City  bridge'  is  not  being  built  at  an  accessible  point,  as  provided 
by  the  low,  and  greatly  hinders  and  endangers  navigation  at  all 


*Ex.  Docs.,  House  of  Rep.,  3rd  Sess.,  40th  Cong.,  Report  of  the  Secre- 
tary of  War,  Cong.  Series  1368,  a34-54. 


416  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

times,  but  especially  during  high  water,  when  it  is  impassable  with 
any  degree  of  safety.  And  we  hereby  pledge  our  best  endeavors  to 
effect  its  removal. 

W.  P.  Lamothe,  pilot  and  owner. 

P.  Yore,  pilot  and  owner. 

Jas.  A.  Yore,  pilot  and  owner. 

David  Haney,  pilot.  1 

E.  W.  Gould,  owner.  ' 

J.  P.  Fitzgerred,  owner. 

V.  N.  Yore,  pilot. 

H.  H.  Symones,  captain  and  pilot. 

T.  S.  Calhoon,  captain  and  owner. 

John  R.  Adner,  pilot. 

Henry  Keith,  pilot. 

D.  H.  Silver,  captain  and  pilot. 

J.  W.  Gartrel,  pilot. 

William  Conley,  pilot. 

Fred  Dozier,  pilot  and  light  boat  owner. 

J.  R.  Sousby,  pilot. 

Grant  Marsh,  pilot. 

David  L.  Keiser,  pilot. 

T.  K.  Voorhees,  captain. 

A.  Burbank,  pilot. 

R.  G.  Baldwin,  pilot. 

A.  Reeder,  pilot. 

L.  Burbank,  pilot. 

John  T.  Doran,  pilot. 

J.  E.  Tebean,  pilot. 

John  T.  Stansbury,  pilot. 

Joseph  Fecto,  pilot. 

William  C.  Jamison,  pilot. 

Joseph  Throckmorton,  captain. 

Ben  Johnson,  captain. 

Thomas  W.  Scott,  pilot. 

H.  G.  Carson,  captain. 

J.  D.  Dooper.  pilot. 

C.  W.  Blunt,  pilot. 

John  W.  Gilham,  pilot. 

Charles  A.  Wiseman,  pilot. 

William  A.  Baker,  pilot. 

Thomas  C.  Bigc:er,  pilot. 

James  W.  Gunsollis.  captain  and  pilot. 

William  Throckmorton,  pilot. 

J.  W.  Malin,  captain. 

George  Vickers,  pilot. 

Edward  S.  Herndon,  pilot. 

John  LaBarge,  captain. 


STATE  OF  NORTH   DAKOTA  417 

James  GunsolHs,  captain. 

H.  K.  Hazlett,  captain  and  pilot. 

W.  R.  Carter,  owner. 

J.  H.  Coun,  owner. 

J.  S.  Carter,  owner. 

Frank  Carter,  owner. 

Henry  S.  Carter,  owner  and  captain. 

Joseph  LaBarg^e,  Jr.,  captain  and  owner. 

Joseph  C.  LaBarge,  pilot. 

W.  W.  Ashley,  pilot. 

A.  G.  LaBarge,  pilot. 

Thomas  J.  LaBarge,  pilot. 

J.  Cathright,  captain. 

R.  Porter,  owner. 

W.  R.  Massie,  pilot  and  owner. 

Sam.  Constant,  pilot. 

E.  B.  McPherson,  Jr.,  owner. 

M.  Hillard,  owner. 

John  G.  W.  Poonce,  pilot. 

Lawrence  Wassells,  pilot. 

John  A.  Schwab,  pilot. 

William  M.  Young,  pilot. 

R.  J.  Whitledge,  owner. 

George  W.  Boyd,  captain. 

M.  H.  Cropster,  captain. 

E.  Spencer,  captain. 

Samuel  Ryder,  captain. 

Robert  B.  Bailey,  captain. 

N.  P.  Constandt,  owner. 

Henry  McPherson,  captain  and  owner. 

C.  L.  Sombart,  owner. 

Thomas  W.  Brvlan,  owner. 

William  D.  Shunks,  captain. 

C.  J.  Rogers,  captain  and  owner. 

D.  Baldwin,  pilot. 

G.  W.  Vaughan,  pilot. 
William  W.  Ates,  owner."* 


*  Report  of  Sec.  of  War,  41st  Cong.,  2nd  Sess.,  1869-70,  Cong.  Series 
1413.  p.  308 


i 


EXPEDITIONS  OP  CAPTAIN  JAS,  L.  PISK  TO 

THE  GOLD  MINES  OF  IDAHO  AND 

MONTANA,  1864-1866. 


\ 


< 


CAPT.  JAMES  I-.  FISK 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  421 


EXPEDITIONS  OF  CAPT.  JAS.  L.  FISK  TO  THE  GOLD 
MINES  OF  IDAHO  AND  MONTANA.  1864—1866. 

The  earlier  expeditions  of  Capt.  Fisk  to  the  gold  mines  of  the  west 
are  given  place  in  another  portion  of  this  volume  in  connection 
with  the  history  of  Fort  Abercrombie.  These  expeditions  of  1862 
and  1863  both  passed  through  Fort  Abercrombie  and  proceeded 
westward  by  the  northern  route.  That  these  expeditions  did  not 
result  in  the  building  of  a  national  road  across  what  is  now  North  Da- 
kota and  Montana  from  Fort  Abercrombie  to  Fort  Benton  is  due  as 
much  perhaps  to  the  stress  of  the  Civil  War  as  to  the  remarkable  de- 
velopment of  the  Missouri  River  steamboat  traffic,  which  made  all 
the  tedium  and  danger  of  an  overland  journey  unnecessary. 


THE   FISK  EXPEDITION   OF   1864. 

The  Fisk  expedition  of  1864  is  of  great  interest  in  our  state  his- 
tory since  it  is  connected  with  the  establishment  of  Fort  Rice,  with 
Gen.  Sully's  expedition  of  that  year,  and  because  the  gold  seekers 
were  obliged  to  fight  the  Sioux  in  the  southwestern  part  of  the  state 
and  to  return  to  Fort  Rice  without  getting  farther  west.  The 
following  official  notice  gives  the  situation  as  far  as  emigration  west- 
ward in  1864  is  concerned : 

"important  TO  GOLD  SEEKERS. 

''Headquarters  Department  of  Northwest. 
"Milwaukee,  Wis.,  March  14,  1864. 

"The  indications  of  a  heavy  emigration  to  the  mines  of  Idaho  dur- 
ing the  coming  season,  across  the  plains  and  by  the  Missouri  river, 
seem  to  render  it  proper  for  the  general  commanding  this  depart- 
ment to  publish  some  information  and  suggestion  which  emigrants 
will  find  it  judicious  to  consider  carefully. 

All  information  and  every  indication  from  the  plains  of  the  upper 
Missouri  point  to  a*  combination  of  the  powerful  bands  of  the 
Ehanktonias  Sioux,  (who  were  driven  to  the  upper  Missouri  by  the 
expedition  of  the  last  year)  with  the  Unkpapa  and  other  strong 
bands  of  the  Teton  Sioux  south  of  the  Missouri,  to  obstruct  the 
navigation  of  that  river  and  to  resist  the  passage  of  emigrants  across 
the  upper  plains.  It  seems  likely  now  that  a  concentration  of  the 
Indian  tribes  will  be  made  early  in  the  spring,  at  some  point  on  the 
Missouri,  above  the  mouth  of  Grand  River. 


422  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


"A  large  force  of  cavalry,  under  Gen.  Sully,  will  march  against 
them  as  soon  as  the  grass  on  the  prairies  is  sufficient  to  'subsist  the 
animals,  and  will  give  battle  to  the  Indians,  or  otherwise  secure 
p^ace  with  them.  Until  this  expedition  moves  it  will  be  unsafe  for 
any  steamers  to  pass  up  the  ^lissouri  river  above  Fort  Pierre.  The 
force  under  Gen.  Sully  will  be  strong  enough  to  beat  the  Indians 
if  found  concentrated  on  the  river.  If  the  Indians  fail  to  make  thir 
concentration,  heavy  forces  of  cavalry  will  scour  the  country  on  both 
sides  of  the  river,  and  after  driving  the  Indians  into  the  interior 
will  pursue  them  during  the  summer,  and  either  force  a  battle  or 
a  peace. 

"It  is  recommended,  therefore,  to  emigrants  by  water  that  they 
communicate  with  Gen.  Sully  on  the  Upper  Missouri  river,  and  do 
not  attempt  to  pass  in  advance  of  his  forces  until  notified  by  him  that 
it  will  be  safe.  As  many  as  possible  of  the  boats  carrying  emigrants 
should  go  together,  under  some  sort  of  organization  and  it  will  be 
found  judicious  to  protect  the  vulnerable  parts  of  the  boats,  by 
planking  them  so  as  to  be  bullet  proof.  It  is  scarcely  necessary  to 
say  that  the  navigation  of  the  Upper  Missouri  river  is  difficult,  and 
that  the  river  in  many  places  is  very  narrow  and  tortuous.  Indians 
in  ambush  and  under  cover  of  the  banks  would  have  every  advantage 
over  even  an  equal  number  of  whites  on  steamboats.  By  keeping  in 
rear  of  Gen.  Sully  and  only  continuing  their  voyage  up  the  river 
after  he  notifies  them  that  danq:er  is  past,  the  emiq:rants  will  on 
doubt  be  able  to  prosecute  their  journey  in  safety. 

**Such  of  the  emigrants  as  are  going  with  trains  overland  from 
any  point  on  the  Missouri  above  Fort  Randall,  are  recommended  to 
select  a  point  of  rendezvous  on  the  river  at  which  to  assemble  as 
lari^e  a  force  as  possible,  and  there  make  s(^me  organization,  which 
will  ])lace  the  whole  body  under  the  direction  of  those  members  of 
the  party  most  experienced  in  Indian  warfare  and  travel  on  the 
plains.  Not  less  than  three  hundred  men  in  a  bodv  should  attempt 
to  cross  the  plains  at  present  from  anv  point  on  the  Missouri  river 
above  I'^ort  Pierre.  It  is  hoped  that  hv  the  middle  of  the  summer 
the  expedition  atrainst  the  Indian*^  will  have  rendered  the  travel 
across  anv  portion  of  the  upper  prairie  as  safe  as  travel  usually  is 
in  the  Indian  country,  where,  under  any  circumstances,  men  should 
travel  in  considerable  parties  anri  with  every  r^recatition. 

**  \  L'lr^^e  cavalry  force  will  he  '^cnt  out  from  Minnesota  as  earlv 
as  possible  in  the  sprin*^  for  the  Missouri  river,  near  the  'ponth  of 
Long  Lake  and  emij^^rants  from  that  state  can  avail  themselves  of  the 
protection  of  this  force  if  tliev  think  nrcessarv. 

**Thesc  sutrgestions.  and  this  advice  are  cniumunicated  thus  pub- 
liclv  that  thev  niav  reach  ns  nianv  as  possible  of  those  who  propose 
to  emigrate  to  the  c<»ld  revMons  this  sumnuT. 

*'It  is  essential  to  their  security  that  they  consider  and  act  upon 
this  advice  care  full  v. 


3TATE  OF   NORTH   DAKOTA  423 

"It  is  proper  to  repeat  with  emphasis  that  the  country  along  the 
banks  of  the  Missouri  above  Fort  Pierre,  will  most  likely  be  unsafe 
until  Gen.  Sully  passes  up. 

"JOHN  POPE,  Maj.  Gen.  U.  S.  A., 

"Com'd'ng  Dept.  Northwest.*'^ 

The  interest  in  Capt.  Fisk's  venture  by  a  new  route  was  such 
that  he  had  more  offers  from  men  who  desired  to  go  with  him  than 
he  could  well  make  use  of.  Only  well  equipped  wagon  trains  with 
'  experienced  drivers  and  well  armed  and  resolute  emigrants  were 
desired.  The  following  newspaper  notices  show  something  of  the 
story  of  the  expedition  up  to  its  arrival  at  Fort  Rice: 

"Capt.  Fisk  started  his  expedition  on  Monday,  and  will  in  a  week 
more  be  far  on  his  journey  to  Montana  and  Idaho.  There  are  sev- 
eral parties  of  emigrants  awaiting  the  escort  on  the  road  between 
here  and  Fort  Ridgely,  which  is  the  rendezvous  for  <he  expedition 
and  ere  it  leaves  the  frontier,  it  is  estimated  that  five  hundred 
wagons  will  be  in  the  train,  with  an  average  of  three  men  to  each 
wagon.  Of  course,  such*  a  force  as  this  can  bid  defiance  to  the  In- 
dians, and  will  beyond  doubt  get  through  safely.     July  7,  18G4." 

"Capt.  Fisk  having  got  his  train  started  on  Monday  safely,  yes- 
terday, left  in  company  with  Lieut.  Johnson  via  Minneapolis  and 
Glencoe,  and  will  reach  Fort  Ridgely  in  advance  of  it.  The  train 
will  at  once  be  organized  and  push  on  towards  sunset. 

"At  Fort  Ridgely,  Capt.  Fisk  will  secure  a  mounted  escort,  con- 
sisting of  a  company  of  the  Second  Cavalry,  who  will  proceed  with 
him  as  far  as  the  Missouri,  from  which  point  he  will  have  Brackett's 
battalion,  100  hcrses,  to  escort  him  to  the  Yellowstone.  Even  with- 
out this  escort  the  train  would  be  in  no  danger  from  Indians,  as 
'it  will  have  almost  a  thousand  men,  all  well  armed,  and  most  of 
whom  are  used  to  bushwhacking  and  skirmishing."- 

"Summary  of  Fisk's  Expedition,  reported  by  G.  W.  M.,  Cor- 
respondent of  the  Press. 


"CAXfP  WINSLO\V\ 


if 


'In  Camp  on  the  Whitewater, 

"112  Miles  from  Fort  Ridgely,  July  23d,  18(>4. 

"We  arrived  here  at  4  p.  m.  today.  The  country  that  we  passed 
through  was  filled  with  burned  farms  and  fields,  destroyed  villa<res 
etc.,  that  clearly  marked  the  path  of  the  murderous  Indians.  We 
crossed  the  Minnesota  river  on  the  I'ith  and  camped  on  the  Red 
Wood  on  the  17th.  This  day  was  spent  in  arranging  the  wagons 
for  a  systematic  method  of  marching.  On  the  23d  we  reached 
White  Water  road,  and  camping  here,  replenished  our  larder,  by 
fishing  and  shooting  game. 


iSt.  Cloud  Democrat,  March  24.  186i. 
«St.  Cloud  Democrat,  July  6-7,  1864. 


424  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

"We  now  entered  the  Gateau  regions,  the  prairie  becoming  more 
rolling,  but  roads  remaining  good.  On  July  28th  a  little  son  was 
born  to  Mrs.  Murphy.  Capt.  Fisk  halted  the  wagons  for  the  day, 
and  gave  up  his  tent  for  the  use  of  the  sick  woman. 

"Renewing  our  march  on  the  following  day,  we  reached  a  camp 
of  half-breed  scouts  and  Sisseton  Sioux,  in  the  evening.  Major 
J.  Brown  and  the  two  Renvilles  were  here  and  we  camped  within  a 
mile  of  Major  John  Clowney's  camp — the  proposed  site  of  Fort 
Wadsworth. 

"Fort  Wadsworth,  July  31,  1864. 

"We  remained  in  camp  the  following  day,  our  leaders  going  to 
visit  the  garrison.  The  camp  will  make  an  admirable  site  for  Fort 
Wadsworth,  as  it  combines  all  the  natural  resources  that  are  neces- 
sary. 

"The  garrison  consists  of  three  companies  of  the  30th  Wisconsin 
Volunteer  Infantry.  Company  B,  Captain  Burton;  Company  E, 
Captain  Develin;  Company  K,  Captain  Klaats;  Company  M,  2nd 
iMinnesota  Cavalry,  Captain  Hanley ;  3d  section,  3d  Minnesota  Bat- 
tery, Captain  H.  W.  Western.  Major  John  Clowney,  30th  Wiscon- 
sin Volunteers,  is  in  command  of  the  garrison.  Capt.  J.  E.  Mc- 
Kusick  is  quartermaster,  and  Captain  G.  A.  Overton,  Major  Mark 
Downie,  Thomas  Priestly  and  Mr.  George  Brackett  with  his  train 
of  150  wagons,  are  other  personages  worth  mentioning. 

"During  the  afternoon,  Capt.  Fisk  entertained  the  officers,  while 
the  emigrants  and  the  troopers  mixed  freely. 

"We  are  now  about  to  set  out  again,  and  when  you  next  hear 
from  me,  we  will  be  at  the  Missouri. 

"G.  W.  M."^ 

"arrival  of  capt.  fisk's  train  at  fort  rice. 

"The  escort  of  50  cavalry,  2d  Minnesota  Reg't.,  under  Lieut. 
Phillips  dispatched  by  Gen.  Sibley  with  Captain  Fisk's  train  from 
Wadsworth  to  Fort  Rice,  on  the  Missouri,  arrived  at  the  last  named 
post  in  safety  with  their  charge,  on  the  15th  ult.,  and  left  on  their 
return  trip  on  the  18th  ult.,  reaching  Fort  Wadsworth  on  the  even- 
ing of  the  28th."2 

T4ie  exciting  experiences  with  the  Sioux  which  the  members  of 
Capt.  Fisk's  expedition  train  passed  through  and  their  subsequent 
rescue  from  a  perilous  situation  make  the  story  of  this  expedition 
a  very  interesting  one.  Some  newspaper  accounts  of  these  events 
are  here  appended: 

»St.  Paul  Daily  Press.  Aug.  9.  1B64 
»St.  Paul  Daily  Press,  Sept.  10,  1864. 


STATE  OF   NORTH   DAKOTA  425 

"Battlefield,  Sept.  5,  1864. 

"Circumstances  would  not  admit  of  my  writing  you  from  Fort 
Rice,  but  I  take  the  first  opportunity  to  give  you  an  account  of  our 
true  position. 

"We  left  Fort  Rice  with  an  escort  of  fifty  men  only.  We  had 
a  pleasant  march  until  the  3d  instant,  when  we  were  attacked  by 
about  two  or  three  hundred  red  skins.  We  lost  and  buried  that  day 
two  of  our  men  and  four  of  the  cavalry  scouts,  besides  four  wounded, 
The  next  day  and  today  we  have  fought  them,  marching  all  the  time, 
until  Captain  Fisk  halted  the  train  and^  threw  up  intrenchments, 
rifle  pits,  etc.,  and  this  evening  sends  fifteen  men  back  to  Fort  Rice 
for  reinforcements. 

"We  have  only  one  man  wounded  by  them  since  the  first  attack 
but  have  taken  several  scalps  and  four  or  five  ponies.  We  have 
given  them  more  than  they  bargained  for  today. 

"Capt.  Fisk,  Lieut.  Johnston,  and  in  fact  his  whole  party,  are 
all  right.  We  are  bound  to  go  to  Idaho  or  die.  I  will  give  you  a 
full  and  correct  detail  when  I  get  there. 

"As  I  write  there  are  Indians  coursing  around  our  whole  camp, 
but  we  are  good  for  them. 

"The  names  of  the  members  of  our  party  who  were  killed  on  the 
3d  were,  Louis  Nudick  of  St.  Anthony ;  Walter  Grimes  of  St.  Paul, 
formerly  of  White  Bear,  and  Walter  Fewer  of  St.  Anthony. 

"Our  wounded  are  Jefferson  Dilts,  severely,  and  Albert  Libby 
of  Anoka,  slightly.  They  are  both  doing  well.  The  names  of  those 
killed  in  the  cavalry  escort  I  do  not  know  and  cannot  learn  at  this 
time. 

"Mrs.  W.  K.  Leonard,  of  Anoka,  deserves  great  credit  for  ser- 
vices rendered  in  attending  to  our  wounded.  She  is  truly  a  noble 
woman. 

"Joseph  Delany  is  all  right  yet.  Your  correspondent  has  the  pe- 
culiar felicity  of  knowing  that  he  has  picked  off  two  red  skins,  but 
the  opportunity  to  continue  this  amusement  seems  likely  to  be  pre- 
sented longer  than  will  be  agreeable.  I  can  see  the  red  devils  now 
on  every  surrpunding  hill. 

"You  must  not  believe  all  the  frightful  stories  you  will  hear 
about  us.  I  must  close  this  hasty  communication  as  the  couriers 
are  about  to  start  for  Fort  Rice.  "G.  W.  M."  ^ 


Tort  Rice.  D.  T.,  Sept.  12,  1864. 
'During  the  absence  of  the  expedition  Capt.  Fisk  had  arrived 
here  with  a  large  emigrant  train  for  Idaho,  bringing  with  him, 
orders  to  the  Commander  of  the  Post  for  an  escort ;  and  though  news 
Jad  been  received  here  of  our  first  battle  with  the 
1  idians  and  it  was  well  known  that  were  in  great  force,  Capt. 
Fisk  determined  to  push  on  to  the  mouth  of  the  Big  Horn  branch 

»St.  Cloud  Democrat,  Oct.  11,  1864. 


426  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

of  the  Yellowstone,  and  thence  to  Bannock  City.  He  had  no  guides, 
knew  nothing  of  the  country,  and  there  was  no  one  to  tell  him  as 
it  was,  before  our  expedition  went  out  into  it,  an  unknown  land. 
Col.  Dill,  of  the  30th  Wisconsin  Regiment,  who  was  in  command 
of  the  Post,  gave  him  an  escort  of  fifty  men  belonging  to  a  detach- 
ment from  every  command  in  the  expedition,  but  was  careful  that 
no  man  in  his  own  regiment  should  go.  With  this  escort,  which 
every  one  must  see,  was  a  mere  bagatelle,  particularly  when  it  is 
remembered  that  the  emigrants  numbered  nearly  a  hundred  and  fifty 
armed  men.  Captain  Fisk  started  on  his  journey,  and  reached  the  Bad 
Lands  of  the  Little  Missouri  or  Thick-wooded  river,  about  a  hun- 
dred and  eighty  miles  west-north-west  of  this  place,  without  acci- 
dent, when  he  was  suddenly  attacked  by  the  Indians  on  every  side. 
Several  of  the  escort  were  killed  at  the  first  attack  (  and  the  Indians 
captured  two  wagons,  containing  among  many  other  things,  four 
thousand  carbine  cartridges,  and  several  carbines  and  muskets. 
The  train  was  at  once  corraled  and  a  steady  fight  kept  up  for  three 
days. 

"Capt.  Fisk,  finding  that  he  could  not  extricate  himself,  threw  up 
intrenchments  and  called  for  volunteers  to  return  to  the  Fort  for 
reinforcements.  Fifteen  men,  mostly  belonging  to  Brackett's  Vet- 
teran  Battalion,  at  once  volunteered,  and  by  great  caution  succeeded 
in  reaching  the  Fort  after  three  days  and  nights  of  hard  riding. 

"As  General  Sully  was  hourly  expected  at  the  Fort,  nothing  was 
done  until  his  arrival,  when  a  detachment  was  at  once  fitted  out 
for  the  relief  of  the  emigrants.  It  consisted  of  nearly  one  thousand 
men,  under  command  of  Col.  Dill.  They  took  with  them  eighteen 
days'  rations  and  will  bring  the  train  back  at  once  to  this  post,  as 
at  this  late  day  in  the  season  any  other  course  would  be  sheer  mad- 
ness." * 

"Capt.  Fisk  reached  this  city  at  an  early  hour  yesterday  morning, 
having  come  down  the  Missouri  from  Fort  Rice  to  Sioux  City,  and 
from  thence  traveling  across  the  country,  to  Mankato.  He  left 
the  Fort  four  weeks  ago  and  was  accompanied  by  Dr.  Dibb,  Chem- 
idlan,  his  commissary  and  five  others.  ♦ 

"We  have  already  published  full  details  of  the  Captain's  expedi- 
tion up  to  the  time  that  the  messengers  left  his  camp  to  go  back  to 
Fort  Rice  for  help.  Early  next  morning  after  the  messengers  left, 
a  reconnoissance  was  made  for  water,  and  fortunately  a  living  spring 
was  found  within  half  a  mile  of  the  camp. 

"The  Indians  were  in  force  that  day,  beine  about  300  stroncr,  while 
Captain  Fisk  had  only  75  available  men,  and  harrassed  his  camp  on 
one  side  with  a  strong  partv,  while  they  endeavored  to  break  through 
his  line  on  the  other.  Thev  were  repulsed  with  the  loss  of  a  number 
of  braves  and  finally  gathered  together  on  an  eminence,  and  sent  a 


»St.  Cloud  Democrat,  Oct.  8,  1864. 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  427 

flag  of  truce,  asking  a  council  with  Captain  Fisk.  This  was  refused, 
after  which  they  demanded  a  large  quantity  of  supplies,  ammunition, 
beef  cattle  and  iron  for  bow-heads,  upon  reception  of  which  they 
modestly  agreed  to  raise  the  siege. 

"The  next  communication  was  a  letter  written  by  a  white  woman, 
Mrs.  Fannie  Kelley,  who  they  held  captive.  The  head  men  dictated 
what  she  was  to  write  but  at  the  end  of  each  sentence  she  applied  for 
aid  to  secure  her  release.  The  Indians  being  unable  to  read  she  was 
in  this  broken  way  enabled  to  inform  the  Captain  that  she  was  cap- 
tured on  the  l^th  of  July  near  Fort  Laramie,  with  a  large  emigrant 
train.  The  truce  ground  was  maintained  for  two  days  to  secure  her 
release.  Capt.  Fisk  oflfered  them  his  best  saddle  horse  and  a  span 
of  horses  harnessed  to  a  wagon  loaded  with  provisions,  if  they 
would  surrender  her^  and  they  agreed  to  do  so  on  the  next  day, 
but  during  the  night  they  moved  their  camp,  and  sent  word  that 
they  would  carry  her  to  some  Fort  and  get  provisions  enough  for 
the  winter. 

"She  wrote  Capt.  Fisk  that  he  had  killed  a  large  number  with  bul- 
lets, and  others  were  very  sick  and  dying.  The  sickness  was  readily 
explained,  as  a  quantity  of  hard  tack,  with  strychnine  mixed  in.  had 
been  left  where  the  Indians  could  capture  it,  and  their  indisposi- 
tion followed.^ 

"The  third  day  after  the  messengers  left,  the  Indians  took  their 
departure  and  nothing  more  was  seen  of  them.  Capt.  Fisk  was 
anxious  to  proceed,  but  the  emigrants  desired  to  wait,  thinking  Gen. 
Sully  would  send  a  large  force  to  take  them  through.  They  re- 
mained there  sixteen  days,  when  Col.  Dill  arrived  with  positive  or- 
ders to  take  them  back  to  Fort  Rice,  and  the  emigrants  then  regret- 
ted, when  too  late,  that  they  had  not  advanced.  Capt.  Fisk  asked 
Col.  Dill  to  let  his  infantry  rest,  escort  them  two  days  on  the  journey 
with  cavalry,  and  then  leave  them  without  troops ;  but  he  stated  that 
his  orders  would  not  permit  him  to  advance  an  inch. 

"No  one  was  killed  after  the  messengers  left,  and  but  one  man 
was  wounded. 

"Capt.  Fisk  had  struck  the  pleateu  between  the  Bad  Lands  and 
Black  Hills,  and  found  the  route  open,  and  he  cpnsidered  it  entirely 
feasible  to  reach  the  gold  fields  in  that  way. 

"The  Indians  now  trying  to  make  peace  at  Fort  Rice  are  the  Unk- 
pa-pas  band  which  attacked  the  Captain^s  train.  The  Captain  is  in 
good  health  and  spirits  and  his  men  generally  were  well.  Lieut. 
Johnson  will  spend  the  winter  at  Fort  Rice  having  charge  of  the 
train  which  was  brought  back."* 


Un  one  of  his  letters  to  the  Indians  Capt.  Fisk  signed  himself  "The 
Great  White  Chief  Who  Never  Turns  Back.''    [C.  F.  Sims.] 
'For  these  letters  see  page  440. 
»St  Cloud  Democrat,  Nov.  17.  1864. 


428  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


RESCUE  OF   CAPT.    FISK'S   PARTY. 


"Gen.  Sully  arrived  at  Fort  Rice  September  8th,  and  his  troops 
the  next  day.  He  learned  that  Captain  James  L.  Fisk,  assistant 
quartermaster,  had  arrived  there  about  two  weeks  previously  with 
an  emigrant  train  of  from  eighty  to  a  hundred  wagons  destined  for 
Idaho,  and  had  obtained  from  Colonel  Dill,  Thirtieth  Wisconsin, 
an  escort  of  a  lieutenant  and  fifty  cavalrymen  to  the  Yellowstone 
river.  The  lietenant  had  returned  to  Fort  Rice  with  fourteen  men 
on  the  7th  of  September,  with  a  letter  from  Captain  Fisk  stating 
that  he  was  surrounded  by  Indians  about  two  hundred  miles  west 
of  that  place  and  needed  reinforcements.  In  his  official  report  Gen- 
eral Sully  says:  'In  questioning  separately  the  soldiers  who  re- 
turned I  found  that  not  over  three  hundred  Indians  were  there; 
that  they  (Fisk's  party)  were  attacked  three  days  before  they  made 
their  corral  by  about  sixty  Indians,  while  the  train  was  stretched 
out  on  the  road,  and  two  wagons,  one  of  which  had  upset,  were  about 
two  miles  in  the  rear,  with  a  guard  of  six  soldiers.  One  of  these 
wagons,  unfortunately,  contained  arms  and  ammunition.  Six 
soldiers  and  two  citizens  were  killed,  and  the  wagons  captured,  one 
citizen  escaped.  They  had  skirmished  after  that  and  then  they 
corralled.  They  were  burning  parts  of  their  wagons  and  feeding 
the  cattle  on  bread  and  flour  when  the  party  left,  which  they  did  in 
the  middle  of  a  stormy  night.* 

"Fearing  that  Captain  Fisks'  party  would  soon  be  overpowered,  he 
sent  the  following  strong  detachment  to  rescue  and  bring  them  back, 
namely :  Colonel  Dill  with  300  of  the  Thirtieth  Wisconsin,  200  of 
the  Eighth  Minnesota,  100  of  the  Seventh  Iowa  cavalry,  all  dis- 
mounted, and  from  the  Second  Minnesota  cavalry  Brackett's  bat- 
talion and  Sixth  Iowa  cavalry,  100  men  each,  mounted  on  the  best 
of  the  horses.  This  detachment  crossed  to  the  west  side  of  the  Mis- 
souri September  10th,  marched  the  next  day  and  returned  September 
30th,  having  accomplished  its  object.  The  commissioned  officers  of 
the  Second  Cavalry,  who  accompanied  it,  were  Captain  P.  B.  Davy, 
First  Lieutenant  Thompson  and  Second  lieutenant  Briley.  Mr.  D. 
I.  Dodge,  corporal  of  Company  C,  Second  Cavalry,  who 
went  with  the  detachment,  says:  *It  followed  our  old 
trail  for  about  one  hundred  miles  and  then  left  it  on  our 
right,  reaching  Fisk's  train  near  the  foothills  in  about 
ten  days  from  the  date  of  leaving  Fort  Rice.  ( )ur  arrival  was  a 
great  relief  to  the  emigrants,  especially  to  the  women  and  children, 
who  were  only  too  glad  to  be  taken  back  to  the  fort.  In  due  time 
we  returned  to  Fort  Rice  with  the  rescued  party,  where  the  detach- 
ments were  sent  to  their  respective  commands,  the  troop  from  the 
Second  Cavalry  returning:  over  the  trail  made  by  Colonel  Thomas 
on  his  return  from  the  Missouri  river  to  the  state.  The  trip  after 
Fisk  was  without  particular  interest.     The  command  lost  one  man, 


STATE  OF  NORTH   DAKOTA  429 

who  fell  in  rear  of  the  column  and  was  not  again  seen.  Whether 
he  was  killed  by  the  Indians  or  the  wolves  was  never  known.  One 
other  incident  occurred,  which  had  its  interest  for  the  members  of 
the  Second  Cavalry.  The  Sixth  Iowa  Cavalry  had  done  consider- 
able bragging  over  the  Second  during  the  campaign,  claiming  they 
were  older  in  service,  especially  in  Indian  warfare.  'The  Indians 
couldn't  pull  the  wool  over  their  eyes.  Oh,  no!*'  But  on  the  trip 
we  convinced  them  that  our  troops  were  not  to  be  caught  napping. 
One  day  on  our  outward  trip,  fresh  Indian  trails  were  crossed  by  the 
command.  That  night  at  roll-call  Captain  Davy  requested  the  men 
of  his  company,  that  if  any  of  them  wished  to  graze  their  horses 
in  the  morning  to  hold  them  by  the  halter  while  grazing,  otherwise 
to  leave  them  on  the  picket  line.  Boots  and  saddles  had  just  sound- 
ed the  following  morning  when  about  thirty  Indians  dashed  over 
the  bluffs  surrounding  the  flat  where  the  Sixth  Iowa  Cavalry  horses 
were  grazing,  and  with  a  few  shots  and  w^hoops  created  a  stampede, 
and  in  a  few  seconds  the  Sixth  Iowa  Cavalry  were  short  fourteen 
horses.'  "^ 

Some  additional  details  regarding  the  rescue  of  Captain  Fisk's 
party  may  be  added  to  what  has  already  been  given.  The  scout  who 
carried  word  to  General  Sully  of  the  danger  to  Captain  Fisk's  ex- 
pedition was  Basil  Clement  fClavmore),  who  had  been  Sully's 
guide  during  his  long  Indian  expedition,  and  who  now  was  actively 
engaered  in  carrying  orders  and  transmitting  information  that  led  to 
the  relief  expedition  under  Colonel  Dill.^ 

The  story  of  the  Fisk  expedition  of  1884  from  two  of  its  surviving 
members  is  here  given,  partly  for  the  added  information  they  con- 
tain and  partly  to  give  to  the  story  a  little  of  the  color  of  reality 
which  goes  with  personal  narration.  It  is  hoped  also  that  this  pub- 
lished account  may  lead  others  to  contribute  their  experiences  in 
this  or  similar  episodes  in  our  early  territorial  history. 


The  Fisk  Expedition  of  1864. 

I.    p.    LENNAN. 

Starting  from  Anoka  June  29,  18G4,  I  joined  Captain  Fisk's  party 
at  Fort  Ridgely,  about  one  hundred  wagons  and  carts  all  told.  Men, 
women  and  children  constituted  the  emigrant  train  headed  for  Mon- 
tana. I  drove  a  tandem  team  of  oxen,  hitched  to  a  two-wheeled 
cart.  We  were  taken  across  the  Big  Muddy,  the  Missouri  river,  by 
steamboat  at  Fort  Rice,  and  made  our  way  across  the  country  to 
about  200  miles  west  of  that  point.    If  we  were  in  any  great  danger 


*  Minnesota  in  the  Civil  and  Indian  Wars,  1861-1865,  St,  Paul,  Minn., 
1890,  p.  549. 

'For  a  complete  sketch  of  this  remarkable  man,  see  Vol.  I.,  Collections 
State  Historical  Society  of  North  Dakota,  p.  341. 


430  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOaETY 


from  Indians  before  crossing  the  Missouri  river,  I  was  not  aware 
of  it.  We  were  allowed  fifty  soldiers  from  Fort  Rice  to  accompany 
us  from  that  point.  They  were  from  General  Sully's  army  that  were 
left  them  by  him  for  various  reasons  when  he  was  on  his  wayout 
to  fight  the  Indians.  At  noon,  the  last  day  we  traveled,  two  wagons 
on  account  of  repairs  were  left  about  half  a  mile  behind  after  our 
halt  to  feed ;  about  a  dozen  soldiers,  the  rear  guard,  were  with  them 
when  they  started.  In  passing  through  a  deep  ravine  the  Indians 
that  had  been  following  us  for  days,  pounced  down  upon  this  little 
bunch  of  men  and  killed  and  wounded  most  of  them  and  captured 
the  two  wagons  which  were  loaded  with  liquors,  cigars,  tobacco,  etc. 
We,  on  learning  that  the  rear  of  our  train  was  attacked,  immediately 
went  into  camp,  forming  a  circle  with  our  wagons  and  carts  by  the 
light  of  lanterns.  In  a  pouring  rain  we  buried  the  dead,  wrapped  in 
blankets,  side  by  side  in  one  grave.  When  daylight  struck  us  the 
next  morning  our  stock  stood  knee  deep  in  water.  It  turned  quite 
cold  and  it  was  pitiful  to  see  them.  We  went  about  it  at  once  to 
hitch  up,  and  move  out  of  the  low,  miserable  camping  ground.  We 
tried  to  travel  in  a  solid  body  about  eight  or  ten  wagons  abreast,  and 
we  had  not  gone  far  before  the  drunken  Indians  commenced  to  ap- 
pear, some  of  them  smoking  cigars  that  they  had  taken  from  the 
captured  wagons.  A  short  distance  away  we  were  forced  to  go  into 
a  permanent  camping  ground,  and  we  made  a  sort  of  fort  of  it  by 
throwing  up  earthworks  around  the  entire  camp.  This  was  named 
Fort  Dilts,  after  our  fine  and  daring  g^ide,  Jeflf  Dilts,  who  was  killed 
here  and  buried  under  the  walls  of  these  earthworks.  While  we 
were  working  like  beavers  throwing  up  these  earthworks,  every  man 
and  boy  that  could  handle  a  shovel  working  overtime,  some  one  dis- 
covered Indians  making  their  way  around  a  knoll  and  getting  ready 
to  charge  on  us.  About  fifty  men,  including  myself,  made  a  dash 
for  them,  completely  routing  them  and  killing  at  least  one,  the  leader, 
and  wounding  others  that  got  away ;  only  one  of  our  men  being  hit 
and  not  seriously  wounded.  The  next  day  they  gathered  in  large  num- 
bers on  a  side  hill,  and  the  white  woman,  Mrs.  Kelley,  could  be  plain- 
ly seen  through  our  spy  glasses.  Captain  Fisk  tried  to  buy  her  from 
them,  but  did  not  succeed.  But  she  was  later  on  restored  to  her 
husband. 

While  we  were  camped  at  Fort  Dilts,  the  Indians,  after  a  few 
days,  seemed  to  let  us  alone  for  awhile.  We  were  well  fortified,  and 
had  they  tried  to  take  us,  we  could  have  slaughtered  many  of  them, 
and  they  knew  it. 

Horatio  H.  Larned  and  myself  one  dav  while  at  Fort  Dilts,  mount- 
ed our  horses  and  rode  a  mile  or  two  from  camp.  We  dismounted 
and  picketed  our  horses.  Suddenly  we  discovered  Indians  riding  in 
the  direction  to  cut  us  off  from  camp,  and  you  can  be  sure  we  were 
not  long  in  getting  into  our  saddles  and  riding  for  dear  life.    It  was 


A.  J.  FISK  CHAS.  v.  SIMS 

1£.  W.  SIMS  I.  P.  I.ENNON 


STATE  OF  NORTH   DAKOTA  431 

I 

a  foolhardy  thing  to  go  any  distance  from  camp,  but  boylike  we  did 
it  and  had  to  ride  for  our  lives. 

About  a  dozen  picked  men  with  the  best  horses  that  we  had  in 
our  train  started  at  about  midnight  back  for  Fort  Rice,  and  made  a 
forced  march,  reaching  there  just  in  time  to  intercept  Sully's  ex- 
pedition going  home  from  their  summer's  trip  fighting  Indians. 
Nine  hundred  cavalry  and  infantry  were  dispatched,  making  forced 
march  to  our  relief.  Only  for  this  timely  help  we  would  have  all 
been  lost,  as  we  were  the  only  white  people  on  the  plains  for  them  to 
get  at  after  Sully  had  pulled  out.  We  were  taken  back  to  Fort  Rice, 
when  the  most  of  our  party  returned  home  that  fall.  I  wintered 
over  at  the  fort  and  returned  the  following  spring,  quite  glad  to  get 
into  civilization  with  my  scalp  on. 

"Sioux  City,  Iowa,  Nov.  6th,  '64. 
To  L.  G.  Sims,  St.  Cloud,  Minn. : 

Having  at  last  reached  a  place  that  claims,  in  part  at  least,  the 
character  of  civilization,  I  take  great  pleasure  in  being  able  to  trans- 
mit to  you  a  short  narrative  of  the  events  connected  with  the  ex- 
pedition of  Captain  Jas.  L.  Fisk,  from  the  time  of  our  departure  until 
we  commenced  our  disastrous  retreat.  I  frankly  admit  that  I  am 
badly  beaten  in  the  result  of  what  I  so  fondly  anticipated  in  early 
spring,  but  I  will  not  admit  that  I  am  yet  discouraged.  Our  expe- 
dition has  resulted  in  a  most  miserable  failure,  and  every  man  con- 
nected with  it  has  met  with  great  financial  loss,  besides  many  have 
lost  their  lives.  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  I  can  easily  count  the  dis- 
count without  knowing  the  price  of  gold  in  Wall  street,  but  on  the 
contrary  I  am  well  pleased  that  I  still  exist ;  that  the  Indian  arrow, 
scalping  knife  and  tomahawk  has  harmed  me  not.^ 

On  the  15th  of  July  we  left  our  place  of  rendezvous,  Fort  Ridgely, 
with  every  prospect  of  a  speedy  and  successful  journey  to  Bannock 
City,  the  place  of  our  destination.  Our  train  was.  in  size,  quite 
respectable,  in  fact,  it  was  large,  consisting  in  number  of  eighty- 
eight  wagons  and  carts  and  nearly  two  hundred  men,  women  and 
children,  with  one  small  piece  of  artillery,  together  with  a  military 
escort  of  cavalrv  sufficient  to  insure  the  safety  of  the  train  to  the 
Missouri.  We  were  also  well  organized  and  (with  the  exception  of 
the  petty  troubles  that  will  always  occur  in  such  a  crowd)  every- 
thing passed  along  harmoniously.  We  proceeded  up  the  beautiful 
valley  of  the  Minnesota  to  its  source.  Big  Stone  lake,  turning  west 
on  the  dividing  ridge  that  separates  the  waters  of  the  Red  River  of 
the  North  and  those  of  the  Minnesota.  Standing  on  an. elevation  near 
by,  it  is  easy  to  see  the  headwaters  of  each,  and  here  involuntarily 

*The  letter  is  here  published  in  full  for  the  first  time.  Most  of  it  has 
already  appeared  in  Frank  O'Brien's  Minnesota  Pioneer  Sketches,  page  102, 
but  it  was  deemed  of  sufficient  importance  to  justify  printing  in  full,  giving 
as  it  does,  the  impression  made  on  the  mind  of  a  newcomer  traveling  over 
our  Dakota  prairies  in  the  early  60's. 


432  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

the  imagination  will  follow  the  course  and  termination  of  one  away 
down  in  the  sunny  south  to  the  gulf  of  Mexico,  while  it  traces  the 
other  in  an  opposite  direction  far  into  the  cold  regions  of  the  north — 
I  could  but  wonder  and  think  of  the  great  vastness  of  the  country 
in  which  we  live  and  how  little  we  appreciate  its  real  magnitude 
when  at  home. 

I  have  seen  but  little  to  admire  during  my  short  experience  on  the 
plains,  except  the  valley  of  the  Minnesota.  The  soil  is  rich  and  the 
valley  very  extensive,  capable,  if  well  cultivated,  of  subsisting  mil- 
lions of  people.  I  imagine,  however,  that  many  years  will  elapse 
before  this  upper  valley  will  be  settled  to  any  extent.  There  is  much 
good  land  nearer  market  that  will  be  occupied  first.  I  have  seen 
vast  and  desolate  plains,  high  and  rugg'ed  bluffs,  fit  only  for  the  elk, 
antelope  and  buffalo,  but  I  cannot  imagine  what  beauty  there  is  in 
the  appearance  of  all  this  which  so  many  admire.  I  cannot  imagine 
to  what  purpose  this  region  known  to  us  as  Dakota  Territory  was 
formed.  It  is  in  fact  literally  and  emphatically  good  for  nothing  to 
the  white  man,  and  feeling  as  I  do  towards  the  red  man,  if  I  thought 
the  Creator  formed  this  country  with  special  regard  for  their  com- 
fort, use  and  occupation,  T  should  feel  much  like  denying  my  God, 
and  give  myself  up  as  lost  both  in  this  and  the  future  world.  One 
thing  we  have  learned  by  sad  experience,  which  is  that  the  Indians 
make  capital  use  of  the  Dakota,  hills  in  hiding  behind,  to  insult  and 
shoot  the  emigrant.    But  I  will  proceed. 

After  leaving  Big  Stone  lake  we  proceeded  in  a  westerly  direction 
and  soon  commenced  crossing  what  is  termed  the  "Coteau  des 
Prairies,"  a  high  and  hillv  section  of  the  country  about  forty  miles 
in  width,  stretching  along  from  north  to  south  a  distance  of  about 
one  hundred  miles.  By  gradual  ascent  we  reached  the  summit  and 
found  a  tolerable  road  in  crossing,  the  only  inconvenience  being  small 
rocks,  which  inflicts  much  injury  to  loaded  waQ:ons.  This  inconveni- 
ence, however,  was  more  than  made  up  by  the  beautiful  lakes  of 
sparkling  water  which  we  found  very  numerous  on  this  elevation.  In 
crossing  the  plains  the  greatest  object  of  interest  to  all  is  water,  and 
when  (lood  water  is  found  it  is  fully  appreciated,  an.l  I  assure  you 
that  very  often  the  flow  from  a  low^  and  muddy  ba<^  hole  is  as  much 
thought  of.  We  made  crood  use  of  and  enjoyed  those  hkcs,  I  am 
sure,  while  we  could.  They  often  reminded  me  of  Minnesota.  Near 
the  western  slope  of  this  elevation  is  situated  Fort  Wadsworth, 
which  on  our  arrival  there  had  been  ])ut  just  commenced,  in  fact, 
we  followed  the  trail  of  the  expedition  (that  only  preceded  us  but  a 
few  days)  that  w^nt  out  to  construct  it.  Its  location  is  beautiful,  be- 
ing almost  surrounded  with  lakes.  Here  we  lialted  one  day  and  then 
put  out,  having  no  path  of  the  white  man  to  guide  us.  Our  object 
was  to  strike  the  Missouri  at  Fort  Rice,  and  as  this  fort  had  barely 
existed  only  in  name  at  that  time,  vye  were  oblitjed  to  travel  much  by 
guess.     The  location  of  this  fort  is  one  of  the  results  of  General 


STATE  OF  NORTH   DAKOTA  433 


Sully's  expedition  this  summer,  and  its  erection  was  only  commenced 
about  the  middle  of  July.  Fortunately  we  made  a  good  line  march, 
and  on  the  15th  of  August  we  arrived  at  the  Missouri,  opposite  Fort 
Rice.  We  were  delighted  with  our  good  luck,  and  felt  well  satisfied 
with  our  success  so  far.  We  had  been  on  the  plains  one  month,  a 
month  of  excessive  heat,  such  as  I  never  before  experienced.  We 
were  glad  to  see  the  great  Missouri,  and  although  it  is  a  muddy 
stream,  filled  with  sand  bars,  yet  it  had  a  strong  current  which 
pleased  us.  Pools  of  stagnant  water  had  become  to  us  disgusting. 
Here  we  found  it  necessary  to  halt  for  a  few  days,  not  only  to  await 
the  completion  of  the  ferry  or  the  arrival  of  a  steamer,  which  was 
expected,  to  cross  us,  but  our  wagons,  in  consequence  of  the  extreme 
hot  and  dry  weather  were  in  bad  condition.  We  were  detained  here 
a  week,  and  in  the  meantime  got  well  ready  to  pursue  our  line  of 
march.  At  length,  just  in  time  for  us,  we  heard  the  familiar  whistle 
ot  a  steamer,  and  immediately  on  her  arrival  she  commenced  cross- 
nig  our  train,  and  in  one  day  we  were  all  landed  on  the  opposite  bank 
safely.^ 

After  a  short  delay  of  one  day  we  started  out,  not,  however,  with 
the  bri«:htest  prospects  of  future  operations.  From  the  first  we  had 
been  assured  that  we  would  have  a  sufficient  escort  from  this  point 
through  the  Sioux  country  to  the  Big  Horn.  In  this,  however,  we 
were  disappointed,  and  although  our  course  would  lead  us  throus^h 
the  most  hostile  Indian  country  in  North  America,  we  were  obliged 
to  start  out  wMth  a  small  squad  of  forty-seven  men,  and  some  of  them 
poorly  armed.  General  Sully  had  preceded  us  nearly  a  month,  taking 
with  him  his  entire  available  force.  We  ought  to  have  had,  looking 
at  it  in  a  military  sense,  at  least  five  hundred  men  to  insure  the  safety 
of  our  trip.  Sully  had  with  him  thirty-five  hundred,  goin^^  through 
the  same  country  (only  farther  north)  and  according  to  all  accounts 
from  officers  with  him,  he  had  all  he  could  do  to  protect  his  train 
through  the  bad  lands.  We  had  fortv-seven  men,  in  addition  to  our 
ow^n  strength,  and  here  the  "winter  of  our  discontent  begun." 

We  all,  however,  retained  our  position  in  the  train  and  moved  re- 
luctantly alonof.  We  followed  Sully's  trail  about  about  eighty  miles, 
when  we  found  it  bearinsf  too  for  to  the  north  for  our  purpose.  Our 
object  was  to  march  nearly  west,  strike  the  mouth  of  the  Big  Horn 
as  near  as  possible,  cross  it  and  also  the  Yellowstone,  and  proceed  up 
the  valley  of  the  latter  on  the  west  side  to  Bannock.  At  this  point 
the  captain  determined  to  leave  the  trail  and  make  his  own  road.  It 
is  here  proper  to  remark  that  this  determination  was  formed  and 
executed  without  the  advice  or  knowledge  of  any  one  in  the  train 
that  I  can  find  out.  Most  assuredly  the  proper  officers  were  not 
consulted,  and  it  was  a  determination  on  the  part  of  the  captain 
made  in  the  night  before  we  left  the  trail.    It  is  also  proper  to  notice 


*The  Steamer  was  the  Gen,  Grant,     [C.  F.  Sims.] 


434  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


here  that  Captain  Fisk  from  the  beginning  did  not  care  whether  we 
had  an  escort  or  not,  in  fact,  he  told  me  at  Fort  Rice  that  he  had 
not  the  least  fear  of  being  attacked  by  Indians,  and  really  preferred 
to  go  without  an  escort,  and  only  insisted  to  the  colonel  in  command 
at  the  fort  for  a  few  to  please  the  emigrants.  The  captain  was  de- 
termined to  make  a  road  of  his  own,  and  did  not  expect  or  anticipate 
any  trouble. 

The  action  of  the  captain  in  leaving  Sully's  trail  was  not  well  re- 
ceived by  the  intelligent  and  thoughtful  among  the  emigrants,  and 
many  in  his  own  party,  and  many  a  curse  he  got  for  it.  The  result 
proves  how  dearly  we  had  to  pay  for  it,  and  he,  instead  of  adding 
new  laurels  to  his  already  very  popular  reputation,  has  lost  that 
marked  distinction  which  he  had  won  as  a  popular  and  successful 
leader  in  traveling  through  countries  unexplored. 

In  my  opinion  (and  many  others  of  our  party  think  as  I  do)  we 
ought  not  to  have  left  Fort  Rice  under  such  unfavorable  auspices. 
Captain  Fisk  ought  not  to  have  permitted  it,  and  had  he  not,  his  rep- 
utation today  would  be  as  brilliant  as  ever,  but  he  relied  on  his  former 
good  luck,  he  was  too  confident  and  not  cautious  as  he  ought  to  have 
been.  The  captain  is  a  noble  hearted  and  generous  man.  He  is  in- 
telligent, has  a  large  experience  and  is  a  good  leader  in  such  an  ex- 
pedition, where  there  is  no  danger  of  Indians,  but  he  is  not  cautious, 
and  herein  lies  his  greatest  fault.  I  respect  the  captain  most  highly 
and  hope  to  have  the  pleasure,  if  I  ever  attempt  to  cross  the  plains 
as:ain,  of  going  with  a  command  led  by  him,  tint  It  a  sufficient  escort, 
I  do  not  hesitate  to  say  this,  and  yet  I  am  one  of  the  principal  finan- 
cial suflferers  in  the  train. 

We  passed  along,  making  good  marches  and  selecting  a  good 
road,  when  in  the  afternoon  of  the  2d  of  September,  being  at  the 
time  160  miles  west  of  Fort  Rice  and  about  twenty-two  miles  east 
of  the  Thick  Timbered  river  (which  is  the  cast  branch  of  the  Little 
Missouri)  we  were  attacked  in  our  rear  by  a  large  band  of  Sioux 
Indians,  and  in  less  than  one  hour  we  lost  in  killed  and  wounded 
(which  afterwards  died)  twelve  men. 

The  section  of  country  termed  the  **Bad  Lands"  is  an  extremely 
rough  country,  stretching  along  on  each  side  of  the  Little  Missouri 
river  and  its  branches,  and  it  is  extremely  difficult  to  find  a  passage 
through  it  for  a  wagon  road.  It  serves  most  admirably  the  purpose 
of  the  Indians,  and  is  made  use  of  by  them  as  a  natural  fortification 
to  dispute  the  passage  of  the  white  man.  Had  they  let  us  alone  for 
a  short  time  till  we  got  well  into  this  plac3,  we  would  have  been  an 
easy  prey,  and  but  few  would  have  ever  escaped. 

At  the  time  we  w(?re  attacked  wc  were  passincf  through  a  sort  of 
valley  with  an  ocasional  deep  ravine  and  high  hills  on  either  side. 
These  hills  are  thickly  covered  on  the  top  ('and  extending;  a  portion 
of  the  way  down)  with  a  reddish  stone  of  small  size,  giving  them 
the  appearance  of  being  red  a  long  distance.    As  a  fit  and  appropri- 


STATE  OF  NORTH   DAKOTA  435 

ate  term,  our  fighting  has  been  named  the  "Battles  of  the  Red 
Buttes." 

The  day  previous  to  the  attack  we  had  made  twenty- four  and  one- 
half  miles  (the  longest  day's  march  on  the  trip)  and  camped  after 
dark  without  water.  The  captain  determined  on  an  early  start  and 
to  continue  the  march  until  we  found  what  was  getting  to  be  most 
essential  to  us.  After  going  a  distance  of  ten  and  one-half  miles  we 
found  water  and  halted  to  take  breakfast  and  rest  our  jaded  animals. 
At  noon  we  started  out  all  pleased  with  the  progress  we  were  mak- 
ing. Iji  starting  we  were  obliged  to  cross  the  ravine  in  which  we 
found  water,  and  in  doing  this  one  of  the  teams  belonging  to  Cap- 
tain Fisk's  party,  driven  by  Walter  Fewer  of  St.  Anthony,  by  ac- 
cident upset,  but  instead  of  halting  the  train  until  this  wagon  was  re- 
loaded, we  kept  on  the  move,  and  two  men  and  another  team  was 
left  to  assist  Walter  in  starting  again.  The  rear  guard  of  nine  men 
was  also  with  them.  The  train,  after  proceeding  about  one  and  one- 
half  miles,  came  to  another  ravine  quite  deep  and  somewhat  difficult 
to  cross.  We  were  marching  in  two  columns.  After  getting  over  this 
place  the  train  halted  for  a  short  time,  and  during  our  short  stay  an 
Indian  was  plainly  seen  near  our  noon  camp,  but  although  the  cap- 
tain was  informed  of  the  fact,  no  notice  was  taken  of  it.  I  saw  this 
Indian  myself  and  informed  the  captain  of  the  fact ;  he  replied  that 
"he  saw  him,  but  he  was  only  looking  at  us  to  see  how  we  looked." 
He  rode  down  to  within  perhaps  one-quarter  of  a  mile  of  our  camp, 
stopped  a  short  time  (and  no  doubt  discovered  the  two  teams  in  the 
rear)  and  then  rode  back  at  great  speed.  The  train  soon  started, 
and  had  proceeded  perhaps  more  than  a  mile,  when  the  ball  opened. 
A  messenger  rode  hastily  forward  and  informed  us  of  the  attack. 
Lieutenant  Smith,  the  commander  of  the  squad,  hastened  with  his 
men  to  the  conflict,  but  before  he  could  assist  them,  every  man  in 
the  rear  was  killed  except  two.  The  Indians  came  from  behind  the 
hills  down  this  ravine  last  mentioned  and  attacked  our  partv  while 
in  it.  Here  eleven  men  were  killed  and  wounded.  Mr.  Nudick,  one 
of  our  party  that  was  killed,  had  gone  back  to  our  camp  on  his  mule 
to  find  an  ox  left  behind,  and  no  doubt  was  the  first  man  killed.  His 
revolver  was  recaptured  by  our  old  scout,  Jefferson  Dilts,  in  a  hand 
to  hand  fight  with  them,  which  proves  beyond  a  doubt  that  he  was 
the  first  one  sacrificed.  We  had  really  been  attacked.  All  was  ex- 
citement. Guns,  which  before  had  hung  in  the  wajjons,  were  now 
eagerly  sought  for.  The  train  proceeded  but  a  short  distance  when; 
after  much  delay,  a  corral  was  finally  formed.  Fighting  in  the  rear 
continued  till  sunset,  with  what  success  in  killing  the  red  skins  is  not 
exactly  known.  The  Indians  gobbled  the  waeons  and  confiscated  the 
contents.  A  part  of  the  cattle  were  saved.  Before  dark  the  dead  and 
wounded  were  all  brought  in  that  could  be  found :  six  were  buried 
that  night.  A  strong  guard  was  placed  around  the  corral  and  intense 
darkness  covered  the  earth.    Our  situation  was  critical,  and  gloomy 


436  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

forebodings  prevailed  in  every  heart.  Our  friends  had  been  mur- 
dered by  the  savage  an  hour  before,  and  we  knew  not  their  numbers. 
Uncertainty  prevailed,  while  we  most  solemnly  rolled  the  blankets 
aroutid  the  dead  and  heard,  with  deep  feeling,  the  burial  service  read 
and  then  carefully  laid  them  in  the  soldier's  grave.  The  wounded 
were  suffering,  and  their  moaning  was  most  heartrending  to  hear, 
but  it  was  only  a  part  of  our  music  that  dreadful  night.  A  storm 
was  to  all  appearances  imminent.  It  came,  the  rain  fell  in  torrents 
and  the  wind  blew  a  hurricane,  and  the  peals  of  thunder  and  contin- 
ual flashes  of  lightning  made  it  a  scene  not  soon  to  be  forgfotten. 
This  trulv  awful  night  at  length  passed  away,  and  a  beautiful  day 
succeeded  it,  but  not  a  pleasant  day  to  us.  The  train  started  out  ex- 
pecting another  attack,  which  soon  came.  We  were  soon  surround- 
ed by  Indians,  who  fought  us  with  great  bravery  all  day,  but  their 
charges  in  the  advance  and  rear  were  promptly  repulsed,  till  at 
length  we  found  a  good  camping  ground,  halted,  formed  corral,  fed 
our  stock  and  prepared  for  another  dismal  night.^  On  the  following 
mornin<j  we  again  moved,  but  in  less  than  ten  minutes  we  were  again 
surrounded  by  an  increased  number  of  Indians,  who  appeared  more 
darinQf  than  ever.  Today  they  were  to  all  appearances  vastly  rein- 
forcf^d,  and  doubly  desperate.  We  marched  two  miles  and  concluded 
a  halt  was  the  better  part  of  valor.  The  Bad  Lands  were  in  sight. 
The  country  in  sight  in  our  advance  did  not  look  to  us  like  good 
fiehtin<2r  ground.  We  halted  simplv  because  we  were  obliged  to. 
Here  it  was  determined  to  form  a  corral,  fortify  the  same  and  dis- 
patch messengers  to  Fort  Rice  for  assistance.  We  could  not  proceed 
and  make  any  progress  with  such  an  obstruction  in  the  way,  and  at 
best  our  condition  was  fenrful.  At  best  it  would  take  two  weeks  to 
get  reinforcements  from  Fort  Rice,  and  in  the  meantime,  with  In- 
dians all  around  ns,  it  would  be  impossible  to  feed  and  water  our 
stock,  and  in  addition  to  all  this  and  what  we  feared  most,  was  that 
the  Indians  would  send  out  their  '^couts  and  gather  sufficient 
stren'xth  to  take  us  even  in  our  fortification.  It  certainly  was  not 
a  pleasant  condition  of  things. 

At  10  o'clock  that  nicfht  Lieutenant  Smith  started  with  a  squad 
of  thirteen  men  for  Fort  Rice.  This  was  a  dangerous  undertakine, 
but  it  WPS  far  less  daneerous  than  remain  ins:.  We  went  to  work 
with  a  will,  and  in  few  davs  we  had  a  strong  fortification  thrown  up 
around  onr  wagons.  We  also  went  to  work  to  die:  a  well,  but  for- 
tunately we  found  water  not  far  distant  that  supplied  our  wants  dur- 

*The  moiiptain  howitr*  r  wc  had  with  ns  nroved  of  the  very  Rreatest  ser- 
vice in  rcnellinsr  the  Tndiin<?  on  our  march.  It  was  used  to  protect  the  wacron 
train  hy  bcine  phrcd  on  a  Vnoll  commanding:  the  line  of  march  and  its  shots 
did  more  than  anything  el^^c  to  keep  back  the  swarminc:  enemv.  As  fast 
a-  the  train  profTrt'<;sed  it  would  be  moved  to  a  new  p(><;ition  from  which 
it  defended  the  tra'n  nptil  the  Inst  wagon  went  by.  then  it  would  be  a}?ain 
moved  forward  as  before,     (C.  F.  Sims.) 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  437 

ing  our  stay.  The  great  rain  was  our  salvation.  Had  it  not  come  all 
would  have  been  lost. 

I  must  end  my  story.  I  cannot  tell  all  the  incidents  that  took  place 
during  our  imprisonment  in  this  place.  We  were  all  well  employed. 
It  was  our  custom  to  drive  out  the  stock  two  hours  in 
the  forenoon  and  the  same  in  the  afternoon.  Towards  the 
last  of  it,  we  kept  them  out  longer,  and  when  we  started 
on  our  retreat  they  were  in  good  condition.  We  all  led  the  life  of  a 
soldier  in  face  of  the  enemy  while  there,  picket  duty,  digging,  herd- 
ing, etc.,  was  our  every  day  work.  We  tried  to  forget  our  real  situ- 
ation, but  at  times,  when  thinking  of  our  prospects  and  friends  at 
home,  it  pressed  heavily  upon  us,  and  towards  the  last  this  feeling 
was  intensely  unpleasant.  We  remained  in  that  position  sixteen 
days  (16),  and  during  this  time  nothing  with  us  was  certain,  but  all 
in  doubt.  The  next  day  after  forming  our  last  corral,  the  Indians 
all  came  out  and  stationed  themselves  about  a  mile  from  us-and  sent 
in  or  about  half  way  a  white  flag  and  also  a  note — ^which  T  enclose ; 
this  was  Mrs.  Kelley's  first  letter.  The  correspondence  of  that  day 
I  enclose  herewith.  We  would  give  them  nothing  for  peace,  for  we 
well  knew  how  soon  thev  would  violate  their  contract. 

The  captain  tried  hard  to  get  the  woman  and  made  an  arrange- 
ment for  her  delivery,  but  instead  of  bringing  the  woman  forward  as 
they  agreed,  they  came  themselves  and  wanted  the  pay  first.  This 
is  their  style  and  this  ended  the  correspondence.  For  ten  days  we 
did  not  see  an  Indian,  but  this  did  not  lessen  our  daily  fears,  but  it 
did  have  the  effect  to  make  the  ig:norant  in  our  train  (and  there  was 
many  of  them)  very  careless.  My  experience  has  during  the  past 
four  months  been  great,  and  I  have  learned  more  of  human  nature 
than  in  all  my  life,  and  I  now  say,  and  proclaim  with  earnestness  that 
is  irrevocable,  that  in  all  of  our  train  I  cannot  now  think  of  more 
than  twenty  that  to  me  are  congenial  spirits,  and  who  were  always 
ready  to  do  their  duty  without  complaint. 

My  position  in  the  train  brought  me  in  contact  with  all,  and  I  hon- 
estly hope  I  shall  never  meet  the  most  of  them  again,  while  the  oth- 
ers I  shall  always  remember.  Men  that  at  home  one  would  like  verv 
well,  but  he  would  soon  despise  them  on  this  route.  In  such  an  ex- 
pedition military  rule  is  the  only  correct  way  of  even  making  some 
men  take  care  of  their  own  interest.    This  is  strange  but  true. 

On  the  fourteenth  day  of  our  incarceration  Captain  Fisk  deter- 
mined to  push  ahead  and  not  wait  for  the  reinforcement,  for  he 
thought  it  would  not  come,  and  /  think  he  thought  that  if  it  did  come 
he  would  not  get  from  it  an  escort  to  go  through.  The  emigrants 
persuaded  him  to  wait  two  days  longer,  to  which  he  reluctantly  con- 
sented. The  sixteenth  day  soon  came,  and  with  it,  in  the  forenoon, 
appeared  at  a  distance  of  about  three  miles  objects  resembling  men. 
and  in  looking  throusfh  a  field  glass  ten  men  in  blue  overcoats  met 
our  anxioufe  gaze.    They  were  the  advance  pickets  of  Colonel  Dili's 


438  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

(of  the  Thirtieth  Wisconsin  regiment)  command  of  750  men,  feeling 
their  way  towards  our  position,  fearful  that  we  were  all  massacred 
Seven  hundred  and  fifty  men  had  come  to  relieve  us.  Think  of  our 
enthusiastic  delight.  Soon  the  long  lines  of  our  friends  hove  in  sight 
and  then  how  we  wanted  to  be  attacked  by  all  the  Sioux  nation. 
General  Sully  had  just  returned  from  his  expedition  as  our  messen- 
gers arrived  at  the  fort,  and  without  delay  he  sent  us  this  relief,  and 
as  he  told  me  but  a  few  days  since,  his  great  fear  was  that  the  Indians 
would  gather  strength,  he  was  determined  to  send  a  force  sufficient 
to  clean  them  out,  but  he  greatly  feared  we  would  be  all  massacred. 
Well,  as  I  expected  when  I  heard  so  large  a  force  were  sent  out,  no 
escort  had  been  sent  to  go  on  with  us,  and  so  it  proved  to  be.  It 
was  sent  to  relieve  us  and  take  us  back  if  we  itnshed,  and  I  assure 
you  we  were  not  long  in  deciding  what  to  do ;  in  fact,  if  the  escort 
had  not  reached  us  that  day,  not  a  man  among  the  emigrants  and 
only  a  few  of  his  own  men  would  have  gone  on,  but  all  thought  we 
could  fight  our  way  back  where  we  knew  the  ground  much  better 
than  we  could  go  through  the  Bad  Lands.  All  the  best  fighting  men 
were  among  the  emigrants. 

During  our  stay  at  Fort  Dilts  we  buried  the  three  wounded  men. 
Poor  Dilts,  our  old,  brave  and  faithful  scout,  died  there,  and  in  hon- 
or of  his  great  bravery  we  named  this  spot  Fort  Dilts.  On  the  morn- 
ing of  the  21st  we  left  this  long  remembered  spot  and  started  with 
the  command  for  Fort  Rice,  where  we  arrived  on  the  last  dav  of 
September,  and  our  organization  broke  up,  and  the  expedition,  or 
rather  those  that  composed  it,  scattered,  some  going  one  way  and 
some  another.  Thus  ends  the  tale.  No  one  can  fully  realize  this 
subject  without  having  a  personal  knowledge  of  it.  To  be  in  a  posi- 
tion where  your  chances  are  favorable  to  an  early  death,  inflicted 
by  the  tomahawk,  arrow  or  scalping  knife,  by  a  savage  foe  that  takes 
only  women  prisoners,  is  not  pleasant.  During  our  fight  some  of  our 
party  acted  most  bravely,  while  others  were  passive  in  the  extreme. 

I  have  concluded  to  forward  this,  L.  G.,  to  you  first  for  your 
perusal,  and  as  it  is  no  small  undertaking  to  write  this  article  I  wish 
you  to  forward  it  as  soon  as  possible  to  my  wife.  It  is  only  for  you 
fin  St.  Cloud)  to  read,  and  after  you  read  it,  I  wish  you  to  retain 
in  your  memory  and  not  disclose  a  word  of  what  is  said  in  refer- 
ence to  Captain  Fisk.  Erwin  and  I  have  traveled  through  this  most 
trying  time,  I  trust  with  honor  to  ourselves.  I  notice  our  influence 
and  wishes  were  respected  at  headquarters  often.  In  the  correspond- 
ence enclosed  I  was  called,  together  with  Mr.  Larned,  to  assist  the  cap- 
tain in  making  up  his  reply.  I  consulted  much  with  the  captain  dur- 
ing the  entire  trip,  and  have  many  favors  to  thank  him  for.  Erwin 
was  faithful  to  his  duty  at  Fort  Dilts,  and  acted  as  sergeant  of  a 
guard  of  twelve  men.  It  happened  that  he  with  his  guard  were  on 
dutv  the  only  time  the  Indians  made  any  appearance  of  attacking 
us  in  the  night.    At  about  midnight  they  fired  several  shots  towards 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  439 

his  position ;  this  I  have  often  heard  him  remark  was  the  most  fear- 
ful time  he  experienced,  and  indeed  it  was.  I  have  been  on  picket 
there,  when  a  demonstration  of  that  kind  would  have  been,  to  say 
the  least,  most  unpleasant.  It  is  a  most  singular  thing  that  during 
our  entire  fighting,  that  after  the  first  day  not  a  man  was  killed  and 
only  one  wounded,  who  afterwards  recovered,  and  yet,  many  of 
our  wagons  were  hit,  some  horses  killed,  and  many  narrow  escapes 
noticed. 

The  last  day  we  fought  them,  after  forming  corral,  while  we  were 
engaged  in  digging  rifle  pits,  many  a  bullet  whistled  around  us,  but 
not  a  man  hit.  We  dealt  them  a  severe  lesson.  They  admit  the  loss 
of  many,  and  we  know  of  many  that  we  killed  with  our  guns,  be- 
sides we  poisoned  many  more.  I  think  we  killed  at  least  fifty — 
and  their  strength  was  from  three  to  five  hundred,  while  our  fight- 
ing force,  when  on  the  move,  was  only  about  sixty — which  was  a 
small  force  to  protect  so  large  a  train  against  so  rrfany.  These  In- 
dians were  all  on  good  ponies,  and  they  are  certainly  the  best  riders 
I  ever  saw.  One  wagon  taken  by  them  was  loaded  entire  with  fine 
liquors.  In  this  no  doubt  they  imbibed  freely — and  were  more  brave 
in  consequence.  I  think  it  quite  reasonable  to  suppose  on  this  ac- 
count they  attacked  us  where  we  were,  and  had  they  not  been  drunk 
they  would,  after  the  first  day,  have  let  us  alone  until  we  got  into 
the  Bad  Lands.    They  were  very  anxious  for  us  to  move. 

I  will  now  close  this,  hoping  it  will  interest  you  and  that  you  will 
carry  out  my  instructions  in  regard  to  forwarding  it  to  Laura.  I 
will  mention  this  to  her.    Yours  most  respectfully, 

CHAS.   F.   SlMS.^ 


*Chas.  F.  Sims  was  born  in  Philadelphia  township,  Jefferson  Co..  N.  Y., 
Oct.  10,  1831.  He  was  brought  up  on  the  farm  and  received  his  educatioii 
in  the  common  schools  and  at  Carthage  Academy  in  a  neij^boring  county. 
He  taught  school  and  clerked  two  years  in  a  drug  store.  In  I8M  he 
came  west  and  landed  in  St.  Paul  April  11,  1856.  In  1861  he  married 
Laura  E.  Dorman  and  went  into  the  drug  business  at  St.  Anthony,  in  which 
he  continued  till  1863.  Selling  out  his  drug  business  in  1864,  he  joined  Capt. 
Fisk's  expedition  of  that  year  bound  for  Idaho.  He  next  went  into  part- 
nership with  Frank  Arnold  of  St.  Cloud,  the  firm  doing  a  general  milling 
business,  operating  both  a  saw  and  a  grist  mill.  In  1866  Mr.  Sims  and  his 
brother  joined  the  last  Fisk  expedition  west  with  a  number  of  wagons  loaded 
with  flour.  W.  E.  Harris  was  his  wagon  master  and  remained  in  his  cjm- 
ploy  all  that  year.  The  brothers  remained  at  Helena  until  1868  when  Mr*. 
Sims  returned  via  Salt  Lake  City  to  St.  Cloud,  Minn.  From  1869  to  1875 
h..  was  at  Alexandria,  Minn.,  in  the  employ  of  W.  E.  Hicks,  as  manager  of  his 
flour  and  saw  mill.  In  the  fall  of  1871  Mr.  Sims  made  two  trips  to  Ft. 
Garry  (Winnipeg)  in  the  interests  of  Mr.  Hicks'  flour  mill,  and  here  he  met 
Jas.  J.  Hill,  then  a  member  of  the  Ft.  Garry  firm  who  handled  on  commis- 
sion the  flour  left  in  their  hands  by  Mr.  Sims.  Between  the  years  1875-8  he 
engaged  in  business  in  California  in  company  with  Ellis  Butler.  In  1878 
Mr.  Sims  entered  the  employ  of  Pillsbury  and  Hulbert  (now  the  Minneapolis 
and  Northern  Elevator  Co.).  In  1882  'he  came  to  Grand  Forks  as  super- 
intendent of  their  elevators  in  the  territory  and  in  their  employ  he  contin- 
ued imtil  1005. 


440  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

The  following  correspondence  between  Captain  Fisk  and  Mrs. 
Kelly,  captive  among  the  Sioux,  is  given  in  order  to  place  before  our 
members  all  the  facts  in  the  case.  Mrs.  Kelly's  book  is  now  out  of 
print,  and  its  contents  are  therefore  out  of  reach  of  most  readers  :^ 

"the  TRUCE — A  CAPTIVE  WHITE  WOMAN. 

"Soon  there  was  a  gathering  of  what  appeared  to  be  all  the  In- 
dians about,  on  an  eminence  of  prairie  one  mile  away,  and  in  full 
sight  of  the  camp.  There  came  from  the  crowd  three  unarmed  war- 
riors toward  the  train,  holding  up  a  white  flag  which  they  planted 
m  the  ground  about  seven  hundred  yards  off,  and  then  retired. 

This  was  an  unexpected  phase  to  the  affair.  While  we  were  mak- 
ing extra  preparations  for  war,  there  came  a  truce.  I  sent  Mitchell, 
my  brave  and  efficient  officer  of  the  guard,  with  two  Sioux  half- 
breed  interpreters,  to  ascertain  the  meaning  of  this  overture.  They 
found,  on  reaching  the  ground,  a  letter  stuck  in  a  stick,  and  directed 
to  me.  Without  pausing  to  converse  with  the  Indians,  who  were 
a  few  rods  distant,  my  assistant  returned  to  camp  with  the  letter. 
That  letter  appeared  to  have  been  written  by  a  white  woman,  a  cap- 
tive in  the  hands  of  the  Indians,  and  read  as  follows : 

"Makatunke  says  he  will  not  fight  wagons,  for  they  have  been 
fighting  two  days.  They  had  many  killed  by  the  goods  they 
brought  into  camp.  They  tell  me  what  to  write.  I  do  not  under- 
stand them.  I  was  taken  by  them  July  12.  They  say  for  the  soldiers 
to  give  forty  head  of  cattle. 

"Hehutalunca  says  he  fights  not,  but  they  have  been  fighting.  Be 
kind  to  them,  and  try  to  free  me,  for  mercy's  sake. 

"I  was  taken  bv  them  July  12. 

"Mrs.  Kelly." 

"Buy  me  if  you  can,  and  you  will  be  satisfied.  They  have  killed 
many  whites.     Help  me  if  you  can. 

"llnkpapas  (they  put  words  in,  and  I  have  to  obey)  they  say  for 
the  wagons  they  are  fighting  for  them  to  go  on.  But  I  fear  the  re- 
sult of  this  battle.    The  Lord  have  mercy  on  you.    Do  not  move." 

I  replied  to  this  letter  as  follows: 

"Mrs.  Kelly : 

"If  you  are  really  a  white  woman  captive  in  the  hands  of  these 
Indians,  I  shall  be  glad  to  buy  you  and  restore  yon  to  your  friends, 
and  if  a  few  unarmed  Indians  will  deliver  you  at  the  place  where 
your  letter  was  received,  I  will  send  there  for  them  three  good  Amer- 
ican horses,  and  take  you  to  our  camp. 

"I  cannot  allow  any  party  of  Indians,  few  or  many,  to  come  to  my 
train,  or  camp,  while  in  this  country. 

"Tell  them  I  shall  move  when  I  get  ready,  and  halt  as  \ox\%  as  I 
think  proper.     I  want  no  advice  or  favor  from  the  Indians  who  at- 

'Fanny  Kelly.  Narrative  of  ^[y  Captivity  Amonj?  the  Sioux  Indians  Cin- 
cinnati, 1H71,  p.  274. 


»> 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  441 

tacked,  but  am  prepared  to  fight  them  as  long  as  they  choose  to  make 
war.    I  do  not,  in  the  least,  fear  the  result  of  this  battle. 

"Hoping  that  you  may  be  handed  to  us  at  once  for  the  oflfer  I 
have  made,  I  am,  truly, 

"Jas.  L.  Fisk^  Capt.  Comd'g.' 

"The  above  letter  was  sent  back  by  the  Indian  messenger,  and  n*c 
awaited  the  result.  In  the  afternoon  we  received  the  following 
reply : 

"I  am  truly  a  white  woman,  and  now  in  sight  of  your  camp,  but 
they  will  not  let  me  go.  They  say  they  will  not  fight,  but  don't  trust 
them.  They  say,  'How  d'ye  do.'  They  say  they  want  you  to  give 
them  sugar,  coffee,  flour,  gunpowder,  but  give  them  nothing  till  you 
can  see  me  for  yourself,  but  induce  them,  taking  me  first. 

"They  want  four  wagons,  and  they  will  stop  fighting.  They  want 
forty  cattle  to  eat ;  I  have  to  write  what  they  tell  me.  They  want 
you  to  come  here.  You  know  better  than  that.  His  name  Chat- 
vanco  and  the  other's  name  Porcupine.  Read  to  yourself,  some  of 
them  can  talk  English.  They  say  this  is  their  ground.  They  say, 
'Go  home  and  come  back  no  more.'  The  Fort  Laramie  soldiers  have 
been  after  me,  but  they  (the  Indians)  run  so ;  and  they  say  they  want 
knifes  and  axes  and  arrow  iron  to  shoot  buffalo.  Tell  them  to  wait 
and  go  to  town,  and  they  can  get  them.  I  would  give  them  any- 
thing for  liberty.  Induce  them  to  show  me  before  you  give  anything. 
They  are  very  anxious  for  you  to  move  now.  Do  not,  I  implore  you, 
for  your  life's  sake. 

"Fanny  Kelly. 

"My  residence  formerly  Geneva,  Allen  County,  Kansas." 

"I  returned  by  the  Indian  the  following  reply  : 
"Dear  Madam: 

"Your  second  communication  convinces  me  that  you  are  what  you 
profess  to  be,  a  captive  white  woman,  and  you  may  be  assured  that 
myself  and  my  party  are  eager  for  release,  but  for  the  present  I  can- 
not accede  to  the  demands  or  gratify  the  wants  of  your  captors. 
We  are  sent  on  an  important  trust  and  mission,  by  order  of  the  great 
war  chief  at  Washington,  westward  to  the  mountain  region,  with 
a  small  party  of  well  armed  and  determined  men,  feeling  entirely 
capable  of  defending  ourselves ;  but  we  are  not  a  war  party,  and  our 
train  is  not  intended  for  war  purposes.  Powder  and  shot  we  have, 
but  no  presents  for  the  hostile  Indians. 

"I  am  an  ofiicer  of  the  government,  but  am  not  authorized  by  in- 
structions to  give  anything  but  destruction  to  Indians  who  try  to  stop 
me  on  my  march.  However,  I  will,  for  your  release,  give  three  of 
my  own  horses,  some  flour,  sugar  and  coffee,  or  a  load  of  supplies. 
Tell  the  Indians  to  go  back  for  the  night,  and  tomorrow  at  noon, 


442  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

if  they  will  send  you  with  five  men  to  deliver  you  to  my  soldiers 
on  the  mound  we  occupied  today,  their  main  body  not  to  advance 
beyond  their  present  position,  I  will  hand  over  to  them  the  horses 
and  provisions,  which  they  will  be  permitted  to  take  away  to  their 
headquarters. 

"Should  there  be  occasion,  the  same  opportunity  for  communi- 
cating will  be  granted  tomorrow. 

"The  Great  Spirit  tells  me  that  you  will  yet  be  safely  returned  to 
your  friends,  and  that  all  wrongs  that  have  been  committed  on  the 
defenceless  and  innocent  shall  be  avenged. 

"In  warmest  sympathy,  I  am,  madam, 

Jas.  L.  Fisk, 
Capt.  and  A.  Q.  M.  U.  S.  A.'' 

"With  high  regard,  I  have  the  honor  to  be, 

'Yours  verv  truly, 

'Jas.  L.  Fisk, 
'Capt.  and  A.  Q.  M.  Commanding  Expedition." 


"  1  ours  verv  iruiy, 

tit 


The  Fisk  Expedition  of  1865. 

The  contemporary  history  of  this  expedition,  which  never  went 
further  than  mere  projection,  illustrates  very  well  how  far  the  fever 
of  speculation  and  the  rage  for  emigration  carried  men  at  this  time. 
We  had  barely  passed  the  last  stages  of  a  destructive  civil  war, 
yet  here  was  a  project  which  might  challenge  in  its  audacity  and 
in  the  scope  of  its  intended  operation  any  scheme  bred  in  time  of 
unbounded  prosperity,  and  when  territorial  expansion  had  unbal- 
anced men's  minds.  The  following  quotations  sufficiently  explain  the 
nature  of  the  plans  which  centered  around  the  intended  expedition: 

circular. 

"Having  been  often  importuned,  and  as  often  prompted  by  my 
own  desire,  from  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  subject,  to  become 
the  medium  of  possession  and  development  of  one  of  the  richest  and 
most  magnificent  regions  of  country  on  the  eastern  slope  of  the 
Rocky  mountains — the  upper  Yellowstone  and  its  surroundings, 
embracing  an  area  of  several  hundred  miles  square — and  being  now 
more  than  ever  urged,  by  letters  and  personal  applications  of  citi- 
zens, officers  and  soldiers  of  our  glorious  army  now  being  dis- 
banded, to  open  for  them  a  new  field  for  conquest  and  enterprise,  I 
have  decided  upon  the  following  as  a  feasible  and  promising  plan  for 
organization  and  operations,  in  which  I  intend  to  stake  my  individ- 
ual fortune  with  the  rest : 

"I  propose  to  fit  out  a  complete  baggage  and  supply  train,  camp 
and  garrison  equipage,  etc.,  of  such  dimensions  as  will  provide  for 
the  necessities  of  all  who  enroll  themselves  in  the  association  or 


STATE  OF   NOKra    DAKOTA  443 

colony,  and  conform  to  the  requirements  hereinafter  stated.  Also 
to  purchase  implements  and  machinery,  and  engage  competent  per- 
sons to  superintend  the  inauguration  of  all  branches  of  the  great 
work  following  the  occupancy  of  country,  such  as  the  laying  out  a 
town,  and  the  distribution  of  interests  therein,  systematizing  labor, 
developing  the  gold  and  silver  riches  of  the  region,  encouraging  ag- 
riculture and  the  mechanics,  and  generally  to  insure  success  and  wel- 
fare to  those  who  engage  in  the  enterprise. 

'The  fruitful  results  of  three  years*  devotion  to  the  exploration 
and  settlement  of  the  mountain  country  of  the  northwest  convinces 
me  of  the  entire  practicability  of  this  project. 

"The  richness  and  magical  growth  of  Bannock  and  Virginia 
c  ties,  and  the  development  of  other  mining  points  on  the  east  side 
of  the  Rocky  mountains  within  the  boundaries  of  this  new  territory, 
among  the  founders  of  which  were  members  of  my  first  party  in 
1862,  are  facts  probably  well  enough  known  to  all. 

"It  has  long  been  the  desire  of  men  familiar  with  the  results  of 
authorized  explorations,  to  occupy  and  possess  the  Yellowstone 
country ;  but  a  proud  nation  of  Indians,  the  "Crows,"  have  thus  far 
persistently  kept  out  the  white  settlers  from  their  valued  hunting 
grounds,  knowing  and  giving  as  their  reasons  that  if  the  whites 
were  once  permitted  to  dig  in  their  grounds,  they  (the  Indians) 
would  soon  be  crowded  out  by  a  great  army  of  miners.  Small 
parties  have  tried  it,  making  valuable  discoveries,  but  could  not 
maintain  their  foothold. 

"General  Sully  is  now  on  the  march  there,  by  way  of  the  Black 
Hills,  with  a  fine  military  force,  to  be  garrisoned  somewhere  on  the 
Yellowstone,  and  we  shall  come  in  to  co-operate.  With  the  strength 
of  our  party,  which  will  be  organized  and  conducted  as  near  as  prac- 
ticable on  a  military  basis,  we  shall  encounter  no  obstacle  of  moment, 
and  the  prize  is  one  worthy  of  enthusiastic  endeavors  to  secure. 

"The  capital  of  such  an  organization  consists  necessarily  in  its 
concert  of  action,  the  elements  of  industry  embodied  in  the  party,  and 
in  the  mutual  protection  aflforded  to  the  interests  at  stake.  The  ex- 
pedition and  enterprise  must  be  self  sustaining,  and  in  order  that  it 
progress  successfully,  the  following  terms  of  enrollment  and  mem- 
bership are  submitted  to  persons  who  may  contemplate  the  trip,  and 
from  which  there  will  be  no  deviation : 

TFRMS. 

"For  subsistence  and  transportation  of  fifty  lbs.  baggage,  besides 
bedding  for  one  person  from  Minnesota  to  destination  of  colony, 
citizen,  $125. 

"For  additional  baggage,  etc.,  per  cwt.,  $25. 

"For  subsistence  and  transportation  of  fifty  lbs.  baggage,  besides 
bedding  for  one  person  from  Minnesota  to  destination  of  colon v, 
soldier,  $100. 

"For  additional  baggage,  etc.,  per  cwt.,  $20. 


444  STATE   HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


it' 


The  same,  with  horse  and  equipments  furnished,  citizen,  $300. 
'The  same  with  horse  and  equipments  furnished,  soldier,  $275. 

"Families  and  other  availing  themselves  of  the  benefits  and  pro- 
tection of  the  expedition,  furnishing  their  own  teams  and  provisions 
for  each  grown  person,  $25. 

"Certificates  calling  for  subsistence  and  transportation,  as  above, 
and  for  interest  in  the  stock  company,  as  below,  will  be  furnished 
each  individual  upon  receipt  of  the  sum  or  sums  specified. 

"Gentlemen  of  means  have  come  forward  to  form  the  basis  of 
'The  Yellowstorfe  Town  and  Mining  Company,*  by  subscribing  for 
stock,  choosing  officers,  etc.  It  is  intended  to  obtain  a  temporary 
charter  for  this  company  at  the  earliest  moment  possible,  but  in  any 
event  I  regard  it  as  an  enterprise  which  must  prove  a  great  source 
of  profit  to  all  who  may  become  shareholders  in  it.  As  many  of  the 
colony  as  can  should  be  members  of  this  company.  Books  for  the 
company  are  opened  at  my  headquarters,  where  all  subscriptions, 
whether  by  mail  or  in  person,  will  be  promptly  attended  to.  The 
officers  of  the  company  are  as  follows:  John  Nininger,  president; 
Dan  W.  Fisk,  secretary;  A.  Schemidlio,  treasurer.  The  capital 
stock  is  fixed  for  the  present  at  $50,000,  and  the  number  of 
shares  shall  be  limited  to  1,000.  The  par  value  of  a  share 
in  this  company  shall  be  $50,  which  must  be  paid  in  full 
upon  the  issue  of  the  certificate ;  and  said  share  shall  be  held  to  call 
for  two  (2)  lots,  50  by  150  feet,  in  the  town  plot,  with  also  a  pro 
rata  interest  in  the  mining  operations  of  said  company. 

"The  means  arising  from  installments  exacted,  both  as  to  the  ex- 
penses of  the  expedition  and  the  operations  of  the  stock  company, 
must  be  relied  on  to  provide  and  acomplish  what  is  set  forth  in  this 
circular,  and  none,  who  do  not  conform  to  the  requirements  speci- 
fied, will  be  recognized  as  entitled  to  any  of  the  protection  and  ad- 
vantages resulting  from  this  enterprise. 

"All  articles  of  personal  outfit  may  be  readily  found  in  the  west, 
convenient  to  place  of  starting,  should  they  not  be  purchased  else- 
where. A  man  with  his  family  should  aim  to  take  with  him  at  least 
nine  months'  supplies,  or  the  means  to  provide  the  same  after  arriv- 
ing at  destination.  The  excessive  abundance  of  game  in  the  country 
to  be  occupied  will  greatly  relieve  the  expense  of  living. 

"As  many  persons  inquire  about  the  climate  of  this  region,  I  will 
say  that  it  is  mild,  healthful  and  delightful — bearing  comparison  in 
n  any  respects  to  that  of  Kansas  and  the  Pacific  side.  The  winters 
are  in  no  way  rigorous,  but  permit  of  entire  subsistence,  and  even 
fattening  of  stock  on  grazing  alone  in  the  valleys.  The  soil  is  rep- 
resented as  rich  and  fertile,  and  as  to  the  truth  of  these  statements, 
and  of  the  existence  of  paying  gold  deposits  in  the  same  region,  I  am 
thoroughly  convinced. 

"It  can  scarcely  be  apprehended  that  employment  will  be  wanting 
by  any  one  who  goes  (and  none  others  should)  determined  by  his 


STATE  OF  NORTH   DAKOTA  445 

own  energy  and  efforts  to  better  his  condition.  All  cannot  mine; 
some  must  blacksmith,  some  shoemake,  some  work  in  wood,  etc., 
and  not  a  few  will  find  every  inducement  to  till  the  soil;  in  short, 
there  will  be  a  field  open  for  almost  every  class  of  labor  and  enter- 
prise, with  mutual  dependence  and  mutual  interests  which  must 
insure  a  common  success. 

"The  train  for  baggage  and  provisions  is  being  fitted  out  just  as 
fast  as  the  means  paid  in  justify;  and  with  all  other  conveniences 
necessary  to  the  comfort  of  the  party,  will  be  established,  prepara- 
tory to  the  march,  at  or  near  St.  Cloud.  Minnesota,  and  will  be  ready 
by  the  15th  of  July  to  receive  the  party,  with  a  view  to  starting  soon 
thereafter. 

"Before  leaving  the  rendezvous,  the  command  will  be  thoroughly 
organized,  divided  into  sections  of  fifty  or  seventy-five  men  each, 
and  an  officer  designated  with  his  orderly  and  commissary  sergeants 
to  secure  discipline  and  comfort  throughout;  and  in  recruiting  for 
the  expedition,  any  one  who  reports  the  names  of  and  means  sub- 
scribed by  said  number  of  persons,  will  be  furnished  transportation 
and  subsistence  free,  while  acting  as  officer  for  his  section. 

"The  discrimination  between  the  citizen  and  soldier  or  officer  who 
has  served  the  country  on  hard  tack  and  small  pay  during  the  bloody 
years  of  the  great  struggle  now  closed,  is  partly  from  a  fraternal 
impulse  as  well  as  from  the  fact  that  I  shall  have  to  rely  on  their 
aid  to  the  expedition  in  doing  guard  and  other  important  duty. 

"Moneys  collected  by  any  recruiting  officer  or  agent  who  may  be 
designated,  should  be  forwarded  to  me  at  St.  Paul  by  Adams  Ex- 
press, taking  receipt  for  the  same,  notifying  me  by  letter,  and  inclose 
a  list  of  names,  addresses,  etc.,  to  whom  I  will  at  once  remit  receipts 
of  certificates  by  mail,  or  have  them  filled  out  and  retain  them  until 
parties  arrive  in  person  if  desired. 


PERSONAL  OUTFIT. 
<<1 


It  will  be  expected  of  every  man  to  furnish  his  own  outfit,  such 
as  firearms,  clothing,  bedding,  etc. 


FAMILIES. 


'It  is  very  desirable  that  a  number  of  good  families  should  form 
part  of  this  colony,  and  I  shall  with  great  pleasure  exert  myself  to 
render  to  all  such  every  reasonable  aid  in  my  power  towards  securing 
their  comfort  and  prosperity;  but  those  who  take  their  families 
should  provide  their  own  conveyances,  provisions  and  complete 
outfit. 

"In  order  that  the  expedition  may  get  under  way  in  due  season, 
it  will  be  necessary  for  all  parties  contemplating  the  journey  to  act 
without  delay. 

"The  line  of  march  will  be  across  the  great  buffalo  prairies  to 
Fort  Berthold  on  the  Missouri,  thence  up  the  valley  of  that  river 
to  Fort  Union ;  cross  the  river  at  that  point,  and  thence  up  the  Yel- 


446  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

lowstone  valley  to  point  of  destination.    Distance  from  St.  Cloud, 
Minn.,  about  800  miles. 

"Address  me  at  St.  Paul,  Minnesota. 

James  L.  Fisk, 

"Commanding  Expedition, 
"Washington,  D.  C,  May  1865."^ 


Emigration  to  Idaho. 

"Washington,  D.  C,  June  7,  '65. 

"Benj.  Thompson,  Esq.,  St.  Paul,  Minn. 

"My  Dear  Sir: — You  may  say  to  the  people  that  I  will  be  in  St. 
Paul  about  the  22d  inst.  and  proceed  immediately  with  abundant  help 
to  perfect  the  outfit  and  organization  of  my  fourth  expedition  to  the 
gold  fields  of  Montana,  and  that  I  will  start  the  train  from  St. 
Cloud,  the  headquarters,  about  the  20th  of  July.  Our  line  of  march 
will  be  across  the  prairie  to  the  Missouri  at  Fort  Berthold,  thence  up 
that  river  to  Fort  Union,  cross  there,  and  follow  up  the  Yellowstone 
valley  to  point  of  destination.  The  time  occupied  in  making  the 
journey  will  be  about  sixty  days.  We  shall  have  as  good  a  road  as 
can  be  found  anywhere  in  the  west. 

"I  have  the  pleasing  satisfaction  of  a  very  large  party  and  of  the 
inevitable  success  of  the  undertaking.  All  leading  men,  the  news- 
papers throughout,  so  far  as  I  have  seen,  give  my  expedition  their 
hearty  endorsement  and  encouragement. 

"It  is  certainly  in  my  mind  the  most  promising  and  legitimate 
project  for  western  emigration  that  has  ever  been  suggested  or 
organized,  and  I  am  safe  in  saying  that  there  will  be  at  least  two 
thousand  persons  in  the  colony. 

"Over  five  hundred  persons  have  called  on  me  during  the  past 
week,  while  letters  received  from  all  parts  of  the  states  report 
squads  and  companies  organizing. 

"General  Thomas  Francis  Meagher  called  yesterday,  and  gave  me 
his  final  decision  to  join  me  and  cast  his  fortunes  with  the  colony 
and  the  rise  of  the  territory  to  a  state.  Of  course,  there  are  many 
other  prominent  military  men  and  citizens,  besides  the  rank  and  file, 
who  have  enrolled  or  taken  out  commissions  to  raise  companies. 

"I  am  having  the  stock  certificate  books  lithographed  in  New 
York,  and  capitalists  of  that  city  are  already  anxious  to  subscribe. 
But  as  I  do  not  deem  it  advisable,  nor  does  Mr.  Nininger,  the  presi- 
dent, the  stock  will  be  kept  for  the  colonists  themselves  as  far  as 
possible.  I  shall  leave  here  Monday  the  13th,  to  stop  a  day  or  two 
in  New  York  and  Chicago  on  my  way  west. 


*St.  Paul  Weekly  Press,  June  15,  I860. 


STATE  OF  NORTH   DAKOTA  447 

« 

"Tell  Captain  Davidson  that  I  shall  want  to  charter  one  of  his 
staunch  little  steamers,  to  take  up  from  St.  Louis  machinery  and 
supplies. 

"In  haste,  I  am  very  truly  yours, 

"Jas.  L.  Fisk, 
"Commanding  Expedition."^ 

"Capt.  Fisk's  Overland  Expedition — ^The  Yellowstone  Gold 
Region  of  Montana  Territory — Mining,  Agriculture  and 
Commerce. 

"We  have  had  the  pleasure  of  an  interview  with  Captain  James  L. 
Fisk,  United  States  army,  whose  explorations  and  expeditionary 
travels  through  the  great  prairies  and  mountains  of  the  northwest 
have  made  his  name  distinguished  among  men.  He  was  of  the  very 
first  to  plant  a  settlement  and  develop  those  rich  and  extensive  gold 
mines  on  the  eastern  base  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  in  what  is  now 
Montana  Territory,  and  which  have  yielded  their  millions  of  the 
precious  metals  to  the  relief  of  the  national  finances.  This  magnifi- 
cent territory  received  its  first  little  colony  of  settlers  in  1862,  and 
has  now  a  population  of  near  seventy-  five  thousand,  while  less  than 
one-eighth  of  the  area  embraced  in  its  boundaries  is  as  yet  occu- 
pied by  the  whites. 

"It  has  been  the  wise  and  judicious  custom  of  congress,  from  year 
to  year,  to  appropriate  liberal  sums  of  money  to  be  appropriated 
by  the  several  routes  used  by  emigrants  westward  for  their  guidance 
and  protection ;  but  for  this  year,  while  there  is  much  greater  need 
than  perhaps  ever  before,  in  consequence  of  the  man}  thousands  of 
the  army  and  citizen  employes  of  the  government  being  thrown  out 
of  employment,  and  the  necessity  of  many  of  them  seeking  homes 
and  a  means  of  livelihood  in  the  west,  there  is  no  government  aid 
provided.  Under  this  condition  of  things,  Captain  Fisk,  yielding  to 
the  demand  of  the  times,  and  willing,  as  he  says,  to  share  another 
year  in  the  pilgrimage  and  hardships  of  the  emigrant,  will  try,  if 
necessary,  without  the  material  aid  of  the  government  to  perform 
the  required  service  of  organizing  a  colony,  and  conducting  them  in 
safety  to  fields  for  their  enterprise  and  labor,  where  sure  reward 
awaits  every  man  who  may  go  determined,  by  his  own  eflforts,  to 
better  his  condition. 

"AVith  this  end  in  view,  and  at  the  urgent  request  of  men  in  all 
parts  of  the  country.  Captain  Fisk  has  accepted  the  leadership  and 
direction  of  the  emigration  from  the  northwest,  and  has  begun  to 
organize  a  colony  of  several  thousand  peroons,  to  march  them  from 
Minnesota,  by  way  of  Forts  Berthold  and  Union,  on  the  Missouri 
river,  cross  the  Missouri  at  the  latter  point,  and  ascend  the  Yellow- 
stone valley  to  the  mouth  of  the  Big  Horn,  or  to  the  practical  head 

'St.   Paul  Weekly  Press,  June  22,    18G5. 


448  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOaETY 

of  navigation  of  the  Yellowstone,  then  lay  oflf  and  establish  a  city, 
and  by  an  organized  joint  stock  company,  in  which  all  members  of 
the  company  should  be  sharers,  proceed  to  the  development  of  the 
mineral  country  contiguous  thereto. 

"This  region  of  the  upper  Yellowstone  and  its  many  tributaries  is 
occupied  and  has  been  held  since  the  white  man  knew  anything  about 
it,  with  successful  tenacity,  by  the  proud  and  wealthy  Crow  Indians, 
who  are  probably  the  finest  tribe  of  natives  on  the  continent,  as  their 
invaluable  hunting  grounds,  and  from  Lewis  and  Clarke  down  to 
the  most  modern  explorer  who  has  ever  visited  that  region,  it  is  pro- 
nounced to  be  the  paradise  of  all  the  western  country. 

As  we  understand  it.  Captain  Fisk  will  fit  out  a  complete  supply 
and  transportation  train,  with  camp  accommodations,  etc.,  complete, 
and  make  his  expedition  and  the  entire  enterprise  self  supporting, 
by  assessing  each  person  $100,  more  or  less,  according  to  the  extent 
of  the  privileges  desired ;  this  sum  to  be  paid  upon  enrollment  of 
each  person,  a  certificate  receipt  given  thereof,  and  with  this  fund  as 
the  capital,  everything  necessary  for  the  supply  and  comfort  and  use 
of  the  colony  while  on  the  march  will  be  provided.  Subscription  to 
the  stock  company,  which  must  also  be  paid  in  upon  the  issue  of  the 
certificate,  will  be  invested  in  a  portable  steam  sawmill,  machinery, 
implements  for  mining,  and  such  other  wav  s  as  will  contribute  to  the 
active  operation  and  success  of  said  compctny.  Agricultural  imple- 
ments and  seeds  for  the  ground  and  abundant  stores  of  provisions 
will  also  be  taken  out. 

"The  captain  informs  us  that  companies  and  squads  are  now  form- 
ing in  almost  every  state,  while  letters  frcm  portions  of  the  army 
soon  to  be  disbanded  are  numerous,  askinc^  for  directions  as  to  the 
organization,  etc.,  etc. 

"We  understand  that  application  has  been  made  and  strongly 
urged  with  the  president  and  war  department  for  the  retention  of 
Captain  Fisk  in  the  service,  and  he  be  furnished  what  facilities 
can  be  granted  for  the  fitting  out  of  his  <-xpedition.  It  surely  will 
be  no  more  than  the  least  governments  do  to  encouraj^e  such  an 
enterprise  as  this,  and  we  can  hardly  aflford  to  be  so  excessively  econ- 
omical all  at  once  as  not  to  recognize  the  claim  of  this  officer  to  at 
least  his  modest  commission,  and  a  sum  for  contingent  expenses  suf- 
ficient to  make  that  commission  respectable  while  iri  the  laudable  and 
arduous  task  of  pioneering  and  colonizine^  the  undeveloped  territor- 
ies of  the  west.  This  project  will  give  immediate  employment  and 
relief  to  many  of  the  great  army  of  straggl*ng  unemployed  men  now 
seeking  in  vain  occupation  for  their  hani^s  •  and  in  more  than  one 
way  will  the  government  be  directly  benefited  by  the  development 
of  the  inexhaustible  riches  of  these  mineral  regions. 

"Captain  Fisk  will,  wo  are  informed,  remain  here,  and  may  be 
found  at  the  Union  hotel.  Georgetown,  uniil  about  the  10th  of  June, 
when  he  will  proceed  to  St.  Paul,  Minnesota,  the  base  of  operations ; 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  449 


and  whether  the  government  does  or  does  not  grant  the  very  limited 
aid  and  encouragement  which  is  asked,  the  expedition  will  be  orga- 
nized as  stated,  and  ready  to  move  from  the  rendezvous  in  Minne- 
sota by  the  15th  of  July.  We  can  say  no  less  than  to  wish  this  com- 
mendable and  important  enterprise  the  success  which  it  deserves."^ 

Fisk's  Expedition. 

"A  large  and  enthusiastic  meeting  was  held  at  Ingersoll's  hall 
last  night,  pursuant  to  a  call  of  a  committee  of  the  common  council 
and  the  president  of  the  board  of  trade,  for  the  purpose  of  consider- 
ing the  best  plans  to  be  adopted  to  aid  Captain  Fisk  in  his  enterprise 
of  opening  a  northern  route  from  this  city  to  the  gold  fields  of 
Montana. 

"Mayor  Prince  was  chosen  chairman  and  L.  E.  Fisher,  Esq.,  sec- 
retary. 

"Horace  Thompson,  Esq.,  chairman  of  the  committee  appointed 
by  the  common  council,  stated  the  object  of  the  meeting  to  be  to  se- 
cure aid  to  Captain  Fisk  in  his  enterprise  of  opening  a  northern 
route  from  St.  Paul  to  the  gold  regions  of  Montana.  He  gave  many 
good  reasons  why  this  route  should  be  opened.  Captain  Blakely  en- 
dorsed the  remarks  of  Mr.  Thompson,  and  spoke  at  some  length  of 
the  practicability  and  importance  of  the  proposed  route.  Mr.  Thomp- 
son then  read  a  communication  from  C.  D.  Strong,  advocating  the 
importance  of  the  measure,  and  offering  $50  to  further  the  enter- 
prise. Mr.  Thompson  offered  a  resolution,  tendering  to  Captain 
Fisk  the  sum  of  $1,000  to  aid  him  in  his  expedition.  A  subscription 
paper  was  opened,  and  about  $200  subscribed.  The  committee  was 
then  instructed  to  secure  further  subscriptions  today. 

"General  Thomas.  Francis  Meagher,  who  was  present,  was  then 
introduced  to  the  audience,  and  received  with  storms  of  applause. 
He  commenced  by  stating  that  if  the  applause  given  meant  that  the 
audience  expected  a  lengthy  speech,  he  was  very  much  afraid  they 
would  be  disappointed.  He  did  not  know  that  he  was  announced  to 
speak  at  a  public  meeting  tonight  until  his  arrival  in  the  city.  He 
said  this  meeting  was  neither  a  political  one  nor  called  by  military 
necessity,  and  as  he  had  been  accustomed  to  speak  only  on  two 
topics,  he  could  not  expect  to  be  interesting  on  any  other.  He  said 
although  this  was  his  first  visit  to  Minnesota,  he  did  not  feel  as 
stranger  here.  As  this  state  was  first  represented  in  the  United 
States  senate  by  his  friend  and  fellow  countryman,  General  James 
Shields,  he  had  heard  from  his  lips  many  growing  accounts  of  her 
increasing  prosperity  and  greatness.  And  then,  too,  for  a- time,  he 
was  in  constant  communication  with  the  boys  of  the  First  Minne- 
sota, from  which  circumstance  they  seemed  as  dear  to  him  as  those 


*St.   Paul   Weekly   Press,  June   15,   1865.     (Copied    from   the   Washington 
Chronicle.) 


450  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

of  his  own  command.  He  often  thought  they  were  Irishmen  in  dis- 
guise, and  he  looked  upon  them  as  a  part  of  the  Irish  Brigade.  The 
general  then  spoke  of  the  interest  he  felt  in  the  prosperity  of  his 
countrymen  who  have  and  are  still  finding  homes  in  America.  He 
spoke  of  the  influence  of  New  York  politicians  over  them,  and 
wished  to  see  them  released  from  their  thraldom.  He  thought  the 
broad  prairies  and  fertile  valleys  of  the  west  the  best  calculated 
for  the  proper  development  of  the  true  Irish  characters.  He  then 
alluded  to  the  importance  of  Captain  Fisk*s  expedition  to  this  city 
and  state,  and  closed  by  wishing  it  success. 

"The  above  brief  summary  of  the  general's  speech  hardly  does 
him  justice.  His  remarks,  though  not  delivered  in  the  form  of  a  set 
address,  were  to  the  point,  and  oftentimes  eloquent.  He  was  fre- 
quently applauded  during  the  delivery."^ 

Captain  Fisk's  Expedition. 

"We  understand  that  Captain  Fisk  will  positively  start  his  ex- 
pedition from  St.  Cloud  during  the  first  week  in  August.  He  will 
leave  St.  Paul  next  Tuesdav. 

"Governor  Miller,  General  Sibley  and  General  Meagher  united 
yesterday  in  a  telegram  to  the  president  requesting  the  detail  of  a 
military  force  to  accompany  the  expedition.  It  is  desired  to  secure 
a  battalion  of  mounted  men  and  a  section  of  a  howitzer  batterv."^ 


The  Fisk  Expedition  of  18(56. 

The  last  expedition  which  Captain  Fisk  le;l  to  the  western  gold 
fields  of  Idaho  and  Montana  was  diflferent  from  that  of  any  of  the 
preceding  in  its  larger  size,  in  the  absence  of  f2:overnment  aid  and 
from  the  fact  that  for  many  it  was  a  commercial  venture,  not  a  gold 
hunting  trip.  Chas.  F.  Sims  and  his  brother,  for  instance,  took  500 
sacks  of  flour  to  be  sold  at  Helena  upx)n  their  arrival.  The  expedi- 
tion was  well  advertised,  as  can  be  seen  from  the  following  news- 
paper items: 

"At  a  meeting  for  the  purpose  of  securing  a  route  to  Montana, 
Captain  Fisk  said  that  the  great  necessity  was  for  concert  of  action 
among  the  people ;  that  had  he  been  properly  sustained  by  the  people 
he  would  have  succeeded  heretofore :  that  he  had  a  memorial  passed 
the  senate  that  suited  him.  but  that  in  the  house  some  member  from 
Redwood  killed  it ;  that  when  in  Washington  he  had  succeeded  fav- 
orablv  in  getting  a  bill  through  a  committee,  a  memorial  in  favor  of 
'St.  Cloud  or  some  other  one-horse  town,'  would  be  forwarded  and 
defeat  his  efforts  for  the  general  good  :  that  wx  must  ignore  all  points 
as  starting  places,  and  join  with  the  general  good  feeling  the  people 

•St.  Paul  Wocklv  Press  Julv  27,  1805. 
•lb.,   July  27,    18r,.'>. 


STATE  OF  NORTH   DAKOTA  451 

all  throughout  the  state.  He  spoke  further  of  the  immense  trade  of 
Montana  that  belonged  to  Minnesota.  He  stated  that  General  Corse 
had  assured  him  he  would  afford  any  expeditions  full  protection  as 
far  as  his  military  district  extended.  Captain  Fisk  closed  by  asking 
the  support  of  the  people  for  his  expedition,  and  by  kindly  suggest- 
ing the  spirit  of  the  resolutions  which  should  be  adopted  by  the  citi- 
zens of  this  place."^ 

"The  expedition  this  year  must  be  a  large  one.  St  Cloud  itself 
will  furnish  a  very  considerable  number  of  teams,  as  a  half  dozen  or 
more  of  our  business  men  will  engage  in  the  transportation  business, 
fitting  out  and  starting  their  teams  from  this  place. 

"Advices  from  Washington  render  certain  the  furnishing  of  an 
escort  by  General  Grant.  He  has  inquired  the  number  of  men  de- 
sired for  the  purpose  of  protection,  holding  himself  ready  to  send 
them  in  time  to  march  with  the  expedition.  It  is  undoubtedly  the 
purpose  of  General  Grant  to  establish  a  line  of  military  posts  along 
the  route,  that  future  trains  of  emigrants,  as  well  as  the  United 
States  mails,  may  pass  in  safety  between  this  state  and  Montana.  It 
v/ould  be  well  for  all  who  intend  going  to  make  preparations  as 
soon  as  possible.  Letters  of  inquiry  may  be  addressed  to  Captain 
James  L.  Fisk,  St.  Paul,  Minn."^ 


Captain  Fisk's  Fourth  Expedition, 

Postponed  From  Last  Fall,  Is  Now  Organising  Rapidly,  With  the 

Certain  Assurance  of  a  Very  Large  Party, 

"This  expedition  will  move  across  the  country  under  cover  and 
protection  of  the  military  force  to  be  sent  out  to  select  and  establish 
a  road  and  line  of  posts  from  Minnesota  to  Montana,  and  will  start 
from  St.  Cloud  between  the  fifteenth  and  thirtieth  of  May,  or  as  soon 
as  grazing  will  permit. 

"I  cordially  invite  all  who  do  not  join  me  here  or  at  St.  Cloud  to 
unite  with  the  main  party  at  Big  Stone  lake,  preparatory  to  crossing 
the  plains. 

"For  further  particulars,  see  or  send  for  circulars. 

"J.  L.  Fisk, 
Merchants  Hotel,  St.  Paul,  Minn. 

"Business  Office  on  corner  of  Third  and  Robert  Streets,  over 
Marine  Bank."* 

In  reply  to  resolutions  of  the  common  council  of  St.  Paul  and  of  a 
committee  of  citizens  of  St.  Cloud,  commending  the  proposed  ex- 
pedition, Captain  Fisk  made  the  following  characteristic  reply: 

*St.  Cloud  Democrat,  Feb.  1,  18G6. 

'lb.,  March  1.  1866. 

'St.   Pan!   Weekly   Pioneer,    March  31,    18«>6. 


452  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


"Gentlemen  of  the  Common  Council  of  St.  Paul  and  of  the  St. 

Cloud  Committee : 

"In  response  to  your  very  flattering  testimonial  of  confidence  and 
good  will,  as  expressed  in  the  series  of  resolutions  you  have  seen 
fit  to  adopt  and  make  public,  I  beg  to  return  to  you  my  hearty  thanks. 

"No  one  can  engage  in  advocating,  managing  or  leading  a  public 
enterprise  of  such  importance  and  responsibility  as  this  of  which 
you  speak,  without  feelings  of  distrust,  either  as  to  his  qualifications 
and  chances  of  success,  or  as  to  whether,  in  the  estimation  of  his  fel- 
low citizens,  he  is  the  proper  person  for  the  place.  While  in  this 
case  I  have  never  for  a  moment  doubted  the  importance,  entire  pos- 
sibility and  certain  ultimate  success  of  the  whole  project  of  opening 
a  permanent  and  most  desirable  overland  highway  from  Minnesota 
to  the  rich  and  measureless  gold  fields  of  the  Montana  country  on 
our  west,  and  of  turning  this  way  the  vast  tide  of  emigration  and 
commercial  interchange  which  has  hitherto  pursued  different,  cir- 
cuitous and  unnatural  channels,  yet,  when  I  again  offer  my  services 
— this  time  in  an  independent  capacity — and  I  know  that  the  con- 
fidence and  earnest  support  of  the  people  is  necessary  to  insure  suc- 
cess, these  testimonials  and  recommendations  are  in  on  small  degree 
gratifying,  and  coming,  as  they  do,  from  sources  entitled  to  so  much 
consideration. 

"I  think  I  can  safely  say  that  there  never  was  a  time  when  the 
prospects  for  Minnesota  and  our  whole  northwest  were  brighter  or 
more  promising  than  now.  Besides  a  heavy  immigration  from  for- 
eign countries,  the  bulk  of  which  always  seeks  our  western  states, 
there  is  at  this  present  time  throughout  the  eastern  and  great  central 
states  an  unusual  and  inexpressible  fever  for  migrating  in  this  di- 
rection, and  who  can  presume  that  Minnesota  will  not  reap  the  lion's 
share  of  these  multitudes  seeking  new  homes  and  a  just  reward  for 
their  labor. 

"Prospects  for  abundance  of  water  and  a  new  life  upon  our  navi- 
gable rivers  are  certainly  cheerincr. 

"The  various  lines  of  railroads  throughout  our  state  are  in  a 
thriving  and  progressive  condition. 

"The  franchises  of  the  great  Northern  Pacific  railway,  chartered 
and  endowed  by  congress  with  a  most  magnificent  grant  of  lands, 
as  well  as  likely  soon  to  receive  additional  aid  from  the  government 
— a  road  projected  as  the  grand  national  highway  that  is  soon  to 
span  the  continent  from  the  head  of  Lake  Superior  to  the  navigable 
waters  of  the  Columbia  or  Puget  sound —  have  passed  into  the  hands 
of  a  live  and  wealthy  company,  who  are  now  actively  engaged  in 
preparation  for  the  commencement  of  the  work  with  a  strong  force 
at  once,  when  the  coming  season  shall  open. 

"The  expedition  I  am  now  organizing  will  consist  of  no  less  than 
one  thousand  wagons  and  twice  that  number  of  men,  judging  from 
reliable  indications. 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  453 


"Surely  the  opening  of  a  permanent  and  safe  overland  route  this 
spring  to  the  mountain  territories  of  Montana  and  Idaho,  will  af- 
ford a  new  and  enriching  market  for  a  considerable  portion  of  our 
surplus  products,  while  the  tide  of  emigration  and  travel,  going  out 
snd  returning  over  said  route,  will  greatly  enliven  trade  and  hand- 
somely replenish  the  coffers  of  our  citizens.  These  are  some  of  the 
prospects  which  greet  Minnesota  at  the  present  time,  and  I  hope  I 
shall  see  public  spirit  awaken  to  a  sense  of  the  changes  which  their 
realization  will  bring. 

"As  for  myself,  I  shall  lend  all  my  energies  to  the  cause  in  hand, 
and  with  the  co-operation  of  our  people,  the  hearty  support  and  in- 
fluence of  our  worthy  governor,  and  of  our  delegation  m  congress, 
who  cannot  be  less  interested  than  you  and  me,  I  shall  hopefully  en- 
deavor to  give  a  good  account  of  the  stewardship  assigned  me. 

"Very  truly,  your  obedient  servant, 

"Jas.  L.  Fisk."^ 

The  actual  organization  and  the  setting  out  of  the  expedition  from 
Fort  Abercrombie  appear  in  the  following  notices.  The  interesting 
item  with  reference  to  the  secession  of  a  dissatisfied  wing  of  the 
wagon  train,  under  Mr.  Steele,  numbering  thirty-nine  teams  and 
eighty  men.  adds  a  variety  to  the  narrative,  and  confirms  a  previous 
statement  that  this  expedition  differed  essentially  from  any  of  the 
preceding.    As  in  1862  and  in  1863,  Pierre  Bottineau  was  guide. 

The  Montana  Expedition. 

"We  learn  from  a  gentleman  who  left  St.  Cloud  Saturday  morn- 
ing, that  Captain  Fisk's  expedition  will  start  from  that  place  on 
Monday  morning.  It  is  composed  of  about  two  hundred  teams  and 
nearly  five  hundred  people.  The  wagons  are  principally  loaded  with 
flour,  most  of  which  was  purchased  at  St.  Cloud,  but  in  addition 
there  are  large  quantities  of  pork,  tea,  coffee  and  various  other  ar- 
ticles required  in  a  new  country.  Every  one  connected  with  the  ex- 
pedition appeared  satisfied  that  Captain  Fisk  has  thus  far  fulfilled 
all  his  engagements  and  shown  remarkable  efficiency  in  organizing 
and  provisioning  the  trains.  Among  the  emigrants  are  Philip  Beau- 
pre,  St.  Cloud,  sheriff  of  Stearns  county,  who  has  been  appointed 
second  in  command  to  Captain  Fisk.  No  fears  are  felt  in  regard  to 
Indian  molestation,  as  nearly  half  the  men  in  the  expedition  are  old 
soldiers,  fully  equipped  with  muskets  and  small  arms,  and  possessed 
of  the  nerve  to  use  them  to  the  best  advantage. 

"The  impetus  given  to  all  branches  of  trade,  and  the  large  amounts 
of  money  expended  in  the  outfitting  of  this  expedition,  have  given  the 
people  of  St.  Cloud  a  just  estimate  of  the  importance  of  establishing 
regular  communications  with  Montana,  and  should  the  results  of 


'St.  Paul  Weekly  Pioneer,  March  31,  1866. 


454  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Captain  Fisk's  present  venture  prove  successful,  there  is  little  doubt 
that  ample  transportation  will  hereafter  be  offered  from  that  point, 
at  all  seasons  of  the  year,  for  all  the  passengers  and  goods  that  are 
bound  for  that  auriferous  region." 

"Fort  Abercrombie,  D.  T.,  June  23,  1866. 

"Editor  Den^ocrat : — The  people  of  St.  Cloud  and  vicinity  perhaps 
feel  a  deeper  interest  in  opening  and  establishing  the  northern  route 
to  Montana  than  those  of  any  other  place  in  the  northwest,  conse- 
quently they  feel  a  like  interest  in  the  success  of  Captain  Fisk*s  ex- 
pedition, and  not  only  in  words  have  they  manifested  that  interest, 
but  by  coming  forward  and  contributing  liberally  to  the  enterprise, 
thereby  furnishing  material  aid  to  the  commanding  officer,  by  means 
of  which  he  has  been  enabled  to  put  his  train  into  such  a  condition 
as  to  suggest  to  the  mind  of  any  man  a  perfect  success.  Too  much 
credit  cannot  be  accorded  to  some  of  the  influential  citizens  of  St. 
Cloud  for  the  present  appearance  of  the  expedition.  Your  readers 
will,  no  doubt,  be  pleased  to  learn  that  everything  pertaining  to  the 
expedition  appears  to  be  perfectly  satisfactory  to  all  concerned ; 
they  are  well  pleased  with  the  conduct  of  Captain  Fisk,  who  has, 
since  his  arrival  here,  manifested  the  greatest  solicitude  for  the  wel- 
fare of  all,  and  is  ever  ready  to  advise  and  direct  in  the  arranging 
of  a  thousand  little  things  that  require  his  immediate  attention. 
There  are  a  great  many  persons  in  the  expedition  who  have  never 
been  on  the  plains,  and  almost  dvery  one  of  them  require  some  ad- 
vice, or  think  they  do;  consequently  Captain  Fisk  is  always  sur- 
rounded by  a  number  of  eager  questioners,  all  of  whom  must  be 
answered,  and  it  is  always  done  in  such  a  manner  as  to  give  perfect 
satisfaction  to  all.  The  only  thing  that  has  transpired  to  mar  the 
perfect  harmony  of  the  expedition  was  a  spirit  of  secession  that 
seemed  to  pervade  that  part  of  it  which  reached  here  a  few  days 
previous  to  Captain  Fisk,  instigated  by  II.  B.  Steele,  who,  having  had 
his  vanity  flattered  by  a  few  of  his  warm  admirers  until  he  looked 
upon  himself  as  the  only  man  competent  to  lead  an  expedition  to 
Montana,  and,  in  fact,  the  one  ordained  especially  for  that  purpose, 
immediately  made  known  his  intention  to  organize  an  expedition,  of- 
fering his  services  to  all  persons  desiring  to  go  for  the  sum  of  two 
dollars  and  fifty  cents  each,  and  those  who  had  already  paid  Captain 
Fisk  ten  dollars  were  to  be  taken  free  of  charge. 

"We  regret  the  occurrence,  because  pecuniarily  it  is  a  loss  to  Cap- 
tain Fisk,  but  on  no  other  account  do  we  regret  it.  The  ignomini- 
ous conduct  of  some  of  Steele's  enthusiastic  supporters  was  such  as 
to  render  them  very  disagreeable  to  the  majority  of  the  party.  As 
they  moved  off,  each  one  looking  very  much  like  he  was  marching 
out  to  be  executed,  I  noticed  that  only  a  stubborn  adherence  to  a 


VSt.  Paul  Weekly  Press,  June  7,  18(]fi. 


STATE  OF  NORTH   DAKOTA  455 

step  hastily  and  inconsiderately  taken,  kept  them  from  falling  into 
the  larger  train.  We  wish  them  well,  and  if  they  were  under  the 
direction  of  a  competent  guide  would  be  safe  and  prosperous,  but  as 
it  is,  we  have  our  fears. 

"The  expedition  is  now  fully  organized,  and  divided  into  eight  sec- 
tions of  twenty  wagons  each,  comprising  in  all  one  hundred  and 
sixty  wagons  and  three  hundred  and  twenty-five  men;  about  one 
hundred  men  have  taken  subsistence  tickets  with  Captain  Fisk,  of 
whom  fifty  are  mounted.  Captain  Fisk  has  sixteen  wagons ;  C.  and 
E.  W.  Sims  twenty;  H.  W.  Watson  ten,  of  which  eight  are  loaded 
with  freight  belonging  to  Captain  Fisk ;  G.  W.  Tubbs  and  R.  Leitch 
have  each  six  wagons;  quite  a  number  of  others  have  from  two  to 
four  teams,  and  the  balance  of  the  expedition  is  composed  of  par- 
ties going  through  with  one  team.  We  notice  quite  a  number  of 
families  in  the  train,  the  most  of  them  supplied  with  every  conven- 
ience that  could  be  expected  on  such  a  journey,  and  all  of  them  ap- 
pear to  be  cheerful  and  well  satisfied.  The  expedition  will  leave 
here  Monday  morning,  June  25th,  and  will  move  in  three  columns. 
We  expect  to  pass  Fort  Union  about  the  25th  of  July,  and  from  there 
vou  may  hear  more  of  the  expedition. 

"I.  N.  Payton."^ 

The  expedition  reached  Fort  Berthold  in  safety,  and  passed  Fort 
Union  without  loss  from  Indians.  The  incidents  of  the  long  journey 
and  some  personal  experiences  of  members  of  the  party  appear  in  the 
following : 


In  Camp,  Near  Fort  Berthold,  July  20,  1866. 

Editors  St.  Paul  Press : — Captain  Fisk's  expedition,  after  a  march 
of  nearly  three  hundred  miles,  accomplished  in  twenty-four  days, 
reached  the  Missouri  at  this  point  at  1  o'clock  p  .m.  yesterday.  The 
journey  thus  far  has  been  pleasant  throughout,  with  no  danger 
threatening  the  safety  or  accident  causing  the  delay  of  the  train  since 
leaving  Fort  Abercrombie.  Water  we  have  had  in  plenty,  grass  in 
abundance,  fuel  (wood  or  'chips')  enough  to  spare.  Uninterrupted 
good  health  has  blessed  one  and  all.  The  stock  (ox,  mule  and  horse), 
daily  feeding  on  nutritious  grasses,  have  grown  fat  and  sleek,  and 
are  better  today  for  service  than  when,  over  three  weeks  since,  the 
Minnesota-Montana  expedition  took  its  departure  from  the  frontier. 
"We  have  fared  sumptuously  on  game.  Between  the  James  river 
and  the  Plateau  du  Coteau  du  Missouri  our  party  slaughtered 
eighty-seven  buflfaloes  (bulls,  cows  and  calves),  more  than  a  score  of 
antelope,  and  a  number  each  of  elk  and  blacktail  deer.  On  July  4th 
our  mounted  riflemen  got  up  a  run  of  a  large  herd  of  buflfalo,  driving 
them  in  a  body  to  within  fifty  yards  of  the  train,  producing  the 
greatest  consternation  among  the  women  folks,  and  for  a  moment 


*St.  Cloud  Democrat,  July  5,  1866. 


456  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

threatening  the  overthrow  of  the  wagons  and  a  general  stampede  of 
the  stock.^  At  this  critical  juncture  a  hundred  footman  ranged  along 
the  flank  of  the  train,  emptied  their  rifles  into  the  bison,  killing  thir- 
teen outright,  wounding  many  others  and  causing  the  herd  to  wheel 
about,  change  direction  by  the  left  and  right,  and  with  a  wild  rush 
charge  headlong  through  the  ranks  of  the  horsemen. 

"The  expedition  moves  forward  again  tomorrow  morning.  Cap- 
tain Fisk  expects  to  reach  Fort  Union,  about  180  miles  distant  from 
this  point,  about  the  first  of  August. 

"The  party  under  Mr.  Holmes,  of  Shakopee,  which  left  Fort 
Wadsworth  ten  days  previous  to  the  departure  of  Captain  Fisk's 
expedition  from  Fort  Abercrombie,  arrived  at  Berthold  on  the  13th 
inst.,  and  departed  for  Fort  Union  on  the  14th.    All  reported  well. 

"The  party  who  seceded  from  Captain  Fisk  at  Abercrombie,  and 
who  left  that  post  under  the  leadership  of  Mr.  Steele  two  days  previ- 
ous to  the  departure  of  the  regular  organization,  reached  Berthold 
in  safety  on  the  18th  inst.,  and  left  the  following  morning  for  Fort 
Union.  The  emigrants  with  Steele  told  a  pitiful  tale  here  of  their 
sufferings  for  want  of  water,  being  repeatedly  compelled  to  sink 
deep  wells  to  save  themselves  and  cattle  from  perishing  from  thirst. 
Severe  marches,  bad  water  and  a  rough  road  to  travel  had  reduced 
the  stock  in  flesh,  and  a  score  of  bovines  sorely  afflicted  with  foot  ail 
were  barely  able  to  be  driven  loose  in  the  rear  of  the  train.  The  con- 
dition of  the  stock  with  Captain  Fisk  warrants  me  in  the  prediction 
that  our  train  will  pass  both  Holmes'  and  Steele's  party  before  reach- 
ing Fort  Benton. 

"I  have  merely  time  to  write  you  this  much  of  a  letter,  and  pass 
it  to  Antoine  (half-breed  guide  to  the  James  river),  who  has  accom- 
panied the  expedition  to  the  Missouri  to  act  as  mail  carrier,  and 
whose  hour  for  departure  has  already  come. 

"Fort  Union,  Montana  Territory,  August  8d,  IRGG. 
•'Editors  St.  Paul  Press: 

"I  have  the  pleasure  of  announcing  the  safe  arrival  at  this  point, 
on  the  morning  of  the  2d  inst.,  of  Captain  Fisk's  Montana  expedi- 
tion. The  trip  from  Fort  Berthold  to  Union,  one  hundred  and  fifty- 
two  miles,  was  free  from  accident  or  delav  of  anv  sort,  and  man  and 
beast  are  in  the  best  possible  trim  for  the  march  to  Fort  Benton, 
distant  three  hundred  and  sixty-eight  miles,  to  be  entered  upon  at  1 
o'clock  p.  m.  this  day. 


*This  was  at  Bone  Hill  crossing  of  the  James  River,  the  water  was  so  low 
that  in  the  channel  it  lay  in  little  stagnant  pools.  There  must  have  l»een 
) 00,000  biiflFalocs  and  for  a  time  it  looked  as  thoujth  our  train  would  be  cut 
in  two  by  their  charj?e. — C.  F.  Sims. 

'St.  Paul  Weekly  Press,   Aug.  9,   1866. 


STATE  OK  NORTH   DAKOTA  457 

"Thus  far  we  have  experienced  no  trouble  from  Indians.  Between 
this  and  Benton  we  anticipate  meeting  with  hostile  parties  of  Sioux, 
Crows  and  Blackfeet,  but  not  in  force  sufficient  to  cope  with  or  ma- 
terially harrass  our  organization.  The  success  thus  far  met  with  in 
traveling  the  northern  route  across  the  plains,  the  abundance  of 
grass,  the  general  excellence  of  water,  and  the  fair  supply  of  fuel, 
demonstrate  fully  its  feasibility  and  the  prominence  in  these  respects, 
as  well  as  in  the  large  saving  of  distance  which  it  assumes  over  the 
routes  south,  leading  from  Iowa,  Missouri  and  Kansas. 

"No  eastern  mail  of  a  date  prior  to  June  9th  has  been  received  at 
this  post,  and  our  party  are  consequently  without  any  late  home  in- 
telligence. News  from  Montana,  brought  down  by  miners,  home- 
ward bound  on  flat  boats,  is  conflicting — some  reporting  the  whole 
mining  country  of  the  mountains  a  humbug  and  a  cheat — while  oth- 
ers— who  have  reaped  a  golden  harvest  and  going  home  to  the  states 
satisfied  with  the  well  earned  thousands  carried  in  buckskin  belts  and 
pockets  about  their  persons — speak  enthusiastically  of  the  diggings, 
and  predict,  in  addition  to  the  profitable  working  of  the  present  ex- 
tensive mines,  the  discovery  of  new  and  rich  fields  of  gold  in  differ- 
ent parts  of  the  territory  during  the  present  season. 

"LOVELAND."'^ 

"We  are  permitted  to  copy  the  following  from  a  letter  written  by  a 
Mr.  C.  F.  Sims,  by  which  it  will  be  seen  that  the  Pioneer's  account 
was  totallv  incorrect: 

* 

"We  arrived  at  Fort  Union  at  noon  today  (Aug.  2d),  all  in  good 
health  and  in  fine  condition  for  marching  again.  We  are  getting 
along  well,  though  there  is  a  long  stretch  yet  before  us — some  six 
weeks'  travel.  Have  passed  over  some  awful  road  since  leaving  Fort 
Berthold,  but  have  not  been  troubled  by  the  Sioux,  and  are  nearly  out 
of  their  country,  but  the  Blackfeet  and  Crow  Indians  are  above  us 
on  the  war  path,  and  we  must  continue  to  march  with  great  caution. 

"Fort  Union  is  finely  located  and  is  an  interesting  sight,  both  on 
account  of  its  appearance  and  age.  It  was  built  thirty-six  years  ago 
by  Pierre  Choteau,  of  St.  Louis,  long  since  dead,  and  was  used  as  a 
trading  post  of  the  American  Fur  company. 

"About  sixty  men  reached  here  from  the  mines  in  Mackinaw  boats 
— ten  days  from  Fort  Benton.  Markets  are  not  favorable,  but  a 
heavy  emigration  is  going  into  that  country,  and  I  am  not  doubtful 
as  to  the  prospect. 

"This  is  the  last  post  before  reachinj^:  Fort  Benton.  E.  W.  and 
Bill  Harris  are  in  good  fighting  trim.    All  our  stock  is  doing  well."^ 

'St.  Paul  Weekly  Press,  Aug.  30.  1806. 
*St.  Cloud  Democrat,   Sept.  6,    1800. 


458  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

'^Headquarters  Fisk's  Montana  Expedition, 
"In  Camp  at  Fort  Union,  D.  T.  August  2,  1SG6. 

'To  the  Editor  of  the  St.  Paul  Pioneer : 

"Since  my  last,  which  was  from  Fort  Berthold,  we  have  had  excit- 
ing times.  On  the  22d  ult.  our  camp  was  attacked  by  Indians,  and 
the  pickets  driven  in,  but  owing  to  the  prompt  action  of  Major  Van 
H.  Fisk  (who  was  in  charge  of  the  guard),  the  enemy  were  unable 
to  reach  the  corral.  After  the  picket  had  discovered  the  Indians,  he 
fired  on  them,  and  gave  the  signal  for  the  camp  to  turn  out.  In  less 
than  five  minutes  every  man  had  reported  to  his  section  commander, 
and  the  section  commanders  had  reported  to  Captain  Ryan,  the  of- 
ficer of  the  guard,  for  orders.  Captain  James  L.  Fisk  was  promptly 
on  the  ground  and  gave  what  instructions  he  deemed  necessary  to 
the  war.  After  the  first  attack,  Major  Van  Fisk  mustered  his  re- 
serve picket  guard  and  went  to  the  attacking  point,  where  he  found 
some  Indians  lurking  around.  After  a  few  exchanged  shots,  he 
forced  the  red  skins  to  hors  du  combat,  and  after  seeing  that  every- 
thing was  in  shape  and  his  pickets  properly  posted,  he  reported  to 
headquarters,  when  he  received  more  men  with  instructions  to  double 
the  posts.  The  Indians  did  not  trouble  us  again  that  night.  Next 
day  they  kept  in  sight  of  the  train,  but  dare  not  attack  us. 

"Our  route  from  Fort  Berthold  lay  west  by  northwest,  the  roads 
were  good,  plenty  of  good  water  and  grass  and  no  scarcity  of  wood 
and  game  in  abundance. 

"On  the  evening  of  the  25th  some  twenty-five  or  thirty  Indians 
(mounted)  made  their  appearance  on  our  right  flank  and  came  with- 
in gunshot  of  the  train.  Captain  Fisk,  with  his  assistants,  went  to 
ascertain  their  business,  but  the  Indians  beat  a  hasty  retreat  on  the 
approach  of  the  party,  and  we  have  not  been  troubled  by  them  since. 

"We  arrived  at  this  point  at  10  a.  m.  today.  Captain  James  L. 
Fisk,  with  three  of  his  assistants  and  an  escort  of  thirty-five  mounted 
men,  went  in  advance  of  the  train  to  the  fort.  He  took  with  him  the 
United  States  mail,  which  was  entrusted  to  him  at  Fort  Berthold. 
The  captain  and  party  were  well  received  by  the  commanding  oflScer, 
Brevet  Lieutenant  Colonel  Ranking,  13th  U.  S.  A.  After  the  mail 
was  opened,  we  found  quite  a  number  of  letters  for  our  party.  The 
colonel  informed  Captain  Fisk  that  the  Crow  and  Blackfeet  Indians 
are  concentrating  their  forces  at  about  seventy  miles  northwest  from 
here,  for  the  purpose  of  warring  against  the  whites.  He  said  he 
feared  that  we  would  have  trouble  with  them.  A  few  days  ago  some 
2,000  Sioux  came  opposite  the  fort  to  trade,  after  they  got  the 
traders  on  the  opposite  side,  they  fired  into  them,  wounding  two 
and  taking  a  portion  of  the  goods.  So  the  prospects  of  a  brush  with 
the  red  skins  is  verv  favorable. 


STATE  OP  NOBTH  DAKOTA  4b9 

"One  of  our  scouts  has  just  come  in  and  reports  a  large  party  of 
Indians  ahead,  supposed  to  be  Assinaboines.  We  may  have  a  brush 
before  morning. 

"The  mail  goes  out  this  afternoon,  so  I  shall  close. 

"Sparta.'' 

"P.  S. — I  omitted  to  mention  that  some  of  our  party  intended  to 
cross  the  Missouri  river  at  this  point  and  go  up  the  Yellowstone, 
but  have  changed  their  minds  on  account  of  the  Indians,  and  intend 
remaining  with  Captain  Fisk's  party. 

"It  is  currently  reported  about  the  camp  that  Etter  and  T.  Van 
Etten  are  to  be  left  at  this  point  for  refusing  to  do  guard  duty  in 
camp,  and  for  selling  whisky  to  Indiana.  The  report  is  not  without 
foundation.  A  family  by  the  name  of  Bassitt  are  to  be  left  behind 
on  the  same  charge. 

"Sparta."^ 

The  following  letter  from  Captain  Fisk  to  Governor  Marshall  of 
Minnesota,  may  serve  as  an  excellent  close  to  the  story  of  this  ex- 
pedition : 

"Helena  City,  M.  T.,  Sept.  29, 1866. 

To  His  Excellencv,  Governor  Wm.  R.  Marshall : 

Dear  Governor : — Please  accept  a  line  or  two  from  your  humble 
servant  as  a  means  of  communicating  to  anxious  ones,  and  all  in- 
terested in  our  welfare,  the  fact  of  our  safe  arrival  here,  after  a  very 
pleasant  and  successful  journey.  All  our  Minnesota  trains  by  the 
northern  route  got  through  without  any  accident  whatever,  or  de- 
tention or  annoyance  or  hardship. 

Everybody  here  in  Montana  seem  elated  over  the  cheering  pros- 
pect of  a  northern  stage  line  from  IMinnesota  via  the  route  I  hope  I 
have  bv  this  time  fully  demonstrated  to  be  the  safest,  the  best  and 
one-half  shorter  than  any  other  now  or  heretofore  used. 

"I  am  trying  to  occupy  and  develop  the  beautiful  and  rich  country 
lying  at  the  head  of  the  Sun  River  valley,  and  if  successful,  I  shall 
confidently  expect  to  make  said  point  the  mountain  headquarters 
of  said  stage  line. 

"Say  to  Messrs.  Burbank,  Blakely  &  Co.  that  just  as  soon  as  I 
get  a  day's  leisure  I  will  complete  a  detailed  report  and  itinerary  of 
my  trips  and  the  route  of  this  season,  and  forward  the  same  to  them 
by  mail.  The  freight  and  emigrant  trains  that  left  Omaha,  Atchison 
and  Leavenworth  some  (2  1-2)  two  and  one-half  months  before 
I  left  Minnesota  are  just  now  coming  in  here — fully  two  weeks 
later  than  we — while  they  have  all  suflFcred  largely  in  the  loss  of  life 
and  property  along  the  way  from  continued  and  most  desperate  at- 
tacks from  Indains. 


4f 

it 


*St.  Paul  Weekly  Pioneer,  Aug.  31,  1866. 


460  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


More  than  300  emigrants  have  been  massacred  by  Indians 
on  the  'Bowman's  Cut-off  route  alone  this  season.  Seventy  men 
were  killed  at  one  battle  near  the  Yellowstone  a  few  weeks  since, 
and  the  whole  route  is  strewn  with  fresh  graves. 

"If  that  or  any  other  route  is  to  be  used  as  highway  to  Montana 
they  certainly  should  be  protected  by  the  general  government.  Par- 
ties interested  in  ferries  and  other  objects  of  speculation  over  these 
several  routes  try  hard  to  prevent  the  publication  of  these  stern  and 
lamentable  facts  concerning  Indian  depredations,  but  I  speak  from 
what  I  gather  from  survivors  of  the  trains  that  have  suffered  and 
yet  got  through  here. 

**Our  northern  route  has  this  great  advantage  over  all  the  rest, 
and  will  always  continue  to  hold  that  advantage,  that  is,  its  freedom 
(almost  entire)  from  rough,  broken  or  ambushed  country,  so  that 
it  is  next  to  impossible  for  the  savage  ever  to  surprise  or  seriously 
injure  or  detain  any  organized  party,  however  small  in  number.  And 
so  far  as  the  establishment  of  a  stage  line  is  concerned,  I  can  safely 
say  that  its  entire  protection  can  be  secured  by  judicious  employment 
of  just  what  troops  are  already  uselessly  scattered  over  the  great 
barren  wastes  of  Dakota  east  and  north  of  the  Missouri. 

"As  an  evidence  of  *he  farce  now  being  enacted  up  in  this  part 
of  the  world,  or  on  the  upper  Missouri,  so  far  as  military  is  con- 
cerned, I  will  suggest  that  a  force  of  800  troops — partly  mounted — 
were  sent  up  this  last  summer  to  give  protection  to  and  assist  in  de- 
veloping the  area  of  country  embracing  Fort  Benton,  Great  Fall  of 
the  Missouri,  Sun  River  valley  and  the  gold  belts  adjacent.  But  in- 
stead of  establishing  this  force  where  they  could  or  can  be  reached 
in  case  of  trouble,  or  made  in  some  degree  the  means  of  protection 
and  encouragement  in  settling  and  developing  the  country,  they  have 
been  stuck  in  a  narrow  canon  or  isolated  gulch  making  up  from 
the  Missouri  some  forty-five  or  fifty  miles  below  Fort  Benton,  and 
and  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  where  it  would  almost  beat  the 
oldest  mountaineer  to  find  them,  and  even  when  found  could  not  be 
got  out  of  there  to  be  of  any  avail  whatever  before  it  would  be  too 
late.  There  is  no  settlement  nearer  to  the  garrison  than  Benton, 
and  Benton  itself  is  well  down  beyond  the  region  where  their  pres- 
ence is  most  needed.  In  short,  it  confuses  evervbodv  here,  and 
throughout  the  territory,  with  one  accord  to  fathom  or  devise  what 
earthly  object  there  can  be  in  the  present  farcical  disposition  of  paid 
military  forces. 

"The  Sun  River  valley  offers  the  finest  field  possible  for  a  fort. 
The  comfortable,  r^A\y  superb  accommodations  and  facilities  for 
the  wintering  of  said  tropps,  and  for  their  permanent  base  of  opera- 
tions, while  from  that  base  they  could  give  permanent  protection  and 
encouragement  to  the  occupation  and  development  of  almost  the 
very  richest  and  fairest  of  the  whole  territory,  but  which  now  lies 
at  the  mercy  of  the  roving  war  parties  from  the  'Blackfeet,'  'Bloods* 


STATE  OF  NOKTU    DAKOTA  461 

and  Teagans.'  It  is  the  expressed  wish  and  earnest  desire  of  every 
public,  private,  and  of  every  citizen  in  the  territory,  to  see  those 
troops  at  once  removed  to  permanent  stations  on  the  Sun  river,  and 
it  is  certainly  to  be  hoped  that  it  may  yet  be  speedily  done.  I  cannot 
believe  that  General  Sherman,  or  General  Cook,  or  any  of  the  mili- 
tary heads  at  home,  whose  part  it  is  to  take  cognizance  of  these 
things,  are  properly  advised  of  this  case,  or  it  would  certainly  not 
long  exist  as  it  now  stands.  I  write  to  you  upon  this  subject  in  the 
hope  that  perhaps  you  may.  through  our  members  and  senators  in 
congress,  whose  hearts  I  know  are  always  with  the  pioneers  of  the 
west,  bring  the  matter  to  the  earnest  attention  of  the  proper  authori- 
ties. 

"The  health  of  all  our  Minnesota  adventurers  is  excellent,  and 
most  of  them  are  in  tolerable  cheer,  although  just  now,  as  has  been 
the  case  with  all  new  mining  countries,  Montana  is  entering  upon, 
or  rather,  beginning  to  experience  quite  a  revulsion,  owing  to  the 
unparalleled  influx  of  people,  merchandise  and  supplies,  and  the 
lack  of  new  discoveries  of  placer  mines.  I  cannot  think,  however, 
that  this  condition  of  things  will  last  more  than  one  season,  for  the 
certain  discovery  of  a  few  more  such  gulches  as  the  *Alder,*  'Last 
Chance,'  etc.,  etc.,  will  again  remove  the  fever,  and  emigration  again 
set  in.  Plundreds  that  come  out  this  season  are  wheeling  right  about 
for  home,  without  even  visiting  a  mine  or  striking  a  blow  of  any 
kind  to  see  what  might  result  from  their  effort.  And  many  of  those 
will  declare,  on  their  arrival  in  the  states,  that  Montana  is  all  a 
humbug,  etc.,  etc.  My  confidence  is  as  firm  as  ever  in  the  boundless 
wealth  of  this  great  territory,  and  I  see  nothing  whatever  to  discour- 
age me  from  driving  my  stake  here,  for  perhaps  a  life  time.  The 
quartz  lodes  hereabouts  and  elsewhere  in  Montana  are  developing 
richlv,  and  mills  are  cominGf  in  and  being  erected  rapidly. 

"Major  Cullen  is  flourishing  here  with  many  irons  in  the  fire,  and 
all  seeming  to  bring  him  in  a  good  deal  of  net  profit. 

"He  will  start  for  home  by  the  Missouri  river  (small  boats)  about 
the  first  of  October.  Philip  Reaupre,  my  first  assistant  on  the  ex- 
pedition just  closed,  heads  a  party  of  fifty  or  seventy-five  good  men. 
with  saddle  and  pack  animals,  to  start  tomorrow  for  Minnesota,  via 
the  northern  overland  route,  and  over  the  trail  of  our  train  last  sum- 
mer.   They  expect  to  reach  St.  Goud  by  the  1st  of  November. 

"Hoping  to  learn  of  your  disposition  to  encourage  and  co-operate 
with  any  future  parties  aiming  to  substantiallv  open  up  this  excel- 
sior route,  and  with  assurance  of  my  best  wishes  for  your  excel- 
lency's c:ood  health  and  fortune,  I  have  the  honor  to  remain, 

"N.  P.  r.angford  is  w^ell  and  now  on  his  way  over  from  Virginia 
to  establish  his  office  and  headquarters  at  this  point. 

"Very  truly  yours, 

"James  L.  Fisk,''^ 

*St.  Paul  Weekly  Press,  Oct.  25,  1866. 


^ 


INDIANS  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA 


^^ 


RUSHING  WAR  EAGLE   (BAD  GUN) 


STATE  OF   NORTH    DAKOTA  465 


BAD  GUN   (RUSHING-AFTER-THE-EAGLE.) 

Suk-shi,  Good-Boy,  who  founded  the  Mandan  Fort  Qark  village, 
was  Bad  Gun's  grandfather  and  was  born  at  Slant  village.  He  was 
80  or  90  years  old  when  he  died.  Four  Bears,  Ma-ta-to-pe,  died  in 
1837  at  the  aire  of  53 ;  he  was  born  on  Heart  river,  north  side,  prob- 
ably.   Four  Bears  was  Bad  Gun*s  father. 

His  mother,  Brown  Woman,  was  a  Mandan,  who  died  in  1837, 
about  53  years  of  age. 

Slant  village  was  built  by  Good-Fur-Blanket;  a  few  years  after  his 
death  Suk-shi  became  chief  of  the  Slant  village  while  he  was  yet 
a  young  man.  He  was  at  Fort  Clark  village  nine  years  after  estab- 
lishing it,  before  he  died. 

Gobd-Fur-Blanket  had  told  them  to  go  on  till  a  star  at  the  north 
should  be  over  their  village.  He  went  on  w^ar  parties  in  all  direc- 
tions. 

Bad  Gun  w^as  bom  at  Fort  Clark  village  in  1829.  After  the  1837 
smallpox  scourge,  he  went  to  the  Hidatsa  village,  north  of  Knife 
river,  and  lived  with  a  relation.  Blue  Bug,  a  Mandan  w^oman,  who 
had  married  Entrails,  a  Grosventre.  Here  came  also  his  two  sisters ; 
because  they  were  deserted.  Blue  Bug  sent  for  them  and  took  care 
of  them ;  this  was  in  the  middle  of  the  winter.  Next  summer  they 
moved  to  Rock  village.  The  next  season  they  moved  across  the 
river  to  the  Perished  Children  village. 

The  Grosventres  and  Mandans  together  moved  to  Rock  village 
and  some  Arikara.  Rock  village  was  a  quarter  of  a  mile  west  of 
Expansion,  up  the  river.  Perished  Children  village  is  in  the  timber 
and  was  established  by  a  Mandan,  Flying  Eagle ;  they  were  here  one 
year.  Then  they  moved  to  just  below  old  Fort  Berthold  and  lived 
here  three  years  in  the  timber;  they  had  regular  lodges  here.  Black 
Shield  was  the  Grosventre  chief  who  established  this  village  in  1839. 
Bad  Gun  was  15  years  old  when  thev  finallv  located  at  Fort  Berthold. 
Here  was  the  first  time  they  received  annuity  goods  of  the  govern- 
ment. These  goods  were  landed  at  Fort  Clark  where  Kipp  was  the 
agent  in  charge.  Flying  Eagle  was  chosen  chief  in  council.  Kipp 
moved  up  to  Berthold  one  vear  later  and  built  a  trader's  post.  The 
Berthold  village  was  established  in  1842  by  a  Missouri  river  Gros- 
ventre chief. 

When  the  Rees  left  Grand  river  they  went  to  Black  Hills,  and 
later  came  to  the  deserted  five  villages  of  the  Grosventres  and  Man- 
dans  and  lived  there,  suffering  severely  from  smallpox  themselves. 


466  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Bad  Gun  became  a  warrior  at  the  age  of  10,  taking  part  in  driving- 
off  the  Sioux  when  thev  attacked  his  tribe. 

His  name,  Rushing- After-the-Eagle,  came  to  him  at  30  years  of 
age,  after  kilHng  a  Sioux  and  scalping  him.  Up  to  this  time  he  was 
called  Bad  Gun,  a  name  given  him  by  his  grandfather  at  his  birth. 
In  his  first  sun  dance,  in  which  he  endured  the  chest  torture,  he  hung 
over  a  high  bank  all  night,  the  old  way  learned  from  Good-Fur- 
Blanket.  His  first  sun  dance  was  at  Fort  Berthold  when  he  was  25 
years  old.  Six  more  times  he  was  hung  up  by  the  back  at  the  buffa- 
lo dances  and  once  at  a  sun  dance. 

Big  Turtle  and  Broken  Axe,  Mandans,  made  the  medicine  at  two^ 
of  the  buffalo  dances. 

He  made  his  hunting  and  war  medicine  when  he  was  21  years  old. 
When  he  has  this  cap  or  bonnet  he  has  good  luck  in  hunting  and 
war.  The  feathers  were  colored  all  colors  and  there  was  a  buffalo 
flower  in  it.  The  owl  feathers  were  tied  in  hair  all  in  a  bunch.  He 
wore  his  long  hair  tied  out  on  a  slant  in  front  with  his  medicine  even 
when  he  went  to  see  the  agent.  At  Fort  Buford  he  and  Poor  Wolf 
were  chosen  chief  counsellors,  in  1865  at  36,  and  he  was  chief  of  the 
Mandans.  / 

At  the  age  of  46  he  was  sent  to  Washington,  one  year  before 
Custer  massacre,  1875.  There  went  with  him  the  Mandans,  Dance- 
Flag  and  Running-Face,  interpreter  Chas.  Packenau,  Jos.  Packenau'*? 
father,  also  three  Rees,  Son-of-Star,  father  of  John  Sitting  Bear. 
Bull  Head  and  Black  Fox,  and  their  interpreter,  Peter  Beauchamp. 
This  was  a  year  after  a  great  treatv  was  made  at  Fort  Lincoln.  The 
Sioux  had  just  come  up  and  killed  six  of  his  relations.  He  opposed 
Custer\s  goinir  up  to  the  Little  Bis:  Horn,  and  did  so  in  opposition 
to  the  rest  of  his  tribe,  and  in  1875  he  stopped  Custer's  going  for  a 
year. 

He  was  married  at  the  a^e  of  36  to  a  Grosventre  woman,  Woman- 
in-the-Watcr.  He  left  Fort  Berthold  at  the  age  of  56  to  go  to  his 
allotment  near  P»en  Benson's,  ani  then  moved  down  to  the  place  of 
his  two  sons  on  the  Little  Missouri  in  1*^07. 

When  15  years  old  at  Fort  Berthold  he  had  his  first  gfim,  a  flint 
lock  musket.  The  first  gun  came  into  the  territory  south  of  Heart 
river,  and  probably  it  was  one  picked  up  from  the  Sioux.  He  could 
not  well  use  his  first  gun,  and  did  not  know  how  to  pull  up  the  ham- 
mer, and  kq)t  striking  the  gun  at  the  stock  and  saying  *'go  off.**  He 
was  4  vcars  old  when  he  went  with  his  father  to  meet  a  white  man  in 

ar 

a  boat,  and  they  received  presents.     (Tliis  was  the  date  of  Max- 
milian's  visit  to  the  Mandans,  1833. 

Bad  Gun  has  hell  the  following  government  offices  at  Fort  Berth- 
old  bv  appointment  from  the  department  of  interior:  Lieutenant  of 
V,  S.  nolice  service,  Aunr.  11,1881,  to  June  30,  18S2.  and  from  Aiig. 
28,  1882,  to  June  30,  1883;  judge  of  court  of  Indian  offences.  Sent. 
17,  1885,  to  June  30,  1880.  His  certificate  of  recognition  as  a  chief 


STATE  OF  NORTH   DAKOTA  467 

(2nd)  of  Mandans  is  dated  July  25,  1874.  He  was  made  lieutenant 
of  the  United  States  police  service  (Indian),  removable  every  six 
months,  Jan.  18,  1881.    His  term  expired  June  30,  1881. 

Bad  Gun  held  the  following  offices  at  Fort  Berthold:  Chief  of 
Mandans  and  captain  of  the  working  band,  July  6,  1878 ;  judge  of 
court  of  Indian  offences,  Nov.  10,  1884,  to  June  30,  1885 ;  lieutenant 
of  Indian  police  force  (U.  S.),  July  31,  1879;  second  chief  of  Man- 
dans, Rushing- War-Eagle,  July  29,  1875,  and  April  12, 1876. 

The  following  letters  will  give  still  further  some  of  the  actual  re- 
lations of  Bad  Gun  with  the  United  States  authorities,  and  the  sub- 
joined Indian  letter,  which  is  reproduced  exactly,  is  typical  of  the 
attitude  of  these  wards  of  the  government  toward  those  agents  who 
not  infrequently  abused  their  authority: 

Copy  of  an  Indian  Letter^  Dated  Jan.  18,  1875. 
"By  Request  of  the  Mandan  Indians. 

"when  i  was  at  Washingto  the  grate  father  tolde  mea  that  he  would 
give  mea  plenty  to  eat  and  it  maid  my  hart  good  but  when  i  cam 
back  he  giv  meas  nothing  and  my  children  died  of  like  flyes,  i  know 
that  the  grate  father  giv  us  plenty  but  the  agent  dont  giv  it  to  us, 
he  givs  us  the  guts  of  the  beaf  and  we  dont  like  it.  he  dont  giv  us 
half  a  nuff  to  eat.  When  I  scan  the  grate  father  he  said  i  would  not 
habt  to  work.  We  ar  not  strong  and  cant  do  hard  work,  the  grat 
father  gave  us  plenty  but  tha  burnt  it  all  up.  This  agent  has  maid 
us  poor  when  his  brother  went  a  way  he  taken  plenty  of  our  money 
and  then  his  wife  and  then  he  went  and  taken  the  balance,  the  grate 
lather  tolde  mea  that  this  man  was  good  but  when  we  came  back  we 
found  it  wors  than  it  ever  was.  the  grate  father  tolde  us  that  the 
white  man  wouldn't  chopping  our  wood  but  tha  have  not.  when  i 
was  at  Washington  i  wanted  the  r.gent  to  buy  the  stuf  so  I  could 
see  it  but  he  would  not.  the  grate  father  tolde  mea  that  he  would 
giv  mea  rations  every  six  days  but  he  did  not.  we  looked  hard  for  it 
he  left,  the  grate  father  sed  he  would  giv  mea  lots  of  henry  guns 
and  neadle  guns  but  he  has  not  giv  us  but  a  few.  when  i  shok  hands 
with  the  grate  father  my  hart  was  good,  i  have  always  been  the 
white  mans  frend,  i  have  treated  them  as  my  own  peopel  the  grate 
father  told  us  that  we  was  good  and  tolde  us  to  "pliair"  and  we 
would  have  plenty,  the  grate  father  tolde  us  if  this  agent  did  not 
do  right  to  send  him  of,  but  he  went  of  himself,  the  grate  father 
told  us  when  we  got  a  good  man  to  keep  him  but  we  hav  not  got  one 
yet. 

Yours  Exspetvasll 

the  Bold  eo^le 
the  rushino;  War  eagle. 

Scared  face 
Members  of  the  Mandan  tribe.'* 


468  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

U.  S.  Indian  Agency,  Fort  Berthold,  D.  T.,  27th  Sept.,  1871. 

The  bearer,  "Bad  Gun,"  2nd  chief  of  the  Mandans,  with  forty  of 
his  band  (with  their  famiUes)  have  permission  to  leave  the  Agency 
and  reservation  for  the  purpose  of  hunting  and  going  into  wintei 
quarters. 

"Bad-gun"  is  one  of  the  few  good  and  intelHgent  Indians,  and  he 
is  worthy  of  any  kindness  and  assistance  that  the  whites  may  be  able 
to  render  him. 

John  E.  Tappan, 
United  States  Indian  Agent. 

Fort  Buford,  D.  T.,  Oct.  2,  1872. 
To  Whom  It  May  Concern: 

The  bearer  of  this  paper  is  "Bad  Gun"  or  "Swooping  Eagle,"  sec- 
■cond  chief  of  the  Mandans. 

I  have  known  him  intimately  for  a  number  of  years.  He  is  a 
brave  and  intelligent  Indian  and  a  fast  friend  of  the  whites.  He  is 
a  good  hunter  and  much  more  inclined  to  sustain  himself  by  his  own 
exertions  than  by  begging,  but  the  necessities  of  his  people  some- 
times compel  him  to  ask  for  assistance. 

Anything  in  the  way  of  provisions,  clothing  or  ammunition  which 
may  be  given  him  will  be  well  and  worthily  bestowed. 

Washington  Matthews, 
Assist.  Surg.  U.  S.  A. 

U.  S.  Indian  Agency,  Fort  Berthold,  D.  T.,  Nov.  5,  1872. 

Lieut.  Col.  Dan'l  Huston,  7th  Inf.,  Commanding  Officer,  Fort  Bu- 
fuord,  D.  T. : 

Colonel : — The  bearer,  "Bad  Gun,"  is  the  head  chief  of  the  Man- 
dans ;  he  intends  to  winter  with  the  Grosventres.  He  is  one  of  the 
best  Indians  at  this  Agency.  Permit  me  to  ask  for  him  and  his  band 
such  assistance  as  you  can  give  them  in  the  way  of  food  and  ammuni- 
tion.   Very  respectfully,  your  ob't.  servant, 

John  E.  Tappan, 
U.  S.  Indian  Agent  Arrickaree,  Grosventres  and  Mandans. 

Fort  Lincoln,  D.  T.,  August  1,  1873. 

The  bearer.  Bad  Gun,  second  chief  of  the  Mandans,  has  this  day, 
together  with  the  Arickarees  and  Grosventres,  met  me  in  council. 
I  have  found  him  a  good  and  well  disposed  Indian  and  well  spoken 
of  by  the  agent.  This  paper  is  given  to  him  at  his  request  and  as  an 
•encouragement  to  continued  good  behavior. 

Edw.  p.  Smith, 
•  Com.  Indian  Affairs. 


STATE  OF  NORTH   DAKOTA  469 


Arrickaree,  Grosventre  and  Mandan  Agency, 
Fort  Berthold,  Dakota,  Nov.  4,  1873. 
To  Whom  It  May  Concern: 

This  paper  is  given  to  "Bad  Gun,"  the  second  chief  of  the  Mandan 
tribe  at  this  agency.  He  has  always  been  a  friendly  and  reliable  In- 
dian, and  is  well  thought  of  by  the  people  here. 

L.  B.  Sperry, 
U.  S.  Indian  Agent. 

Fort  Berthold,  D.  T.,  Dec.  27,  1876. 

This  IS  to  certify  that  the  bearer,  Bad  Gun,  2nd  chief  of  the  Man- 
dan Indians  of  that  agency,  has  been  a  good  and  reliable  Indian 
while  I  have  been  at  that  agency,  has  always  used  his  influence  with 
his  people  for  good,  and  is,  I  think,  one  of  the  most  reliable  Indians 
at  the  agency,  is  friendly  towards  the  whites  and  will  not  molest 
them  or  their  prop€rt>\  He  is  deserving  of  kind  treatment  from 
them.  Any  of  my  friends  who  can  do  him  a  favor  will  oblige  their 
obedient  servant, 

C.  W.  Darling,  U.  S.  I.  R. 

United  States  Indian  Service, 
Fort  Berthold  Agency,  D.  Terr.,  Sept.  25,  188  L 

Gen.  Passenger  Agent  N.  P.  R.  R.,  Dickinson,  D.  T. : 

Sir:— The  bearer,  "Bad  Gun,"  and  a  party  of  ten  Indians  belong- 
ing to  this  Agency,  are  on  their  way  to  the  New  Crow  Agency, 
Mont.,  for  the  purpose  of  visiting  relatives  and  friends.  I  will  be 
under  many  obligations  to  you  and  the  railroad  which  you  represent 
in  assisting  them  on  their  journey  by  passing  these  persons  over  the 
road  to  Custer  Station  and  return.  They  are  kindly  disposed  and 
are  friendly  to  the  whites  in  general. 

Trusting  that  this  request  may  be  granted  them,  and  assuring  you 
that  I  will  ever  appreciate  said  favor, 

Yours  truly, 

J.  Emmerich, 
Clerk  in  Charge,  Acting  Agent. 

United  States  Indian  Service, 
Fort  Berthold,  D.  T.,  Agency,  Feb.  9,  1888. 

The  bearer,  ''Bad  Gun,"  a  Mandan  Indian  belonging  to  this  Agen- 
cy is  one  of  the  most  influential  Indians  here,  and  has  during  my 
term  of  service  been  ever  faithful  in  the  discharge  of  his  duty  and  in 
using  his  influence  in  a  proper  way  among  the  Indians.  His  policy 
is  as  instructed,  industrv  and  thrift,  which  means  eventuallv  civiliza- 
tion  and  self  support. 

AbRAM   J.   GiFFORD, 

U.  S.  Indian  Agent. 


470  STATE  HISTORfCAL  SOCIETY 

Fort  Berthold  Agency,  D.  T.,  July  1,  1889. 
Maj.  H.  D.  Gallagher,  U.  S.  Indian  Agent,  Pine  Ridge  Agency: 

Sir: — As  per  your  permission  under  date  of  the  5th  inst.  I  have 
given  the  following  named  Indians  belonging  to  this  agency  permis- 
sion to  visit  the  Indians  under  your  charge  for  the  period  of  thirty- 
five  days,  commencing  from  the  above  date.  They  have  been  in- 
structed to  report  to  you  immediately  upon  their  arrival.  This  party 
is  in  charge  of  "Bad  Gun,"  one  of  my  most  trustworthy  policemen, 
whom  I  hold  responsible  for  the  general  deportment  of  the  persons 
hereinafter  named : 

Gun-Guarding-the-House,  Lone  Fight,  Cedar- Wood-Feather,  En- 
emy Heart,  One  Horn,  Water  Chief,  White  Eagle,  Black  Rabbit. 

U.  S.  Indian  Service, 
Fort  Berthold  Agency,  D.  T.,  July  1,  1889. 

To  Whom  It  May  Concern : 

The  bearer  of  this  letter.  Bad  Gun,  an  Indian  belonging  to  this 
Agency,  who  is  in  charge  of  a  party  of  Indians  belonging  to  this 
reservation,  is  en  route  to  visit  friends  at  Pine  Ridge  Agency.  I 
trust  that  all  white  men  with  whom  they  may  come  in  contact,  will 
treat  them  with  proper  courtesy.  They  are  a  harmless  as  well  as 
industrious  body  of  men  and  a  friend  of  all  whites. 

Thomas  H.  B.  Jones, 
U.  S.  Indian  Agent,  Per  Ex. 

Endorsed  at  Standing  Rock  agency  July  8,  1889,  by  Jas.  Mc- 
Laughlin. 


Story  of  a  TvIedal,  Related  by  its  Owner^  Gun-that-guards- 

the-house. 

The  medal,  now  in  the  possession  of  Gun-That-Guards-the-House, 
belonged  to  She-hc-ke,  Coyote,  who  was  one  of  the  chiefs  of  the 
Mandan  village  just  north  of  Bad  Water  creek,  called  Scoria  Hill 
village.  There  were  two  villages  here,  one  each  side  of  the  river, 
and  this  was  the  one  on  the  north  side. 

On  day  a  white  man  came  up  the  river  with  a  boat  in  which  were 
thirty  others,  part  of  whom  rowed  and  part  of  whom  pulled  the 
boat  by  a  rope.  They  were  very  tired,  and  those  pulling  the  boat  had 
sore  shoulders.  No  one  welcomed  them,  and  so  She-he-ke  invited 
them  to  his  tepee,  gave  them  food  and  cured  their  sores.  When 
they  were  all  rested  they  decided  to  go  no  further,  and  the  white 
man  asked  She-he-ke  to  go  to  Washington  with  him.  He  consented 
and  took  his  wife  and  young  son,  then  about  two  years  old.  His 
wife's  name  was  Yellow  Corn.  They  stayed  away  for  several  years, 
and  when  they  brought  them  back  the  Rees  fired  on  the  boat  and 
drove  them  back.    A  year  later  a  boat  with  soldiers  and  a  big  Amer- 


GUN-GUARDING-HOUSE 


STATE  OF  NORTH   DAKOTA  471 


ican  flag  came  up  the  river.  She-he-ke  had  been  away  so  long  that 
his  son  could  speak  good  English.  He  brought  many  presents  with 
>iim  from  Washington,  a  medal  dated  1797  among  the  others.  At 
Washington  he  had  been  told  to  always  remain  on  friendly  terms 
with  the  whites,  and  that  he  had  better  remain  out  of  wars  altogeth- 
er. His  tepee  was  built  four-sided,  like  the  white  men's  houses, 
and  he  had  a  big  American  flag  flying  above  it.  She-he-ke  was  killed 
in  a  fight  with  the  Sioux  on  one  occasion  when  he  went  out  to  watch 
his  people  drive  them  away.  He  was  about  forty  years  of  age  when 
he  went  to  Washington,  and  he  was  living  at  the  greater  Mandan 
village  near  Fort  Clark  when  he  was  killed.  The  family  of  She- 
he-ke  is  as  follows : 

The  son  of  She-he-ke  was  White-Painted  House,  born  in  1804  at 
Scoria  Hill  village,  and  died  at  the  age  of  56,  about  1860,  at  Big 
Bend  camp,  opposite  Shell  creek.  His  name  was  given  him  by  an 
aunt  who  kept  her  tent  white  with  clay,  and  she  called  him  from 
that  White-Painted-House. 

The  son  of  White-Painted-House  was  Tobacco,  born  in  1832  at 
the  east  village,  Big  Village  of  the  Mandans  on  the  Knife  river,  and 
died  at  the  age  of  30  in  Perished  Children  village.  His  wife  was 
Beaver  Woman.  Tobacco's  son  is  Gun-That-Guards-the-House.  He 
was  born  in  1852,  six  miles  below  the  old  Arikara  village,  opposite 
Fort  Berthold,  at  Big  Bank  village,  and  Move  Slowly  or  Sitting 
Buflfalo  was  head  man  here.  His  wife  is  Eagle  Woman.  He  still 
keeps  the  medal  and  is  proud  of  it. 

The  following  mention  of  She-he-ke  is  made  by  those  who  met 
him  on  their  travels : 

In  the  original  journals  of  the  Lewis  and  Clark  expedition,  edited 
by  Thwaites,  we  have  the  following  very  interesting  account  of  She- 
lie-ke,  or  Big  White.  This  will  show  how  the  memory  of  Gun-that- 
Guards-the-House  has  grasped  and  held  the  story  of  his  kin,  and  how 
accurately  he  has  held  to  the  early  account.  In  the  journal  we  are 
told  of  the  difficulties  of  Sfoing  up  the  river  just  at  this  point  where 
they  are  about  to  meet  Big  White.  The  party  must  drag  the  boat 
over  the  sand  bars,  and  they  were  also  at  a  loss  to  find  the  channel, 
and  so  they  approached  the  village  tired  and  lame  from  their  exer- 
tions.^ "Two  chiefs  came  to  have  some  talk,  one  of  the  principal  of 
the  lower  village,  the  other  the  man  who  thought  himself  the  prin- 
cipal man,  &  requested  to  hear  Some  of  the  Speech  that  was  Deliv- 
ered Yesterday  they  were  gratified,  we  put  the  medal  on  the  neck  of 
the  Big  white  to  whome  we  had  Sent  Qothes  yesterday  &  a  flag — "^ 
The  journal  continues :  "a  fine  morning,  the  Chief  of  the  iMandans 
Sent  a  2d  Chief  to  invite  us  to  his  Lodge  to  receive  Som  corn  & 
"here  what  he  had  to  say.     I  walked  down,  *****  he  had  put  before 

'Thwaites.  Original  Journal   of  the  Lewis  and   Clark  Expedition,  N.  Y., 
1904  I..   20.5. 
*Ib.,  I.,  213. 


472  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIEIY 

me  2  of  the  Steel  traps  which  was  robed  from  the  french  a  Short 
time  ago,  (and)  about  12  bushels  of  corn."^  The  next  entry  reports, 
"a  verry  cx)ld  day  wind  from  the  NW.  the  Big  White  Grand  Chief  of 
the  1st  village,  came  and  informed  us  that  a  large  Drove  of  Buffalow 
was  near  and  his  people  were  waiting  for  us  to  join  them  in  the 
chase."^ 

In  the  story  of  Gun-that-Guards-the-House  he  takes  no  account  of 
months  which  transpired  between  the  time  the  journey  that  Lewis 
and  Clark  made  after  they  had  met  Big  White.  Nearly  twenty 
months  fly  along  before  the  expedition  returns,  and  Big  White  is 
persuaded  to  visit  the  Great  Father  at  Washington.^ 

The  explanation  of  the  visit  of  Big  White  among  the  whites  is  as 
follows :  "This  Mandan  Chief,  Shahaka,  remained  a  year  among  the 
whites,  and  in  the  summer  of  1807,  Clark,  then  Indian  agent  for 
Louisiana,  sent  him  up  the  Missouri  with  two  trading  parties  and 
a  small  detachment  of  soldiers.  During  Shahaka's  absence,  his  peo- 
ple and  the  Arikara  had  been  engaged  in  hostilities,  and  the  latter 
tribe  had  been  joined  by  the  Sioux.  On  Sept.  9th  these  hostiles  at- 
tacked the  American  party — ^and  compelled  him  to  return  to  St. 
Louis.  Shahaka  was  finally  sent  to  his  home  by  Lewis,  arriving 
there  Sept.  24,  1809. "^  About  the  only  great  discrepancy  that  Gun- 
that-Guards-the-House  makes  is  the  point  of  time.  To  him  after  a 
hundred  years  this  story  had  very  close  connection  in  time,  while  in 
reality  there  was  a  lapse  of  five  years  in  the  whole  story. 

Two  years  after  our  chief  returns  to  his  people,  Bradbury  travels 
mto  the  Mandan  country  and  he  tells  of  his  first  meeting  with  the 
great  chief.  "They  conducted  us  to  the  lodge  of  She-he-ke,  the 
chief,  where  we  alighted.  He  met  us  at  the  door,  and  after  shaking 
hands  with  us,  said  to  my  great  surprise,  in  English,  'Come  in 
house.'*  I  was  again  surprised,  on  entering  the  lodge,  to  see  a  fine 
dunghill  cock.  On  inquiry  I  found  that  She-he-ke  had  brought  it 
with  him  from  the  United  States  at  the  time  he  had  accompanied 
Messrs.  Lewis  and  Clarke,  where  also  he  learnt  his  English.*'*  Dur- 
ing this  visit  of  Bradbury  She-he-ke  told  him  that  he  had  a  great 
wish  to  live  with. the  whites,  and  we  find  that  a  number  of  his  people 
were  also  willing  to  try  the  white  man's  life  after  the  chief  had  told 
them  of  the  wonders  of  the  great  white  man's  town  down  the  river. 

During  the  same  month  and  vcar  that  Bradbury  meets  the  chief, 
Brackcnridge  comes  up  to  the  Indian  village,  and  She-he-ke  comes 
to  meet  him.    Brackcnridge  savs :    "He  is  a  fine  looking  Indian,  and* 
very  intelligent — his  complexion  fair,  very  little  different  from  that 


*Thwaites.  Original  Journal  of  the  Lewi*;  and  Clark  Expedition,  I.,  214. 
'Tb.,  1..  2B4. 

"lb.,   v.,   343,  345,  351,  353,   378. 
Mb.,  v.,  393.   footnote. 

•Thwaites,   Early  Western  Travels,   Cleveland,  Ohio,   1007,  V.,   15!,   15^,. 
!62-4. 


STATE  OF   NORTH    DAKOTA  473 

of  a  white  man  exposed  to  the  sun.  His  wife  also  accompanied  him 
— has  a  good  complexion  and  agreeable  features.  They  had  re- 
turned home  loaded  with  presents,  but  have  since  fallen  into  disre- 
pute from  the  extravagant  tales  they  related  as  to  what  they  had  wit- 
nessed ;  for  the  Mandans  treat  with  ridicule  the  idea  of  there  being 
a  greater  or  more  numerous  people  than  themselves."^  The  chief 
also  expressed  the  wish  to  go  back  and  live  with  the  whites  again. 
She-he-ke  was  very  much  discontented  with  the  life  and  crudeness 
around  him,  and  we  also  find  that  the  brother  Indians  looked  upon 
the  chief  with  disdain  and  distrust. 


ENMEGAHBOWH— A  CHIPPEWA  MISSIONARY. 

Leroy  Jackson. 

Enmegahbowh  (English  name,  John  Johnson)  was  the  son  of 
full  blood  Indian  parents  living  near  Rice  lake,  north  of  Lake  On- 
tario, in  Canada.  His  parents  belonged  to  the  Ottawa  nation,  but 
they  lived  with  the  Rice  Lake  band  of  Chippewas,  and  certain  evi- 
dence seems  to  indicate  that  Enmegahbowh  had  blood  relatives 
among  the  members  of  this  nation. ^  The  date  of  his  birth  cannot  be 
given  with  more  than  approximate  correctness.  He  would  never 
tell  his  age,  he  was  rather  reticent  in  regard  to  such  matters.  At  the 
time  of  his  death,  however,  his  nearest  Indian  friends  who  had 
known  him  since  young  manhood  placed  the  date  of  his  birth  at 
1810.« 

Of  Enmegahbowh's  early  life  we  know  very  little  further  than  that 
he  was  brought  up  after  the  manner  of  the  young  Indians  of  his 
tribe,  learning  to  track  and  kill  game,  was  instructed  in  the  religion 
of  the  Grand  Medicine,  and  later  was  regularly  initiated  into  the 
Grand  Medicine  Lodge.  His  name,  En-me-gah-bowh,  was  given 
him  by  his  grandfather,  and  means  One-who-stands-before-his-peo- 
ple. 

The  Rice  Lake  band  was  fortunately  situated.  The  wild  rice  fields 
were  extensive  and  the  crop  gfenerally  abundant.  The  lake  was  full 
of  muscalonge  and  bass.  Wild  fowl  and  large  game  were  plentiful. 
Beaver,  otter,  mink  and  other  fur-bearing  animals  were  killed  in 
large  numbers  each  winter  and  the  furs  exchanged  at  the  trader's 


^Thwaites,    Early  Western  Travels,   VI.,    137,    188.    140. 

*Georpe  Capway  in  his  writings  repeatedly  speaks  of  Enmegahbowh  as 
Cousin  Johnson.  Copway  was  a  half-breed  Chippewa  of  the  Rice  Lake 
band. 

^Thc  date  1810  seems  to  be  too  early  for  his  birth.  If  the  date  is  correct, 
he  was  twenty-four  years  old  Avhcn  he  began  his  missionary  work,  and  twenty- 
stvcn  when  he  went  to  school  at  Jacksonville.  In  a  letter  to  Miss  Anna 
Spates,  dated  January  31st,  1K!)4.  in  speaking  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Samtiel 
Spates,  he  says :  "Thev  were  not  much  older  persons  than  we  are."  Mr. 
Spates  was  bom  in  1815.  Dr.  James  Lloyd  Rreck  said  that  Enmegahbowh 
was  thirty-six  years  old  when  he  was  ordained  deacon  in  1859. 


474  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

for  ammunition  and  whiskey.  The  great  animal  hunt  began  late  in 
the  fall  and  continued  until  some  time  in  the  following  January. 
Each  family  generally  had  its  own  hunting  grounds,  from  which  all 
other  hunters  were  excluded.  Enmegabowh  tells  us  in  a  brief  sketch 
of  his  early  life/  that  on  one  of  these  winter  hunts,  while  he  was 
yet  young,  his  family  camped  near  the  village  of  Peterboro,  and 
there  was  visited  by  Mr.  Arrhour,  an  Episcopal  clergyman  with 
whom  they  had  become  acquainted  on  previous  visits.  Mr.  Armour 
asked  Enmcgahbowh's  parents  to  leave  the  boy  with  him  to  attend 
school  while  they  were  on  their  hunt.  After  some  persuasion  they 
consented,  and  he  stayed  in  Mr.  Armour's  house  for  three  months, 
dressed  like  the  white  boys,  and  w-ent  to  school  with  Mr.  Armour's 
sons.  He  learned  his  letters,  figures  and  began  to  understand  Eng- 
lish. By  the  end  of  three  months,  however,  he  became  so  homesick 
for  his  parents  and  the  life  of  the  woods  that  he  stole  away  one 
night  and  went  home  to  his  father\s  wigwam. 

About  1823  missionary  efforts  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church 
resulted  in  many  conversions  among  the  Canadian  Ojibwas.  John 
Sunday  and  John  and  Peter  Jones,  all  natives,  became  active  in  the 
work.  In  1827  the  first  of  these  missionaries  visited  the  Rice  I^kc 
band.  They  found  earnest  listeners  among  these  Indians  and  many 
conversions  followed.  During  the  next  five  or  six  years  the  most  of 
the  members  of  the  band  had  become  Christianized,  a  school  was 
established  in  charge  of  Rev.  James  Evans,  and  a  white  missionary, 
Daniel  McMullen,  stationed  there. 

During  this  time  Enmcrahbowh  had  become  a  member  of  the 
school  and  had  made  considerable  progress.  In  June.  1834,  at  the 
call  of  Rev..  Clark  he  left  Rice  lake  to  w^ork  as  a  teacher  among  the 
heathen  Ojibwas  of  Lake  Superior.  His  own  account  of  his  de- 
parture is  as  follows : 

"Mr.  Evans  received  a  letter  from  the  Rev.  Mr.  Clark,  the  super- 
intendent of  the  Methodist  missions  in  the  Ignited  States,  asking  for 
a  good  young  man  to  interpret  f(/r  the  missionary  of  Sault  Ste. 
Marie. 

"Mr.  Evans  came  to  my  father  and  asked  him  to  let  me  go.  My 
father  said,  *Xo,  this  is  our  only  son,  vou  must  not  ask  for  him.*  Mr. 
Evans  continued  to  ask.  saying:  *He  may  himself  become  a  mis- 
sionary among  his  heathen  race.  You  know  that  the  heathen  of 
your  own  race,  far  awav  towards  the  setting  sun.  are  dying  out 
without  God.  You  should  pitv  your  people  and  send  vour  son  to 
them.' 

'This  talk  turned  my  father  and  mother.  They  asked  me  what  I 
thought  of  going  to  heathen  cannibals.  They  added  'cannibals'  to 
frighten  me. 


^Whipple.   Lights  and    Shadows  of   a   Long   Episcopate,   Macmillan,   1899, 
Appendix. 


EN.MEGAHBOWH.  JOHN  JOHNSON 


m 

■   r' 


STATE  OF   NORTH    DAKOTA  475 

**I  said,  ^Mother,  I  love  you  and  would  be  sorry  to  leave  you,  but 
I  abide  by  your  decision.  If  you  say  go,  I  go;  if  you  say  stay,  I  go 
not. 

"My  mother  said,  'Dear  son,  go  for  three  weeks,  and  while  you  are 
away  Mr.  Evans  may  find  some  other  young  man  to  go.'  I  went  to 
Mud  Lake  reservation,  and  at  the  end  of  three  weeks  I  returned 
home.  Mr.  Evans  had  found  no  one,  and  again  asked  my  parents 
to  let  me  go.  My  mother  spoke  out,  and  said,  *Mr.  Evans,  will  you 
promise  in  writing  that  my  son  comes  to  me  again  in  one  year  ?'  He 
promised.  On  the  second  day  I  said  farewell  to  my  dear  parents  for 
the  last  time.  I  never  saw  them  again.  My  mother's  weeping  almost 
turned  me  back.  Tears  blinded  my  eyes  as  I  went  forth  to  an  un- 
known heathen  country." 

Rev.  John  Clark's  call  was  for  native  workers — ^two  preachers  and 
two  teachers  and  interpreters.  John  Taunchey  and  John  Caubage 
were  sent  as  preachers,  and  George  Copway,  a  young  half-breed 
Ojibwa,  was  sent  with  Enmegahbowh  as  teacher. 

The  route  taken  by  Enmegahbowh  from  Rice  lake  to  the  Sault 
Ste.  Marie  was  as  follows :  First  along  Lake  Ontario  to  Toronto, 
where  he  arrived  the  day  after  leaving.  From  Toronto  he  went  to 
Fort  Pententuguishing  on  the  north  shore  of  Lake  Erie.  Here  he 
tell  in  with  some  Lake  Superior  Indians  who  took  him  in  their  large 
canoe  across  Lake  Huron  to  the  mouth  of  the  Sault  Ste.  Marie  river. 
He  arrived  at  the  Sault  mission  the  latter  part  of  July  or  the  first 
part  of  August,  1834. 

The  record  of  the  work  of  Enmegahbowh  during  the  next  three 
years  is  very  meager.  It  appears  that  during  the  first  few  months 
after  his  arrival  he  remained  at  the  mission  at  Sault  Ste.  Marie,  as- 
sisting Rev.  John  Clark.  During  the  winter  of  1834-5  he  spent  three 
months  at  Ke-che-we-kwa-doong,  Grand  Traverse,  on  Lake  Michi- 
gan, in  company  with  Peter  Marksman  and  John  Caubage.  In  the 
spring  of  1835  he  was  sent  to  the  mission  station  at  L'Ance  on  Ke- 
wa-we-non  bay  on  the  south  shore  of  Lake  Superior,  accompanied  by 
William  Hermiker,  the  newly  appointed  missionary  to  that  point. 
Enmegahbowh  was  to  act  as  interpreter  and  assistant.  The  mission 
work  at  L'Ance  was  opened  up  by  John  Sunday  in  1831,  and  a  reg- 
ular mission  established  in  1833.  Considerable  progress  had  been 
made  in  the  Christianization  of  the  natives  at  this  place.  Thirty  or 
forty  had  given  up  the  Medicine  Lodge  and  had  taken  upon  them- 
selves the  name  of  Christian.  Some  few  showed  in  their  conduct  that 
they  were  truly  anxious  to  lead  a  different  life.  During  the  previous 
winter  a  white  missionary,  Mr.  Chandler,  with  John  Taunchay  and 
George  Copway  as  native  assistants,  had  been  in  charge  of  this  mis- 
sion. In  June,  1836,  Superintendent  Clark  took  Enmegahbowh  with 
him  on  his  trip  to  the  Wisconsin  Chippewas  and  stationed  him  at 
Ottawa  lake^  in  company  with  George  Copway  and  Peter  Marksman, 


'Lac  Court  Oreilles. 


k 


476  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


both  of  whom  had  occupied  the  place  during  the  previous  year.  A 
mission  house  was  built,  and  these  three  young  men  were  left  in 
charge  until  the  middle  of  the  next  summer  (1837.) 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Illinois  conference  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  in  1836  considerable  interest  was  aroused   in  the 
subject  of  Indian  missions.     As  a  result  two  projects  were  under- 
taken.   The  one  was  the  establishment  in  May,  1837,  of  a  mission  to 
the  Sioux  Indians  at  Kaposia,  "Little  Crow's  Village,"  on  the  west 
bank  of  the  Mississippi  river,  six  or  eight  miles  below  Fort  Snelling^. 
Rev.  Alfred  Brunson  was  appointed  superintendent,  and  he  at  once 
began  to  put  up  mission  buildings  of  logs  and  prepare  land  for  crops. 
He  had  five  or  six  assistants,  and  by  midsummer  the  mission  was 
well  under  way.    The  other  missionary  effort  was  the  education  of 
three  young  Ojibwas  and  three  young  white  men  for  work  in   the 
Indian  field.    The  three  natives  chosen  were  John  Johnson  (Enme- 
gahbovvh),  George  Copway  and  Peter  Marksman.    The  three  white 
men,  who  were  to  be  their  co-laborers,  were  Allan  Huddleston,  Sam- 
uel Spates  and  Weatherford.     They  were  to  receive  their 

education  at  Ebenezer  Manual  Labor  school,  a  small  frontier  acad- 
emy established  by  Rev.  Peter  Akers  in  1836.*  It  was  located  at  Mr. 
Akers'  homestead,  three  miles  from  Jacksonville,  Illinois. 

In  July,  1837,  these  three  young  men  started  from  Ottawa  lake, 
where  they  had  been  stationed,  to  go  to  Prairie  du  Qiien.  It  was 
necessary  in  making  the  journey  to  cross  the  lands  of  the  hostile 
Sioux.  In  so  doing  they  were  captured  and  held  three  days  by  the 
Sioux,  but  when  their  .captors  found  out  that  they  were  missionaries 
they  released  them.  They  came  down  the  Wisconsin  river  and  ar- 
rived safely  at  Prairie  du  Chien.  Here  they  met  Elder  Brunson, 
who  was  making  his  second  trip  with  supplies  for  the  Sioux  mission. 
They  accompanied  Superintendent  Brunson  to  Kaposia  and  aided 
him  in  putting  up  the  buildings  for  the  new  mission.  Elder  Brun- 
son reported  that  their  conduct,  industry  and  general  appearance  was 
a  cause  of  marvel  on  the  part  of  the  Sioux,  who  could  not  believe 
that  they  were  Chippewas.  During:  the  time  they  were  at  Kaposia 
Governor  Dodge  of  Wisconsin  arrived  at  Fort  Snelling,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  making  a  treaty  of  peace  between  the  Sioux  and  Chippewas; 
Large  numbers  of  both  these  nations  were  present,  and  the  confer- 
ence and  subsequent  celebration  lasted  several  days.  Elder  Brun- 
son's  younqf  Chippewas  acted  as  interpreters  and  were  conspicuous 
figures  at  all  times.  The  contrast  was  so  great  between  them  and  the 
wild  Indians  that  tliey  served  as  a  remarkably  vivid  object  lesson  of 
V  hat  Christianization  could  do  for  the  Indians  in  a  verv  short  time. 


*Rcv.  Peter  Aker^  \va«^  born  in  Campbell  County,  Virginia,  'n  ITJ^O,  com- 
menced preachintf  in  Kentnckv  in  b'^il,  moved  to  sonthern  Illinois  in  183?, 
in  order  to  rear  his  family  on  free  soil.  He  died  at  Jacksonville,  IFl.,  in  W^. 
Mr.  Akers  was  a  Methodist  preacher  of  the  frontier  type,  and  one  of  the 
blading  men  of  his  lime  in  the  church  in  Illinois. 


STATE  t)F  NORTH   DAKOTA  477 


Governor  Dodge  expressed  himself  as  very  much  surprised  to  find 
that  such  a  transformation  was  possible  in  an  Indian. 

In  the  fall  of  1837  they  entered  the  school  at  Jacksonville.  Here 
they  remained  for  two  years.  Just  what  the  course  of  study  given 
at  this  school  was  it  has  been  impossible  to  determine.  As  the  name 
of  the  school  implies  the  manual  labor  element  in  the  training  was 
emphasized  as  well  as  the  purely  scholastic.  A  part  of  their  time  the 
students  employed  in  various  kinds  of  work  on  the  Akers  farm.  En- 
megahbowh  says:  "I  learned  heap,  heap  books.  I  completed  the 
branches  taught  in  the  school.  I  was  considered  one  of  the  best 
grammarians,  and  was  ready  to  be  sent  to  college  to  study  dead  lan- 
guages."* 

At  the  annual  conference  at  Bloomington,  Illinois,  in  1839,  they 
were  assigned  to  work.  George  Copway^  was  appointed  to  the  Elk 
River  mission,  established  the  year  previous  on  the  Mississippi  river 
some  distance  above  Kaposia;  Peter  Ivlarksman'  was  stationed  at 
L'Ance,  and  John  Johnson  was  sent  with  Samuel  Spates  to  open  up 
a  mission  at  Sandy  lake  in  the  upper  Mississippi  valley.*  Johnson 
and  Spates,  it  seems,  remained  at  Elk  River  until  the  spring  of  1840, 
when,  in  company  with  Rev.  T.  B.  Kavanaugh,  the  newly  appointed 
superintendent,  they  proceeded  to  Sandy  lake,  built  a  dwelling  and 
scliool  house,  and  opened  up  the  mission. 

From  the  time  Enmesjahbowh  goes  into  northern  Minnesota  in 
1840  until  he  helps  to  organize  the  Protestant  Episcopal  mission  at 
Gull  lake  in  1852,  no  connected  narrative  of  his  work  can  be  given, 
and  we  must  base  our  conclusions  on  fleeting  glimpses  of  him  which 
we  occasionally  catch.     In  1841  he  is  reported  to  have  been  placed 

*Lis:hts  and  Shadows  of  a  Long  Episcopate,  Appendix. 
George  Copway  did  not  go  into  the  field  until  the  fall  of  1840.  During  the 
summer  he  was  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Howell,  a  white  woman  at  To- 
ronto, Canada.  In  October,  1840,  he  came  with  his  wife  to  the  Elk  River 
mission  and  stayed  until  the  next  February,  when  he  moved  to  Rabbit  River 
He  was  stationed  at  Fond  du  Lac  by  the  conference  in  1841,  and  remained 
there  until  October.  1842,  when  he  returned  to  work  among  the  Chippewas  of 
his  own  country  in  Canada  West. 

'Peter  Marksman  spent  the  whole  of  his  life  in  earnest  and  effective  work 
in  the  mission  field,  under  the  direction  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 
Most  of  his  time  was  spent  with  the  bands  near  Sault  Ste.   Marie. 

*Sandy  Lake  is  situated  on  the  Mississinpi  River,  about  fifty  miles  directly 
west  from  the  most  westernly  point  of  Lake  Superior.  It  was  one  of  the 
first  places  in  this  part  of  the  country  to  be  wrested  from  the  Sioux  by  the 
Oiibwas,  and  early  became  an  important  rendezvous  for  the  Oiibwas  of  th^ 
Mississippi.  About  17J>4  the  Northwest  Fur  Company  established  a  trading 
pest  at  this  point,  which  was  later  taken  over  by  the  American  Fur  Com- 
pany. The  first  protestant  mission  at  this  point  was  established  in  1832  by 
Frcdrich  Ayer  of  the  American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Mis- 
sions, at  the  request  of  the  trader,  Mr.  William  A.  Aitken.  Mr.  Ayer  left 
the  next  year  to  open  a  mission  at  Yellow  Lake,  Wisconsin,  and  Mr.  Bout- 
well  and  Mr.  Ely  of  the  American  Board  took  charge  for  a  year,  at  the  expi- 
nil'on  of  which  time  the  mission  was  abandoned,  until  taken  up  by  the 
Methodists  in   1840. 


478  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

in  charge  of  a  new  mission  at  White  Fish  lake.  In  1844-5  he  is  in 
sole  charge  of  the  Sandy  Lake  station,  Mr.  Spates  having  gone  east 
for  a  year.  In  1847  he  took  Peter  Marksman's  place  as  assistant  to 
Rev.  E.  H.  Day  at  the  Fond  du  Lac  mission.  He  remained  at  this 
station  until  just  before  its  abandonment  in  1849.  Rev.  J.  W.  Holt 
was  his  co-worker  during  the  last  year  of  the  Fond  du  Lac  mission. 

Sometime  during  the  early  part  of  his  missionary  labors  in  Minne- 
sota, probably  in  1842  or  1843,  Enmegahbowh  was  married  to  a 
young  Ojibwa  girl,  one  of  the  most  beautiful  girls  in  the  tribe,  and  a 
niece  of  Hole-in-the-Day  and  Strong  Ground.  She  was  taken  di- 
rectly from  her  father's  wigwam  and  was  entirely  without  civiliza- 
tion or  education.  She  was,  however,  a  woman  of  strong  and  ad- 
mirable character,  and  made  a  most  excellent  wife  and  helper.  She 
was  baptized  immediately  before  her  marriage,  and  was  given  the 
name  of  Charlotte.^ 

In  1846  Enmegahbowh  was  evidently  at  Sandy  Lake  mission,  for 
he  makes  the  following  report  from  that  place  to  the  Indian  agent. 
P  gives  a  fair  idea  of  the  conditions  and  is  characteristic  of  the 
writer: 

"Sandy  Lake,  June  8,  1846. 

"Dear  Sir : — In  obedience  to  your  call.  I  herewith  present  to  you 
my  report  of  this  place.  During  the  past  fall  and  winter  the  Indians 
have  followed  their  usual  hunts,  and  very  few  have  remained  here. 
During  that  time  I  have  taught  what  children  were  here. 

"Since  tlieir  return  from  their  sugar  and  spring  hunts  I  have  not 
been  able  to  teach,  having  many  things  to  attend  to — assist  what  little 
I  could  the  farmer,  making  garden  for  myself,  and  preparing  my 
school  house.  I  have  just  got  through  repairing  it.  and  will  soon 
commence  teaching.  However,  I  have  had  a  regular  Sabbath  school 
in  our  house. 

**I  am  not  able  to  give  you  the  number  of  pupils  who  do  attend 
our  Sabbath  school,  but  I  am^  happy  to  state  to  you  that  there  has 
been  a  gra(kial  imi)rovement  in  industry,  morality  and  religion.  Our 
meetings  have  In^en  well  attended.  The  most  marked  evidence  of 
improvement,  and  the  surest  pledge  of  advance,  we  fiuvi  in  the  in- 
creasing attention  given  to  the  truths  of  the  Gospel  here  lately,  is, 
that  a  family  have  given  us  their  names  as  being  determined  to  aban- 
don their  old  relii^ion  and  superstitions,  and  as  wishing  to  become 
like  good  Christians.  As  a  missionary,  I  have  endeavored — I  sav 
endeavored —  to  do  good  to  my  red  brethren  at  this  place  and  else- 
where, and  to  impart  to  them  what  little  understanding  I  have  (al- 
though I  have  but  very  little),  an  1  assist  them  all  I  can  for  their 
temporal  good ;  for  this  spring  I  have  given  for  seed  twenty-three 


*Her  Indian  mmc  wa^  lii-wa-hi-ko-j^i-slii-jro-quc,  Thc-Iron-Sky-Woman. 


STATE  OF   NORTH   DAKOTA  479 

and  one-half  bushels  of  potatoes,  which  I  have  distributed  among 
them. 

"The  Indians  at  this  place,  generally,  begin  to  see  the  importance 
of  becoming  settled  down,  and  trying  to  raise  something  for  their 
living;  however,  this  is  the  farmer's  business  to  report.  One  great 
hindrance,  however,  to  their  spiritual  and  temporal  welfare,  I  found 
among  them,  viz:  the  use  of  ardent  spirits,  and  some  of  these  In- 
dians go  down  below  and  bring  quantities  of  it  to  this  place. 

"I  hope,  sir,  the  day  it  not  far  distant  when  every  Indian  of  this 
band  shall  become  the  happy  subject  and  give  full  evidence  of  the 
reality  of  the  white  man's  religion. 

"The  present  prospect  of  this  mission  is  cheering  of  doing  good  in 
spiritual  matters,  though  I  have  many  difficulties  to  contend  with ; 
but  r  feel  for  these,  my  red  brethren,  that  I  cannot  let  them  go  with- 
out making  a  fair  trial. 

"Your  obedient  servant. 

"John  Johnson. 
"Mr.  James  P.  Hays, 

"Sub- Agent,  Indian  Department." 

r»ut  the  Chippewa  missions,  although  encouraging  at  times,  were 
not  destined  to  bear  much  fruit  for  many  years.  The  contact  with 
the  inva  ling  whites  introduced  many  vices  among  the  natives. 
Drunkenness  became  more  and  more  common,  the  natural  savage 
brutality  of  the  Indians  was  aroused  by  the  stimulants,  and  in  the  ab- 
sence of  law  it  was  almost  impossible  to  live  among  them.  The  sys- 
tem of  making  presents  to  the  Indians  employed  by  rival  fur  compa- 
nies to  obtain  special  favor  in  the  fur  trade,  together  with  the  dis- 
tribution of  presents  by  the  government,  had  developed  a  spirit  of 
mendicancy  among  the  Indians  which  w^as  incomDatible  with  indus- 
try, or  the  development  of  independent  initiative.  In  manv  cases  they 
became  importunate  in  the  highest  degree.  Rev.  T.  H.  Pitezcl,  su;:er- 
intendcnt  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  missions  of  Lake  Superior,  re- 
ports the  speech  made  bv  Nah-gah-nuo,  a  sub-chief  at  Fond  du  Lac 
during  Superintendent  Pitezel's  visit  in  1819.  It  is  a  good  illustra- 
tion of  the  spirit  of  the  Indians  at  that  time.    It  is  given  as  follows  r 

"Mv  friend,  you  are  from  a  rich  country,  where  everything  is  fine 
and  flourishing:.  You  heard  about  us  a  number  of  years  asfo.  and 
thoue^ht  yon  would  come  and  teach  us,  and  preach  the  Gospel.  As 
you  came  this  vvav  you  found  things'  look  poorer  and  poorer.  Very 
great  difference  when  vou  came  here.  You  found  us  very  poor  people, 
livin-^  in  the  woods.  You  always  speak  to  us  about  the  name  of  God. 
Xcnv.  C^-od  is  a  charitable  being.  IIi«;  disciples  oucrht  to  be  charitable. 
Now.  I  don't  see  this  charity.  Indians  are  very  poor  and  hun^^ry, 
but  the  missionary  does  not  feed  them.     And  now  I  want  to  know 


'Report  of  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs  for  184'.),  Conj?.  Series,  140,  p. 
407. 


480  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

who  pays  the  money  to  support  the  mission?  Do  the  white  people 
below,  or  does  it  come  from  the  Indian  annuity  ?  And  for  the  school 
teacher,  he  does  not  do  his  work  right.  When  men  are  hired  to  work 
they  go  at  it  early  in  the  morning,  and  work  all  day.  The  missionary 
waits  till  the  sun  is  up  high,  just  as  the  farmer.  If  his  boss  were 
here  perhaps  he  would  do  differently.  But  the  teacher  does  not 
teach  longer  than  one  can  smoke  a  pipe.  The  Indian  is  like  the  wild 
fcx  in  the  woods.  When  you  want  to  catch  him  you  put  bait  in  the 
trap.  But  you  do  not  put  on  the  bait ;  therefore,  you  do  not  succeed 
with  the  Indians."^ 

The  reason  for  Enmegahbowh  severing  his  connection  with  the 
Methodist  church  is  as  follows:  While  Enmegahbowh  was  at  Fond 
du  Lac  in  18J9,  his  wife  was  insulted  by  a  white  man,  and  Enme- 
gahbowh, it  is  reported,  took  the  law  in  his  own  hands,  knocked 
oown  the  man  and  held  him  while  his  wife  administered  a  severe 
punishment.  For  this  both  he  and  his  wife  were  expelled  from  the 
church.  The  propriety  of  this  action  on  the  part  of  the  church  has 
been  questioned  by  Alethodist  writers  themselves,  and  Mr,  Spates, 
who  was  in  the  missionarv  field  at  the  time,  always  maintained  that 
the  white  man  got  no  more  than  he  deserved  and  that  Enmegahbowh, 
instead  of  being  "churched,"  should  have  received  the  approbation  of 
all  Methodism. 

From  the  time  of  Enmegahbowh's  e:^pulsion  from  the  Methodist 
church  until  18.*)!  we  hear  nothing  of  him.  It  is  altogether  likelv 
that  he  lived  among  the  Indians  of  his  wife's  family,  for  he  is  with 
them  when  we  next  hear  of  him.  During  one  of  the  frequent  gather- 
ings of  the  Chippcwas  at  Fort  Snelling.  he  met  Rev.  E.  G.  Geer,  the 
chaplain  at  the  post,  and  Mr.  Geer  gave  him  an  Episcopal  prayer 
book.  This  was  in  ISoO  or  .1851.  Through  Mr.  Geer  he  became  ac- 
cniainted  with  Rev.  James  Lloyd  Brcck.  who  in  1850,  with  Rev.  Aus- 
tin Merrick  and  Rev.  Timothv  Wilcoxson,  had  established  a  mission 
at  St.  Paul.  In  the  fall  of  1851  Enmegahbowh  brought  his  son.  Al- 
fred, to  Mr.  Breck  to  be  educatcvl.  At  tliis  time  he  told  of  his  desire 
to  have  a  Protestant  Episcopal  mission  established  in  the  Chippewa 
country  near  Gull  lake.  On  Xew  Years  day,  1852,  Mr.  Breck  re- 
ceived from  Enmegahbowh  a  letter,  part  of  which  is  as  follows : 
'The  Indians,  particularly  the  chiefs  and  principal  men,  are  very 
anxious  to  have  teachers  amongst  them.  The  field  is  open  for  the 
missionaries  to  come  in.  The  Indians  have  left  me  to  select  a  teacher 
whom  I  tliink  would  be  likelv  to  benefit  their  nation,  etc.  The  head 
chief  is  readv  to  receive  and  embrace  relitrions  instruction,  now  or 
at  anv  time.  I  think  I  shall  devote  myself  to  teachini  him  and  his 
familv  what  little  I  know.  If  the  head  chief  first  embrace  the  Chris- 
tian relirion.  a  great  change  will  immediatelv  take  T>lace,  for  he  has 
great  influence  anion*:::  his  people.    Everybody  say.  come  you.    Come 


'PiU'/cl,   Li.yhts  and   Sli.ules  (f  Mivsionnry  Life,   Cincinnali ,    18<^0,   205, 


STATE  OF   NORTH   DAKOTA  481 

and  teach.  What  more  can  we  want  ?  No  strong  invitation  can  be 
given  by  poor  Indians.  There  might  be  some  little  translation  of  the 
liturgy,  and  some  of  the  forms  of  prayers,  etc.  It  would  do  a  great 
deal  of  good  at  present."*  About* the  middle  of  February  Mr.  Breck 
started  out  on  foot  for  the  Indian  country  to  look  over  the  situation 
and  especially  to  see  Hole-in-the-day,  the  head  chief  of  the  Mississip- 
pi Chippewas,  who  was  ill  and  not  expected  to  live,  and  who  had 
sent  word  through  Enmegahbowh  that  he  wished  to  talk  with  Dr. 
Breck.  In  April  Dr.  Breck,  with  Captain  Craig  of  the  St.  Paul  mis- 
sion, two  divinity  students,  Hayward  and  Holcombe,  and  a  carpen- 
ter, set  out  to  establish  a  mission  at  Hole-in-the-day's  village.  At 
Crow  Wing  they  met  Enmegahbowh,  who  told  them  that  Hole-m- 
the-day  was  waiting  for  them  at  the  government  farm,  about  seven 
miles  above  Crow  Wing,  instead  of  at  Gull  lake  as  they  had  expected. 
There  they  went,  and  after  a  rather  cool  reception  by  the  chief,  went 
on  to  Gull  lake,  and  made  preparation  to  establish  a  mission  there, 
as  they  had  first  planned.  The  Indians  at  this  point  knew  nothing 
of  the  missonary  enterprise,  and  it  was  necessary  to  explain  to  them 
the  nature  of  the  proposed  work.  They  granted  their  consent  to  the 
establishment  of  a  mission,  and  on  the  Sunday  after  Holy  Thursday 
the  first  services  were  held  in  a  temporary  church  built  of  small  pines, 
and  named  St.  John's  in  the  Wilderness.  In  establishing  the  mission 
at  Gull  lake  Dr.  Breck  says  that  he  should  rather  have  planted  it  far- 
ther in  the  interior,  away  from  the  degrading  influences  of  evil  mind- 
ed white  men,  but  that  his  duties  in  connection  with  the  Minnesota 
mission  to  the  whites  at  St.  Paul  necessitated  his  b^ing  within  a  rea- 
sonable distance  from  that  point.  Before  opening  up  the  Gull  Lake 
mission.  Dr.  Breck  outlines  the  plan  as  follows:  "Our  plan  is  to 
begin  with  a  school,  which  shall  have  in  it  two  departments,  one  for 
boys  and  the  other  for  girls ;  that  none  shall  be  taken  under  seven 
years  of  age,  nor  over  twelve :  that  these  shall  be  s^iven  up  to  the 
church's  training,  taken  away  from  the  miserable  filth  and  idleness 
of  the  wigwam,  and  educated  day  and  nis:ht  beneath  the  mission  roof, 
in  religion,  in  learning,  but  still  more  than  the  latter,  at  present,  in 
work.  The  girls  are  to  be  taught  sewing  and  all  domestic  duties, 
and  the  bovs  .e:ardenin<r.  the  use  of  tools,  etc."* 

The  first  building  put  up  at  Gull  Lake  mission  was  a  log  house, 
and  on  All  Saints  day  the  corner  stone  of  the  church  was  laid,  and 
the  church  named  St.  Columba. 

The  success  at  the  beginning  of  this  mission  was  very  flattering. 
In  Januarv.  ISol.  Dr.  Breck  writes  that  he  has  twenty-one  Indians 
*'\x\  the  folrj,"  and  three  vouno:  Ojibwas  preparing  for  the  Christian 
ministry.  Several  of  the  Indians  have  discarded  their  blankets  and 
adopted  the  dress  of  the  whites.    He  further  writes  :    "That  you  may 


Tharle^  Breck.  Life  of  James  Llovd  Breck,  New  York,  1883,  184. 
»Ib.,    182. 


482  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


know  what  the  Indian  will  do,  when  encouraged  under  the  right  in- 
fluences, there  are  on  some  days  as  many  as  fifty  men,  women  and 
children  at  work  in  the  house  and  in  the  fields.  Perhaps  in  the  course 
of  the  year  as  many  as  five  hundred  different  Indians  have  wrougfht 
under  our  direction.  Work  was  considered  a  disgrace  by  these  In- 
dians a  very  short  time  back,  and  the  principal  chief  of  this  lake,  by 
name  'The  Bad  Boy,'  who  informed  me  eighteen  months  ago  that  the 
white  man  wished  to  teach  the  Indian  how  to  work,  so  as  to  make  a 
slave  of  him,  and  said  the  white  man  never  enters  their  country  ex- 
cept to  make  a  gain  of  them,  is  now  living  in  a  house,  working,  and 
frequenting  the  church  with,  I  believe,  a  laudable  desire  to  know  the 
truth. 

"The  mission  farm  acts  in  a  two-fold  manner.  It  assists  the  na- 
tive to  subsist  by  work,  and  it  instructs  him  in  the  work;  so  that 
there  is  scarcely  an  Indian  family  that  has  not  a  distinct  garden  un- 
der cultivation,  and  some  of  these  are  quite  large.  The  government 
has  built  a  sawmill  for  the  Indian  but  a  short  distance  from  us,  so 
that  he  hereby  greatly  encouraged  to  build  and  live  in  homes  like 
the  white  man."^ 

In  185G  Dr.  Breck  went  to  Leech  lake  to  establish  a  mission  at 
that  place,  and  Rev.  E.  Steele  Peake  took  charge  of  the  mission  at 
Gull  lake.  Enmegfahbowh  continued  as  his  interpreter  and  assist- 
ant. But  as  the  white  settlers  began  to  increase  in  numbers  in  the 
vicinity  of  Crow  Wing,  the  good  effects  of  the  mission  upon  the  In- 
dians were  oversiiadowed  by  the  evil  influence  of  liquor  and  vice  in- 
troduced into  their  midst.  Drunken  debauches  became  so  frequent, 
and  the  idleness  and  ugliness  caused  by  them  so  prevalent,  that  it  was 
impossible  for  Mr.  Peake  to  remain  among  theiP.  He  t(X>k  up  quar- 
ters at  Crow  \\'ing,  and  l(N)ked  aft?r  tlic  missic^n  as  well  as  he  could 
from  that  distance.  Knnieeahhowli,  h*"wever.  remained  at  St.  Co- 
luniha.  and  did  what  he  c<^ul(l  to  keep  the  mis>i<>n  alive. 

In  1^57  he  was  implicated  in  a  matter  which  for  awhile  stirred  up 
a  strong-  feeling  ac;ainst  him  en  the  part  of  certain  of  the  Gull  lake 
Indians,  (^ne  day  an  old  woman  ca'ne  to  him  an<!  UAA  him  that  she 
saw  throe  Indians  kill  a  white  pc. Idler  and  drair  him  towards  the 
lake.  She  showed  h\:n  the  place  wIhtc  t!ie  deed  had  occurred,  and 
in  In^Aincr  about  on  the  sand  at  the  marcrm  nf  the  lake  he  saw  a 
[»I'ice  di"^tnrbe  1.  Tie  inve^tiizated,  and  ft'iiiid  the  b'dv  ox  a  white 
iiian.  barclv  covered  by  the  sand,  lie  went  h-^ine  and  found  the 
three  In  lians  wlio  had  coTimitted  ibe  nmrder  in  his  h"^n-e.  t'\^ether 
\\i^h  tlie  tra'K'r.  Mr.  Sutherland,  c  rd  Mr.  CIiarle>  S^lkriij:.  After 
a  little  time  Fjriu-i'abb<»wh  called  Mr.  Selkrii^  oiitsi<ie  an  1  t.'M  him 
ri  the  ni'.irdor.  Tho\  concluded  to  have  tl'c  In  lians  arretted  and 
<;ent  to  ]•^'rt  K'pley  f-tr  trial.  This  \\a>  d-  no.  bi!t  m  the  wav,  near 
Little  Fall>:,  -^^i  :r.e  whites  t<'«>k  the  In  I'.ap<  f»-.''n  cii^tniv  and  huns: 


'Lctttr  .1   ?i'r->-  LI   v.i  I^-ock  to  h's  !>*■.»:''•  ^.  C'-.i^\*-  r.-r.-V.   Iv'v  J^^  1>.%J. 


STATE  OF  NORTH   DAKOTA  48S 


them  to  a  tree.  When  word  of  this  act  reached  Gull  lake  the  relatives 
of  the  lynched  Indians  swore  vengeance  against  Enmegahbowh, 
who  had  been  the  cause  of  their  arrest.  He  was  forced  to  take  refuge 
at  Fort  Ripley.  After  two  months  he  was  invited  back,  and  those 
Indians  who  had  been  his  enemies  welcomed  him  with  the  rest. 

In  1859,  after  Mr.  Peake  had  been  forced  to  leave  St.  Columba, 
Enmegahbowh  was  ordained  deacon  at  Faribault  by  Bishop  Kemper. 
According  to  Dr.  Breck  he  was  the  second  American  Indian  to  re- 
ceive holy  orders.  When  Bishop  Whipple  made  his  first  visit  to  Gull 
lake  after  becoming  bishop  of  Minnesota,  on  November  23,  1859, 
he  found  Enmegahbowh  alone,  trying  to  hold  together  a  small  band 
of  Christian  Indians.  His  church  consisted  of :  The  wife  of  White- 
Feather,  the  wife  of  Minogeshik,  Manitowab  and  wife,  William 
Superior  and  wife,  Sussannah  Roy,  and  two  aged  Indians  baptised 
Abraham  and  Sarah. 

After  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war  a  profitable  trade  in  Indian 
substitutes  sprang  up.  Traders  would  go  into  the  Indian  country 
and  buy  up  Indians  for  fifty  or  a  hundred  dollars,  get  them  drunk, 
and  take  them  down  to  St.  Paul,  and  sell  them  to  the  highest  bidder. 
Enmegahbowh  says  that  two  of  these  men  came  to  his  house,  sayinp* 
that  they  had  come  at  the  suggestion  of  friends  in  St.  Paul  to  get  his 
?ssistance  in  persuading  Indians  to  enlist  with  them.  They  offered 
him  a  hundred  dollars  for  every  man  he  got  for  them.  Enmegah- 
bowh, after  a  little  consideration,  refused  to  aid  them,  but  before 
night  they  had  all  the  Indians  drunk,  and  several  went  to  St.  Paul 
with  them.  A  short  time  afterward  two  chiefs  from  Leech  lake,  We- 
sug  and  Ago-eus,  came  to  Enmegahbowh*s  house  in  the  night  and 
told  him  they  had  come  down  to  kill  Mr.  Horn,  the  whiskey  trader, 
for  selling  their  sons  to  fight  in  the  south.  Enmegahbowh  tried  to 
persuade  them  that  such  an  act  would  only  bring  on  a  war  that  would 
destroy  a  great  many  of  their  people.  He  finallv  proposed  that  they 
wait  a  few  davs  and  he  would  walk  to  St.  Paul  and  lav  the  matter 
before  Mr.  Rice  and  General  Siblev.  They  agreed  to  wait  seven  days. 
Enmegahbowh  made  the  trip.  He  first  explained  the  situation  to 
Mr.  Rice,  who  gave  him  a  letter  to  General  Sibley.  The 
general  said  the  practice  must  stopped.  He  gave  Enge- 
gahbowh  powers  to  show  to  the  men  who  were  carry- 
ing on  the  traffic,  and  told  him  that  if  the  pra^-tice  did  not 
cease,  to  write  him  and  he  would  put  a  stop  to  it.  Mr.  Rice  on  his 
departure  presented  him  with  $25.00.  When  he  returned  the  chiefs 
flocked  about  him,  and  when  they  saw  the  papers  and  heard  of  the 
attitude  of  the  authorities,  they  seemed  satisfied,  thanked  him,  and 
went  home. 

In  the  middle  of  Auafust,  1802,  about  the  time  of  the  Sioux  attack 
on  the  lower  agencv,  Hole-in-the-d  iv  began  committing  depredations 
in  the  vicinitv  of  Crow  Wing,  and  Chippewa  warriors  besran  to  col- 
lect near  Gull  lake.     On  the  18th  of  August  Major  Walker,  the 


f 


•484  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

United  States  agent  at  Crow  Wing,  sent  a  message  to  the  command- 
ant at  Fort  Ripley  to  send  all  his  available  troops  for  the  protection 
ot  the  agency  and  village.  As  the  commandant  of  the  post  was  ab- 
sent at  St.  Cloud,  Lieutenant  Frank  B.  Forbes,  who  was  in  com- 
mand, started  for  Crow  Wing  with  twenty-six  men,  leaving  five  men 
at  the  fort.  On  the  way  he  met  Agent  Walker  on  his  retreat  to  the 
post.  The  agent  gave  orders  for  the  arrest  of  Hole-in-the-day,  who 
could  be  seen  on  the  top  of  a  hill  near  the  village.  Hole-in-the-day, 
on  seeing  the  soldiers,  hurried  to  his  house,  gathered  together  his 
wives  and  warriors,  ran  to  the  river,  and,  taking  all  the  boats,  rowed 
across.  When  he  was  about  half  of  the  way  over  he  was  ordered 
by  the  soldiers  to  return,  but  he  paid  no  attention  to  the  order,  and 
when  he  reached  the  opposite  shoie  he  turned  and  discharged  two 
pistol  shots  at  the  soldiers.  The  shots,  although  striking  close,  did 
not  injure  anyone,  and  a  volley  was  returned,  Hole-in-the-day  ap- 
peared to  be  wounded,  but,  if  he  were  touched  at  all,  the  injuries 
were  very  slight. 

The  soldiers  immediately  returned  to  Fort  Ripley  and  sent  a  mes- 
senger to  St.  Paul  bearing  news  of  what  had  happened,  and  asking 
for  additional  troops.  At  St.  Cloud  this  messenger  met  United 
States  Indian  Commissioner  W.  P.  Dole,  who  also  sent  a  letter  by 
the  messenger  to  the  governor  asking  that  more  troops  be  sent.  Com- 
missioner Dole  was  in  St.  Cloud  on  his  w^ay  to  Pembina  to  be  present 
at  the  making  of  a  treaty  with  the  Red  river  Chippewas.  Captain 
William  K.  Tattersall  of  the  Sixth  Regiment  with  his  company  was 
at  once  dispatched  to  Fort  Ripley.  On  the  night  of  Saturday, 
Auijust  23rd,  after  all  the  Indian  warriors  had  left  for  Crow  Wing, 
EniTiegahbovvh,  accompanied  by  William  Superior,  came  down  the 
river  to  the  fort,  walking  most  of  the  way  and  dragging  a  canoe 
laden  with  the  members  of  his  family.  He  reported  to  the  officer 
what  he  had  learned  in  the  councils  of  Hole-in-the-day,  and  con- 
vinced him  that  the  outbreak  was  a  concerted  effort  on  the  part  of 
tlie  Chippewas  and  Sioux  to  drive  out  the  whites.  The  night  after 
Enniegahl)owh\s  arrival  he  served  on  picket  duty,  and  in  a^  few  days 
left  with  a  message  for  St.  Paul. 

After  being  shot  at  bv  the  soldiers,  Hole-in-the-day  took  as  pris- 
oners two  residents  of  Crow  Wing,  and  the  Pillatrcr  band  at  Leech 
lake  took  several  more.  Captain  Francis  Hall,  the  commandant  at 
Fort  Ripley,  upon  returning  to  the  post  on  the  23rd,  at  once  sent  a 
messenger  to  Ilole-in-the-day,  demanding  the  release  of  the  white 
pris(^ners.  He  was  told  that  if  he  ceased  to  wrong  the  citizens  his 
grievances  would  be  investigated  and  justice  done  hiin.  Hole-in-the- 
dav  at  once  '^ent  back  a  messenger  stating  that  he  would  at  once  set 
free  his  captives,  that  he  had  sent  word  to  Commissi.nier  Dole  bv 
George  W.  Sweet  to  meet  him.  and  that  he  would  wait  four  davs 
for  the  arrival  of  the  commissioner  in  order  to  counsel  with  him.      " 


STATE  OF   NORTH   DAKOTA  48S 


The  Indian  commissioner,  owin^j  to  the  disturbed  state  of  the 
western  border,  brought  about  by  the  Sioux  uprising,  had  given  up 
his  trip  to  Pembina,  and  upon  receiving  the  message  from  Hole-in- 
the-  day  on  the  2Cth,  prepared  to  set  off  for  Fort  Ripley.  He  made 
requisition  upon  the  commander-in-chief  of  the  militia  forces  of  the 
state  for  two  more  companies  of  infantry.  Two  companies,  both  of 
the  Seventh  regiment,  were  accordingly  sent  to  the  Chippewa  fron- 
tier, although  they  were  much  needed  elsewhere.  Commissioner 
Dole,  accompanied  by  Clark  W.  Thompson,  superintendent  of  In- 
dian affairs  for  the  northern  superintendency,  arrived  at  Fort  Rip- 
ley on  Friday,  August  29th,  and  sent  a  message  to  the  chief  at  his 
camp  at  Gull  lake  that  he  would  meet  him  in  council  on  Monday, 
September  Ist.  Hole-in-the-day,  although  declaring  that  he  was 
sorry  for  what  he  had  done,  did  not  appear  at  the  council  and  con- 
tinued to  make  excuses  for  not  coming,  until  the  commissioner  be- 
came disgusted,  and  was  ready  to  give  up  any  further  attempt  at  a 
reconciliation.  On  September  9th  Superintendent  Thompson  went 
with  Agent  Morrill  to  the  Indian  camp  and  had  a  personal  talk  with 
the  leader.  They  talked  over  the  causes  for  grievance  on  the  part  of 
the  Indians,  and  arranged  for  a  council  at  Crow  Wing  the  next  day 
between  Commissioner  Dole  and  Hole-in-the-day  and  thirty  or  forty 
of  his  chief  men.  The  chief  came,  but  instead  of  thirty  or  forty  men, 
he  brought  about  three  hundred,  ail  armed.  They  were  all  insolent 
and  unreasonable.  On  the  morning  of  the  11th  they  wounded  a 
messenger  of  the  commissioner,  took  his  horse,  and  refused  to  give 
it  up.  Hole-in-the-day  said  his  young  men  could  only  be  satisfied 
by  the  distribution  of  the  $10,000  worth  of  goods  which  were  to  be 
used  in  the  treaty  with  the  Pembina  Chippewas.  Commissioner  Dole, 
satisfied  that  any  further  parley  was  useless,  directed  that  no  more 
rations  should  be  issued  to  the  Indians  until  they  came  to  an  agree- 
ment, and  left  for  St.  Paul. 

That  night  Hole-in-the-day *s  house,  which  was  a  comfortable 
building  near  Crow  Wing,  was  destroyed  by  fire.  Whether  it  was 
burned  bv  white  men  or  Indians  has  never  been  certainlv  ascertained. 

Agent  Morrill,  on  the  12th  of  Septen;ber,  after  the  departure  of 
the  commissioner,  went  again  to  the  Chippewa  camp.  Hole-in-the- 
day  still  insisted  that  no  terms  would  be  considered  until  after  the 
distribution  of  the  goods  designed  for  the  Pembina  Chippewas. 
When  Mr.  Morrill  told  him  that  this  was  impossible,  he  shook  hands 
and  said  they  would  not  meet  again.  That  night  about  dusk  the 
ferry  ropes  were  cut.  The  people  of  Crow  Wing  all  expected  an  at- 
tack during  the  night,  and  prepared  for  it  as  much  as  possible.  About 
10  o'clock  p.  m.  three  chiefs  of  the  Pillager  band  at  Leech  lake  came 
over  to  the  village  and  wished  to  hold  a  council.  They  stated  that 
they  escaped  from  Hole-in-the-day *s  camp  at  the  risk  of  their  lives, 
being  threatened  with  death  bv  the  chief,  but  said  that  the  Pillagers 
were  ready  to  leave  Hole-in-the-day  and  meet  the  agent  in  councif 


486  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

the  next  day.     This  they  did,  and  having  been  satisfied  that  they 
would  be  treated  justly,  started  for  home. 

On  the  13th  the  matter  of  the  Chippewa  disturbance  was  taken  up 
in  the  state  legislature  of  Minnesota,  at  the  instigation  of  the  gov- 
ernor. The  commissioner  of  Indian  affairs  had  asked  for  more 
troops ;  it  seemed  .impossible  to  send  them  into  that  country  in  view 
of  the  urgent  demands  elsewhere.  A  commission  was  finally  ap- 
pointed consisting  of:  David  Cooper,  Henry  M.  Rice,  Frederick 
Ayers  and  E.  A.  C.  Hatch,  who,  with  Governor  Ramsey,  should  re- 
pair to  Fort  Ripley  and  negotiate  with  the  Chippewas  in  the  way 
which  seemed  best  calculated  to  prevent  an  outbreak  on  the  northern 
frontier.  Commissioner  Dole  did  not  approve  of  the  commission, 
but  informed  the  members  that  he,  on  the  part  of  the  United  States, 
would  sanction  any  treaty  which  they  saw  fit  to  conclude.  On  the 
15th  of  September  the  commission  met  the  Indians  and  a  treaty  was 
drawn  up  and  signed  the  same  day,  and  the  Indians  departed  for 
their  homes. 

Thus  ended  the  trouble  with  Hole-in-the-dav.  The  hostile  demon- 
Strati  on  which  had  driven  the  people  of  the  northern  frontier  wild 
with  fear,  died  away  without  the  loss  of  a  single  life.  It  is  evident, 
nevertheless,  that  the  fears  of  the  people  were  not  groundless,  and 
that  a  bloody  war  was  narrowly  averted.  That  there  was  a  pre- 
concerted campaign  arranged  between  Little  Crow  and  Hole-in-the- 
day  there  can  be  little  cause  for  doubt.  Both  Indian  nations  had  an 
accumulated  store  of  complaints  against  the  United  States  govern- 
ment, they  also  had  in  common  a  jealousy  of  the  encroachment  of 
the  white  settlers  upon  the  lands  they  felt  to  be  theirs  by  an  inaliena- 
ble inheritance,  they  both  felt  that  they  were  dying  races  and  what- 
ever vengeance  they  brought  upon  themselves  could  but  hasten  their 
ultimate  extinction.  Tliis  state  of  feeling  combined  with  a  belief 
that  the  Union  was  in  desperate  straits  caused  the  trouble  with  both 
Sioux  and  Chippewa  chiefs  in  arousing  their  warriors  for  the  con- 
flict, by  reciting  the  same  general  grievances,  makes  it  appear  that 
both  uprisings  were  part  of  one  general  movement,  nurtured  by  the 
same  causes,  and  brought  on  by  peculiarly  favorable  conditions. 

For  further  evidence  we  have  the  statements  of  Enmegahbowh 
and  Mr.  Garden,  a  captive  for  a  time  in  Hole-in-the-day*s  camp, 
both  of  whom  testify  that  the  Chippewa  chief  announced  in  council 
that  he  and  Little  Crow  had  united  in  an  attempt  to  drive  out  the 
v.'hites.  He  said  that  the  Chippewas  were  to  take  Fort  Ripley  and 
march  south  and  unite  with  the  Sioux  at  St.  Cloud.  Enmegahbowh 
says  that  Hole-in-the-day  invited  him  to  his  council  wigwam  and  told 
him  of  his  plan  to  commence  killing  all  the  whites  he  could  see  or 
lay  hands  on.  and  asked  his  assistance. 

Again,  when  Bishop  Whipple  was  visiting  the  mission  at  St.  Co- 

lumba  in  the  late  summer  of  1862,  a  letter  arrived  for  Hole-in-the- 

•ciay,  addressed  in  the  handwriting  of  Mr.  Hinman,  the  Episcopal 


STATE  OF  NORTH   DAKOTA  487 

missionary  at  the  lower  Sioux  agency.  Hole-in-the-day  was  absent, 
and  the  bishop,  recognizing  the  handwriting,  asked  one  of  the  Chip- 
pewas  to  open  it.    It  read  as  follows : 

'Your  young  men  have  killed  one  of  my  people — a  farmer  Indian. 
1  have  tried  to  keep  my  soldiers  at  home.  They  have  gone  for  scalps. 
Look  out. 

(Signed)  "Little  Crow." 

As  the  Sioux  and  Chippewas  were  continually  in  a  state  of  hos- 
tality,  this  letter  appears  to  indicate  that  some  kind  of  a  peace  treaty 
had  been  agreed  upon  between  the  chiefs. 

Hole-in-the-day  failed  to  fulfill  his  part  of  the  program.  Had  he 
succeeded  in  surprising  Crow  Wing,  seizing  the  agency  with  its 
fire  arms  and  ammunition,  Fort  Ripley  with  its  thirty  men  could 
hardly  have  withstood  their  onslaught ;  once  in  conjunction  with  the 
Sioux  it  would  be  useless  to  attempt  to  speculate  on  the  results. 

Xow,  how  large  a  factor  was  Enmegahbowh  in  the  failure  of 
Hole-in-the-day?  Bishop  Whipple  in  his  autobiographical  work^ 
and  Rev.  W^illiam  C.  Pope  in  his  sketch,^  practically  give  him  the 
<:redit  for  preventing  the  uprising.  This  may  be  due  him,  but  with 
full  appreciation  for  his  admirable  loyalty  and  self-sacrificing  exer- 
tions, I  do  not  feel  that  the  evidence  which  has  come  to  my  hands 
Avarrants  so  sweeping  an  assumption.  The  services  rendered,  how- 
ever, were  undoubtedly  very  valuable  and  worthy  of  careful  record 
and  consideration. 

1.  For  twenty  years  previous  to  this  trouble  Enmegahbowh  had 
been  working  among  these  Indians  with  wholly  unselfish  motives. 
He  had  lived  and  taught  among  the  bands  at  Sandy  lake,  Mille  Lacs, 
White  Fish  lake.  Rabbit  lake.  Fond  du  Lac  and  Gull  lake,  and  had 
friends  among  all  the  Mississippi  Chippewas.  He  had  married  into 
a  leadino^  familv,  his  wife  was  a  cousin  of  Hole-in-the-day.  Crossing- 
Sky  of  the  Rabbit  lake  band  had  been  a  close  friend  for  many  years, 
l^ad  Boy  of  Gull  lake  had  adopted  civilized  habits  under  the  influ- 
ence of  the  St.  Columba  mission,  and  was  influenced  greatly  by  En- 
mecfahbowh.  The  Pillager  chiefs  could  not  have  forgotten  the  ser- 
vice performed  for  them  by  Enmegahbowh  but  a  short  time  before 
In  attempting:  to  stop  the  buying  up  of  Indians  as  substitutes  in  the 
Civil  war.  It  is  plain  that  he  had  a  wide  influence,  and  it  is  also  a 
noticeable  fact  that  his  friends  were  the  leaders  of  the  dissension  in 
the  camp  of  Hole-in-the-day,  the  men  who  finally  broke  up  the  enter- 
prise. 

2.  Enmeerahbowh  stood  up  boldly  in  the  council  of  Hole-in-the- 
dav  and  declared  his  position,  counselling  peace.  To  quote  from  his 
letter :  "I  said  to  them,  'Mv  friends,  you  all  know  me.  For  years  I 
have  stood  before  you  and  tried  to  J^ave  you  from  your  present  con- 
dition and  the  consequence  of  your  sin's  doing.     If  you  knew  as 


^Lights  and  Sha<^ows  of  a  Jxtvv  Episcopate. 
'St.  Paul  Globe,  February  15,  1903. 


488  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

much  as  I  know  of  the  greatness  and  power  of  the  whites  against 
whom  you  are  expected  to  fight,  you  would  not  entertain  the  idea 
to  thus  strike  against  heavy  rocks.  You  may  kill  a  few  in  the  be- 
ginning, but  in  the  end  you  will  all  be  swept  away  from  the  face  of 
the  earth  and  annihilated  forever*.  1  love  vou  all.  I  see  and  know 
just  exactly  how  the  war  wfll  terminate.  As  a  friend  who  loves,  I 
would  ask  you  all  as  wise  men  to  think  and  well  consider  whether 
}our  present  plan  is  to  your  salvation  or  death.    Think  ye  well.''* 

3.  He  sent  a  warning  to  Crow  Wing  of  the  contemplated  attack. 
It  seemed  that  in  the  frenzy  of  anger  after  being  fired  upon  by  the 
soldiers,  Hole-in-the-day  immediately  sent  out  special  couriers    to 
Leech  lake  and  other  points,  and  upon  the  arrival  of  reinforcements, 
planned  an  attack  upon  Crow  Wing  just  before  daylight  on  the 
morning  of  the  24th.    In  the  meantime  Enmegahbowh  had  made  an 
attempt  to  go  to  the  village,  but  had  been  brought  back  and  carefully 
v;atched.    Chief  Crossing  Sky,  heanng  of  the  plan  for  the  massacre 
of  Crow  Wins:,  came  to  Enmegahbowh  and  told  him  to  escape  down 
the  river  the  night  before  the  attack,  after  all  the  warriors  had  left. 
Upon  hearing  of  the  danger  of  Crow  Wing,  Enmegahbowh  was 
much  distressed,  as  he  did  not  know  how  he  should  warn  the  whites. 
His  wife  said  she  would  go  with  a  message,  but  just  then  a  white 
man  came  to  the  house  to  inquire  the  meaning  of  all  the  hostile- 
demonstrations.     He  was  told  of  the  proposed  massacre.     He  was 
afraid  to  remain  and  afraid  to  go  to  Crow  Wing.     Finally  he  left 
with  a  warning  for  the  villac^e.    The  citizens  prepared  themselves  for 
the  attack,  and  the  spies  of  Hole-in-the-day  reported  the  place  welf 
defended  and  an  attack  impracticable.    It  was  never  made. 

4,  The  testimony  of  Ennieeahbowh  upon  arriving  at  Fort  Ripley, 
direct  from  the  Indian  councils,  and  bearing  proof  that  the  Sioux 
and  Chippewas  were  concerted  in  their  action.  G:ave  the  officers  an- 
avlvantage  which  was  invaluable,  both  in  deciding:  upon  means  of 
defence  and  in  the  attitude  to  assume  in  dealing  with  Hole-in-the-day 
in  council. 

r>.  Bishop  Whipple  and  Rev.  ^^r.  Pope  credit  Enmegahbowh  with 
having  sent  emissaries  to  the  Mille  Lacs  chiefs  to  influence  them 
cway  from  Hole-in-the-day.  I  ha-. e  no  reason  to  doubt  that  state- 
ment. It  is  true  that  the  Mille  Lacs  chiefs  did  not  joint  the  belliger- 
ent chief,  but  that  their  attitude  was  due  to  the  influence  of  Enme- 
gahbowh. I  am  not  prepared  to  assert,  as  I  have  not  been  able  to  find 
any  evidence  that  would  warrant  tlie  statement. 

On  February  10,  1003.  a  bill  was  introduced  in  the  state  senate 
of  Minnesota  aj^propriating  $1,000  for  a  nv-^niunent  in  memory  of 
Enmeeahhowh  antl  in  recoLrnitic^n  rf  his  services  on  the  occasion  of 
the  ChiT>|X'wa  upri^^incf.  It  was  supported  by  a  petition  siirned  by 
Alexan.icr  Rani^cv,  T.  ?>.  Sanborn,  [.  S.  Crower,  Cha<,  E.  Flamlrau 


'Fnmou:i':'>"nvh's   St   r\',   Minnonp.>li^.   VX^\,  20. 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  489 

and  many  other  men  of  prominence  in  the  state  of  Minnesota.  The 
bill,  however,  died  in  the  committee  rooms.  Through  the  influence 
of  Mrs.  H.  B.  Whipple,  however,  a  suitable  monument  has  been 
erected  to  his  memory  at  White  Earth. 

After  the  trouble  on  the  part  of  the  Chippewas  was  settled,  Enme- 
gahbowh  remained  in  the  Chippewa  country,  ministering  to  the  spirit- 
ual needs  of  the  Indians  wherever  possible.  Although  threatened 
with  death  by  Hole-in-the-day,  he  spent  most  of  his  time  at  Gull  lake. 
Occasionally  he  visited  the  Mille  Lacs  and  Rabbit  lake  bands.  He 
was  at  that  time  the  only  Protestant  missionary  in  the  Chippewa  coun- 
try in  Minnesota.  The  Methodists,  the  American  Board  of  Commis- 
sioners for  Foreign  Mission,  and  the  American  Missionary  associa- 
tion had  been  forced  to  entirely  abandon  the  field.  In  1852  the  last 
named  society  had  as  many  as  iwenty-one  missionaries  at  work 
among  the  Minnesota  Chippewas. 

Those  were  dark  days  for  the  Gull  lake  reservation.  Whiskey 
fllowed  in  streams,  and  Indians  pawned  off  their  guns,  blankets, 
ciothingf,  everything  they  owned  for  it.  Men,  women  and  children 
were  drunk  almost  continually.  They  lived  for  nothing  else.  When 
they  were  drunk  they  were  generally  fighting.  Rev.  J.  A.  Gilfillan, 
who  was  in  charge  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  missions  to  the  Chip- 
pewas from  1873  to  1898.  tells  of  a  record  kept  by  Enmegahbowh, 
showing  over  three  hundred  murdered  Indians  in  one  year,  all  the 
result  of  drunkenness. 

In  1867  a  treaty  was  made  whereby  the  Mississippi  bands  of  Chip- 
pewas were  to  be  moved  to  Pine  Point  and  White  Earth  reservations. 
The  latter  reservation  is  in  Becker  county,  Minnesota,  and  contains 
a  tract  of  land  thirty-six  miles  square.  No  more  favorable  spot  could 
have  been  chosen  for  planting  an  Indian  colony  with  a  view  to  their 
civilization.  The  land  is  very  fertile,  so  the  returns  from  agricul- 
tural experiments  were  encouraging.  While  they  were  learning  to 
depend  upon  the  cultivation  of  the  soil  for  subsistence  there  was 
plenty  of  their  old  food  supplies — fish,  maple  sugar  and  wild  rice — 
to  supply  their  wants. 

But  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  the  Gull  lake  band  had  been  given  this 
excellent  location  for  their  future  home,  they  were  very  reluctant 
to  make  the  move.  The  Indian  knows  very  little  of  the  world  outside 
of  his  own  personal  experiences,  and  he  is  afraid  to  trust  in  a  strange 
land  no  matter  how  pleasant  it  is  represented  to  be.  He  has  grown 
to  manhood  in  the  land  of  his  fathers,  he  knows  every  creek  and  hill 
and  lake,  and  loves  them  all.  He  lebels  against  making  a  change. 
Hole-in-the-day  forbade  any  Indian  to  leave  his  village  for  White 
Earth,  and  said  he  would  shoot  the  first  man  who  attempted  to 
leave. 

In  June,  1868,  Chief  Na-bun-a-skong  (Isaac  Tuttle)  started  with 
the  most  of  the  Gull  lake  band  for  the  new  reservation.  Hole-in-the- 
day  posted  four  warriors  on  the  road  to  stop  them,  but  as  Tuttle  a,p- 


~1 


490  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

proached  he  gave  a  war  whoop  and  Hole-in-the-day*s  men  were 
afraid  to  attack.  The  party  went  on  unmolested.  Enmegahbowh 
dare  not  go  with  them  on  account  of  the  sworn  vengeance  of  Hole- 
in-the-day.  His  friends  in  Crow  Wing  invited  him  to  stay  in  the 
village  until  such  time  as  he  could  escape  in  safety.  Hole-in-the-day 
watched  his  every  movement.  His  set  purpose  was  to  kill  the  traitor 
Enmegahbowh. 

But  Enmegahbowh  was  soon  relieved  from  all  anxiety  from  this 
source.  On  the  27th  of  June,  1868,  Hole-in-the-day,  while  on  the 
way  home  from  the  agency,  was  shot  from  ambush  by  some  worthless 
members  of  the  Pillager  band.  Enmegahbowh  was  then  free  to  fol- 
low his  people  to  White  Earth,  which  he  did  shortly  afterwards. 
There  were  fifteen  in  his  company  and  they  traveled  leisurely,  living 
sumptuously  along  the  way  on  game  and  berries. 

Although  Enmegahbowh  had  taken  pains  to  hinder  the  White 
Earth  Indians,  knowing  of  his  approach,  they  found  it  out,  and  when 
he  was  yet  some  distance  from  the  settlement  his  party  saw  a  cloud 
of  dust  which  they  took  for  a  Sioux  war  party.  They  all  prepared 
for  a  skirmish,  but  were  overjoyed  when  they  found  that  the  party 
was  composed  of  their  Chippewa  friends.  It  consisted  of  Chiefs 
Washburn,  Tuttle,  White  Cloud,  Me-shah-ki-gi-shig,  Aubboy  and 
eight  or  ten  young  braves.  They  had  come  out  to  welcome  Enme- 
gahbowh and  stayed  with  him  four  days.  They  then  returned  to  an- 
nounce his  approach  to  the  rest  of  ihe  White  Earth  Indians. 

The  work  of  the  next  five  years  at  White  Earth  was  the  triumph 
of  Enmcgahbowh's  life.  What  he  accomplished  is  nothing  short  of 
marvelous.  Upon  his  arrival  he  was  provided  with  a  comfortable 
log  dwelling  house.  He  held  services  the  first  Sunday  and  had  a 
large  number  of  Indians  in  attendance.  The  interest  increased  from 
week  to  week.  He  aimed  first  at  the  conversion  of  the  head  chiefs, 
and  before  long  several  of  them  manifested  considerable  interest. 
During  the  winter  he  used  one  of  the  largest  wigwams  or  log  houses 
for  his  services,  and  in  the  summer  they  were  held  in  the  open  under 
the  shade  of  the  trees.  As  to  the  progress  of  the  work  I  quote  from 
one  of  his  letters:  "In  the  second  year  I  had  nearly  all  of  the  chiefs 
and  the  leading  men  and  women  and  children  under  my  teachings. 
I  must  say  I  have  lived  with  my  ptople  from  the  beginning  of  my 
days  to  the  present  time.  I  never  saw  so  large  a  community  of  heath- 
en people  live  so  harmoniously  and  in  so  great  peace.  It  was  like 
one  family.  O,  those  early  days  of  yore!  I  long  to  see  and  enjoy 
their  blessings.  At  that  early  day  we  had  no  devil  spirit  nor  any- 
thing to  make  us  dumb  or  crazy.  We  loved  and  helped  one  anotfier. 
I  have  often  remarked  to  my  wife  that  1  was  in  a  new  world,  and 
with  new  human  beings.  My  joy  was  full,  and  I  had  plenty  to  give 
awav  to  others."^ 


'Enmegahbowh's  Story,  48. 


J 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  491 

One  of  the  men  who  were  most  earnest  in  his  consideration  of 
Enmegahbowh's  teachings  was  Chief  Nebuneshkung  (Tuttle).  He 
was  one  of  the  bravest  warriors  of  the  band,  and  the  man  who  led 
the  party  to  White  Earth  in  defiance  of  the  orders  of  Hole-in-the- 
Jay.  Nebuneshkung  came  to  Enmegahbowh  one  day  and  announc- 
ed that  he  had  decided  to  forsake  heathenism,  and  asked  that  he 
might  enter  the  church.  After  a  long  talk  with  him,  Enmegahbowh 
came  to  the  final  test  and  asked  if  he  might  cut  off  the  chiefs  hair. 
This  would  mean  that  he  had  forsaken  the  warpath  forever.  Ne- 
buneshkung consented,  his  hair  was  cut,  on  his  way  home  he  was 
greeted  with  shouts  of  derision.  "You  were  once  our  greatest 
leader,  now  you  are  a  squaw,"  they  yelled.  He  stood  heroically  by 
his  convictions,  however,  and  was  a  strong  support  to  Enmegahbowh 
in  his  work. 

When  Rev.  J.  A.  Gilfillan  came  to  White  Earth  in  1873  he  found 
a  congregation  of  between  one  hundred  and  two  hundred  Indians 
in  fairly  regular  attendance  at  the  services  of  the  church.  There 
were  over  fifty  communicants.  This  church  had  been  built  up  entire- 
ly through  the  efforts  of  Enmegahbowh.  Ami  out  of  what  kind  of 
material?  The  lazy,  dissolute  dru.iken  men  and  women  who  a  few 
years  before  had  begged  a  living  in  the  vicinity  of  Crow  Wing.  Four 
different  Christian  had  during  the  forty  years  previous  to  this  been 
at  work  among  the  Minnesota  Chippewas,  and  fully  a  hundred  differ- 
ent missionaries  had  been  engaged  in  the  work,  but  in  1873  the 
White  Earth  congregation  under  the  charge  of  Enmegahbowh  was 
the  only  Protestant  Chippewa  congregation  worthy  of  note  in  the 
f  tate  of  Minnesota.  During  the  five  years  in  which  Enmegahbowh 
had  built  up  his  church  he  had  been  an  Indian  among  Indians,  far 
removed  from  the  white  settlements,  and  without  the  support  and 
stimulus  which  would  have  come  from  an  association  with  his  Chris- 
tian brethren. 

In  March,  1880,  Enmegahbowh,  accompanied  by  Chief  Minogi- 
shig  of  White  Earth,  made  an  extensive  visit  to  the  eastern  cities 
for  the  purpose  of  soliciting  money  for  the  building  of  a  church 
to  replace  the  small  frame  structure  they  then  had.  They  visited 
and  made  addresses  in  Chicago,  Cincinnati,  Pittsburg,  Baltimore, 
Washington,  Boston  and  other  cities.  They  succeeded  in  raising 
about  $10,000,  with  which  a  beautiful  church  was  erected  at  White 
Earth. 

From  the  time  that  Rev.  Mr.  Gilfillan  took  charge  of  the  Chippe- 
wa field  the  work  grew  rapidly.  He  trained  seven  young  Indians  a^ 
clergymen  and  sent  them  out  to  take  charge  of  churches  in  different 
parts  of  the  Chippewa  country  in  Minnesota.  Enmegahbowh  re- 
mained at  White  Earth  and  continued  to  minister  to  his  people  to  a 
greater  or  less  extent  up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  on 
June  12th,  1002. 


492  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Enmegahbowh  had  a  great  many  sorrows  during  his  life.  He 
lived  to  see  every  one  of  his  twelve  children  die  of  consumption.  His 
wife  died  on  the  3Qth  of  March,  1895.  After  his  wife's  death  his 
only  companion  was  a  little  grandson,  who  was  his  constant  com- 
panion, and  very  dear  to  him.  The  next  year  the  grandson  also  died, 
and  the  old  man  was  broken  hearted.  He  writes  in  a  letter  to  Miss 
Anna  Spates  of  St.  Paul :  **For  over  a  year  we  have  often  gone  out 
together  far  away  from  home  to  cry  and  weep  aloud  for  my  dear 
companion,  dear  wife.  Now  there  shall  be  no  one  to  accompany  me 
to  weep  for  his  grandma.  I  shall  go  out,  not  to  weep  for  my  wife 
alone,  but  to  weep  for  both,  my  wife  and  my  little  child.  I  am  about 
half  crazed,  nearly  exhausted  and  no  strength,  yes,  more  than  half. 
I  know  not  what  I  am  saying  and  doing.  My  daily  crying  and  weep- 
ing, like  of  old :  'My  son,  my  son,  Absalom,  O,  my  son,  Absalom, 
would  God  I  had  died  for  thee.' "  A  short  time  after  this  he  was 
again  married,  and  his  wife  still  survives. 

Enmegahbowh  spent  sixty-eight  years  in  active  service  for  the 
betterment  of  his  people.  The  results  of  his  labors  were  slow  in 
appearing,  but  he  had  the  satisfaction  of  living  to  see  his  nation  re- 
deemed from  absolute  barbarism,  and  well  started  on  the  road  to 
civilization  and  self-dependence.  His  own  part  in  the  work  was  not 
small,  and  considering  tjie  fact  that  he  was  himself  born  and  raised 
in  heathenism  and  barbarism,  his  career  cannot  be  regarded  other- 
wise than  as  a  credit  to  himself  and  his  nation. 


STATE  OF  NORTH   DAKOTA  493 


INTRODUCTION  TO  INDIAN  MYTHOLOGY. 

J.  M.  GILLETTE, 

It  might  be  of  some  service  to  those  who  make  use  of  our  Indian 
stories  to  have  a  few  words  spoken  at  this  time  on  their  nature  and 
significance.  For,  handled  by  intelligent  teachers,  stories  and  myths 
may  be  profitable  in  the  school  room  in  reasonable  amounts.  But  I 
fear,  as  in  the  case  of  much  of  the  use  of  Roman  and  Greek  mythol- 
ogy, without  some  guidance  or  suggestion  as  to  what  to  look  for, 
what  to  get  out  of  the  stories,  their  treatment  degenerates  into  mere 
amusement  or  dry  memory  work. 

We  might  classify  all  the  stories  we  get  from  primitive  peoples 
roughly  as  myths,  although  there  is  a  distinction  between  myths  and 
legends.  The  story  of  the  founding  of  Rome  by  Remus  and  Romu- 
lus is  a  hero-m\th,  or  legend.  The  founders  were  men,  but  of  magic 
origin,  having  been  suckled  by  a  wolf,  were  fictitious,  being  inven- 
tions to  account  for  an  apparent  historical  fact,  the  origin  of  Roman 
culture.  Longfellow's  Hiawatha  is  purely  mythical,  based  on  legend- 
myths  which  really  belonged  to  Manabozho,  a  Chippewa  deity.  The 
real  Hiawatha  was  a  Mohawk  chief  who  was  instrumental  in  bring- 
ing about  the  Iroquoian  confederacy.  In  this  transaction  he  showed 
himself  so  powerful  in  convincing  some  of  the  reluctant  chiefs  of  the 
nations,  one  of  which  in  particular  was  also  a  great  medicine  man 
or  wonder  v/orker,  that  he  was  thought  to  have  magic  power.  Later 
legends  grew  up  about  his  memory  on  the  basis  of  this  Supposed 
power. 

Myths  must  be  viewed  as  peculiar  products  of  a  people  living  at 
a  given  age.  They  are  culture  products,  expressions  of  the  mind, 
ways  of  looking  at  things,  reflections  of  customs  and  life  of  the  so- 
cieties giving  them  birth.  They  grade  up  in  the  matter  of  system 
and  intelligence  from  the  low  and  crude  to  the  high  and  esthetic. 
The  lower  are  gross  or  brutal,  showing  that  the  people  were  lower  in 
civilization.  The  higher  are  refined  and  often  filled  with  the  beauti- 
ful and  something  of  the  higher  ethical,  consequently  indicating  a 
higher  civilization.  We  may,  therefore,  study  a  people's  beliefs, 
ideas  about  nature  or  themselves,  their  characters  and  customs  by  the 
use  of  their  stories.  Also  we  sometimes  get  elimpses  of  their  past 
history  in  these  legends.  The  myth  of  the  Sabine  women  in  Roman 
history  is  partly  an  attempt  to  explain  the  origin  of  marriage  by 
capture,  and  partly  the  fact  of  expansion  of  territory  and  the  incor- 
poration of  alien  peoples  on  the  part  of  the  Romans.  Among  the 
Mandans  manv  of  their  stories  reflect  the  previous  dwelling  place  of 
that  people.     It  is  well  established  that  they  originally  lived  on  or 


494  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

near  the  southeastern  coast  of  the  United  States.  Their  traditions 
in  incidental  ways,  such  as  references  to  corn,  boats,  turtles,  big  river 
mouth,  all  now  treated  as  sacred  matters  or  as  mysteries,  reflect  the 
former  situation.  Our  government  ethnologists  have  made  use  of 
this  factor  to  unravel  the  history  of  our  Indian  races  in  many  cases. 
There  is  one  caution  here.  Borrowing  is  frequent  among  peoples, 
even  in  matters  of  myth.  One  must  be  careful  here  lest  historical 
pointings  be  imputed  to  the  wrong  body  of  people. 

A  consideration  of  the  elements  which  have  helped  in  the  production 
of  m>-ths  may  be  useful  in  finding  their  significance  in  the  life  of 
their  holders.  Some  stories  are  very  fanciful,  and  in  them  we  see 
the  product  of  the  unbridled  imagination  of  the  childish  mind.  Oth- 
ers are  attempts  to  get  at  the  origin  and  explanation  of  things,  and 
they  reflect  the  element  of  prying  curiosity  in  humanity  which  ulti- 
mately led  to  science  and  made  possible  the  true  explanation  of  man 
and  the  world.  Some  are  evidently  made  for  the  mere  object  of  en- 
tertainment, and  this  was  a  very  much  needed  item  in  primitive  life. 
Some  originated  in  connection  with  dreams  and  visions,  and  we  can 
see  how  powerful  these  phenomena  were  in  early  times.  A  great  class 
have  their  motive  in  fear,  and  this  element  is  probably  the  most  pow- 
erful one  of  all  in  the  production  of  myths,  for  the  life  of  primitive 
man  was  one  continuous  struggle  against  agencies,  the  true  nature  of 
which  he  did  not  understand,  and  his  mind  peopled  the  world  with 
terrors  because  it  could  do  no  better. 

Our  American  Indians  were  in  the  stage  of  barbarism  and  their 
myths  were  neither  as  crude  as  those  of  people  living  in  pure  sav- 
agery nor  were  they  as  high  as  those  of  more  advanced  people  They 
have  elements  expressing  the  transitional  stage  in  which  the  Indians 
were  when  European  civilization  broke  in  upon  them. 


THE  STORY  OF  CORN  SILK— A  MANDAN  LEGEND. 
Related  by  Joseph  Packeneau,  Elbovvoods. 

There  once  lived  an  Indian  girl  whose  father  was  a  chief,  and  she 
had  seven  brothers  who  loved  her  dearly,  but  because  she  would  not 
marry  any  one  of  their  tribe,  nor  even  the  son  of  a  great  chief  who 
lived  a  long  way  from  them,  they  found  fault  with  her  and  threat- 
ened to  compel  her  to  marry  Black  Eagle,  a  very  terrible  magician 
who  lived  in  the  land  where  the  sun  rises. 

Now,  Corn  Silk  was  not  the  least  frightened  at  this  threat,  for 
she  was  a  brave  girl,  and  so  to  show  how  little  she  cared,  she  secretly 
made  ready  for  a  journey  to  the  land  of  Black  Eagle.  Early  one 
morning  she  started  out  alone  on  her  journey  to  the  land  of  Black 
Eagle,  carrying  only  a  little  bag  of  com  pemmican  for  food  on  her 
long  journey.  She  met  with  some  strange  adventures  which  there  is 
not  time  to  relate,  and  traveled  a  most  surprising  distance  by  means 


STATE  OF  NORTH   DAKOTA  495 

of  her  magic  arts,  and  at  nightfall  she  came  in  sight  of  a  small  tepee 
standing  at  the  edge  of  a  large  wood. 

Being  skilled  in  all  manner  of  wood  craft  and  knowing  the  ways 
of  all  the  animals,  she  saw  at  once  that  this  was  the  summer  home  of 
the  mouse  people,  the  smallest  of  the  underground  tribes.  Shd  could 
see  the  flicker  of  the  fire  within  and  knew  from  the  voices  she  heard 
that  they  were  seated  around  the  fire  eating  their  suppers.  She  heard 
them  telling  each  other  of  the  difficulty  they  had  met  in  getting  the 
seeds  and  other  food  for  their  winter  store.  Said  one,  "My  toe  nails  are 
sore  from  scratching  in  the  ground,  and  I  am  dusty  and  very  tired." 
Said  another,  "My  mouth  is  sore  from  biting  the  seeds  out  of  the 
husk  and  carrying  them  crammed  in  my  cheeks  to  my  little  store 
house  deep  in  the  ground.  Hpw  happy  we  will  be  if  we  can  find 
some  better  food  which  will  cost  us  less  labor  and  pain  to  get." 

She  waited  quietly  outside  until  one  of  their  children  came  out 
for  more  wood  to  replenish  the  fire,  and,  seeing  her,  ran  back  quick- 
ly, saying,  "There  is  an  Indian  woman  outside."  Then  Corn-silk 
heard  some  one  say,  "Invite  her  to  come  and  sit  by  the  fire,"  so 
she  entered  and  was  made  welcome  to  a  seat  with  the  others  in  the 
httle  tepee  which  by  her  magic  arts  she  entered  without  difficulty, 
making  herself  of  the  proper  size  while  she  was  in  their  company. 
As  she  opened  her  bag  of  corn  pemmican  to  eat  a  little  for  supper, 
the  oldest  mouse  in  the  company  asked  her  what  she  had  in  the  bag. 
Upon  being  told  that  it  was  her  food,  they  all  desired  to  taste  a  little 
of  it.  Now,  corn  pemmican  is  made  of  parched  corn  pounded  fine 
and  mixed  with  buffalo  tallow  and  dried  buflfalo  meat  pounded  into 
powder.  When  each  mouse  had  eaten  its  portion  of  the  corn  pemmi- 
can, they  all  declared  that  never  before  had  they  tasted  such 
delicious  food.  Then  the  oldest  of  the  mice  said  to  her,  "Corn  Silk, 
we  know  why  you  have  come  on  this  journey,  and  because  you  have 
shared  your  food  with  us  without  knowing  whether  it  would  last  you 
to  your  journev's  end,  we  will  help  you  when  you  come  to  the  village 
of  Black  Eagle.  We  will  send  word  to  our  queen,  Grandmother 
Mole,  and  she  will  give  orders  to  us  all.  You  will  see  her  on  the 
fourth  day  of  your  journey.  Tomorrow  night  you  will  come  to  the 
liome  of  the  next  larger  tribe  of  underground  people,  the  gophers." 
So  the  next  day  Corn  Silk  set  out  on  her  journey,  shortening  the 
distance  as  before  until  she  had  gone  as  far  as  one  might  ordinarily 
travel  in  many  days. 

She  found  the  tepee  of  the  gopher  people,  who  entertained  her, 
and  to  whom  she  gave  some  of  her  precious  corn  pemmican  as  she 
had  done  the  nie:ht  before,  and  they  promised  to  aid  her  when  their 
queen  should  give  them  permission  to  do  so.  The  third  night  she 
stayed  at  the  home  of  the  largest  of  the  underground  people,  the 
tribe  of  prairie  dogs,  the  wood  chucks  and  the  badgers. 

The  fourth  and  last  night  found  her  at  the  lodge  of  Grandmother 
Mole.     After  eating  the  last  bit  of  the  corn  pemmican  which  Corn 


498  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOaETY 


TYPICAL  VILLAGES  OF  THE  MANDANS,  ARIKARA  ANI> 
AND  HIDATSA  IN  THE  MISSOURI  VALLEY. 

NORTH  DAKOTA. 

O.  G.  LIBBY. 

One  of  the  most  important  results  of  the  field  work  in  the  region, 
oi  the  Missouri  valley  done  by  the  .secretary  during  the  past  two  sea- 
sons, with  the  assistance  of  Frank  J.  V.  Kiebert  and  A.  B.  Stout^ 
has  been  the  careful  mapping  of  a  considerable  number  of  old  vil- 
lage sites.  Some  of  these  maps  appear  in  the  following  pages  as 
illustrating  the  various  features  of  the  village  types  under  discus- 
sion. 

The  Mandan  villages  form  by  far  the  most  important  set  of  re- 
mains in  the  region  south  of  the  Heart  river,  and  north  of  this  river 
there  are  several  well  defined  villages  belonging  to  this  tribe.  From 
the  descriptions  of  the  Mandans  in  the  records  of  the  travelers  who- 
visited  them  we  can  gather  a  fairly  accurate  idea  of  the  general  ap- 
pearance of  a  typical  Mandan  village.  But  even  the  drawings  of 
Catlin  and  Maximilian  fail  to  supply  the  details  necessary  for  a  com- 
plete picture.  It  became  necessary,  therefore,  for  the  Society  to- 
seek  other  sources  of  information  than  the  works  of  early  travelers. 
In  Vol.  I.  of  the  Collections  of  our  Society  are  reproduced  some 
charts,  drawn  by  a  Mandan  living  on  the  Fort  Berthold  reservation, 
showing  the  arrangement  of  the  tepees  in  both  Mandan  and  Hidatsa 
villages.  Since  that  time  we  have  made  a  careful  survey 
of  the  most  important  historical  site  of  the  Mandan  tribe 
in  the  state,  the  one  visited  and  described  by  Lewis  and 
Qark,  Catlin  and  Maxmilian,  on  the  Knife  river  in  the 
vicinity  of  old  Fort  Qark.  The  Indian  chart  and  the 
map  of  the  village  as  it  appears  today  are  here  shown.  It  is  seen 
that  the  two  representations  are  not  essentially  unlike.  The  group- 
ing of  the  houses  about  a  common  center,  at  one  side  of  which  is  the 
holy  tepee,  is  the  predominating  characteristic  of  each.  That  the 
Mandan  artist,  plate  I.  depicted  the  holy  tepee  larger  than  it  should 
be  is  an  error  which  does  not  vitiate  the  correctness  of  the  general 
plan.  Moreover,  his  plan  includes  more  details  which  add  much  to 
our  knowledge  of  the  life  in  and  about  this  old  site.  The  paths  to  the 
water,  the  location  of  the  gardens,  the  trails  leading  to  and  past  the 
village,  are  all  points  of  importance.  On  the  other  hand,  the  survey 
of  the  actual  site  had  added  details  of  value.  In  plate  II.  is  shown 
the  map  of  the  Fort  Clark  site  as  it  appears  today.  In  the  center  of 
the  tepees,  on  the  space  devoted  by  the  old  Mandans  to  the  "big 
canoe"  and  cedar  post  of  the  "elder  man,"  stands  now  a  large  tepee 


8TATB  OP  NOITH  DAKOTA  499- 


(shown  in  dotted  outline)  which  v»-as  placed  there  by  the  Arikara 
who  occupied  the  village  after  the  small  pox  scourge  of  1837  had 
killed  or  driven  away  the  original  inhabitants.  The  only  tepee  of 
the  Mandans,  opening  directly  toward  the  old  sacred  cedar  post,  the 
center  of  the  Arikara  tepee  is  the  one  numbered  1.  On  either  side 
are  ranged  the  tepees  of  the  leading  men  of  the  tribe  with  their 
doorways  opening  inward,  but  none  of  them  directly  toward  the 
sacred  post  and  its  enclosing  fence.  Farther  back  from  the  river  are 
the  tepees  of  the  less  important  members  of  the  tribe  with  their 
doorways  pointing  in  a  variety  of  directions.  The  location  of  the 
doorways  or  entrances  to  the  tepees  is  seen  to  be  of  great  impor- 
tance, it  is  often  the  most  important  element  in  the  identification  of 
a  village  site.  From  accounts  of  travelers  and  from  the  descriptions 
by  the  Indians  still  living  on  the  Mandan  reservation  at  Fort  Berth- 
old,  we  learn  that  the  entrances  were  made  by  placing  upright  slabs 
or  logs  in  the  form  of  a  small  roofed  square  like  a  storm  entrance  in 
front  of  the  opening  into  the  tepees.  The  entrances  would  repre- 
sent a  break  in  the  solid  earthen  wall  of  the  rest  of  the  tepee  circle 
and  when  the  whole  structure  decayed,  the  doorway  would  be  visi- 
ble as  a  considerable  depre$sion  in  the  ring  of  earth  left  by  the  tum- 
bling down  of  the  thick  earthen  walls,  sometimes  three  feet  through 
at  their  base.  The  line  of  the  ditch  is  indicated,  but  it  is  not  con- 
tinuous and  serves  only  to  mark  the  general  boundary  of  the  vil- 
lage, beyond  which  only  a  few  tepees  are  located. 

The  names  of  the  leaders  who  lived  on  either  side  of  the  holy  te- 
pee in  the  Fort  Clark  village  were  given  to  the  secretary  by  Bad 
Gun,  Rushing  War  Eagle,  son  of  the  Ma-ta-to-pe  or  Four  Bears, 
whose  portrait  Catlin  painted,  and  which  is  preserved  at  Washington 
with  the  other  works  of  this  famous  painter.The  list  is  as  follows: 

Tepee  No.  1  was  the  holy  tepee  and  was  also  used  by  Lance 
Shoulder. 

Tepee  No.  2  was  occupied  by  Four  Bears. 

Tepee  No.  3  was  occupied  by  Wolf  Chief. 

Tepee  No.  4  was  occupied  by  Chief-Acting-Foolish. 

Tepee  No.  5  was  occupied  by  Lame  Bear. 

Tepee  No.  6  was  occupied  by  Flying  Eagle. 

Tepee  No.  7  was  occupied  by  Nine  Men. 

Tepee  No.  8  was  occupied  by  One  Feather. 

Tepee  No.  9  was  occupied  by  Little  Buffalo. 

Tepee  No.  10  was  occupied  by  Boy  Chief. 

Tepee  No.  11  was  occupied  by  Red  Cow  (Black  Eagle's  father.)^ 

Tepee  No.  12  was  occupied  by  Big  Spring. 

Tepee  No.  13  was  occupied  by  Sharp  Horn. 

Tepee  No.  14  was  occupied  by  Red  Shoulder. 

Tepee  No.  15  was  occupied  by  the  second  wife*of  Red  Shoulder. 

Closely  associated  with  the  Mandans  in  very  early  times,  and  now 
quite  completely  amalgamated  with  them  were  the  Grosventre  or 


500  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


Hidatsa  tribe.  From  the  Indian  chart  of  a  village  of  this  tribe  and 
from  a  map  made  from  the  survey  of  the  largest  Hidatsa  village  on 
the  Knife  river,  plates  III.  and  IV„  a  typical  arrangement  of  the 
tepees  can  be  clearly  seen.  There  is  evidently  no  grouping  about  a 
common  center  in  this  form  of  village,  for  there  is  no  holy  tepee, 
the  Hidatsa  have  none,  but  hold  their  ceremonies  in  a  hut  of  boughs 
outside  the  village.^  The  Indian  chart,  plate  III.,  represents  the 
second  village  of  the  Hidatsa,  the  home  of  Charbonneau  and  Saka- 
kawea.  The  map,  plate  IV,  shows  the  present  appearance  of  the 
tepees  circles  on  the  largest  Hidatsa  village  site,  located  just  north 
of  the  mouth  of  Knife  river.  From  the  position  and  direction  of  the 
doorways,  it  is  seen  that  these  villages  show  no  such  large  grouping 
as  is  so  characteristic  of  the  Mandan  village  just  studied.  The  te- 
pees, instead,  seem  to  lack  arrangement  and  to  be  placed  somewhat 
at  random,  and  with  their  doorways  pointing  in  every  direction.  One 
additional  feature  of  the  Hidatsa  village  must  be  added  from  the 
field  notes  made  at  the  time  of  the  survey  of  the  five  Knife  river 
villages.  The  tepee  circles  in  the  three  Hidatsa  sites  were  very 
much  deeper  than  those  in  the  two  Mandan  sites.  The  spaces  be- 
tween the  tepee  circles  in  the  Hidatsa  sites  were  in  a  majority  of 
cases  heaped  up  into  ridges  and  various  sorts  of  debris  showed  ev- 
erywhere on  the  outside  and  in  the  excavations  made  in  them.  The 
distance  from  the  bottom  of  the  depression  in  the  center  of  some 
tepee  circles  to  the  highest  part  of  the  rim  was  often  three  feet  and 
very  commonly  over  two  feet.  Quite  the  reverse  was  true  of  the 
Mandan  sites,  the  tepee  circles  were  quite  shallow,  there  was  no 
heaping  up  of  refuse  between  them  and  no  trace  of  broken  pottery, 
bones  or  shells  was  to  be  seen.  Besides  these  distinctions  between 
the  two  types  of  village  sites,  another  of  considerable  importance 
was  noted.  In  many  cases  it  was  observed  that  in  and  near  the 
Hidatsa  villages  were  mounds  of  debris  of  varying  heights,  while 
nothing  of  the  kind  was  seen  on  or  near  Mandan  sites.  Connected 
with  this  fact  it  is  worthy  of  notice  that  .traders  and  travelers  report 
the  presence  of  swarms  of  dogs  in  the  Hidatsa  villages,  and  their 
comparative  scarcity  in  Mandan  villages.  All  this  may  go  to  prove 
that  the  Hidatsa  were  a  northern  people  migrating  southward 
from  a  cold  climate,  while  the  Mandans,  with  their  general  cleanli- 
ness in  and  about  their  villages,  came  from  a  warmer  climate  where 
the  disposal  of  village  garbage  was  an  important  matter.  The  evi- 
dence on  the  important  question  of  origins  has  hot  yet  been  collected, 
but  it  is  worth  while  calling  attention  to  what  appears  to  be  a  broad 
distinction  separating  these  tribes,  so  long  and  intimately  associated 
together. 

We  may  now  examine  another  site  whose  origin  is  not  yet  proved 
and  no  records  exist  of  any  visit  by  white  men  to  it.    It  has  recently 

*Se€  Vol.  I.,  Collections  State  Hist.  Soc.,  N.  D.,  p.  435. 


»«.c> 


LARGEST  HIDAT5A  v/iLLAGE 
MOUTH  of  KNIFE  RIVER 

Se«l«    tin'  iM«fi 
9wfw«]r«<<  mnd  Happed 


PLATE  IV. 


DOUBLE  DITCH.  (BOURGOIS) 
HIDATSA  STTE. 

%m»h  lta».£Mf« 

h 

flttAlA.    B^HWA^   ^^A^kA    M^^tf^K    tf^BfVMBIVnA       ^AffAA   ^H^ft  Mt^H 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  501 


been  made  the  subject  of  a  report  issued  by  the  Peabody  museum.* 
In  this  work  there  is  no  evidence  given  us  as  to  this  being  a  Mandan 
village  site,  and  the  whole  investigation  takes  for  granted  what  is 
a  pure  h>'pothesis.  A  careful  surface  survey  of  this  site  was  made 
during  the  last  season  by  A.  B.  Stout,  and  plate  V.  shows  the  village 
site  as  it  appears  today.  The  entire  absence  of  any  grouping  of  the 
tepees  about  a  common  center  and  the  lack  of  any  order  or  plan 
shown  by  the  position  of  the  doorways  prove  conclusively  that  this 
is  not  a  Mandan  site.  Still  further  evidence  of  its  non-Mandan 
origin  is  to  be  found  in  the  piles  of  refuse  scattered  everywhere 
about  the  village  and  between  the  tepees,  some  of  which  form  ridges 
filling  the  intervening  spaces  completely.  The  great  depth,  also,  of 
some  of  the  tepee  circles  is  evidence  in  the  same  direction.  It  is  very 
clear  that  from  the  surface  survey  alone  we  may  be  justified  in  call- 
ing this  an  Hidatsa  site  without  a  trace  of  Mandan  origin  anywhere 
visible.  The  site  is  interesting  in  another  way,  it  has  aii  outer  and 
vn  inner  ditch,  the  latter  quite  certainly  marking  the  boundary  of  a 
shrunken  village  that  previously  extended  to  the  larger  boundary  of 
the  outer  ditch.  There  are  several  pieces  of  evidence  that  go  to  sup- 
port this  conclusion.  In  the  first  place,  within  a  few  miles  of  this 
site  are  three  sites,  at  all  of  which  the  Sioux  have  destroyed  the 
villages.  In  the  case  of  one  of  these  villages,  a  fairly  complete  In- 
dian record  gives  the  details  of  the  preparations  for  the  attack  made 
by  the  Sioux,  the  account  of  a  regular  siege  for  over  a  week,  ter- 
minating in  the  complete  extinction  of  the  village,  except  for  a  few 
captives  whose  descendants  have  perpetuated  the  story.  Second, 
the  outer  ditch  is  far  less  perfect  and  much  older  than  the  inner. 
Quoting  from  our  careful  and  accurate  field  officer,  A.  B.  Stout,  he 
says:  "The  inner  is  far  the  better,  it  is  on  an  average  of  about 
twenty  feet  wide.  It  has  fourteen  bastions,  gently  curving  but  de- 
cided projections  of  the  ditch ;  the  inner  bank  is  well  built  up  at  these 
points,  and  the  re-entering  angles  are  also  well  filled.  The  outer 
ditch  is  a  much  poorer  ditch  than  the  inner  one."  Third,  an  exami- 
nation of  the  doorways  of  tepees  bordering  the  inner  ditch  on  the 
outside  show  several  of  them  with  doorways  opening  directly  into 
the  ditch.  At  tepees  113  and  114,  for  instance,  the  ditch  is  one  and 
a  half  feet  deep  on  the  outside  and  three  feet  deep  on  the  inside, 
which  is  not  a  very  desirable  state  of  aflfairs  for  the  only  entrance 
to  a  house.  At  tepees  21  and  22  conditions  are  hardly  better,  for 
the  ditch  here  is  twenty  feet  wide  and  two  feet  deep  on  both  sides. 
Whatever  may  have  been  the  earlier  history  of  this  village,  it  is  ob- 
vious that  it  was  lessened  in  size  by  a  new  and  well  defended  ditch 
that  cut  some  old  tepees  through  and  passed  close  by  others  regard- 
less of  entrances.  To  one  knowing  the  history  of  the  Missouri  river 
Indians,  there  is  but  one  explanation  of  such  a  movement,  namely, 
long  continued  and  dangerous  attacks  by  the  Sioux.    In  this  gradual 

'Spinden  and  Will,  The   Mandans,  Cambridge,  Mass.,  1906. 


* 


502  State  historical  society 


zetreat  before  a  foe  as  well  armed  and  numerous  as  the  Sioux  the 
Hidatsa  must  have  found  that  their  outside  refuse  heaps  of  four, 
five  and  even  seven  feet  in  height  were  excellent  points  of  vantage 
for  the  enemy.  It  is  no  wonder  that  the  site  was  abandoned  by  its 
inhabitants  when  once  the  Sioux  had  learned  how  it  could  be  safely 
attacked. 

The  above  conclusions  are  directly  contrary  to  those  reached  by 
the  investigators  who  prepared  the  report  on  this  site  published  by 
the  Peabody  museum.  The  report  contains  no  evidence  as  to  the 
Mandan  origin  of  the  village,  except  the  very  doubtful  reference  to 
the  journal  of  Lewis  and  Clark.  The  absence  of  any  reliable  means 
of  identification  of  the  site  forms  the  most  conspicuous  weakness  in 
the  report.  The  accumulation  of  a  large  body  of  evidence  on  the 
general  question  of  Mandan  life  and  culture  has  no  point  unless  it 
can  be  brought  to  bear  on  the  particular  problem  presented  by  the 
site  under  discussion.  The  absence  of  a  central  enclosure  for  the 
religious  ceremonies  of  the  Mandans,  the  presence  of  refuse  heaps 
on  and  about  this  village  site  and  the  double  ditch  are  all  elements 
in  the  problem  of  identification  for  which  the  investigators  obviously 
were  not  prepared,  and  in  explaining  which  they  betray  a  lack  of 
knowledge  of  the  Missouri  valley  sites  which  prevents  their  arrivins: 
at  any  conclusions  of  real  scientific  value,  though  their  collection  of 
specimens  and  their  diagrams  and  maps  will  be  of  great  service  to 
later  investigators. 


LA  VERENDRVE's  VISIT  TO  THE   MANDANS   IN    1738-39. 

In  the  year  1738-39  La  Verendrye  made  a  trip  into  the  Missouri 
valley  and  visited  an  Indian  village  which  he  describes  as  Mantannc. 
From  the  details  of  this  trip,  which  he  has  left  us  in  his  journal,^  it 
is  extremely  doubtful  whether  La  Vercndrve  ever  saw  the  Mandans 
or  came  within  a  day's  journey  of  them.  The  name,  Mantannc, 
which  he  applies  to  the  people  whom  he  visits,  is  one  he  has  learned 

from  the  Oiibwavs  or  Crees  east  of  the  Red  river.    lie  savs  ** the 

Mantannes,  who  were  formerly  called  Ouachijx>uanne ;  according  t.^ 
the  Monsony,  Courtchouatte ;  (according  to)  the  Crees,  Mantannes, 
this  (last)  is  the  (real)  name  of  the  nation. "^  I  have  altered  the 
translation  slightly  by  changing  certain  punctuation  marks  and  by 
inserting  in  parenthesis  a  few  words  that  are  clearly  understood 
from  the  context.  The  Monsony,  we  learn  from  him  earlier  in  his 
narrative,  are  a  branch  of  the  Ojibways.  The  French  reads  as  fol- 
lows :  *' — des  Mantannes  que  si  deuant  on  apeloit  ouachipouanne 
selon  les  monsony.     Courtchouatte,  Lcs  Crix,  Mantannes,  c'est  le 


'Tonrml  of  L^  Verendrye.  173?^-39,  Brymner,  Rep(^rt  on  Canidian  Archive?*. 
J^^'^).  Ottawa,  1800,  p.  3. 
*Ib.,  p.  5. 
'Ih.,   p.  4. 


STATE  OF  NORTU  DAKOTA  503 


nom  de  la  nations "     Making  all  due  allowance  for  the  eight- 

enth  century  French  of  the  narrator,  it  seems  clear  that  the  transla- 
tion which  has  been  substituted  for  that  of  Br>Timcr  is  more  reason- 
able and  follows  the  text  closer.^  From  this  quotation  it  appears 
that  two  of  the  names  of  the  nation  he  visited  were  learned  from  the 
Ojibways,  and  he  does  not  tell  us  where  this  tribe  learned  the  names. 
Now,  it  is  a  matter  of  common  information  that  none  of  the  Ojib- 
ways ever  came  into  contact  with  the  present  tribe  of  Mandans,  but 
abundant  evidence  exists  both  from  history  and  from  oral  tradition 
that  some  of  the  Ojibways,  notably  the  Crees  and  Saulteaux,  were 
acquainted  with  the  Hivlatsa,  Minnetaree  or  Grosventre  Indians  who 
lived  on  the  Mouse  and  upper  Missouri  rivers  in  contact  with  the 
Ojibways,  and  built  houses  and  fortified  villages  very  much  like  the 
Mandans  of  Lewis  and  Clark  and  Catlin.  At  the  very  outset,  there- 
fore, we  may  be  a  little  skeptical  as  to  La  Verendrye^s  name,  "Man- 
tannc"  as  meaning  the  tribe  on  the  Missouri  which  later  bore  the 
name  Mandan.  This  conclusion  is  still  further  sustained  by  the 
statements  of  surviving  members  of  the  Mandan  tribe  today.  They 
always  insist  that  they  know  nothing  of  the  name  Mandan,  their 
liame  for  themselves  is  Xu-a-ta,  and  neither  Mandan  or  Mantannc. 
From  La  Verendrye's  journal  we  learn  that  he  left  the  junction  of 
the  Assiniboine  and  Red  rivers  on  September  26,  1738,  and  on  Oc- 
tober 2  reached  a  point  on  the  Assiniboine  river  where  the  Assini- 
boines  had  a  fortage  northward  to  the  Lake  of  the  Prairies,  an<l 
where  he  later  erected  Fort  Reine-  (the  present  city  of  Portage 
la  Prairie.)  This  fort  was  located,  he  tells  us,  about  r>0  leagues  wen 
of  the  junction  of  the  Assiniboine  and  Red,  and  about  35  or  40 
leagues  by  land.  From  here,  on  October  18,  he  set  out  southward 
for  the  country  of  the  Manfannes  with  52  men,  25  of  whom  were 
Indians.  He  reached  the  "first  mountain,''  which  is  probably  what 
is  known  now  as  Pembina  hills.  26  leagues  from  his  fort,  and  from 
this  point  he  went  west  and  northwest  21:  league^  to  the  "second 
mountain,"  undoubtedly  Turtle  mountains,  on  the  Canadian  border. 
From  here  he  tells  us  that  his  destination  was  southwest,  but  that  he 
was  compelled  to  make  a  considerable  detour  to  reach  an  Assini- 
boine village,  which  was  17  leagues  from  the  Mantannes,  On  the 
5d  of  December  he  reached  the  village  he  was  in  search  of,  and 
found  it  situated  on  a  small  height  at  a  considerable  distance  from 
tiie  Missouri  river.  PJis  description  of  the  village  or  fort,  as  he  calls 
it,  is  clear  evidence  of  its  non-Mandan  character.  There  was  no 
central  space  with  its  Och-ta  and  holy  tepee,  for  he  expressly  says : 
"All  the  streets,  squares  and  huts  resembled  each  other."^  No  Man- 
dan village  yet  surveyed  and  mapped  for  our  Society  has  any  such 


'For  the  correction  of  the  translation  I  am  in<iehtcd  to  the  courtesy  of  Prof. 
ITenry  Le   Dnnm   of  the   State  University. 
'Rrymner,   Journal  of  La   Verendrve,   p.   0. 
'lb.,  p.  2.'. 


r 


504  STATE  HISTOWCAL  SOCIETY 

location  as  he  describes  for  this  village:  "The  fort  is  built  on  a 
height  in  the  open  prairie  with  a  ditch  upwards  of  fifteen  feet  deep 
by  fifteen  to  eighteen  wide.  Their  fort  can  only  be  gained  by  steps 
or  posts  which  can  be  removed  when  threatened  by  an  enemy."* 
On  the  other  hand,  this  style  of  village  fortification  is  not  uncommon 
among  the  Hidatsa  or  Grosventre  Indians.  Two  of  these  elevated 
and  well  defended  village  sites  of  the*  Hidatsa  were  discovered  by 
the  writer  on  the  Fort  Berthold  reservation,  and  they  correspond 
more  closely  to  La  Verendrye's  description  than  that  of  any  of  the 
ten  Mandan  sites  known  to  him  in  the  Missouri  valley. 

We  may  next  inquire  as  to  the  location  of  the  village  visited  by 
La  Verendrye.  He  says :  "On  the  8th  of  December,  I  ordered  my 
son  to  take  the  altitude  (latitude),  which  was  forty-eight  degrees, 
twelve  minutes."^  This  is  about  the  latitude  of  the  present  city  of 
Minot.  on  the  Mouse  or  Souris  river.  To  arrive  here  from  Turtle 
mountains  he  tells  us  they  should  have  come  southwest,  "But  we 
were  obliged  to  do  much  more,  as  on  a  road  which  is  two  leagues  in 
a  straight  line,  we  made  three  or  four  from  our  fort.  It  may  have 
been  a  hundred  and  twenty  leagues  to  the  west-south-west  that  our 

guide  lengthened  the  road  bv  from  fifty  to  sixty  leagues "'  From 

Turtle  mountains  then  La  Verendrye  made  a  long  detour  of  about 
sixty  miles  to  the  west  to  reach  an  Assiniboine  village  before  he  was 
allowed  to  turn  toward  the  Mantanne  village,  now  17  leagues  dis- 
tant.* This  would  bring  the  party  well  across  the  long  loop  of  the 
Mouse  river,  which  is  west  and  southwest  of  Turtle  mountains. 
That  he  does  not  mention  this  river  may  be  from  its  low  stage  caused 
by  the  drought  which  had  so  lowered  the  Assiniboine  river  as  to 
stop  his  canoe  voyage  up  that  stream."  The  Assiniboine  villae^e  from 
which  he  sets  out  from  the  Mantanne  village  was  about  50  miles 
north  of  latitude  48°  12',  which  locates  it  very  near  the  present 
Canadian  border,  and  of  course  -a  long  distance  west  of  the  Turtle 
mountains.*  The  village  of  ihtMantannes  visited  bv  La  Verendr\'e 
was,  then,  west  of  the  Mouse  or  Souris  river,  and  about  a  dav's 
march  from  the  Missouri  river.  The  location  of  the  village  visited 
by  the  son  of  La  Verendrye  and  a  small  party  can  also  be  approxi- 
mately determined  by  the  length  of  time  taken  by  them  to  reach  it 
and  return.  From  the  journal  we  learn  that  the  party  left  on  the 
morning  of  the  6th  of  December  and  returned  on  the  evening  of  the 

'Brymncr,  Journal  of  La  Vtrendrye,  21. 

'lb.,  p.  23. 

•Ih.,    11. 

Mb.,  Dp.  11  and  13. 

'Tb.,    n.  D. 

"Sec   Map  opp.  p.  504. 

By  a  blunder  in  tbe  translation  he  is  made  to  start  on  the  lllh  instead  of 
on  the  ^th.  The  date  of  Dec.  4  is  given  as  the  time  of  his  return  but  this  is 
.\  very  evident  error  in  copying  the  manuscript,  the  figure  7  being  mistaken 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  50b 

following  day.^  This  village  of  the  Mantannes  was  therefore  only  a 
day's  march  from  the  one  where  the  principal  party  stayed,  at  latitude 
48''  12'.  A  day's  march  varied  from  25  to  40  miles,  depending  upon 
the  size  and  equipment  of  the  party.  Near  the  mouth  of  Shell 
creek  on  the  north  side  of  the  Missouri  river,  about  30  miles  south 
of  latitude  48°  12',  is  the  site  of  a  very  large  and  very  old  Hidatsa 
winter  village.  Some  40  miles  to  the  southward  of  this  same  parallel 
is  the  great  bend  of  the  Missouri  river  along  which  have  been  dis- 
covered many  unidentified  sites,  while  at  the  mouth  of  the  Knife 
river,  about  12  miles  farther  down  stream,  is  the  largest  of  the  Hid- 
atsa village  sites  with  two  others  near  by.  La  V^erendrye  tells  us 
that  the  Mantannes  had  six  villages,  of  which  the  one  farthest  south 
was  the  largest,  which  corresponds  exactly  with  the  observed  facts 
regarding  Hidatsa  sites.  The  present  Mandans  had  at  this  time  at 
least  nine  large  villages,  so  that  neither  by  latitude  nor  by  number 
does  the  account  correspond  to  the  description  of  Mandan  villages 
of  that  date. 

The  identification  of  La  Verendrye's  Mantannes  as  Hidatsa  and 
the  location  of  their  villages,  both  those  visited  and  those  reported, 
too  far  north  to  be  within  the  area  reached  in  early  times  by  the 
Mandans,  throws  much  light  on  the  problems  connected  with  the 
later  visits  of  his  two  sons  to  the  same  Mantanne  villages.  So  well 
known  an  historian  and  careful  investigator  as  Parkman  is  led  astray 
ty  La  Verendrye's  use  of  the  term  Mantanne,  and  places  the 
line  of  march  of  the  two  sons  as  far  south  as  the  Heart  river.*  There 
is  not  the  slightest  warrant  for  believing  that  they  in  1742,  any 
more  than  their  father  in  1838,  ever  saw  the  Mandans,  or  did  more 
than  to  go  to  the  same  Hidatsa  villages  which  were  seen  Ly  or  re- 
ported to  La  Verendrye  in  1738-39. 

It  must  not,  however,  be  supposed  that  La  Verendrye  came  into 
the  Missouri  valley  and  visited  an  Hidatsa  village  without  hearing 
about  the  tribe  later  known  as  the  Mandans.  When  he  inquired 
from  the  Assiniboines  and  Mantannes  respecting  the  people  who 
lived  farther  down  the  Missouri  river,  he  was  told  a  confused  storv 
of  steel-clad  white  warriors  moimted  on  horseback.  But  of  the  na- 
tive inhabitants  he  writes :  "I  was  answered  that  there  were  five 
forts  on  the  two  banks  of  the  river,  belonging  to  their  nation,  much 
larger  than  that  in  which  we  were ;  that  at  a  day's  journey  from  the 
last  of  their  forts  were  the  panaux,  who  had  several  forts ;  then  the 
pananis ;  that  these  two  nations,  who  held  much  of  the  country  and 
were  now  at  war  with  them  (the  Mantannes)  had  always  from  all 
time  been  closely  united  and  in  alliance  together.  *  *  *  The 
panana  and  pananis  made  their  forts  and  houses  like  them   (the 

tor  the  fipjiire  4.  On  December  8  he  is  referred  to  as  takinsr  the  latitude  of 
the  village  for  his  father  and  he  could  not  have  done  this  if  he  had  not 
aVeady  returned. 

'Rrymner,  Journal  of  La  Verendrye.  p.  21. 

'Parkman,  A  Half  Century  of  Conflict,   Boston,   1892,  map  opp.  p.  43. 


506  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Mantannes.y*^  It  is  one  of  the  commonest  observations  for  the  Mis- 
souri valley  that  in  this  region  there  once  were  three  tribes  all  build- 
ing villages  and  huts  very  much  alike.  In  other  words,  we  have 
been  able  to  verify  in  great  detail  the  above  statement  of  La  Veren- 
drye,  the  only  difference  being  in  the  names.  The  most  northerly 
of  the  tribes  we  name  the  Hidatsa,  Minnetaree  or  Grosventre,  the 
next  one  southward  were  the  Mandans  or  Nuata,  at  or  near  the 
mouth  of  the  heart  river  about  the  time  of  La  Vererndrye's  visit,  and 
farthest  south  were  the  Arikara,  a  branch  of  the  Pawnee  tribe.  In 
La  Verendrye's  journal  we  are  told  that  the  northernmost  tribe  were 
the  Mantannes,  living  from  about  the  latitude  of  48°  12'  down  the 
Missouri  river  to  the  mouth  of  the  Knife.  This  tribe  we  identify 
as  the  Hidatsa  or  Grosventre,  both  by  location  and  by  village  plan. 
La  Verendrye  puts  the  next  tribe  southward  of  the  Mantannes  as 
the  Panaux  or  Panana,  a  day's  march  down  the  Missouri  river  from 
the  last  of  their  villages,  which  is  about  the  region  of  the  Heart 
river.  This  tribe  is  quite  certainly  the  historic  Mandans,  who  were 
at  an  early  date  at  war  with  the  Hidatsa  (Mantanne)  tribe.  South 
of  the  Panaux,  La  Verendrye  tells  us,  were  the  Pananis,  and  they 
may  have  been  the  Arikara,  a  branch  of  the  Pawnees,  wljo  lived 
south  of  the  Mandans  and  who  were  sometimes  allied  with  them. 

A  typical  Arikara  village  site  was  found  on  the  Fort  Berthold 
reservation.     Here  are  two  village  sites  of  this  tribe,  the  last  built 
by  them  before  their  union  with  the  Mandans  and  Hidatsa  at  the  old 
Fort  Berthold  village.    It  was  surveyed  and  mapped  by  A.  B.  Stout, 
whose  excellent  field  notes  supply  the  following  facts  from  an  inter- 
view with  an  Arikara,  Bull  Neck,  and  the  interpreter,  Alexander 
Sage. 

The  village  was  built  in  May,  1860,  and  a  smaller  village  by  anoth- 
er band  a  little  west  of  this  one,  under  the  leadership  of  Wolf  Chief 
and  Yellow  Knife,  with  Wolf  Necklace  as  assistant.  In  August  of 
the  same  year  eight  bands  of  Sioux  came  to  trade  at  the  store  in  the 
large  village,  tepee  No.  9,  and  being  dissatisfied  at  the  price  paid  by 
the  white  man  for  their  blankets,  they  killed  him.  The  Arikara  at 
once  attacked  the  Sioux  to  revenge  his  death,  since  he  had  married 
into  their  tribe.  Only  a  few  were  armed  with  guns  at  this  time,  and 
they  suffered  severely,  sixteen  of  their  number  being  killed.  On  the 
evening  of  the  battle,  both  villages  hastily  fortified  themselves  by  a 
ditch,  and  the  next  day  they  all  crossed  the  river  to  the  Fort  Berthold 
village.  The  arrangement  of  the  tepees,  as  seen  in  plate  VI.,  is  sim- 
ple and  orderly.  The  holy  tepee  stands  in  the  middle  of  the  sacred 
enclosure,  No.  50.  with  its  doorway  opening  directly  toward  the 
sacred  stone.  Around  this  enclosure  were  ranged  the  tepees  of  the 
more  important  members  of  the  tribe.  The  plate  showing  the  ar- 
rangement of  tepees  at  the  Fort  Clark  ^landan  site,  p.  498,  gives  a 


*Brymner,   Journal  of  La  Verendrye,   p.   10. 


ft  •  -^    •• 


8 


S  m 


STATS  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  507 

very  good  picture  of  an  Arikara  village  with  the  holy  tepee  in  the 
center;  in  this  illustration  it  is  shown  with  a  dotted  line  boundary, 
since  it  was  a  later  addition  to  what  was  earlier  a  typical  Mandan 
village. 

The  tepees  in  the  larger  village  were  occupied  as  follows: 

No.  58.  Whiskers,  father  of  Crow  Bear,  his  wife  was  Elk 
Woman. 

No.  9.  The  white  man's  store  where  the  fight  with  the  Sioux 
began. 

No.  15.  Star,  chief  of  the  Arikara;  his  wife  was  Red  Eagle 
Woman ;  their  son  was  Sitting  Bear.  In  this  lodge  the  wife  of  Run- 
ning Wolf  was  bom. 

No.  16.  Red  Bear,  father  of  Boy  Chief ;  he  was  an  officer  to  keep 
order  in  the  village  and  was  later  a  member  of  the  reservation  In- 
dian police.  His  wife,  White  Com,  still  lives  in  a  log  hut  just  east 
of  the  village  site ;  she  is  very  old,  and  almost  blind. 

No.  26.  This  square  hut  was  used  by  Sun  as  a  stable  for  horses, 
according  to  Bull  Neck. 

No.  "30.  White  Eagle,  great  grandfather  of  Alexander  Sage, 
the  interpreter  of  A.  B.  Stout.  His  wife  was  Old  Woman.  White 
Eagle  kept  the  pipe  of  peace,  still  in  the  possession  of  the  chief  of  the 
tribe.    This  was  the  lodge  of  laws  and  council. 

No.  31.  Main  medicine  lodge,  used  wholly  for  the  safe  keeping 
of  the  regalia  of  the  dancers,  such  as  scalps,  buffalo  shirts,  and  the 
buffalo  head  medicine. 

No.  32.  White  Shield,  head  man  of  the  village;  his  wife  was 
Com  Pile. 

No.  34.  Used  wholly  .for  the  safe  keeping  of  the  articles  used  in 
the  ghost  dance,  such  as  paint  and  branches  of  wood  two  or  three 
feet  long,  representing  animals ;  the  kinds  of  wood  were  the  cotton- 
wood,  ash,  elm,  cherry,  plum  and  willow. 

No.  51.  Head  of  the  medicine  men.  Soup;  his  father  was  Holy 
Bear.    His  adopted  son  was  Bear-Goes-Out. 

No.  54.  Lodge  of  the  bear,  everything  connected  with  the  bear 
ceremonies  was  kept  here.  A  tent  was  always  put  up  in  front  of 
this  tepee  when  preparations  for  the  dance  were  made. 

No.  57.     Muddy  Bull ;  his  wife  was  Blossom. 

No.  59.  Crow  Neck.  His  wife  was  Blossom,  sister  of  Bull 
Neck,  and  her  sister  Long  Neck  lived  with  them. 

No.  77  Bull  Neck.  His  wife  was  Bear  Woman,  and  their 
daughters.  Rabbit  Woman,  White  Buffalo  Woman  and  Looking  for 
Medicine. 

No.  76.  Keeping  Scalp.  His  wife  was  Chief  Woman  and  with 
them  lived  Human  Heart. 

No.  79.  Howling  Bear.  His  wife  was  Chief  Standing  Woman ; 
their  son  Crow  Arrow  Feather. 


508 


STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


No.  78.  Mother-Getting-Up,  second  wife  of  Howling  Bear, 
lived  here  with  her  mother,  good  dancer. 

No.  80.  Crow  Feather.  In  this  lodge  lived  two  women.  Lucky 
Lodge  and  Woman-Goes-Out  and  a  girl,  all  of  whom  were  killed 
near  a  spring  on  the  side  of  a  hill  by  the  Sioux  during  the  fight  al- 
ready referred  to. 

No.  82.  High  Standing.  His  wife  was  Medicine  Lodge,  their 
son  Yellow  Owl  and  their  daughter  White  Woman. 

No.  83.  Chief,  the  only  Mandan  in  the  village ;  his  son  was  Long 
Tail.    This  was  the  first  tepee  built  in  the  village. 

No.  50.  The  holy  tepee,  in  front  of  which  always  stood  the  sa- 
cred stone  that  was  always  carried  by  the  tribe  from  place  to  place  in 
their  wanderings. 

These  typical  Indian  villages  are  fairly  representative  of  what  can 
be  found  in  the  Missouri  valley.  Not  less  than  sixty  sites  have  al- 
ready been  located,  some  of  which,  being  winter  villages,  are  not 
easily  identified.  Many  of  them  are  clearly  of  composite  origin, 
like  the  Boatmaker's  village  on  the  Heart  river  where  Mandans  and 
Hidatsa  lived  side  by  side.  The  Fort  Clark  site  has  already  been 
referred  to  as  composite.  South  of  old  Fort  Lincoln  the  Mandan 
and  Arikara  sites  run  together  as  do  those  of  the  Hidatsa  and  the 
Mandans  north  of  the  Heart  river.  To  further  complicate  matters 
ci  Cheyenne  village  has  been  located  on  the  Missouri  river  and  one 
in  the  Red  River  valley,  two  hundred  miles  away,  and  the  style  of 
village  and  the  form  of  the  tepee  is  much  like  that  of  the  villages 
in  the  region  we  are  considering.  Thus  far  we  have  presented  the 
matter  merely  from  the  evidence  afforded  by  a  careful  surface  sur- 
vey. This  must  be  followed  by  excavations  in  t>T)ical  village  sites 
in  order  to  determine  the  origin  and  variations  in  the  style  of  tepee 
built  by  the  Mandans,  the  Hidatsa  and  the  Arikara.  An  excellent 
starting  point  for  this  study  is  the  holy  tepee  of  the  Mandans;  its 
structure  being  different  from  that  of  the  usual  tribal  tepee.  There 
are  also  numerous  other  variations  in  the  established  form  of  struc- 
ture for  each  of  the  three  tribes  which  call  for  careful  investigation 
in  the  future.  The  line  of  inquiry  thus  opened  before  our  Society  is 
one  which  will  bring  into  coordination  the  museum  collections  irt 
many  states,  the  valuable  body  of  local  Indian  mythology  already  ac- 
cumulated and  the  scattered  observations  and  studies  of  scientists, 
travelers  and  residents  in  the  wilds  of  the  northwest. 


APPENDIX 

TO  PART  I.-VOL.  II. 


THE  FOUNDING  OF  THE  CATHOLIC  CHURCH  IN 

NORTH  DAKOTA. 

Rt.  Rev.  John  Siianley,  D.  D.,  Bishop  of  Fargo. 


THE  FOUNDING  OF  THE  CATHOLIC  CHURCH  IN 

NORTH  DAKOTA. 

RT.   REV.   JOHN   SHANLEY,   D.  D.^   BISHOP  OF  FARGO. 

Note:  In  the  months  of  February,  March  and  April,  1902,  I 
published  in  the  Grand  Forks  Herald  the  following  article.  As 
stated  in  the  opening  paragraph,  the  facts  narrated  have  been  taken 
by  me  from  the  original  documents  or  from  authors  whose  knowl- 
edge of  the  facts  cannot  be  questioned,  and  I  may  add,  whose  writ- 
ings are  not  within  the  reach  of  any  one,  except  myself,  who  thus 
far,  to  my  knowledge,  has  written  in  English  on  this  subject.  Every 
letter  given  in  this  article  has  been  translated  by  me  from  the  French 
original.  My  translation  work  and  a  great  deal  more  of  my  work 
in  this,  article  have  been  boldly  plagiarized,  but  I  am  willing  to  let 
that  pass  for  the  sake  of  truth. — John  Shanley.] 

The  following  notes  on  the  early  history  of  the  Catholic  church 
in  North  Dakota  are  written  for  the  two-fold  purpose  of  preserving 
the  truth,  and  of  enabling  the  future  historian  of  our  state  to  compile 
an  accurate  record  of  the  interesting  doings  of  the  pioneers  in  this 
field.  The  facts  related  in  these  notes  may  be  taken  as  reliable. 
They  are  drawn  from  the  letters  of  Lord  Selkirk,  the  founder  of 
the  Winnipeg  colony ;  of  Bishop  Plessis  of  Quebec,  who  sent  the 
Catholic  missionaries  to  the  Red  river  country;  of  Father  Proven- 
cher,  the  first  missionary  in  this  land,  and  'first  bishop  of  St.  Boni- 
face, Manitoba ;  from  the  life  of  Provencher  by  Dugas,  the  Memoirs 
of  Archbishop  Tache,  the  Catholic  Directory  (an  official  year  book 
of  the  church),  the  church  records  of  Pembina,  the  personal  recol- 
lections of  Father  Lacombe,  who  came  to  Pembina  in  1849,  and  who 
is  now  vicar  general  of  the  diocese  of  St.  Albert,  residing  at  Calgary, 
and  from  other  equally  trustworthy  sources. 

The  Catholic  church  entered  North  Dakota  about  the  same  time 
and  in  the  same  way  that  it  entered  Manitoba.  A  brief  sketch  of 
the  first  settlements  in  that  place  and  of  the  establishment  of  the 
church  there  is,  therefore,  hot  out  of  place  in  these  notes. 

The  Red  river  country  was  discovered  in  1734  by  the  French 
Chevalier,  Gauthier  Varennes  de  la  Verandrye,  who  left  Lake 
Nipigon  in  1731,  passed  by  Rainy  Lake,  where  he  built  P^ort  St. 
Pierre,  came  to  Lake  of  the  Woods,  where  he  built  Fort  St.  Charles, 
and  arrived  in  1734  at  the  mouth  of  the  Winnipeg  river,  where  he 
built  Fort  Maurepas.  leaving  men  in  the  diflferent  forts  to  carry  on 
trade  in  furs  with  the  Indians.  The  Chevalier  was  the  first  com- 
petitor with  the  Hudson  Bay  company,  to  w'hose  business  he  did  no 


REPORT  OF  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


inconsiderable  damage  in  a  territory  which  from  1670  to  the  time- 
of  de  la  Verandrye's  arrival  had  been  commercially  tributary  to  the 
company,  but  which  does  not  appear  to  have  ever  been  visited   by 
any  of  the  company's  agents,  the  Indians  carrying  their  furs  from 
the  interior  to  the  company's  posts  on  the  sea  coast. 

After  the  cession  of  Canada  to  England  in  1763,  de  la  Verandr^^e's 
forts  and  trading  posts  were  abandoned,  and  the  French  traders^ 
with  rare  exceptions,  ceased  visiting  the  country  until  178-1:.     In  the 
winter  of  1783-84,  some  French-Canadian  capitalists  of  Montreal 
organized  the  Compagnie  du  Nord-Ouest — the  Northwest  company, 
which  took  possession  of  the  immense  tract  between  the  American 
line  and  Lake  Athabasca,  and  the  Ottawa  river  and  the  Pacific  ocean. 
By  the  beginning  of  the  19th  century,  the  new  company  had  become 
a  most  formidable  rival  of  the  Hudson  Bay  people,  whose  shares, 
once  held  at  $200  (piastres)  were  sold  in  1808  at  $50,  and  who  in  self 
protection  was  forced  to  leave  the  seaboard  and  go  into  the  interior 
in  search  of  business,  building  forts  and  trading,posts  wherever  the 
Northwest  company  was  located.    The  employes  of  the  Hudson  Bay 
company  were  chiefly  Scotch  and  English,  those  of  the  Northwest 
mainly  French-Canadians.     In  1806  the  Northwest  company  had  in 
its  different  forts  and  trading  posts  and  traveling  among  the  Indians 
more  than  1,200  employes,  most  of  them  French-Canadians.     Some 
of  these  employes,  nearly  all  of  whom  were  Catholics,  married  Indian 
women.     This  is  the  origin  of  the  comparatively  few  half-breed 
families  who  were  in  the  country  when  the  missionaries  arrived. 
According  to  Fathers  Provencher  and  Dumoulin,  the  first  mission- 
aries, the  vast  bulk  of  the  population  at  their  coming  was  Indian. 
The  Sauteux  and  Cris  lived  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Red  river. 
From  the  Red  river  west  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  between  the  As- 
siniboine  and  the  Saskatchewan,  were  Cris,  Assiniboines  and  Rlack- 
feet — while  north  of  the  Saskatchewan  were  some  Cris  and  the  Mon- 
tagnaises.     After  the  coming  of  the  priests,  marriages  between  the 
whites  and  the  natives  became  more  frequent,  and  the  great  increase 
of  the  half-breed  race  dates  from  that  period. 

Whatever  some  may  say  of  the  Canadian  voyageurs,  it  seems  quite 
certain  that  their  general  influence  on  the  natives  was  good.  At 
least  they  prepared  the  way  for  the  missionaries,  who  found  little 
difficulty  in  making  good  and  fervent  converts  among  them.  { 

In  the  year  1810,  a  Scotch  Protestant  gentleman,  Thomas  Doug-  i 

las,  better  known  as  Lord  Selkirk,  who  owned  about  40  per  cent  of 
the  Hudson  Bay  company's  stock,  obtained  a  grant  of  lands  along 
the  Red  river  which  the  company  claimed,  and  immediately  set  about 
establishing  a  colony  there.  The  Northwest  company  at  once  set  up 
a  claim  to  the  lands  in  question.  Nevertheless,  Selkirk's  agent. 
Miles  McDonnell,  left  Scotland  in  the  spring  of  1811  with  a  number 
of  families  en  route  for  the  Red  river,  where  they  arrived  in  the 
autumn  of  1812.  The  place  chosen  for  the  colony  was  about  40 
miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  river.     In  the  beginning  of  1813  ihe 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA 


colony  was  composed  of  about  100  persons,  and  in  September,  1814, 
It  numbered  nearly  200  souls. 

Meanwhile  the  Northwest  company,  who  had  protested  against 
Selkirk's  right  to  the  lands,  endeavored  to  arouse  the  Indians  against 
the  colonists,  but  finding  their  efforts  futile,  the  principal  officers 
of  the  company  met  at  Fort  William  on  Lake  Superior  in  the  spring 
of  1814  and  resolved  on  the  destruction  of  Selkirk's  settlement, 
which  wa6  actually  eflfected  the  following  June,  some  of  the  colon- 
ists being  sent  to  Upper  Canada,  others  going  to  the  country  north 
of  Lake  Winnipeg.  Selkirk,  who  was  in  Europe  at  that  time,  learn- 
ed of  the  destruction  of  his  colony  only  when  he  reached  New  York 
in  the  autumn  of  1815.- 

The  north-bound  refuges  met  Colin  Robertson,  a  trusted  clerk 
of  Selkirk,  at  a  Hudson  Bay  post,  and  were  induced  by  him  to  return 
to  the  Red  river,  where  new  colonists  soon  arrived  from  Scotland, 
and  in  the  autumn  of  that  year,  1815,  the  colony  again  numbered 
200  souls. 

The  troubles  with  the  Northwest  company,  which  followed  in 
1816,  and  the  causes  which  produced  them,  are  a  subject  of  con- 
troversy, and  do  not  enter  into  the  purpose  of  these  notes.  Suffice 
it  to  say  that  on  June  19,  Selkirk's  colony  was  destroyed  the  second 
time  by  the  Northwest  company,  and  the  colonists  brought  as  pris- 
oners to  Fort  William. 

Upon  hearing  of  the  first  disaster  to  his  colony.  Lord  Selkirk 
hastened  from  New  York  to  Canada  to  secure  troops  for  the  pro- 
tection of  his  colony.  In  January,  1816,  Selkirk  heard  of  the  return 
of  his  colonists  to  their  farms,  and  in  the  spring  of  the  same  year 
with  about  100  soldiers  he  left  Montreal  for  the  Red  river.  Envoys 
whom  he  had  sent  to  announce  his  coming  to  the  colonists,  hearing 
on  their  way  of  the  second  disaster,  met  Selkirk  at  Sault  Sainte 
Marie,  and  gave  him  the  details.  Selkirk  proceeded  to  Fort  Wil- 
liam, took  the  fort  on  August  14,  and  established  his  winter  quar- 
ters there,  a  large  detachment  of  his  soldiers  going  to  the  settlement 
by  way  of  Red  Lake,  an  unusual  route,  to  avoid  detection  by  the 
enemy.  They  reached  the  Red  river  at  the  end  of  December.  On 
Jan.  6,  1817,  taking  advantage  of  a  raging  blizzard,  Selkirk's  troops 
surprised  and  captured  Fort  Douglas,  and  re-established  his  author- 
ity in  the  colony.  The  following  spring  Lord  Selkirk  arrived  in  the 
colony.  He  induced  many  of  the  Canadian  and  Scotch  settlers  to 
return.  He  divided  the  land  among  the  soldiers  and  his  other  fol- 
lowers, and  prepared  to  return  to  Canada  in  the  fall  of  that  year. 

Such  was  the  political  and  social  condition  of  the  Red  river 
country  in  the  year  1817,  the  year  preceding  the  establishment  there 
of  the  Catholic  church. 


Note. — The  above  facts  are  taken  from  Dugas'  works,    "Monseigneur  Pro- 
vencher  et  les   Missions  de  la  Riviere  Rouge,"  pp.   11-40." 


REPORT  OF  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


Towards  the  end  of  October,  1817,  Lord  Selkirk  left  the  Red 
river  to  return  to  Canada.  From  his  dealings  with  the  people  of  the 
country — Canadians,  half-breeds  and  Indians — ^he  had  become  pro- 
foundly convinced  of  the  need  of  religious  influence  for  the  success 
of  his  work.  "Moreover,  many  of  the  Canadian  voyageurs  clamored 
for  priests.  Lord  Selkirk  took  advantage  of  these  good  disposi- 
tions, and  advised  the  people  to  address  a  formal  request  for  mis- 
sionaries to  the  bishop  of  Quebec,  promising  lO  use  his  influence 
to  secure  its  granting. 

Mr.  Samuel  Gale,  who  had  spent  one  summer  at  Red  river,  and 
who  was  an  intimate  friend  of  Bishop  Plessis,  visited  the  bishop  in 
January,  1818,  at  Lord  Selkirk's  request,  to  urge  the  appointment 
of  missionaries.  A  few  days  later  the  formal  petition  of  the  Red 
River  Catholics  was  presented  to  the  bishop  by  Mr.  Charles  de  Lot- 
biniere.  On  February  11th,  1818,  Bishop  Plessis  addressed  to  Mr. 
Gale  the  following  letter : 

^"Quebec,  Feb.  11,  1818. 

"Sir:  I  have  received  from  M.  de  Lotbiniere  the  request  that 
you  have  had  the  kindness  to  transmit  to  me  in  behalf  of  the  inhabi- 
tants on  the  Red  river.  No  one  is  more  convinced  than  I  of  the 
incalculable  benefits  that  can  result  from  the  establishing  of  a  perma' 
nent  mission  in  that  place,  abandoned  up  to  the  present  to  all  the 
disorders  that  ignorance  and  irreligion  beget.  I  have,  therefore, 
decided  to  second  with  all  my  might  a  project  so  praiseworthy,  And 
in  which  you  have  taken  so  active  a  part.  Among  my  clergy  there 
will  be  found  priests  who  will  consecrate  themselves  to  this  good 
work,  with  no  other  motive  than  that  of  procuring  the  glory  of  God 
and  the  salvation  of  those  poor  peoples. 

Permit  me  to  thank  you  for  the  encouragement  you  give  to  this 
enterprise,  and  to  subscribe  myself,  etc.,  etc., 

— ^J.  Octave  (Plessis), 

Bishop  of  Quebec.'' 

-It  is  to  be  noted  that  two  years  bef(jre,  in  ISKI.  Bishop  Plessis 
had  commissioned  Father  Tabeau,  the  parish  priest  of  Boucherville. 
Canada,  to  visit  the  Red  river  and  to  report  on  the  advisability  of 
opening  there  a  permanent  mission.  Owing  to  the  troubles  in  the 
colony,  Father  Tabeau  failc  1  to  reach  the  Red  river.  It  is  quite 
probable  that  the  Northwest  company  influenced  his  views  some- 
what. At  any  rate,  in  his  rejx^rt  to  Bishop  Plessis,  which  reached 
the  bishop  only  in  March,  1818,  he  opposed  the  founding  of  a  per- 
manent mission  there,  and  suggested  that  for  the  time  being  it  were 
better  to  send  a  priest  once  a  year  to  visit  the  trading  posts,  and  to 
wait  for  the  complete  pacification  of  the  country  before  establishing 
permanent  missionaries  in  it. 


*Sce  original  French  Ictler  in  Duga*^',  p.  IJ. 
'Dugas,  p.  43. 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA 


But  Bishop  Plessis  thought  otherwise,  influenced,  no  doubt,  by 
the  following  letter  from  Lord  Selkirk,  written  in  1816 : 

^"Montreal,  April  16th,  1816. 
To  His  Grace,  Mgr.  Plessis,  Bishop  of  Quebec. 

"Monseigneur :  I  have  been  informed  by  Mr.  Miles  McDonnell, 
former  governor  of  the  Red  river,  that  in  a  conversation  which  he 
had  with  Your  Grace  last  autumn  he  has  suggested  to  you  to  send 
a  missionary  into  this  country  to  give  the  helps  of  religion  to  a  large 
number  of  Canadians,  who  are  established  there,  and  who  live  after 
the  manner  of  the  savages,  with  the  Indian  women  whom  they  have 
married.  I  am  convinced  that  an  intelligent  ecclesiastic  would  da 
an  incalculable  good  among  those  people,  in  whom  the  religious 
sentiment  is  not  extinct.  With  the  greatest  satisfaction  I  would 
co-operate  with  you  for  the  success  of  such  a  work;  and  if  Your 
Grace  wishes  to  choose  a  suitable  person  for  the  undertakmg  I  do 
not  hesitate  to  assure  him  of  my  consideration  and  to  offer  him  all 
the  help  Your  Grace  may  judge  necessary.  I  have  heard  that  Your 
Grace  intended  to  send  this  spring  two  ecclesiastics  to  Lake  Superior 
and  to  Rainy  Lake  to  meet  the  voyageurs  who  are  in  the  service  of 
the  Northwest  company  when  they  return  from  the  interior.  Since 
all  those  people  are  in  great  need  of  spiritual  help,  I  am  happy  to 
learn  this  news ;  nevertheless,  if  you  permit  me  to  express  an 
opinion,  I  think  that  a  missionary  residing  at  the  Red  river  would 
better  realize  your  pious  design ;  for  from  that  place  he  could  easily 
visit  during  the  winter  the  trading  pasts  on  Rainy  Lake  and  on 
Lake  Superior  at  the  time  when  the  people  is  assembled  in  great 
numbers. 

Meanwhile,  if  Your  Grace  does  not  find  this  arrangement  prac- 
ticable at  present,  I  believe  that  an  ecclesiastic  who  would  be  ready 
to  leave  IVIontreal  at  the  opening  of  navigation  to  go  to  Rainy  Lake 
could  do  a  great  deal  of  good.  Mr.  McDonnell  must  i)ut  himself 
en  route  in  his  canoe  immediately  after  the  ice  melts,  so  that  he 
may  arrive  at  the  Red  river  towards  the  end  of  May  or  the  begin- 
ning of  June.  He  would  be  very  happy  to  have  with  him  the  com- 
pany of  a  missionary  who  might  sojourn  some  weeks  with  the 
Canadians  of  the  Red  river  before  the  return  of  the  voyageurs  of 
the  northwest  to  Rainy  Lake  and  Lake  Superior. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  etc. 

— Selkirk.*" 

The  bishop's  answer  to  the  above  letter  has  probably  been  lost. 
At  least  Dugas,  in  his  life  of  Bishop  Provencher,  to  whom  I  am  in- 
debted for  the  above  correspondence,  makes  no  mention  of  it.  But 
by  the  21st  of  February,  1818,  ten  days  after  his  letter  to  Mr.  Gale, 
Bishop  Plessis  had  chosen  his  missionaries  for  the  Red  river.  Rev. 
Joseph  Norbert  Provencher,  pastor  of  Kamouraska,  in  the  diocese 

'Translated  from  the  French  original  by  the  author.     See  Dugas,  pp.  44-45. 


REPORT  OF  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


of  Quebec,  and  Reverend  Joseph  Severe  Dumoulin,  who,  as  we 
shall  soon  see,  was  the  first  priest,  whether  resident  or  missionary,  in 
North  Dakota. 

Bishop  Plessis,  having  chosen  his  missionaries,  wrote  to  Lord 
Selkirk : 

"My  Lord:  Nothing  could  better  meet  my  views  than  the  re- 
quest brought  to  me  last  January  by  Mr.  Gale  in  behalf  of  the  in- 
nabitants  of  the  Red  river.  I  am  filled  with  consolation  at  the 
thought  of  the  solid  establishment  of  a  Catholic  mission  which  may 
become  of  incalculable  importance  to  the  vast  territory  surrounding 
it.  The  protection  of  Your  Lordship,  the  interest  taken  in  it  by  the 
govemor-in-chief,  the  zeal  of  the  most  reputable  citizens  of  Mon- 
treal, the  subscriptions  already  received,  all  these  things  convince 
me  that  Divine  Providence  favors  the  enterprise.  On  my  i>art,  I 
could  not  see  with  indifference  so  large  a  number  of  souls,  redeemed 
at  the  price  of  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ,  lost  every  day  for  the  lack 
of  having  some  one  to  form  their  faith  and  direct  their  morals." 

"The  two  priests  whom  I  send  there  with  a  catechist  will  esteem 
themselves  very  happy  if  the  Father  of  Mercies  deign  to  accept  their 
success  and  give  some  blessings  to  their  labors."^ 

The  catechist  mentioned  in  the  above  was  Mr.  William  Edge,  the 
first  school  teacher  in  Nforth  Dakota.  He  had  charge  of  the  school 
which  Father  Dumoulin  opened  in  Pembina,  of  which  mention  shall 
be  made  later. 

To  provide  for  the  stability  and  maintenance  of  the  new  mission. 
Lord  Selkirk  executed  in  due  form  two  contracts,  by  the  first  of 
which  he  gave  25  acres  to  the  mission  for  a  church :  the  second 
conveying  to  the  mission  a  tract  of  land  four  miles  in  length  by  five 
miles  in  width.  These  contracts  are  signed  bv  Lord  Selkirk ;  J.  O 
Plessis,  Bishop  of  Quebec ;  Roux,  priest ;  J.  N.  Provencher,  priest : 
Severe  Dumoulin,  priest;    S.  de  Beaujeu,  priest,  and  H.  Heney. 

The  Bishop  of  Quebec  gave  Father  Provtncher  the  powers  of  a 
vicar  general,  and  drew  up  for  his  guidance  in  his  new  and  difficult 
mission  an  admirable  letter  of  instructions,  which,  notwithstanding 
its  length,  I  translate  in  full.  It  shows  the  prudence  and  knowledge 
of  Bishop  Plessis.  It  is  entitled,  "Instructions  Given  by  Mgr.  J.  O. 
Plessis  to  MM.  J.  N.  Provencher  and  J.  N.  S.  Dumoulin,  Missionary 
Priests  for  the  Territories  of  the  Northwest." 

1.  The  missionaries  must  consider  the  first  object  of  their  mis- 
sion to  be  to  withdraw  from  barbarism  and  from  the  disorders  con- 
sequent thereon  the  savage  nations  spread  over  the  vast  country. 

2.  The  second  object  for  this  mission  is  to  give  their  attention 
to  the  bad  Christians  who  have  adopted  the  customs  of  the  savages, 
and  who  live  in  licentiousness  and  in  forgetfulness  of  their  duties. 

3.  Persuaded  that  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel  is  the  most  assured 
means  of  obtaining  these  happy  results  they  shall  neglect  no  occa- 


*Dugas,  p.  50. 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA 


sion  to  inculcate  the  Gospel's  principles  and  maxims,  whether  in 
their  private  conversations  or  in  their  public  instructions. 

4.  To  make  themselves  at  once  useful  to  the  natives  of  the  coun- 
try to  which  they  have  been  sent  they  shall  apply  themselves  from 
the  moment  of  their  arrival  to  the  study  of  the  savage  languages, 
and  shall  endeavor  to  reduce  those  languages  to  regular  principles 
so  as  to  be  able  to  publish  a  grammar  after  some  years  of  residence. 

5.  They  shall  prepare  for  baptism  with  all  possible  haste  the  in- 
fidel women  who  are  living  in  concubinage  with  Christians  in  order 
to  change  those  irregular  unions  into  legitimate  marriages. 

6.  They  shall  devote  themselves  with  particular  care  to  the 
Christian  education  of  the  children,  and  to  this  end  they  shall  estab- 
lish schools  and  catechism  classes  in  all  the  settlements  they  shall 
have  occasion  to  visit. 

7.  In  all  places  remarkable  either  by  their  position,  or  by  the 
transit  of  the  voyageurs,  or  by  the  gatherings  of  the  savages,  they 
shall  take  care  to  plant  high  crosses,  as  it  were  to  take  possession  of 
those  places  in  the  name  of  the  Catholic  religion. 

8.  They  shall  often  repeat  to  the  people  to  whom  they  are  sent 
how  severely  this  religion  enjoins  peace,  meekness  and  obedience  to 
the  laws  of  both  state  and  church. 

9.  They  shall  make  known  to  them  the  advantages  they  possess 
in  living  under  the  government  of  His  British  Majesty,  teaching 
them  by  word  and  example  the  respect  and  fidelity  they  owe  to  their 
sovereign,  accustoming  them  to  offer  to  God  fervent  prayers  for  the 
prosperity  of  His  Most  Gracious  Majesty,  of  his  august  family,  and 
of  his  empire. 

10.  They  shall  maintain  a  perfect  equilibrium  between  the  re- 
ciprocal claims  of  the  two  companies — the  Northwest  and  the  Hud- 
son's Bay — remembering  that  they  are  sent  solely  for  the  spiritual 
welfare  of  the  people  from  whose  civilization  the  advantage  of  both 
companies  must  result. 

11.  They  shall  fix  their  abode  near  Fort  Douglas  on  the  Red 
river,  shall  build  there  a  church,  a  dwelling  and  a  school;  they 
shall  derive  their  support  as  far  as  possible  from  the  lands  g^ven  to 
them.  Although  this  river  as  well  as  Lake  Winnipeg,  into  which 
it  empties,  is  in  the  territory  claimed  by  the  Hudson  Bay  company, 
they  shall  not  be  the  less  zealous  for  the  salvation  of  the  clerks,  em- 
ployes and  voyageurs  in  the  service  of  the  Northwest  companv.  tak- 
ing care  to  go  whithersoever  the  care  of  souls  shall  call  them. 

12.  They  shall  give  us  frequent  and  regular  information  of  all 
that  can  interest,  retard  or  favor  the  purposes  of  the  mission.  If, 
notwithstanding  the  most  impartial  conduct,  they  find  themselves 
hampered  in  the  exercise  of  their  functions,  they  shall  not  abandon 
their  mission  before  having  received  our  orders." 

— J.  O.  PlesSis, 
Bishop  of  Quebec* 


*Dugas,  pp.  .5o-57. 


10  REPORT  OF  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Guided  by  these  instructions,  empowered  by  the  proper  church 
authority,  to  exercise  ecclesiastical  jurisdiction,  and  protected  by 
Lx)rd  Selkirk,  Father  Provencher  bade  farewell  to  hi^  parishioners 
of  Kamouraska  April  16th,  1818,  and  set  forth  to  plant  the  churcfi 
on  tlie  banks  of  the  Red  River  of  the  North. 

At  noon,  on  Tuesday,  May  19,  1818,  the  first  missionaries  of  the 
Red  river.  Joseph  Norbert  Provencher  and  Severe  Norbert  Dumou- 
lin,  with  the  catechist,  William  Edge,  bade  adieu  to  Canada.  En 
route  they  wrote  to  Bishop  Plessis  from  Petite  Nation,  May  24th ; 
Drummond  Island,  Lake  Huron,  June  8th:  Pointe  Meuron  (Fort 
William),  June  20th  ?ind  June  23rd;  and  Rainy  Lake,  July  6th.  On 
July  15th  at  Rainy  Lake  they  planted  a  large  cross  and  baptized 
seventeen  children. 

The  canoes  left  Rainv  Lake  the  6th  of  July,  and  on  the  14th  they 
were  at  the  mouth  of  the  Winnipeg  river.  The  missionaries  halted 
there  the  greater  part  of  the  day  and  baptized  sixteen  children — the 
first  baptisms  in  the  Red  River  country.  The  15th  of  July  they  en- 
tered the  mouth  of  the  Red  river. 

On  the  morning  of  the  IGth  of  Julv  a  messenger  on  horseback 
made  the  rounds  of  the  colony,  to  notify  the  people  to  assemble  at 
Fort  Douglas  about  4  o'clock  that  afternoon  to  welcome  the  mis- 
sionaries. At  5  o'clock  p.  m..  the  16th  of  July,  1818,  Fathers  Pro- 
vencher and  Dumoulin  stepped  on  the  banks  of  the  Red  river  at 
Fort  Douglas,  and  the  Catholic  church  began  in  the  immense  region 
now  known  as  North  Dakota,  Manitoba,  Assiniboia,  Alberta,  Sas- 
katchewan, Athabasca.  Mackenzie  and  Keewatin. 

The  whole  colony  was  assembled  at  the  landing,  and  Father  Pro- 
vencher in  a  touching  address  at  once  made  known  to  them  the  ob- 
ject of  his  mission.  He  announced  the  times  at  which  services 
would  be  tjeld,  and  in  conclusion  he  requested  the  mothers  to  come 
to  the  Fort  the  following  dav  with  their  children  under  sixteen 
years  of  age  to  have  them  baptized. 

Fort  Douglas,  as  St.  Boniface  was  then  called,  was  on  the  right 
bank  of  the  Red  river.  The  hospitality  of  the  Fort  was  extended 
to  the  missionaries.  A  large  room  in  the  Fort  served  as  a  tempor- 
ary chapel. 

The  first  Sunday  after  their  arrival  a  high  mass  was  celebrated 
in  this  cradle  of  Catholicity  in  the  far  northwest.  Father  Provencher 
being  the  celebrant  and  preacher,  while  Father  Dumoulin  constituted 
the  choir.  The  preacher  announced  that  on  the  following  day  the 
work  of  instructing  the  people  in  religion  would  begin,  .\dnlts  and 
children  were  invited  to  attend  these  instructions  at  Fort  Douglas 
twice  a  day.  He  also  urcjcl  the  colonists  to  take  immediate  steps 
towards  providing  a  dwelling  for  the  missionaries. 

The  following  day,  July  20th,  1818,  Father  Provencher  wrote  to 
Bishop  Plessis : 

'*We  are  at  our  destination.  We  arrived  here  at  5  o'clock  p.  m., 
the  IGth  of  Tidv.     We  were  all  very  well  received  by  Mr.  McDon- 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  11 

ell,  governor  of  the  place,  who  seems  to.  be  a  good  man,  and  who 
is  a  Catholic.  It  is  said  that  he  is  to  leave  here  this  fall.  I  shall 
be  sorry.  My  last  letter  was  dated  from  Rainy  Lake,  whence  we 
departed  July  6.  Thence  we  descended  Rainy  Lake  river,  passed 
Lake  of  the  Woods  and  entered  Winnipeg  river  at  the  point  where 
Mr.  Keveney  was  killed.  I  saw  his  bones,  which  were  covered  only 
with  wood. 

From  Lake  of  the  Woods  we  fell  into  the  Winnipeg  river,  remark- 
able for  its  windings,  its  rapids,  its  falls,  its  portages.  It  brought 
us  to  the  lake  of  the  same  name.  There  we  found  a  fort  of  the 
Northwest  company.  We  remained  there  three-fourths  of  a  day 
and  baptized  sixteen  children. 

At  the  mouth  of  the  Winnipeg  river  we  met  the  canoes  from 
Athabasca,  with  about  150  men.  I  had  wished  to  meet  them  at 
Rainy  Lake,  but  they  reached  there  only  fifteen  days  after  our  de- 
parture.   We  have  announced  to  them  our  visit  for  next  year. 

We  have  been  very  well  received  everywhere.  From  Winnipeg 
river  to  Fort  Douglas  we  have  traversed  eighteen  leagues  of  lakcj 
and  have  ascended  the  Red  river  eight  leagues. 

This  country  is  really  beautiful.  The  river  is  sufficiently  wide. 
It  is  bordered  with  oaks,  elms,  ivy,  poplars,  etc.  Behind  this  border 
of  timber  are  boundless  prairies.  The  soil  appears  to  be  excellent. 
Wood  for  building  is  rare,  at  least  good  wood.  We  must  set  about 
building.  A  chapel  is  a  pressing  need,  because  there  is  no  fit  place 
for  the  people  to  assemble. 

The  site  for  the  church  is  beautiful.  It  is  situated  facing  the 
forts  of  the  Northwest  and  Hudson  Bay  companies,  from  eight  to 
ten  acres  distant  from  each,  and  about  fifteen  acres  from  Fort  Doug- 
las. At  present  there  are  no  savages  here.  Everyone  seems  pleased 
with  our  arrival,  and  all  appear  to  be  desirous  to  profit  by  our  in- 
structions." 

At  a  later  period  Father  Provencher,  speaking  of  the  agricultural 
conditions  in  the  Red  river  in  1818,  said : 

"The  cultivated  fields  were  not  much  larger  than  garden  beds. 
The  settlers  planted  as  much  to  raise  seed  as  to  enjoy  the  fruits  of 
their  labor ;  for  it  was  very  expensive  to  import  grain  into  the 
country," 

But  the  little  they  raised  in  their  garden-bed  farms  in  1818  was  de- 
stroyed by  a  disaster,  which  led  to  the  establishing  of  the  Catholic 
church  in  North  Dakota. 

On  the  3rd  of  August,  three  weeks  after  the  arrival  of  the  mis- 
sionaries, clouds  of  grasshoppers  descended  on  the  fields  and  in  a 
trice  devoured  nearly  everything.  The  few  grains  of  wheat  remain- 
ing barely  sufficed  to  seed  the  garden-bed  farms  the  following  spring. 
To  add  to  the  misfortune,  the  grasshoppers  deposited  their  eggs, 
thus  insuring  another  scourge  the  next  year. 

"On  the  12th  of  August  there  arrived  a  number  of  families  sent 
by  Lord   Selkirk.     These   families,   finding  the   fields   ravaged   by 


12  REPORT  OF  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

grasshoppers,  refused  to  Femain  at  Fort  Douglas.  Fearing  a  fam- 
ine in  the  winter,  they  went  up  the  river  to  Pembina,  where  a  few 
Canadians  and  half-breeds  were  already  settled. 

Its  proximity  to  the  hunting  grounds  attracted  many  hunters  to 
this  place  each  autumn.  They  passed  the  winter  there  with  their 
families,  leaving  in  the  spring  to  spend  the  summer  on  the  prairies. 
From  Pembina  Father  Provencher  obtained  his  supply  of  meat  dur- 
ing his  first  years  of  the  Red  river. 

The  growth  of  the  Pembina  settlement  necessitated  the  presence 
of  a  priest  there.  Pembina  became  for  a  time  more  important  than 
St.  Bbniface,  the  name  by  which  the  Fort  Douglas  colony  is  to  be 
henceforth  known.  In  fact,  St.  Boniface  was  for  a  time  almost 
abandoned.  Both  companies  built  forts  at  Pembina,  and  the  people 
clamored  for  a  resident  priest.  Provencher,  therefore,  sent  Father 
Dumoulin  to  Pembina  in  the  month  of  September,  1818,  with  in- 
structions to  pass  the  winter  there.  The  month  of  September,  1818. 
marks  the  birth  of  the  Catholic  church  in  North  Dakota. 

In  January,  1819,  Father  Provencher  visited  Pembina  to  examine 
into  the  condition  of  the  new  parish.  He  found  everything  in  ex- 
cellent order.  A  school  with  sixty  pupils  in  attendance  was  already 
in  operation,  under  the  charge  of  )Villiam  Edge,  and  preparation? 
were  being  made  to  build  a  chapel  and  presbytery  in  the  spring. 
Since  his  arrival — from  September  to  January — Father  Dumoulin 
had  baptized  fifty-two  persons  and  rehabilitated  a  large  number  of 
marriages.  He  had  also  succeeded  in  grouping  around  the  site  of 
the  new  chapel  about  three  hundred  souls. 

About  this  time  he  wrote  to  Bishop  Plessis : 

"I  have  here  (Pembina)  three  hundred  persons  with  me,  whilst 
the  Vicar  General  (Provencher)  has  only  fifty  at  St.  Boniface." 

Father  Provencher  aso  wrote  to  the  bishop:  "That  post  (Pem- 
bina) is  for  the  present  very  important.  From  there  I  with  all  the 
colony  receive  all  my  provisions.     I  shall  continue  to  build  there." 

Again  in  the  month  of  July,  1819,  Father  Provencher  writes: 
"My  chapel  at  St.  Boniface  is  almost  squared.  It  will  be  80x35 
feet.  At  Pembina  we  have  a  shop  (une  boutique)  24x18,  a  presby- 
terv  40x27,  and  we  have  hauled  the  timber  for  a  chapel  60x30.  What 
I  learn  from  your  Grace  about  the  lines  which  place  Pembina  on 
the  American  territory  disquiets  me  a  little,  and  disarranges  my 
plans.  Nevertheless,  I  shall  continue  to  build  there,  for  Father 
Dumoulin  must  pass  next  winter  there." 

In  June,  1819,  Father  Dumoulin  went  to  Rainv  Lake  to  give  a 
mission  to  the  voyageurs  from  Athabasca  who  gathered  at  the  lake 
ev€r\'  spring.  Returning  to  Pembina  in  August  he  learned  that 
the  grasshoppers  had  again  devastated  the  St.  Boniface  fields,  this 
time  destroying  all  vegetation,  even  to  the  bark  of  the  trees.  Asfain 
was  there  an  exodus  from  St.  Boniface  to  Pembina.  Father  Pro^ 
vencher  wrote  the  bishop:  "Everv  one  is  busv  looking  for  food. 
The  families  are  abandoning  St.  Boniface  to  go  to  Pembina  that 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  13 

they  may  be  nearer  to  the  hunting  grounds.  We  are  put  to  great 
expense  for  food.  Having  nothing  but  meat  to  eat,  we  require  much 
of  it,  and  we  lose  a  great  part  of  our  time  in  carting  this  meat  from 
the  prairie.     And  so  the  work  lags." 

The  schools  at  St.  Boniface  and  Pembina  continued  to  flourish. 
In  the  spring  of  1819  Father  Dumoulin  wrote  to  Bishop  Plessis  that 
most  of  the  children  attending  the  Pembina  school  knew  how  to  read 
and  knew  by  heart  the  letter  of  the  Catechism.  At  St.  Boniface 
Father  Provencher  even  had  a  class  in  Latin. 

In  June,  1819,  Father  Provencher  wrote  to  the  Bishop :  "See  to 
it  that  the  missionary  and  the  catechist  who  come  here  next  spring 
know  English,  so  that  they  may  be  useful  to  the  Catholics  who  speak 
only  that  language,  and  that  they  may  also  gain  from  the  Protestants 
more  honor  for  religion  and  its  ministers.  It  is  moreover  necessary 
that  those  who  come  here  be  men  whom  one  can  place  anywhere; 
for  here  it  is  necessary  to  fuse  the  functions  of  Martha  and  Mary. 
One  must  direct  the  spiritual  and  the  temporal.  If  they  are  men 
who  know  nothing  of  building  or  of  directing  others  -in  such  mat- 
ters, they  are  of  no  use.  The  first  one  who  offers  is  not  fit  to  work 
here.  We  require  grave  and  serious  men,  and  men  above  all  sus- 
picion. In  a  word,  we  need  men  of  judgment  and  ability,  but  at 
the  same  time  full  of  zeal  and  piety.  I  consider  Father  Dumoulin 
a  good  missionary." 

The  poverty  of  the  colony  obliged  Father  Provencher  to  spend  the 
winter  of  1819-20  in  Pembina  with  Father  Dumoulin.  Almost 
every  one  had  left  St.  Boniface  for  the  winter.  He  remained  in 
Pembina  until  May.  In  the  month  of  July  Dumoulin  went  to  Hud- 
son Bay  to  visit  the  Catholics  in  those  regions,  Provencher  remain- 
ing in  charge  of  St.  Boniface  and  Pembina.  On  August  7th,  1820, 
another  missionary,  Father  Thomas  Destroismaisons,  accompanied  by 
a  catechist,  Mr.  Sauve,  arrived  from  Quebec,  and  on  August  16th, 
Father  Provencher  left  for  Quebec  to  present  his  report  of  the  mis- 
sions to  his  bishop. 

Just  before  his  departure  he  had  seen  the  colony  destroyed  for 
the  third  time  by  the  grasshoppers.  Seed,  wheat  had  been  brought 
at  great  expense  from  Prairie  du  Chien.  The  season  was  most  fav" 
orable,  everything  promised  well ;  past  misfortunes  were  forgotten, 
when  on  July  26th,  innumerable  grasshoppers  again  covered  the 
whole  colony.  Discouragement  seized  on  everyone,  and  many  spoke 
of  leaving  the  Red  river  for  ever. 

When  Lord  Selkirk  heard  of  the  warm  reception  of  the  mission- 
aries in  his  settlement,  he  wrote  to  the  Bishop  of  Quebec : 

^*'Monseigneur :  During  my  recent  trip  through  Upper  Canada, 
I  had  the  pleasure  to  receive  letters  from  the  Red  river  announcing 
to  me  the  arrival  of  Fathers  Provencher  and  Dumoulin.  These 
letters,  as  well  as  the  verbal  report  which  I  have  received  from  M. 

^Translated  from  French  original.     See  Dugas,  pp.  82-84. 
Note. —  (The  above  facts  and  letters  are  from  Dugas,  chapter  5.) 


14  REPORT  OF  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

de  Lorimer  on  my  arrival  here,  convince  me  that  the  inhabitants, 
and  above  all  the  old  Canadian  voyageurs,  with  their  half-breed 
families,  have  manifested  the  best  disposition' to  profit  by  the  in- 
structions of  the  missionaries,  and  that  the  savages  also  have  shown 
them  such  respect  as  gives  reason  to  believe  that  they  will  exhibit 
the  same  docility.  I  hope  that  this  happy  presage  may  be  confirmed 
by  the  report  that  the  missionaries  have  no  doubt  made  to  your 
lordship. 

**Reflecting  on  the  circumstances  which  have  been  communicated 
to  me,  it  has  seemed  to  me  that  if  they  were  known  in  England, 
one  might  obtain  assistance  from  there  which  would  give  a  more 
solid  support  to  the  establishment  of  the  mission.  There  are  many 
Catholics  of  the  most  distinguished  families  of  England  (and  I 
doubt  not  that  one  would  find  some  Protestants)  who  would  glory 
in  contributing  to  the  maintenance  of  a  mission  of  this  kind,  once 
they  were  assured  of  the  good  that  may  result  from  it.  If  I  were 
authorized  to  communicate  this  assurance  on  the  part  of  vour  lord- 
ship, based  on  the  report  of  the  missionaries  themselves,  I  have  full 
confidence  that  one  would  find  in  England  the  means  to  produce  a 
most  favorable  result.  I  have  heard  recently  that  there  is  some 
probability  that  Upper  Canada  may  be  erected  into  a  separate  dio- 
cese. If  this  division  takes  place.  I  hope  that  the  Red  river  mav 
still  remain  in  the  diocese  of  Quebec.  It  would  pain  me  indeed  if 
this  nascent  foundation  did  not  remain  under  the  jurisdiction  of 
your  lordship,  under  which  it  has  so  happily  begun. 

*'I  remember  that  in  Quebec  last  spring  your  lordship  suggested 
that  in  the  course  of  time  those  distant  countries  would  became  an 
independent  foundation ;  but  pending  the  increase  of  population 
necessary  to  support  without  outside  help  a  separate  establishment, 
it  seeirs  to  me  that  all  those  savage  countries  ought  to  be  subject 
to  Quebec,  since  the  Catholics  there  speak  only  French,  and  sjnce, 
for  that  reason,  I'pper  Canada  could  not  form  subjects  fitted  to 
fulfill  the  duties  of  the  ministry  in  those  regions. 

"I  have  the  honor  to  be,  etc.,  etc., 

" — Selkirk." 

Father  TVovencher  left  the  Red  river  August  IG,  1820.  on  a  trip 
to  Canada.  Bishop  Plessis  had  been  in  Rome  in  the  spring  of  the 
same  year,  and,  without  informing  Father  Provencher,  had  induced 
the  II(ly  Sci'  to  a])roint  him  Coadjutor-Iiishop  of  Quebec, 
with  the  title  of  IJishop  of  Juliopolis.  an  ancient  epis- 
copal See  in  Galatia.  The  papal  bull  makinc:  thi-^  ap- 
pointment is  dated  Feb.  1,  1820.  When  Father  Prf>yctKher  pre- 
sented himself  to  Bishop  Plessis  in  the  end  of  October,  the  bishop 
handed  him  the  official  Roman  document,  conferring  on  him  the 
new  and  unexpected  dignity.  Provenchef  protested  long  and  stout- 
ly, but  in  vain,  against  accepting  the  burden  of  the  episcopate.  .A 
confidential  letter  written  by  him  to  Bishop  Plessis  on  the  subject 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  15 


Jan.  16,  1821,  gives  a  clear  insight  into  the  character  of  this  true 
missionary  priest. 

Among  other  things,  he  writes :     *"What  can  this  poor  bishop  of 
JuHopolis    (such  was  his  title),  without  learning,  without  virtue, 
without   experience,   without   knowledge   of   business   affairs,   do? 
Naturally  timid,  loving  a  retired  and  solitary  life,  he  might,  indeed, 
make  a  poor  monk,  engrossed  in  sanctifying  himself ;  but  never  can 
he  make  a  man  of  affairs ;    never  above  all  a  bishop,  who  has  time 
to  think  of  himself  only  after  he  has  thought  of  others.     You  have 
shown  him  a  road  that  leads  him  to  his  destruction,  and  that  shall 
lead  all  to  loss.     It  is  a  question  of  founding  a  church.     Have  you 
thought  of  that  ?     Poor  church ;   how  badly  founded  you  shall  be ! 
In  truth,  I  do  not  see  how  I  can  accept  a  burden  so  plainly  beyond 
my  strength.    You  have  two  good  an  opinion  of  me,  Monseigneur; 
you  believe  me  capable  of  all  things ;   you  think  that  you  know  me, 
and  I,  too,  thought  that  you  knew  me.     Reared  by  you,  so  to  speak, 
could  I  have  ever  suspected  that  you  could  dream  of  elevating  me 
so  high     (Eleve   par   vous,   pour   ainsi   dire,   aurais-je  jamais   pu 
soupconner  que  vous  songiez  a  m*  elever  si  haut.)     Entering  the 
ranks  of  the  clergy,  I  have  always  allowed  myself  to  be  guided  by 
my  superiors,  without  hesitating  or  murmuring.     I  have  done  this 
passably  well,  I  believe.     Distrusting  my  youth,  and  confiding  in 
your  prudence,  I  have  sacrificed  everything  to  fulfill,  I  will  not  say 
your  orders,  for  you  have  never  given  me  a  command,  but  your 
known  will.     I  do  not  complain  of  you.     You  have  always  given  me 
more  than  I  deserved.     I  have  had  desirable  places.     Even  in  the 
Red  River  country,  although  it  was  less  advantageous  from  every 
point  of  view,  I  have  always  known  your  good  will  towards  me.  You 
made  me  Vicar-General.     That  was  already  too  much.     I  accepted 
the  office  becauuse  you  wished  to  give  a  little  lustre  to  that  new 
mission.     Some  murmured  at  my  promotion.     They  were  altogether 
wrong.     Why  did  you  not  stop  at  that?     Why  put  me  at  the  head  of 
the  clergy  when  I  can  scarcely  hold  myself  up  in  my  actual  state? 
My  God !     Why  am  I  not  still  in  the  simple  rank  of  the  vicaires ! 
(assistant  priests).     Then  no  one  would  think  of  me.     Alas!    As  I 
advance  more  in  age  than  in  virtue,  must  I  regret  my  state  in  life 
to  which  I  have  been  attracted  since  childhood?    Do  not  believe  that 
it  is  fear  of  sufferings  and  fatigue  that  makes  me  speak  thus.     I  did 
not  become  a  priest  to  amass  riches.     I  will  go,  if  necessary,  and 
consecrate  my  youth  to  the  Red  river,  but  as  a  simple  priest.    Speak, 
and  I  will  obey.     But  the  bishopric  is  another  thing.     Never  can  I 
persuade  myself  that  I  was  born  to  be  raised  to  so  high  a  rank. 
Rome  has  spoken.     I  am  full  of  respect  for  the  Chair  of  St.  Peter. 
But  Rome  hsis  spoken  on  your  word.     The  Holy  Father  does  not 
know  me,  and  I  am  sure  he  never  would  have  appointed  me,  if  he 
knew  me. 


i 


16  REPORT  OF  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

"I  open  my  heart  to  you  today,  after  having  reflected  maturely 
before  God.  You  are  the  only  one  to  whom  I  can  speak  frankly, 
and  you  are  against  me."^ 

In  another  letter,  dated  March  19,  1821,  Father  Provencher  as- 
sured the  bishop  of  his  acceptance  of  the  office  in  these  words: 
"Trembling  I  accept  the  burden  imposed  upon  me  in  punishment  of 
my  sins."  He  was  consecrated  bishop  in  the  parish  church  at  Three 
Rivers,  May  12,  1822,  the  Sunday  before  the  Feast  of  the  Ascension, 
and  set  out  for  the  Red  river  on  the  1st  of  June. 

During  his  sojourn  of  nearly  two  years  in  Canada  Bishop  Pro- 
vencher had  not  neglected  the  religious  interests  of  the  Red  River 
colony.  His  one  desire  was  to  obtain  good  priests  for  his  missions. 
He  visited  the  ecclesiastical  seminaries,  and  exhorted  the  young 
priests  and  students  to  volunteer  for  the  work;  but  despite  all  his 
eflforts  he  succeeded  in  securing  only  one  candidate,  Mr,  John  Har- 
per, a  student  in  the  seminary  of  Quebec,  21  years  of  age,  who  was 
ordained  priest  at  St.  Boniface,  by  Bishop  Provencher  Nbv.  1,  1824 
— the  first  priest  ordained  in  the  Northwest.  Father  Harper  re- 
mained in  the  diocese  of  St.  Boniface  until  August,  1831,  doing  ex- 
cellent service  for  the  missions.  For  several  years  he  conducted  a 
very  good  school  at  St.  Boniface. 

Bishop  Provencher  reached  St.  Boniface  August  7,  1822,  to  face 
new  and  unexpected  troubles.  The  edict  had  gone  forth  from  the 
Hudson  Bay  company  that  the  priest  must  be  withdrawn  from  the 
flourishing  mission  of  Pembina,  for  the  reason  that  it  was  on  Ameri- 
can territory.  The  death  of  Lord  Selkirk  April  8,  1820,  which  led 
to  a  consolidation  of  the  Hudson  Bay  and  Northwest  companies  in 
June,  1821,  deprived  the  world  of  a  great  man  and  the  Catholic 
church  in  the  Red  River  country  of  a  very  true  friend.  Selkirk's 
legal  executive,  his  brother-in-law,  Mr.  Halkett,  visited  the  colony 
in  the  spring  of  1822.  He  remained  three  weeks  at  the  Red  river, 
and  had  left  for  Hudson  Bay  only  a  few  days  before  the  return 
of  the  bishop,  for  whom  he  left  a  letter  making  known  his  inten- 
tions on  the  subject  of  Pembina.  In  this  letter  Halkett  reprimand- 
ed the  missionaries  severely  for  having  established  the  Pembina  mis" 
sion,  maintaining  that  it  injured  St.  Boniface,  and  that  in  so  doing 
they  had  not  corresponded  with  the  wishes  of  Lord  Selkirk.  Bishop 
Provencher  answered  Halkett's  letter  August  10,  sending  his  reply 
by  courier  to  Hudson  Bay.     He  wrote: 

^*The  Bishop  of  Quebec  gave  me  an  intimation  about  your  inten- 
tions about  Pembina  before  my  departure  from  Quebec. 

*T  see  clearly  that  the  reasons  you  have  for  abandoning  that  post 
are  good,  but  the  execution  is  not  so  easy  as  you  think.  Perhaps 
one  may  acdamplish  it  by  degrees. 

*The  emigration  (from  Pembina)  is  absolutelv  impossible  this 
year,  because  no  one  is  anxious  to  come  and  establisTi  himself  at  St. 


'Dugas,  pp.  09-102. 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  17 


Boniface,  to  die  here  inevitably  of  hunger.  Far  from  St.  Boniface 
being  able  to  support  the  emigrants  from  Pembina,  it  will  be  neces- 
sary for  a  part  of  the  inhabitants  of  St.  Boniface  to  go  to  Pembina 
again  this  winter  to  find  whereon  to  live.  We  cannot  leave  that 
place  this  autumn.  At  the  earliest  we  may  abandon  it  next  spring. 
From  now  to  that  time  we  shall  try  to  make  the  people  of  that  local- 
ity understand  the  necessity  of  moving  from  American  territory. 

*'When  we  established  ourselves  there  we  could  not  forsee  that 
a  treaty  between  England  and  the  United  States  would  place  Pem- 
bina on  the  American  side.  The  late  Lord  Selkirk,  in  asking  for 
Catholic  priests,  meant,  no  doubt,  that  it  was  for  the  instruction  of 
all  Catholics  of  the  place,  and  above  all  the  Canadian  half-breeds. 
Now  the  greater  part  of  the  Catholics  and  all  the  half-breeds  were 
at  Pembina,  and  absolutely  could  not  leave  that  place  to  come  to 
St.  Boniface,  where  they  could  not  have  lived.  It  was  necessary 
to  go  to  them  there.  The  agents  of  the  colony  approved  the  plan  at 
the  time  openly.  We  must  suppose  that  they  were  sufficiently  in- 
structed as  to  Lord  Selkirk's  intentions  to  put  us  en  rapport  with 
them.  We  have  made  heavy  expenditures  at  Pembina,  because  we 
were  given  to  understand  that  Pembina  would  be  maintained  as 
well  as  St.  Boniface.  For  four  years  no  one  has  said  a  word  against 
this  arrangement,  and  this  is  what  has  drawn  so  many  people  to 
that  point,  who  if  they  leave  Pembina  today  will  be  more  destitute 
than  when  arriving  in  the  country. 

"I  agree  that  it  would  have  been  better  to  have  built  at  St  Boni- 
face than  at  Pembina;  but  it  was  impossible  for  us  to  do  so,  for 
lack  of  provisions  which  it  was  very  difficult  to  secure  at  St.  Boni- 
face. 

"Rest  assured  that  I  will  do  all  in  my  power  to  make  the  colony 
prosper.  For  that  I  have  in  my  hands  only  the  arms  of  religion, 
which,  indeed,  are  most  strong.  I  will  make  the  best  possible  use 
of  them."^ 

In  his  reply  to  the  above,  dated  Aug.  30,  Mr.  Halkett  tells  the 
bishop  that  he  hopes  to  see  his  views  on  Pembina  adopted  to  the 
letter,  and  threatens  to  complain  to  the  authorities  in  England,  if 
there  is  any  delay  in  executing  his  orders. 

In  January,  1823,  the  bishop  went  to  Pembina.  He  announced  to 
the  people  that  he  was  forced  to  recall  Father  Dumoulin,  and  that 
they  must  remain  without  a  priest  to  instruct  them.  Some  of  the 
people  determined  to  stay  in  Pembina ;  others  went  to  the  Canadian 
side  and  founded  the  parish  of  St.  Francis  Xavier,  and  others  went 
to  Fort  Snelling,  Minn.-  Father  Dumoulin,  broken-hearted  at  the 
ruin  of  all  his  labors,  obtained  permission  from  the  Bishop  of  Que- 
bec to  go  to  Canada,  with  the  firm  intention  of  returning  to  the 
Red  river  after  a  short  vacation.     He  left  in  August,  1823.     He 


^Translated  from  French  original.    Dugas,  pp.  122-124. 
2WiIliams'  History  of  St.  Paul,  Minn.,  pp.  38-42. 

^2— 


t 


18  REPORT  OF  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

never  saw  the  Red  river  again.     He  died  a  holy  death  in  Canada  in 
1853. 

Beltrami,  writing  from  Pembina  Aug.  10,  1823,  says :  "The  only 
people  now  remaining  (in  Pembina)  are  the  Bois-brules,  who  have 
taken  possession  of  the  huts  which  the  settlers  abandoned.  Two 
Catholic  priests  had  also  established  themselves  here,  but  as  neither 
the  government  nor  the  company  gave  them  any  means  of  subsist- 
ence, they  went  away ;  and  the  church,  constructed  like  all  the  other 

buildings  of  trunks  of  trees,  is  already  falling  into  ruin 

Lower  down,  at  Fort  Douglas,  there  is  still  a  bishop,  Monsieur 
Provencais.  His  merit  and  virtues  are  the  theme  of  general  praise. 
I  was  told  that  he  does  not  mingle  politics  with  religion,  that  his 
zeal  is  not  the  offspring  of  ambition,  that  his  piety  is  pure,  his  heart 
simple  and  generous.  He  does  not  give  ostentatious  bounties  at 
the  expense  of  his  creditors ;  he  is  hospitable  to  strangers ;  and  dis- 
simulation never  sullies  his  mind  or  his  holy  and  paternal  mini5tr\\ 
Yesterday  *.  .  .  the  boundary  which  separates  the  territories  of 
the  two  nations  was  formally  laid  dowh,  in  the  name  of  the  govern- 
ment and  the  president  of  the  United  States." 

Keating,  who  was  the  geologist  and  historiographer  of  the  United 
States  Commission  under  Major  Long  in  1823,  which  determined 
the  boundary  line,  writes  of  Pembina:  "The  Hudson  Bay  company 
had  a  fort  here  until  the  spring  of  1823,  when  observations,  made 
by  their  own  astronomers,  led  them  to  suspect  that  it  was  south  of 
the  boundary  line,  and  they  therefore  abandoned  it,  removing  all 
that  could  be  sent  down  the  river  with  advantage.  The  Catholic 
clergyman  who  had  been  supjxyrted  at  this  place  was  at  the  same 
time  removed  to  Fort  Douglas,  and  a  large  and  neat  chapel  built 
by  the  settlers  for  their  accommodation  is  now  fast  going  to  decay. 
The  settlement  consists  of  about  three  hundred  and  fifty  souls,  re- 
siding in  sixty  log  houses  or  cabins."  Keating  also  states  that  the 
ipeople  ''appeared  well  satisfied  that  the  whole  of  the  settlement  of 
Pembina,  with  the  exception  of  a  single  log  house,  standing  near  the 
left  bank  of  the  river,  would  be  included  in  the  territor\'  of ^  the 
United  States."  The  members  of  the  expedition  were  entertained 
by  Mr.   Nolcn,  whose  daughters  afterwards  taught  school  in   St. 

Boniface. 

Joseph  Severe  Norbert  Dumoulin,  the  first  missionary  priest  in 
North  Dakota,  was  born  at  St.  Anne,  Isle  of  ^Montreal,  Dec.  5,  1793. 
He  was  educated  in  the  seminary  of  Nicolet,  and  ordained  priest 
Feb.  23,  1817.  He  left  Canada  with  Father  Provencher  for  the  Red 
River  missions  May  10,  1818.  and  in  September  of  the  same  year 
settled  in  Pembina,  bv  command  of  Father  Provencher,  as  pastor 
of  all  the  Indians,  half-breeds  and  Canadians  therea>lx)uts.  He  built 
there  a  presbvterv  and  a  church,  and  opened  there  under  charge  of 
William  Edge',  the  first  school  in  this  state.  He  was  universally 
loved.  "Father  Dumoulin,"  writes  Bishop  Provencher,  "is  a  good 
missionary." 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  19 

The  dq)arture  of  Father  Dumoulin  for  Canada  left  Bishop  Pro- 
vencher  with  one  priest,  Rev.  Thomas  Destroismaisons,  and  one 
candidate  for  the  priesthood,  John  Harper.  Mr.  Edge,  first  school 
teacher  in  Pembina,  went  back  to  Canada  in  1820,  and  was  succeed- 
ed by  Mr.  Sauve.  Mr.  Harper  on  his  arrival  took  charge  of  the 
school  at  St.  Boniface  during  the  winter  months.  What  became 
of  Mr.  Sauve  the  records  fail  to  disclose.  It  is  probable  that  he  left 
the  country  when  his  scliool  was  closed  in  1823.  The  care  of  the 
Pembina  flock  was  not  abandoned.  Father  Destroismaisons  con- 
tinued to  visit  there  at  times,  and  in  the  spring  Mr.  Harper,  accom- 
panied the  hunters  to  the  chase.  The  hunting  was  on  the  North 
Dakota  prairies  from  the  Red  river  to  the  Missouri.  Wherever  the 
chase  led  there  went  the  priest  and  it  is  safe  to  assert  that  the  first 
missionaries,  beginning  with  Dumoulin,  had  visited  in  these  hunting 
expeditions  nearly  all  of  the  state  between  those  two  rivers. 

The  good  effected  by  the  missionaries  is  teld  by  the  following  ex- 
tracts from  the  minutes  of  a  meeting  of  the  Pludson  Bay  Council, 
held  at  York  Factory  July  2,  1825 : 

''Great  benefit  being  experienced  from  the  benevolent  and  inde- 
fatigable exertions  of  the  Catholic  missionaries  at  Red  river  in 
welfare  of  the  moral  and  religious  instruction  of  its  numerous  fol- 
lowers, and  it  being  observed  with  much  satisfaction  that  the  influ- 
ence of  the  mission  under  the  direction  of  the  Right  Reverend 
Bishop  of  Juliopolis  has  been  uniformly  directed  to  the  best  interests 
of  the  settlement  and  of  the  country  at  large,  it  is 

^'Resolved,  That  in  order  to  mark  our  approbation  of  such  laud- 
able and  disinterested  conduct  on  the  part  of  said  mission,  it  be 
recommended  to  the  Honorable  Committee  that  a  sum  of  fifty 
pounds  per  annum  be  given  towards  its  support." 

The  struggling  mission  soon  found  use  for  the  company's  con- 
tributions. In  the  spring  of  1825  the  water  in  the  Red  river  over- 
flowed its  banks,  inundating  all  the  low  places,  but  not  doing  any 
great  damage.  Such  a  thing  had  not  occurred  since  the  arrival 
of  the  whites  in  the  country.  The  Indians  related,  says  Dugas,  how 
one  spring  long  ago  the  water  had  covered  the  prairies,  but  no  one 
knew  the  date  of  that  flood.  On  October  15,  1825,  snow  fell  abun- 
dantly. The  winter  was  one  of  the  most  severe  ever  experienced 
in  the  country.  The  oldest  inhabitants  remembered  nothing  like  it 
in  25  years.  Spring  came  late.  A  cold  north  wind  prevailed  all 
through  April.  The  snow  began  to  melt  about  the  first  of  May  and  on 
May  5  the  ice  broke.  The  water  was  alreadv  over  the  river  banks. 
The  river  continued  to  rise  until  May  20.  It  reached  a  height  of 
over  forty  feet  above  the  ordinary  summer  level.  Almost  every- 
thing about  St.  Boniface  was  destroyed.  Two  hundred  and  fifty 
persons,  most  of  them  colonists  whom  Lord  Selkirk  had  sent  from 
Canada,  left  St.  Boniface  for  the  United  States,  some  of  them  set- 
tling around  Pembina,  others  going  to  Fort  Snelling,  near  St.  Paul. 
This  is,  I  believe,  the  first  Red  river  flood  on  record.     The  second 


20  REPORT  OF  HISTORICAL  SOCIETV 

flood  of  record  occurred  in  1852,  and  is  grahpically  described  by 
Bishop  Provencher  in  a  letter  to  Bishop  Bourget  of  Montreal.  The 
water  this  time  was  eighteen  inches  lower  than  in  1826,  but  the 
damage  done  was  incalculably  greater.  The  last  flood  of  1897  is 
fresh  in  the  minds  of  not  a  few  who  read  these  notes.  The  writer 
has  vivid  recollections  of  it. 

In  1827  Father  Destroismaisons,  the  second  pastor  of  the  Pem- 
bina mission,  which  he  visited  at  times  from  1823  to  1827,  returned 
to  Canada.  He  was  bom  at  St.  Pierre  Jan.  12,  1796,  educated  at 
the  Seminary  of  Quebec,  ordained  to  the  priesthood  Oct.  17,  1819, 
and  came  to  the  Red  river  in  1820.  During  his  seven  years  on 
the  mission  Father  Destroismaisons  learned  the  Chippewa  language, 
though  he  never  labored  in  the  Indian  missions.  He  was  a  worthy 
successor  of  Father  Dumoulin.  After  Father  Destroismaison's  de-- 
parturc  the  care  of  Pembina  devolved  on  Rev.  John  Harper. 

In  1829  Bishop  Provencher  opened  a  school  for  girls  at  St.  Boni- 
face. This  school  was  given  in  charge  of  two  young  ladies  named 
Nolen,  residents  of  Pembina,  whose  father  was  an  old  inhabitant 
of  the  northwest,  and  Pembina's  most  respected  and  prominent  citi- 
zen. The  young  ladies  seem  to  have  been  quite  accomplished.  They 
had  been  educated  in  the  best  schools  in  Canada.  Thus  North 
Dakota,  perhaps,  gave  to  Manitoba  its  first  lady  teachers.  In  Aug- 
ust, 1830,  Bishop  Provencher  again  departed  for  Canada  in  search 
of  priests,  and  to  collect  funds  to  build  a  Cathedral,  leaving  young 
Father  Harper  in  charge  of  the  whole  vast  field. 

On  his  return  trip  Bishop  Provencher  was  accompanied  by  Rev. 
George  Anthony  Belcourt.  who  had  been  ordained  in  Nicolet  Sem- 
inary, and  who  has  the  distinguished  honor  of  being  the  second 
resident  priest  in  North  Dakota.  Father  Belcourt  arrived  with  the 
Bishop  at  St.  Boniface  June  17,  1831.  Father  Harper  then  returned 
to  Quebec.  In  1833  Rev.  Charles  Poire  and  Rev.  John  Baptist 
Thibault  were  ordained  at  St.  Boniface.  Before  coming  to  the 
missions  Father  Belanirt,  who  was  gifted  with  rare  linguistic  talent, 
had  aj)plied  himself  to  the  study  of  the  Algonquin  langitage,  which 
closely  resembles  the  Chippewa,  an  I  to  him  were  assigned  the  In- 
dian missions.  He  scx^n  acquired  so  perfect  a  knowledge  of  the 
language  as  to  enable  him  to  compose  a  grammar  and  dictionary, 
which  were  corrected  and  published  after  his  death  by  Father  La- 
comix?.  He  was  for  many  years  the  teacher  of  Indian  to  the  young 
missionaries.  In  1838  another  priest  in  the  person  of  Rev.  Arsene 
May  rand  was  added  to  the  missionary  band,  which  was  further 
augmented  by  the  arrival  in  18  n  of  Rev.  Jean  Kd.  Darveau,  a  most 
zealous  and  talented  vonng  priest,  who  was  drowned  in  I^ke  Mani- 
toba June  4,  1814.  All  of  these  clergymen  attended  at  times  to  the 
C^atholics  at  Penrbina,  and  accompanied  the  hunters  whenever  they 
could  from  1S31  to  18  ts,  when  Father  Belcourt  became  resident 
pastor  of  Pembina.  In  1S37  Rev.  Modeste  Demers,  who  afterwards 
became  first  Bishop  of  Vancouver,  labored  in  the  Red  River  missions. 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  21 

In  1838  Rev.  Francis  Norbert  Blanchet,  first  Bishop  of  Oregon  City, 
spent  some  weeks  on  the  Red  river,  leaving  on  July  10  with  Father 
Demers  to  plant  the  church  in  Oregon  by  advice  of  Bishop  Proven- 
cher.  The  journey  of  these  two  young  priests  from  St.  Boniface 
to  Vancouver  lasted  four  months  and  fourteen  days.  They  reached 
Vancouver  November  24.  They  were  the  first  priests  to  celebrate 
mass  on  the  Saskatchewan.  There  is  no  evidence  at  hand  to  show 
that  either  of  them  officiated  in  North  Dakota.  In  1844  Bishop 
Provencher  secured  two  more  young  priests,  Rev.  J.  F.  Lafleche, 
who  in  February,  1867,  was  consecrated  coadjutor  bishop  of  Three 
Rivers,  to  which  See  he  succeeded  April  30,  1870,  dying  July  14, 
1898,  and  Father  Bourassa.  These  gentlemen,  accompanied  by  a 
small  community  of  Grey  Nuns,  landed  at  St.  Boniface  June  21, 
1844.  On  the  24th  of  June  the  following  year  came  Father  Aubert, 
an  Oblate  father,  and  Rev.  Mr.  Tache,  the  future  Archbishop  of 
St.  Boniface,  who  became  coadiutor  bishop  of  St.  Boniface  Sept. 
t>,2.  1870,  and  who  died  at  St.  Boniface  June  ^^.  1894,  after  forty- 
nme  years  of  a  most  self-sacrificing  and  successful  aoos^olate. 
Bishop  Tache  was  a  distant  relative  of  de  La  Verandrye,  the  dis- 
coverer of  the  Red  River  country.  In  his  valuable  work,  "Vingt 
Annees  des  Mission  dans  le  Nord  Ouest  de  TAmerique,"  Bishop 
Tache  gives  it  as  his  opinion  that  the  first  missionary  of  the  Diocese 
of  St.  Boniface  was  a  Father  .^lessager.  "It  was  he  at  least," 
writes  Bishop  Tache,  "who  in  1731  accomoanied  Varennes  de  La 
Verandrye  in  his  first  expedition."  We  have  seen  that  de  La  Veran- 
drye reached  the  Red  river  only  in  1734.  It  is  interesting,  however, 
fo  know  that  there  was  a  priest  with  him  in  1731.  In  his  report  to 
the  governor  general  of  New  France,,  de  La  Verandrye  states  that 
this  priest,  who,  by  the  way,  was  a  Jesuit,  and  whose  name  is  spelled 
Messaiger,  fell  sick  in  1733  and  returned  to  Montreal  that  year  with 
de  La  Verandrye's  nephew.     He  never  visited  the  Red  river. 

With  the  arrival  of  Fathers  Aubert  and  Tache  (who  was  ordained 
at  St.  Boniface,  Oct.  12,  1845),  the  future  of  the  missions  was  se- 
cured. These  two  gentlemen  were  members  of  a  congregation  of 
priests  known  as  the  Oblates  of  Mary  Immaculate — whose  superior 
had  promised  Bishop  Provencher  to  supply  him  with  the  requisite 
number  of  priests  to  develop  and  care  for  the  ardous  missions  of 
the  north.  Father  Tache  is  of  particular  interest  to  the  historian 
of  the  church  in  North  Dakota,  inasmuch  as  he  labored  in  this  state, 
and  was  for  many  years  vicar  general  of  the  American  bishops, 
Grace,  Seidenbusch,  Marty  and  Shanley,  who  have  exercised  juris- 
diction over  this  part  of  the  church*  from  18o9. 

The   following  is  a  list  of  the  missionaries   who  came  to  the 
country  at  Bishop  Provencher's  request  before  the  advent  of  the 
Oblate  fathers,  all  of  whom,  except  Demers,  had  something     to 
do  with  church  work  in  North  Dakota: 
Severe  Dumoulin — 1818-1823. 
Th.  Destroismaisons— 1820-1827. 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  23 


On  May,  1847,  Rev.  Henry  Faraud,  an  Oblate  father,  was  ordain- 
ed, and  in  the  fall  of  that  year  it  fell  to  his  lot  to  accompany  the 
hunters.  Bishop  Tache  and  his  "Vingt  Annees,"  page  20,  says: 
**A  considerable  number  of  the  population  of  the  Red  river  go  twice 
a  year  into  the  immense  plains  south  and  west  of  this  colony  (that 
is,  in  North  Dakota),  to  hunt  bison.  The  hunters  who  always  num- 
ber several  hundreds,  bring  with  them  their  whole  families  and  live 
during  four  months  of  the  summer  in  large  camps.  The  numerous 
dangers  inherent  to  the  chase,  and  the  more  numerous  and  more 
regrettable  dangers  of  camp  life,  make  the  presence  of  a  priest  in- 
dispensable in  those  expeditions,  during  which  one  can  alwax-s  ex- 
ercise a  ministry  both  active  and  fruitful.  There  are  many  children 
who  can  receive  religious  instruction  only  then.  The  hunters  ask 
fcr  a  priest  to  accompany  them,  and  their  request  is  always  granted 
when  possible.  This  is  what  we  call  in  this  country  'going  to  the 
prairies.*  '* 

On  November  30,  1804.  Father  Faraud  was  consecrated  bishop  and 
appointed  to  the  new  vicariate-apostolic  of  Athabasca-McKenzie. 
He  died  September  26,  1890. 

In  1848,  in  default  of  a  priest,  Brother  Dube,  a  lay  brother,  went 
to  the  prairies  twice.  The  good  brother  deserves  to  be  numbered 
among  the  pioneer  evangelizers  of  North  Dakota.  In  1849  the  work/ 
on  the  prairies  was  confined  to  Fathers  Maisonneauve  and  Tissot. 
But  this  time  the  number  of  priests  on  the  Canadian  side  sufficing 
for  the  mission  there,  Father  Belcourt,  with  the  permission  of  Bishop 
Provencher,  to  whom  he  belonged,  crossed  the  line  and  took  up  his 
residence  at  Pembina. 

In  1827  a  robust,  talented,  pious  and  zealous  young  priest,  24 
years  of  age,  at  the  time  pastor  of  Ste.  Martine,  district  of  Mon- 
treal, cheerfully  volunteered  for  the  Red  River  missions.  His  of- 
fer was  not  accepted  until  1831.  This  priest  was  George  Anthony 
Joseph  Belcourt,  who  arrived  at  St.  Boniface  with  Bishop  Proven- 
cher June  17,  1831,  and  remained  in  the  Red  River  country  twenty- 
eight  years,  a  large  portion  of  that  time  being  given  to  missionary 
work  in  North  Dakota.  On  March  15,  1859,  Father  Belcourt 
performed  his  last  ministerial  act  in  the  Red  River  country,  the 
baptism,  of  Gabriel  Grant,  today  chief  of  police  in  Fargo. 
It  is  to  be  hoped  that  someone  equal  to  the  task 
may  some  day  give  us  a  life  of  this  great  missionary, 
who,  of  all  the  priests  of  pioneer  days  in  North  Dakota,  from  what- 
ever point  of  view  we  consider  him,  was  the  most  worthy  of  honor. 
The  only  writings  of  Belcourt  the  author  has  been  able  to  obtain 
are  the  church  records  of  St.  Joseph  from  August  14,  18^8,  to 
March  15,  1859.  These  records  are  accurately  and  neatly  written, 
showing  that  the  good  priest  was  very  attentive  even  to  the  minor 
details  of  his  sacred  calling.  His  letters  to  Bishop  Provencher  no 
doubt  perished  in  the  burning  of  the  Episcopal  residence  at  St.  Bon- 
iface in  1860.  I  met  Belcourt  in  St.  Paul  in  1859.  but  my  remem- 
brance of  his  appearance  is  very  indistinct.    The  details  here  given 


24  REPORT  OF  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

of  his  \vork  previous  to  August,  1848,  are  mainly  from  Dugas'  life 
of  Bishop  Provencher. 

Father  Belcourt  was  the  first  priest  on  these  northern  missions 
to  acquire  a  knowledge  of  the  Indian  language.  Before  1833  he 
had  composed  an  Indian  grammar  and  dictionary  which  are  still 
used  as  standard  works.  During  the  seventeen  years  he  spent  in 
the  diocese  of  St.  Boniface  he  was  teacher  of  Indian  to  all  the  mis- 
sionaries, without  exception.  He  was  the  first  priest  who  formed 
and  cared  for  an  exclusively  Indian  congregation  in  the  Red  River 
district.  He  founded  the  mission  of  Baie  St.  Paul  on  the  Assino- 
boine  in  1834.  He  visited  the  savages  at  Rainy  lake  in  1838.  and 
after  surmounting  many  difficulties,  succeeded  in  gaining  their  con- 
fidence and  establishing  a  mission  among  them.  The  Indian  mis- 
sion of  Wabassimong  on  Winnipeg  river  was  his  work,  and  in  1810 
he  began  the  mission  of  Baie  des  Canards  on  Lake  Manitoba. 

In  184G,  after  having  transferred  his  flourishing  mission  of  Wa- 
bassimong to  the  Oblate  fathers,  the  **intrepid*'  Belcourt,  as  Bishop 
Tache  calls  him,  **went  to  the  prairie"  with  the  hunters.  Where- 
ever  hard  work  and  total  sacrifice  of  self  were  demanded,  there 
Belcourt  was  sent,  and  there  he  gladly  went.  A  true  soldier  of  the 
cross,  he  never  questioned  the  command  of  his  superior.  A  zeal- 
ous missionary,  he  sought  his  reward,  not  in  the  applause  of  men, 
but  in  the  approval  of  his  Divine  Master.  Not  one  line  from  Bel- 
court's  pen  in  praise  of  himself  or  of  his  work  can  be  found,  and 
the  facts  given  in  this  short  sketch  were  gathered  by  Dugas  from 
the  episcopal  archives  of  Quebec  and  Montreal,  the  recollections  of 
the  old  missionaries,  and  the  reports  of  the  old  settlers  among 
whom  Belcourt  worked. 

The  oldest  extant  record  of  baptisms,  marriages  and  deaths  in 
this  state  was  kept  by  Belcourt,  from  Aug.  14,  1818,  to  March  15. 
1859.  The  first  baptism  recorded  in  this  book  is  that  of  Francis 
Cline,  son  of  Francis  Cline  and  Hester  Aleck,  his  wife;  the  spon- 
sors being  Michael  Cline  and  Magdalene  Beauchemin^-date  Aug. 
14,  18^8.  From  that  date  down  to  the  present  a  full  record  of  all 
the  Catholic  baptisms  and  marriages  in  Pembina,  Walhalla  and 
Leroy  has  been  keot.  and  the  lyK)ks  containing  said  records  are  in 
possession  of  the  Bishop  of  Fargo.  In  Belcourt's  record  there  are 
entered  017  baptisms  and  78  marriages,  (^f  these  Father  Lacombe 
performed  70,  Father  Favole  04.  and  lielcourt  5r)2. 

In  18  48  IWlcourt  settled  in  Pembina,  where  he  resided  a  few 
years,  afterwards  removing  to  the  mission  of  St.  Joseph,  the  present 
site  of  Walhalla.  Father  Lacombe  found  him  in  Pembina  in  18  H). 
In  a  letter  to  Archbishop  Ireland,  dated  June  12,  1901,  Father  La- 
combe, who  si)ent  two  years  in  Pembina  with  Father  Belcourt, 
writes:  **.\fter  mv  ordination  to  the  priesthcKxl  bv  Bishop  Bourget 
(of  which  I  celebrate  tomorrow  the  fifty-second  anniversary ) 
left  Montreal  for  Pembina.  It  was  Father  Belcourt  who  had  de- 
termined mv  choice  of  that  mission.     It  was  in  Tune,  18  tO.     I  ar- 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  25 


rived  in  Pembina  in  November  of  the  same  year  *  *  *  *  and  de- 
voted myself  to  the  study  of  the  Chippewa  language  during  that 
whole  winter  under  the  a1)le  direction  of  my  companion, 
Father  Belcourt.  The  following  spring  I  left  with  the 
caravan  of  hunters,  half-breeds  and  savages,  for  the  fam- 
ous hunting  trip  over  the  vast  prairies  on  the  Coteau 
of  the  Missouri  and  the  Turtle  mountains,  where  we  spent 
the  summer  in  chasing  buffalo  and  preparing  our  provisions  of  drv 
meat.  Other  pens  more  able  than  mine  have  described  those  hunts 
in  which  thousands  of  buffalo  were  killed  by  the  brave,  skillful  and 
renowned  nimrods.  During  those  excursions  the  priest  was  not 
only  the  oastor  of  souls,  but  he  was  also  the  magistrate,  the  doctor, 
and  the  one  who  decided  all  cases  without  appeal.  How  happy  T 
was  on  this  wandering  mission,  with  those  hundreds  of  families  who 
were  so  devoted  to  the  priest.  I  believed  myself  to  be  a  new  Moses 
leading  his  people  in  the  desert.  In  the  autumn  returned  to  Pem- 
bina, I  rested  from  my  travels,  laboring  with  Father  Belcourt." 

Beginning  with  1849  the  Catholic  Directory  tells  the  story  of  the 
Pembina  mission  and  the  missions  in  that  neighborhood,  so  far  as 
the  priest  in  charge  is  concerned.  The  Catholic  Directory  is  an 
official  guide  book  of  the  priests  in  the  United  States,  compiled  bv 
the  bishops  of  the  different  dioceses,  and  giving  the  name,  location 
and  occupation  of  every  priest  in  good  standing  in  the  whole  coun- 
try every  year.  The  non-appearance  of  a  priest's  name  in  the  Di- 
rectory is  a  sign  either  that  he  has  left  the  country,  or  that  he  is 
no  longer  in  the  ranks  of  the  ministry,  or  sometimes  of  both.  The 
Directory  comes  out  in  the  beginning  of  each  year.  Pembina  first 
appears  in  the  CatBolic  Directory  of  1849,  under  the  heading  "Dio- 
cese of  Dubuque,"  to  which  diocese  it  then  belonged.  The  Directory 
says:  **Tiembina  (sic)  Mission.  A  new  mission  has  just  been 
commenced  here,  where  there  is  a  settlement  of  about  five  hundred 
half-breeds  from  Red  river.  It  is  about  six  hundred  miles  north- 
west of  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony,  and  promises  to  increase  rapidly." 
This  refers  to  the  condition  of  Pembina  in  1848. 

In  1850  the  Directory  says:  *Tembina  Mission,  Minnesota  Ter- 
ritory, Church  of  the  Assumption. — This  settlement  is  composed  of 
five  hundred  half-breeds,  from  Red  river.  Rev.  Geo.  Ant.  Belcourt 
and  Rev.  Albert  Lacombe.  These  two  clergymen  attend  several 
Indian  missions  in  those  remote  northern  re^fions."  It  is  to  be 
noted  that  Belcourt  is  the  way  the  grand  old  pioneer  spells  his  name 
in  his  records. 

The  Directory  of  1851  is  a  reprint  of  1850  as  concerns  Pembina. 

In  1852,  under  the  report  of  the  Diocese  of  St.  Paul,  the  Directory 
has:  *Tembina,  Church  of  the  Assumption.  Very  Rev.  Joseph 
Bellecourt.     Sermon  in  English,  French  and  Chippewa." 

185;^— A  reprint  of  1852. 

1854 — *Tembina-St.  Joseph's.  Very  Rev.  Joseph  Bellecourt,  who 
founded  this  prosperous  mission,  which  numbers  more  than  fifteen 

'The  *'i"  in  Pembina  is  as  the  word  appears  in  the  Directory      J.  Shanley. 


26  REPORT  OF  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

hundred  Catholics,  mainly  half-breeds.  There  is  a  school  directed 
by  some  Sisters  of  Charity.  This  place  promises  to  become  verv 
important,  being  the  first  oost  on  the  lands  of  the  United  States 
close  by  the  British  possessions  and  the  Selkirk  settlement.  The 
first  settlement  of  Pembina,  twenty  miles  from  St.  Joseph,  possesses 
a  large  log  church  under  the  title  of  the  Assumption.  It  is  visited 
from  St.  Joseph." 

This  excerpt  shows  that  Father  Belcourt  had  moved  his  head- 
quarters to  Walhalla,  or,  as  it  was  then  called,  St.  Joseph,  some 
time  in  1853. 

1855 — Report  same  as  1854,  except  that  Rev.  John  Fayole  is 
mentioned  together  with  Father  Belcourt.* 

1856 — Same  as  1855,  except  that  Rev.  John  Fayole's  name  is 
omitted.  He  had  been  changed  to  Little  Canada,  near  St.  Paul,  and 
the  sisters  in  charge  of  the  school  are  called  Sisters  of  the  Propa- 
gation of  the  Faith.  They  are  mentioned  as  follows :  "These  sis- 
ters, seven  in  number,  conduct  an  English,  French  and  Indian 
school,  and  by  their  knowledge  of  the  languaees  used  bv  the  differ- 
ent tribes  they  are  particularly  qualified  for  the  instruction  of  per- 
sons of  their  own  sex  and  of  children.  They  have  one  hundred 
pupils  in  their  schools.  They  receive  boarders  at  the  rate  of  $30.00 
for  six  months.  These  sisters  intend,  as  soon  as  circumstances 
permit,  to  extend  their  charitable  labors  to  the  sick." 

1857— A  reprint  of  1856. 

1858 — *Tembina,  on  the  N.  Red  River;  St.  Joseph's — Rev. 
Joseph  Bellecourt.  Convent  and  academy  of  the  Sisters  of  the 
Propagation  of  the  Faith,  seven  sisters." 

1859 — Pimbina  (sic)  on  the  Red  River  of  the  North,  in  the  new 
Territory  of  Dacotah ;  St.  Joseph's,  (service  in  French,  English 
and  Chippewa),  Rev.  Joseph  P>ellecourt.  Churrli  of  the  Assump- 
tion, twenty  miles  northeast  from  Pimbina,  in  the  State  of  Minne- 
sota (half-breeds  and  Canadians),  Rev.  Joseph  GoifFon/* 

"Sisters  of  the  Propagation  of  the  Faith.  This  new  order  of 
sisters  has  been  established  especially  for  the  in«;truction  of  children 
amongst  the  numerous  half-breeds  and  the  Indian  tribes  in  the 
northern  part  of  the  diocese,  as  soon  as  their  means  will  permit. 
They  have  now  charge  of  St.  Francis  Xavier's  Academy  at  Pim- 
bina, on  the  Red  River  of  the  North.  Dacotah  Territory.  Sister 
Francis  Xavier,  superior." 

Some  time  in  1853  Father  Belcourt  chaneed  his  residence  from 
Pembina  to  the  present  site  of  Walhalla,  which  was  then  known  as 
the  mission  of  St.  Joseph.  There  he  built  a  church,  school,  pres- 
bytery and  flour  mill,  the  first  mill  in  the  state,  thus  taking  an  active 
part  in  the  industrial  as  well  as  in  th.*  relit^ions  develonment  of 
the  country.  From  Penhina,  or  .St.  Joseph  he  traveled  in  all  direc- 
tions over  the  state,  leaving  in  many  places  lasting  results  of  his 
good  influence.  He  evangelized  the  whole  of  the  Turtle  mountain 
region,  and  on  the  summit  of  the  highest  peak  in  those  hills.  Butte 


'FatiHT  Fay«  Ir  U  st  his  nund.  and  (Hc<l  in  a  hospital  for  the  insane  in  St. 

Loui^,    Mo. 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  27 


St.  Paul,  six  miles  east  of  the  town  of  Bottineau,  he  planted  the 
symbol  of  man's  redemption.  To  Belcourt's  work  is  mainly  due 
the  present  civilization  of  the  Chippewa  Indians  in  this  state  and 
across  the  line.  And  if  in  1862-63  the  Chippewa  nation  did  not 
join  the  Sioux  in  their  war  against  the  whites,  it  is  largely,  if  not 
altogether,  owing  to  the  lessons  of  Father  Belcourt  and  Father 
Andre  of  North  Dakota,  and  Father  Pierce  of  Crow  Wing,  Minne- 
sota. If  any  Catholic  priest  more  than  another  has  done  meritor- 
ious and  lasting  work  for  the  benefit  of  this  state,  George  Anthony 
Joseph  Belcourt  is  the  man. 

Among  the  benefactors  of  the  church  in  Pembina  and  St.  Joseph 
in  the  days  of  its  infancy,  Joseph  Rolette,  Antoine  Gingras,  and  N. 
W.  Kittson  deserve  special  mention.  Rolette  and  Gingras  were 
Catholics,  and  Kittson  was  married  to  a  Catholic  wife.  For  man^' 
years  those  three  gentlemen  represented  the  county,  at  that  time 
almost  co-extensive  with  the  present  state,  in  the  territorial  legis- 
lature of  Minnesota,  at  one  time  walking  all  the  way  from  Pembina 
to  St.  Paul.  In  the  state  capitol  of  Minnesota  is  a  picture  of  Ro- 
lette, with  the  inscription :  "Hon.  Joseph  Rolette,  who  saved  the 
capitol  to  St.  Paul  bv  running  away  with  the  bill  to  remove  it  to 
St.  Peter  in  18r)7.''  Mr.  Rolette's  son,  Joseph,  is  a  resident  of  Bel- 
court, N.  D.,  and  is  well  known  as  an  Indian  interpreter.  Mr. 
Norman  Gingras,  a  highly  esteemed  citizen  of  Leroy,  is  a  son  of 
Antoine  Gingras.  and  some  of  ^Ir.  Kittson's  children  were  bom 
and  baptized  in  Pembina.^ 

Father  Belcourt  was  bom  at  Baie  du  Febvre.  Canada,  April  23, 
1803,  educated  in  the  Nicolet  seminary,  and  ordained  Driest  March 
10,  1827.  He  came  to  the  Red  river  with  Bishop  Provencher  in 
1831,  and  returned  to  Canada  in  1859,  where  he  continued  to  labor 
zealously  and  successfuUv  until  1874.  He  died  at  Shediac,  New 
Brunswick,  May  31,  1874,  and  was  buried  at  Memramcook.  He 
was  North  Dakota's  greatest  pioneer  priest. 

In  September,  1859,  Rev.  Joseph  Goiffon  assumed  pastoral  charge  of 
the  Pembina  mission,  to  which  St.  Joseph  (now  \\'allialla^  was  added 
in  March,  1859,  after  the  departure  of  Father  Belcourt.  Durinc:  Fath- 
er GoifFon's  pastorate  he  was  assisted  at  times  bv  Father  Ravoux 
from  St.  Paul,  and  by  Fathers  Thibault,  Simonet,  Oram*  and  Andre 
from  St.  Boniface,  whose  names  appear  in  the  baptismal  and  mar- 
riage records.  In  November,  18G0,  Father  Goiffon  was  caught  in 
a  blizzard  near  the  present  town  of  Neche.  He  remained  on  the 
prairie  for  five  days,  his  only  food  being  the  frozen  raw  flesh  of 
his  horse,  which  had  died  from  exposure.  On  the  fifth  day  a  partv 
under  the  lead  of  a  young  Englishman  found  him  and  brought  him 
to  a  place  of  shelter,  where  one  leg  and  a  part  of  the  remaining 
foot    were    amputated.      Father    Goiflfon    is    still    living,    hale    ani 

^Williams'  History  of  St.  Paul,  a  storehouse  of  information  al)out  our 
early  days. 

'The  Father  Oram,  here  mentioned,  was  put  into  the  Herald  Articles  as 
a  trap  to  catch  mice.  He  was  in  Pemhina  three  days,  and  during  that  time 
baptized   one   person,    Bruno   John   Lcmay,    July  22,    !^'^'>2. 


28  REPORT  OF  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

^i.^—  I  — — ^^l^  I     ^     ^^m^^^mu   i»i  ■■■iiii  ■■■■■m»»  ■  »i  ■■■■  ^^^^w^ 

hearty,  and  until  recently  had  charg:e  of  the  parish  of  Little  Cana 
da,  in  the  suburbs  of  St.  Paul,  a  position  he  has  held  ever  since  his 
departure  from  the  Red  River  in  September,  1861.  Everybody  in 
Ramsey  county,  Alinn.,  knows  and  loves  good  Father  Goiffon.  I 
have  often  asked  him  to  write  his  Pembina  exoeriences,  but  so 
great  is  his  dislike  of  notoriety  that  he  has  alwavs  refused. 

In  1859  Father  IVIestre,  an  Oblate  Father,  went  on  the  annual 
hunting  expedition,  and  was  instrumental  in  concluding  a  treaty 
of  peace  that  year  between  the  Red  River  half-breeds  and  their 
fierce  enemies,  the  Sioux.     ("Vingt  Annees,"  page  117.) 

In  October,  1801,  the  missions  of  Pembina  and  St.  Joseph  wxre 
given  by  Bishop  Grace  of  St.  Paul  to  the  Oblate  fathers,  and  Rev. 
P.  Andre,  whom  Bish9p  Tache  calls  "ce  jovial  et  bon  Breton,"  was 
duly  installed  as  pastor,  and  officiated  in  that  capacity  until  Aug. 
31,  1864.  In  Mr.  A.  P.  Connolly's  book,  "The  Minnesota  Massacre 
of  1862,"  page  221,  we  read:  **Camp  Atchison  was  the  most  im- 
portant of  all  the  camps  on  the  whole  route.  It  was  here  that  the 
general  (Sibley)  was  visited  by  some  three  hundred  Chippewa  half- 
breeds,  led  by  a  Catholic  priest  named  Father  Andre,  who  told  him 
that  the  Indians,  hearing  that  General  Sully,  who  was  marching  up 
the  west  side  of  the  Missouri  with  a  laree  bodv  of  trooos,  was  de- 
layed on  account  of  low  water,  were  deflectine  their  course  in  the 
hope  of  being  reinforced  by  the  Sioux  inhabiting  the  countrv  west 
of  the  Missouri."  Camp  Atchison,  Connollv  savs.  was  located 
about  fifty  miles  southeast  from  Devils  Lake.  Connollv  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Sixth  Minnesota  regiment,  and  an  eye  witness  to  what 
he  relates. 

In  his  "Vingt  Annees,"  page  185.  Bishop  Tache  narrates  the 
same  episode  as  follows :  ^'During  the  hunt  on  the  prairie  the 
half-breeds  of  St.  Joseph,  who  accompanied  Father  Andre,  met  an 
American  army  under  command  of  General  Sibley,  who  were  pur- 
suing the  Sioux  to  punish  them  for  the  horrible  massacre  of  186^. 
Our  half-breeds,  drawn  up  in  line,  with  their  missionarv  at  their 
head,  advanced  to  the  camp  of  the  brave  sons  of  the  Union.  Ar- 
rived at  the  tent  of  the  general,  at  the  verv  foot  of  starrv  ban- 
ner, Father  Andre,  mounted  on  his  mettlesome  charter  and  sur- 
rounded bv  his  incomparable  half-breed  cavaliers,  delivered  to  the 
general  and  to  the  American  flae  a  veritable  "discours  en  selk,"  a 
chef-d'oeuvre  of  military  eloquence.  He  won  the  heart  of  the  gen- 
eral an  1  his  staff.  In  the  month  of  December  the  humble  mis- 
sionarv of  St.  Joseph  received  his  diploma  as  military  agent  from 
the  United  States  government  for  the  pacification  of  the  Sioux. 
The  gfX)(l  father,  astounded  by  the  unexpected  fruits  of  his  elo- 
quence, came  to  St.  Boniface  to  exhibit  his  parchments  and  to 
receive  instructions  for  his  new  and  important  mission.  A  few  days 
lacer,  in  the  middle  of  winter,  he  travelled  over  the  immense  plains 
south  of  St.  Joseph  in  search  of  the  Sioux  chiefs  to  whom  he 
wished  to  render  the  ereat  service  of  savine  them  from  destruction 
by  reconciling  them  with  their  offended  eovernment."    The  United 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  29 

States  recompensed  Father  Andre  liberally  for  his  services.  If  his 
efforts  at  pacification  failed  of  complete  success,  the  fault  was  none 
of  his,  and  the  g:overnment  recoernized  this  fact  Father  Atidre's 
mission  of  peace  took  place  in  186^, 

During  Father  Goiffon's  administration  74  baptisms  and  8  mar- 
riages were  performed  in  Pembina,  as  follows:  Oram  1,  Thibault 
2,  Ravoux  3,  Andre  18,  and  Goiffon  58. 

In  the  same  period  118  baptisms  and  14  marriages  were  per- 
formed at  St.  Joseph,  as  follows :  Goiffon  84.  Ravoux  2.  Thibault 
20,  Simonet  26 — thus  giving  22  marriages  and  192  baptisms  in  those 
two  missions  in  three  years.  The  significance  of  these  statistics  as 
to  population  appears  by  comparing  them  with  those  of  a  large 
Catholic  parish  of  today.  In  three  years  ending^  December  31,  1901, 
the  baptisms  in  the  large  Parish  of  St.  Michael,  Grand  Forks,  wer^ 
124,  and  the  marriages  35. 

In  September.  1861,  Rt.  Rev.  Thomas  L.  Grace,  bishop  of  St. 
Paul,  to  whose  diocese  Pembina  then  belongfed.  visited  the  mission 
and  administered  confirmation.  Before  leavine  Pembina  Bishop 
Grace  gave  the  pastoral  care  of  the  missions  of  Pembina  and  St. 
Joseph  with  all  their  dependencies  to  the  Oblate  Fathers  from  across 
the  line,  who  took  charge  of  them  in  October,  a  charee  thev  faith- 
fully fulfilled  until  the  9th  of  April  1877.  During-  that  period  the 
following  priests  were  employed  in  those  missions: 

St.  Joseph — L.  N.  Simonet,  April  1861.  to  Tune.  1861:  A.  Andre, 
October,  1861,  to  September,  1864:  H.  Germain,  intermittently 
from  November,  1862,  to  February,  1865 :  J.  B.  E.  Richer,  August, 
1864,  to  April,  1869;  V.  Vergeville,  March,  1865.  to  May,  1865; 
H.  Leduc,  September,  1865,  to  December,  1865 :  L.  LeGoff ,  Octo- 
ber, 1866,  to  .April,  18<)7 ;  A.  Laitv,  January,  1868,  to  May,  1868 ; 
J.  M.  J.  LeFloch,  November  6,  1868,  to  April  9,  1877  ;-!•  D'  Pillion, 
August,  1877,  to  September  17,  1877:  lenatius  Tomazin.  December, 
1877,  to  January  10,  1878:  J.  D.  Pillion.  March.  1878:  Michael 
Charbonneau,  one  visit  in  September,  1877,  and  another  in  March, 
1878;  Louis  Bonin,  March  31,  1877,  to  October  2,  1887. 

Pembina— H.  Leduc,  January  9,  1866,  to  May  19,  1867:  A.  Le- 
geard,  December  29,  1867,  to  June  20,  1868 :  T.'  B.  E.  Richer,  No- 
vember 3,  1868,  to  May  6,  1869;  J.  ^I.  J.  LeFloch,  September  12, 
1869,  to  December  15,  18G9 ;  L.  Simonet,  April  17,  1870,  to  April 
16,  1877:  J.  D.  Pillion,  one  visit  in  August,  1877;  Michael  Char- 
bonneau, one  visit  in  December,  1877 ;  Ignatius  Tomazin,  one  visit 
in  January,  1878 ;  Michael  Charbonneau,  one  visit  in  May,  1878 : 
Louis  Bonin.  June  22,  1878,  to  April  4.  1889.  Father  Bonin  was 
followed  in  Pembina  April  25,  1880,  by  Rev.  John  Considine,  at 
present  pastor  of  Minto. 

Thus  from  1818  to  1880,  thirty-three  priests  and  four  bishops 
had  labored  in  the  Pembina  district  of  Nlorth  Dakota. 

On  November  13,  1873,  Father  LeFloch  transferred  the  head- 
quarters of  the  St.  Joseph  mission  from  Walhalla  to  its  present  lo- 
cation at  Leroy.  Up  to  1873  there  had  been  no  exclusive  Indian 
mission  in  North  Dakota. 


30  REPORT  OF  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

On  his  way  to  the  Rocky  mountain  tribes  in  1840  Father  DeSmet 
had  stopped  for  a  few  days  with  the  Mandans  on  the  Missouri,  and 
had  baptized  a  few  children,  among  others  Martin  Good  Bear  and 
Joseph  Packinaw,  who  are  today  living  in  the  Fort  Berthold  Re- 
servation.    But  Father  DeSmet  founded  no  mission  there.^ 

Before  1874  no  real  missionarv  work  had  been  done  by  any 
Catholic  priest  among  the  Sioux  in  N'orth  Dakota.  The  French- 
Canadian  priests  mentioned  in  the  preceding  articles,  Belcourt  ex- 
cepted, had  labored  chiefly  among  the  Leavithisin  half-breeds,  most 
of  whom  they  converted,  and  only  incidentally  among  the  Chip- 
pewas  of  the  northern  tier  of  counties,  verv  manv  of  whom  became 
Catholics.  In  1874  it  was  deemed  advisable  to  begin  operations 
among  the  Sioux,  who  after  the  Minnesota  massacre  of  1862  had 
settled  in  large  numbers  near  Devils  Lake.  Many  of  the  Devils 
Lake  Indians  who  had  taken  an  active  part  in  the  massacre  had 
met  Father  Ravoux,  and  all  of  them  knew  how  kindly  he  had 
treated  their  unfortunate  friends  who  were  executed  at  Mankato. 
This  predisposed  them  in  favor  of  the  church  of  which  Father 
Ravoux  was  so  worthy  a  minister.  Besides,  Major  Forbes,  the 
agent  at  Devils  Lake,  was  an  earnest,  exemplary  Catholic,  pos- 
sessed in  a  high  degree  of  the  evangelizing  spirit.  To  Major 
Forbes  is  due  the  founding  of  the  first  Catholic  mission  among  the 
Sionx  in  North  Dakota. 

Major  Forbes  was  Indian  agent  at  Devils  Lake  from  1871  to  the 
day  of  his  death,  July  20,  1875.  On  July  25.  1875,  in  the  Cathe- 
dral of  St.  Paul,  I  sang  the  requiem  mass  at  his  funeral.  He  was 
an  honest  man,  and  one  of  the  truest  friends  the  Indians  ever  had. 

Before  concluding  these  notes  on  the  beginnings  of  the  Catholic 
church  in  North  Dakota  I  deem  it  proper  to  correct  a  few  inac- 
curate statements  that  have  appeared  from  time  to  time  in  some 
papers. 

First — There  is  not  a  shred  of  evidence  to  show  that  any  Recollet 
father,  or  any  priest  of  anv  other  branch  of  the  Franciscan  order, 
ever  came  into  the  boundaries  of  this  state  to  exercise  the  Catholic 
ministry  before  1880.  In  1015  Father  I>e  Caron,  and  a  few  vears 
later  Father  Sagard,  both  recollects,  came  as  far  wTst  as  the  eastern 
shore  of  Ceorgian  bay.  on  Lake  Huron — no  further.  Le  Caron's 
trip  is  descril>ed  by  Parkman  in  the  thirteenth  chapter  of  his  **Pion- 
eers  of  PVance  in  the  New  World."  Father  Sagard  wrote  a  de- 
scription of  his  own  travels. 

Second — Father  Hennepin  never  set  foot  on  North  Dakota  soiU 
and  never  did  missionary  work  even  in  ^linncsnta.  In  companv 
with  La  Salle,  Hennepin  left  Fort  Niac^ara  in  ir»70  and  journeved 
by  water  as  far  as  Fort  Crevecocur,  on  the  Illinois  river,  a  little 
south  of  the  present  site  of  Peoria.  He  parted  from  T^  Salle  on 
the  last  day  of  February,  1080,  with  a  small  party  for  the  purpose 


'Palladino,  "Indian  and  White  in  the  Northwest,"  page  23  and  seq 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  31 

of  exploring  the  Upper  Mississippi.  On  the  11th  or  12th  of  April, 
1(180,  Hennepin  and  his  companions  were  captured  by  a  war  party 
of  120  Sioux  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Black  river,  Wisconsin, 
lliey  were  brought  by  their  captors  up  the  Mississippi  to  the  Rum, 
and  up  the  Rum  to  the  Indian  villages  at  Mille  Lacs,  Minnesota, 
which  they  reached  about  the  oth  of  May.  During  his  captivity 
Hennepin  did  not  exercise  any  priestly  functions,  except  on  one 
occasion  to  baptize  a  sick  infant  just  before  its  death.  "I  could 
gain  nothing  over  them,"  he  writes,  "in  the  vvav  of  their  salvation, 
by  reason  of  their  natural  stupidity."  He  could  not  sav  mass  be- 
cause his  chalice  and  vestments  had  been  taken  from  him.  At  the 
end  of  September,  1G80,  Hennepin  left  Minnesota,  journeying  bv 
way  of  the  Wisconsin  and  Fox  rivers  to  Green  Bav,  and  thence  to 
Mackinaw,  where  he  spent  the  winter  with  the  Jc'suit  Father  Pier- 
son.  In  the  spring  of  1G81  he  returned  to  Quebec,  and  bv  the  end 
of  that  year  he  was  in  France.  Hennepin's  mission  in  the  north- 
west consisted  of  ^\^  months*  captivity  among  tlie  Sioux  and  the 
baptism  of  one  young  infant. 

Thiid — LaSalle  was  neither  a  oriest  nor  a  Jesuit.  He  was  born 
in  1043  and  sailed  for  Quebec  in  the  spring  of  KUJG,  being  twentv- 
three  years  of  age.  It  is  not  even  certain  that  Le  Salle  ever  at- 
tended a  Jesuit  school.  It  is  certain  that  he  hated  the  Jesuits. 
He  may  have  entered  the  Jesuit  novitiate.  It  is  certain  that  he 
never  became  a  member  of  the  Society. 

Fourth.  De  la  Verandrye*s  reports  to  the  governor  general  of 
New  France  are  published  in  the  sixth  volume  of  Margry's  "De- 
couvertes  des  Francais  dans  TAmerique  Septentrionale,"  which  vol- 
ume contains  also  the  reports  of  De  la  Verandrye's  son,  of  Jacques 
le  Gardeur  de  Saint  Pierre,  and  of  other  explorers  subsequent  to 
1751.  In  these  reports  four  priests  are  mentioned:  Messaii^^er, 
who  returned  to  Montreal  from  Lake  St.  Charles,  Lake  of  the 
Woods,  in  1733,  the  year  before  the  discoverv  of  the  Red  river: 
Father  Auneau.  who  was  killed  by  the  Sioux  in  1730,  about  seven 
leagues  from  Fort  St.  Charles,  but  who  is  not  said  to  have  gona 
to  the  Red  river:  Father  Coquard,  who  was  at  Fort  St.  Charles 
in  1742,  and  who  was  probably  at  Fort  de  la  Reine  in  October  of  that 
year:  and  Father  la  Morenerie,  who  in  1751  accompanied  Jacques 
le  Gardeur  to  Fort  de  la  Reine.  and  immediately  returned  to  ^Tnc- 
kinaw,  finding  himself  totally  unfit  for  the  rough  life.  Le  Gardeur 
states  that  Father  Morenerie  did  no  missionary  service.  No  priest 
accompanied  De  la  Verandiye  or  his  son  on  their  trij)s  to  the 
Mandans. 

Fifth — It  is  not  true  that  Catholic  priests  were  to  be  found  wher- 
ever trading  posts  were  established  prior  to  the  arrival — or  even 
after  the  arrival — of  Fathers  Provencher  and  Dumoulin  in  1818. 
Whoever  has  read  this  article  attentively  must  have  observed  that 
from  1818  to  1844  Bishop  Provencher  found  great  difficulty  in 
securing  even  one  priest  to  assist  him  in  ministering  to  the  people 


32  REPORT  OF  HISTORICAL  SOCIETV 


between  the  Red  river  and  the  Rocky  mountains,  and    from    the 
boundary  line  to  the  Arctic  ocean. 

Sixth — Previous  to  1845  the  Oblates  of  Mary  Immaculates  bad 
nothing  to  do  with  the  missions  in  the  northwest.  Bishop  Pro- 
vencher  was  not  an  Oblate.  The  society  of  priests  and  brothers 
known  as  the  Oblates  of  Mary  Immaculate  is  a  congregation 
founded  at  Marseilles,  France,  by  Rev.  Charles  Mazenod  in  the  year 
1815.  After  laboring  in  the  Red  river  country  20  years — frDin 
1818  to  1845 — Bishop  Provencher  brought  to  his  aid  the    Oblates,  * 

who  from  1845  to  the  present  day  have  done  noble  work    for   re-  | 

ligion  in  the  British  possessions  and  North  Dakota. 

Seventh — The  name  Pembina  was  in  use  long  before  mass  was 
celebrated  in  this  state.  The  name  has  no  reference  whatever  to 
the  Holy  Eucharist,  or  to  the  sacrifice  of  the  mass,  or  to  an\'thin^ 
Catholic.  No  Catholic  ever  called  the  Holy  Eucharist  "blessecl 
bread" — "pain  beni."  As  long  ago  as  1823  Keating  settled  the 
derivation  of  the  word  Pembina. 

Eighth — There  never  was  any  question  as  to  the  ecclesiastical 
jurisdiction  over  the  territory  comprised  in  what  is  now  known   bs 
North  Dakota,  and  no  missionary  apostolic  was  ever  aopointecl    by 
the  Holy  See  to  look  after  the  interests  of  the  church  thereabout-s. 
Father  Lacombe  is  still  living,  and  he  published  Belcourt's  grani- 
mar  and   dictionary  after   Belcourt's  death.       Bishop  Cretin    was 
never  in  Canada.     He  was  first  a  priest  in  Ferney,  France — the 
home  of  Voltaire ;   then  a  priest  of  the  diocese  of  Dubuque,  Iowa  ; 
then  first  bishoj)  of  St.  Paul.     For  a  time  he  gave  Father  Bel  court 
the  powers  of  a  vicar  general.     The  ^'College  de  Propaganda  Fide," 
Rome,  never  gave  a  cent  to  anv  priest  or  layman  in  this  or  anv 
other  countrv.     There  is  no  such  institution  on  God's  footstool  as 
the   ''College   de    Propaganda   Fide."       The   congregation   of   the 
Propaganda,   Rome,   never  gave  a  missionary  in   these  parts  anv 
financial  aid.     The  ''Association  of  the  Propagation  of  the  Faith,'* 
in  Lyons  and  Paris,  has  helped  and  still  helps  the  bishops  of  some 
needy  dioceses  to  maintain  their  clergy.     This  help  is  always  given 
through  the  bishops ;    never  direct  to  the  missionarv.     The  reason 
for  this  is  obvious.     Father  Chebul  built  the  first  church  at  Duluth 
in  18T0.     It  was  burned  a  few  years  ago,  and  the  present  cathedral 
was  built  bv  Bishop  McGolrick.     Mr.  T.  R.  Foley  built  the  .\itkin 
church    in    1883.     In    18?;^    Father   George    Keller   built   the    first 
Catholic  church  in  Brainerd.     The  church  in  Perham  was  built  hv 
Father  Spitzelberger,  who  also  paid  for  the  first  church  in  Moor- 
head.     The  Methoflist  congregation  built  the  first  church  used  bv 
the  Catholics  in   Fargo,    which    served    as    a    cathedral  till  1899, 
when  the  writer  of  this  article  built  the  present  cathedral.     Father 
Spitzelberger  built  the  first  church  in  Casselton.  Isithcr  Maddock 
the  first  church  in  Vallev  City,  Father  Flannigan  the  first  church 
in  Jamestown.     The  church  in  Buffalo  was  built  bv  Father  Qu'iU 
Ham,  the  Sanborn  church  by  Father  Schmitz  and  in  18T(>  Bishop 
Marty  collected  the  money  to  pay  for  the  old  church  in  Bismarck. 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  33 

Ninth — Father  Genin  did  not  begin  his  labors  in  the  northwest  in 
1864.  He  was  not  in  a  Red  river  camp  in  1864;  in  that  year  he 
was  in  Canada.  The  first  mention  of  Genin  as  a  priest  in  the 
northwest  occurs  in  Archbishc^  Tache's  "Vingt  Annees  des  Mis- 
sions," under  the  year  1865,  page  227,  as  follows:  "The  ^th  of 
April  (1865)  Monseigneur  de  Anemourt,  accompanied  by  Fathers 
Genin,  Tissier  and  Le  Due,  and  by  Brothers  Lalican,  Hand  and 
Mooney,  left  Montreal  for  the  Red  river,  and  the  24th  of  May, 
the  clergy  and  the  Catholic  population  of  the  colony  had  the  hap- 
piness to  see  the  pious  caravan  arrive." 

The  second  mention  of  Father  Genin  occurs  on  page  231,  where 
the  departure  of  Bishop  Faraud  for  his  Vicariate  of  Athabasca — 
Mackenzie,  is  recorded  in  these  words:  "He  departed  accompan- 
ied by  Father  Genin  and  Brother  Boisrame."  On  page  241  of  the 
same  work  Father  Genin  is  mentioned  for  the  third  and  last  time, 
where  it  is  stated  that  on  June  27th,  1866,  Father  Genin  was  lo- 
cated in  the  Vicariate  of  Athabasca-Mackenzie.  It  is  a  striking 
fact  that  Archbishop  Tache,  who  eulogizes  the  zeal  and  self-sacri- 
fice of  nearly  every  priest  and  brother  mentioned  in  his  valuable 
book,  has  not  one  word  of  praise  for  Father  Genin. 

The  first  mention  of  Father  Genin  in  the  annals  of  the  church  in 
the  United  States  occurs  in  the  Catholic  Directory  of  1868,  where 
he  is  given  as  stationed  at  Fort  Abercrombie,  Johnson  Co.,  in  the 
Diocese  of  St.  Paul.  From  the  same  official  source  we  learn  that 
from  1868  to  1874  he  was  engaged  in  the  Missions  in  Minnesota, 
between  McCauleyville  or  Fort  Abercrombie  and  Duluth.  In 
August,  1873,  he  took  up  his  residence  in  Duluth,  remaining:  there 
until  1882.  In  '83,  '84,  '85,  '86,  '87  and  '88  the  name  of  Father  Genin 
does  not  appear  in  the  Catholic  Directory.  In  1889  the  Directory 
gives  him  as  pastor  of  Michigan  City,  N.  D.,  where  the  good  Catho- 
lic people  would  not  keep  him,  and  in  1890  and  subsequent  years 
he  is  found  in  the  Directory  as  pastor  of  Bathgate.  During  the 
twenty-one  years  from  1868  to  1889  Father  Genin's  main  work' 
was  in  Minnesota  among  the  whites.  During  six  of  those  years, 
from  '83  to  '89  inclusive,  he  did  not  officiate  as  a  priest,  having 
been  suspended  during  that  time  bv  his  then  Bishop,  Right  Rev. 
Rupert  Seidenbusch  of  St.  Cloud,  and  during  nine  of  those  years 
he  had  charge  of  the  parish  of  Duluth,  from  which  he  was  absent 
only  once  for  any  notable  period,  to-wit :  In  the  year  of  the  Custer 
massacre,  when  he  came  to  Dakota  Territory  to  obtain  buffalo 
hides  and  ponies  which  he  brought  to  Duluth  and  sold  to  good 
advantage.  That  this  is  true  the  then  Trustees  of  the  Duluth 
church,  who  are  still  living  and  are  men  of  the  highest  character, 
and  who  know  the  facts,  testify.  Whatever  else  Father  Genin  did 
in  Dakota  Territory  on  that  memorable  trip  I  prefer  to  pass  over 
in  silence  for  the  present.  One  thing  only  will  T  say,  he  did  not 
benefit  the  Indians,  nor  did  the  United  States  Army  bless  him. 
At  the  present  time  there  is  not  a  single  Indian  mission  in  this  state 


34  REPORT  OF  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

established  by  Father  Genin,  for  the  very  good  reason  that  he  estab- 
lished none.  He  built  or  helped  to  put  together  one  church  in 
North  Dakota,  the  old  Catholic  church  in  Bismarck.  He  built  the 
first  church  in  Moorhead,  but  failed  to  pay  for  the  lumber,  which 
he  bought  from  Mr.  Petrie  of  Duluth.  This  is  all  the  church  build- 
ing on  this  planet  that  can  be  placed  to  his  account. 

During  a  few  months  of  the  six  years  of  his  suspension  from  the 
Catholic  ministry  Father  Genin  attempted  to  run  a  little  church 
establishment  of  his  own  in  Duluth  in  defiance  of  the  constituted 
church  authorities.  He  then  went  to  his  native  France,  where 
Bishop  Marty  met  him  in  1888.  Bishop  Marty  brought  him  back 
to  America  and  sent  him.  to  Michigan  City  and  then  to  Bathg^ate. 
When  I  took  charge  of  Catholic  affairs  in  North  Dakota,  I  found 
Genin  in  Bathgate,  and  allowed  him  to  remain  there  until  his  death. 

Father  Genin's  letters  to  the  Freeman's  Journal  of  New  York 
may  be  numbered  among  the  curiosities  of  literature.     James    A. 
McMaster,  the  then  editor  of  the  Freeman's  Journal,  was  during" 
the  civil  war  a  southern  sympathizer,  and  was  arrested  bv  General 
Sherman   for  some  of  his   writings.     General   Ewing,   Sherman's 
brother-in-law,  a  fervent  Catholic,  succeeded  in  1866  in  inducing 
the  Catholic  Bishops  of  the  United  States  to  establish  in  Washing-- 
ton  a  Bureau  for  Catholic  Indian  affairs.     McMaster,  who  thought 
he  knew  more  than  the  bishops,  grew  indignant  and  determined  to 
destroy  the  bureau  through  his  Freeman's  Journal.     He  found   a 
useful  tool  in  Father  Genin  to  aid  him  in  his  futile  attempt.     Hence 
Father  Genin's  letters,  most  of  which,  though  dated  from  Dakota's 
plains,  were  written  in  his  study  in  Duluth. 


Note. — F'rom  1874  down  to  the  present  the  full  records  of  the  Church  in 
North  Dakota  are  in  the  archives  of  the  Bishop  of  Fargo.  The  writer  of 
the  above  article  is  preparing  in  his  leisure  moments  from  those  records 
and  other  authentic  documents  a  history  of  the  Catholic  Church  in  the 
Diocese   of    Fargo. 


^ 


COLLECTIONS 


OF  THE 


State  Historical  Society 


OF 


NORTH    DAKOTA 


PART  II— VOL.  II 


FORT  ABERCROMBIE,  ia^)7  1877 


BISMARCK.  N.  I). 

TRIBUNE.    STATE    PRINTERS    AND    BINDERS 

1908 


1^ 


I 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


Fort  Abercrombie  in  1863,  May  1 Frontspiece 

OPP.  PAGE 

Map  of  Minnesota  in   1859   8 

The  Steamer  "Selkirk" 9 

Plat  of  Fort  Abercrombie  in  1859  and  in  18G2 10 

McCauleyville.  Minnesota — 

Nolan's   Hotel   in   McCauleyville 18 

Old  Store  of  David  McCauley,  McCauleyville 20 

Portraits  of  Capt.  John  Vander  Horck,  Capt.  Rolla  Banks  and  Lieut. 

Col.   Francis    Peteler    23 

McCauleyville,    Minnesota,    in    Flood    Time 27 

Fort  Abercrombie  in   1869 SS 

Sioux-Chippewa    Peace    Conference 34 

Portraits  of  Maj.  George  A.  Camp,  Ind.  Lieut.  N.  F.  Randolph.  First 
Lieut.  Wesley  Kinney,  Capt.  George  Atkinson  and  Adit.  Lewis 

C.  Paxson 116 

Portraits  of  Col.  M.  T.  Thomas,  Capt.  N.  I.  Butterfield.  Lieut.  Col. 

H.  C.  Rogers,  Chaplain  Louren  Ormsby 148 


TAFLE  OF  CONTEXTS 


78 


PAGE 

y*  \  -  .^:                                          6 

"^  -  .  r  5     •'    .- '  ~-\  —    V  :*:-rr  "    •;     7 

J.  -      -  ^ V  ^    *"    'v.- •  ~  .  '   r:I>- 

1  ^-  -      J    -  ^..  •      \i  J  ^z^^  ,  z  Jr-z  ASrrcr:mb:e 89 

>v.   r*         J:         V     .:    f u-- *>.  1  >i   J-tirr^  Cilf.mia 90 

-  ^'     -   >    ..----:   J^-;r^  -• 'o  r  ^i  at  F^rt  Abercrombie. .  91 
X  ^.      -      >.    •       *        :    J    -TiT:-   I_j:>:;r*-i   r:   ai   Fcrt  Abercrombie 

'  w  -    :  .     -.                         92 

X  ^  J.   .-    :  %v-T.^:  -  J,  r—ti-"   ::  V:rrre-i  Men,  the  Northern 

>      ^^                                     _                94 

"^  ^            ^  J  -.  -        •  ^   J'^.'  1    .    r*    S*^ "z  96 

^     >    .      -^  ^  ^        J      '    ."-  :r    -  >  -^-.  Bn-cker.ri<igc  and  Polk, 

-    .                                                  98 

.^     --            -        J.       J.--     '    -nrs:.^        101 

.     *  -  .^       .-^   •.   5     r."    '.   X    -\  :*04>4 102 

V                                                                    H>4 


PREFACE 

The  importance  of  Fort  Abercrombie  in  our  early  history  seems 
to  justify  a  special  publication  containing  in  some  detail  the  record 
of  its  usefulness.  Fort  Abercrombie  was  the  first  United  States 
military  post  on  North  Dakota  soil.  It  marked,  therefore,  the  farth- 
est limit  of  western  advance  for  the  new  populations  of  the  north- 
west. When  the  inevitable  conflict  arose  between  the  emigrant  and 
the  Indian,  and  the  fierce  Sioux  swept  our  northwestern  frontier, 
Fort  Abercrombie  was  the  outpost  most  remote  and  the  one  offering 
shelter  to  those  settlers  most  exposed  to  Indian  attack.  From  this 
fort  and  Fort  Wadsworth,  just  south  of  it,  went  out  the  famous  ex- 
peditions of  Gen.  Sibley  in  1863  and  Gen.  Sully  in  1864,  that  broke 
the  power  of  the  Dakota  tribes  and  made  our  lands  safe  again  for 
settlers.  Through  this  point  passed  Capt.  Fisk  with  the  gold  miners' 
trains  of  1862  and  1863,  northwest  to  the  Montana  and  Idaho  gold 
fields.  Fort  Abercrombie  guarded  the  population  of  Clay,  Toombs 
and  Breckenridge  counties  of  1860.  To  this  point  ran  the  St.  Cloud 
stage  and  wagon  trail,  and  from  this  point  northward  to  George- 
town, Pembina  and  Fort  Garry.  Past  this  fort  ran  the  steamboat 
traffic  of  the  Hudson  Bay  company  and  the  flatboat  commerce  of  the 
early  70*s,  while  throughout  the  year  the  halfbreed  trains  of  dog 
sledges,  or  Red  River  carts,  came  and  went  as  they  had  done  for  a 
generation  before  the  fort  was  established.  After  the  occupation  of 
the  region  west  of  Red  River  began,  it  was  through  Fort  Abercrom- 
bie that  mail  and  supplies  came  for  those  posts  built  within  the  state 
at  a  later  date.  Fort  Ransom,  on  the  Sheyenne  river,  Fort  Totten 
at  Devils  Lake,  and  Fort  Pembina  on  the  Canadian  border. 

For  twenty  years  (1857-1877)  Fort  Abercrombie  maintained  the 
rank  which  its  strategic  place  on  the  frontier  had  given  it.  It  stood 
first  among  the  military  posts  of  our  northwest;  it  dominated  the 
upper  Missouri  country  and  the  Red  River  valley  far  into  Canada; 
it  guarded  the  Minnesota  settlers  and  brought  them  over  into  the 
Dakotas.  Fort  Abercrombie  as  the  military,  commercial  and  geo- 
graphical gateway  to  our  Dakota  and  Canadian  northwest  is  of  para- 
mount interest  to  all  who  have  taken  part  in  our  territorial  and  state 
development,  or  who  are  proud  of  our  achievements. 

It  is  hoped  that  the  brief  and  fragmentary  narrative  which  is  out- 
lined in  the  folowing  pages  will  arouse  an  increased  interest  in  the 
stirring  events  thus  briefly  described,  and  that  those  who  had  a  part 
in  them  may  be  induced  to  contribute  something  to  make  possible 
a  fuller  narration  of  this  chapter  in  our  history  in  some  future  pub- 
lication of  the  State  Historical  Society. 

O.  G.  LiBBY,  Secretary. 

Grand  Forks,  N.  D.,  May  6,  1908. 


FORT  ABERCROMBIE 

1857-1877. 

Old  Fort  Abercrombie  was  situated  on  the  west  border  of  the 
Red  River  of  the  North,  twelve  miles  north  of  the  confluence  of  its 
two  branches,  the  Bois  de  Sioux  and  the  Otter  Tail,  latitude  46 
degrees,  27  minutes  north,  longitude  96  degrees,  28  minutes  west 
It  was  established  by  act  of  congress  March  3,  1857,  reading  as 
follows . 

*'That  for  the  construction  of  barracks  and  quarters  at  a  military 
fort  to  be  established  in  the  northern  part  of  Minnesota  Territory 
for  the  protection  of  the  settlements  on  the  Red  River  of  the  North, 
$15,000  be  appropriated  in  addition  to  the  sum  of  $5,000  appropria- 
ted by  the  act  entitled  'An  act  for  the  erection  of  a  military  fort 
i  n  or  near  the  Pembina  river,  in  the  Territory  of  Minnesota,  and  for 
other  purposes,  approved  the  17th  of  February,  1855;  said  fort  to 
be  located  and  constructed  under  the  direction  of  the  Secretary  of 
War,  the  location  to  be  at  such  point  as  he  shall  deem  best  adapted 
for  the  protection  of  said  settlement ;  and  so  much  of  the  aforesaid 
act  approved  February  17th,  1855,  as  indicates  the  location  of  said 
fort  is  hereby  repealed.*  "^ 


"Headquarters  of  the  Army,  June  24,  1857. 
"(General   Orders   No.    15.) 

"By  direction  of  the  Secretary  of  War,  under  the  act  approved 
March  3,  1857,  a  military  post  to  be  known  as  Fort  Abercrombie 
will  be  established  on  the  most  eligible  site  near  the  head  of  naviga- 
tion of  the  Red  River  of  the  North  at  or  in  the  vicinity  of  a  place 
known  as  Graham's  Point,  Minnesota.  *  *  *  Xhe  post  will  be 
built  for  four  companies,  and  as  ultimately  one  of  these  is  to  be  a 
company  of  cavalry,  the  necessary  provisions  for  such  a  garrison 
will  enter  into  the  plan  of  work." 

In  obedience  to  this  order,  Lt.  Col.  John  J.  Abercrombie  arrived 
here  with  troops  and  went  into  camp  in  a  protected  bend  of  the 
river  about  two  hundred  yards  from  the  present  site  of  the  fort,  on 
the  28th  day  of  August,  1857^ 

On  July  25,  1859,  Capt.  N.  H.  Davis  of  the  Second  Infantry,  with 
one  company  of  the  Second  Infantry  was  withdrawn  from  Fort 


'U.    S.    Statutes  at  Large,    1855-59.     84th   Congress,    third  session.     Ch.   106,    1857, 

section    7. 

'Report   of  the   Secretary  of   War,    Congressional   Series   No.   948,    p.   354. 


8  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Abercrombie^  The  fort  was,  however,  not  long  to  remain  aban- 
doned. The  open  hostility  of  the  Sioux  and  the  doubtful  friendship 
of  the  Chippewas  soon  made  it  imperative  to  have  this  frontier 
fort  occupied  to  defend  the  pioneers  in  western  Minnesota  who 
were  flocking  in  to  take  advantage  of  the  new  lands  in  that  section. 
On  June  30,  1860,  Capt.  Wra.  M.  Gardner,  Second  Infantry,  was 
ordered  up  from  Big  Stone  Lake  with  three  companies  of  his  regi- 
ment to  reoccupy  Fort  Abercrombie. 

Provision  had  also  been  made  to  connect  Fort  Ripley  with  Fort 
Abercrombie,  but  the  stress  of  Indian  troubles  and  the  Civil  War 
caused  the  abandonment  of  the  project.  That  it  was  planned  and 
partly  carried  out  can  be  seen  from  the  following : 

"No,  6.  Road  from  Fort  Ripley  via.  Crow  Wing  River  to  the  Main 
Road  Leading  to  the  Red  Rivor  of  the  North. 

"The  road  is  to  extend  from  Fort  Ripley  via.  Crow  Wing  river 
in  a  northwestern  direction  so  as  to  intersect  the  main  road  leading 
from  Sauk  Rapids  to  the  Red  River  of  the  North  near  Wild  Rice 
River  east,  the  distance  being  probably  about  160  miles. 

"The  road  is  now  being  surveyed  and  located  by  Geo.  H.  Beldru, 
assistant  surveyor  and  engineer.  *  ♦  ♦  When  last  heard  from 
he  had  reached  the  last  crossing  of  Crow  Wing  river,  distant  about 
forty  miles  from  Fort  Ripley. 

"This  road  is  one  of  the  most  impKDrtant  to  be  made  in  Minnesota 
Territory,  connecting  as  it  will  the  Upper  Mississippi  with  the  navi- 
gable waters  of  the  Red  River  of  the  North.  It  will  be  indispensably 
necessary  for  the  transportation  of  troops  and  supplies  to  the  new 
military  fort  to  be  established  on  that  river  under  the  appropriation 
made  by  congress  at  the  last  session  and  of  the  highest  importance 
to  the  large  and  increasing  trade  with  Pembina  and  the  Selkirk 
settlement,  as  well  as  with  numerous  settlements  now  being  estab- 
lished in  the  valley  of  that  extensive  and  navigable  river.  The  sur- 
vey and  location  of  the  road  being  still  unfinished,  aii  accurate 
estimate  cannot  now  be  made  of  the  amount  which,  in  addition  to 
the  $10,000  heretofore  appropriated,  will  be  necessary  to  complete 
it.  The  amount  of  $25,000  can  be  expended  to  great  advantage  in 
its  partial  if  not  entire  construction     *     *     *     "2 

"Road  from  Fort  Ripley,  via.  Cnnv  JVing  River  and  Main  Road 

Leading  to  Red  River  of  the  North. 

'The  road  was  completed  April  13,  1858,  to  crossing  of  Crow 
Winj^  river,  thirty-seven  and  onc-lialf  miles.  A  chanp^e  in  law  is 
called  iov  so  as  to  authorize  running  the  road  west  from  Otter  Tail 
to  Fort  Ahercronibio,  40  decrees,  23  minutes,  30  seconds.  The  Red 
River  trail  at  the  lake  goes  northwest  sixty-four  miles  to  the  Forks. 


'F'nr    Ihr   Im*   of   romrmnMintr   ofticrr^   of    I'ort    Abrrtrfunljir   and    .idilttional   mfonnation 

rrnar-l.t'iir    'he    I'ort ,    scr    Apjuii'lix,    p.    ^''K 

*F<ii    •:!    nf   the    Stxrri.iry    of   War,    (  ont»res»i  inal    Scries    Xo.    1*43,    p.   34. 


r 


V 


STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


\ 


"Supplies  arriving  by  steamboat  at  St.  Paul  can  now  be  trans- 
ported north  over  one  of  the  best  roads  in  the  country  to  Fort  Ripley 
(121  miles),  and  the  proposed  Fort  Abercrombie  road  will  make  a 
total  of  250  miles.  The  route  at  present  is  by  ship  from  St.  Paul 
to  Fort  Ridgely  on  the  Minnesota  river,  350  miles,  and  overland  180 
miles  without  roads."^ 

"Since  my  last  annual  report  a  steamship  has  been  constructed 
and  is  now  plying  regularly  on  the  waters  of  the  Red  River  of  the 
North.  Contracts  have  been  made  with  an  enterprising  American 
firm  by  the  British  Fur  company  for  the  transportation  of  a  large 
portion  of  their  goods  via.  St.  Paul  to  Red  River  and  thence  by 
steamers  to  Fort  Garry,  and  a  party  of  pioneers  has  left  the  United 
States  to  explore  the  best  land  route  by  the  valley  of  the  Saskatche- 
wan to  the  shores  of  the  Pacific  and  to  examine  the  agricultural, 
mineral  and  climatic  capacities  of  the  hitherto  comparatively  un- 
known region."^ 

The  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  war  made  it  necessary  to  recall 
all  regular  troops  from  the  frontier  forts,  but  on  the  recall  of  the 
three  companies  of  regulars  from  Fort  Abercrombie,  their  places 
were  taken,  July,  1861,  by  Cos.  A  and  B  of  the  Second  Regiment, 
Minnesota  Volunteer  Infantry,  under  the  command  of  Capt.  W. 
Markham  of  the  regular  army.  Subsequently  these  companies 
were  replaced  by  Co.  D  of  the  Fourth  Minnesota  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, as  seen  from  the  following  from  a  St.  Cloud  paper: 

Fort  Abercrombie,  May  24,  1861. 

"Fort  Abercrombie  is  a  very  pleasant  and  a  very  healthy  post, 
and  when  finished  will  be  a  very  comfortable  place  for  the  troops 
who  are  so  fortunate  as  to  be  stationed  here.  But  its  beauties  are 
not  for  our  enjoyment.  Our  services  are  required  at  the  seat  of  war, 
and  as  soon  as  we  are  relieved  by  the  Minnesota  volunteers  we  shall 
leave  for  Pittsburg,  where  the  whole  regiment  (Second  Infantry) 
will  concentrate. 


Among  the  passengers  by  the  last  stage  were  Air.  J.  C.  Burbank 
of  St.  Paul,  Capt.  Kennedy  and  lady,  en  route  to  Fort  Garry ;  and 
Mr.  Alcott.  deputy  paymaster  of  this  department,  by  whom  the 
troops  at  this  post  were  paid  off  yesterday. 

Two  officers  of  the  companies  at  this  post,  who  oflfered  their 
resignations  some  time  since,  have  had  their  names  stricken  from  the 
roll  of  the  army.  The  work  of  building  is  stopped,  and  the  men  are 
being  drilled  and  prepared  for  a  campaign  of  active  duty.'* 

"Miles."  » 


^Report   of   War    Department,    Congressional    Scries   No.    999,   pp.    1196-7. 

^er^o^^P^^   °^   Hoxyard    Stansbury,    Captain   of   Topographical    Engineers,    September   30, 
18&J.      v^ongressjonal    Series   No.    1026,    p.   859. 

'St.    Cloud   Democrat,  June  6.  1861. 


w 


10  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

"From  Our  Soldiers  on  Red  River. — We  learn  from  Fort  Aber- 
crombie  that  Captain  Inman,  of  Company  D,  Fourth  Regiment 
(which  company  is  now  stationed  at  that  post),  has  received  the 
appointment  of  post  chaplain.  Capt.  Inman  is  a  regularly  ordained 
minister  of  the  gospel  in  the  Methodist  church.^ 

"Capt.  Luez,  with  fifty  men  of  his  company,  is  comfortably  quar- 
tered at  Georgetown,  fifty  miles  below  Abercrombie,  in  the  new 
barracks  lately  erected  by  the  Minnesota  Stage  Company.  Capt. 
L.  has  named  the  new  post  in  honor  of  the  colonel  of  his  regiment. 
Fort  Sanborn.  There  were  no  signs  of  Indian  disturbances  at  last 
accounts'." 

On  the  29th  of  March,  1862,  Co.  D  of  the  Fifth  Minnesota  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  under  Capt.  John  Vander  Horck,^  relieved  this 
company  at  the  fort,  First  Lieutenant  Cariveau  being  stationed  at 
Georgetown  with  a  detachment  of  thirty  men.  Fort  Abercrombie  at 
this  time  was  a  post  without  fortifications  of  any  kind  and  consisted 
of  but  three  buildings — company  quarters,  commissary  building  and 
quarters  for  officers. 

On  a  narrow  neck  of  land  (now  an  island  in  the  river)  stood  a 
cluster  of  huts  known  as  Slabtown,  which  was  the  spot  first  occu- 
pied as  old  Fort  Abercrombie.  The  accompanying  map,  furnished 
by  the  courtesy  of  Capt.  Vander  Horck,  shows  approximately  the  lo- 
cation of  the  buildings  at  the  fort  and  the  nature  of  the  entrench- 
ments which  defended  them.*  From  the  time  when  the  news  reached 
the  garrison  of  the  Indian  uprising,  Aug.  2nd,  till  they  were  relieved 
on  the  23d  of  September,  the  fort  was  closely  beset  and  twice  at- 
tacked. The  story  of  the  siege  is  a  familiar  one  to  most  of  the  pio- 
neers of  the  state.  It  may  best  be  told  by  those  who  took  part  in 
it,  and  the  following  contemporary  accounts  are  of  special  interest 
just  now : 

Fort  Abercrombie,  D.  T.,  Sept.  13th,  1862. 
"//.  C.  Burbank,  Esq. 

Dear  Sir:  We  are  just  getting  over  the  Indian  excitement.  We 
have  thrown  up  a  barricade  all  around  the  barracks  and  put  the 
women  and  children  in  them,  and  I  think  that  we  can  now  defend 


*Thc  Press  is  slightly  mistaken.     Captain  Inman  is  of  the  Baptist  church. — Ed.  Dem. 

*St.    Cloud    Democrat,    January    9,    1862. 

H'aptain  John  Vander  Horck  was  born  in  Germany,  near  Cologne,  May  6,  18S0. 
He  came  to  the  Tnited  States  in  1852;  he  knew  Carl  Schurz  in  Germany  and  afterward 
met  htm  here  in  1859  and  again  in  18rtO.  He  was  in  the  hardware  business  in  Chicago 
for  a  year  and  resided  two  years  in  (ialena,  leaving  there  for  St.  Paul  in  1855.  In 
1861  he  recruited  Company  I>,  o\  the  oth  Minn.  Vol.  Inf.,  and  on  March  5.  1862,  h« 
was  commissioned  captain  of  the  company  and  ordered  to  Fort  Abercrombie.  From 
this  fort  he  was  sent  to  (iermantown,  Penn.,  where  he  resigned  on  April  11,  186S. 
On  func  20,  1863.  he  was  appointed  captain  in  the  Veteran  Reserve  Corps  and  stationed 
at  Fort  leaven  worth  Kansas.  In  August,  1866,  he  came  to  Minneapolis,  where  he  has 
since    resided. 

'The  jlat  of   Fort  Abercrombie  of  1859  was   furnished  by  R.   M.   IVobstfield,    Fargo, 

N.   D. 


Ft.     Abercrombie  September.  1862 


/ 


ft      /lfc«rcr«mb»« 


Ju.{y      1859. 


10 


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crombie  that 
(which  comp 
appointment 
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"Capt.  Li 
tcred  at  G 
barracks  h 
L.  has  nan 
Fort  Sanh 
accounts'. 

On  the 
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• 


STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY  11 

irselves  against  the  whole  Sioux  nation.  The  Indians  made  two 
tacks  upon  us ;  they  were  brave  men  and  fought  like  so  many  in- 
imate  devils.  They  came  up  in  front  of  the  howitzers  and  received 
le  fire  like  veteran  soldiers.  We  must  have  killed  a  great  number 
•f  them,  though  they  carried  off  all  their  dead  but  three  bodies. 
»Ve  had  four  men  killed  and  five  wounded. 

Mr.  Lull's  family  are  here,  all  very  well.  The  part  of  the  fort 
where  we  lived  we  had  to  abandon.  The  Indians  came  into  the 
houses  and  broke  up  everything  that  was  left.  They  burnt  up  every- 
thing at  Harris  &  Bently's,  Hills  &  Ramsdell,  Bennett's  and  all 
the  buildings  on  Stone's  farm.  They  burnt  up  all  the  hay  and  a 
thousand  dollars  worth  of  oats  for  H.  &  B.  I  presume  they  burnt 
the  house  at  Breckenridge,  as  we  saw  a  great  smoke  in  that  direc- 
tion.   Excuse  haste, 

J.  McCauly.'" 


Fort  Abercrombie,  D.  T.,  Sept.  15,  1862. 
"H,  C.  Burbank. 

Sir:  Since  I  wrote  you  by  Mr.  Hills,  we  have  very  quiet  times. 
No  Indians  have  been  seen,  but  it  is  believed  that  they  are  lurking 
around  waiting  for  reinforcements.  Capt.  Vander  Horck  has  issued 
an  order  that  no  citizen  shall  leave  the  fort  until  he  is  reinforced, 
I  have  been  trying  to  get  away  ever  since  the  last  fight,  but  cannot 
make  the  trip.  He  made  a  requisition  on  me  for  all  the  arms  and 
ammunition  on  board  of  our  train,  and  we  found  among  the  treaty 
goods  54  double  bbl.  shotguns  which  were  distributed  among  the 
citizens  and  no  doubt  they  were  the  means  of  saving  the  post  from 
falling  into  the  hands  of  the  Indians.  Capt.  Smith  told  me  this 
morning  that  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  citizens  the  post  would  no 
doubt  have  now  been  in  their  hands.  Why  does  not  some  one  come 
up  and  let  us  know  the  state  of  affairs  below?  We  expect  rein- 
forcements from  there  every  dav.    Yours,  etc., 

P.  Lamb."2 


Fort  Abercrombie,  D.  T.,  Sept.  22,  1862. 
'W.  B,  Mitchell,  Esq. 

Dear  Sir:  Thinking  that  you  would  be  interested  by  a  few 
items  from  this  post,  I  will  endeavor  to  give  you  the  particulars  of 
what  has  transpired  here  for  the  past  three  weeks.  As  you  remem- 
ber, I  left  St.  Cloud  on  the  13th  of  August  in  charge  of  the  train 
loaded  with  goods  destined  for  the  Red  Lake  and  Pembina  Indian 
Treaty,  which  was  expected  to  take  place  about  the  25th  of  last 


'St.    Cloud    Democrat,    September   25,    1862. 
*St.    Cioud    Democrat,    September   25,    1862. 


12  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


month.  We  proceeded  with  safety  to  about  three  miles  this  side  of 
Breckenridge,  where  the  train  camped  for  the  night  on  Friday, 
August  13th.  I  proceeded  with  my  buggy  to  this  place,  intending 
to  wait  until  the  train  should  come  up  the  next  morning.  About 
6  o'clock  on  Saturday  morning  the  mail  from  St.  Cloud  arrived  in 
charge  of  Mr.  Bingham,  route  agent,  who  brought  news  of  the 
outbreak  of  the  Sioux  Indians.  The  commander  of  this  post,  fear- 
ing an  attack  sent  immediately  to  Georgetown'  to  recall  a  detach- 
ment of  his  company  which  were  stationed  at  that  point.  They  ar- 
rived here  next  day  about  5  o'clock,  p.  m.  He  also  issued  an  order 
commanding  every  male  citizen  over  the  age  of  eighteen  years  to 
report  to  his  headquarters  by  6  o'clock  that  night,  and  dispatched  a 
messenger  with  the  order  to  citizens  living  outside  the  reserve. 
Deeming  it  imprudent  to  proced  any  farther  with  the  train,  I  had 
them  cross  the  river  and  have  been  here  ever  since. 

The  same  day  (Saturday,  Aug.  23)  about  noon,  two  Indians  made 
their  appearance  at  Breckenridge  and  inquired  if  the  train  had 
passed  there,  how  long  it  had  been  gone,  etc. ;  said  they  were  hun- 
gry, and  were  given  something  to  eat.  Mr.  Stiles,  who  had  gone 
down  from  here  to  bring  in  the  women  and  children  from  that 
place,  conversed  with  them,  and  they  told  him  that  they  had  squaws 
and  children  over  the  river,  but  on  looking  over  he  saw,  instead  of 
squaws,  about  100  Indians  in  their  war  paint  coming  toward  the 
house.  He  immediately  got  the  women  and  children  into  the  wagon 
and  advised  the  men,  four  in  number,  to  go  with  him  to  the  fort. 
Only,  one  would  consent  to  come,  the  rest  saying  they  were  not 
afraid  to  stay;  that  the  Indians  would  not  trouble  them,  etc.  The 
names  of  the  men  who  were  left  there  were  E.  Russell,  Chas.  Battins 

from  Little  Falls,  and Martin,  a  German  from  St.  Cloud.    Mr. 

Stiles  proceeded  to  the  fort  with  the  women  and  children  and  stated 
what  he  had  seen.  About  six  o'clock  in  the  evening  a  party  of 
horsemen,  headed  by  Mr.  Spencer,  proprietor  of  the  Breckenridge 
House,  left  this  place  to  ascertain  if  possible  the  intentions  of  the 
Indians.  They  proceeded  to  within  about  half  a  mile  of  the  house 
where  they  found  the  carcass  of  an  ox  which  the  Indians  had 
killed.  Seeing  no  Indians,  three  of  them  proceeded  to  the  house 
and  called  to  the  men  whom  they  supposed  to  be  inside.  Instead 
of  receiving  an  answer  from  them,  they  saw  Indians  skulking  be- 
hind the  house  and  logs  around  the  house,  and  not  deeming  it  safe 
to  stay  lonj2:'T,  turned  and  fled,  followed  by  the  Indians  for  some  dis- 
tance ;  but  having  faster  horses  than  the  Indians,  escaped  and  arrived 
here  about  8  o'clock.  Next  day  a  small  party  of  citizens,  as  scouts, 
obtained  permission  to  go  down  on  each  side  of  the  river  to  within 
three  miles  of  Breckenridge.  They  returned  about  noon  and  re- 
ported evervthins:  quiet  as  far  as  they  went.  About  2  o'clock  p.  m. 
the  same  day,  another  party  of  citizens,  six  in  number,  obtained 
permission  to  go  to  Breckenridge  and  find  out  what  had  become  of 


STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY  13 


the  men  left  there.  They  returned  about  6  p.  m.  and  reported  the 
men  killed  and  lying  in  a  pile  outside  the  house,  horribly  mangled. 
Next  morning  (Monday)  the  commander  detailed  six  soldiers  with 
teams  and  six  citizens,  under  command  of  Lieut.  Grvetsch,  to  go 
down  and  bring  up  the  bodies.  I  was  one  of  the  citizens  detailed 
for  this  duty.  We  found  the  bodies  as  reported,  put  them  in  boxes, 
and  just  as  we  were  through  we  saw  what  we  suppose  to  be  an 
Indian  at  the  mill.  The  guard  proceeded  towards  it  and  found  it  to 
be  an  old  lady,  Mrs.  Scott,  from  the  Old  Crossing  on  the  Otter 
Tail,  who  had  been  wounded  the  day  before  at  her  place.  She  had 
crawled  along  the  river  bank  for  fifteen  miles,  and  was  nearly  ex- 
hausted. She  reported  that  the  Indians  had  been  at  her  place, 
killed  her  son  and  taken  prisoner  her  grandson,  a  boy  about  eight 
years  old,  and  left  her  for  dead.  She  was  brought  to  the  fort,  her 
wounds  dressed,  and  is  now  doing  well. 

Nothing  more  was  seen  of  Indians  until  Saturday,  Aug.  30th, 
when  a  party  which  started  to  go  to  the  Old  Crossing  to  drive  the 
stock  in,  were  attacked  three  miles  this  side  of  Breckenridge,  and 
one  man,  Mr.  Bennett,  killed,  when  the  party  returned.  In  the  after- 
noon, same  day,  Indians  appeared  in  large  numbers  on  the  prairie 
back  of  the  fort,  where  the  cattle  and  horses  wcte  grazing,  and  drove 
off  about  200  head  of  stock.  About  50  head  since  returned,  sup- 
posed to  have  got  away  from  them.  Everything  remained  quiet 
until  Wednesday  morning,  Sept.  3d,  about  half  past  four,  when 
Indians  appeared  around  the  fort  and  commenced  firing  on  the  pick- 
ets. Every  man  was  on  hand  and  succeeded  in  repelling  them, 
after  about  three  and  a  half  hours  hard  fighting.  Their  principal 
attack  was  made  on  the  stables  and  stock  yard.  They  succeeded  in 
burning  two  stacks  of  hay  and  driving  off  four  horses  that  were  tied 
in  the  yard.  The  Indians,  however,  left  two  of  their  number  dead 
in  the  stack  yard,  who  were  planted  the  same  day.  One  citizen  and 
one  soldier  were  wounded  in  the  engagement — Mr.  E.  M.  Wright 
from  Dayton  and  Edwin  Steel  from  Mankato.  Mr.  Steel  has  since 
died.  Mr.  Wright  is  doing  well  and  is  considered  out  of  danger. 
There  were  supposed  to  be  in  this  fight  about  200  or  300  Indians. 

No  more  Indians  were  seen  until  the  next  Saturday  morning, 
when  they  appeared  in  larger  force,  and  surrounded  the  post,  and 
Pttacked  on  all  sides  at  once.  This  fight  lasted  six  hours.  We  lost 
one  man  (a  soldier. named  Seigel)  killed;  one  citizen  (H.  H.  Mayo 
from  St.  Cloud)  wounded,  and  a  soldier  wounded.  Mr.  Mayo  has 
since  died ;  the  soldier  is  doing  well.  We  do  not  know  how  many 
Indians  were  killed  in  this  fight,  as  they  carried  their  dead  away, 
but  I  think  not  less  than  twenty,  as  their  encampment  the  night  after 
the  fight  was  covered  with  blood,  bloody  rags,  etc. 

It  is  of  the  utmost  importance  that  we  have  reinforcements  and 
ammunition  sent  without  delay,  for  if  we  are  attacked  again  it  will 
probably  be  by  a  large  force,  and  although  we  are  as  well  fortified 


14  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

as  we  can  be,  the  result  may  not  be  as  favorable  to  us  as  it  has  in 
the  two  previous  engagements.  The  commander  has  sent  messen- 
gers to  Gov.  Ramsey  asking  for  help,  but  only  one  of  them  has 
returned,  and  no  reinforcements  have  as  yet  been  heard  from.  The 
quartermaster,  Capt.  T.  D.  Smith,  has  done  all  that  a  man  could  do 
for  the  comfort  of  the  citizens,  giving  them  their  rations  and  such 
articles  of  clothing  as  they  were  in  need  of.  I  cannot  tell  how  long 
we  shall  be  obliged  to  stay  here,  but  will  not  be  allowed  to  leave 
until  reinforcements  arrive,  which  I  hope  will  be  ere  long,  for  I  am 
very  anxious  to  join  my  friends  in  St.  Cloud.  Will  write  you  again 
by  any  opportunity  that  may  offer,  but  as  we  have  no  regular  mail 
to  this  place  now,  cannot  tell  when  that  will  be.     Your  friend, 

P.  Lamd.' 


♦»  1 


Fort  Abercrombie,  Sept.  22nd,  1862. 
''Editor  St.  Cloud  Democrat. 

If  this  mail  should  have  the  good  fortune  to  reach  St.  Cloud 
you  will  learn  that  one  hundred  and  sixty  souls  have  been  waiting 
here  now  one  month  in  great  anxirty  to  be  reinforced  from  the 
more  thickly  settled  parts  of  the  state,  but  in  this  we  have  been 
sadly  disappointed — no,  not  even  a  messenger  has  been  sent  us  to 
tell  the  sad  tale  that  awaits  some  here.  Men  are  detained  in  anguish 
for  the  lives  of  their  wives  and  little  ones  at  home,  and  when  at  last 
information  or  help  does  arrive  it  may  be  too  late,  for  in  all  human 
probability  there  is  awaiting  us  one  of  the  most  sanguinary  battles 
that  has  ever  yet  filled  the  pages  of  border  warfare.  This  is  no  idle 
speculation  or  flight  of  imagination,  but  based  upon  direct  infor- 
mation received  from  the  Red  River  settlement. 

Leaving  your  readers  to  imagine  the  state  of  our  feelings,  I  will 
proceed  to  give  you  some  detail  of  two  attacks  already  made  upon 
us.  It  is  unnecessary  to  allude  to  the  murderous  attacks  made  at 
Breckenridge  and  the  Otter  Tail  crossing  near  here  the  latter  part 
of  last  month,  further  than  to  say  that  the  same  band  that  commit- 
ted these  depredations  suddenly  made  their  appearance  near  here 
in  the  afternoon  of  the  30th  ult.,  and  drove  off  over  200  head  of 
cattle  grazing  on  the  prairie,  while  we  were  compelled  to  remain 
within  our  fortifications  utterly  helpless  to  prevent  it.  This  is  one 
of  the  most  mortifying  facts  that  have  transpired — yet  our  com- 
mander feared  if  we  left  the  post  to  save  the  cattle  our  places  inside 
might  be  suddenly  filled  by  Indians  in  ambush.  This  aroused  all  hands 
to  a  renewed  sense  of  the  danger  of  our  unfortified  position  (for 
whoever  knows  Fort  Abercrombie  knows  that  it  consists  only  of  a 
few  frame  buildings  on  the  prairie,  entirely  exposed).  Efforts  were 
at  once  made  to  put  ourselves  in  better  position  in  case  of  an  at- 


»St.    Cloud    Democrat.    October   2.    18«2. 


STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY  15 

tack.  Fortunately  there  is  abundance  of  hewn  timber  and  cord 
wood  on  hand,  and  at  the  present  writing  the  barracks  are  sur- 
rounded with  breastworks  built  of  cord  wood,  well  filled  in  with  dirt, 
oight  feet  high,  and  topped  off  with  oak  timbers  eight  inches  square, 
having  port  holes  between  the  timbers.  This  is,  of  course,  to  be 
manned  in  case  of  attack,  but  designed  principally  as  a  place  of  gen- 
eral retreat  if  we  should  find  it  necessary.  Within  this  fortification 
all  our  commissary  stores  are  placed,  together  with  the  treaty 
goods,  originally  designed  for  the  Red  Lake  Chippewas,  well  cov- 
ered with  canvas  and  protected  from  the  weather.  At  night  all 
women  and  children  and  others  not  actually  on  duty  sleep  in  the 
barracks,  a  tolerably  commodious  building,  one  story  high,  built 
of  square  oak  timber.  The  fortification  has  been  completed  since 
the  second  attack.  On  the  morning  of  the  third  instant,  about  day- 
break, all  hands  were  called  to  arms  by  alarm  shots  fired  by  a  half- 
breed,  the  interpreter  of  the  post,  who  was  stationed  near  the  hay- 
stacks. Scon  the  firing  increased  and  it  became  evident  that  the 
stables  were  to  be  the  point  of  attack.  Still,  all  the  men  stuck  to 
their  posts  until  the  order  of  retreat  was  given  to  the  soldiers  by 
the  commander  of  the  post.  This  was  a  critical  moment.  Very 
soon  two  small  haystacks  were  discovered  to  be  on  fire,  which 
seemed  also  to  kindle  the  wrath  of  many  of  the  citizens,  whose  stock 
was  now  in  great  jeopardy.  They  rushed  with  one  accord  to  the 
Ftables,  and  prominent  among  them  there  might  have  been  seen 
fronting  the  danger:  Mr.  Edwin  Wright  of  Dayton,  Mr.  Kent 
of  St.  Cloud,  L.  R.  Bently  of  Graham  Point,  and  others. 

Many  of  the  soldiers,  too,  manifested  considerable  braverv  and 
stuck  to  the  fight,  notwithstanding  their  orders  to  retreat.  When 
our  men  entered  the  stables  they  found  two  Indians  at  the  oppo- 
site end  securing  what  they  could.  Mr.  Kent  levelel  one  of  these 
and  secured  his  gun.  Wright  was  fired  upon,  but  having  learned 
the  battle-dodge  game  of  the  Indians,  escaped  with  his  life,  but 
not  without  being  severely  wounded  in  the  left  shoulder.  Wright 
secured  his  man,  shooting  him  first  and  then  finishing  him  up  with 
the  bayonet.  By  this  time  two  of  our  horses  had  been  stolen  and 
two  killed  in  the  melee,  and  then  the  attack  slackened  and  gradual- 
ly ceased.  Too  much  can  not  be  said  in  praise  of  Capt.  Smith, 
quartermaster  of  the  post.  Assuming  command  of  the  citizfns, 
by  general  conduct  he  has  induced  the  men  to  lav  hold  of  the  work 
of  fortifying  with  the  words:  "Come,  boys,"  not  "go.  boys," 
and  to  his  influence  in  great  measure  may  we  today  attribute  our 
existence  here*. 

If  we  should  be  spared  to  get  safely  away  from  here,  every  one 
will  look  back  'vith  pleasant  recollections  to  the  kindly  words  anrl 
accommodating  manner  of  Capt.  Smith. 


*Sce   Appendix,    p.    96. 


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STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY  17 


lias  spared  us  from  the  overwhelming  force  of  the  enemy.  I 
trust  this  dispensation  may  work  feelings  of  serious  thoughtfulness 
in  the  minds  of  many  for  their  future  good.    Respectfully, 


Fort  Abercrombie^  Sept.  25th,  1862. 
My  Dear  Wife: 

I  last  wrote  you  when  we  were  at  Lake  Amelia.  We  remained 
there  three  days  waiting  for  two  other  companies  of  infantry,  and 
finally  received  orders  to  join  them  at  Wyman's  place  on  the  Alex- 
andria road,  six  or  eight  miles  below  Alexandria.  We  went  by  way 
of  Reno  and  S.  Lake.  I  guided  them,  and  arrived  at  Wyman's 
place  about  2  o'clock  p.  m.  The  next  day  came  on  up  to  Chippewa. 
The  next  day  found  and  buried  the  body  of  Mr.  Austin,  who  was 
shot  as  I  mentioned  in  one  of  my  letters,  and  camped  at  the  cross- 
ing of  the  Otter  Tail  river.  Here  the  oxen  of  Capt.  Barrett's  com- 
pany strayed  off,  and  the  division  of  our  company  to  which  I  am 
attached  was  detailed  to  hunt  them  up.  Tanner  found  them  about 
five  miles  from  camp  on  the  Breckenridge  road  and  we,  that  is, 
Barrett's  company  and  our  division  of  cavalry,  did  not  get  started 
before  9  a.  m.,  while  the  rest  of  the  army  started  at  sunrise.  We  ar- 
rived at  the  fort  just  at  dark  and  learned  that  the  advance  of  the 
army  came  in  sight  of  thirteen  Sioux,  they  being  on  one  side  of 
Red  River  and  the  Sioux  on  the  other,  half  or  three-fourths  miles 
off.  The  Sioux  ran,  and  the  advance,  fearing  an  ambush  in  a 
clump  of  trees  and  brush,  did  not  pursue  in  time  to  overtake  them. 
Here  we  also  learned  that  the  same  party  of  Sioux  had  killed  two 
men  a  few  hours  before  they  were  seen  by  our  advance.  A  party 
of  twenty  was  out,  and  when  about  one  mile  from  the  fort  were  at- 
tacked and  driven  back  with  the  loss  of  two  men,  one  of  them 
Oscar  Taylor's  brother-in-law,  Edward  Wright.  Yesterday  our 
company  volunteered  to  go  after  the  bodies.  We  were  followed 
by  a  part  of  the  infantry.  We  scoured  the  woods  near  the  fort  and 
found  the  bodies  on  the  prairie  about  sixty  or  eighty  rods  apart. 
The  body  of  Mr.  Wright  was  ripped  up  from  the  navel  to  the  throat. 
The  heart  and  liver  taken  out,  the  lungs  left  on  the  chest,  the  head 
cut  off,  scalped,  and  stuck  in  the  cavity  of  the  abdomen  with  the 
face  toward  the  feet.  The  hands  were  cut  off  and  placed  side  by 
side,  palms  down,  within  two  feet  of  the  body.  The  other  man  had 
been  shot  twice,  once  the  ball  entering  under  and  a  little  back 
of  the  left  arm,  which  must  have  killed  him  at  once.  The  right 
arm  was  broken  by  a  ball  a  little  below  the  shoulder.  He  lay  on  his 
face  and  the  whole  of  the  upper  part  of  the  skull  smashed,  and 
the  brains  scattered  around ;  there  were  eighteen  bayonet  thrusts 


*St.    Cloud    Democrat,    October   2,    1862. 


Historical— 2 


18  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


in  his  back,  and  on  the  back  of  the  left  leg  was  a  gash  nearly   to 
the  bone,  from  the  hip  to  the  calf  of  the  leg.^ 


Fort  Abercrombie,  Sept.  25th,  1862. 
My  Dear  Loved  Ones  at  Home : 

Happy,  thrice  happy,  are  we  all  today  to  know  the  reinforcement 
has  at  last  come  to  our  relief.  Night  before  last,  about  5  o'clock, 
the  report  came  to  the  quarters  that  the  Indians  were  again  coming 
from  up  towards  Bridges.  With  a  telescope  we  soon  discovered 
four  white  men,  our  messengers,  riding  at  full  speed,  who,  upon 
reaching  here,  informed  us  that  in  one-half  hour  we  would  be  rein- 
forced by  350  men.  Language  can  never  express  the  delight  of 
all.  Some  wept,  some  laughed,  others  hallooed  and  cheered.  The 
soldiers  and  citizens  here  formed  in  a  line  and  went  out  to  meet 
them.  It  was  quite  dark  when  they  all  got  in  the  fort.  We  all 
cheered  so  that  the  next  day  more  than  half  of  us  could  hardly 
speak  aloud.  The  ladies  all  went  out,  and  as  they  passed  cheered 
them.  They  were  so  dusty  I  did  not  know  one  of  them.  After 
they  got  washed  the  first  one  I  saw  was  Thos.  Alden,  then  Bing- 
ham, Mills,  and  so  on.  I  had  about  thirty  to  get  supper  for.  All 
the  St.  Cloud  men  came  in,  washed  and  took  tea — ^Mr.  Blain,  Free- 
man and  others^. 

Mr.  Jas.  Tanner  has  long  been  a  Chippewa  interpreter,  and  has 
lectured  on  Indian  affairs  through  our  eastern  cities,  and  is  a  large, 
powerfully  built  man.  His  son  joined  our  Fourth  regiment  and 
went  to  Kentucky,  but  was  discharged  on  account  of  sickness. 
Both  the  father  and  son  joined  the  state  cavalry  at  the  breaking  out 
of  the  Sioux  war,  and  went  with  Capt.  Berger's  command-  to  the 
relief  of  Fort  Abercrombie.  While  there  both  shot  a  Sioux  by 
outgeneraling  them  in  Indian  tactics,  as  both  parties  were  watching 
and  dodging  to  get  a  shot  at  the  other^. 


OFFICIAL  REPORT  OF  CAPTAIN  FREEMAN,  COMMAND- 
ING NORTHERN  RANGERS. 

General  Mitchell: 

Sir:  Obedient  to  your  order,  I  remained  in  charge  at  Sauk 
Center  until  the  arrival  of  Capt.  McCoy's  command. 

On  the  14th  of  September  he  ordered  Capt.  Barrett  with  his 
company  to  proceed  as  speedily  as  possible  to  Fort  Abercrombie, 
D.  T.,  and  act  with  my  company  in  the  attempt  to  reach  the  fort. 


•St.    Cloud    Democrat,   October   2,   1862. 

»St.   Cloud   Democrat,   October  »,   1862.     See  also  Appendix,  diary  of  Lewis  C.  Paxson. 

■St.   Cloud   Democrat,   November  20,   1862. 


J 


vjlle.  Minncsola.  opposite  Fort  Alior 


Nolan's    Tiotol    in    McCauleyville.    Miiinesoia 


STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY  19 

We  broke  camp  on  the  evening  of  that  day,  and  on  the  evening 
of  the  15th  reached  Lake  Amelia,  near  the  old  trail  of  Red  river. 
During  the  night  a  messenger  arrived  bringing  dispatches  from 
Capt.  McCoy  ordering  the  command  to  wait  for  orders  from 
Capt.  Berger,  commanding  expedition  to  relieve  Fort  Abercrombie. 

On  Thursday  we  received  orders  from  Capt.  Berger  to  march 
to  Wyman's,  on  the  Alexandria  road,  and  meet  him  there  on  Friday, 
the  19th.  On  the  evening  of  Friday  we  joined  Capt.  Berger  at  Wy- 
man's. 

We,  under  the  order  of  the  commander,  acted  as  advance  and 
rear  guard  for  the  command  to  the  fort,  arriving  there  on  the  even- 
ing of  the  23d.  The  people  of  the  fort  were  delighted  to  see  us, 
being  worn  out  with  watching  and  anxiety. 

There  had  been  on  the  morning  of  our  arrival  a  party  of  thirty 
men  sent  as  an  escort  to  messengers,  leaving  the  post  to  guard  them 
from  attack  until  they  reached  the  prairie.  The  party  who  were  act- 
ing as  an  escort  were  on  their  return  attacked  by  the  Indians 
and  driven  back  to  the  fort  with  the  loss  of  two  men  killed  and  one 
wounded.  The  men  killed  were  left  on  the  ground  where  the  at- 
tack was  made,  and  on  the  next  morning,  with  the  permission  of 
Capt.  Berger,  I  took  a  detachment  of  my  men  and,  with  citizens  at 
the  fort,  searched  the  ground  over  until  we  found  the  bodies  and 
brought  them  to  the  fort  for  burial. 

I  presume  under  instructions  from  you,  it  would  be  my  duty  to 
remain  until  such  time  as  the  citizens  should  be  sent  to  St.  Cloud 
and  act  as  an  escort.  Capt.  Berger  is  extremely  anxious  that  I 
should  remain  and  co-operate  with  him,  and  since  I  have  been 
here  (for  two  days)  have  been  actively  employed,  with  the  com- 
mand, in  driving  in  stock  scattered  upon  the  prairies  and  am  or- 
dered to  act  as  guard  to  parties  sent  out  to  procure  forage  and 
subsistence  for  the  post. 

If  my  company  is  to  remain  it  is  absolutely  necessary  that  they 
should  be  suitably  clothed  and  equipped.  As  you  know,  many  of  my 
men  were  poorly  fitted  for  cold  weather,  and  that  I  have  no  guns 
or  horse  furniture  suitable  for  cavalry  actively  employed,  and  that 
it  would  be  useless  for  us  to  stay  unless  properly  equipped. 

Orderly  Sergeant  Shepley,  acting  as  messenger  under  direction  of 
Capt.  Berger,  will  take  this  dispatch  and  will  give  you  in  detail 
all  information  concerning  the  condition  of  my  command  respecting 
which  you  may  wish  to  make  inquiry. 

Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

Ambrose  Freeman, 
Commanding  Cavalry,  State  Militia^. 


»St.    Cloud    Democrat,    October   2,    1862. 


20  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


Gen.  H,  Z,  Mitchell: 

Sir :  Leaving  St.  Cloud  Sept.  3rd,  our  company  camped  the  first 
night  at  Richmond.  We  moved  next  morning  speedily  toward 
Forest  City,  but  night  overtaking  us,  we  halted  eight  miles  from 
the  latter  place.  Starting  early  next  morning,  we  arrived  about 
9  o'clock,  and  found  the  garrison  in  gfreat  excitement,  the  Indians 
having  attacked  them  on  the  night  of  the  3d  and  driven  off  all  their 
horses  and  a  large  number  of  cattle.  Finding  their  trail,  we  fol- 
lowed them  eight  or  ten  miles  to  where  they  had  burned  a  house 
and  killed  a  number  of  hogs;  but,  unable  to  track  them  further, 
after  reconnoitering  for  some  time,  we  returned  to  Forest  City 
and  encamped  for  the  night.  Having  been  ordered  to  return  to 
Richmond  within  four  days  from  the  time  we  left  that  place,  we 
started  next  morning  on  our  return  trip,  spent  the  following  night 
in  Paynesville,  and  reached  Richmond  about  noon  on  Sunday, 
Sept.  7th.  Paynesville  is  the  only  place  between  Forest  City  and 
Richmond  that  is  not  entirely  evacuated,  the  harvest  being  but 
partly  gathered  is  wasting.  In  accordance  with  your  orders,  our 
company  started  for  Sauk  Center  on  Monday  and  reached  there 
next  day.  While  awaiting  Capts.  Barrett  and  McCoy's  com- 
panies we  made  preparations  for  our  advance  to  Fort  Abercrombie. 
Of  the  unfortunate  occurrence  which  followed,  the  shooting  of  a 
Chippewa  soldier,  I  have  already  informed  you  by  official  report. 
The  dead  body  was  placed  on  one  of  our  horses  and  brought  into 
camp.  The  next  day  the  Indian  soldier  was  buried  with  military 
honors. 

We  remained  at  Sauk  Center  till  Sunday  afternoon  waiting  for 
Barrett's  company  to  get  leave  to  accompany  us  to  the  fort;  with 
them  arrived  at  Lake  Amelia  Monday  night,  and  encamped  on  the 
western  shore.  In  the  night  a  messenger  arrived  with  orders  to 
halt  and  await  the  arrival  of  Capt.  Berger's  command.  Next  day 
being  rainy,  we  remained  in  camp.  The  day  following,  with  seven- 
teen men,  I  went  to  White  Bear  Lake  and  found  the  house  of  Mr. 
Garrison,  the  only  residence  near  the  lake,  in  ashes,  and  everj^htng 
on  this  premises  either  taken  or  destroyed.  Receiving  an  order  from 
Capt.  Berger  to  meet  him  east  of  the  Alexandria  woods,  we  started 
Friday  morning  and  reached  Woman's,  the  place  of  meeting,  and  en- 
camped for  the  night.  Soon  after  Capt.  Berger  came  up  with  his 
men  and  a  field  piece.  Resuming  the  march  next  morning  we 
reached  Austin's  place  at  night.  Some  of  the  men  went  to  Gager's 
place  and  found  a  buggy  loaded  with  plunder  and  a  harness  which 
the  Indians  had  left  in  their  haste  to  escape  our  notice.  Next  morn- 
ing we  found  the  body  of  Andrew  Austin,  the  head  being  severed 
from  the  body  and  thrown  into  the  grass  about  40  rods  away, 
with  the  scalp  all  torn  off.  We  buried  him  near  the  spot  where  he 
lay,  sent  several  men  out  in  search  of  the  man  who  was  with  him 
when  he  fell,  but  no  trace  of  him  could  be  found.    The  Indians  had 


STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY  21 

evidently  been  at  Rodgers'  place  but  a  few  hours  before  we  reached 
there.  Hurrying  on,  we  camped  that  night  at  Pomme  de  Terre 
station ;  thence  the  next  day  to  the  Old  Crossing  on  the  Otter  Tail 
river.  The  station  house  and  stables  were  burned  and  everything 
that  was  not  carried  off  or  otherwise  destroyed  was  thrown  into  the 
river.  Here  the  oxen  belonging  to  Capt.  Barrett's  company  strayed 
off.  The  next  morning  being  fog^,  they  could  not  find  them, 
and,  unwilling  to  wait,  the  commander  ordered  Capt.  Barrett  to 
stay  with  his  company  till  9  o'clock,  and  if  the  cattle  could  not  be 
found  by  that  time  to  proceed  without  them.  I  was  not  willing  to 
leave  a  part  of  our  men  behind,  and  ordered  the  first  division  of  my 
cavalry  to  stay  with  and  help  Capt.  Barrett  recover  his  oxen, 
which  we  did,  after  a  long  search,  and  arrived  safely  at  the  post 
that  night. 

I  will  here  say  that  we  saw  no  Indians  that  day,  but  some  were 
seen  by  the  company  in  advance,  though  beyond  their  reach,  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  river.  Next  morning  about  two-thirds  of 
my  company  with  some  of  the  citizens  and  other  soldiers  went  in 
search  of  the  bodies  of  two  men  who  were  killed  the  day  we  got 
there.  The  bodies  were  soon  found,  horribly  mangled,  and  buried 
that  day.  The  father  of  one,  Mr.  Wright,  requested  the  services  of 
Rev.  Blain,  which  were  cheerfully  given. 

On  Thursday,  the  25th,  our  company  went  in  search  and  found 
150  sheep,  drove  them  in,  and  in  the  afternoon  went  as  an  escort 
to  a  company  to  dig  potatoes.  In  the  evening  our  orderly,  with 
other  messengers,  were  dispatched  for  St.  Cloud  and  St.  Paul. 
On  Friday  morning  about  7  o'clock,  Sept.  26th,  while  our  men  were 
watering  their  horses  at  the  river,  a  party  of  Sioux  Indians  fired  a 
volley  of  about  20  shots,  mortally  wounding  John  Weising,  a 
teamster  from  St.  Cloud,  from  which  wound  he  died  the  tame  night. 
About  10  o'clock  a  horse  and  ox  were  also  killed.  John  H.  Ray- 
mond, having  a  pail  of  water  in  each  hand,  had  just  reached  the 
top  of  the  river  bank,  when  the  first  volley  was  fired,  a  bullet  pierc- 
ing the  bucket  in  his  left  hand.  Several  others  were  exposed  to  the 
fire,  but  none  hurt.  From  behind  the  log  cabins  and  breastworks 
the  fire  was  immediatelv  returned  with  effect.  Mr.  Tanner  and  his 
two  sons,  seeing  two  Sioux  near  the  river  bank,  fired  on  them. 
They  both  fell,  one  of  them  into  the  water.  Comrades  immediately- 
dragged  them  off,  one  of  them  evidently  dead.  Mr.  Burnam  was 
seen  to  fire  and  kill  one  Indian.  I  also  fired  at  one,  and  Mr.  Bing- 
ham and  several  others  saw  him  fall,  evidently  dead.  Mr.  Grant 
of  Capt.  Barrett's  company,  shot  one  near  the  top  of  a  large  tree. 
A  large  number  saw  him  fall  and  lodge  in  a  fork,  whence  his  com- 
panions dragged  him  off.  In  a  few  moments  a  howitzer  was 
brought  around  and  a  few  shells  thrown  in  the  woods,  when  the  foe 
ceased  firing.  My  men  were  then  ordered  to  mount,  and  with  fifty 
men  of  the  Minnesota  Third  and  a  howitzer,  we  started  over  the 


22  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

prairie  from  the  fort.  We  came  upon  the  Sioux  camp,  the  skulking 
redskins  skedaddling  through  the  brush  across  the  river,  rather 
than  fight.  Mr.  Tanner,  being  one  of  our  scouts,  fired  on  them.  I 
also  fired  one  shot,  but  probably  without  effect,  as  I  saw  my  target 
indictinctly  as  it  vanished  away  among  the  brush.  They  replied 
with  yells,  but  nothing  more.  A  shell  or  two  either  silenced  them 
or  drove  them  away  beyond  our  reach.  In  their  camp  we  found  a 
variety  of  plunder  of  which  we  took  what  was  of  worth  and  burned 
the  rest.  It  is  thought  that  they  were  on  their  way  from  George- 
town, as  the  liquor  and  some  other  things  were  supposed  to  have 
been  brought  from  there.  It  is  supposed  that  Georgetown  has  fal- 
len into  their  hands. 

I  have  been  assisting  in  gathering  whatever  could  be  found  in  the 
vicinity  for  the  maintenance  of  the  post.  On  Sunday,  the  28th, 
while  hunting  sheep  which  had  strayed  from  the  post,  we  saw  three 
Sioux  scouts  across  the  Wild  Rice  river  and  beyond  our  reach. 

Indians  are  seen  nearly  every  day  skulking  about  the  post  and 
seem  determined  that  communication  with  anybody  beyond  the 
bounds  of  the  wood  pile  fortification  shall  be  cut  off. 

Monday  evening,  Sept.  29th,  while  the  men  at  the  fort  were  wa- 
tering their  horses,  one  of  the  sentinels  called  to  them  saying  there 
is  Indians,  and  immediately  fired  at  four  Sioux  w^hom  he  saw 
crawling  up  behind  a  log.  The  Sioux  returned  the  fire,  wounding 
a  German  teamster  severely,  but  not  dangerously.  Several  shots 
were  fired  from  the  fort,  but  their  effect  is  not  known. 

Tuesday  morning,  Sept.  30th,  in  company  with  the  men  of  the 
Minnesota  Third  and  a  number  of  citizens  with  women  and  chil- 
dren, we  started  for  St.  Cloud,  reached  Dayton  the  first  night, 
found  everything  destroyed  by  fire  or  otherwise,  buried  the  remains 
of  a  man  by  the  name  of  Smith  whom  the  savages  had  killed 
two  week  *  before. 

Wednesday,  Oct.  1st:  Camped  for  the  night  near  Chippewa; 
saw  many  evidences  of  Indians  having  been  in  that  vicinity;  found 
sixteen  head  of  cattle  that  had  evidently  been  in  possession  of  the 
Indians. 

Thursday :  Expecting  an  attack  last  night,  we  put  out  a  strong 
picket  guard  and  made  every  preparation  for  defense,  but  no  In- 
dians were  seen  until  about  sunrise,  when  some  of  our  boys  saw 
four  in  Mr.  Gager's  field  going  from  his  house  towards  the  woods. 
Meeting  no  opposition,  we  moved  on  through  the  Alexandria  woods 
and  camped,  whence  I  preceded  the  company  to  St.  Cloud,  leaving 
Lieut.  Taylor  in  command. 

My  command  arrived  in  St.  Cloud  safely  at  11  o'clock  on  Sunday, 
Oct.  5th,  and  were  welcomed  by  hearty  cheers  from  all.  ^Ve  are 
now  in  camp  awaiting  further  orders.    Very  truly  yours, 

A.  Freeman, 
Capt.  Commanding  N.  W.  Rangers.* 

*St.    Cloud    Democrat,   October   9    1862.      Sec   also   Appendix,     diary     of    Lewis     C. 
Paxson. 


a.  _i3 


STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY    .  23 

From  the  diary  of  Lewis  C.  Paxson,  printed  in  full  in  the  Ap- 
pendix, occur  the  following  items  of  interest: 

September  24,  1868 — Emil  A.  Burger,  appointed  commander  of 
post.    Wm.  Pell,  acting  post  adjutant. 

Sept.  26 — Cavalry  attacked  and  burned  Indian  camp. 

Sept.  30— Capt.  t.  D.  Smith  and  220  left  for  St.  Paul,  including 
women  and  children. 

Oct.  19 — Messenger  from  Georgetown;  Capt.  Noble  and  100 
men  returned  with  him. 

Oct.  21 — Soldiers  returned  from  Georgetown  with  twenty-seven 
refugees.  Capt.  Emil  A.  Burger  left  w^th  command  for  St.  Paul, 
Capt  Barrett,  Adjt.  Pell,  First  Lieutenant  Groetsch  and  four  pri- 
vates from  each  company.  Along  with  them  went  twenty-seven 
refugees  from  Georgetown. 

On  Nov.  18  Lieut.  Col.  F.  Peteler  of  the  Second  U.  S.  Sharp- 
shooters arrived  and  took  command.  Previous  to  his  assuming 
command  at  this  fort  Col.  Peteler  received  the  folowing  letter  from 
Maj.  Gen.  Pope,  which  outlined  his  first  task  for  him. 


Headquarters  Department  of  Northwest^ 

St.  Paul,  Minn.,  Sept.  30,  1862. 

Sir:  I  desire  you  to  make  preparations  as  soon  as  possible  to 
receive  one  thousand  men,  three  hundred  of  them  mounted.  This 
force  will  constitute  the  permanent  garrison  of  Fort  Abercrombie, 
and  will  be  sent  forward  as  soon  as  possible.  Hay  must  be  pro- 
vided and  additional  quarters  sufficient  to  accommodate  this  force 
comfortably  must  at  once  be  commenced.  Stables  to  hold  at  least 
five  hundred  animals  must  also  be  put  up.  Instruct  the  quartermas- 
ter to  have  these  buildings  made  in  the  speediest  and  most  econom- 
ical manner  and  to  get  in  as  much  hay  as  possible  immediately. 

Capt.  Freeman,  mounted  company,  will  be  retained  on  duty  until 
relieved  by  the  cavalry  force  sent  from  here.  His  company  will 
be  rationed  and  clothing  sent  You  will  cause  requisitions  to  be  sent 
immediately  for  everything  that  may  be  required.     Respectfully, 

Jno.  Pope, 
Maj.  Gen.  Com. 

Com.  Officer,  Fort  Abercrombie. 


The  following  order  was  given  him  en  route  to  Fort  Abercrombie: 

Headquarters  Department  of  Northwest, 

St.  Paul,  Minn.,  Oct.  17,  1862. 
Lieut.  Col,  Peteler, 

Colonel:    The  major  general  commanding  directs  that  if  tomor- 
row morning  not  more  than  one  mounted  company  be  ready,  you 


24  ,  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

^—■-^-  ■■II.-  ..I  II^M  _■—  I  ll^l  I  I  ■■ 

will  take  one  mounted  company  and  one  company  of  infantry  and 
proceed  at  once  to  St.  Cloud  and  escort  Burbank's  train  from 
thence  to  Fort  Abercrombie.  The  balance  of  the  mounted  men 
will  be  furnished  as  soon  as  organized.^ 

Respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

R.  D.  Selfridge, 
Acting  Adjutant  General. 


Lieut.  Col.  Peteler*s  command  is  thus  described: 

"Fort  Abercrombie  Train. — The  train  bearing  supplies  for  Fort 
Abercrombie  arrived  last  evening,  escorted  by  two  companies  of 
cavalry,  under  command  of  Lieut.  Col.  Peteler.  The  train,  which 
consists  of  sixty-three  six-mule  teams,  is  under  charge  of  Capt. 
Smith.  They  will  remain  here  until  tomorrow  morning,  when  our 
company  of  cavalry  accompanies  them  to  the  fort.  A  train  of  100 
teams  belonging  to  Burbank  &  Co.  also  goes  with  them.  The 
whole  cavalcade  will  be  six  miles  in  length.^" 


The  international  complications  that  were  arising  just  now  to 
perplex  all  responsible  officers  may  be  seen  from  the  following 
letters,  printed  by  the  courtesy  of  Lieut.  Col.  F.  Peteler,  Minne- 
apolis, Minn.: 

St.  Paul,  November  10,  1862. 
Maj,  Gen,  Pope. 

Sir:  Under  the  revenue  system  of  the  L^nited  States,  a  verv 
considerable  diversion  of  trade  and  transportation  to  and  from 
Selkirk  Settlement  and  other  points  of  Central  British  America, 
has  taken  place  in  favor  of  communications  through  Minnesota. 
The  most  prominent  of  these  includes  the  navigation  by  steamers 
of  the  Red  River  of  the  North. 

Encouraged  by  your  own  observations  in  1849,  the  experiment 
of  steam  navigation  proved  successful  in  1859,  and  a  settlement  at 
Georgetown,  north  of  Fort  Abercrombie,  is  at  this  time  the  limit 
of  such  navigation  and  a  depot  of  merchandise  for  transportation 
to  Selkirk  and  beyond.  The  steamer  International — a  first-class 
vessel  —  is  now  moored  at  Georgetown.  The  safety  of  the  build- 
ings and  their  occupants,  as  well  as  the  steamer,  seem  to  me 
of  great  importance  to  the  continuance  and  extension  of  our  inter- 
national relations  with  Central  British  America. 

As  special  agent  of  the  treasury  department  for  the  revenue 
district,  I  beg  leave  to  invite  your  attention  to  the  foregoing  con- 
sideration and  to  express  a  hope  that  you  will  direct  the  officer 


*A  letter  in   the   possession   of  Lieut.    Col.    Peteler,    Minneapolis,    Minn. 
»St.    Cloud    Democrat,    November    6,    18C2. 


STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY  25 

in  command  at  Fort  Abercrombie  to  assure  himself  of  the  security 
of  the  settlement  at  Georgetown  and  the  International,  the  steamer, 
from  Indian  depredations. 

I  am  informed  that  convenient  barracks  for  a  company  of  in- 
fantry will  be  furnished  at  Georgetown,  free  of  expense  to  the  gov- 
ernment. Such  a  force  would  be  adequate  for  every  possible  con- 
tingency.^ 

Very  respectfully,  your  obedient   servant, 

James  W.  Taylor^ 
Special  Agent  Treasury  Department. 
Referred  to  Lieut.  Col.  Peteler,  commander  at  Fort  Abercrombie, 
Nov.  23,  1862. 


Red  River  Settlement,  2nd  January,  1862(3)* 
Col,  Peteler, 

Dear  Sir:  As  an  opportunity  for  writing  has  occurred,  it  may 
be  interesting  to  you  to  hear  of  the  movement  of  the  Sioux,  and  I 
shall  give  you  a  hurried  sketch,  separating  the  reliable  from  the 
unreliable  information — last  of  all  a  pipe  of  peace  was  sent  to  our 
governor  by  the  Sioux — later  a  message  came  that  they  wanted  to 
come  here  for  trading  purposes,  to  which  our  answer  was  sent 
stating  that  we  were  not  anxious  for  their  trade  and  did  not  want 
a  visit.  When  the  Sioux  were  driven  to  Devils  Lake  for  shelter 
and  sustenance  they  sent  in  word  that  a  party  of  three  hundred 
were  coming  in  this  winter  to  pay  a  friendly  visit  and  to  trade — 
again  word  was  sent  that  we  did  not  wish  to  see  them — but  about 
two  weeks  ago  eighty-four  Sioux  came  to  St.  Joseph,  enroute  for 
this  place  then  to  Pembina,  and  finally  to  the  outskirts  of  this 
settlement.  Here  they  were  met  by  the  governor  and  Bishop 
Tache  and  advised  not  to  come  in.  But  thev  said  thev  were  on 
a  friendly  visit  merely  to  renew  the  friendship  which  formerly  ex- 
isted between  their  fathers  and  the  Hudson  Bay  company.  They 
then  came  down  to  Fort  Garry,  where  a  council  was  held,  in  which 
they  said  they  had  taken  no  part  in  the  late  massacre,  but  had 
merely  come  in  to  make  peace  with  the  Hudson  Bay  company  and 
with  the  half  breeds.  A  few  trifling  presents  were  then  given  them 
and  they  returned  through  St.  Joseph  and  Pembina  to  Devils  Lake. 
They  did  not  ask  for  ammunition,  but  mentioned  that  they  were 
nearly  or  totally  out  of  it.  They  are  not,  as  we  suppose,  living  in 
plenty  at  Devils  Lake,  but  subsisting  miserably  on  fish.  They  did 
not  speak  of  renewing  the  contest  with  the  Americans,  though  I 
know  that  they  did  at  St.  Joseph.  There  are  about  four  hundred 
lodges  at  Devils  Lake  and  about  the  same  number  at  Mission  du 
Chien. 


*A  letter  in  the  possession  of  Lieut.  Col.   Peteler,  Minneapolis,  Minn. 
'Letter  in  possession  of  Lieut.   Col.    Peteler,  Minneapolis.  Minn. 


26  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

While  the  Sioux  were  here,  the  halfbreeds  from  White  Horse 
Plains  threatened  to  attack  them  when  outside  the  limits  of  the 
settlement,  for  at  various  times  the  prairie  Sioux  have  killed  many 
of  them.  After  leaving  Fort  Abercrombie  we  were  two  days  at 
Georgetown,  l^rom  there  on  I  came  with  dogs  in  three  days  and 
a  half  to  Pembina,  and  from  there  here  in  one  day. 

From  what  I  can  learn  the  Sioux  are  rather  fearful  of  their 
safety  next  summer,  and  many  think  that  their  visit  here  was  only 
paving  the  way  for  a  retreat  into  this  territory  if  pursued  too 
hard. 

Please  remember  me  to  Dr.  Braun,  Lieut.  Beaulieu  and  Capt. 
Barrett,  and,  believe  me,  yours  truly. 

John  Schultz. 


On  Nov.  19  the  palisading  of  the  fort  was  begun  and  was 
pushed  with  vigor  until  its  completion,  Feb.  25,  1863,  enclosing  an 
area  of  10.36  acres.  The  new  hospital  was  occupied  on  Nov.  19. 
Many  old  buildings  were  torn  down,  especially  in  the  vicinity  of 
Slabtown,  and  the  hay  stacks  were  either  removed  or  located  where 
there  could  be  no  further  danger  from  fire.  From  a  letter  of 
Lewis  C.  Paxson  in  the  Lake  City  Times  is  given  a  good  account 
of  the  reforms  which  were  brought  about  under  the  new  regime : 

"FROM  FORT  ABERCROMBIE. 

(Correspondence  of  the  Lake  City  Times.) 

Fort  Abercrombie,  Jan.  4,  1863. 

There  is  not  much  transpiring  here  that  would  be  of  general 
interest  to  your  readers.  The  fort  proper  is  being  enclosed  with 
palisades.  All  of  the  outside  buildings  will  be  torn  down  as  soon 
as  the  requisite  buildings  within  the  fort  are  completed. 

Near  six  hundred  feet  of  stabling  will  soon  be  completed.  The 
new  bakery,  blacksmith  and  wheelwright  shops  and  hospitals  are  all 
under  way.  As  many  men  as  can  be  spared,  beside,  are  working 
upon  the  palisades.  Then  we  have  dug  a  well  within  the  garrison, 
and  are  now  running  a  tunnel  out  to  the  Red  river  to  let  in  the 
water.  Thus  we  may  draw  our  water  inside,  instead  of  having  to 
haul  it  from  the  river  and  expose  the  men  so  much  in  time  of  at- 
tack. 

The  soil  is  so  full  of  sulphurous  matter  that  the  water  in  the  well 
is  totally  unfit  for  use;  but  by  letting  in  fresh  supplies  from  the 
river  and  having  it  all  nicely  boarded  up,  it  will  be  quite  different. 

In  digging  down,  some  pieces  of  coal  were  found.  What  a  God- 
send it  would  prove  to  this  cQuntry  if  a  coal  mine  could  be  found, 
and  who  shall  say  such  a  thing  is  impossible?  There  is  much  of  it 
north  upon  the  Saskatchewan  river. 


STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY  27 

Three  large  bastions  have  recently  been  put  up,  one  on  the 
northeast,  southeast  and  southwest.  They  command  the  whole 
region  round  about.  They  are  two  stories  high,  the  lower  intended 
for  large  cannon  and  the  other  for  howitzers  and  riflemen.  Our 
commander,  Lieutenant  Colonel  Peteler,  Second  Regiment,  United 
States  Sharpshooters,  is  pushing  the  works  forward  with  a  zeal 
worthy  of  imitation. 

The  timber  and  bushes  near  by  have  been  cut  oflF,  thus  depriving 
the  Indians  of  an  ambush.  If  the  palisading  and  other  works 
which  are  under  way  are  completed  this  winter  the  present  force 
of  tw^o  hundred  and  fifty  will  be  able  to  hold  the  place  against  as 
many  thousand  Sioux  next  spring.  Quite  a  number  of  our  boys 
have  had  the  measles,  but  all  are  doing  right  well — remarkably  so, 
it  seems  to  me. 

The  body  of  Andrew  Austin,,  which  we  found  cut  to  pieces  on 
our  way  up  here,  has  lately  been  found  to  have  been  done  by  Chip- 
pewas,  and  not  Sioux.    I  am  told  two  Chippewas  confess  the  act. 

Lewis  C.  Paxson."^ 


On  March  17,  1863,  Capt.  McCoy,  with  thirty-six  men,  marched 
to  Georgetown,  and  on  the  21st  brought  back  the  refugees  from  that 
point. 

On  April  15th  Capt.  Barrett  escorted  Capt.  Painter  and  crew 
to  Georgetown,  and  on  the  24th  they  returned  on  board  the  steam- 
boat International.  From  the  St.  Cloud  Democrat  we  get  a  de- 
tailed account  of  this  affair: 

Fort  Abercrombie,  D.  T.,  April  25,  1863. 

Local  Editor  Democrat : 

The  news  from  this  section  of  the  country  is  somewhat  unim- 
portant. I  have  no  graphic  account  of  the  reduction  of  Charleston 
or  Vicksburg  to  give  you,  nor  yet  any  remarkable  exploits  against 
the  brutal  redskins,  but  I  will  briefly  state  that  Georgetown  (Fort 
Sanborn)  is  evacuated  and  the  steamer  International  is  moored 
under  cover  of  the  guns  of  Fort  Abercrombie.  We  (the  boat 
crew)  did  not  continue  on  our  way  direct  to  Georgetown,  as  was 
the  intention  when  we  left  St.  Cloud.  We  deemed  it  unsafe  for  so 
few  men  to  stay  at  the  former  place  without  some  protection. 
Therefore  we  remained  at  Abercrombie  until  orders  arrived  grant- 
mg  us  a  company  of  soldiers  to  escort  us  to  Georgetown  and  return 
with  the  boat.  Captain  Barrett's  company  were  detached  for  the 
occasion  and  made  an  attempt  to  start  on  the  14th,  but  unfor- 
tunately as  a  four-mule  team  was  crossing  the  river,  the  wagon 
(loaded  with  provisions,  etc.)  ran  off  the  ferry  boat  into  the  river. 


^St.   Cloud   Democrat,  January  21,   1863.     See  also  Appendix,  diary  of  Lewis  C.  Pax- 
on.  1862-4. 


28  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

dragging  the  mules  after  it,  one  of  which  was  drowned  before  it 
could  be  rescued.  Lieutenant  Becker  lost  all  his  baggage,  which 
he  never  recovered,  and  the  provisions  were  almost  all  lost. 

This  incident  put  an  end  to  the  expedition  for  that  day,  but  the 
following  morning  found  us  on  our  way  bright  and  early.  The 
clouds  of  dust  from  the  prairie  and  a  heavy  wind  made  our  jour- 
ney very  disagreeable. 

We  arrived  at  this  place  last  evening,  making  the  trip  from 
Georgetown  in  four  and  a  half  days.  We  did  not  find  so  many 
obstructions  in  the  river  as  I  anticipated,  a  few  snags  and  some 
overhanging  trees  only  had  to  be  removed.  The  water  was  at  a 
good  stage  with  the  exception  of  two  or  three  places,  about  twenty 
miles  by  land  this  side  (south)  of  Georgetown  (what  distance 
by  water  I  cannot  tell,  but  something  less  than  five  hundred  miles). 
There  the  boat  rubbed  the  bottom  of  the  river  a  little,  but  not  so 
as  to  materially  retard  our  progress.  Our  boat  is  well  proportioned 
for  the  river  below  Georgetown,  but  above  it  is  altogether  too 
large,  in  fact,  I  think  no  boat  could  be  built  to  navigate  to  advant- 
age such  a  crooked  stream,  although  we  got  the  International  to 
Fort  Abercrombie  without  damage  excepting  a  few  scratches 
on  her  railing.  Our  captain  is  an  experienced  steamboat  man, 
cautious,  careful  and  prudent,  and  much  depended  on  Captain 
Painter's  judgment  in  getting  the  steamboat  safely  up  a  stream  so 
difficult  to  navigate. 

The  soldiers  occasionally  went  ashore  in  small  parties,  hunting 
or  skirmishing,  I  believe  they  called  it,  through  the  belt  of  timber 
that  lines  the  bank  of  the  river,  and  nearly  every  party  would  bring 
some  kind  of  game  aboard.  One  killed  a  fine  otter,  another  a  mink, 
another  a  large  elk,  others  geese,. ducks,  prairie  chickens  and  musk- 
rats.  The  soldiers  had  no  difficulty  in  keeping  pace  with  us.  At 
certain  places  we  would  have  to  steam  it  for  miles  and  then  find 
ourselves  within  a  few  rods  of  where  we  started.  Therefore,  those 
on  shore  could  walk  from  one  point  of  the  river  to  another  in  a 
few  minutes,  while  it  would  take  hours  for  the  boat  to  get  around. 
The  boys  seemed  to  enjoy  themselves  well  on  the  trip,  and  I 
should  think  would  be  giad  to  go  on  another  such  expedition,  as 
s  change  to  life  in  a  fort. 

The  time  for  the  boat  to  leave  this  place  for  Fort  Garry  is  un- 
known to  me  at  present.  It  depends  in  a  measure  upon  the  growth 
of  the  grass.  I  suppose  a?  soon  as  cattle  can  feed  on  grass  a  train 
with  freight  will  come  for  us  to  load  up,  and  then  I  hope  we  will 
have  soldiers  along  as  far  as  Pembina,  or  our  route  will  be  a  dan- 
gerous one.  When  I  see  Georgetown  again  I  will  give  you  all  that 
is  worth  writing  about. 

Very  respectfully  yours, 

E.  R.  Adell.* 


*St.    Cloud    Democrat,    May   7,    1863. 


STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY  29 


From  the  same  paper  we  can  see  how  the  Indian  situation  ap- 
peared to  those  at  the  fort : 

Fort  Abercrombie,  May  12,  1863. 

Thinking  that  some  of  your  readers  would  like  to  hear  from 
this  part  of  the  country,  I  will  give  you  some  account  of  the  news 
and  military  operations  in  Red  River  Valley. 

A  great  change  has  been  effected  in  the  fort  since  last  fall.  The 
commander,  Lt.  Col.  Peteler,  has  been  indefatigable  in  his  efforts 
to  have  everything  in  perfect  order.  The  past  winter  has  caused 
some  ten  acres  to  be  enclosed  with  a  strong  and  heavy  stockade, 
erecting  at  three  of  the  corners  large  two-story  bastions,  each  story 
containing  a  gun — either  six  or  twelve-pounder.  These  guns  have 
a  fine  command  of  the  banks  of  the  river  and  prairies.  Should  the 
red  devils  attack  us  again  their  bodies  would  drop  like  autumn 
leaves. 

A  party  of  halfbreeds  from  a  hunting  excursion  came  in  from 
the  Buffalo  river  last  week.  They  report  that  when  within  a  day's 
journey  of  this  fort  a  war  party  of  eight  Sioux  came  to  their  tent, 
smoked  the  "pipe  of  peace,"  saying  that  they  desired  to  live  on 
iriendly  terms  with  the  halfbreeds,  but  whenever  they  could  kill 
or  capture  a  paleface  it  would  be  done.  They  also  said  that  Little 
Crow  had  small  parties  acting  as  scouts  all  along  the  frontier  to 
watch  the  expedition  going  out  after  them,  though  most  of  his 
hunters  were  now  curing  buffalo  meat.  There  were  several  hun- 
.  dred  lodges  thus  engaged  within  four  days  march  of  this  point. 
When  they  got  their  supply  they  would  renew  their  war  upon  the 
whites. 

These  reports  are  generally  believed,  as  the  character  of  the 
halfbreeds  is  well  known  here. 

All  the  inhabitants  at  Georgetown  have  left  and  taken  shelter  in 
this  fort.  Their  tents  are  pitched  directly  back  of  the  sutler's  store. 
Officer  Marsh  has  been  assigned  by  the  commander  to  this  depart- 
ment, a  most  excellent  selection,  as  he  is  well  adapted  to  fill  the  po- 
sition. It  is  remarkable  to  see  what  order,  discipline  and  neatness 
he  has  effected  in  so  short  a  time. 

The  steamer  International  novy  lies  moored  at  the  north  side  of 
the  fort.  Capt.  Painter  has  caused  everything  to  be  put  in  the 
most  perfect  repair,  and  if  it  was  not  for  our  Indian  difficulty 
the  people  at  Fort  Garry  would  soon  hear  the  notes  of  her  whistle. 

The  importance  of  keeping  open  the  great  thoroughfare  between 
St.  Qoud  and  this  fort,  hence  to  Fort  Garry,  can  hardly  be  over- 
estimated. Most  of  the  freight  of  the  Hudson  Bay  company  and 
the  Red  River  Settlement  passes  over  this  route.  I  am  told  that 
some  five  hundred  trains  are  now  in  transit  waiting  at  St.  Paul 
and  St.  Cloud,  till  protection  can  be  given.  As  soon  as  that  can  be 
obtained,  one  continuous  line  of  teams  will  move  upon  the  road. 


30  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

The  most  we  need  just  now  is  a  supply  of  medicine  for  the  hos- 
pital, as  none  has  been  received  from  the  government  for  two 
years.  I  am  told  by  the  surgeon  that  he  is  out  of  nearly  every- 
thing. It  is  with  difficulty  that  a  single  recipe  is  filled.  The  sick 
now  have  to  depend  in  a  great  measure  upon  good  care  and  the 
efficacy  of  the  climate  for  a  cure. 

Company  D.  Seventh  regiment,  have  purchased  100  of  Colt's 
rifles.  They  have  been  in  St.  Paul  some  two  months.  It  is  hoped 
that  they  will  be  forwarded  without  further  delay.  The  boys  are 
anxious  to  get  them,  as  several  wagers  are  made  that  on  their  arriv- 
al the  officers  who  introduced  them  into  the  fort  can  no  longer  lead 
the  van  as  sharpshooters. 

We  had  no  mail  last  Friday.  Lieut.  Beaulieau  and  the  escort  of 
sixteen  that  went  down  with  the  mail  returned  yesterday.  They 
rejx)rt  that  hereafter  we  are  to  have  but  one  mail  a  week,  as  Cap- 
tain Rockwood  at  Alexandria  cannot  furnish  the  necessary  escort 
oftener.  This  difficulty  is  easily  removed  by  stationing  a  cav- 
alry company  at  this  fort,  which  is  very  much  needed  just  now. 
Mr.  Joseph  Demara,  our  interpreter,  who  has  long  been  with  the 
Indians  and  who  knows  all  of  their  characteristics,  says  the  cav- 
alry would  be  much  more  eflfective  at  this  place  in  hunting  the  red 
devils  than  infantry. 

The  difficulty  which  prevented  cavalry  from  being  here  last  win- 
ter is  now  removed.  The  prairies  are  covered  with  a  fine  coat  of 
grass. 

Scouts  are  often  sent  out  to  examine  the  country.  One  day  last 
week  Captains  Atkinson  and  Barrett  left  early  in  the  morning  with 
their  companies.  They  explored  the  river  and  Whiskey  creek 
some  thirty  miles,  but  saw  no  Indians  or  signs  of  any.  Although 
we  have  evidence  that  they  are  around  us,  it  is  small  parties  that  will 
see  and  suffer — not  large  ones.*'^ 


On  May  12,  1863,  Lieut.  Col.  Peteler  resigned  his  command  at 
Fort  Abercrombie,  and  on  the  13th  he  was  relieved  by  Maj.  Geo.  A. 
Camp,  Eighth  Minn.  Vols.  The  entire  post  saw  Lieut.  Co.  Peteler 
leave  on  May  20  with  deep  regret,  and  the  following  resolutions 
express  the  sentiments  of  both  officers  and  men  and  serve  as  an 
excellent  record  of  his  services  at  the  fort: 

SOLDIERS'  MEETING  AT  FORT  ABERCROMBIE. 

Editor  St.  Cloud  Democrat : 

At  a  meeting  of  the  soldiers  at  Fort  Abercrombie,  held  at  the 
chapel  tent  May  18th,  1803,  for  the  purpose  of  adopting  measures 
expressive  of  their  feelings  toward  their  late  commander,  Lieut.  Col. 
F.  Peteler,  Sergt.  J.  H.  Smith  of  Co.  H,  Eighth  Regiment,  was 

iSt.  Cloud  Democrat.  May  20. 1863. 


STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY  31 


chosen  president,  and  Sergt.  S.  D.  Welch  of  Co.  G,  Eighth  Reg- 
iment, was  chosen  secretary. 

After  the  president  had  briefly  stated  the  object  of  the  meeting, 
on  motion  of  Lieut.  Wm.  Paist  of  Co.  H,  Eighth  Regiment,  Sergt. 
S.  V.  Carr  of  Co.  G,  Eighth  Regiment,  and  O.  P.  Gates  of  Co.  D, 
Seventh  Regiment,  were  appointed  a  committee  to  report  resolutions 
expressive  of  the  sentiments  of  the  meeting.  After  retiring,  the  com- 
mittee returned  and  reported  the  following  preamble  and  resolu- 
tions, which  were  unanimously  adopted : 

Whereas,  Lieut.  Col.  Peteler,  late  commander  of  this  post,  having 
been  ordered  to  rejoin  his  regiment  on  the  Potomac,  there  to  enter 
upon  another  field  of  usefulness ;  and. 

Whereas,  During  his  administration  at  this  post  he  has  proved 
himself  a  most  able,  energetic  and  efficient  commander,  adopting  the 
most  prompt  and  vigorous  measures  for  the  construction  of  proper 
defenses  for  the  protection  and  security  of  this  garrison  and  in 
banishing  from  this  fort  the  vice  of  intemperance,  that  fruitful 
source  of  disorder  and  insubordination,  and  inaugurating  in  its  stead 
order,  discipline  and  sobriety;  and, 

Whereas,  By  his  frankness  and  ingenuousness,  his  aflfability  and 
courtesy,  he  has  endeared  himself  to  his  late  command  and  secured 
its  entire  confidence,  respect  and  esteem ;  threfore 

Resolved,  That  we,  the  rank  and  file  of  the  late  command  of  Lieut. 
Col.  F.  Peteler,  at  post  Fort  Abercrombie,  on  this,  the  eve  of  his 
departure  from  this  post,  as  a  slight  token  of  our  appreciation  of 
his  eminent  worth  and  ability,  his  uniform  courtesy  and  kindness, 
do  tender  him  our  earnest  regards  for  his  future  success,  prosperity 
and  happiness. 

Resolved,  That  we  shall  hail  with  a  lively  interest  any  tidings  of 
the  success  of  our  late  commander  in  his  new  field  of  operations 
against  the  assassins  who  have  conspired  to  destroy  our  nationality, 
and  with  it  those  free  institutions  of  which  we  are  so  justly  proud; 
and  we  hope  at  an  early  day  to  greet  him  as  one  of  the  happy  instru- 
ments in  the  restoration  of  law  and  order,  peace  and  national  pros- 
perity, 

Resolved,  That  a  copy  of  these  resolutions  be  presented  to  Lieut. 
Col.  Peteler. 

Resolved,  That  the  proceedings  of  this  meeting  be  sent  to  all  the 
papers  circulating  in  our  companies. 

Lieut.  Wm.  Paist. 
Sergt.  Carr. 
O.  P.  Gates. 
Committee  on  Resolutions. 

Short  speeches  were  delivered  by  Lieut.  Paist,  Sergt.  Smith, 
Sergt.  Carr,  O.  F.  Gates  and  C.  L.  Blair,  after  which  the  meeting 
adjourned  with  three  hearty  cheers  for  Lieut.  Col.  Peteler.^ 

J.  H.  Smith,  President. 

S.  D.  Welch,  Secretary. 


*St.   Cloud    Democrat,    May   28,   18CS. 


32  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

The  Sibley  expedition  of  1863  was  a  part  of  a  large  plan  of  oper- 
ations which  involved  Fort  Abercrombie,  as  well  as  all  other  front- 
ier posts.  On  the  2nd  of  July,  Lieut.  Col.  Averill  arrived  at  the  fort 
from  the  Sibley  train,  then  at  Brown's  Valley,  with  orders  to  take 
Co.  D  and  join  Gen.  Sibley  further  west,  which  he  did  on  July  9, 
with  a  wagon  train  of  supplies  from  the  fort. 

On  his  return  march  Gen.  Sibley  encamped  near  Fort  Abercrom- 
bie at  Camp  Hackett,  Aug.  21-5.  A  contemporary  newspaper  adds 
the  following  item6  of  interest: 

"FROM  FORT  ABERCROMBIE. 


Interesting    News    From    Sibley's    Expedition — Capt.    Fisk's 
Party  Heard  From — They  Are  All  Safe — Where- 
abouts OF  Little  Crow. 

From  David  McCauley,  Esq.,  the  deputy  postmaster  at  Fort  Aber- 
crombie, who  arrived  here  on  Sunday  night,  we  gather  some  inter- 
esting facts  concerning  "the  expedition*',  Capt.  Fisks  train,  and 
other  matters. 

Mr.  McCauley  left  Fort  Abercrombie  on  July  11th.  A  portion 
of  Sibley's  expedition  had  been  at  that  post  and  had  left  for  Devils 
Lake.  They  were  following  the  Sheyenne  river,  as  it  was  impossible 
to  get  water  and  forage  off  that  route.  Indeed  the  latter  was  very 
scarce  there,  and  it  was  by  no  means  sure  whether  it  could  be  found 
in  sufficient  quantities  to  serve  the  train.  The  animals  were  fail- 
ing in  strength  and  the  hardships  of  the  trip  had  told  on  the  men 
severely.  Sixty  of  them  had  been  sent  back  to  Fort  Abercrombie. 
Mr.  Bottineau,  the  experienced  guide  of  the  expedition,  who  is  fa- 
miliar with  every  foot  of  the  country,  declares  that  he  cannot  tell 
at  the  beginning  of  a  day's  march  whether  he  will  find  water  at  the 
end  of  it  or  not,  as  all  the  springs  and  pools  which  for  years  were 
considered  unfailing  are  dried  up.  Consequently  the  troops  suffer 
greatly  for  want  of  water.  Gen.  Sibley  was  energetically  pushing 
along,  however,  and  determined  to  follow  Little  Crow  and  strike 
him  a  blow  wherever  found.  That  wily  chieftain  was  reported  to 
have  fled  to  the  Dakota  mountains.  No  information  had  been  re- 
ceived from  the  cavalry  force  said  to  be  on  its  way  up  through  Da- 
kota to  Devils  Lake.  The  reports  of  the  drought  are  not  over- 
drawn. It  is  fullv  as  bad  as  the  worst  statements  made  it,  and  will 
seriously   interfere   with   the   success   of  the  expedition.     *     *     * 

Matters  at  Fort  Abercrombie  were  about  as  usual.  There  were 
three  companies  in  the  post,  Company  D  having  accompanied  Sib- 
ley. The  streams  in  the  vicinity  were  all  drying  up.  Red  river  was 
dwindled  down  to  almost  nothing.  There  was  a  great  scarcity  of 
hay  at  the  fort.  No  haying  grounds  were  found  near  the  fort,  and 
it  was  supposed  it  would  have  to  be  hauled  forty  miles.*'^ 


>St,    Cloud   Democrat,   July   21,   1868. 


I 

« 

t 


r 


STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY  33 

A  Striking  proof  of  the  devastation  wrought  by  the  Indian  depre- 
dations may  be  seen  by  a  comparison  of  the  census  returns  for 
18G0  and  1865  of  the  region  on  the  east  side  of  the  Red  river.  Of 
the  159  persons  recorded  for  this  part  of  the  valley  in  18G0,  but 
thirty  are  recorded  by  R.  M.  Probstfield,  who  took  the  state  census 
in  1865.^ 

On  July  28,  1864,  Lieut.  Col.  Chas.  Powell  Adams,  First  U.  S. 
Vol.,  Co.  A,  with  four  companies  of  Hatch's  Ind.  Batt.  Minn.  Vol. 
Cav.  took  command  of  Fort  Abercrombie.^ 

''Headquarters  District  of  Minnesota,  Dept.  of  Northwest. 

St.  Paul,  Minn.,  July  20,  1864. 
Maj.  C.  D,  Adams, 

Commanding  Hatch's  Battalion. 

]\Iajor :  You  will  proceed  without  delay  to  take  command  of  the 
corps  known  as  Hatch's  Independent  Batallion,  making  your  head- 
quarters at  Fort  Abercrombie  and  relieving  Capt.  C.  H.  Mix  in  the 
command  of  the  post.  You  will  devote  yourself  assidiously  to 
restore  the  discipline  and  morale  of  the  battalion,  which  are  repre- 
sented unofficially  to  be  in  a  very  low  state.  Gen.  Sibley  depends 
upon  your  exertions,  aided  by  those  of  other  officers,  to  bring  the 
command  into  a  condition  of  efficiency  and  entire  subordination. 
The  post  of  Fort  Abercrombie  is  an  exceedingly  important  one  and 
its  commandant  will  be  required  to  exercise  a  wise  discretion  in 
dealing  with  the  questions  which  are  continually  arising  outside  of 
the  routine  of  his  duties  inside  of  the  garrison. 

Captain  Donaldson,  commanding  Company  D  of  your  battalion, 
has  been  assigned  with  his  company  to  special  service  to  patrol  the 
region  along  the  Red  river  and  keep  open  the  communication  on 
that  route.^ 

I  am,  major,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

R.  C.  Olin^ 
Assistant  Adjutant  General." 

On  August  30,  18G4,  in  response  to  a  request  of  Mr.  Harris, 
Maj.  Adams  sent  a  detachment  of  15  men  to  Georgetown  as  a 
protection  for  the  citizens  there  from  the  Indians.* 

Lieut.  A.  R.  Gerald,  Co.  D,  Ind.  Batt.  Minn.  Vol.  Cav.,  went  on 
a  scout  Oct.  2,  18()4,  northward  to  the  Turtle  river,  passing  through 
Georgetown  and  Grand  Forks,  and  returning  Oct.  21.'^ 

On  Nov.  10,  Maj.  Adams  sent  Capt.  G.  C.  Whitcomb,  Co.  B, 
Ind.  Batt.  Minn.  Vol.  Cav.,  with  35  men  of  his  company^  to  estab- 
lish a  half-way  station,  or  outpost,  on  the  road  to  Fort  Wadsworth, 
according  to  instructions  sent  Nov.  3.^ 


*For  a  full  list  of  the  names  in  these  returns  sec  Appendix. 
*War   of   the    Rebellion    Records,    Series    I,    Vol.    41,    l*t.    iv.,    p. 
"War   of  Rebellion  Records.    Scries    I,    Vol.    41,    pt.    2,    page   303. 
*War    of    the    Rebellion,    Series    I,    Vol.    41,    I*t.    iv.    p.    305. 
*Ib.,    Series   I,    Vol.    41,    Pt.    iv,   p.    447. 


997. 


Hh.,  Series  I,  Vol.  41,  Pt.  iv,  p.  628 
Historical— 3 


^7 ME  HISTORICAL  SOClET\'  33 

A  striking  proof  of  the  devastation  wrought  by  the  Indian  depre- 
dations may  be  seen  by  a  comparison  of  the  census  returns  for 
18G0  and  1865  of  the  region  on  the  east  side  of  the  Red  river.  Of 
the  159  persons  recorded  for  this  part  of  the  valley  in  18*j0,  but 
thirtv  are  recorded  by  R.  M.  Probstfield,  who  took  the  state  census 
in  1^65.^ 

On  July  28,  18G4,  Lieut.  Col.  Chas.  Powell  Adams,  First  U.  S. 
Vol.,  Co.  A,  with  four  companies  of  Hatch's  Ind.  Batt.  Minn.  \'ol. 
Cav.  took  command  of  Fort  Abercrombie.* 

''Headquarters  District  of  Minnesota,  Dept.  of  North we>t. 

St.  Paul,  Minn.,  July  20,  1mj4. 
Maj.  C.  D.  Adants, 

Commanding  Hatch's  Battalion. 

Major :  You  will  proceed  without  delay  to  take  command  of  the 
corps  know^n  as  Hatch's  Independent  Batallion,  making  your  head- 
quarters at  Fort  Abercrombie  and  relieving  Capt.  C.  H.  Mix  in  the 
command  of  the  post.  You  will  devote  yourself  assidiously  to 
restore  the  discipline  and  morale  of  the  battalion,  which  are  repre- 
sented unofficiallv  to  be  in  a  verv  low  state.  Gen.  Siblev  derends 
upon  your  exertions,  aided  by  those  of  other  officers,  to  bring  the 
command  into  a  condition  of  efficiencv  and  entire  subDnlination. 
The  post  of  Fort  Abercrombie  is  an  exceedingly  important  one  and 
its  commandant  will  be  rerjuired  to  exercise  a  wise  discretion  in 
dealing  with  the  questions  which  are  continually  arising  otitsile  of 
the  routine  of  his  duties  inside  of  the  garrison- 
Captain  Donaldson,  coirmanding  Company  D  of  yr.ur  batta'.i--n, 
has  been  assigned  with  his  company  to  s[x:cial  service  to  patr<»l  the 
region  along  the  Red  river  and  keep  ojxn  the  communication  on 
that  route.^ 

I  am,  major,  verv  rcspectfullv,  vour  olxrdient  ser\'ant, 

R.  C  Olin, 
Assistant  Adjutant  General." 

r>n  August  oO,  1S*^>},  in  nsponse  to  a  refjuest  of  Mr.  Harris, 
Maj.  Adam*;  sent  a  detachment  of  15  men  to  Ge^Tgct-wn  as  a 
protection  for  the  citizen^  there  fn^m  the  Indians.* 

Lieut.  \,  R.  Gerald.  Co.  D,  Ind.  Batt.  Minn.  \'ol.  Cav..  went  on 
a  scout  Oct.  2,  1>^*J1.  northward  to  the  Turtle  riv^r,  pa^-ing  thro-jgh 
Georgetown  and  Grand  Forks,  and  returning  r)ct.  21.' 

On  Xov.  10,  Maj.  AlanT?  sent  Cafrt.  (\,  C.  Whitcorr.b.  Co.  B, 
Ind.  Batt.  Minn.  \'ol.  Cav.,  with  3.*)  rnen  of  his  c^'mpany,  to  estab- 
lish a  half-way  «^tation.  or  out!  ^  >t.  on  the  road  to  Fort  W'a  i<w-:r.h, 
according  to  innructions  >ent  Xov.  3.* 


•For  a   fui:    ■>♦   ',i  'Kr  r-ir  * «.  m  lh*^i'  r«-turn«  *tc  AppendTx. 

nVar    of    1^*-    R^V"    ,n    K-  .rS.    -*  r,«-s    I.    \<\.    41,    V\.    :v.,    p.    C-07. 

•War   of  R*•^J<^:hon  k^cor'S.    '-t.**^    I.    \ /»',    41.    ".*.    Z.    ;32c    ^.J. 

•War    of    tl'.t    XfV,     r,     -/ -^    I,    \  ^.:.    41,    I»!.    iv.    p.    :;■■:>. 

Mb..    S<ri'*    I,    \o..    41.    Vx.    IV,    ;..    447. 

•lb.,   .S<-ric*   I,   Vol,   41,   V\.   I,,  p.   Oj-, 

HUtorical— 3 


34 


-\^  these  expe^.;.;,„    \  '"  ""■■^  F.-.  VC  ^'*'  ""^"on  o^  »u   ^Pt- 
^__The  folJo„,v^  .   _ .    .  "  '•^  ^he  account' J 


""^  Tips.  •-  f'-u-ication  fr.  »i;  *^  ^^t     ■ 

seventh  rl      "^  '^  ^  reprint  r>f  F  °^ 

^^'•ves  of  the  S'^"^^  «'>h  the  re. "£  '''  ^"^^"^^y  27  Ifi^, 
_          ^-^th  .nstant,  I  have   1  ^  ^^  ''^^  house  of  L      ^• 

^       ''or  a  „„  ^  '^'^"Or   to  franc-        '^^''^tTlt- 

d,x  "Tc  eompi,.,,  ,,„    .  '"^  fransmit  the  accnr« 


STAlIi:  HISTOKICAL  SOCIETY  35 

panying,  "copy  of  Captain  James  L.  Fisk's  report  of  the  expedition 
to  escort  emigrants  from  Fort  Abercrombie  to  Fort  Benton,  and  to 
Fort  Walla-Walla. 

Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

Edwin  M.  Stanton, 
Secretary  of  War. 

Hon.  Galusha  A.  Grow^ 

Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives." 

North  overland  expedition  for  protection  of  emigrants  from  Fort 
Abercrombie  to  Fort  Benton,  1862. — Report  of  Captain  James  L. 
Fisk,  A,  Q,  M.  com'g. 

Sir  :  Under  instructions  of  the  secretary  of  war,  I  was  despatched 
from  this  place,  on  the  3d  day  of  June  last,  to  proceed  at  once  to  or- 
ganize, equip,  and  conduct  an  escort  to  emigrant  train  from  Fort 
Abercrombie,  across  the  plains  of  the  north,  to  Fort  Benton,  Da- 
kota Territory;  thence  across  the  mountains,  via  Capt.  Mullan's 
government  wagon  road,  to  Walla- Walla — there  dispose  of  the  ex- 
pedition property,  and  return  via   Oregon  and  San  Francisco. 

The  fact  that  most  of  the  route  designated  for  my  trip  was  en- 
tirely new  (except  as  surveyed  by  the  late  lamented  General  Stevens 
in  1853)  and  that  the  season  was  so  far  advanced  before  orders 
reached  me  at  my  regiment  in  Central  Tennessee,  together  with 
the  limited  means  placed  at  my  disposal,  led  me  to  doubt  much 
whether  I  could  accomplish  the  objects  of  this  commission.  Having 
entered  upon  the  work,  however,  and  done  the  best  in  my  power 
under  the  circumstances,  I  am  pleased  to  be  able  to  report  at  this 
date  the  experience  and  general  results  of  the  expedition. 

Samuel  R.  Bond,  Esq.,  who  accompanied  me  as  clerk  and  jour- 
nalist, respectfully  submits  a  summary  of  his  notes,  and  which  is 
a  fair  statement  of  principal  incidents  of  trip,  topography  of  coun- 
try, &c. 

In  the  proper  place  will  be  found  the  brief  report  of  Dr.  Dibb, 
physician  and  surgeon  of  party ;  and  I  likewise  offer  for  your  con- 
sideration, as  supplementary  to  the  general  report  required,  an  itin- 
erary of  each  day's  travel,  with  accompanying  chart  of  route  from 
Fort  Abercrombie  to  Fort  Benton. 

I  need  hardly  assure  you,  in  this  connection,  of  my  personal 
regards  and  esteem  for  those  gentlemen,  one  and  all,  who  accom- 
panied me  as  assistants — part  of  them  the  entire  journey.  Always 
true,  and  never  found  wanting  in  the  discharge  of  duty,  I  can  but 
commend  them  for  those  good  qualities  whidi  fit  men  for  public 
service. 

The  importance  at  present  attached  to  this  route,  and  which  will 
very  much  increase  as  the  new  gold  fields  are  opened  up  by  it 
come  into  note,  constrains  me  to  believe  it  justifiable  in  extending 
my  report  so  as  to  cover  all  the  chief  points  of  interest,  and  to 


36  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

believe  that  the  itinerary  and  map  furnished  will  prove  of  great  util- 
ity if  published. 

That  our  little  expedition,  being  wholly  an  experiment,  succeeded 
beyond  the  most  sanguine  expectations  is  attributable  to  several 
facts,  viz:  Nearly  if  not  quite  all  of  the  men  of  the  escort  and 
emigrants  had  seen  more  or  less  of  frontier  life,  were  not  afraid 
to  encounter  hardships,  and  knew  how  to  surmount  impediments 
in  whatever  shape  occurring.  The  season  was  most  wonderfully 
favorable,  plenty  of  grazing  and  water  for  our  purpose,  and  yet  not 
sufficient  rain  at  any  time  to  swell  the  streams  or  soften  the  basins 
of  the  prairie  country. 

Our  organization  was  complete,  not  only  of  the  fifty  (50)  men 
of  the  escort,  but  of  the  emigrants  also,  in  case  of  an  emergency. 
No  violation  of  rules  occurred  from  first  to  last;  every  order  was 
promptly  and  cheerfully  obeyed.  We  moved,  halted,  camped,  cor- 
ralled on  the  march,  rallied,  mounted  guard,  &c.,  by  bugle  calls. 

We  had  no  serious  difficulty  with  Indians,  though  we  met  numer- 
ous bands  and  tribes,  and  were  not  aware,  until  we  met  in  the  moun- 
tains by  an  express  from  Walla-Walla,  giving  news  how  narrowly 
we  had  escaped  the  terrible  raid  of  the  Sioux  on  the  border  of 
Minnesota,  even  laying  siege  to  the  very  post  w^hich  we  had  shortly 
previous  started  from. 

The  Assineboines  were  *'saucy,"  which  with  them  is  preliminary 
to  mischief.  Their  conduct  convinced  me  that  they  were  knowing 
to  the  raid  of  the  Sioux  Indians,  and  that  they  themselves  were 
becoming  infected  with  a  desire  for  plunder. 

It  required  more  nerve  to  refrain  from  punishing  them  for  their 
insolence  than  to  have  done  it.  The  traders  along  the  Missouri 
besought  me  to  urge  upon  the  department  the  necessity  of  estab- 
lishing one  or  more  military  posts  along  that  river,  between  Forts 
Berthold  and  Benton.  From  what  I  could  sec  and  learn,  I  do  not 
hesitate  to  say  that  the  presence  of  troops  is  absolutely  necessary 
to  insure  the  safe  occupancy  and  transit  of  that  upper  country  by 
the  whites. 

The  severe  chastisement  of  the  hostile  Sioux  the  coming  season 
would  intimidate  the  Missouri  river  and  mountain  tribes;  and  the 
distribution  of  an  infantry  or  cavalry  regiment  along  the  Missouri, 
from  Fort  Berthold  to  Benton,  with  headquarters  in  the  mountain 
district  at  the  head  of  that  river,  where  there  are  most  jwople  scat- 
tered about,  mining,  would  insure  safety  in  travel,  exploration  and 
development  of  a  rich  mineral  country. 

Pierre  Chouteau,  jr.,  &  Co.  take  occasion  to  inform  me  by  letter 
that  they  will  most  cheerfully  give  all  the  accommodations  necessary 
for  quartering  troops  and  storing  supplies  in  either  or  all  of  their 
trading  posts  on  the  Upper  Missouri  These  forts,  as  they  arc  called, 
are  not  undeserving  the  name,  for  they  are  most  admirably  adapted 


f 


STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY  37 


as  quarters  for  troops  militaire  in  appearance,  and  entirely  defen- 
sible. 

After  emerging  from  the  Coteau  du  Missouri  on  the  west  side, 
opposite  to  the  nearest  point  to  the  river  Des  Lacs,  I  was  desirous 
of  heading  straight  for  Fort  Benton,  coming  down  to  Milk  river 
at  last  crossing,  instead  of  making  that  circuitous  route  by  Fort 
Union.  But  not  finding  any  of  my  party  ready  to  try  the  experi- 
ment, I  moved  southward  to  a  camp  on  the  Missouri  fifteen  (15) 
miles  above  Fort  Union.  On  our  journey  to  Fort  Benton  we  were 
joined  by  two  French  half  breed  voyageiirs,  from  whom  I  learned 
that  the  line  of  travel  from  the  Coteau  to  Fort  Benton,  which  I 
had  proposed  trying,  was  in  every  way  practicable  for  a  wagon 
road,  and  ''ten  days  shorter/* 

My  loss  of  stock  between  Abercrombie  and  Benton  were  two  (2) 
oxen  and  one  (1)  mule.  Between  Benton  and  Walla-Walla,  one 
(1)  team-horse  and  one  (1)  saddle-horse.  In  the  wilderness  of 
St.  Regis  de  Borgia  at  the  eastern  base  of  the  Coeur  d*Alene  moun- 
tains, I  found  Alajor  Hutchins,  Indian  agent,  in  distress,  from 
having  lost  part  of  his  pack  animals  while  on  his  journey  to  relieve 
Major  Owen,  agent  of  the  Flathead  Indians.  In  the  emergency  of 
his  case  I  felt  obliged  to  relieve  him,  so  far  as  I  could  give  him 
anything  available  for  transporting  his  supplies,  and  fitted  him  out 
with  a  span  of  animals  and  good  wagon. 

From  this  point  to  Walla- Walla  I  hauled  only  the  howitzer  and 
flag  wagon,  and  every  animal  I  had  was  unmarketable,  because  so 
very  thin  in  flesh.  •  If  I  could  have  had  the  usual  allowance  of  extra 
work  animals  upon  the  start,  such  would  have  been  the  condition 
of  the  whole  as  to  bring,  at  public  sale,  at  the  close  of  the  journey, 
all  they  would  cost  in  fitting  out. 

Captain  Mullan*s  road,  from  Fort  Benton  to  Walla- Walla,  is 
passable,  and  there  has  been  performed  upon  it  an  immense  amount 
of  labor,  but  it  will  have  to  be  worked,  materially  improved  in 
places,  or  it  will  very  soon  become  useless  as  a  wagon  road. 

On  leaving  St.  Paul  on  the  16th  (sixteenth)  of  June,  I  had  un- 
furled from  a  staff  lashed  to  the  front  of  the  express  wagon  which 
led  the  train,  the  national  colors ;  and  I  am  proud  to  say  that  it  every 
day  floated  to  the  breeze  from  the  Mississippi  to  the  Columbia, 
and  no  man  insulted  it. 

At  Portland,  Oregon,  I  jv-as  glad  to  meet  Captain  Medorum 
Crawford,  who  had  just  closed  his  expedition  on  the  central  overland 
route.  We  spent  a  day  together  in  comparing  notes.  Captain 
Crawford  did  not  hesitate  to  congratulate  me  on  having  discovered 
a  most  desirable  route,  and  one  that  must  soon  attract  a  larg« 
emigration  over  it.  I  am  under  obligations  to  this  gentleman  for 
courtesies  which  he  extended  to  me  while  there,  and  for  pecuniary 
fiiVor  in  my  need. 


38  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Under  dates  of  December  14  and  27,  I  am  in  receipt  of  letters 
from  very  reliable  men,  who  went  out  with  me  and  are  now  mining' 
at  "Grasshopper  diggins,"   (the  Grasshopper  being  a  small  tribu- 
tary of  the  Jefferson  fork  of  the  Missouri,  and  at  which  place  there 
are  now  about  one  thousand  (1,000)  persons,  stating  their  general 
success  beyond  all  expectations,  and  that  "claims  are  yielding  from 
fifty  dollars  ($50)  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  ($150)  per  day 
to  the  man." 

Reaching  this  city,  on  my  return,  about  the  1st  of  the  present 
month,  I  hastened  to  prepare  this  report,  which  I  now  have  the 
honor  to  submit. 

With  very  great  respect,  I  am,  sir,  your  most  obedient  servant, 

James  L,  Fisk, 
Captain  A.  Q.  M.,  Commanding  Expedition. 
General  Thomas, 

Adjutant  General  United  States  Army,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Journal  of  the  expedition  commanded  by  Captain  Jamos  L,  Fisk, 
sent  by  the  government  to  escort  emigrants  from  Fort  Abercrotn- 
bie  to  Fort  Benton,  1862. 

The  recent  and  continued  discoveries  of  gold  in  Oregon  and 
Washington  Territories  having  incited  an  extensive  emigration  to 
those  regions,  congress,  by  act  approved  January  27,  1862,  appro- 
priated the  sum  of  twenty-five  thousand  dollars  for  the  purpose 
of  affording,  to  such  as  should  wish  to  make  the  overland  trip,  a 
safe  escort  through  the  various  Indian  tribes  inhabiting  the  country 
along  the  route,  as  well  as  that  efficient  aid  which  an  emigrant  train 
cannot  fail  to  derive  from  the  organization  and  order  which  it  be- 
comes one  of  the  chief  duties  of  the  commander  of  such  an  escort 
to  secure  and  preserve. 

The  usual  route  of  emigration  westward,  across  the  plains  and 
mountains,  has  been  the  central  one  by  way  of  Fort  Laramie,  Salt 
Lake,  and  the  South  Pass ;  at  least  the  government  had  never  sent 
an  escort  for  the  protection  of  emigrants  by  what  may  be  called  the 
extreme  northern  route,  and  it  had  never  been  tried  by  them. 
In  1853  Governor  Stevens  of  Washington  Territory,  who  has  so  re- 
cently and  gloriously  fallen  in  his  country's  cause,  made  his  explor- 
ations for  a  route  for  a  Pacific  railroad,  near  the  forty-seventh  and 
forty-ninth  parallels  of  north  latitude,  from  St.  Paul  to  Puget  Sound, 
starting  from  Fort  Snelling  Minnesota,  and  passing  over  a  country 
not  before  explored  to  Fort  Union,  on  the  Missouri  river;  thence 
to  Fort  Benton,  and  through  the  mountains  into  the  valley  of  the 
Bitter  Root,  and  onward  to  the  Columbia.  Since  then  a  military 
road  has  been  laid  out  and  constructed,  under  the  supervision  of 
Lieutenant  Mullan,  between  Fort  Benton  and  Fort  Walla- Walla, 
but  that  portion  of  the  route  pursued  by  Governor  Stevens, 
lying  between  the  western  boundary  of  Minnesota  and  Fort  Union, 


STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY  31 

chosen  president,  and  Sergt.  S.  D.  Welch  of  Co.  G,  Eighth  Reg- 
iment, was  chosen  secretary. 

After  the  president  had  briefly  stated  the  object  of  the  meeting, 
on  motion  of  Lieut.  Wm.  Paist  of  Co.  H,  Eighth  Regiment,  Sergt. 
S.  V.  Carr  of  Co.  G,  Eighth  Regiment,  and  O.  P.  Gates  of  Co.  D, 
Seventh  Regiment,  were  appointed  a  committee  to  report  resolutions 
expressive  of  the  sentiments  of  the  meeting.  After  retiring,  the  com- 
mittee returned  and  reported  the  following  preamble  and  resolu- 
tions, which  were  unanimously  adopted : 

Whereas,  Lieut.  Col.  Peteler,  late  commander  of  this  post,  having 
been  ordered  to  rejoin  his  regiment  on  the  Potomac,  there  to  enter 
upon  another  field  of  usefulness ;  and. 

Whereas,  During  his  administration  at  this  post  he  has  proved 
himself  a  most  able,  energetic  and  efficient  commander,  adopting  the 
most  prompt  and  vigorous  measures  for  the  construction  of  proper 
defenses  for  the  protection  and  security  of  this  garrison  and  in 
banishing  from  this  fort  the  vice  of  intemperance,  that  fruitful 
source  of  disorder  and  insubordination,  and  inaugurating  in  its  stead 
order,  discipline  and  sobriety;  and, 

Whereas,  By  his  frankness  and  ingenuousness,  his  affability  and 
courtesy,  he  has  endeared  himself  to  his  late  command  and  secured 
its  entire  confidence,  respect  and  esteem ;  threfore 

Resolved,  That  we,  the  rank  and  file  of  the  late  command  of  Lieut. 
Col.  F.  Peteler,  at  post  Fort  Abercrombie,  on  this,  the  eve  of  his 
departure  from  this  post,  as  a  slight  token  of  our  appreciation  of 
his  eminent  worth  and  ability,  his  uniform  courtesy  and  kindness, 
do  tender  him  our  earnest  regards  for  his  future  success,  prosperity 
and  happiness. 

Resolved,  That  we  shall  hail  with  a  lively  interest  any  tidings  of 
the  success  of  our  late  commander  in  his  new  field  of  operations 
against  the  assassins  who  have  conspired  to  destroy  our  nationality, 
and  with  it  those  free  institutions  of  which  we  are  so  justly  proud; 
and  we  hope  at  an  early  day  to  greet  him  as  one  of  the  happy  instru- 
ments in  the  restoration  of  law  and  order,  peace  and  national  pros- 
perity.. 

Resolved,  That  a  copy  of  these  resolutions  be  presented  to  Lieut. 
Col.  Peteler. 

Resolved,  That  the  proceedings  of  this  meeting  be  sent  to  all  the 
papers  circulating  in  our  companies. 

Lieut.  Wm.  Paist. 
Sergt.  Carr. 
O.  P.  Gates. 
Committee  on  Resolutions. 

Short  speeches  were  delivered  by  Lieut.  Paist,  Sergt.  Smith, 
Sergt.  Carr,  O.  F.  Gates  and  C.  L.  Blair,  after  which  the  meeting 
adjourned  with  three  hearty  cheers  for  Lieut.  Col.  Peteler.^ 

J.  H.  Smith^  President. 

S.  D.  Welch,  Secretary. 


*St.   Cloud   Democrat,    May   28,   18C3. 


40  STATK   JTISTORTCAL  SOCIETY 


Paul  to  his  arrival  at  Walla-Walla,  and,  indeed,  until  he    reached  ' 

New  York  on  his  homeward  trip.  Such  a  journal  is  necessarily 
voluminous,  and  as,  from  the  nature  of  the  expedition,  it  could  not 
partake  of  the  character  of  a  scientific  exploration,  its  daily  marches 
and  events  in  detail,  although  full  of  interest  to  those  who  partici- 
pated in  them,  would  be  of  little  interest  to  others  and  irrelevant 
to  the  purpose  of  this  report,  namely:  to  indicate  the  g-eneral 
character  of  the  route  traveled,  its  advantages  and  disadvantagfes 
for  emigration,  and  the  degree  of  success  which  has  attended  this 
expedition.  This  will,  I  think,  be  as  well  accomplished  by  the  fol- 
lowing condensed  summary  of  my  journal  as  if  the  whole  should 
be  given  in  CA'tenso. 

DEPARTURE  FROM    ST.    PAUL — ARRIVAL   AT   FORT   ABERCROMBIEL 

A  few  days  in  St.  Paul  sufficed  to  complete  the  necessary  prep- 
arations for  starting,  and  on  the  IGth  of  June  Captain  Fisk,  having' 
received  his  instructions  from  Washington  on  or  about  the  last  day 
of  May,  our  small  supply  and  baggage  train,  consisting  of  three 
4-ox  teams,  one  2-mule  team,  and  one  2-horse  team,  set  out  from 
there  for  Fort  Abercrombie,  which  is  situated  on  the  west  bank  of 
the   Red   River   of  the   North,   about   two  hundred   and  fifty-five 
(255)  miles  northwest  from  St.  Paul.    Meanwhile  notice  had  been 
given  for  those  wishing  to  join  the  train  to  rendezvous  at  that  post 
by  the  first  of  July,  and  when  we  arrived  there  on  the  third  (3d) 
of  that  month,  we  found  quite  a  party  of  emigrants  awaiting  us, 
while  letters  from  others  stated  that  they  were  on  the  w^ay.     We 
formed  a  camp  near  the  fort  to  wait  for  those  who  had  started  to 
join  us  and  to  make  the  final  preparations  which  the  long  journey 
before  us  rendered  necessarv ;  and  for  valuable  assistance  in  this 
respect,  as  well  as  for  every  courtesy  and  kindness  in  their  power 
to  render,  we  were  indebted  to  Captain  Vanderhorck,  commander 
of  the  post,  Dr.  E.  E.  Braun,  post  surgeon,  and  Lieutenant  Groetsch, 
quartermaster. 

CELEBRATION    OF   THE    FOURTH    OF    JULY. 

We  here  had  the  pleasure  of  joining  the  officers  and  soldiers 
of  the  fort  and  the  settkTS  of  that  neighborhood  in  an  appropriate 
celebration  of  the  anniversary  of  our  national  independence,  before 
starting  on  our  long  journey,  the  greatest  deprivation  of  which 
was  to  be  the  suspense  under  which  we  must  remain  for  months 
as  to  the  progress  of  our  arms  in  crushing  the  rebellion  that  would 
undo  the  great  act  of  ('TO)  seventy-six. 

FEARS  OF  EMIGRANTS. 

A  day  or  two  before  we  got  ready  to  depart  the  emigrants  ex- 
pressed fears  of  the  dangers  which  we  might  encounter  in  taking 
the  n'ost  direct  route  from  P^ort  Abercrombie  to  Fort  Union,  on  ac- 


STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY  31 

chosen  president,  and  Sergt.  S.  D.  Welch  of  Co.  G,  Eighth  Reg- 
iment, was  chosen  secretary. 

After  the  president  had  briefly  stated  the  object  of  the  meeting, 
on  motion  of  Lieut.  Wm.  Paist  of  Co.  H,  Eighth  Regiment,  Sergt. 
S.  V.  Carr  of  Co.  G,  Eighth  Regiment,  and  O.  P.  Gates  of  Co.  D, 
Seventh  Regiment,  were  appointed  a  committee  to  report  resolutions 
expressive  of  the  sentiments  of  the  meeting.  After  retiring,  the  com- 
mittee returned  and  reported  the  following  preamble  and  resolu- 
tions, which  were  unanimously  adopted : 

Whereas,  Lieut.  Col.  Peteler,  late  commander  of  this  post,  having 
been  ordered  to  rejoin  his  regiment  on  the  Potomac,  there  to  enter 
upon  another  field  of  usefulness ;  and, 

Whereas,  During  his  administration  at  this  post  he  has  proved 
himself  a  most  able,  energetic  and  efficient  commander,  adopting  the 
most  prompt  and  vigorous  measures  for  the  construction  of  proper 
defenses  for  the  protection  and  security  of  this  garrison  and  in 
banishing  from  this  fort  the  vice  of  intemperance,  that  fruitful 
source  of  disorder  and  insubordination,  and  inaugurating  in  its  stead 
order,  discipline  and  sobriety;  and. 

Whereas,  By  his  frankness  and  ingenuousness,  his  affability  and 
courtesy,  he  has  endeared  himself  to  his  late  command  and  secured 
its  entire  confidence,  respect  and  esteem ;  threfore 

Resolved,  That  we,  the  rank  and  file  of  the  late  command  of  Lieut. 
Col.  F.  Peteler,  at  post  Fort  Abercrombie,  on  this,  the  eve  of  his 
departure  from  this  post,  as  a  slight  token  of  our  appreciation  of 
his  eminent  worth  and  ability,  his  uniform  courtesy  and  kindness, 
do  tender  him  our  earnest  regards  for  his  future  success,  prosperity 
and  happiness. 

Resolved,  That  we  shall  hail  with  a  lively  interest  any  tidings  of 
the  success  of  our  late  commander  in  his  new  field  of  operations 
against  the  assassins  who  have  conspired  to  destroy  our  nationality, 
and  with  it  those  free  institutions  of  which  we  are  so  justly  proud; 
and  we  hope  at  an  early  day  to  greet  him  as  one  of  the  happy  instru- 
ments in  the  restoration  of  law  and  order,  peace  and  national  pros- 
perity, 

Resolved,  That  a  copy  of  these  resolutions  be  presented  to  Lieut. 
Col.  Peteler. 

Resolved,  That  the  proceedings  of  this  meeting  be  sent  to  all  the 
papers  circulating  in  our  companies. 

Lieut.  Wm.  Paist. 
Sergt.  Carr. 
O.  P.  Gates. 
Committee  on  Resolutions. 

Short  speeches  were  delivered  by  Lieut.  Paist,  Sergt.  Smith, 
Sergt.  Carr,  O.  F.  Gates  and  C.  L.  Blair,  after  which  the  meeting 
adjourned  with  three  hearty  cheers  for  Lieut.  Col.  Peteler.^ 

J.  H.  Smith^  President. 

S.  D.  Welch,  Secretary. 


*St.   Cloud   Democrat,   May   28,   1803. 


42  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

party  opened  a  spring  about  half  way  down  the  bank  of  the  river, 
which  affords  almost  ice-cold  water.  The  Shaycnne  at  this  point, 
which  was  selected  for  crossing,  is  well-timbered  with  a  thick 
growth  of  basswood,  poplar  and  oak,  flows  northwestwardly  into 
the  Red  river,  has  a  swift  current,  deep,  steep  banks,  and  is  about 
seventy-five  (75)  feet  wide  and  six  (G)  or  eight  (8)  feet  deep. 

FIRST  CROSSING  OF  SHAYENNE  RIVER. 

Wednesday,  July  9. — Early  this  morning  escorts  and  emigrants 
were  at  work  felling  and  hauling  trees  for  the  construction  of  a 
bridge.  Many  of  them  were  Minnesota  lumbermen,  and  could  not 
be  more  in  their  element  than  when  it  became  necessary  to  swim 
the  stream  and  float  logs  across.  Some  of  them  jumped  in  and 
stemmed  the  swift  current  with  their  clothes  on,  even  to  their  hats 
and  with  their  pipes  in  their  mouths,  as  though  it  were  but  a  pas- 
time for  them.  Considerable  digging  was  necessary  to  render  the 
descent  and  ascent  practicable  for  loaded  wagons,  but  this  was  soon 
accomplished,  for  the  axe  and  the  spade  were  both  handled  like 
playthings  by  such  pioneers  as  our  train  was  principally  composed 
of.  The  members  of  the  escort  were  of  the  same  class  as  the  emi- 
grants, and  were,  indeed,  almost  entirely  enlisted  from  among 
them,  but  such  of  them  only  were  taken  as  had  no  families  or  wag- 
ons requiring  their  attention,  in  case  they  were  needed  for  other  du- 
ties. 

A  bridge  was  constructed  by  two  o'clock  by  throwing  across  the 
stream  three  heavy  stringers,  and  then  making  a  roadbed  of  logs, 
and  all  our  train  was  safely  over  by  four.  For  a  mile  and  a  half  on 
the  other  side  our  route  was  through  thick  timber,  among  which  we 
wound  our  way  with  as  little  felling  of  trees  as  possible.  Beyond 
this  timber  opens  again  a  broad  level  prairie,  on  the  edge  of  which 
we  found  a  camping  place  equally  as  fine  as  that  of  last  night,  for 
the  river  bends  so  abruptly  towards  the  west,  just  below  our  point 
of  crossing,  as  to  again  flow  close  to  our  camp.  Our  train  now 
consisted  of  one  hundred  and  seventeen  (117)  men  and  thirteen 
(13)  women,  one  hundred  and  sixty-eight  (168)  oxen,  eight  (8) 
mules,  fourteen  (14)  team  horses,  thirteen  (13)  saddle  horses, 
seventeen  (17)  cows,  with  the  inevitable  camp  accompaniment  of 
dogs  too  numerous  to  mention.  At  night  we  shut  our  cattle  in  a 
corral  formed  of  our  wagons,  picket  our  horses  and  mules  close  to 
camp,  and  have  four  men  on  guard,  with  two  reliefs,  the  captain 
and  his  assistants  acting  in  turn  as  sergeants  of  the  guard.  This 
precaution  against  surprise  or  horse  stealing  on  the  part  of  the  In- 
dians, who  are  liable  to  be  in  the  vicinity  at  any  time,  and  who, 
though  they  may  profess  ever  so  much  friendship  for  the  white 
man,  will  not  allow  an  opportunity  to  steal  our  stock  pass  unim- 
proved, cannot  safely  be  relaxed  until  we  reach  Fort  Benton, 
and  will  be  increased  should  there  be  special  reasons  for  it.    The 


STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY  31 

chosen  president,  and  Sergt.  S.  D.  Welch  of  Co.  G,  Eighth  Reg- 
iment, was  chosen  secretary. 

After  the  president  had  briefly  stated  the  object  of  the  meeting, 
on  motion  of  Lieut.  Wm.  Paist  of  Co.  H,  Eighth  Regiment,  Sergt. 
S.  V.  Carr  of  Co.  G,  Eighth  Regiment,  and  O.  P.  Gates  of  Co.  D, 
Seventh  Regiment,  were  appointed  a  committee  to  report  resolutions 
expressive  of  the  sentiments  of  the  meeting.  After  retiring,  the  com- 
mittee returned  and  reported  the  following  preamble  and  resolu- 
tions, which  were  unanimously  adopted : 

Whereas,  Lieut.  Col.  Peteler,  late  commander  of  this  post,  having 
been  ordered  to  rejoin  his  regiment  on  the  Potomac,  there  to  enter 
upon  another  field  of  usefulness ;  and, 

Whereas,  During  his  administration  at  this  post  he  has  proved 
himself  a  most  able,  energetic  and  efficient  commander,  adopting  the 
most  prompt  and  vigorous  measures  for  the  construction  of  proper 
defenses  for  the  protection  and  security  of  this  garrison  and  in 
banishing  from  this  fort  the  vice  of  intemperance,  that  fruitful 
source  of  disorder  and  insubordination,  and  inaugurating  in  its  stead 
order,  discipline  and  sobriety;  and. 

Whereas,  By  his  frankness  and  ingenuousness,  his  affability  and 
courtesy,  he  has  endeared  himself  to  his  late  command  and  secured 
its  entire  confidence,  respect  and  esteem ;  threfore 

Resolved,  That  we,  the  rank  and  file  of  the  late  command  of  Lieut. 
Col.  F.  Peteler,  at  post  Fort  Abercrombie,  on  this,  the  eve  of  his 
departure  from  this  post,  as  a  slight  token  of  our  appreciation  of 
his  eminent  worth  and  ability,  his  uniform  courtesy  and  kindness, 
do  tender  him  our  earnest  regards  for  his  future  success,  prosperity 
and  happiness. 

Resolved,  That  we  shall  hail  with  a  lively  interest  any  tidings  of 
the  success  of  our  late  commander  in  his  new  field  of  operations 
against  the  assassins  who  have  conspired  to  destroy  our  nationality, 
and  with  it  those  free  institutions  of  which  we  are  so  justly  proud; 
and  we  hope  at  an  early  day  to  greet  him  as  one  of  the  happy  instru- 
ments in  the  restoration  of  law  and  order,  peace  and  national  pros- 
perity. 

Resolved,  That  a  copy  of  these  resolutions  be  presented  to  Lieut. 
Col.  Peteler. 

Resolved,  That  the  proceedings  of  this  meeting  be  sent  to  all  the 
papers  circulating  in  our  companies. 

Lieut.  Wm.  Paist. 
Sergt.  Carr. 
O.  P.  Gates. 
Committee  on  Resolutions. 

Short  speeches  were  delivered  by  Lieut.  Paist,  Sergt.  Smith, 
Sergt.  Carr,  O.  F.  Gates  and  C.  L.  Blair,  after  which  the  meeting 
adjourned  with  three  hearty  cheers  for  Lieut.  Col.  Peteler.^ 

J.  H.  Smith,  President. 

S.  D.  Welch,  Secretary. 


*St.   Cloud   Democrat,   May   28,   18C3. 


44  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

proached  within  half  a  mile,  started  off,  as  is  their  custom,  against 
the  wind,  at  a  speed  which  required  a  good  horse  to  overcome. 

THE  FIRST  CHASE. 

But  their  pursuers  soon  began  to  gain  upon  them,  and  they 
showed  signs  of  flagging  after  a  chase  of  three  or  four  miles.  Then 
Bottineau,  mounted  on  a  trained  buffalo  hunter  from  Pembina, 
put  spurs  to  his  good  Major,  and  a  few  minutes  of  his  best  speed 
brought  him  along  the  right  side  of  the  object  of  his  pursuit,  when 
he  leveled  his  piece  as  quick  as  thought,  and,  having  sent  a  ball 
mto  the  region  of  the  heart,  wheeled  off  to  a  respectful  distance 
lo  avoid  the  desperate  lunge  which  a  wounded  buffalo  bull  seldom 
fails  to  inake.  So  close  was  Bottineau  when  he  shot,  probably 
within  a  dozen  feet,  that  he  had  not  failed  to  send  the  ball  to  the 
fatal  spot,  just  behind  the  shoulder.  The  huge  and  maddened 
monster,  weighing  about  eighteen  hundred  (1,800)  pounds,  shook 
his  shaggy  head,  crowned  with  horns  of  most  formidable  strength, 
stood  at  bay,  his  eyes  darting  savage  and  defiant  looks  at  his  human 
foe,  but  soon  the  blood  began  to  spout  from  his  mouth  and  to 
choke  him  as  it  came. 

Bottineau  did  not  shoot  again,  but  waited  patiently  until  his  vic- 
tim grew  weak  from  loss  of  blood,  staggered,  fell  upon  his  knees, 
made  one  desperate  effort  to  regain  his  feet  and  get  at  his  slayer, 
then  fell  once  more  upon  his  knees,  rolled  over  on  his  side  and  died. 
All  this  took  but  a  few  minutes,  and  then  they  started  in  pursuit  of 
another  buffalo  which  had  become  separated  from  the  other  three; 
and  Captain  Fisk,  profiting  by  the  example  he  had  just  witnessed, 
soon  brought  down  his  victim,  which  would  probably  weigh 
(1,400)  pounds,  and  was  younger  and  tenderer  that  the  first. 
Dr.  Dibb  meanwhile  had  started  in  pursuit  of  another  of  the  four 
which  had  at  first  been  together,  and,  after  a  chase  of  many  miles, 
his  horse  being  untrained  and  frightened  whenever  urged  to  ap- 
proach near  to  his  game,  he  returned  to  camp  late  at  night  with  the 
bushy  tail  tip,  which  is  the  usual  trophy  shown  as  evidence  of  suc- 
cess in  the  buffalo  chase.  After  our  train  had  camped  near  a  pond 
•where  good  grass  and  water  (but  no  wood)  were  at  hand,  fifteen 
and  a  half  (15  1-2)  miles  from  last  camp,  two  wagons  were  dis- 
patched to  bring  in  as  much  of  the  two  buffaloes  first  killed  as 
would  feast  our  whole  train  for  a  couple  of  days  at  least.  From  this 
tmie  until  our  arrival  at  the  last  crossing  of  Milk  river,  within 
a  few  days  of  Fort  Benton,  we  saw  herds  of  buffalo  along  our  route 
almost  every  day,  and  our  table  was  scarcely  a  day  without  an 
abundance  of  fresh  buffalo  meat,  which  was  preferred  by  nearly 
all  of  us  even  to  the  deer  and  antelope,  which,  especially  the  latter, 
were  quite  abundant  along  a  considerable  portion  of  our  journey 
cast  of  the  mountains.  Our  cuisine  along  this  part  of  our  journey 
almost   constantly   included   wild   ducks,   geese,   and   several   other 


STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY  45 

varieties  of  the  feathered  tribes  which  inhabit  the  numerous  small 
lakes,  heretofore  so  undisturbed  in  their  solitude  by  our  aggressive 
race. 

THE  SABBATH. 

July  13  being  Sunday,  we  remained  in  camp.  Captain  Fisk  having 
decided  not  to  travel  on  Sundays  unless  in  case  of  extreme  urgen- 
cy, in  which  decision  there  appeared  to  be  a  unanimous  concurrence 
on  the  part  of  the  emigrants:  and  it  was  also  generally  desired 
and  understood  that  on  these  days  we  should  have  religious  services 
in  camp.  In  accordance  with  this  desire  and  understanding,  the 
members  of  the  train  gathered  at  headquarters  in  the  morning  and 
joined  in  observing  the  day  according  to  the  Episcopal  form  of 
worship,  Mr.  Langford,  though  a  layman,  officiating  in  lieu  of  a 
clergyman.  It  was  resolved  to  continue  this  becoming  observance 
of  the  day  during  the  whole  of  our  journey,  and  the  resolution  was 
made  good,  except  on  one  or  two  Sundays  when  peculiar  circum- 
stances prevented. 

A  LANDMARK,  BUFFALO,  ETC. 

July  14  we  broke  camp  at  half  past  six  (G  1-2)  o'clock,  the  day 
being  cool,  cloudy  and  favorable  for  traveling.  Our  route  lay  over 
rolling  prairie,  interspersed  with  extensive  tracts  of  marsh,  which, 
however,  we  easily  avoided  crossing.  In  five  or  six  miles  we  came 
to  a  high,  broken  ridge,  stretching  nearly  in  a  north  and  south  di- 
rection, with  a  prominent  peak  just  at  the  right  of  our  course, 
which  several  of  our  party  ascended,  and  which  we  called  Bottineau 
Butte,  or  "Mount  Bottineau,"  after  our  guide,  who  hailed  it  as  a 
landmark  which  he  well  recollected.  As  we  ascended  this  ridge  we 
came  in  sight  of  large  herds  of  buffalo,  quietly  feeding  upon  the 
bunch  or  buffalo  grass,  which  they  prefer  to  all  other  kinds.  These 
animals  are  short-sighted,  and  scent  the  approach  of  an  enemy  be- 
fore they  can  see  him,  and  then  in  their  curiosity  often  start  to  meet 
him,  until  they  approach  near  enough  to  ascertain  to  their  satisfac- 
tion whether  there  be  danger  in  a  closer  acquaintance.  In  our  case 
they  decided  this  question  in  the  affirmative,  and,  when  they  had 
once  fairly  made  us  out,  lost  no  time  in  increasing  the  distance 
between  us,  starting  on  a  slow,  clumsy  trot,  which  soon  quickened 
to  a  gait  that  generally  left  most  pursuers  far  in  the  rear.  We  prob- 
ably saw  as  many  as  five  thousand  (5,000)  today,  which  was  a  small 
number  according  to  our  subsequent  experience. 

SECOND  CROSSING  OF  THE  SHAVENNE, 

From  this  ridge  we  descended  to  a  low  plain,  abounding  in  saline 
and  fresh  water  lakes  and  patches  of  marsh,  and  at  twenty  and  a 
half  (20  1-2)  miles  from  last  night^s  camp  arrived  again  at  the 
Shayenne,  which  we  crossed,  and  then  made  our  camp  upon  its  west 


46  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

bank.  This  river  is  here  about  seventy  (70)  feet  wide  and  two  (2) 
feet  deep,  with  good,  gravelly  bottom,  and  is  easily  approached  and 
forded.  Its  banks  are  well  timbered,  and  a  finer  camping  place 
could  not  be  desired  than  that  which  we  selected  on  the  edge  of  the 
timber,  with  excellent  wood,  water,  and  grass  in  abundance.  Back 
from  our  camp  some  half  a  mile  the  bluffs  rose  to  the  height  of  three 
hundred  (300)  or  four  hundred  (400)  feet,  and  looked  a  formidable 
barrier  to  our  progress  on  the  morrow,  but  we  easily  found  a  cir- 
cuitous pathway  to  the  high  plateau  above,  which  our  wagons  were 
able  to  pursue  with  only  slight  difficulty.  We  here  took  on  wood  for 
two  days,  as  there  is  none  between  Shayenne  and  Lake  Jessie. 

A   WEDDING. 

At  this  camp  occurred  an  incident  which  served  to  break  the  mo- 
notony of  camp  life,  and  to  consecrate  the  spot  in  the  memories  of 
at  least  two  of  our  party  of  emigrants.  A  young  couple  had  been 
observed,  early  in  our  journey,  to  evince  a  strong  and  j^owing  af- 
fection for  each  other,  and,  with  the  consent  of  the  young  lady's 
relatives,  who  were  in  the  train,  determined  to  celebrate  their  nup- 
tials with  all  the  forms  and  solemnities  that  the  absence  of  munici- 
pal organization  would  permit.  So  after  the  evening  meal,  with  the 
moon  shedding  a  bright,  chaste  light  over  the  scene,  the  young 
couple,  in  the  presence  of  all  the  members  of  our  train,  pledged  their 
troth  to  live  together  as  husband  and  wife  "until  death  should  tliem 
part,"  and  the  forms  of  the  Episcopal  marriage  service,  which  were 
read  by  one  of  our  party,  were  used  upon  the  occasion.  The  congra- 
tulations and  good  wishes  of  friends  followed,  and  then  a  dance  upon 
the  green  sward  to  the  music  of  violin  closed  the  ceremony  of  this 
wedding  on  the  plains. 

LAKE  JESSIE. 

From  this  point  to  Lake  Jessie,  a  distance  of  thirty-three  and  a 
half  (33  1-2)  miles,  our  route  lay  over  a  rolling,  somewhat  broken 
prairie,  interspersed  with  small  lakes  and  marshy  tracts  of  land, 
the  latter  being  more  extensive  as  we  approached  the  lake,  render- 
ing it  necessary  for  our  guide  to  ride  ahead  and  select  a  passage  for 
our  wagons.  Arriving  at  Lake  Jessie,  we  camped  between  that 
lake  and  one-half  a  mile  to  the  south,  about  a  mile  in  diameter, 
which  Captain  Fisk  named  Lake  Lydia,  in  honor  of  his  wife.  Lake 
Jessie  is  a  beautiful  sheet  of  water,  five  or  six  miles  in  circumfer- 
ence, surrounded  by  a  belt  of  timber.  Its  waters,  as  also  those  of 
Lake  Lydia,  are  strongly  impregnated  with  salt;  but  we  discovered 
a  spring  a  little  less  than  a  mile  to  the  westward,  which,  after  being 
improved  by  a  few  moments*  digging,  yielded  us  pure  cold  water  for 
culinary  purposes.  We  saw,  on  a  high  bluff  clear  of  timber,  on  the 
east  shore  of  the  lake,  half  a  mile  from  our  camp,  some  few  traces 
of  the  camp  of  Governor  Stevens,  in  1853,  the  first  which  we  have 


STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY  47 

observed  on  our  route.  The  grass  is  very  abundant  here,  and  is 
fresh  in  consequence  of  gentle  showers  which  we  have  recently  had. 
We  saw  large  herds  of  buffalo  after  leaving  the  Shayenne,  and 
selected  a  fat  cow  for  our  larder,  and  our  experience  of  the  su- 
periority of  this  meat  over  the  buffalo  bull  will  prove  the  death  war- 
rant of  many  of  the  former  and  further  lease  of  life  to  many  of  the 
latter.  At  Lake  Jessie  we  took  on  wood  for  several  days  and  filled 
our  casks  with  water  from  the  spring,  as  we  expected  the  water  for 
some  distance  ahead  to  be  brackish  and  unpalatable.  We  named  our 
camp  at  Lake  Jessie  "Camp  Aldrich,"  in  honor  of  one  of  Minne- 
sota's representatives  in  congress.  The  next  two  days'  travel  of 
thirty-one  and  a  half  (31  1-2)  miles  was  over  a  rolHng  prairie,  in- 
tersected by  lakes  and  sloughs,  the  higher  ground  showing  signs 
of  drought,  which  compelled  us  to  seek  grass  for  our  stock  on  the 
lowest  land.  At  twenty-one  and  a  half  (21  1-2)  miles  from  Lake 
Jessie  we  came  to  a  very  beautiful  lake,  almost  perfectly  round, 
and  some  mile  and  a  half  in  diameter,  with  clear  water,  and  low, 
white  sandy  beach,  and  Captain  Fisk  named  it  ''Lake  Townsend/' 
in  honor  of  the  assistant  adjutant  general  of  the  United  States. 
We  tarried  on  the  shore  of  this  lake  to  lunch  and  graze  our  stock, 
and  then  made  ten  (10)  miles  more  before  making  camp,  on  the 
18th  of  July,  at  «  spot  which  Bottineau  says  is  live  miles  north  of 
the  route  of  Governor  Stevens,  on  July  13,  1853. 

HEAD  OF  RIVER  JACQUES. 

July  19. — Breaking  camp  at  half  past  six,  we  pursued  a  course 
a  few  degrees  north  of  west,  over  dry  prairie,  with  occasional  ponds, 
and  at  10  1-2  o'clock  struck  the  James  river,  which  pursues  a  gen- 
eral southeast  course  and  empties  into  the  Missouri,  we  having 
passed  the  divide  between  the  headwaters  of  the  tributaries  of  the 
Red  River  of  the  North  and  those  of  the  Missouri,  so  far  as  those 
tributaries  have  their  rise  east  of  the  great  Coteau  du  Missouri. 

The  James  river  is  devoid  of  timber  or  brush ;  has  now  very  little 
current,  and  seems  but  a  series  of  small,  narrow  ponds  of  water, 
communicating  with  each  other.  The  neighboring  country,  except 
in  the  hollows,  is  considerably  dry  and  parched  by  the  drought. 
The  day  has  been  exceedingly  hot,  and  we  stopped  an  hour  at  this 
point  to  allow  our  stock  to  graze  and  refresh  themselves  with  the 
waters  of  the  James  river.  Our  course  during  the  rest  of  the  day 
was  over  a  dry  and  rolling  country,  and  at  night  we  camped  by  a 
lake,  with  good  grass  and  passable  water,  having  made  nineteen 
(19)  miles. 

We  did  not  take  on  wood  enough  at  Lake  Jessie  to  last  us  until 
we  find  timber  again,  which  will  be  at  "Bass  Wood  Island,"  a  high 
plateau  surrounded  by  level  prairie — not  water — which  has  small 
clumps  of  trees  in  the  ravines  which  lead  irp  to  it,  and  which  is  about 
forty  miles  west  of  our  camp  tonight.     But  wood  is  not  essential 


48  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

for  camping  purposes  so  long  as  the  substitute  in  the  form  of  buflFalo 
chips  (dried  manure)  remains  as  plentiful  as  at  present.  All  alon^ 
our  route,  for  the  last  three  or  four  days,  this  species  of  fuel  has  cov- 
ered the  ground  in  such  abundance  that  more  than  five  minutes' 
time  was  never  required  to  collect  a  sufficient  quantity  for  the  use 
of  our  whole  train  for  camping  purposes.  It  burns  very  much  like 
peat ;  lights  easily,  and  answers  so  well  the  purpose  of  wood  that  we 
used  it  for  many  days  rather  than  load  our  wagons  more  heavily 
by  carrying  wood  along  with  us. 

July  20. — This  being  Sunday,  we  remained  in  camp.  In  the 
forenoon  we  had  heavy  showers  of  rain,  accompanied  by  thunder 
and  lightning,  and  by  such  a  gale  of  wind  as  to  keep  us  in  trepida- 
tion lest  our  tents  should  blow  down ;  but,  by  dint  of  constant  watch- 
fulness and  care,  escaped  such  accident.  In  the  afternoon  religious 
services  were  held  at  our  headquarters  and  well  attended. 

July  21. — Our  route  today  has  been  over  rolling  prairie,  thickly 
intersected  by  small  ponds  and  sloughs.  At  noon  we  lunched  and 
grazed  our  stock  at  a  beautiful  lake,  but  whose  waters  were  saline 
and  unpalatable.  Just  as  our  train  got  under  way  after  lunch  we 
saw  a  herd  of  four  thousand  (4.000)  or  five  thousand  (5,000)  buf- 
falo coming  at  a  run  directly  towards  the  lake  by  which  we  were 
driving.  Three  or  four  of  us  rode  out  towards  them,  and  turning 
them  a  little  from  their  course  they  undertook  to  cross  our  path^ 
at  right  angles,  less  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  ahead  of  our  train. 
At  full  speed  they  hurried  on,  crowding  eadi  other  in  their  headlong 
career,  raising  a  huge  cloud  of  dust,  and  causing  the  solid  earth  to 
resound  under  their  feet.  This  huge  mass  of  flesh  was  now  between 
us  and  a  large  lake  not  more  than  two  hundred  (200)  feet  beyond. 

UNHORSED. 

Just  at  this  time  Bottineau  gave  rein  to  his  good  horse,  Major, 
riding  at  full  speed  directly  at  the  left  flank  of  the  herd,  which,  at 
his  approach,  gradually  gave  ground,  edging  off  towards  the  lake, 
until  those  nearest  to  it  were  splashing  through  its  shallow  waters. 
He  designed  killing  a  cow  in  sight  of  the  train — some  of  our  party 
not  yet  having  seen  a  buflfalo  killed — ^but  just  as  he  had  selected  as 
his  victim  the  fattest  cow  which  he  could  see,  and  was  in  the  act  of 
raising  his  gun  to  shoot,  his  horse  stepped  with  both  fore-feet  into 
a  wolf-hole  on  the  side  of  a  steep  pitch  which  he  was  descending, 
and  fell  headlong  upon  the  top  of  his  rider.  I  was  at  the  moment 
riding  close  to  Bottineau,  and  an  instant  after  his  fall  the  same 
mishap  bcfel  me;  but  I  escaped  without  the  same  injury.  Bottineau 
was  insensible  for  some  time  after  his  fall,  and  we  feared  he  might 
be  seriously  injured.  We  placed  him  in  our  flag  wagon,  and  he 
suflfered  severely  from  his  fall  for  several  days,  but  w^s  able  to  ride 
his  horse  and  perform  his  duties  as  guide  the  next  day  after  the 
accident.     Such   falls   are  not  unfrequent  among  the   Red   River 


STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY  .  49 


hunters,  as  the  ground  is  often  full  of  badger,  fox,  and  wolf  holes, 
and  sometimes  these  falls  occur  while  riding  in  the  very  midst  of 
a  large  herd  of  buffalo,  where  it  is  almost  impossible  to  escape  being 
tramped  on  and  killed. 

BUTTE  DE  MORALE. 

July  22. — At  noon  today  we  arrived  at  the  base  of  the  Butte  de 
Morale,  a  high  hill  rising  out  of  a  comparatively  level  prairie  around 
it,  and  which  is  a  well-known  landmark  to  Indians  and  Red  river 
hunters,  and  derives  its  name  from  the  fact  that  a  halfbreed 
by  the  name  of  Morale  was  killed  in  this  neighborhood  by  a  Sioux. 
Just  as  we  approached  this  hill  we  saw  tracks  of  the  Red  River 
train,  which  had  probably  passed  within  two  weeks.  There  were 
four  distinct  trails,  running  parallel  to  each  other,  and  but  a  rod  or 
two  apart.  These  hunters  make  these  excursions  in  very  large  par- 
ties, and  divide  their  trains  into  this  number  of  lines  in  order  to 
keep  closer  together,  and  to  form  themselves  more  quickly  into  a 
camp  for  defense  in  case  of  an  attack  by  the  Indians. 

THE  HUNT. 

They  make  two  hunts  every  year,  a  spring  hunt  for  the  purpose 
of  obtaining  meat,  and  a  fall  hunt  for  buffalo  robes,  which  are  then 
thick  and  warm,  while  in  the  spring  the  hair  is  all  shed,  except  on 
the  head  and  shoulders.  They  start  from  Pembina  for  the  spring 
hunt  about  the  middle  of  June,  in  trains  comprising  sometimes  as 
many  as  three  thousand  (3,000)  carts,  taking  their  wives  and  chil- 
dren with  them  to  assist  in  preparing  the  pemmican,  which  is  to 
serve  for  their  principal  food  during  the  rest  of  the  year,  and  each 
hunter  having  at  least  one  horse  which  he  keeps  fresh  until  they 
arrive  in  the  buffalo  region.  They  cross  the  country  to  the  Mis- 
souri river,  and  then  return.  An  ox  is  harnessed  into  each  cart, 
which  is  made  in  the  most  rude  but  solid  manner,  without  tires  or 
a  particle  of  iron  in  its  composition.  In  this  spring  hunt  the  meat  is 
drie^l,  pounded  up  with  all  the  fat  and  tallow  in  it,  and  then  sewed 
up  in  the  skins,  which  are  afterwards  used  and  dressed  for  tent 
or  lodge  skins,  moccasins,  &c.  A  Red  River  hunter  who  was  wnth 
the  train  which  had  passed  the  Butte  de  Morale,  and  whom  I  after- 
wards saw,  told  me  that  this  vear  they  killed  on  one  afternoon  out 
of  one  herd  near  this  butte  eleven  hundred  (1,100)  buffalo.  The 
fall  hunt  starts  about  the  middle  of  October,  and  then  the  robes  are 
the  principal  object.  Formerly  the  Hudson  Bay  company  sent  its 
hunters  into  this  region,  as  into  the  northern  part  of  our  territory 
further  west,  but  I  do  not  think  it  does  so  now,  as  the  hunters  in 
the  northern  part  of  Minnesota  now  carry  on  an  extensive  business 
in  this  line  on  their  own  hook,  carrying  their  robes  and  some  of 
their  pemmican  to  St.  Paul,  where  they  find  plenty  of  competition 
for  their  purchase. 

Historical — 4 


50    •  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

THE  NEW  PASS. 

After  passing  Butte  de  Morale  the  prairie  became  more  level  than 
for  some  days  previous,  until  we  came  to  a  sudden  rise  of  land 
stretching  to  the  northwest  and  southeast,  and  looking  like  a  serious 
obstacle  to  our  further  progress,  which  Bottineau  says  is  a  portion 
of  the  Coteau  des  Prairies.  As  we  approached  this  elevation,  which 
in  the  distance  looked  like  a  shore  to  the  ocean  of  prairie  over 
which   we   were  traveling,   we   discovered   a   good   and  easy  pass 
leading  into  or  rather  through  it.    Entering  this  pass  through  high 
peaks  on  either  hand,  the  road  was  smooth  and  excellent,  althougli 
in  the  wet  season  it  would  perhaps  be  too  soft  and  marshy  to  admit 
the  passage  of  heavily  loaded  wagons.    The  pass  led  us  to  what  I 
have  alluded  to  as  Bass  Wood  island,  and  we  found  a  small  growth 
of  timber  in  the  coulees  leading  into  the  pass,  the  first  wood  which 
we  have  seen  since  leaving  Lake  Jessie.     Bottineau  says  that  Gov- 
ernor Stevens  did  not  discover  this  pass,  but  took  a  route  of  consid- 
erable difficulty  through  this  high  broken  region  a  few  miles  to  the 
south  of  it.    We  pursued  a  westerly  direction  up  this  pass  for  three 
miles,  and  made  our  camp  near  a  lake  which  afforded  passable  water 
and  good  wood  and  grass,  calling  our  camp  "Camp  Lincoln."    As 
our  train  was  entering  this  pass  I  climbed  to  the  top  of  a  peak  some 
hundred  (100)  feet  high,  which  stands  just  inside  its  entrance,  and 
sat  watching  the  approach  of  the  long  line  of  wagons,  with  their 
white  tops,  resembling  vessels  in  the  distance,  and  appropriately 
called,   "prairie  schooners."     Just  then  a  slight  shower  occurred, 
but  was  soon  succeeded  by  the  sun  and  a  rainbow  which  spanned  the 
heavens,  and  seemed  to  form  an  arch  to  this  pass  under  which  the 
train  came  slowly  along,  the  sight  was  a  beautiful  one,  and  I  gazed 
on  the  scene  until  the  last  wagon  had  passed,  and  then  I  closed  up 
the  rear. 

July  23. — This  forenoon  we  travelled  about  three  miles  in  the  pass 
in  which  we  camped  last  night,  and  then  gradually  ascended  to  a 
high  rolling  prairie,  the  lakes  along  our  route  being  strongly  saline. 
In  the  afternoon  the  country  is  more  level,  and  we  find  a  good  camp 
by  a  small  pond  at  an  early  hour,  on  account  of  several  oxen  in  our 
train  having  become  quite  lame,  having  contracted  the  hoof-ail, 
it  is  thought.  We  see  this  evening  a  large  cloud  of  smoke  rising 
some  six  or  eight  miles  to  the  southwest,  which  must  indicate  the 
presence  of  Indians  or  Red  River  hunters. 

ON   WATCH. 

Some  of  our  party  report  having  seen  four  Indians  in  the  distance 
this  afternoon,  and  it  is  decided  to  use  to-night  more  than  our  ordin- 
ary precautions  against  the  possibility  of  any  of  our  stock  being 
stolen.  I  was  sergeant  of  the  guard,  and  doubled  our  sentinels, 
placing  five  men  as  an  outer  or  picket  gitard  at  a  distance  of  two 
hundred   (200)  yards  from  camp,  while  a  guard  watched  close  to 


STATE  HLSTOKICAL  SOCIETY  51 

our  wagons  and  among  our  horses,  which  were  picketed  within 
twenty  (20)  or  thirty  (30)  feet  of  our  tents.  There  was  the  most 
beautiful  display  of  the  aurora  borealis  at  about  midnight  that  I 
ever  witnessed.  First  there  appeared  in  the  east  a  luminous  body 
much  resembling  a  large  comet,  with  the  nucleus  near  the  horizon, 
and  the  tail  in  a  direct  line  near  the  zenith.  Then  appeared  a  pre- 
cisely similar  phenomenon  in  the  west,  and  these  two  lights  kept 
gradually  approaching  each  other  until  their  tails  met  and  blended 
so  as  to  form  a  complete  arch  from  the  eastern  to  the  western  hor- 
izon, directly  across  the  zenith.  This  lasted,  without  any  material 
change,  for  near  an  hour,  when  it  began  to  grow  dim,  the  center 
passed  southward,  and  then  the  whole  disappeared. 

SERENADE  AT  CAMP  HALLECK. 

Wolves  in  large  numbers  have  for  several  nights  surrounded  our 
camp  and  kept  up  the  most  dismal  howling  and  barking,  prairie  dogs 
and  foxes  probably  joining  in  their  chorus.  Tonight  their  noise 
was  constant  and  loud — indescribably  dismal — varying  its  expression 
from  the  crying  of  human  beings  to  the  fierce  and  savage  yells  of 
the  red  man  infuriated  by  the  taste  of  blood.  This  camp  we  named 
"Halleck,"  in  honor  of  the  successful  commander  of  our  armies  in 
the  west. 

CROSS  WINTERING  RIVER. 

Jtily  24. — The  day  has  been  oppressively  hot,  and  our  stock  has 
shown  signs  of  intense  suffering,  both  on  account  of  the  heat  and 
of  their  lameness,  which  we  think  is  caused  by  the  blue  clay  through 
which  they  have  traveled  in  the  low,  marshy  land,  and  which  seems 
to  poison  their  feet.  After  traveling  five  or  six  miles  over  a  very 
uneven  country  we  came  to  Wintering  river,  a  branch  of  the  Mouse 
river,  and  found  an  unexpected  obstacle  to  our  progress.  At  a  dis- 
tance the  river  looks  very  insignificant,  but  we  find  it  to  vary  from 
seventy-five  (75)  to  two  hundred  (200)  feet  in  width.  Its  surface 
is  mostlv  covered  with  tall,  heavy  bullrushes,  and  has  a  scarcely 
perceptible  current.  Its  depth  varies  from  three  (3)  to  six  (6) 
feet,  with  over  a  foot  of  heavy  clay  mud  at  the  bottom,  rendering 
it  difficult  for  our  cattle  to  get  over,  even  when  turned  loose  and 
relieved  of  their  loads.  Our  guide  rode  off  down  the  stream  in 
search  of  a  practicable  fording  place,  and  we,  meanwhile,  turned  out 
our  stock  to  be  feeding.  After  waiting  nearly  an  hour  for  Botti- 
neiu's  return.  Captain  Fisk  determined  to  cross  where  we  were, 
and  the  men  were  soon  at  work  mowing  rushes,  which  others  car- 
ried out  into  the  stream,  placing  them  across  from  side  to  side  to 
make  a  wagon  way.  A  great  many  tons  were  soon  thus  disposed 
of,  every  man,  including  the  captain  and  his  assistants,  wading  in 
the  water  more  than  waist  dtcp  for  the  purpose.  A  line  of  men 
was  placed  each  side  of  this  causeway  to  hold  it  in  its  place;  the 
cattle  were  first  driven  over;  long  ropes  were  attached  to  the  wag- 


52  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

ons,  which  were  then  one  by  one  drawn  over  by  a  motive  power 
of  seventy  (70)  or  eighty  (80)  strong  men,  until  oxen  could  be 
hitched  to  the  load  upon  the  other  side.  As  each  wagon  was  thus 
drawn  over  it  would  sink  to  the  bed  and  so  drag  and  displace  the 
rushes  that  they  would  have  to  be  re-arranged  and  new  ones  added. 
When  the  wagons  were  about  half  drawn  over  Bottineau  returned 
and  reported  that  he  had  found  a  good  fording  place  some  eight 
(8)  miles  below,  where  the  stream  was  not  more  than  two  (2) 
feet  deep,  with  hard,  solid  bottom.  But  we  kept  on  crossing  where 
we  were,  and  by  half  past  four  o'clock  our  train  was  all  over.  One 
of  our  mules,  however,  was  drowned  in  trying  to  cross,  in  spite  of 
every  aid  which  could  be  rendered  him.  We  then  proceeded  three 
(3)  miles  further  and  camped  with  tolerable  slough  water,  excel- 
lent grass,  and  an  abundance  of  buffalo  chips  for  fuel,  having  made 
eleven  (11)  miles  today.    We  named  this  camp  "Camp  Union." 

SIGHT  OF  MOUSE  RIVER. 

July  2o. — The  first  half  of  this  day's  journey  lay  over  a  level 
prairie,  but  the  country  was  rolling  in  the  afternoon,  with  fresher 
grass  than  we  have  seen  for  several  days,  indicating  recent  rains. 
We  saw  this  afternoon  the  same  number  of  Red  river  trails  that  we 
had  noticed  near  the  Butte  de  Morale,  indicating  that  the  hunters 
had  passed  this  way  on  their  return  northward  from  the  Missouri, 
and  I  now  have  no  doubt  that  the  smoke  which  we  saw  day  before 
yesterday  proceeded  from  their  encampment  or  from  a  prairie  fire 
which  had  been  accidentally  set  by  them,  and  the  scarcity  of  buf- 
falo which  we  have  noticed  for  the  last  two  days  is  also  accounted 
for  by  their  so  recent  presence  in  this  region.  We  find  large  num- 
bers of  buffalo  carcasses  scattered  over  the  countn'  todav  which  bear 
evidence  of  having  but  recently  been  slain,  although  little  else  than 
the  bones  have  been  left  by  the  hunters  in  the  first  instance,  and  those 
gleaners,  the  wolves,  afterwards.  After  making  a  march  of  sev- 
enteen (17)  miles  we  made  haste  to  camp,  on  account  of  a  heavy 
thunder  shower  which  threatened,  and  which  burst  upon  us  as  soon 
as  we  had  pitched  our  tents  and  secured  dry  buffalo  chips  for 
fuel,  good  grass  and  water  being  close  at  hand.  Our  camp  is  about 
a  mile  and  a  half  south  of  Mouse  river,  the  high  banks  of  which 
and  the  line  of  timber  marking  its  course  the  eye  can  readily  trace. 
Some  of  our  party  rode  down  to  the  river  before  camping,  and 
report  it  to  be  heavily  timbered  with  cottonwood,  oak  and  ash, 
thirty  (30)  or  forty  (40)  feet  wide,  from  two  (2)  to  eight  (8) 
feet  deep,  with  high,  steep  banks,  and  numerous  coulees  making 
into  it. 

July  26. — We  crossed  several  coulees  to<lay  making  into  Mouse 
river,  with  small  streams  of  water  running  through  them,  and  clus- 
ters of  small  trees  along  their  sides.  After  making  eleven  (11) 
miles  we  arrived  at  the  edge  of  a  coulee,  larger  than  previously 


STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY  53 


crossed,  and  with  a  greater  supply  of  wood  and  water,  and  excel- 
lent grazing  in  its  bottom.  As  tomorrow  is  Sunday,  and  we  have 
been  so  long  without  wood,  as  well  as  on  account  of  the  lameness 
of  several  of  our  oxen  which  need  "doctoring,"  Captain  Fisk  de- 
termined to  camp  here  until  Monday.  After  dinner  the  women, 
acting  on  the  adage  "make  hay  while  the  sun  shines,"  had  kettles 
and  wash  tubs  down  in  a  shady  nook  by  the  stream  and  were  soon 
deeply  immersed  in  suds  and  all  the  rites  and  mysteries  of  washing- 
day,  while  afterwards  (for  their  sakes  I  will  not  disclose  whether 
today  or  tomorrow)  followed  the  process  of  bread-making  in  suf- 
ficient quantities  to  last  several  days,  as  wood  is  a  luxury  which  they 
have  learned  by  deprivation  to  appreciate.  As  our  leisure  from 
travel  has  caused  us  all  to  think  and  speculate  on  the  progress  of 
the  war,  we  named  this  "Camp  Stanton,"  in  honor  of  the  secretary 
of  war.  One  of  our  party  rode  out  this  afternoon  and  killed  a  buf- 
falo, in  order  that  our  whole  train  might  be  supplied  with  fresh 
meat  tomorrow. 

July  27. — We  remained  in  camp  today  and  held  religious  services 
at  headquarters,  using  a  special  prayer  for  our  beloved  country  and 
for  divine  protection  over  those  who  have  gone  forth  to  oflfer  their 
lives  upon  the  altar  of  their  sacred  cause. 

July  28. — This  forenoon  our  route  lay  across  several  coulees,  and 
the  crossing  of  them  proved  the  most  difficult  part  of  our  journey 
thus  far,  except  the  crossing  of  the  Shayenne  and  Wintering 
rivers.  In  the  afternoon,  however,  we  proceeded  over  a  high,  level 
plateau,  forming  an  excellent  road,  and  covered  with  rich  grass. 
After  making  sixteen  and  a  half  (IG  1-2)  miles  we  camped  near 
a  small  lake  of  pure  water.  In  some  of  the  coulees  which  we 
crossed  this  morning  we  found  considerable  timber  and  picked  ripe 
raspberries  and  gooseberries.  There  were  also  wild  plums,  which 
wTre  not  yet  ripe.  After  emerging  from  one  of  these  coulees,  Bot- 
tineau and  Captain  Fisk  being  in  advance  of  the  train,  discovered 
a  grizzly  bear  about  half  a  mile  from  them,  and  started  at  once  on 
horseback  in  pursuit.  Others  joined  in  the  chase,  and  they  soon 
succeeded  in  wounding  him,  when  he  at  once  turned,  and  for  a  short 
distance  became  the  aggressive  party.  The  bear  was  finally  killed 
after  receiving  fully  a  dozen  balls,  and  it  proved  to  be  a  young  fe- 
male, weighing  about  six  hundred  (600)  pounds.  The  skin  and 
quarters  were  brought  to  camp  and  the  meat  was  most  excellent. 
These  bears  are  hard  to  kill,  and  the  Indians  seldom  venture  to 
hunt  them  alone  for  fear  of  accidents.  One  of  them  will  kill  a  full- 
grown  buflFalo  by  seizing  him  by  the  head  and  breaking  his  neck. 
Bottineau  relates  an  instance  witnessed  by  himself  where  a  large 
grizzly  bear  killed  three  buflFaloes  in  immediate  succession,  but  the 
last  of  the  three,  after  he  had  received  his  death  wound,  struck 
bruin  a  blow  with  his  horns  which  proved  fatal,  and  they  both  died 
nearly  together. 


54  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCtETY 

July  29. — We  made  fifteen  and  three- fourths  (15  3-4)  miles  to- 
day, our  route  lying  for  the  most  part  over  a  level  piairie,  as  hard 
and  smooth  as  any  ordinary  traveled  road.  During  the  forenoon, 
however,  we  crossed  several  coulees,  one  of  which  had  deep,  steep 
banks,  with  a  small  amount  of  stagnant  alkaline  water  at  the  bot- 
tom. In  striving  to  ascend  the  bank  of  this  coulee,  one  of  the 
emigrant  wagons  upset,  spilling  its  various  contents  promiscuously 
upon  the  ground,  and  breaking  many  articles,  but  not  seriously  in- 
juring the  wagon.  The  load  was  hastily  thrown  together,  and  the 
wagon  overtook  us  before  dark.  The  prairie  at  our  camp  is  parched 
for  want  of  rain,  and  both  grass  and  water  are  poor,  and  there  is  no 
wood.  We  named  this  "Camp  Windom,"  in  honor  of  one  of  Min- 
nesota's representatives  in  congress. 

July  30. — Our  course  today  has  been  nearly  northwest  between 
Mouse  river  (or  rather  a  branch  of  that  stream,  '*Riviere  des 
Lacs,")  on  the  right  and  the  Coteau  du  Missouri,  which  rises  to  the 
south  and  west  like  a  distant  coast  seen  at  sea.  The  ground  has 
been  rising  rapidly  as  we  approach  the  Coteau,  and  yet  that  marked 
formation  rises  distinctly  and  boldly  above  the  plateau  we  are  now 
on  like  a  terrace.  After  making  twenty  and  a  half  (20  1-2)  miles, 
we  camped  on  high  ground  close  by  a  lake,  with  good  water  and 
grazing.  The  Riviere  des  Lacs  runs  about  a  mile  to  our  right,  in 
a  general  easterly  direction,  with  high,  steep  banks,  and  small  clumps 
of  trees  marking  its  course. 

The  Coteau,  du  Missouri  is  a  plateau  or  elevation  of  land  some 
three  hundred  (300)  or  four  hundred  (400)  feet  above  the  sur- 
rounding country,  being  broken  up  within  itself  into  small  conical 
hills  and  corresponding  valleys,  in  which  are  found  numerous 
small  lakes  and  good  pasturage.  This  elevation  stretches  along  the 
north  side  of  the  Missouri  river,  in  a  southeasterly  and  northwester- 
ly direction,  and  forms  the  divide  between  the  tributaries  of  the 
Missouri  and  that  system  of  waters  which  flow  northward,  through 
British  America  and  find  an  outlet  in  Hudson's  bay.  This  coteau 
has  a  general  width  of  about  thirty-five  (35)  miles  and  wagons  can 
wind  their  way  through  its  series  of  hills  at  almost  any  place,  while 
the  valley  of  the  Riviere  des  Lacs,  running  along  its  northern  edge» 
affords  the  easiest  pathway  across  or  rather  around  it. 

AN  ENTHUSIASTIC  HUNTER. 

When  our  train  set  out  this  morning,  Dr.  Dibb,  Mr.  Burritt  and 
myself  struck  off  together  towards  the  south  on  a  short  hunting 
excursion,  intending  to  join  the  train  before  night,  whose  course 
we  supposed  would  be  due  west.  Before  we  had  gone  a  mile  to  the 
south  we  found  the  country  so  abruptly  broken  into  hills  and  val- 
leys as  to  be  almost,  if  not  quite,  impassable  by  wagons,  and  the 
doctor  soon  strayed  oiT  alone  in  his  eager  hunt  after  game.  At  noon 
a  heavy  thunder  shower  broke  upon  us,  and  Mr.  Burritt  and  myself 


STATE   HISTORICAL  SOCIETY  55 


Started  in  a  northwesterly  course  to  strike  the  trail  of  our  train. 
Not  striking  it  as  soon  as  we  anticipated,  we  kept  more  to  the  north, 
and  at  length  struck  it  and  followed  it  into  camp,  where  we  arrived 
just  at  dark.  We  then  found  that  Bottineau  had,  with  his  usual 
skill,  led  it  well  towards  Mouse  river,  and  thus  found  an  excellent 
road,  whereas  a  mile  to  the  southward  the  country  was  impracticable 
for  wagons.  The  night  was  windy,  rainy,  and  cold,  but  the  doctor 
did  not  come  to  camp,  and  we  fired  our  howitzer  and  fixed  lanterns 
on  the  highest  points  near  camp,  in  order  to  render  him  all  the  as- 
sistance that  we  could  to  find  his  way,  if  he  was  lost  near  enough 
to  be  thus  assisted. 

July  31. — The  doctor  did  not  return  last  night,  and  by  daylight 
four  horsemen  were  sent  out  to  scour  the  country  as  well  as  they 
could,  and  try  to  find  at  least  some  trace  of  him,  for  we  feared  he 
had  met  hostile  Indians,  or  perhaps  been  injured  or  killed  in  an  en- 
counter with  a  buffalo  or  bear.  The  scouts  returned  at  eight  (8) 
o'clock  without  meeting  with  any  success,  and  a  party  of  fifteen 
(15)  horsemen  was  immediately  organized  and  despatched  to  make 
a  more  thorough  eflfort.  We  each  took  with  us  a  haversack  of  pro- 
visions for  his  supper  and  breakfast,  in  case  we  should  be  separated 
when  we  found  him,  and  met  on  a  high  hill  near  our  camp  as  a  start- 
ing point.  Just  as  we  were  separating,  Bottineau  descried  with  a 
glass  a  black  speck  in  the  horizon,  which  he  concluded  to  b'*  a  man. 
and  after  a  few  minutes,  during  which  the  object  drew  nearer,  he 
exultantlv  shouted,  **Hurrah!  it's  the  doctor!'*  We  all  then  rode  to 
meet  him,  and  in  a  few  minutes  fifteen  sacks  of  bread  and  buffalo 
tongfue  were  offered  to  the  returned  wanderer,  and  while  he  did 
ample  justice  to  such  portion  of  it  as  he  could,  he  related,  in  his  own 
humorous  manner,  his  brief  experience  as  a  "solitary  horseman." 

I  will  not  repeat  his  story,  but  he  had  been  lured  a  long  distance 
out  of  his  way  by  a  couple  of  white  cranes,  the  prospect  of  g't- 
ting  a  shot  at  which  proved  a  temptation  that  no  one  who  knows  him 
would  expect  him  to  resist,  even  in  view  of  a  penalty  ten  times  as 
severe  as  in  this  case  it  proved  to  be.  He  finally  got  a  shot  at  them 
and  killed  both  with  a  single  ball  from  his  rifle.  Then  night,  a 
cold,  blustering,  rainy  night  came  on,  and  being  no  longer  able  to 
see  his  way,  he  had  to  compose  himself  to  his  fate  and  wait  for  day- 
light. The  first  call  on  his  ingenuity  in  his  new  situation  was  to 
kindle  a  fire.  Having  no  matches  or  flint  with  him,  he  rubbed  some 
powder  in  a  dry  rag,  and  ignited  that  by  discharging  the  contents 
of  his  gun  into  it.  In  the  course  of  half  an  hour  he  managed  thus 
to  have  a  camp  fire,  by  means  of  which  a  supper  of  broiled  crane 
meat  was  prepared,  and  the  wings  of  those  birds  he  converted  into 
use  by  hanging  them  upon  his  shoulders  to  shelter  his  person  from 
the  storm.  He  picketed  his  horse  to  his  saddle,  and  tried  to  sleep, 
but  with  the  most  indifferent  success,  the  rain,,  cold,  and  a  pack  of 
wolves  which  surrounded  his  camp  and  kept  up  a  most  dismal  howl- 


I 


5b  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


ing,  at  hardly  respectful  distance,  not  being  calculated  to    product' 
a   very  soothing  effect.     He   was   forced,  therefore,   to    keep    his 
cold,  wet  vigils  until  morning,  wh*n  he  cooked  a  hasty  repast,   sim- 
ilar to  his  supper,  and  prudently  fastening  the  remaining-    fxyrtion 
of  the  cranes  to  his  saddle,  sallied  forth  to  find  the  train,  a.n<l    had 
struck  and  was  following  its  trail  when  discovered  by  us.       JBe fore 
starting  this  morning  we  observed  a  trail  coming  from  the    direc- 
tion of  Mouse  river,  and  passing  about  a  mile  beyond  our    camp 
southwesterly  into  the  coteau.     We  readily- decided  this  to    t>e    the 
trail  of  the  party  of  emigrants  who,  as  I  have  mentioned,  had  sta^rtcd 
from  Minnesota  about  a  month  in  advance  of  us,  and  procoeded, 
by  way  of  Pembina  and  St.  Joseph.    In  former  times  there  was   con- 
siderable travel  and  communication  between  the  settlement  at  Pem- 
bina and  Fort  Union  by  the  Red  river  hunters;  but  this  has  l>een 
mostly,  if  not  quite,  abandoned  at  the  present  time,  and  no  otlier 
trail  is  visible  across  this  countrv  than  that  made  as  above  stated. 
Bottineau  decided  to  follow  this  trail,  as  he  understood  that   the 
])arty  was  guided  by  a  person  whom  he  knew  to  be  as  well   ac- 
fjuainted  as  any  one  with  the  country  lying  between  Fort  Union  and 
Pembina. 

Captain  Fisk  started  to  guide  the  train,  while  Bottineau  was  with 
the  party  in  search  of  Dr.  Dibb,  and,  crossing  the  trail  above  men- 
tioned without  noticing  it,  kept  up  the  general  course  of  Mouse 
River  valley  until  noon,  when  he  made  a  halt.    Bottineau  then  com- 
ing up  turned  the  train  almost  directly  southward,  in  order  to  strike 
the  trail  which  we  had  passed,  and  succeeded  in  doing  so  at  about 
\  o'clock.    He  resolved  to  follow  this  trail,  and  we  did  so,  much  to 
our  subsequent  regret.     After  making  eighteen  and  a  half  (18  1-2) 
miles  we  camped  near  a  lake  of  good  water,  and  in  the  immediate 
vicinity  of  which  was  excellent  grazing.     The  hills  around  us  are 
gravelly  and  barren,  but  the  valleys  contain  numerous  small  lakes 
and  fair  pasturage.     Since  we  entered  these  hills  forming  the  co- 
teau  we  have  constantly  looked  upon   immense  herds  of  buffalo 
in  front  and  on  either  side.     The  Red  river  hunters  on  the  east, 
and  the  Indians  on  the  west,  have  hunted  them  until  thev  have 
rushed  to  the  cover  of  these  hills  as  a  retreat  from  the  dangers  that 
threaten  them. 

We  must  have  seen  at  least  one  hundred  thousand  (100,000)  this 
afternoon.  Two  or  three  were  killed  by  our  party,  and  a  calf  about 
a  week  old  was  captured  and  brought  to  our  camp.  He  will  butt 
and  kick  any  person  who  approaches  him,  evincing  all  the  perver- 
sity and  wildness  which  distinguishes  the  full  grown  specimen 
of  his  species.  At  first  he  rejected  all  advances  made  by  our  cows 
toward  an  acquaintance  and  friendship ;  but  before  long  his  appe- 
tite conquered  his  prejudice,  and  he  sucked  one  of  them,  though 
somewhat  disdainfully  and  clumsily,  and  he  was,  by  consequence, 
adopted  as  a  member  of  our  train.     After  it  grew  dark  the  large 


/ 


STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY  57 


herds  of  these  animals  in  the  neighborhood  of  our  camp  kept  up  a 
low,  suppressed  rumbling  bellow,  which  resembled  the  distant  roar 
of  the  sea ;  and  we  had  to  place  a  special  line  of  sentinels  to  fright- 
en them  away  from  camp,  lest  they  stampede  our  horses  and  mules, 
and  possibly  trample  our  whole  camp  in  their  headlong,  irresist- 
ible course,  should  they  by  any  means  get  once  started  in  that  direc- 
tion. 

Au^i^ust  1. — Our  course  today  has  been  about  northwest,  and 
over  the  same  character  of  country  as  yesterday.  I  should  estimate 
that  we  have  seen  at  least  a  million  (1,000,000)  buffaloes  today, 
and  twenty  (20)  or  thirty  (30)  have  been  killed  by  our  party,  as 
each  man  desires  to  kill  one.  and  from  the  nature  of  the  country  they 
can  be  easily  laid  in  wait  for  behind  the  hills  and  killed  by  footmen. 
After  making  eighteen  and  a  half  (18  1-2)  miles  we  camped  in  a 
circular  valley,  near  a  small  lake,  with  passable  water  and  grass, 
but  no  wood. 

August  2. — At  noon  today,  having  made  ten  (10)  miles,  we 
reached  the  western  limit  of  the  Coteau  du  Missouri.  Its  termina- 
tion in  this  direction  is  very  abrupt,  and  we  descended  the  steep 
side  of  this  singular  formation  and  passed  on  at  once  to  a  low, 
level  prairie,  where  we  made  our  camp  on  the  site  of  a  large  As- 
siniboine  camp  of  last  vear,  containing  about  one  hundred  and 
twenty  (120)  lodges.  There  is  a  deep  coulee  close  by  running  up 
into  the  coteau.  where  we  found  a  cold  sulphur  spring,  small  trees 
and  bushes,  and  a  considerable  quantity  of  wild  cherries,  gooseber- 
ries, raspberries  and  wild  currants ;  but  grass  is  scanty  except  in 
the  marshes,  a  mile  or  so  from  camp.  We  named  this  **Camp 
Hamlin,"  in  honor  of  the  vice  president  of  the  United  States. 

NIGHT  ALARM. 

August  3. — Last  night,  at  about  twelve  (12)  o'clock,  our  guard 
discovered  five  or  six  Indians  lurking  about  our  lines,  evidently 
watching  for  a  chance  to  steal  some  of  our  horses.  This  was 
made  known  at  headquarters,  and  two  additional  sentinels  were 
placed  on  guard.  In  about  an  hour  afterwards  one  of  the  sentinels 
saw  the  '*red  skins"  still  on  the  alert  for  an  opportunity  to  make  off 
with  the  first  horse  they  could  get  at,  but  upon  his  firing  his  gim 
they  fled  most  precipitately.  Our  whole  camp  was  aroused  by  the 
discharge  of  the  gun  and  under  arms  in  a  few  moments,  but  the 
causes  of  the  alarm  did  not  again  make  their  appearance.  We  re- 
mained in  camp  today  (Sunday)  aijd  it  has  been  disagreeably  cold 
and  rainy. 

INDIANS. 

August  5. — Yesterday  our  route  was  over  an  excellent  hard  road, 
but  the  grass  was  scanty.  Today  the  road  has  been  of  a  similar 
character.    We  saw  near  our  route  this  forenoon  many  petrifactions 


58  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOVIET V 


of  trees,  some  of  which  are  at  least  twelve  (12)  or  fifteen  (15)  feet 
in  circumference.  At  about  ten  (10)  o'clock  our  g^ide  saw  at 
a  distance  what  he  took  to  be  Indians,  and,  in  company  with  Mr. 
Langford,  rode  out  to  meet  them.  Nine  Indians  of  the  Shayenne 
band  of  Assiniboines — an  oflf-shoot  of  the  Sioux — mounted  and 
armed  with  guns,  returned  to  the  train  with  them,  and  discharged 
their  pieces  in  the  air  as  a  token  of  friendship,  which  was  responded 
to  by  a  discharge  from  our  howitzer  and  the  gims  of  the  horsemen 
near  the  captain  at  the  time  of  their  approach.  The  Indians  speak 
the  Sioux  language,  and  George  Gere,  our  Sioux  interpreter,  could 
converse  with  them  without  difficulty,  although  their  language  has 
undergone  some  changes  since  they  became  estranged  from  the 
main  body  of  the  nation  to  which  they  belong.  They  accompanied 
our  train  until  we  stopped  at  noon,  w^hen  we  gave  our  new  guests 
a  hearty  meal  of  such  provisions  as  we  had  for  ourselves,  and  made 
them  presents  of  various  articles  which  we  knew  they  would  prize 
most  highly.  Their  chief,  Bras  Casse,  as  the  French  halfbreeds 
have  named  him,  appeared  to  be  a  very  sedate  and  dignified  Indian, 
and  wanted  to  hold  a  council  with  Capt.  Fisk.  This  was  of  course 
granted,  and  he  at  once  entered  upon  the  wrongs  which  the  white 
man  was  doing  him  and  his  tribe  by  traveling  through  his  country 
without  his  permission  first  obtained,  and  driving  away  the  buflFalo. 
their  only  resource  for  raiment,  shelter  and  food.  Bras  Casse  de- 
manded by  what  right  we  assumed  to  travel  througli  his  country. 
Captain  Fisk  told  him  that  the  Great  Father  at  Washington  had  sent 
us ;  that  we  were  friends  to  the  Indian,  and  made  him  these  presents 
in  token  of  that  friendship ;  that  if  he  and  any  of  his  tribe  came  to 
travel  through  our  country  we  should  treat  them  as  friends,  and  al- 
low them  to  go  wherever  they  chose.  During  this  conversation 
some  of  the  Indians  grew  rather  insolent  in  their  conduct  about  our 
train,  and  we  saw  a  considerable  number  coming  from  diflferent  di- 
rections toward  us.  Soon  some  thirty  (30)  or  forty  (40)  of  them 
had  collected,  and  their  head  warrior  superseded  their  civil  chief 
as  spokesman,  and  soon  entered  into  a  vociferous  tirade  against  the 
wrongs  which  the  white  man  was  doing  to  his  tribe  by  frightening 
away  the  buflfalo  from  this  part  of  the  country.  He  made  a  fierce 
harrangue,  addressing  it  partly  to  us  and  partly  to  his  warriors 
around  him.  Then  he  told  us  we  must  go  no  further  on  our  jour- 
ney, but  return  when  we  came.  Captain  Fisk  told  him  that  we 
had  been  sent  across  this  country,  and  across  the  mountains,  and 
that  we  must  perform  the  duties  with  which  he  had  been  charged ; 
that  there  were  more  buflfalo  than  the  Indians  could  need  or  kill ; 
but  that  if  they  suflfered  by  reason  of  our  passing  through  their 
country  the  Great  Father  at  Washington  would  recompense  them 
for  it.  But  the  head  warrior  would  not  listen  to  this  complacently, 
lie  told  us  that  he  had  one  hundred  (100)  lodges  a  few  miles  to 
our  right;  that  there  were  four  hundred  (400)  lodges  of  the  Assini- 


STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY  59 


boines  a  few  miles  ahead  of  us,  and  the  Yanctonais  in  large  numbers 
were  but  a  short  distance  to  our  left.  He  said  that  they  were  all 
resolved  that  we  should  not  proceed  any  further  unless  we  paid 
very  heavy  tribute,  and  then  asked  us  what  we  should  do  if  they 
attacked  our  train.  Captain  Fisk  told  him  that  was  a  foolish  ques- 
tion to  ask  a  white  man  ;  that  we  were  going  forward  as  we  had  been 
ordered  to  do,  and  that  he  would  learn  what  we  would  do  if  he  tried 
to  prevent  our  further  progress.  The  bugle  was  then  sounded  and 
every  man  in  our  train  took  his  gun  and  revolver  so  as  to  make  a 
display  of  them.  Some  of  the  Indians  threw  the  provisions  we  had 
given  them  on  the  ground  and  trampled  them  in  the  dirt.  They 
stood  in  the  way  of  our  train  when  we  wanted  to  start,  but  our 
wagon-master,  an  athletic  "six-footer,"  thrust  them  aside,  and  the 
train  started.  Then  the  Indians  became  suddenly  friendly  and 
begged  us  to  go  and  kill  some  buffalo  for  them,  as  their  horses  could 
not  catch  them  as  well  as  ours.  We  who  were  on  horseback  rode 
along  with  them  to  keep  them  from  mingling  with  the  train,  and 
when  we  were  about  a  mile  ahead  of  the  wagons  Bottineau  and  his 
son  rode  out  with  them  into  a  herd  of  buffalo,  and  in  half  an  hour 
had  slain  ten  (10)  or  eleven  (11)  fat  cows  for  them.  They  stopped 
to  dress  them,  taking  all  the  meat  and  packing  it  on  their  horses, 
and  then  started  for  their  camp,  which  was  the  last  we  saw  of  these 
querrulous  guests. 

August  6. — Our  route  today  has  been  over  a  hard,  dry,  moder- 
ately rolling  prairie,  with  plenty  of  water  in  lakes,  but  scanty  grass. 
We  have  made  twenty-two  and  one- fourth  (22  1-4)  miles,  and 
have  named  our  camp  "Camp  Wilkinson,"  in  honor  of  one  of  the 
senators  from  Minnesota  in  the  national  congress.  Immense  herds 
of  buffalo  have  lined  our  route,  and  I  cannot  estimate  the  number 
seen  today  at  less  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  (150,000). 

August  7. — The  country  along  our  route  today  has  been  exceed- 
ingly hilly,  from  which  we  judge  we  are  not  far  from  the  Missouri, 
although  our  guide  cannot  recognize  the  country,  and  thinks  we 
must  have  been  misled  by  following  the  trail  of  the  party  in  advance 
of  us  which  we  struck  at  Mouse  river.  At  noon  we  stopped  in  a 
dry,  steep  valley,  which  has  every  appearance  of  having  been  once 
the  bed  of  a  large  stream.  Here  we  shall  remain  until  morning, 
as  the  family  of  one  of  the  emigrants  is  expected  to  be  increased 
before  we  proceed  further. 

August  8. — A  child  was  bom  in  our  camp  last  night,  and  has 
been  added  to  our  list  of  emigrants.  Should  this  young  pioneer  be- 
come a  character  in  the  world's  history,  it  occurs  to  me  that  it  will 
puzzle  his  admirers  and  followers  to  point  out  his  birthplace  as  much 
as  it  has  exercised  the  competing  cities  which  claim  the  "blind  old 
man  of  Scio's  rocky  isle"  to  prove  his  true  nativity.  Mother  and 
child  were  in  such  condition  this  morning  as  not  to  delay  our  march, 
and  we  proceeded  over  a  bluffy  country,  making  seventeen  and  a 


60  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

half  (17  1-2)  miles,  and  camping  near  a  small  lake,  with  passable 
water,  scanty  grass,  but  no  wood.  We  named  our  camp  **Cainp 
Ramsey,"  in  honor  of  the  governor  of  Minnesota. 

FORT  UNION. 

August  9. — CXir  course  today  has  been  nearly  due  south,  over 
a  more  rocky  and  broken  country  than  any  heretofore  passed,  with 
only  a  single   cool   spring  along  the   route,   and   scanty   grazing-. 
After  making  nineteen   (19)  miles  we  camped  by  a  small  stream 
(which  proved  to  be  the  Little  Muddy),  now  dry,  except  where, 
at  intervals,  a  few  pools  of  water  remain.     Bottineau  has  now  be- 
come  satisfied  that  the  trail  which  we  have  been  following  does  not 
icad   to   Fort   Union,  as  we  expected,  and  thinks  wc  are   within 
five  (5)  or  six  (6)  miles  of  the  Missouri,  and  seven  (7)  or  eight 
(8)  miles  above  that  post.     We  intend  remaining  several  days  at 
this  camp,  in  order  to  allow  an  opportunity  for  making  such  repairs 
as  the  wear  and  tear  of  the  long  journey  we  have  already  made, 
as  well  as  that  yet  before  ys,  render  necessary;  and,  besides,  we 
must,  if  we  can,  find  Fort  Union,  and  there  obtain  some  few  provis- 
ions with  which  to  eke  out  our  scanty  supply. 

The  distance  from  Fort  Abercrombie  to  this  point,  as  measured 
by  our  odometer,  is  four  hundred  and  sixty-seven  miles,  making  the 
average  day's  travel,  excluding  Sundays,  a  fraction  over  sixteen 
(16)  miles.  Our  cattle  are  still  in  good  condition,  some  of  them 
having  improved  on  the  route,  and  we  have  not  lost  one  animal, 
except  the  mule  which  stubbornly  drowned  himself  in  Wintering 
river. 

Atifrust  10. — Wc  remained  in  camp  today,  and  at  daylight  Cap- 
tain Fisk,  accompanied  by  one  of  our  party,  started  on  horseback 
to  find  Fort  Union.  At  five  (5)  o'clock  p.  m.  they  returned  in  the 
midst  of  a  rain  shower,  and  reported  that  they  had  visited  Fort 
Union,  which  was  about  fifteen  (15)  miles  below  us.  They  then 
ascertained  that  the  party  in  advance  of  us  had  passed  this  point 
some  twenty-three  (23)  or  twenty-four  (24)  days  ago;  that  their 
guide,  a  French  and  Chippewa  halfbreed,  had  become  frightened 
at  what  he  took  to  be  a  Sioux  camp  while  they  were  in  the  Coteau 
du  Missouri,  and  had  ignominiously  fled  and  deserted  them  in  the 
night.  They  were  then  left  without  a  guide,  but  soon  hired  an  In- 
dian to  guide  them  as  far  as  Fort  Union,  and  provided  him  with 
a  good  horse  to  ride  for  that  purpose.  This  was  too  strong  a  temp- 
tation for  him  to  resist,  and  guide  and  horse  suddenly  disappeared 
and  were  not  again  seen.  They  then  proceeded  without  guide  and 
by  consequence  did  not  make  the  shortest  possible  course,  and  we 
have  been  following  their  trail  on  account  of  the  reliance  which  Bot- 
tineau placed  in  their  guide. 

August  11. — Early  this  morning  about  twenty  (20)  of  us  on 
horseback  and   four  or  five  in  our  lightest  wagon  went  to  Fort 


STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY  61 

Union,  which,  it  is  well  known,  is  a  trading  post  belonging  to 
Pierre  Chouteau,  jr.,  &  Co.,  or,  as  it  is  generally  styled,  the  Amer- 
ican Fur  company.  This  fort  stands  close  to  the  left  bank  of  the 
Missouri  river,  which,  at  the  present  low  stage,  as  about  a  half  or 
three-fourths  of  a  mile  wide  at  this  point,  with  a  rapid  current  and 
very  muddy  water.  There  is  no  timber  near  the  fort  on  this  side 
of  the  river,  but  a  good  growth  of  cottonwood  extends  along  the 
opposite  bank.  The  mouth  of  the  Yellowstone  is  about  three  miles 
below.  This  post  was  established  in  1830,  and  since  that  time  has 
been  the  principal  supply  depot  for  the  Assiniboine  and  some  other 
tribes  of  Indians.  It  is  built  in  the  form  of  a  square  fort,  with 
long  palisades  about  sixteen  (16)  feet  high  entirely  surrounding  it, 
and  two  bastions,  one  to  the  northeast  and  the  other  on  the  south- 
west corner.  Inside  is  a  large  rectangular  area  or  court,  around 
which  extends  a  line  of  buildings  used  as  residences  for  the  employ- 
es of  the  company  (nearly  all  of  whom  have  Indian  wives),  work- 
shops, store,  etc.  the  post  is  about  three  hundred  feet  square  on 
the  outside,  and  has  an  entrance  gate  on  the  north,  and. one  on  the 
south.  The  trade  of  this  post  has  suffered  much  of  late  from  the 
hostile  and  aggressive  disposition  of  the  Sioux,  who  have  so  far 
trenched  upon  the  territory  of  the  tribes  usually  trading  here  as  to 
render  them  afraid  to  come  here  any  longer.  About  two  weeks 
ago  a  party  of  Yanckton  Sioux  came  close  to  this  post  and  at  mid- 
day stole  seventeen  (17)  horses.  A  friendly  Indian  chief  and  sev-^ 
eral  white  men  started  at  once  in  pursuit,  but  the  Indian  was  killed 
and  one  of  the  whites  severely  wounded  in  a  short  encounter  which 
thev  had  during  their  fruitless  pursuit.  Steamboats  have  run  from 
St.  Louis  to  this  post  for  thirty  (30)  years  bringing  goods  to  trade 
with  the  Indians,  and  taking  back  buffalo  robes,  furs  of  many 
varieties  and  other  articles  obtained  through  Indian  trade.  Four 
steamboats  of  light  draught  have  this  year  passed  this  point  and 
reached  Fort  Benton,  and  Mr.  Meldrum,  the  agent  now  in  charge 
of  this  post,  says  there  is  never  less  than  twenty-eight  (28)  inches 
of  water  in  the  channel  between  these  two  posts.  Bottineau,  his 
son  and  our  Sioux  interpreter  left  us  here  to  go  home  by  way  of 
Pembina,  as  Mr.  Meldrum  volunteered  to  act  as  our  guide  and  in- 
terpreter from  this  point  to  Fort  Benton. 

On  the  morning  of  the  12th  we  started  again  on  our  way,  keep- 
ing up  the  valley  of  the  Missouri,  which  presents  a  good  natural 
wagon  road.  The  banks  of  the  river  are  so  steep  that  we  cannot 
drive  our  cattle  down  to  drink,  but  are  obliged  to  bring  the  water  to 
them  in  buckets.  The  water  along  the  route,  for  the  first  few  days, 
other  than  that  of  the  river,  has  been  generally  poor,  and  the  grass 
dry  and  scanty,  but  we  have  now  the  luxury  of  wood  for  fuel,  and 
shall  continue  to  be  supplied  with  it  along  our  route  until  we  reach 
Fort  Benton.  On  the  afternoon  of  the  13th  we  reached  the  banks 
of  the  Big  Muddy  river,  at  a  point  about  four  (4)  miles  from  its 


62  STATE   HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


confluence  with  the  Missouri.  There  is  no  timber  on  its  banks, 
although  we  find  plenty  of  driftwood  for  fuel,  and  as  it  is  seventy 
(70)  feet  wide,  four  (4)  feet  deep,  with  muddy  bottom,  we  cannot 
readily  bridge  the  stream,  nor  ford  it  with  our  loaded  wagons 
without  damaging  the  loads. 

CROSSING  OF  THE  BIG  MUDDY. 

August  14. — This  morning  we  unloaded  all  our  wagons,  place<l 
five  of  them,  one  after  another,  across  the  river,  making  a  bridge  of 
them  with  a  few  inches  of  water  in  the  wagon  beds.  Then  the  other 
wagons  were  hauled  over  by  hand,  and  the  loads  carried  over  this 
bridge  by  the  men,  and  the  wagons  reloaded  on  the  other  side. 
This  was  accomplished,  and  the  train  ready  to  start  by  eleven 
(11)  o'clock,  and  we  then  traveled  five  (5)  miles  and  camped 
close  to  a  new  trading  post  which  the  American  Fur  company  is 

erecting     on  the  site  of  one  formerly  occupied  by  Mr.  

Larpenteur,  for  the  purpose  of  trading  with  such  bands  of  Indians 
as  find  this  point  more  convenient  than  Forts  Union  or  Benton ; 
and  these  are  the  Gros  Ventres,  Crows  and  Assiniboines. 

MILK   RIVER — THE    CROW   AND   GROS  VENTRES   INDIANS. 

August  19. — At  the  end  of  today's  march  we  struck  Milk  river 
and  saw  signs  of  the  recent  presence  of  large  bodies  of  Indians, 
whose  ponies  had  eaten  the  grass  over  a  very  large  area  in  the 
neighborhood,  yet  we  managed  to  find  tolerable  grazing  and  good 
wood  and  water. 

In  the  evening  half  a  dozen  Gros  Ventres  Indians  came  into  our 
camp  from  their  camp,  some  twelve  (12)  miles  distant  on  the  Mis- 
souri, and  remained  with  us  over  night. 

August  20. — Early  this  morning  thirty  (30)  or  forty  (40)  In- 
dians came  to  see  the  white  man's  camp,  and  as  we  were  to  remain 
most  of  the  day  at  this  place,  for  the  purpose  of  shoeing  cattle. 
Captain  Fisk  and  myself  rode  over  to  a  small  trading  post  on  the 
Missouri  some  fourteen  (14)  miles  distant,  near  which  we  learned 
the  Indians  were  encamped,  and  on  our  way  hither  we  met  the  In- 
dian village  on  the  move,  with  all  their  horses,  furniture,  &c.,  to 
the  neighborhood  of  our  camp,  to  gratify  their  curiosity,  having 
learned  that  white  men  were  traveling  through  their  territory. 
Crows  and  Gros  Ventres  were  moving  together,  and  I  could  only 
distinguish  them  apart  by  the  manner  in  which  they  carried  their 
various  articles  of  furniture,  or,  in  other  words,  their  household 
goods.  The  Crows  belong  across  the  Missouri,  between  that  and 
the  Yellowstone,  a  rough  mountainous  country,  while  the  Gros 
Ventres  inhabit  the  country  immediately  north  of  the  Missouri, 
the  valley  of  Milk  river  being  their  favorite  haunt.  These  latter 
Indians,  when  traveling  with  their  eflfects,  attach  the  ends  of  their 
tent-poles  to  the  saddle  of  the  horse,  allowing  the  other  ends  to 


STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY  63 


spread  out  and  drag  behind,  placing  across  them,  just  above  the 
ground,  a  kind  of  box  or  basket,  called  trevine,  in  which  they 
place  their  baggage,  and  often  their  papooses  and  their  sick,  while 
the  squaws  ride  the  horses.  The  roughness  of  the  Crow  country 
renders  this  mode  of  transportatipn  impracticable,  and  they  drag 
their  lodge  poles  in  a  similar  manner,  but  dispense  with  the  trevine, 
and  pack  their  goods  on  the  backs  of  their  horses,  which  sometimes 
stagger  under  an  astonishing  amount  of  baggage,  with  a  squaw  sur- 
mounting it  all.  These  two  tribes  are  now  not  only  at  peace  but 
living  together  almost  indiscriminately  in  the  Gros  Ventres  country, 
where  buffalo  and  other  game  are  more  plentiful  than  in  the  region 
south  of  the  Missouri,  and  where  there  is  little  danger  of  an  incur- 
sion of  the  Sioux,  who  are  the  terror  of  all  other  Indians  in  this 
region,  and  have  often  invaded  the  territory  of  Ihe  Gros  \'^<*ntres, 
near  the  Yellowstone.  At  the  trading  post  we  found  several  white 
men,  and  among  the  numbtT  Dr.  J.  R.  C.  Qark,  who  has  been 
vaccinating  the  Indians  along  the  valley  of  the  Missouri,  having 
been  sent  for  that  purpose  by  the  government.  He  has  won  the 
respect  of  these  Indians  by  his  course  of  conduct,  and  persuaded 
many  of  them  to  submit  to  vaccination,  against  a  prevailing  preju- 
dice among  them. 

At  night  we  returned  to  camp  and  found  these  Indians,  to  the 
number  of.  about  two  hundred  (200)  encamped  close  to  our  camp, 
and  manifesting  the  most  friendly  disposition  towards  their  white 
neighbors,  their  inordinate  propensity  for  begging  being  the  only 
annoyance  which  they  occasioned  us. 

They  own  large  numbers  of  horses,  which  constitute  their  chief 
riches.  Star  Robe,  the  wealthiest  Indian  among  the  Gros  Ventres 
nation,  was  among  our  neighbors,  and  his  dress,  of  which  he  was 
exceedingly  vain,  was  in  keeping  with  his  reputation  for  riches. 
The  chief  articles  traded  to  these  Indians  at  the  post  near  here  are 
sugar,  coffee,  flour,  tobacco,  shot,  lead,  and  some  articles  of  jewel- 
ry, in  exchange  for  which  buffalo  robes,  furs,  moccasins,  &c.,  are 
received. 

The  price  of  a  common  buffalo  robe  is  three  cups  (pound)  of 
brown  sugar;  some  of  these  robes,  handsomely  painted  (according 
to  the  Indian  standard)  or  wrought  with  porcupine  quills,  bring  a 
double  price.  The  Assinaboine  Indians  sacked  this  post  last  June, 
stripping  it  of  everything  it  contained,  and  only  sparing  the  trader\s 
life  upon  the  intervention  of  some  friendly  Crow  Indians,  who  came 
and  took  him  to  their  lodge  for  protection.  I  saw,  not  far  from  this 
trading  post,  in  the  woods  near  the  banks  of  the  Missouri,  a  cruel 
and  most  pitiable  sight.  An  Indian  squaw,  loathsomely  diseased, 
had  been  carried  by  her  relatives  a  long  distance  from  their  camp, 
and  there  left  to  die  of  disease,  hunger  and  exposure.  She  was 
entirely  naked,  with  the  exception  of  a  small  pice  of  buffalo  skin 
rudely  thrown  over  her  loins,  and  emaciated  to  a  skeleton,  with  no 


64  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


one  to  give  her  a  morsel  of  nourishment,  or  even  a  drink  of  water. 
When  I  saw  her  she  appeared  to  be  at  the  point  of  death.  I  was  told 
by  the  whites  at  the  post  that  her  relatives  had  been  about  to  throw 
her  alive  into  the  river,  but  they  had  prevailed  upon  them  not  to  do 
so. 

One  Crow  chief,  whose  hair  is  long  and  as  white  as  snow,  visited 
us  at  our  headquarters  this  evening.  He  is  called  "White   Head, 
the  White  Man's  Friend,"  and  deserves  the  latter  portion  of  his  ap- 
pellation, I  am  satisfied,  from  what  I  saw  and  learned  of  his  char- 
acter.    He  carries  at  his  saddle  bow,  in  a  sort  of  quiver  attached 
thereto  for  the  purpose,  a  roll,  which  he  showed  us  with  evident 
pride  and  satisfaction.     Upon  unrolling  a  series  of  about  a  dozen 
layers  of  silk  and  calico,  each  tied  carefully  with  ribbons  and  form- 
ing a  sort  of  palimpsest,  he   at   length   reached   the   treasure   so 
choicely  guarded,  and  exhibited  two  painted  banners  which   had 
been  presented  to  him  at  different  times  by  the  American  Fur  com- 
pany, testifying  to  their  high  appreciation  of  the  constancy  of  his 
friendship  for  the  white  man  and  the  good  offices  which  he  had  per- 
formed for  them.     Mr.  Meldrum  has  known  him  for  twenty  (20) 
years,  and  says  he  has  never  forfeited  his  title  to  the  good  name 
accorded  to  him  by  these  testimonials. 

August  21. — Traveled  twenty  (20)  miles  up  the  valley  of  Milk 
river,  and  have  good  wood  and  water,  but  only  passable  grass  at 
our  camp;  but  the  grazing  seems  to  be  gradually  improving  as  we 
advance.  The  Indians,  who  camped  near  us  last  night,  traveled 
along  in  our  company  until  noon,  and  then  crossed  the  river  and 
disappeared ;  but  we  came  to  an  encampment  of  the  Gros  Ventres, 
who  struck  their  lodges  and  traveled  with  and  camped  near  us 
tonight. 

August  22. — Traveled  seventeen  and  a  half  (17  1-2)  miles  and 
camped  on  a  branch  of  Milk  river,  with  plenty  of  wood  and  water, 
but  scanty  grass,  the  ground  being  thickly  covered  with  wild  sage» 
as  it  has  been  for  the  last  three  days.  Our  Indian  friends  traveled 
with  us  today,  and  are  again  our  neighbors  tonight.  These  nomads 
of  the  prairie,  when  traveling  and  seen  at  a  distance  with  their 
bright  colored  dresses,  feathers  and  accoutrements,  present  a  truly 
picturesque  appearance,  but  there  is  certs^inly  no  irresistible  charm 
in  their  habits  or  manner  of  living. 

August  23. — Started  at  four  (4)  o'clock  this  morning  in  order 
to  reach  better  grass  as  soon  as  possible.  In  four  and  a  half  (4  1-2) 
miles  reached  a  point  on  IMilk  river  at  which  we  are  to  cross,  and  as 
we  expect  a  long  drive  without  water,  according  to  the  statement 
of  "Old  Dog's  Head,'*  an  Indian  warrior,  who  has  drawn  npon  the 
ground  a  sketch  of  the  country  in  this  vicinity  for  our  information, 
we  remain  here  until  towards  evening  in  order  to  afford  our  stock 
time  to  feed  and  to  travel  after  the  heat  of  the  dav.  About  one 
hundred  and  fifty  (150)  or  two  hundred  (200)  Indians  still  keep 
along  with  us,  but  are  to  leave  us  this  evening. 


STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY  65 

At  five  (5)  o'clock  our  train  forded  Milk  river  without  much 
difficulty  by  placing  branches  of  trees  upon  the  bank,  which  is 
quite  soft  and  muddy.  The  stream  is  here  about  two  hundred 
(200)  feet  wide  and  one  and  a  half  (1  1-2)  feet  deep,  with  quick- 
sand bottom.  We  traveled  until  nine  (9)  o'clock,  and  were  then 
compelled  to  make  camp,  as  it  became  very  dark  and  a  slight  rain 
set  in.  Just  before  halting,  about  twenty  strange  Indians  rode  up 
to  our  train  in  the  darkness  and  occasioned  some  apprehensions 
among  some  of  the  emigrants,  whose  imaginations  magnified  the 
number  many  times.  An  alarm  was  given  by  some  of  them  that  our 
train  was  "cut  in  two,"  but  all  answered  to  the  roll  call,  and  the  in- 
nocent causes  of  the  alarm  were  soon  demurely  seated  around  a  fire 
which  they  built  close  to  our  camp  of  buffalo  chips  and  bones.  We 
pitched  a  tent  to  protect  them  from  the  rain,  but  did  not  pitch  any 
for  ourselves  on  account  of  the  rain  and  darkness,  stowing  our- 
selves in  our  wagons  and  under  them  for  what  sleep  we  could  obtain. 

August  24. — Started  this  morning  at  half  past  three,  as  our  camp 
last  night  was  without  wood  or  water  and  almost  without  grass. 
At  eighteen  (18)  miles  from  the  crossing  of  Milk  river  we  camped 
on  the  bank  of  that  stream,  with  good  water  and  wood  and  passable 
grass. 

August  25. — Traveled  eighteen  and  three- fourths  (18  3-4)  miles 
and  at  an  early  hour,  having  started  at  four  (4)  o'clock,  cressed 
Milk  river  again  and  camped  on  its  bank,  with  good  wood  and 
water,  but  scanty  grass.  We  came  in  sight  of  the  Little  Rocky 
mountains  this  afternoon,  their  dim  and  shadowy  outlines  re- 
sembling a  thin  body  of  clouds  rising  in  the  southwest. 

August  26. — Traveled  fifteen  and  a  half  (15  1-2)  miles,  and 
camped  at  Milk  river,  with  good  wood  and  water,  and  grass.  This 
forenoon  we  met  two  horsemen  leading  three  pack  horses,  the  first 
white  travelers  we  have  met  since  leaving  Fort  Abercrombie.  They 
are  from  Salmon  river,  en  route  for  Fort  Union  and  thence  for  "the 
States"  by  way  of  the  Missouri  river.  They  left  Florence  City 
six  weeks  ago,  and  report  the  Salmon  river  mines  very  rich,  but  the 
claims  all  taken  up,  and  report  but  little  gold  in  Deer  Lodge  and 
Bitter  Root  valleys. 

August  27. — Remained  in  camp  today  on  account  of  the  abund- 
ance of  grass,  and  to  afford  an  opportunity  for  the  emigrants  to 
kill  buffalo  and  dry  the  meat  as  part  of  their  winter^s  provisions. 
Succeeded  in  killing  all  the  buffalo  neede<l  for  the  purpose,  but 
do  not  expect  to  see  many  more,  as  we  shall  soon  be  so  near  Fort 
Benton  that  thev  will  be  driven  awav  bv  the  hunters  and  Indians 
from  that  post. 

August  28. — Traveled  twenty-one  and  three  quarters  (21  3-4) 
miles  today,  and  camped  on  Milk  river,  with  abundance  of  wood, 
water  and  grass.  A  war  party  of  Crow  Indians  came  to  our  camp 
early  this  morning  and  commenced  their  war  d^nce    (having  had 

Historical— 5 


66  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

success,  probably,  in  stealing  horses  from  some  other  tribe)  as  soon 
as  we  had  started. 

August  29. — Made  eighteen  and  a  half  (18  1-2)  miles,  and  camp- 
ed on  Milk  river,  with  wood,  water  and  excellent  grass.  The 
Bear's  Paw  mountains  appear  to  be  about  fifteen  (15)  or  twenty 
(20)  miles  to  the  south  and  west,  and  three  (3)  emigrants  have 
started  on  horseback  to  explore  and  prospect  them  for  gold. 

August  30. — Made  seventeen  and  three-fourths  (17  3-4)  miles, 
and  camped  again  on  Milk  river,  with  abundant  wood,  water  and 
grass.  The  country  immediately  out  of  the  river  valley,  to  the  right 
of  our  course,  is  exceedingly  broken,  hilly,  and  barren.  Our  camp 
is  in  an  opening  amongst  large  cotton-wood  trees,  and  is  the  pleas- 
antest  and  most  picturesque  of  any  we  have  had  since  we  left  the 
Shayenne. 

August  31. — (Sunday) — We  remained  in  camp  today,  and  had 
religious  services  in  a  grove  close  by  headquarters.  The  day  has  been 
exceedingly  pleasant  and  the  temple  in  which  we  worshiped  seem- 
ed far  more  fitting  the  grand  and  solemn  service  than  any  made  by 
hands,  however  skillful  in  architecture. 

MEDICINE  LODGE. 

Saptember  1. — Made  eighteen  and  a  half  (18  1-2)  miles,  and 
camped  on  Milk  river,  with  excellent  wood,  water  and  grass. 
We  crossed  Milk  river  today  for  the  last  time.  The  river  bed  at  the 
point  of  crossing  is  about  a  hundred  and  twenty-five  (125)  feet 
wide  and  ten  (10)  feet  deep,  but  is  quite  dry  at  this  time.  There  is 
not  here,  nor  has  there  been  for  the  last  one  hundred  (100)  miles, 
any  nmning  water  in  this  river,  except  what  runs  undergroimd 
through  the  quicksand  which  composes  its  bed,  but  water  is  found 
in  pools  at  short  intervals  along  the  course  of  the  river.  We  pass- 
ed this  afternoon  an  abandoned  camp  of  some  three  thousand  (3,000) 
of  four  thousand  (4,000)  Blackfeet  Indians.  A  large  "medicine 
lodge,'*  in  which  they  had  celebrated  their  superstitious  rites,  wa» 
left  standing,  although  its  covering  had  been  mostly  stripped  from 
its  framework.  It  was  circular,  and  about  one  hundred  (100)  feet 
in  diameter  and  forty  (40)  feet  high  in  center,  the  roof  poles  run- 
ning from  the  top  down  to  and  resting  upon  strong  poles,  eight  (8) 
feet  high  and  fixed  in  the  ground  in  a  circle  around  a  tree,  which  was 
erected  for  a  center  pole.  This,  in  time  of  occupancy,  is  covered 
with  dressed  buffalo  skins,  and  constitutes  the  Indian's  highest 
achievement  in  the  architectural  line.  In  the  medicine  lodge  thfir 
mysteries  and  sacrifices  are  performed.  The  sun  is  their  highest  ob- 
ject of  worship,  but  they  also  reverence  the  moon,  which  they  call 
*'the  spirit  of  a  woman."  The  chi^^f  end  of  these  rites  is  to  obtain 
the  bestowment  of  great  physical  strength  and  fortitude  that  they 
may  be  successful  in  battle ;  rendering  thanks  for  past  success  and 
favors  has  a  vtry  subordinate  place  in  their  religion.    They  practice 


STATK  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY  67 


great  self-torture  as  a  part  of  their  ceremonies ;  sometimes  cutting 
off  their  fingers,  sticking  knives  into  their  heads  until  they  are  cov- 
ered with  blood,  with  other  mutilations  of  a  like  character. 

Mr.  Meldrum,  who  has  spent  over  thirty  (30)  years  among  the 
Indians,  says  he  once  found  in  a  medicine  lodge  a  basket  containing 
sixty  (60)  first  joints  of  fingers,  which  they  had  cut  from  their  own 
hands  during  the  "making  medicine,"  as  they  term  it;  and  I  have 
met  an  old  mountaineer  who  tells  me  that  he  has  seen  them  stick 
knives  in  their  heads  until  the  blood  would  follow  every  stab  in 
jets. 

Near  this  lodge  we  found  a  beautifully  formed  and  spotted  mare, 
still  living,  which  they  had  cut  in  different  parts  of  her  body  and 
then  left  as  a  sacrifice.  They  had  also  left  in  the  lodge  several  worth- 
less guns,  some  blankets,  skins,  moccasins,  a  scarf,  an  American 
flag,  which  had  probably  been  presented  to  them  by  the  American 
Fur  company,,  and  a  British  flag  .with  the  letters  H.  B.  C.  (Hudson 
Bay  Company)  on  it. 

September  2. — Our  course  today  has  been  nearly  sputh  and  we 
have  left  Milk  river  to  the  north.  Crossed  Beaver  creek,  a  small 
tributary  of  Milk  river,  which  rises  in  the  Bear's  Paw  Mountains, 
which  are  now  but  a  few  miles  to  the  southeast.  We  made  nine- 
teen and  a  half  (19  1-2)  miles  and  camped  on  Box  Elder  creek,  an- 
other small  tributary  of  Milk  river,  having  its  source  near  the  Mis- 
souri, with  good  wood,  waier  and  grass. 

September  3. — After  traveling  five  (5)  miles  we  came  to  a  small 
stream  or  creek  with  small  trees  upon  it,  and  as  we  do  not  expect  to 
find  any  more  wood  until  we  reach  Marians  river,  we  took  on  enough 
to  last  us  two  days.  At  nine  and  a  half  (9  1-2)  miles  we  came  to  a 
small  creek  called  Big  Sandy,  and  halted.  The  next  twenty  (20) 
miles  from  this  point  is  over  a  high,  rolling  prairie,  and  we  do  not 
expect  to  find  any  water  during  that  distance,  unless  we  shall  be 
agreeably  disappointed,  and  find  what  we  called  "The  Spring,"  not 
dry,  as  we  fear  it  will  be  at  this  season.  It  is  decided  to  travel  a 
portion  of  this  distance  at  night,  so  that  our  stock  may  suffer  less 
from  thirst  than  they  would  if  compelled  to  travel  the  whole  distance 
without  water  in  the  heat  of  the  day. 

A  NIGHT  MARCH. 

We  started  from  Big  Sandy  at  about  five  (5)  o'clock  and  travell- 
ed until  midnight,  when  we  came  to  the  spring  and  camped,  being 
happily  disappointed  in  finding  sufficient  water  for  our  stock,  though 
not  of  excellent  quality.  We  have  made  twenty-nine  and  a  half 
(29  1-2)  miles  today  and  tonight,  but  our  stock  does  not  appear  to 
suffer  from  the  drive,  as  the  night  is  cool  and  moonlight,  and  the 
road  excellent. 

The  Three  Buttes'or  Sweet  Grass  mountains  were  plainly  visible 
some  sixty  miles  to  the  northwest.     Different  members  of  our  train 


68  STATK   HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


have  seen  six  (G)  grizzly  bears  today,  and  in  two  instances  bruin 
gave  chase,  and  for  considerable  distance  tried  his  speed  with  their 
horses,  the  latter  fortunately,  but  barely,  winning  the  race. 

"Our  Doctor''  and  Mr.  Burritt,  while  hunting  along  Box  Elder 
creek,  came  suddenly  upon  a  "grizzly,"  lying  among  some  stunted 
willow  bushes,  which  would  weigh  eight  hundred   (800)   pounds. 

Just  as  they  became  aware  of  his  close  proximity  he  jumped  up, 
roared,  and  sprang  toward  them  in  a  most  ugly,  unfriendly  manner. 
The  doctor's  horse  (being  a  mule)  turned  quickly  and  ran,  as  if  she 
appreciated  the  emergency;  but  Mr.  Burritt's  horse  was  slow  to 
understand  the  crisis,  and  could  not  be  made  to  quicken  his  pace 
to  the  required  degree  until  the  bear  was  within  six  or  eight  feet  of 
him.  He  then,  however,  obeyed  the  spur,  and  left  old  bruin  in  the 
background  after  a  chase  of  a  dozen  rods,  who  sulkily  started  back 
into  his  cover,  and  could  not  be  found  when  it  came  his  turn  to  be 
pursued. 

Maria's  and  teton  rivers. 

September  4. — Made  thirteen  (13)  miles  today,  and  fording^ 
Maria's  river,  a  fine,  clear,  mountain  stream,  flowing  into  the  Mis- 
souri, camped  on  its  right  bank  with  good  wood,  water  and  grass.  Our 
route  today  has  been  over  a  high,  rolling  country,  and  the  descent 
into  the  valley  of  the  Maria  is  extremely  steep,  and  we  had  to  drive 
our  teams  down  with  great  caution.  The  Teton  empties  into  the 
Maria's  a  mile  and  a  half  above  our  camp.  I  rode  on  ahead  to  Fort 
Benton,  nine  (9)  miles  distant. 

fort  BENTON. 

September  5. — Traveled  nine  (9)  miles  and  camped  in  the  valley 
of  the  Teton,  three  and  a  half  (3  1-2)  miles  from  Fort  Benton 
with  good  wood,  grass  and  water ;  every  one  in  a  high  state  of  grati- 
fication at  the  safe  and  prosperous  accomplishment  of  so  much  of 
their  journey. 

Fort  Benton  is  a  trading  post  of  the  American  Fur  Company,  very^ 
similar  in  size,  and  character  to  Fort  Union,  except  that  the  walls 
are  built  of  adobe,  or  unburnt  brick,  instead  of  wood.  It  is  situ- 
ted  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Missouri,  near  the  great  bend,  on  a  flat 
some  three  hundred  (300)  feet  below  the  ridge  which  divides  the 
Missouri  from  the  Teton  and  Maria's  rivers.  Above  the  main  fort, 
about  half  a  mile,  is  another  fort  of  like  character,  which  was  built 
by  an  opposition  company,  but  afterwards  purchased  by  the  traders 
of  Fort  Benton  ;  and  about  half  a  mile  still  further  up  the  flat,  a  large 
fort  or  trading  post  is  in  process  of  being  erected  bv  the  firm  of  La 
Barge,  Harkness  &  Co.,  traders  from  St.  I^uis.  Fort  Benton  was 
established  in  1847,  and  a  large  trade  has  since  then  been  conducted 
here  with  the  Blackfeet  and  other  Indians,  ten  thousand  (10,000) 
of  whom  were  encamped  close  to  the  walls  of  the  fort  but  a  few 


STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY  69 

days  before  our  arrival.  In  addition  to  this  Indian  trade,  a  consid- 
erable amount  has  been  carried  on  this  year  with  emigrants  who 
have  come  up  the  Missouri  to  this  point,  on  their  way  to  the  gold  re- 
gions beyond  the  mountains.  This  fort  is  three  hundred  and  six- 
ty-seven (367)  miles  above  Fort  Union  by  the  route  travelled  by  us, 
and  we  have  therefore  made  seventeen  and  a  half  (17  1-2)  miles  a 
day,  on  an  average,  between  these  two  points.  Captain  Fisk's  in- 
structions required  him  to  disband  the  escort  here,  and  the  perform- 
ance of  this  duty  was  the  occasion  of  an  interchange  of  sentiments 
of  high  regard  between  him  and  those  forming  the  escort. 

We  remained  here  three  days,  and  before  starting,  the  emigrants 
unanimously  requested  Captain  Fisk  and  his  assistants  to  continue 
to  act  for  the  train,  in  the  same  manner  and  capacities  as  they  had 
hitherto  done,  every  one  perceiving  the  benefits  of  preserving  order 
and  command  in  a  party  of  this  size  traveling  together.  At  this 
point  commences  the  wagon  road  located  and  constructed  by  Lieu- 
tenant IMullan,  under  an  appropriation  of  Congress,  between  here 
and  Fort  Walla-Walla.  We  started  on  this  road  on  our  journey, 
still  further  westward,  on  the  ninth  (9th)  of  September.  As  the 
mission  for  the  especial  accomplishment  of  which  this  expedition  was 
sent  forth  ended  at  Fort  Benton,  I  will  not  detail  the  subsequent 
progress  or  incidents  of  the  journey,  although  they  were  full  of  in- 
terest to  ourselves,  the  most  so,  perhaps,  of  any  portion  of  our  route. 
A  few  days  out  from  Fort  Benton  we  met  four  (4)  men  returning 
from  a  prospecting  tour  in  the  mountains,  and  they  reported  to  us 
the  discovery  of  gold  in  small  quantities  in  the  valley  of  the  Prick- 
ly Pear  river,  a  small  tributary  of  the  Missouri.  At  Sun  river,  on 
the  13th  of  September,  six  emigrants  from  our  train  started  ahead 
to  visit  the  Prickly  Pear  valley,  and  to  report  to  us  upon  our  arrival 
in  that  vicinity,  the  prospect  for  mining  and  wintering  there.  At  this 
point  our  camp  was  visited  by  "Little  Dog,"  a  chief  of  the  Blackfeet, 
and  quite  a  number  of  his  warriors,  who  held  an  amicable  talk  with 
Captain  Fisk,  at  our  headquarters,  and  were  feasted  with  the  best 
our  table  afforded. 

On  the  20th  of  September  we  arrived  at  a  point  where  the  route 
to  the  Prickly  Pear  valley  diverges  from  Mullan's  road,  and  as  our 
prospecting  party  had  returned;  we  halted  in  order  to  hear  their  re- 
port and  allow  the  emigrants  to  determine  on  their  future  course. 
The  report  of  the  prospecting  party  represented  that  the  point  where 
gold  was  discovered  was  about  eighteen  (18)  miles  southward  from 
our  camp ;  that  it  was  found  on  the  surface  for  miles  in  the  Prickly 
Pear  valley,  in  quantities  varying  from  one-fourth  of  a  cent  to  five 
or  six  cents  to  the  pan,  and  that,  if  the  strearp  were  turned,  and  the 
bed  rock  reached,  they  should  hope  to  find  it  in  paying  quantities: 
that  game  and  grass  were  abundant  in  the  valley,  and  plenty  of 
pine  timber  close  at  hand. 


70  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

A  meeting  of  the  emigrants  was  held,  and  all  of  them,  except 
about  a  dozen,  were  in  favor  of  trying  their  fortunes  at  that  point, 
thus  allowing  their  cattle  a  rest  much  needed,  and  if  they  should 
not  find  gold  in  paying  quantities,  they  could  afterwards  go  to  more 
promising  regions.  The  next  day  they  started  for  the  scene  of  their 
experiment,  Captain  Fisk,  some  others  of  his  assistants,  and  myself 
accompanying  them. 

V\'^e  found  the  Prickly  Pear  to  be  a  small  stream  fifteen  (15)  or 
twenty  (20)  feet  wide,  and  two  (2)  feet  deep.  It  flows  in  a  north- 
easterly course,  and  the  point  where  gold  is  known  to  exist  is  be- 
tween two  canons  about  a  mile  apart.  There  is  an  out-cropping  of 
quartz  on  either  side  of  the  stream,  and  there  are  boiling  springs  a 
few  miles  further  up  the  valley.  Before  leaving  the  emigrants,  -they 
presented  to  Captain  Fisk  a  letter,  signed  by  every  one  of  them  and 
of  the  escort,  testifying  their  satisfaction  and  gratitude  at  the  manner 
in  which  he  had  conducted  the  expedition,  and  the  kindness  and  as- 
sistance with  which  his  conduct  towards  them  had  been  marked. 

GOOD-BYE  TO  EMIGRANTS. — CROSSING  THE  GREAT  DIVIDE. 

Having  left  the  emigrants  in  the  field  of  their  new  labors,  and 
wished  them  success  adequate  to  the  hard  work  and  deprivations 
which  they  will  doubtless  have  to  encounter  in  their  efforts  after 
the  "root  of  all  evil,"  we  again  resumed  our  journey  on  the  23d  of 
September,  crossed  the  main  chain  of  the  Rocky  mountains  by  the 
Hell  Gate  passes,  and  reached  the  Deer  Lodge  valley  (where  several 
gold  mines  are  being  wrought)  on  the  25th.  This  pass  over  the 
mountains,  by  Lieutenant  Mullan's  road,  is  perfectly  practicable  for 
wagons,  and  plenty  of  wood,  water  and  grass  are  found  on  this  route. 

It  was  hard  to  realize,  when  standing  on  this  summit — so  gradual 
has  been  the  ascent — that  we  have  reached  the  dividing  point  be- 
tween the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  oceans,  and  that  the  waters  which  we 
see  trickling  down  from  the  mountain  springs  almost  at  our  feet 
on  the  one  side,  go  to  swell  the  current  of  the  "Father  of  Waters," 
and  thence  empty  into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico;  while  those  we  see  form- 
ing a  shallow  brook,  just  below  us  to  the  west,  find  their  way,  by 
the  great  channel  of  the  Columbia,  into  the  Pacific.  Leaving  Deer 
Lodge,  our  course  lay  down  the  channel  of  the  Hell  Gate  river,  un- 
til October  8,  when  we  crossed  the  stream,  and  commenced  the  ascent 
of  the  Coeur  d'Alene  mountains,  by  proceeding  up  the  valley  of  the 
St.  Regis  de  Borgia  river,  a  small,  clear,  rapid  mountain  stream, 
out  of  which  we  supplied  our  table  with  delicious  mountain  trout 
We  found  these  mountains  (the  Coeur  d'Alene)  more  difficult  of 
passage  than  the  main  Rocky  Mountain  chain,  and  for  several  days 
grass  was  extremely  scanty.  Immediately  on  crossing  the  summit 
by  Stevens's  Pass,  we  commenced  following  down  the  valley  of  the 
Coeur  d'Alene  river,  which  takes  its  rise  a^ut  half  a  mile  from  the 
source  of  the  St.  Regis  de  Borgia. 


STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY  71 

Following  the  course  of  this  mountain  stream  we  passed  through 
dense  forests  of  cedar  trees  of  immense  size,  some  of  them  being 
fifteen  (15)  or  sixteen  (10)  feet  in  diameter,  and  on  October  13th 
we  arrived  at  the  Coeur  d'Alene  mission,  which  was  established  by 
the  Jesuits  twenty  years  ago  for  the  conversion  of  Indians.  Leav- 
ing this  point,  we  passed  along  the  north  shore  of  Cocur  d'Alene  lake 
and  kept  down  the  valley  of  the  Spokane  river  for  two  days,  when 
we  crossed  that  stream  to  the  Pelouse,  moved  down  that  stream, 
and  on  the  27th  of  October  crossed  Snake  river  by  a  ferry  and  camp- 
ed on  its  bank. 

WALLA-WALLA. 

On  the  first  of  November  we  reached  Walla-Walla,  a  mining  town 
of  about  three  thousand  (3,000)  inhabitants,  whose  growth  Ijas  been 
very  rapid  for  the  last  two  years,  in  consequence  of  the  discovery  of 
gold  diggings  at  various  points,  which  derive  their  supplies  from 
this  place.  While  we  remained  at  Walla-Walla  there  was  a  constant 
influx  of  miners  to  procure  supplies,  while  large  numbers  were  out- 
fitting for  the  Powder  river  mines,  which  have  been  well  tried  and 
proved  to  be  rich,  and  to  the  Boise  river  mines,  which  have  but 
just  been  discovered,  but  from  which  the  reports  are  of  the  most  flat- 
tering character. 

Here  Captain  Fisk  disposed  of  the  stock  and  materials  of  the  ex- 
pedition, according  to  instructions,  and  proceeded,  via  the  Columbia 
river  to  San  Francisco,  and  thence  bv  steamer  to  New  York. 

It  does  not  properly  belong  to  me  to  sum  up,  by  way  of  review, 
the  results  of  this  expedition,  but  I  cannot  do  less  than  say  that  the 
route  over  which  we  traveled  is  an  eminently  practicable  one  for  the 
purpose  of  future  emigration,  more  so,  I  have  every  reason  to  be- 
lieve by  what  I  have  learned  from  those  who  have  crossed  the  plains 
bv  the  usuallv  traveled  route,  than  anv  other  route  across  the  con- 
tinent.  The  health  of  our  whole  party  was  generally  excellent  dur- 
ing the  voyage,  the  weather  was  most  favorable,  and  no  accident  or 
loss  of  moment  occurred  to  mar  the  good  fortune  which  we  all  felt 
to  attend  the  expedition.  Since  returning  from  the  Pacific  coast,  I 
have  learned,  through  various  sources,  that  the  emigrants  whom  we 
left  in  the  mountains  have  met  with  greater  success  in  their  mining 
operations  than  they  anticipated  when  we  parted  with  them,  and 
are  still  at  work  on  the  eastern  slope  of  the  Rocky  mountains,  with 
every  prospect  of  still  greater  success  in  proportion  as  their  mining 
claims  shall  become  developed. 

I  cannot  doubt  that  the  greater  portion  of  future  emigration  from 
the  northwest  to  the  gold  fiends  on  both  slolpes  of  the  Rocky  moun- 
tains, the  extent  and  richness  of  which  are  yet  but  little  known,  and 
hardly  imagined,  will  pursue  the  general  overland  route  over  which 
we  passed,  and  that  by  way  of  Missouri  river  and  Fort  Benton ;  and 
that  the  whole  route  will,  before  many  years,  be  marked  by  a  contin- 


72  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

nous  line  of  settlements  which  the  country  is  fully  capable  of  sus- 
taining. Samuel  R.  Bond, 

Journalist. 
Washington,  February  10,  1863. 

There  is  appended  a  contemporary  newspaper  account  of  the  ex- 
pedition for  the  local  details  it  supplies : 

"From  Capt.  Fisk's  Corps — The  following  notes  from  J.  R.  Tysen, 
whom  we  mentioned  several  weeks  ago  as  having  started  on  a  trip 
to  the  Salmon  river  mines  in  company  with  E.  M.  Strong,  announces 
their  safe  arrival  at  Fort  Abercrombie,  from  which  place  they  will 
proceed  with  Capt.  Fisk's  protective  corps. 

Fort  Abercrombie,  July  6th,  1862. 
Friend  Mitehell: 

We  have  arrived  safely  thus  far  and  find  ourselves  encampye d  with 
about  forty  wagons,  and  expect  four  or  five  more  today.  We  start 
tomorrow  morning  and  shall  have  to  bridge  the  Wild  Rice  river,  as 
the  bottom  is  muddy.  We  take  a  twelve-pound  howitzer  with  us  for 
the  benefit  of  the  aborigines,  if  they  are  inclined  to  avail  themselves 
of  it.  Tonight  there  is  also  to  be  a  distribution  of  arms  to  the  de- 
fenceless, and  we  start  with  the  confidence  of  being  able  to  thrash 
any  roving  bands  we  may  come  across.  Some  of  our  party  antici- 
pate a  combination  of  the  various  tribes  against  us,  and  we  therefore 
have  lettered  all  our  wagons  V.  S.,  thinking  they  may  better  respect 
the  power  of  our  mighty  Uncle  Samuel  than  that  of  us  poor,  humble 
individuals.  As  I  am  the  cook,  and  friend  Strong  begins  to  look 
with  anxiety  for  this  dinner.   I   must  close.     With   kind   regards. 

Yours  truly, 

J.  R.  Tysen." 


Camp  About  Twenty  Miles  From  Fort  Union, 

August  10th,  1862. 
Friend  Mitehell : 

As  I  now  have  an  opportunity  by  the  return  of  >rr.  Bottineau  to 
advise  you  of  our  progress,  I  haste  to  improve  it.  We  have  arrived 
safely  thus  far  with  but  on?  casualty,  namely,,  the  untimely  death 
of  a  government  mule  in  crossing  Wintering  river.  To  balance  that 
account  our  number  has  been  increased  by  one  stranger  who  arrived 
at  half  past  twelve,  night  before  last,  ani  who  is  about  forty  hours 
old.  His  name  will  l>e — Stark  (the  dash  cannot  yet  be  filled).  We 
also  had  a  wedding  in  the  camp  on  the  14th  of  July,  the  happy  couple 
Ix'ing  Henry  F.  Tyler  of  St.  Anthony,  and  Miss  Caroline  Abbott  of 
Boston.    They  appear  to  enjoy  their  romantic  bridal  tour  hugely. 

Our  oxen  have  suflfered  some  from  the  ho<:)f-ail,  and  although  there 
«»re  a  number  of  lame  ones,  they  are  improving  fast  and  not  one  has 
heen  lost. 


^St.    Cloud    I>rmocrat,    July    17,    1*»62. 


STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY  73 


The  government  part  of  this  expedition  I  look  upon  as  a  lamentable 
farce.  Would  you  believe  that  they  brought  a  surveyor  along 
and  no  chronometer,  so  that  we  cannot  reckon  our  longitude,  and 
we  have  been  blindly  following  the  very  crooked  trail  of  the  party 
who  started  from  St.  Joseph,  which  we  struck  at  Mouse  river,  part  of 
the  time  going  north,  part  of  the  time  south,  and  in  every  other  con- 
ceivable direction — thinking  we  were  following  the  lead  of  the  best 
guide  in  the  northwest  "according  to  Mr.  Bottineau."  Their  trail 
has  finally  struck  the  Missouri,  and  we  find  ourselves  now  encamped 
twenty  miles  above  Fort  Union,  where  we  expected  to  strike  it,  which 
fort  we  have  found  after  a  protracted  search.  We  also  have  found 
that  their  guide,  becoming  frightened,  left  them  at  night  in  the  Yank- 
ton country,  **and.  after  hiring  an  Assiniboine  Indian  for  the  best 
horse  they  had  in  the  party  to  guide  them,  who  also  left  with  the 
horse  the  first  night,''  they  became  completely  lost,  and  here  we  have 
been  following  them  the  last  two  weeks  on  their  winding  way,  losing, 
we  suppose,  about  150  or  200  miles,  all  owing  to  our  not  being  able 
to  determine  our  longitude.  So,  also,  although  forty  men  were  en- 
rolled, only  twenty-four  can  be  found  to  stand  guard,  the  remainder 
being  engaged  in  waiting  on  the  officers  and  cook.  One  carries  a  few 
pails  of  water  and  is  excused,  another  drives  three  or  four  cows,  an- 
other herds  the  cattle  an  hour  or  two  in  the  morning,  and  so  on  to 
the  end  of  the  chapter,  all  being  excuses  for  not  being  on  guard,  and 
so  the  deficiency  has  to  be  made  up  from  the  emigrants.  Again, 
there  has  been  no  attempt  made  to  organize  the  party  and  they  are 
consequently  in  a  weaker  condition  than  they  would  be  had  they  been 
left  to  take  care  of  themselves.  I  only  pray  that  we  may  have  as 
good  luck  in  the  subsequent  part  of  our  journey  as  we  have  had 
hitherto.  We  have  seen  but  one  party  of  Indians,  *'Assiniboines," 
numbering  twenty-two,  who  came  into  camp  and  had  a  pow-wow. 
The  St.  Joe  party,  to  get  safely  through  themselves,  told  them  we 
were  following,  loaded  with  presents  for  them,  at  least  the  old  chief 
said  they  told  them  so,  and  they  were  disposed  to  be  saucy  because 
their  demands  were  not  complied  with.  However,  our  captain  made 
a  speech  to  them,  telling  them  that  our  government  was  coming  next 
year  to  make  a  treaty  and  buy  their  lands,  so  that  the  trouble  will 
most  probably  take  place  with  next  year's  emigration.  But  that,  you 
know,  will  not  interest  us,  so  that  we  get  safely  through.  I  tell 
you  this  so  that  you  may  judge  of  the  management  of  the  expedition. 
Personally,  speaking  of  the  officers,  I  like  them  very  much  indeed, 
but  they  had  no  experience,  and  therefore  we  could  not  expect  any- 
thing else. 

There  is  a  great  scarcitv  of  wood  and  water,  and  not  very  good 
feed  on  this  route.  The  country  is,  generally  s[>eaking,  pretty  rough, 
but  I  don't  suppose  a  much  better  route  can  be  found,  as  there  are 
no  serious  obstructions  on  the  road,  such  as  deep  rivers  or  bad 
sloughs,  and  we  have  not  had  to  unload  our  teams  at  all.  As  yet 
we  have  found  all  the  rivers  fordable. 


/<  JMK  IHSTORICAL  f^XTIETY 


•'>'  if/'i  n'-A*!  h^rrr  ivf^fm  the  gold  mines  by  LifuL  Mullen's  n 
.*  //  .,^ //'  j/;r.  ;<'/|  riown  tlr:  Missouri  and  who  cc-nfinn  the  prcvzy 
y^A  ?.'  /;*  ff'/tfi  that  M-rtion,  saying  that  the  average  make  there  is 
A  /,  .*  r<';  H  f\;ty,  lUit  I  don*t  advise  any  one  to  come  this  way  mi- 
,/  :  if,  Uifif/-  p;irti<'\,  an  the  Indians  are  ver>'  troaKesocne,  having^ 
>t  /.  if  f  ////  yvr-i  ^!->  Hin(c  stolen  all  the  horses  from  this  fort,  killed  one 
t,  ift  hfi4  ha'lly  wotifuicd  another.  They  also  stole  sevent\--five  horses 
h',,,t  1  Oft  llrniori,  and  wc  may  account  for  our  immunity  from  tl^c 
f.i*  i;i;<f  tlir  |/rd  Kivcr  hunters  had  just  been  over  our  route  and 
r,t,  ,t  u  Ifi*'  lndi;nis  notith. 

'l\tt  /jiMnlif'/  of  ili(!  ganuion  the  road  surpasses  belief,  and  one  can- 
t,',i  »'.//h'l'  r  ;«t  Mu'  fear  the  Indians  have  of  its  being  driven  aw-a\', 
i  ///!(,/)  A  MM*  najns  of  jiaper  alxjut  our  adventures  would  time  pcr- 
M  »',  )/'»!  ;»^  I  havr  just  been  summoned  to  stand  guard  (confound  it 

»t  1^  4  pMMy  <olrI  night),  I  must  close. 

With  kind  regards,  yours  truly, 

J.  R.  Tysex. 

jHyinl  lllh,  Sinc<*  writing  I  have  visited  Fort  Union  and  saw 
fi  t'  hllnnan  t\\vrv  whr>  has  just  returned  from  the  Salmon  river 
itiiht  A,  an  (viiiK  at  the  P'ort  yesterday  by  boat  from  Fort  Benton.  He 
1^  h  iIm-  imiim "^  this  spring,  and  speaks  ver>'  discouragingly  of  the 
po/'jp< '  1 .  1 1«*  sa)  s  thf  .Salmon  river  mines  are  very  rich,  but  of  small 
t  .'iMil,  and  that  no  other  paying  mines  have  been  discovered.  He 
f.i,.i  lli«il  Hm*  (lainiH  at  Salmon  river  were  all  taken  up  last  fall  and 
III. (I  ti\  l«Mi(  I'll  thousand  i)crsons  have  arrived  there  by  way  of  Cal- 
MoMiia  I'lovifiioiis,  he  says,  are  plenty — flour  $40  a  hundred,  ba- 
MiM  ahoiil  thr  ^ainr  price,  and  coffee  and  sugar  are  about  45  or  50 
1 1  nib  u  poiiiMJ,  |)istaiu'e  from  Fort  Benton  to  Salmon  river  by  wag- 
on in.id,  "ami  not  a  very  good  one,  at  that/*  is  500  miles.  At  Deer 
I  o((|'.  ijir  iniiM's  do  not  yi  Id  more  than  $2  or  $3  a  day,  probably 
vvnih  I  iImm*  Alln^jctluT  the  prospects  for  mining  look  rather  dis- 
MMiiMfOiu/,  ahhoM|.;h  not  much  had  been  done  in  the  way  of  prospect- 
ing Ihh  jpiiii^i  v\Immi  Ii<'  U-ft.  It  is  also  impossible  to  get  to  Salmon 
Mv»  I  Willi  h  »nii^  and  even  difficult  with  pack  horses,  and  the  winter 
IIm  If  h  mImiiii  ninr  months  long.  lie  classes  the  Salmon  river  mines 
Willi  rih'**  I'lak,  and  says  the  rush  back  to  California  is  equal  to 
niiv  ol  ihr  oiImt  rushes  which  history  tells  of  in  connection  with 
mimm;  I  Iv  al'^o  saw  mnnlKTs  of  persons  coming  back  this  way.  I 
am  all  aid  that  this  news  will  be  disheartening  to  our  party,  but  then 
I  niippnsr  tlu'V  wili  console  themselves  with  the  hope  of  finding  some 

ollu  r  I  irii  (li^;^;ing,' 

J.  R.  T. 

'SI.    CUnxtl    Drtmnmt,    Oitober    »,    1862. 


state  historical  society  75 

In  Camp  Near  Prickly  Pear  River, 

Rocky  Mountains,  Sept.  19,  1862. 
Captain  James  L.  Fisk : 

Dear  Sir:  The  undersigned,  comprising  the  emigrants  of  the 
train  under  your  escort,  being  about  to  separate  from  you  in  quest 
of  our  fortunes,  wish  to  avail  ourselves  of  this  opportunity  to  express 
our  high  appreciation  of  the  able  and  faithful  manner  in  which  you 
have  fulfilled  the  duties  devolved  upon  you  by  your  appointment  to 
the  command  of  this  expedition,  of  your  generous  and  gentlemanly 
conduct  towards  each  of  us  during  the  long  journey  which  we  have 
made  together,  and  of  the  constant  and  increasing  care  which  you 
have  taken  for  our  safety  and  comfort,  from  the  first  day  we  met 
until  the  present  time. 

We  desire  also,  through  you,  to  accord  to  the  officers  associated 
with  you  in  command,  Messrs.  Burritt,  Langford,  Bond,  Charlton, 
Dibb,  Knox  and  Bottineau,  our  high  regards  for  their  eflforts  and  co- 
operation with  you  to  render  our  train  orderly,  our  intercourse  with 
each  other  pleasant,  and  our  journey  safe  and  prosperous. 

This  has  been  the  first  emigrant  train  to  cross  the  plains  and  moun- 
tains from  Abercrombie  to  this  region,  and  the  journey  has  been 
accomplished  without  loss  or  accident  of  any  moment,  which  is  all 
and  more  than  all  that  could  reasonably  have  been  expected.  For 
this  we  are  greatly  indebted  to  you,  the  guard  and  its  officers,  and 
as  we  are  about  to  part,  can  only  assure  you  that  you  will  ever  bear 
with  you  our  hearty  good  will  and  best  wishes  tor  your  future  happi- 
ness and  prosperity. 
(Signed) 

A.  A.  CLEMENT. 

WM.  A.  ROWELL. 

R.  M.   SPENCER. 

CHAS.  ST.  CLAIR. 

GEO.  A.  WICKAM. 

THOS.  A.  CLARK. 

THOS.  CONNER. 

W.  F.  BARRETT. 
And  one  hundred  and  ten  others.^ 


The  following  description  of  a  second  1863  expedition  is  given 
as  illustrating  the  variety  of  routes  used  by  the  gold  seekers  in  their 
s  -arch  for  a  safe  and  practicable  road  to  the  mines : 

In  Camp  Near  St.  Joseph, 

June  17th,  18G2. 

We  arrived  at  St.  Joe  day  before  yesterday,  had  a  good  trip.  It 
has  been  estimated  that  fifteen  hundred  carts  will  go  in  the  train. 

iSt.  Paul  Daily  Press.  January  23. 1863. 


76  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

They  start  from  different  points  and  meet  somewhere  on  the  plains. 

St.  Joseph  is  a  lovely  site  for  a  town.  There  are  about  seventy- 
fiv«  houses  and  one  church.  The  com,  vegetables  and  wheat  look 
well.    The  people  are  very  attentive  to  church  matters. 

Eightctittth — The  rest  of  the  party  arrived  today.  They  have 
made  arrangements  on  the  wheel  to  measure  the  distance.^ 


FROM  THE  SALMON  RIVER  GOLD  MINES. 

[The  following  extracts  from  a  letter  received  by  W.  B.  Mitchell,  of  this 
place,  from  M.  D.  Ledbeater,  will  be  found  interesting.  The  party  with 
which  Mr.  L.  was  associated  left  Fort  Abercrombie  about  twelve  days  in  ad- 
vance of  Captain  Fisk*s  Protective  Corps.] 

Fort  Benton,  August  10,  1862. 
Dear  Will: 

We  arrived  here  yesterday,  safe  and  sound,  after  a  tedious  trip 
of  fifty-three  days  from  St.  Joe,  out  of  which  we  laid  over  eleven 
days.  It  would  be  useless  for  me  to  give  you  an  account  of  the 
trip  in  detail,  as  each  day  would  amount  to  the  same  thing. 

Before  leaving  St.  Joe  we  hired  a  guide  to  bring  us  here,  paying- 
him  two  hundred  dollars — one  hundred  "down"  and  the  balance 
when  at  Fort  Benton.  All  went  well  until  the  11th  of  July,  when  we 
fell  in  with  a  party  of  Sioux  and  Stony  Lake  Indians,  about  eighty 
in  all.  Our  guide  advised  us  to  hold  council  with  them.  We  did  so 
and  gave  them  flour,  tobacco,  etc.  When  we  first  saw  them  com- 
ing down  the  hills  we  thought  they  intended  to  attack  us,  as  they 
came  yelling  and  firing  off  their  guns  in  grand  styl^.  They  formed 
themselves  in  line  and,  dismounting,  shook  hands  with  us.  We  pre- 
pared ourselves  for  a  council  in  our  "correll,"  and  after  several 
speeches  were  made  by  a  chief,  we  gave  them  our  presents  and 
started  on  our  journey.  Our  guides  were  very  much  afraid  of  the 
Indians,  and  they  knew  it.  So  the  next  day  (12)  our  guide  very 
treacherously  left  us  to  ourselves,  and  returned  to  a  party  of  half- 
breed  hunters  that  we  had  passed  two  days  before.  The  same  day, 
or  in  the  evening,  an  Indian  came  to  our  camp  to  guide  us  to  Fort 
Union.  He  said  he  was  going  to  the  fort  and  would  show  us  the 
w^ay.  We  believed  him  to  be  a  horse  thief  (which  he  proved  to  be), 
but  we  took  him  along.  For  two  days  we  watched  him  night  and 
day,  but  at  last  he  beat  us  by  stealing  a  horse  and  running  away  in 
daylight.  It  was  a  good  joke  on  us,  but  the  compny  paid  for  the 
horse. 

We  were  now  within  a  short  distance  of  the  Missouri  river.  On 
the  fifteenth  two  of  our  party  went  to  Fort  Union,  finding  it  to  be 
not  more  than  twelve  miles  from  our  camp.  On  the  sixteenth  we 
fell  in  with  another  party  of  Indians,  to  whom  we  gave  presents. 


»St.  Cloud  Democrat.  July  10.  1862. 


STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY  IT 

They  camped  with  us  at  night.  On  the  23d  we  fell  in  with  a  large 
party  of  Grossventrees  (pronounced  Grovents)  Indians.  They  were 
a  very  fine  body  of  Indians,  well  mounted,  had  but  a  few  guns,  were 
**dressed  to  kill,"  and  withal  very  friendly.  They  must  have  had 
five  hundred  horses  at  their  camp,  not  a  few  of  which  would  bring 
$150  at  St.  Paul,  at  present  prices. 

At  night,  when  we  camped,  they  brought  their  wives  and  daugh- 
ters, and  offered  them  to  the  men.  They  thought  it  woull  be  hon- 
orable in  us  to  accept,  or  at  least  they  wanted  to  make  us  believe  it ; 
but  in  fact  they  wanted  to  make  a  good  thing  out  of  us  and  get  all 
they  could  by  offering  their  wives  and  daughters,  and  so  get  pro- 
visions and  ammunition  in  exchange  for  their  honor.  All  next  day 
part  of  them  brought  their  women  along,  but  we  made  them  leave — 
the  thing  was  becoming  too  disgusting.  But  before  they  left  they  stole 
our  odometer  from  the  wheel,  which  was  a  sad  loss  to  us.  It  would 
have  been  useless  to  return  to  their  camp  in  search  of  it. 

We  did  not  go  to  Fort  Union  on  account  of  its  being  several 
miles  out  of  our  way.  We  offered  to  board  a  Blackfooi  halfbreed, 
his  wife  and  another  halfbreed  woman  and  daughter  to  Fort  Benton 
if  he  would  guide  us  there.  He  accepted,  and  we  brought  them 
along.  The  Blackfeet  and  Grosventres  are  at  war,  and  have  been 
for  the  past  year,  so  that  when  the  women  saw  the  latter  coming, 
they  got  in  the  wagon  and  covered  themselves,  hid  themselves,  and 
remained  so  for  two  days.  The  halfbreed  was  as  badly  frightened 
as  the  women.  A  few  days  after,  we  fell  in  with  a  small  party  of 
Blackfeet  Indians,  who  kept  with  us  until  we  arrived  there.  The 
road  all  along  from  Georgetown  to  Fort  Benton  was  in  excellent 
order. 

We  made  the  distance  from  Mouse  river  to  St.  Joe,  145  miles, 
in  eight  days,  four  days  to  second  crossing  of  Mouse  river,  60  3-4 
miles ;  ten  days  travel  to  within  twelve  miles  of  Fort  Union, 
167 1-2  miles ;  twentv-two-days  from  Fort  Union  to  Fort  Ben- 
ton,  distance  460  miles.  The  countrv'  from  St.  Joe  to  Fort 
Union,  as  a  general  thing,  is  ver\'  poor — all  prairie,  poor  water 
and  scarcely  any  wood.  We  were  nearly  twelve  days  after  leaving 
Mouse  river  without  wood,  and  half  the  time  with  but  poor  water. 
Feed  for  cattle  was  pretty  good.  For  description  of  country  be- 
tween Fort  Union  and  Fort  Benton,  I  refer  you  to  Stephens'  repyort, 
for  we  traveled  on  his  trail. 

After  we  crossed  the  Mouse  river  we  saw  lots  of  buffalo,  and 
killed  all  we  wanted.  When  we  got  to  the  Missouri,  we  had  buf- 
falo, black  tail  deer,  elk  and  antelope.  Every  morning  two  or  three 
hundred  pounds  of  fresh  meat  would  be  thrown.  One  of  the  Black- 
feet Indians  went  to  a  drove  of  buffalo,  three  miles  off,  and,  select- 
ing a  fat  cow,  drove  it  to  within  ten  rods  of  our  camp  and  shot  it. 
He  gave  it  to  us  and  said  he  would  drive  more  if  we  needed  them. 
The  Blackfeet  are  very  peaceable.  They  do  not  b.^g,  as  the  ot!  r 
Indians.    We  saw  thousands  of  buffalo  in  one  herd. 


78  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


We  saw  a  natural  curiosity — a  dog  with  three  legs.  It  has  always 
been  so,  and  is  just  as  smart  as  one  with  four  legs.  There  have 
been  four  boats  at  Fort  Benton  this  spring,  and  they  expect  another 
in  a  few  days. 

Several  persons  have  returned  from  the  gold  fields  to  Fort  Benton 
— some  tell  one  thing  and  som€  another,  but  all  think  there  is  g'*^^^ 
there. 

At  this  point  there  are  600  barrels  of  flour,  and  other  stuff  in 
proportion.  The  next  boat  will  bring  400  more  barrels  of  flour. 
This  article  is  selling  at  $30  per  barrel,  with  other  things  more  rea- 
sonable.   We  start  tomorrow,  so  good  bye.    Yours  in  haste, 

M.  D.  Ledbeaxer. 

The  address  of  any  of  this  party  is  care  of  Warden  &  Ca.,  Hell 
Gate,  via.  Fort  Walla- Walla.^ 


RETURN  OF  A  GOLD  MINER. 

Mr.  J.  H.  Grindall,  a  well  known  citizen  of  St.  Paul,  who  started 
last  spring,  for  the  Cariboo  mines  with  a  large  company  of  citizens 
of  this  place  and  St.  Peter,  arrived  home  on  Sunday  night,  having 
returned  via.  San  Francisco  and  New  York. 

The  company  had  a  successful  journey  out,  and  it  was  accom- 
plished without  loss  of  life  to  man  or  beast.  The  route  taken  was 
from  Abercrombie  to  Pembina  river,  thence  in  a  southwest  course 
to  Fort  Union,  passing  to  the  North  of  Devils  Lake  (where  the 
hostile  Sioux  are  now  encamped),  while  the  party  under  Captain 
Fisk,  a  month  later,  passed  to  the  southward  of  it,  and  arrived  at 
Fort  Union  over  part  of  the  same  trail. 

From  Fort  Union  they  went  to  Fort  Benton,  and  thence  to  Prick- 
ly Pear  Valley,  where  some  experienced  miners  in  the  company 
prospected.  Not  finding  enough  to  induce  them  to  remain,  they 
struck  across  the  mountains,  and  went  to  the  Deer  Lodge  Valley 
river.^ 


CAPT.  J.  L.  FISK'S  EXPEDITION  OF  1863. 

The  expedition  of  18G3  was  in  most  respects  a  repetition  of  that 
of  18()2.  Some  contemporary  accounts  of  it  are  appended  for  the 
material  on  local  history  which  they  contain. 


THE  MISSOURI  RIVER  GOLD  MINES. 


We  have  purposely  withheld  some  newspaper  accounts  of  the  new 
gold  fields  on  the  sources  of  the  Missouri  river  in  latitude  45  de- 


ist. Cloud  Democrat.  October  2.  1H62. 
»St.  Paul  Daily  Prcs5,  January  27,  1863. 


STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY  79 

grees,  until  our  special  correspondence  from  well  known  Minneso- 
tans  could  verify  or  modify  the  first  statements.  The  letters  of 
Messrs.  Fergus  and  Bond  furnish  such  a  commentary. 

Bannock  City  and  its  vicinity  can  be  more  readily  reached  from 
St.  Paul  overland,  then  by  the  navigation  of  the  Missouri  river. 
Steamers  only  reach  Fort  Benton,  when  a  land  journey  of  300 
miles  yet  remains.  Starting  from  Minnesota  with  teams,  sixty  days 
will  bring  a  party  to  Fort  Benton,  when  the  further  journey  to  the 
sources  of  the  Missouri  can  be  accomplished  without  detention  or 
expense,  the  whole  outfit  having  a  greater  value  than  when  the 
journey  commenced. 

Congress  appropriated  last  session  $10,000  for  the  protection  of 
an  overland  train  from  Fort  Abercrombie.  We  expect  to  be  in- 
formed in  a  few  days  of  the  organization  and  arrangements  for  a 
government  escort.^ 

"The  route  which  our  Minnesota  emigrants  pursued  under  the 
leadership  of  Capt.  Fisk  is  destined,  if  the  Indian  campaign  of  this 
summer  shall  be  successful  in  crushing  the  power  of  the  hostile 
Indians  which  now  infest  it,  to  become  the  great  thoroughfare  of 
emigration  from  the  northwest  to  this  new  El  Dorado  of  the  north. 
The  general  direction  of  the  campaign  itself  will  be  upon  the  track 
of  Fisk,  and,  as  one  of  its  fruits,  we  may  reasonably  expect  that  ere 
long  the  highway  over  plains  marked  out  by  the  expedition  of  1862 
between  St.  Paul  and  Bannock  City,  will  be  guarded  by  chains  of 
military  posts,  station  houses  of  the  mail,  express  and  telegraphic 
communications  which  will  ere  long  follow  in  the  wake  of  the  vic- 
torious army  sent  forth  by  Minnesota  to  clear  the  path  of  emigra- 
tion and  commerce  to  the  Pacific. 

FROM    JAMES   FERGUS*   LETTER. 

'There  are  three  routes  from  Minnesota,  two  by  land  and  one  by 
the  Missouri  river  to  Fort  Benton,  and  bv  land  from  there  to  here. 
This  is  the  quickest  and  easiest,  but  by  far  the  most  expensive.  The 
route  by  Omaha  and  the  Platte  river  is  the  longest,  but  much  the 
best,  with  the  exception  that  the  last  four  hundred  miles  is  through 
a  country  belonging  to  unfriendly  Indians.  The  northern  route  is 
not  to  be  compared  to  the  Platte  route  as  to  quality  of  road, 
water  or  grass,  but  as  it  is  shorter  and  more  direct,  I  would  give 
it  preference  over  any  other  route."* 

ESCORT   OF    EMIGRATION,    NORTH    OVERLAND   ROUTE,    1863. 

OFFICIAL  NOTICE, 

Washington  City,  April  3,  1863. 

Having  this  day  received  instructions  from  the  secretary  of  war 
directing  me  to  assume  this  year,  as  last,  the  superintendence  of 


I  St.  Paul  Daily  Press.  March  19.  1863. 
»Si.  Paul  Daily  Press.  March  19.  1863. 


80  STATE   HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

emigration  upon  the  route  overland  from  Fort  Abercrombie  to  Fort 
Benton  and  to  Walla-Walla,  I  hereby  give  notice  to  all  persons  in- 
tending to  emigrate  west  over  said  route,  and  who  would  avail 
themselves  of  the  protection  offered  by  the  government,  that  I  will 
start  from  St.  Cloud,  Minnesota — the  place  of  rendezvous — on  or 
about  the  1st  of  June  next,  and  proceed  via.  Forts  Abercrombie, 
Union  and  Benton,  to  the  Hell  Gate  passes  of  the  Rocky  Klountains 
into  the  Deer  Lodge  valley,  etc. 

It  will  be  necessary  for  every  one  to  be  in  readiness  at  the  time 
and  place  indicated  for  starting. 

Xone  should  atart  with  less  than  nine  months'  or  one  year's  sup- 
plies. Fifty  dollars  invested  in  the  necessaries  of  life  before  leaving: 
is  worth  $150  at  your  Journey's  end. 

Young,  well  broke,  stubbed  oxen,  two  yoke  to  the  wagon  (three 
yoke  not  objectionable),  is  the  best  team  for  your  freig-ht,  and  no 
team  of  this  strength  should  be  laden  heavier  than  2.0OO  pounds. 
The  thimble  skein  Yankee  wagon,  well  covered,  is  the  best  in  use 
for  overland  travel. 

Do  not  drag  along  bedsteads,  bureaus  or  chairs,  nor  any  article 
that  is  dispensable. 

Let  each  man  take  his  trusty  gun,  with  a  supply  of  amniunition. 

It  is  intended  by  the  government  to  provide  for  the  benefit  of  the 
whole  party  a  competent  physician,  guides  and  interpreters,  scouts, 
sentries,  and  such  other  means  of  protection  as  will  insure  the  safe 
passage  of  the  train  through  to  its  destination. 

A  military  force  will  undoubtedly  accompany  this  expedition  from 
Fort  Abercrombie  to  the  Missouri  river.' 

Jas.  L.  Fisk, 
Captain  Commanding  Expedition. 

"The  overland  emigration  train  destined  for  the  gold  niine.n  oi 
Idaho  and  Oregon,  under  the  leadership  of  Capt.  James  L.  Fisk, 
started  yesterday  from  this  city  for  the  rendezvons  of  the  expedition 
at  St.  Cloud,  whence  it  will  take  its  final  departure  on  the    10th 

In  consequence  of  the  disturbed  condition  of  the  Sioux  territory, 
this  expedition  will  pursue  a  different  route  from  that  of  the  last, 
evading  the  disaffected  districts  south  of  Devils  Lake,  anil  passing, 
we  believe,  along  the  east  side  of  Red  River  to  Pembina,  and  thence 
westward,  north  of  the  Devils  Lake  region,  near  the  international 
boundary, 

Mr.  Antoine  Frfnicr.  who  is  thoroughly  acquainted  with  every 
foot  of  the  country,  and  Fpeaks  the  language  of  every  tribe  on  the 
route,  accompanies  the  expedition  as  its  guide  and  interpreter. 

The  route  is  a  most  excellent  one,  as  we  know  from  personal  ob- 
servation, passing  through  a  fine,  grassy,  bnffalo  region,   with   a 

iSl.  l-aul  Daily  Prc».  April  2!.  ISCI. 


STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY  81 

plentiful  supply  of  wood  and  water — though  the  latter,  in  some  of 
the  saline  tracts  which  will  be  met  with,  is  sometimes  brackish." 

"Our  enterprising  friends,  Messrs  Holyoke,  Younglove  and  Dens- 
low,  health  and  pleasure  seekers,  accompanying  Col.  Fisk's  overland 
expedition,  took  their  departure  for  the  Pacific  yesterday  afternoon. 
They  encamped  on  the  prairie  last  night  outside  the  city  on  St. 
Anthony  road,  and  took  up  their  line  of  march  this  morning.  Judg- 
ing from  the  completeness  of  their  outfit  and  the  elaborate  prepara- 
tions made  to  insure  comfort  and  convenience,  we  anticipate  for 
them  a  delightful  youmey. 

They  have  also  made  arrangements  to  transport  a  large  amount 
of  staple  articles  to  the  gold  mines  of  the  Rocky  mountains. 

They  have  the  best  wishes  of  their  numerous  friends  and  acquain- 
tances in  St.  Paul,  who  feel  a  deep  interest  in  the  success  of  their 
undertaking,  and  sincerely  hope  for  their  final  restoration  to  health 
and  friends. 

Capt.  Fisk  will  leave  St.  Ooud  about  the  10th  inst.,  and  under 
the  management  and  guidance  of  this  experienced  and  sagacious  of- 
ficer, we  predict  for  the  expedition  safety  and  success."^ 


EXPEDITIONARY. 


'Among  the  arrivals  this  week  to  join  Capt.  Fisk*s  expedition  were 
Prof.  Hessey  of  the  National  Observatory;  Col.  Jones,  Messrs. 
Hamilton  and  Major  (all  of  Washington  City),  composing  a  topog- 
raphical corps,  splendidly  fitted  out  by  the  government,  and  sent  to 
establish  the  boundary  line  between  Idaho  and  Washington  terri- 
tories. These  gentlemen  seem  to  take  to  camp  life  with  a  will,  and 
if  we  are  to  judge  from  the  extens  ive  preparations  they  have  made,, 
they  cannot  fail  of  having  a  glorious  trip. 

Capt.  Fisk  will  make  a  halt  at  Ripley  to  complete  his  ordnance 
supply,  &c.,  and  probably  move  from  that  place  about  the  22pd 
inst.  The  train  moved  from  Camp  Thomas  toward  Fort  Ripley  on 
Monday  last.^ 

The  following  letter  was  received  by  Col.  Miller  yesterday  from 
Major  Camp,  commandant  at  Fort  Abercrombie: 

Fort  Abercrombie,  July  18,  1863. 

General  Sibley's  column  left  Standing  Rock  on  the  Shayenne 
river  last  Monday  morning,  and  are  finding  water  and  forage  much 
better  than  was  anticipated  by  me.  - 

The  farther  west  they  go  towards  the  Coteau  will  be  better  graz- 
ing. I  learn  this  from  hunters  who  have  returned  to  Pembina  the 
9th  of  this  month,  and  through  Mr.  McKay,  who  was  at  this  post 
on  Thursday  last.  Little  Crow  and  band  are  reported  to  have  fled 
to  the  Black  Hills,  but  the  information  is  not  such  as  to  be  implicit- 


iSt.  Paul  Daily  Press.  June  2. 18d3. 
•St.  Cloud  Democrat.  June  18. 1803. 

Historical— 6 


82  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


ly  relied  on.  The  mail  left  this  post  this  morning  for  General  Sib- 
ley's camp,  with  St.  Paul  dates  of  the  12th.  I  expect  to  hear  from 
him  again  the  first  of  next  week.  No  Indians  have  been  seen  in  the 
vicinity  of  this  post  this  spring,  or  any  sig^s  of  them. 

The  Red  river  carts,  175  in  number,  passed  on  Friday  for  the 
Red  river  settlements,  and  on  Saturday  100  more,  all  loaded  from 
St.  Paul. 

Capt.  Fisk  arrived  at  this  post  on  Monday  last  and  left  on  Wed- 
nesday, intending  to  take  his  old  route.  He  will  probably  fall  in 
the  rear  of  Gen.  Sibley  at  the  second  crossing  of  the  Shayenne  on 
his  route,  and  where  I  am  informed  General  Sibley  intends  to  cross 
that  river. 

I  should  have  written  more  fully  with  reference  to  General  Sib- 
ley, but  I  think  that  the  last  command  from  him  carried  dispatches 

to  vou.^ 

G.  A.  Camp." 

The  following  extract  from  a  letter  from  Dr.  W.  D.  Dibb  to  his 
wife  in  St.  Anthony  relates  to  the  report  given  in  Sunday's  press 
in  relation  to  Little  Crow.  Dr.  Dibb  is  the  surgeon  accompanying 
Fisk's  expedition  across  the  plains.  He  writes  from  Fort  Aber- 
crombie  on  the  14th : 

"George  Griere,  our  Sioux  interpreter  of  last  year,  has  joined  us 
again.  He  was  with  Little  Crow  just  before  he  joined  us.  He  has 
h'?Qn  trading  with  him  this  winter  at  Devils  Lake.  He  says  he  is 
about  used  up.  Not  much  powder  and  he  has  set  his  men  to  making 
bows  and  arrows.  He  tried  hard  while  he  was  there  to  get  the  other 
Sioux  to  join  him,  but  they  refused,  and  said  they  were  ready  to 
give  themselves  up.  They  blamed  Crow  for  bringing  this  trouble 
upon  them,  and  wanted  him  to  leave.  He  did  leave  the  morning 
George  left  and  started  for  the  Black  Hills,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Yel- 
lowstone river.  (  ?)  George  $aid  he  (Little  Crow)  would  give  him- 
self up  if  he  thought  he  would  not  be  hung. 

He  further  writes  that  Fisk's  expedition  consists  of  20  wagons 
and  60  men,  of  whom  25  are  mounted,  and  one  howitzer.  Five  of 
the  men,  we  learn  from  other  sources,  have  returned,  leaving  about 
55  with  Fisk.  They  expected  to  have  overtaken  Sibley's  army  in 
six  or  eight  days.''^ 

"We  make  the  following  extracts  from  a  private  letter  from  Mr. 
Russell,  recently  clerk  in  the  Press  office,  written  to  one  of  the  edit- 
ors.   It  contains  some  interesting  items : 

1  St.  Paul  Daily  Press,  July  25. 1863.    See  also  Dairy  of  Lewis  C.  Paxson,  Appendix. 
«St.  Paul  Daily  Press.  July  28. 1«63. 


state  historical  society  83 

Camp  Atchison,  Near  Lake  Jessie,  D.  T., 

Thursday,  July  23,  1863. 

Two  halfbreed  Chippewas  are  about  to  start  for  Pembina  on  horse- 
back with  the  mail,  and  they  are  expected  to  leave  there  in  three 
davs. 

If  pou  look  on  Capt.  Fisk's  map  you  will  see  where  this  camp  is 
located.  We  are  about  two  miles  from  Lakes  Lydia  and  Jessie,  on  an- 
other lake.  We  arrived  here  last  Saturday.  On  Friday  last  two 
Chippewa  halfbreeds  who  were  out  hunting  buffalo  came  into  our 
camp  and  reported  that  there  were  six  hundred  lodges  of  Sioux 
Indians  about  sixty  miles  west  of  us.  On  learning  this,  Gen.  Sibley 
thought  best  to  take  the  more  effective  portion  of  his  force  and  go 
after  them.  He  took  over  two  thousand  men,  including  four  or  five 
hundred  cavalry.  They  had  twenty-five  days'  rations,  but  thought 
they  would  return  in  ten  or  fifteen  days.  There  are  nearly  one  thou- 
sand men  here  and  several  hundred  horsemen  and  mules,  besides 
many  provision  wagons,  the  pontoons,  etc. 

It  was  thought  the  Indians  would  not  fight,  but  would  give  them- 
selves up.    Standing  Buffalo  and  Sweet  Corn  are  with  them. 

Capt.  Fisk  and  party  camped  on  Lake  Jessie  on  the  twentieth, 
and  stopped  over  one  day.  Many  from  our  camp  went  over  to  see 
them.  He  has  only  fifty-three  men  and  twenty  wagons,  with  one 
twelve-pound  howitzer.  They  do  not  seem  afraid  of  the  Indians, 
and  as  Gen.  Sibley  has  gone  ahead  and  met  the  Sioux,  they  may  go 
through  safely.    Major  Cook  is  in  command  here. 

I  have  not  seen  any  buffalo  yet,  but  have  had  some  of  the  meat  of 
it  to  eat.  I  should  hardly  know  it  from  beef.  I  have  seen  elk,  ea- 
gles, a  wolf,  etc.  Some  of  our  scouts  see  buffalo,  but  our  train  is  so 
large  I  suppose  it  frightens  them  away.  Capt.  Fisk's  party  see  plen- 
ty of  them. 

We  have  had  papers  to  the  11th  instant,  and  there  was  much"  re- 
joicing on  reading  the  glorious  news.  We  expect  another  mail  about 
Thursday  next.  The  papers  are  highly  prized  here,  and  are  soon 
gobbled  up  when  the  mail  arrives.^ 

J.  A.  Russell. 

"The  public  suspense  and  anxiety  awakened  by  recent  rumors  in 
regard  to  the  fate  of  Capt.  Fisk  and  his  party,  will  be  gratefully  re- 
lieved by  the  following  extract  which  we  are  permitted  to  take  from 
a  letter  of  Judge  J.  E.  Hoyt  to  his  brother,  Lieut.  M.  A.  Hoyt,  dat- 
ed at  Bannock  City,  Sept.  22,  1863. 

Capt.  Fi.sk  and  party  are  within  three  or  four  days  of  this  place, 
all  safe  and  sound." 

Another  letter  received  in  this  city  dated  the  27th  of  September 
from  a  place  called  Virginia  City,  said  to  be  about  75  miles  from 


iSt.  Paul  Daily  Press.  August  6. 18C3. 


84  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Bannock  City,  partly  corroborates  this  welcome  intelligence,  stating 
that  twelve  days  before  (that  is  on  Sept  15th),  Fisk  and  party  had 
arrived  at  Fort  Benton. 

If  he  was  at  Fort  Benton  on  the  fifteenth  he  could  scarcely  have 
been  within  three  or  four  days'  march  of  Bannock  City  on  the 
twenty-second.  Bannock  City  is  about  three  hundred  miles  south- 
west of  Fort  Benton,  being  located  on  Grasshopper  gulch,  a  trfbu- 
tary  to  Beaver  Head,  or  Jefferson  fork  of  the  Missouri  river,  about 
latitude  45,  longitude  36,  west.  We  give  these  particulars  in  order 
that  those  interested  may  be  able  to  refer  understandingly  to  their 
maps,  the  latest  of  which  give  no  indication  of  the  new  settlements 
which  have  sprung  up  within  a  year,  with  the  new  gold  discoveries 
at  the  headwaters  of  the  Missouri. 

The  exact  locality  of  Fisk's  party  when  the  letters  were  written 
is  of  little  consequence,  as  the  fact  that  they  were  safe  and  sound  at 
Fort  Benton  on  the  15th  of  September,  will  allay  any  apprehensions 
for  the  safety  of  the  party,  occasioned  by  the  Pembina  story.  The 
report  that  they  were  massacred  was  first  brought  to  Pembina  near- 
ly on  the  very  day  on  which  it  is  now  established  they  were  safe  at 
Fort  Benton,  about  800  miles  distant. 

It  was  understood  that  Capt.  Fisk's  destination  was  Walla-Walla, 
at  the  fords  of  the  Columbia,  which  he  reached  last  year,  we  believe, 
by  the  northern,  or  Stevens  route,  running  partly  along  the  north- 
em  fork  of  the  Columbia.  The  distance  to  Bannock  City  would  seem 
to  indicate  his  intention  this  year  to  take  the  new  route  through  the 
valley  of  the  Salmon  river.  As  Bannock  City  is  in  regular  mail 
communication  with  Salt  Lake,  we  may  expect  to  hear  from  Capt 
Fisk  soon  by  due  course  of  mail. 

We  may  here  say  that  it  is  believed  the  route  from  Fort  Benton 
to  Bannock  Qty  is  free  from  any  serious  danger  from  hostile  Indi- 
ans. If  we  are  not  mistaken  it  lies  mainly  through  the  country  of  the 
Flatheads,  a  friendly  tribe,  though  rather  too  near  the  thieving  Black- 
feet  and  Pend  D'Oreiller  for  entire  security  to  property.  The  letter 
of  Judge  Hoyt  before  referred  to  contains  also  the  following  para- 
graph which  will  be  of  interest  to  some  of  our  readers. 

Judge  Edgerton,  chief  justice  of  the  territory,  with  his  family, 
came  in  last  week.  Mrs.  Babcock's  son,  young  Tilden,  came  out 
with  the  judge."* 

We  have  been  permitted  to  make  the  following  extract  from  a  let- 
ter written  by  Capt.  Fisk  to  his  wife : 

*' Bannock  City,  Idaho  Territory,  Sept.  29,  1863. — It  has  pleased 
Providence  to  again  deliver  me  safely  at  the  all  important  point  on 
a  long,  overland  journey.  I  arrived  at  this  place  yesterday.  All  my 
party  are  well.    My  own  health  was  never  so  good.    We  have  had 


iSt.  Paul  Daily  Press.  October  16  and  22. 1863. 


STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY  85 

a  prosperous  trip,  although  Mr.  Holyoke  kft  us,  as  the  fallen  leaf 
drops  from  the  tree  at  the  first  frost.  We  buried  him,  sadly,  in  the 
valley  of  the  Prickly  Pear  river,  twenty-five  miles  east  of  the  sum- 
mit of  the  Rocky  mountains. 

I  have  come  to  the  mining  regions,  where  I  am  meeting  with  the 
members  of  my  old  train,  and  where  I  hope  to  close  out  my  expedi- 
tion if  possible. 

You  may  look  for  me  home  before  the  18th  of  January."' 

■St.  Paul  Diil;  Pr«>.  November  4. 1863. 


APPENDIX 


I 

\ 


APPENDIX 


COMMANDING  OFFICERS  AT  FORT  ABERCROMBIE. 

1857-8 — Lieut.  Col.  J.  J.  Abercrombie — post  established. 

1859,  June  30 — Capt.  N.  H.  Davis,  Snd  Infantry,  one  company  of 
the  2nd  Infantry,  3  officers  and  66  men. 

1860,  to  August  3 — Capt.  Wm.  M.  Gardner,  2nd  Infantry,  en- 
route  June  30,  1860  from  Big  Stone  Lake,  D.  T.  Three  companies 
2nd  Infantry,  3  officers  and  134  men. 

1860,  Aug.  3,  to  1861,  July  19— Lieut.  Col.  Hannibal  Day,  2nd 
Infantry. 

ffll861,  July  19— Capt.  W.  Markham,  Co.  B,  Minnesota  Volunteer 
Infantry,  two  companies  Minnesota  Volunteer  Infantry,  166  men. 

1861,  September — Capt.  Peter  Mantor  with  Co.  C,  2nd  Minnesota 
Volunteer  Infantry. 

1861,  Oct.  22,  to  1862,  Mar.  30— Capt.  T.  E.  Inman,  Co.  D,  4th 
Minnesota  Volunteer  Infantry. 

1862,  Mar.  30  to  Nov.  18— Capt.  John  Vander  Horck,  Co.  D, 
5th  Minnesota  Volunteer  Infantry. 

1862,  Nov.  18,  to  1863,  May  13— Lieut.  Col.  Francis  Peteler,  2nd 
United  States  Sharpshooters :  Co.  G  of  the  Ninth  Minnesota  Volun- 
teer Infantry;  Cos.  G  and  H,  of  the  Eighth  Minnesota  Volunteer 
Infantr>'. 

1863,  May  13 — Maj.  Geo.  A.  Camp,  Eighth  Minnesota  Volunteer 
Infantry. 

186  i,  June — Capt.  Chas.  H.  Mix,  Co.  A,  Hatch's  Independent 
Battalion  of  cavalry,  Minnesota  volunteers. 

1864,  July  28 — Lieut.  Col.  Charles  Powell  Adams,  four  companies 
of  Hatch's  Battalion,  Minnesota  cavalr>'. 

1866,  May  21-27— Capt.  Geo.  C  Whitcomb,  Ind.  Battalion,  Min- 
nesota \'olunteer  Infantrv. 

1867,  Sept.  27,  to  Oct.'  5.  1868— Lieut.  Col.  \V.  H.  Sidell,  Tenth 
infantr>';  1867,  5  officers,  206  men;  Companies  D,  F  and  I,  Tenth 
infantry ;  1868,  Companies  D  and  F,  Tenth  infantrv. 

1869',  October  30  to  Nov.  1,  1871— Lieut.  Col.  L.  C.  Hunt,  Twen- 
tieth infantry ;  1869,  8  officers,  73  men,  companies  F  and  I,  Twenti- 
eth infantry;  1870,  one  company  Twentieth  infantry,  4  officers,  106 
men ;  1871,  one  company  Twentieth  infantrv,  3  officers,  53  men. 

1872,  Oct.  31,  to  October  31,  1873— Capt.  J.  H.  Patterson,  Twen- 
tieth infantry,  one  company  Twentieth  infantry,  3  officers,  52  men. 


90  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

1874,  September  to  November  12,  1875.  Col.  T.  L,  Crittenden. 
Seventeenth  infantry.  1874,  10  officers,  111  men,  companies  A  and 
F,  Seventeenth  infantry;  1875,  9  officers,  80  men,  2  Indian  scouts 
Comapnies  A  and  F,  Seventeenth  infantry. 

1876,  Nov.  21 — Capt.  Wm.  Fletcher,  Twentieth  infantry ;  Co.  A, 
Seventeenth  infantry ;  Co.  F,  Seventh  cavalry. 

1877 — Capt.  W.  M.  Van  Home,  Seventeenth  infantr\',  one  com- 
pany, three  officers,  37  men. 


CAPT.  ROLLA  BANKS. 

Capt.  Rolla  Banks  was  born  at  Shepherdstown,  W.  Va.,  Nov.  16. 
1817. 

He  enlisted  in  Company  D,  Seventh  regiment  of  Minnesota  in- 
fantry volunteers,  on  the  16th  day  of  August,  1862,  at  Winona. 
Minnesota  (Winona  county).    He  was  a  merchant  and  engaged  in 
farming  at  the  time  of  his  enlistment.    He,  with  all  the  members  of 
the  company,  enlisted  as  a  private  soldier.    After  the  enlistment  the 
members  of  the  company  chose  their  own  officers,  and  he  was  elect- 
ed captain,  and  mustered  in  with  that  rank  at  Fort  Snelling,  Minne- 
sota.   Just  at  the  time  of  his  mustering  in,  the  Indian  massacre  by 
the  Sioux  Indians,  in  the  western  and  northern  boundaries  of  that 
state,  broke  out,  and  he  with  his  company  and  three  other  companies 
from  other  Minnesota  regiments,  were  sent  to  Fort  Abercrombie 
on  the  Red  river,  about  three  hundred  miles  from  Fort  Snelling,  to 
relieve  the  garrison  at  that  post  and  the  settlers  of  that  section,  who 
had  gathered  there,  and  were  then  besieged  by  the  Sioux  Indians. 
It  was  a  long  march,  but  Capt.  Banks  had  crossed  the  plains  to  Cal- 
ifornia in  1849,  and  his  experience  on  that  expedition  was  valuable 
to  him  and  his  command  in  this  service.    The  expedition  arrived  at 
its  destination  in  October,  and  drove  off  the  hostile  Indians  who  had 
surrounded  the  post  and  killed  several  inhabitants.    He  remained  at 
Fort  Abercrombie  during  the  winter  of  1862-3.     In  the  summer  of 
1863,  with  his  regiment,  he  joined  the  expedition  against  the  Sioux 
under  command  of  Gen.  H.  H.  Siblev,  and  with  that  army  marched 
to  the  Missouri  river,  where  Bismarck  is  now  located,  and  returned 
to  Fort  Snelling  in  the  fall.     On  this  expedition  the  Indians  were 
encountered  about  one  hundred  miles  east  of  the  Missouri  river, 
and  driven  to  and  across  the  river.     Capt  Banks  was  an  expert 
marksman,  and  his  favorite  gun  was  Colt's  revolving  six-shooting 
rifle.     His  company  had  been  armed  at  Fort  Snelling  with  the  old- 
fashioned  Belgian  rifle,  which,  as  a  weapon  of  warfare,  was  about 
as  dangerous  to  the  one  shooting  it  as  the  one  to  whom  it  was  di- 
rected.    The  men  in  his  company  were  all  farmer  boys,  who  could 
shoot  a  rifle  or  gun  with  effect.     Under  Capt.  Banks'  advice,  each 
one  of  his  company  purchased  at  an  expense  of  forty-two  dollars. 


STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY  91 

a  six-shooting,  Colt's  revolving  rifle,  and  by  permission  of  the  gov- 
ernment they  armed  themselves  with  these  rifles  on  this  expedition 
against  the  Indians. 

After  Gen.  Sibley  came  up  to  the  Indians,  who  were  making  to  the 
westward,  there  was  a  continual  chase  and  skirmish  until  the  hostiles 
were  driven  across  the  Missouri.  In  this  campaign  Capt.  Banks 
was  especially  prepared  by  his  skill  with  his  rifle  and  his  former  ex- 
perience on  the  plains,  to  do  good  service.  He  generally  with  his 
company  was  on  the  skirmish  line,  pushing  the  enemy.  After  the 
return  of  this  expedition  in  the  fall  of  1863,  his  regiment  was  sent  to 
St.  Louis,  Mo.,  where  they  remained  guarding  government  stores 
during  the  winter  1863-4.  In. the  spring  of  1864  his  regiment  was 
attached  to  the  Sixteenth  army  corps,  and  the  command  of  Gen.  A.  J. 
Smith,  Gen.  Joe  Mower  being  the  brigade  commander.  Tlie  regi- 
ment reached  the  Sixteenth  army  corps,  or  that  division  of  it  com- 
manded by  Gen.  A.  J.  Smith,  at  Memphis,  Tenn.  Gen.  Smith 
marched  from  Memphis,  Tenn.,  to  Tupilo,  Miss.,  where  he  met 
Gen.  Forrest  of  the  Confederate  service.  The  battle  of  Tupilo  was 
fought  in  July,  1864,  and  was  one  of  the  sharpest  contests  of  the 
war,  although  the  forces  engaged  on  both  sides  probably  did  not 
exceed  twenty  thousand  men.  Capt.  Banks  and  his  company  were 
in  the  center  of  the  Federal  forces,  and  received  and  repulsed  the 
charge  made  by  Gen.  Forrest.  Every  sixth  man  in  Capt.  Banks' 
company  was  either  killed  or  wounded.  The  captain  held  his  com- 
pany steadily  to  the  work  at  hand,  and  was  able  to  feel  that  he  and 
his  command  had  not  faltered  in  the  service  of  his  country  when  the 
hour  of  trial  came. 

From  the  battle  of  Tupilo  Gen.  Smith  returned  to  Memphis  and 
immediately  dispatched  an  expedition  to  Oxford,  Miss.  Capt. 
Banks'  company  and  regiment  were  a  part  of  this  expedition.  It 
was  a  long,  hard  march,  and  on  the  Tallahatchee  river,  while  march- 
ing at  the  head  of  his  company  in  the  hot  sun,  Capt.  Banks  receiv- 
ed a  stroke  of  paralysis,  from  which  he  never  recovered.  He  was 
obliged  to  leave  the  service,  and  was  never  able  to  return. 

He  resigned  January  11,  1865,  and  died  in  Los  Gatos,  California, 
Jan.  10,  1JH)3,  at  the  age  of  85  years. 


PARTIAL    LIST    OF   THOSE    SOLDIERS    AND    OTHERS 
WHO  DIED  AT  FORT  ABERCROMBIE. 

Beattv,  Wm.,  Feb.  6,  1863,  killed  by  Indians. 
Bennett,  Jas.,  corporal  citizens'  volunteer  company. 
Brower.  Rich.  D.,Co.  D.  First  regiment  Mounted  Rangers,  lung 
fever,  Sept.  6,  1863. 

CoMi>T()is.  Joseph,  Co.  G,  Ninth  Minnesota  volunteer  infantrv, 
Sept.  18,  18r>3. 


92  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIEHT 

CosHOFF,  Casper,  Co.  E.,  First  regiment  Mounted  Rangers, 
Sept.  16,  1863. 

Cro.vin,  David,  Co.  G,,  Eighth  Minnesota  volunteer  infantrv,  Mav 
1, 1863. 

Dearman,  Matthew  L.,  Co.  E.,  Ninth  Minnesota  volunteer  in- 
fantry. 

Dreschel,  Chas.,  Co.  D,  Fifth  Minncaota  volunteer  infantry, 
October  12,  1863. 

Fowler,  Francis  W..  Co.  A,  Tenth  Minnesota  volunteer  infant- 
ry, diphtheria,  July  15,  1863. 

Kelerer,  Sebastien,  Co.  C,  Eighth  Minnesota  volunteer  infant- 
ry. May  15,  1864. 

LuNn,  Lemuel  K.,  Co.  K,  First  regiment  Mounted  Rangers, 
Sept.  29,  1863. 

McManus,  Edwabid,  Co.  F.,  First  regiment  Mounted  Rangers. 

Manning,  Eugene,  Co.  G,  Eighth  Minnesota  volunteer  infantry, 
June  16,  1863. 

Mavo,  H.  H.,  St  Cloud. 

Morgan,  Wm,  H.,Co.  C.  Eighth  Minnesota  volunteer  infantry. 
May  15.  1864. 

Phelps,  Daniel,  corporal  Co.  D.,  Seventh  Minnesota  volunteer 
infantry,  March  14,  1863. 

RucuENELL,  Augustus,  Citizens'  volunteer  company. 

Schulz,  Wm.,  Citizens  volunteer  company,  killed  by  Indians 
Sept.  33.  1862. 

Seelev,  Jas.  C.  Co.  E.  Ninth  Minnesota  volunteer  infantry,  Aug, 
23.  18G3. 

Siegel,  Wm.,  Co.  D.,  Fifth  Minnesota  volunteer  infantry,  killed 
by  Indians  September  15.  18G3. 

Small,  Henry  L.,  Co.  D,  Seventh  Minnesota  volunteer  infantry, 
March  9. 1863. 

Smith,  Isaiah,  Co.  G,  Eighth  Minnesota  volunteer  infantry, 
Sept.  4.  1863,  lung  fever. 

Snkll,  Chas.  W.,  teamster,  Citizens'  volunteer  company,  Sept.  6, 
1862.  killed  by  Indians. 

Steele,  Edwin  D.;  Co.  D.,  Fifth  Minnesota  volunteer  infantry, 
Sept.  7,  1862,  killed  by  Indians. 

Walke,  Harmon,  Co.  G,  Ninth  Minnesota  volunteer  infantry. 
May  19, 18G3. 

Wen'si:inger,  John,  teamster,  September  27,  1862,  killed  by  In- 
dians. 

Wright,  Edward,  First  sergeant.  Citizens'  volunteer  companv, 
September  23,  1862,  killed  by  Indians. 

Roster  of  company  of  citizens  mustered  in  at  Fort  ,\bercrombie 
by  order  of  Captain  J.  Vander  Horck,  commandant  of  the  post,  on 
August  25,  1862.     The  company  participated  in  the  defense  of  the 


STATE   HISTORICAL  SOCIETY  93 

fort  in  all  the  attacks  made  upon  it,  and  was  commanded  by  Captain 

T.  D.  Smith :' 

Officers— 

T.  D.  Smith,  captain. 

Benjamin  Thompson,  first  lieutenant. 

H.  J.  Dunton,  second  lieutenant. 

George  Ayres,  first  sergeant. 

Edward  Wright,  first  sergeant  (killed  in  service  by  Indians,  Sept. 
S3,  1862). 

L.  R.  Bentley,  first  sergeant. 

P.  Lamb,  corporal. 

James  Bennett,  corporal  (killed  in  service  by  Indians  with  party 
sent  to  Breckenridge) . 

George  W.  Newell,  corporal 

Charles  W.  Snell,  hostler  (killed  in  action  Sept.  6,  'C2). 


"2  STATE   HISTORK-'^^ 

CosHOFF,  Casper,  Co.   E.,  First    regiititi 
Sept.  16,  18C3. 

Cron-in,  David,  Co.  G.,  Eighth  Min"'^^*''^  '''" 
1,1803.  -.-  r:     - 

Dearman,  Matthew  L.,  Co.  E.,  N'"'"  " 
fantiT. 

Dreschel,   Chas.,   Co.   D,  Fifth    Mi»»"°''' 
October  12,  18fl3. 

Fowler,  Francis  W..  Co.  A,  Ten*  M"""' 
ry,  diphtheria,  July  15,  1863.  .    ,,„n,. 

Keusrer,  Sebastien,  Co.  C,  Eighth  .M»"«^' 

ry.  May  15,  1864.  ._„,, 

Lund,  Lemdel  K.,  Co.  K,  Fi«t    regmeni 

Sept.  29,  1863.  .     „,  ^ 

McManl-s,  Edward,  Co.  R,  First  "P"'  '  "  ' 

Ma.nninc,  EnoENE,  Co.  G,  Eighth  Minne»l» 

June  16.  1863. 

Mayo,  H.  H.,  St.  Cloud.  ,,-„„esola  > 

Morgan,  Wm,  H.,Co.  C.  Eighth   MmM"'" 

May  15,  1864.  Seventh  M' 

Phelps,  Daniel,  corporal  <y>-  ^■'  _.  -  .; , 

infantry,  March  14,  1863.  ,      giunteer  cot         -  ^^'  ' 

RuCHENELL,  AUGUSTUS,  Citizens    "^  ^,any,  kil 
SciiuLz,  Wm.,  Citizens  volunteer   cui  4- 
Sept.  83,  1868.  ,,.„„,sota  volunt. 

Seelev,  Jas.  C,  Co.  E.  Ninth  Mmnesoi.. 
23,  1863.  ,,.„„PSOta  votuntCL-: 

SiEGEL,  Wm.,  Co.  D.,  Fifth  Minnes"' 
by  Indians  September  15,  1862.  .    Minnesota  vi' 

Small.  Henry  L.,  Co.  D,  Seventh  m 
March  9, 1863.  Minnesota  vol 

Smith,   Isaiah,   Co.    G.    Eight" 
Sept.  4,  1863,  lung  fever.  .  .   „ns'  volunteer  c< 

Snell.  Chas.  W.,  teamster,  Citiz^" 
1863.  killed  by  Indians.  ^-f^u    Min"«s°^  voh  .  ...,, 

Steele,  Edwin  D.,-  Co.  D.,  F'"" 
Sept.  7,  1868,  killed  by  Indians.  Minnesota  vohi 

Walke,  Harmon,  Co.  G,  N.ntK 
May  19,  1863.                                     ,=  -„ten'''"  ^''  "'°• 
WENsEINCER,  John,  teamster,  s^f 
dians.                                                              f~itizens    voluni                ^,    ct    ni«=i'*' 
Wright,  Edward,  First  sergeant-                                           -.;,„j  .\upa  ■•■ 
Septembers-  '      '--'■-"'>■  "> 


%  STATE   HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Johnson,  George. 
Johnson,  John. 
Larsen,  Peter. 
Lunkenheimer,  Henry. 
McAlpen,  John. 
Morina,  George. 
Mills,  James. 
Morgan,  John. 
Morgan,  Samuel. 
Noel,  M.  P. 
Oleson,  Ole. 
Peterson,  Christ. 
Peterson,  Peter. 
Peterson,  John. 
Raymond,  John  H. 
Ridgely,  D.  H. 
Sawyer,  R.  B. 
Simonton,  John. 
Smith,  Charles. 
Stebbins,  Joshua. 
Simes,  L.  G. 
Smith,  Peter. 
Tanner,  Elijah  J. 
Tanner,  James. 
Taylor,  Charles. 
Tokka,  Wm. 
Wade,  Ira. 
Wilson,  J.  C. 
Wilson,  Wm.  W. 
Wyman,  Fred. 


MEETING  AT  ST.  CLOUD  OF  THE  FORT  ABERCROMBIE 

CITIZENS  AND  SOLDIERS. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  citizens  and  citizen-soldiers  who  for  five  weeks 
were  besieged  by  the  Indians  at  Fort  Abercrombie,  D.  T.,  held  at 
St.  Cloud  on  Monday,  October  6th,  1862,  Mr.  L.  R.  Bentley  of  Gra- 
ham's Point  was  chosen  president,  and  Mr.  D.  McCauley  of  Fort 
Abercrombie  was  appointed  secretary. 

It  being  stated  by  the  president  that  the  object  of  the  meeting 
was  to  give  the  public  expression  to  the  deep  feeling  of  gratitude 
felt  by  the  citizens  who  took  refuge  in  Fort  Abercrombie  towards 
one  who,  in  their  opinion,  was  instrumental  in  saving  them  and 
their  helpless  families  from  a  horrible  death,  a  captivity  in  the  hands 
of  the  merciless  savages,  Mr.  GoflF,  of  Providence,  R.  I.,  moved  the 
adoption  of  the  following: 


STATE   HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 


97 


Resolved,  That,  under  the  blessing  of  Divine  Providence,  we  feel 
and  believe  that  the  safety  of  the  citizens  assembled  at  Fort  Aber- 
crombie  to  escape  the  threatened  vengeance  of  the  Sioux  Indians 
who  afterwards  did  attack  said  fort,  was  owing  entirely  to  the  deter- 
mined bravery,  coolness  and  sagacity  of  Captain  T.  D.  Smith,  act- 
ing brigade  quartermaster. 

Resolved,  That  we  will  ever  cherish  the  memory  of  Capt.  T.  D. 
Smith  as  one  endeared  to  us  by  acts  of  kindness,  and  rendered 
doubly  dear  by  his  many  exposures  in  the  late  attacks  on  Fort 
Abercrombie,  made  in  our  behalf,  together  with  the  noble  sacrifice 
of  time,  means  and  personal  comfort  made  by  him  to  allay  the  fears 
and  relieve  the  distress  arising  from  the  circumstances  with  which 
we  were  surrounded. 

Resolved,  That  while  we  do  not  deem  it  our  province  to  attach 
censure  to  any  in  military  authority  at  Fort  Abercrombie,  we  do 
claim  the  privilege  of  giving  our  testimony  of  praise  where  merit 
exists  and  praise  is  due;  and  knowing  that  Capt.  T.  D.  Smith,  al- 
though not  in  command  of  said  post,  was  the  right  man  for  the  oc- 
casion, we  take  great  pleasure  in  recommending  him  to  the  favor- 
able notice  of  the  "powers  that  be,''  and  publicly  announce  him  as  a 
kind,  brave  and  noble  man.^ 

L.  R.  Bentley. 
H.  Stone. 
W.  O.  Thompson. 
George  E.  Kelly. 
J.  M.  Stone. 
Isaac  Parks. 
R.  Burgit. 
Charles  Summer. 
Charles  Scrleye. 
John  Campbell. 
Lewis  Lewiston. 
E.  R.  Abell. 
J.  N.  Sanborn. 
Robert  Taft. 
James  Taft. 
David  McCauley. 
C.  C.  McBeth. 
Hugh  H.  Quigg. 
John  W.  Fee. 
James  Quigg. 
William  Caldwell. 
William  Sterner. 
Charles  W.  Snell. 
Malcolm    Mclntyre. 


'  From  St.  Cloud  Democrat.  October  16. 1862. 


Historical— 7 


98  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 


John  Winslade. 
Carl  Herberger. 
E.  A.  Stiles. 
James  Owens. 
H.  Boynton. 
P.  Lamb. 

And  many  others. 


CENSUS  OF  18(30. 

COUNTY  OF  tombs;  postoffice,  breckenridge. 

(Taken  by  Oscar  Taylor.) 

The  following  gives  the  name,  age,  sex,  occupation,  value  of  real  estate 
owned  and  value  of  personal  property  owned,  with  native  state  or  country. 

^Mex  Kinkhead,;  26;  male;  druggist;  $3,000;  $600;  Maryland. 

Cordelia   Kinkhead;  21;   female;   Lower  Canada. 

Jas.  B.  Mills;  27;  male;  farmer;  $500;  $200;  Vermont. 

Lewis  Hentley;  25;  male;  farm  laborer;  $300;  $400;  New  York. 

Rich.  Potter;  22;  male;  stage  driver;  none;  $100;  New  York. 

Thos.  Tarleton;  39;  male;  wood  mechanic;  none;  $100;  England. 

Annette  J.  Tarleton;  3^;  female;  New  York. 

James  Tarleton;  7;  male;  New  York. 

Kaspal  Lattoral ;  21 ;  male ;  common  laborer ;  Lower  Canada. 

2ChaB.  V.  P.  Lull;  33;  male;  master  mechanic;  $3,000;  $1,500;  Vermont 

Mary  Lull;  31;   female;  Vermont. 

Mary  Louise  Lull,  2;  female;   Minnesota. 

Julius  E,  Lull,  22;  male;  ship  carpenter;  none;  $100;  Vermont. 

Chas.  Calvert ;  2H ;  male  ;  common  laborer ;  none ;  $  >00 ;  England. 

Cornelius  Venderberg;   33;   male;  carpenter;   $1,500;   $200;   New  York. 

Carrie  Ann  Venderberg;  2H;  female;  Vermont. 

Annie  Dougherty;  35;  iteniHle;  servant;  none;  $300;  Ireland. 

Ann  Vacant;  12;  female;  Ireland. 

aHarrison  Hull;  44;  male;  master  mechanic;  $10,000;  $100;  New  York. 

David  Starratt,  24;  male;  day  laborer;  Nova  Scotia. 

Hurnham  Clark;  55;  male;  day  laborer;  Maine. 

Robert  M.  Smith;  23;  male;  carpenter;  none;  $100;  Maine. 

Geo.  Maroine;  21;  male;  carpenter;  $5o(>;  $200;   New  York. 

Salmon  C.  Cutter;  28;  main;  carpenter;  $1,000;  $500;   Maine. 

Albertin  Cutter.  21;  female;  Maine. 

Ida  May  Cutter,  4;  female;  Maine. 

Chas.  Sumner;  1;  male;  Minnesota. 

Edward  R  Harber ;  24;  male;  merchant;  $1,000;  $200;  Connecticut. 

Adam  Smith;  33;  male;  laborer;  none;  $<3'>n;  Scotland. 

.Andrew  Simmons;  23;  male;  stage  driver;  none;  $5')0;  New  York. 

Edward  Roche;  34;  male;  farmer;  $10(>;  $300;  Ireland. 

Walter  L  Hills;  24;  male;  farmer;  $5n0:  $.3oO ;  Lake  Eric. 

Wallace  P.  Milk;  22;  male;  farmer;  $.V»0;  $2'M);  Michigan. 

J  IS.  R.  Harris;  22;  male;   farmer;  $10(>;  $1(mI;  Indiana. 

John  Collins;  25;  male;  farm  laborer;  none;  $100;  Upper  Canada. 

.lane  Collins;   21;   female;   Upper  Canada. 

Chri^ti'^n  Collins;  3;  male;  I'pper  Canada. 


*  \]r%  Kinkhra«1  h«*!  n  hou^r  whrrr  .Mrxandria  now  *.ran(N. 

■  (  orrrrl  nanir  (  f)rnrliu*  P.  V-  lull  -  R.  N.  Prohsthcld.  Targo.  N.  D. 

81!c  was  pr(>l)ably  in  charge  of  the  mill  — R.  M.  Probstficld. 


STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY  99 

Gertrude  Collins,  seven  months;  female;  Minnesota. 
Henry  W.  Herbert;  23;  male;  teamster;  none;  $100;  New  York. 
Gordon  C.  Herbert;  28;  male;  common  laborer;  none;  $100;  South  Caro- 
lina. 

CENSUS  OF  1860. 

COUNTY  OF  BRECKENRIDGE,  SHAYENNE  CITY. 

(Taken  by  Oscar  Taylor.) 

Jense  B.  Getchell;  35;  male;  farmer;  $5,000;  $1,000;  Maine. 

Rebecca  M.  Getchell,  32;  female;  Maine. 

Chas.  M.  Getchell;  7;  male;  Maine. 

Mary  B.  Getchell;  4;  female;  Minnesota. 

Gustavus  DuBois;  26;  male;  laborer;  none;  $100;  Minnesota. 

Mary  DuBois;  24;  female;  Minnesota. 

Antoine  DuBois;  3;  male;  Minnesota. 

Margaret   DuBois;   1;   female;   Minnesota. 

Edward  Griffin;  26;  male;  farmer;  $209;  $100;  New  Hampshire. 

Patrick  Doherty;  24;  male;  farm  laborer;  none;  $400;  Ireland. 

John  Hanna;  25;  male;  farmer;  $300;  $200;  New  York. 

Wm.  Hanna,  22;  male;  farm  laborer;  none;  $200;  New  York. 

Robert  David;  22;  male;  farm  laborer;  $300;  $100;  New  York. 

Wm.  Willsworth;  22;  male;  stage  driver;  none;  $150;  Maine. 

Chas.  W.  Shaylor;  25;  male;  mechanic;  $200;  $150;  Vermont. 

Chas.  G.  George;  28;  male;  teacher;  $2,000;  $1,000;  New  Hampshire. 

Jane  S.  Shaylor;  18;  female;  Wisconsin. 

Emily  Shaylor;  two  months;  female;  Wi^sconsin. 

David  Heald;  37;  male;   farmer;  $500;  $100;  Pennsylvania. 

Wm.  R.  Jones;  23;  male;  farm  laborer;  none;  $150;  Pennsylvania. 

'Lewis  Lewiston;  27;  male;  innkeeper;  $500;  $300;  Ohio. 

Lizzie  Lewiston,  21 ;  female ;  England. 

Mary  C.  Lewiston;  2;  female;  ^Iinnesota. 

Charles  Lewiston;  two  months;  male;  Minnesota. 

Wm.  Rounsville;  36;  male;  carpenter;  none;  $300;  Manitoba. 

Sylvia  Rounsville ;  31 ;  female ;  New  York. 

Frank  Rounsville;  11;  male;  Michigan. 

Seaman  Shadbolt ;  42 ;  male ;  shoemaker ;  none ;  $500 ;  New  York. 

Martha  ShadboU ;  31 ;  female ;  New  York. 

Helen  Shadbolt;  8;  female;  Wisconsin. 

Herbert  Shadbolt;  7;  male;  Wisconsin. 

Crevett  Shadbolt;   nine  months;   male;   Wisconsin. 

Moses  Tucker;  30;  male;  farmer;  $400;  $150;  Ohio. 

Johanna  Tucker;  27;  female;  Ohio. 

Martin  Tucker;  5;  male;  Ohio. 

Daniel  J.  Tucker;  3;  male;  Wisconsin. 

Eliza  J.  Tucker;  2;  female;  Minnesota. 

Ellen  Tucker;  four  months;  female;  Minnesota. 

Bridget  McCarty;  23;  female;  none;  $100;  Ireland; 

Chas.  Rounsville;  46;  male;  none;  $500;  Wisconsin. 

Ezra  Slaton,   Sr. ;   54 ;   male ;    farmer ;   $1,000 ;   $200 ;   Vermont. 

Rachel  Slaton;  51;   female;  Vermont. 

Ezra  Slaton,  Jr. ;  30 ;  male ;  farmer ;  $500 ;  $300 ;  Vermont 

Vera  Slaton  ;  25 ;  male ;  Vermont. 

Jeanette  Slayton;  17;  female;  Ohio. 

Morey  Slayton ;  21 ;  male ;  farm  laborer ;  none :  $300 ;  Vermpnt. 

Gilbert  Lent;  27;  male;  blacksmith;  none;  $600;  New  York. 


Lj  .  1  Moorhead  stage  station  keeper,  hiter  at  Holy  CroM.  186!.  ittst  before  mAnaere. 


100  STATE   HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


Clarisse  S.  Lent;  18;  female;  Vermont. 

^Geo.  Emmerling;  32;  male;  gardener;  none;  $200;  Bavaria. 

Mary  Emmerling;  28;  female;  Bavaria. 

Karl  Emmerling ;  8 ;  male ;  New  York. 

Mary  Emmerling;  2;  female;  Minnesota. 

Michael  Prebstfield ;  28;  male;  farmer;  $300;  $200;  Prussia, 

Wm.  Verenthorn;  25;  male;  baker;  $600;  $100;  Prussia. 

Mary  Verenthorn ;  21 ;  female ;  Prussia. 

2Henry  Black;  29;  male;  Prussia. 

Rich  Banning;  40;  male;  farmer;  $2,000;  $400;  Pennsylvania. 
Henry  Meyers;  24;  male;  farm  laborer;  none;  $100;  New  York. 
Chas.  Noel;  24;  male;  farm  laborer;  none;  $100;  New  York- 
Andrew  J.  Borden;  31;  male;  surveyor;  $2,000;  $200;  Connecticut. 
Auguste  Rosignal ;  26;  male;  common  laborer;  H.  B.  C.  Territory. 
Mary  Rosignal ;  23 ;  female ;  Minnesota. 

Louis  Robiscar;  30;  male;  common  laborer;  H.  B.  C.  Territory. 
Margaret  Robiscar;  29;  female;  H.  B.  C.  Territory. 
Antoine  Robiscar;  7;  male;  Minnesota. 
Madaline  Robiscar;    5;   female;    Minnesota. 
Adele  Robiscar;  3;  female;  Minnesota. 
Louis  Robiscar;  2;  male;  Minnesota. 
Mary  Robiscar;  6  1-2;  female;  Minnesota. 
3Thomas  Earle;  35;  male;  stone  mason;  Scotland. 
Annie  Earle;  27;  female;  England. 
William  Earle;  8;  male;  New  York. 
Mary  Earle;  5;  female;  Minnesota. 
Thomas  Earle;  3;  male;  Minnesota. 
aWilliam  Ovrat;  29;  male;  Holland. 
Catherine  Ovrat;  26;  female;  Holland. 
Hans  Ovrat;  5;  male;  Holland. 
Mary  Ovrat;  3;  female;  Illinois. 
Kate  Ovrat;  six  months;  female;  Minnesota. 

CENSUS  OF  1860. 

POLK   COUNTY,  GEORGETOWN   POSTOFFICE.       (No   pOStofficC   thcrC.) 

John  Bateau  (m)  ;  47;  male;  laborer;  H.  B.  C.  Ter. 

Margaret  Bateau;  46;  female;  H.  B.  C.  Ter. 

Joseph  Bateau;  19;  male;  laborer;  H.  B.  C  Ter. 

William  Bateau;  17;  male;  laborer;  H.  B.  C.  Ter. 

Mary  Bateau;  12;  female;  Minnesota. 

Pierre  Bateau;  7;  male;  Minnesota. 

Adeline  Bateau;  5:  female;  Minnesota. 

Angella  Bateau;  3;  female:   Minnesota. 

Susette  Bateau ;  1 ;  female ;  Minnesota. 

Andrew  Henry;  30;  male;  laborer;  Wisconsin. 

Margaretta  Henry;  24;  female;  H.  B.  C.  Ter. 

Andre  Henry;  8;  male;  Minnesota. 

Adele  Henry;  7;  female:  Minnesota. 

Jose  Henry;  5;  male;  Minnesota. 

Mary  Henry;  3;  female;  Minnesota. 

Christopher,  Henry;  two  months;  male:  Minnesota. 

Jose  Henry;  65;  male;  laborer;  none;  $200;  Michigan. 

Susette  Henry;  60;  female;  H.  B.  Co.  Ter. 


iGco.  EmmcrlinK  left  for  Ft.  Garry  in  June  and  did  not  rcturn-R.  M.  Probstfield. 
Farsto.  N.  D. 

«Henrjr  Black  was  holding  down  townsitc  of   Dakota  City  for  P.   Bottineau.  RusscU  of 
Minneapolis  and  others. 

■Not  regular  residents,  probably  transients  -R.  M.  Probstfield. 


STATE    HISTORICAL  SOCIETY  101 


Mfchael  Henry ;  19 ;  male ;  H.  B.  Co.  Ter. 

Susette  Henry ;  14 ;  female ;  H.  B.  Co.  Ter. 

1  Andrew  Henry ;  44 ;  male ;  $10,000 ;  $5,000 ;  Scotland. 

Mary  Henry;  38;  female;  H.  B.  Co.  Ter. 

George  Henry;  7;  male;  H.  B.  Co.  Ter. 

William  Henry;  5;  male;  H.  B.  Co.  Ter. 

Elizabeth  Henry;  3;  female;  H.  B.  Co.  Ter. 

Joseph  Kline;  35;  male;  servant;  H.  B.  Co.  Ter. 

Willia  McTate;  28;  male;  laborer;  H.  B.  Co.  Ter. 

Jane  McTate ;  27 ;  female ;  H.  B.  Co.  Ter. 

Charles  McTate;  6;  male;  H.  B.  Co.  Ter. 

Robert  McTate;  4;  male;  H.  B.  Co.  Ter. 

Emily  McTate;  3;  female;  H.  B.  Co.  Ter. 

Jose  McTate ;  1 ;  male ;  Minnesota. 

Henry  Germaine;  46;  male;  laborer;  H.  B.  Co.  Ter. 

Sarah  Germaine;  40;  female;  H.  B.  Co.  Ter. 

William  Germaine;  12;  male;  H.  B.  Co.  Ter. 

Margaret  Germaine;  10;  female;  H.  B.  Co.  Ter. 

Louis  Germaine ;  8 ;  male ;  H.  B.  Co.  Ter. 

Pierre  Germaine;  5;  male;  Minnesota. 

Louise  Germaine;  3;  female;  Minnesota. 

2David  Auge;  with  block  fort  of  the  time;  French. 

Frand  Durant;  with  block  fort  of  the  time;  French  Canadian. 

CENSUS  OF  1865. 

(7  families;  30  people.)     clay  county. 

(Taken  by  R.  M.  Probstfield.) 

Reuben  Messer;  Nichaas  Hoffman — free  traders  in  company. 
Robt.  Scambler — free  trader. 
Elizabeth  Scambler. 
Mary  Scambler. 

Edwin  R.  Hutchinson — pilot  and  ship  carpenter  in  emlloy  of  H.  B.  Co. 
Isabel  Hutchinson. 

EMwin  R.  Hutchinson — pilot  and  ship  carpenter  In  employ  of  H.  B.  Co. 
Susan  Hutchinson. 
Alexander  Hutchinson. 
David  Hutchinson. 

R,  M.  Probstfield — postmaster  and  agent  for  H.  B.  Co.  (had  a  store)  $25 
per  month. 

Catherine  R  Probstfield. 

Mary  A.  E.  Probstfield. 

Lawrence  Goumo — full  blood  Cree. 

Joseph  Adams — trapper.  i 

Josette  Macaro. 

Joseph  Macaro. 

Charles  Macaro. 

Mary  Macaro. 

Paul  Macaro. 

Joseph  Macaro. 

Virginia  Macaro. 

Edward  Macaro. 

Jean  Drcan. 

Margreth  Drean. 

Susan  Drean. 

Lotis  Drean. 

Joseph  Drean. 

Antoine  Drean. 


1  Acting  agent  only— R.  M.  Probstfield 

•They  took  turns  suardins  the  fort  — R.  M.  Probstfield,  Fareo,  N.  D. 


102  STATE   HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

DIARY  KEPT  BY  LEWIS  C.  PAXSON,  STOCKTON,  N.  J.» 

(1862-64.) 

Wednesday,  August  20,  1862 — I  enlisted  in  the  Minnesota  Eighth, 
Company  G. 

Thursday,  August  21st  1862—1  settled  with  Sterrett  for  board. 
$40.    Sterrett  paid  me  for  vegetables,  etc.    War  meeting. 

Friday,  August  22,  1862 — ^John  Beard  paid  me  $4.  I  sold  my 
garden  for  $250.  Report  of  Indian  outbreak.  Great  excitement 
We  elected  our  commissioned  officers — Geo.  Atkinson,  captain; 
Westley  McKinney,  first  lieutenant;  N.  F.  Randolph,  second  lieuten- 
ant.   We  left  Lake  City  in  War  Eagle. 

Saturday,  August  23d,  1862 — Arrived  at  St.  Paul,  visited  high 
bridge,  state  house,  etc.  Arrived  at  Fort  Snelling  and  examined  by 
military  board. 

Sunday,  August  24th,  1862 — I  visited  Minnehaha. 

Monday,  August  25th,  1862 — Rainy.  We  elected  non-commis- 
sioned officers. 

Tuesday,  August  26th,  1862— We  received  $63  bounty  fee,  $50 
cash  and  $12.50  in  bills,  which  I  sent  to  Lake  City  for  collection  by 
Judge  Ottman.    We  received  our  coats  and  blankets. 

Wednesday,  August  27,  1862 — We  received  ^ur  socks,  pants, 
drawers  and  shoes.  Did  not  get  our  guns.  We  encamped  in  tents, 
ate  our  suppers  just  at  dark. 

Thursday,  August  28th,  1862 — We  went  in  Mississippi  swim- 
ming.   I  wrote  to  father.    Snake  in  first  lieutenant's  blanket. 

Friday,  August  29th,  1862.— I  did  police  duty. 

Saturday,  August  30th,  1862— Visited  St.  Paul,  at  cave,  St.  Anth- 
ony, Minneapolis,  etc.  Hardees  tactics,  $1.50.  Ferry,  10c.  Stamps, 
25c.    Toll,  $1.    Luncheon  fare,  40c.    I  wrote  to  father. 

Sunday,  August  31st,  1862 — Ordered  to  prepare  to  receive  our 
arms.  Company  received  a  furlough  of  six  days.  Remained  at  Fort 
Snelling.    Henderson's  company  armed  with  Austrian  guns. 

Monday,  September  1st,  1862. — I  wrote  to  Samuel  Doughty.  I 
got  my  ambrotype,  $1.  I  slept  on  floor.  Half  breed  company  armed 
and  uniformed,  one  by  the  name  of  John  Brown. 

Tuesday,  September  2nd,  1862 — Cold.  I  drew  my  rations.  Pa- 
per, 5c.    Fuss  about  meals.    Supper,  25c. 

Thursday,  September  4th,  1^62 — I  wrote  Sister  Letitia,  3c.  A 
pie,  10c. 


1  Lewis  C.  Paxson  wa5  Imrn  October  25.  1836.  in  Solebury,  Bucks  county.  Penn.  He  re- 
ceived hi*  education  at  the  Millersvillc  Normal  School  (near  Lancaster)  and  at  Lewtsburc 
University.  Penn.  He  came  west  to  Minnesota  in  Apri],  1863.  and  tausht  a  few  months  in  a 
select  school  at  Lake  City.  Minn.  From  there  he  enlisted  in  Co.  (i.  8th  Minn.  Inf..  Auf.  20. 
1^»2,  under  John  T.  Averill  and  Joseph  K.  Faverow.  though  he  was  not  mustered  in  until 
Nov.  17  at  Fort  Abercrombie.  In  May  1865  he  was  promoted  to  the  position  of  Serf.  MaioroC 
the  8th  Minn.,  and  on  June  2^.  1^>5.  he  wj^  promoted  to  1st  Lieut,  and  Adjutant  of  the  reci- 
ment.  Aug.  3.  1865.  he  was  mustered  out  of  «kervice.  Until  1871  Mr.  Paxson  ensaged  in  mer- 
cantile  bu^ine^s  and  since  1873  he  has  been  living  on  a  «mall  dairy  farm  at  Stockton,  N.  J. 


STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY  103 

Friday,  September  5th,  18G2 — I  wrote  to  Moses  Paxson.  Plums, 
5c.  Letter,  3.  Fuss  with  Capt.  Ambler  of  Steele  county,  and  Pri- 
vate Beauregard. 

Saturday,  September  6,  18G2 — Company  returned  from  furlough 
at  Lake  City. 

Sunday,  September  Tth,  1862 — We  attended  service,  "How  shall 
we  escape  if  we  neglect  so  great  a  salvation."  Sergt.  S.  V.  Carr 
and  I  took  a  moonlight  walk. 

Monday,  September  8,  1862 — We  rceived  our  guns,  which  were 
mostly  Harper's  Ferry  barrel  repaired  with  Springfield  lock.  I  fired 
11  shots.    Subscribed  toward  a  drum,  10c. 

Wednesday,  September  10,  1862 — Alarm  of  Indians — hoax.  Our 
first  battle,  we  went  to  Mendota,  20  of  us,  at  11  p.  m.  Came  back  at 
3  a.  m.    Pressing  teams  for  Abercrombie  followed. 

Thursday,  September  11,  1862 — I  was  detaiLd  sergeant  major  for 
this  expedition  to  Abercrombie.  Rainy.  We  left  Fort  Snelling, 
Company  G  of  the  Seventh  and  some  of  the  Third.  Took  dinner  at 
St.  Anthony.  Put  up  for  the  night  at  Coon's  Creek.  Rainy  and 
variable.  The  Second  Winona  came  up  during  the  night.  Went  21 
miles  today.  Van  Amens  of  Anoka  treated  us  to  cheese  and  crackers. 

Friday,  September  12,  1862 — The  Winona  boys  lying  around  with 
one  blanket  white  with  frost.  Very  fine  morning.  Marched  19  miles 
to  Orino  and  put  up  for  the  night.  Very  kindly  treated,  poor  woman, 
corn  and  potatoes.  A  good  stockade  around  the  church.  Many  un- 
used to  walking  are  complaining  of  sore  feet. 

Saturday,  September  13th,  1862 — A  stockade  around  church  at 
Monticello.  We  took  dinner  at  Monticello.  A  messenger  arrived 
from  Sauk  Center,  two  companies  awaiting  us.  Put  up  for  the  night 
at  Green  Lake  within  two  miles  of  Clear  Water.  Very  rainy.  I 
slept  in  barn.  Twenty-six  miles  today,  marched  10  miles,  2  1-2 
hours     Ten  eggs.  oc. 

Sunday,  September  14th,  1862 — Started  in  rain,  14  miles  to  St. 
Cloud  and  put  up  for  the  night.  Trouble  with  Third  about  relieving 
guards.  Gov.  Ramsey  here.  Cannon  arrived — 9-pounder.  Spent 
the  evening  at  Ball's.  Fort  built  in  five  days  to  hold  500  men,  100 
feet  in  diameter. 

Monday,  September  15th,  1862 — We  marched  out  across  prairie 
two  miles  and  distributed  40  rounds  of  cartridges  to  each  man,  and 
took  dinner.  Marched  on  3  miles  beyond  St.  Joseph  and  encamped 
— 11  miles.    I  carried  Capt.  Emil  A.  Burger's  sword.    Stamps,  25c. 

Tuesday,  September  16th,  1862 — Very  rainy  in  morning.  We 
started  on  march  at  noon.  Encamped  at  the  Roman  church  at 
Richmond,  a  sod  wall  around,  30  mounted  Indians  near. 

Wednesday,  September  ITth,  1862 — We  came  to  within  18  miles 
of  Sauk  Center.  I  stood  on  guard  for  the  first  time  there.  Good- 
enough  got  me  plenty  of  sugar  and  crackers  from  commissary  sup- 
plies. 


104  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIET\' 


Thursday,  September  18th,  l.S(I2 — We  arrived  at  Sauk  Center  at 
1  o'clock.    I  wrote  to  father.    Butter,  10c.    A  poor  fence  of  a  fort. 

Friday,  September  19th,  18(>2 — Osaco  Lake.  Cheese  2oc.  Came 
from  Sauk  Center  to  Alexandrian  forest.  Fuss  about  dinner.  At- 
tempt to  arrest  one  of  the  Third — failure.  We  joined  cavalry — fuss 
about  guard  relief.    Two  loads  of  wood. 

Saturday,  September  20th,  1862 — We  journeyed  2G  miles,  passed 
through  the  Alexandrian  forest,  encamped  late.  Bank's  company  on 
guard,  48  men.    Encamped  at  Chippewa  station. 

Sunday,  September  21st,  1862 — We  met  ox  train  from  St.  Paul  to 
Pembina.  Six  miles  from  our  starting  place  we  found  headless  body 
of  Andrew  Austin,  having  been  exposed  two  weeks.  The  head  was 
found  near  by.  They  were  buried.  We  encamf>ed  one  mile  from 
Pomme  de  Terre  river  at  3  p.  m.  Passed  Land  of  Lakes.  Capt. 
Rolla  Banks'  company  on  guard  with  Twelfth  cavalry.  ^'Richmond'* 
was  the  password. 

Monday,  September  22nd,  1862 — We  were  aroused  at  3,  started 
before  sunrise,  and  encamped  on  the  Otter  Tail  river.  Indians  prowl- 
ing around.  I  put  up  a  guard  tent,  ours  and  Third  company. 
Randolph  on  guard.  Fuss.  A  grave  had  been  torn  open  by  Indians 
at  Old  Crossing. 

Tuesday,  September  23d,  1862 — Our  oxen  gone.  Roll  call  at  1 
a.  m..  After  Indians.  W^e  arrived  at  Fort  Abercrombie  all  right. 
Waded  Red  river.  Left  Ottertail  river  at  daylight.  Indians  tried 
to  burn  us  up  on  the  prairie.  Cannon  after  them.  Wright  and 
.Shulz  killed  acting  as  escort  for  messenger  to  our  command. 

Wednesday,  September  24th,  1862 — Washing,  15c.  I  wrote  to  the 
Lake  City  Times  and  Rucks  County  Intelligencer.  Emil  A.  Burger 
npvo'nted  commander  of  this  ])ost.  William  Pell  acting  post  adju- 
tant.   Lewis  C.  Pa\s(^n,  acting  post  sergeant  major. 

Thursday,  September  2.*>th,  1862 — I  wrote  fifty  certificates  for 
Capt.  Vander  Horck  for  enlisted  and  discharged  citizens.  Hall  and 
Caswell  and  Spencer,  messengers,  left  for  St.  Cloud. 

Friday,  September  26th,  1862 — I  fixed  forms  for  books.  Our 
camp  moved  into  barracks.  Attacked  hv  Indians.  John  Wenseinger 
mortally  wounded.    Cavalrv  flank  and  burn  Indian  camp. 

Saturday,  September  27th,  1862 — Tfihn  Wenseinger,  teamster, 
died  of  wound  in  bowels  received  yesterday.  He  made  a  wi'l  and  was 
buried. 

Sunday,  September  28,  18(12 — I  wrote  to  my  father,  Amos  C. 
Paxson,  New  Hope,  Bucks  county,  Pennsylvania. 

Monday,  September  21)th,  18(;2 — I  wrote  to  Mr.  Eno  and  copied 
dispatches  for  Gov.  Rams-^v.  Indian  attack  again.  Frederick  Bla- 
zier  wounded  in  the  leg.  Trouble  with  Third  regiment  about  leav- 
ing. 

Tuesday,  September  30th,  1862— Capt.  Smith,  and  some  220  all 
told,  left  for  St.  Paul.  60  women  and  children.  One  team  backed 
oflF  the  ferrv  boat  into  the  river. 


STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY  lOS 

Wednesday,  October  1st,  18G2 — I  found  my  gun.  We  got  a 
clock  in  the  office. 

Thursday,  October  2,  1862 — I  worked  in  the  office.  Barrett's 
company  in  over  the  Red  river,  hunting  Indians. 

Friday,  October  3rd,  1862 — Barrett's  company  return  and  take 
their  share  of  guard  duty. 

Saturday,  October  4th,  1862-^1  finished  the  index  to  post  letter 
book.  Adjutant  Pell  drills  us.    Right  about  face,  march! 

Sunday,  October  5th,  1862 — A  fine  morning.  I  did  not  do  any- 
thing in  the  afternoon.  Singing  in  the  tents  in  the  evening.  Court 
martial  postponed. 

Monday,  October  6th,  1862 — Cloudy  in  the  morning.  Fine  even- 
ing.   A  court  martial  of  Ord.  Gibhard. 

Tuesday,  October  7th,  1862 — Election.  I  was  clerk.  Ignatius 
Donnelly,  129 ;  William  Cullen,  45 ;  Republicans  in  Banks'  com- 
pany, 52 ;  opposition,  10.  A  bogus  burlesque.  Court  martial  con- 
tinued. 

Wednesday,  October  8th,  1862 — Found  dead  Indian  at  Slabtown. 
I  was  sick  all  day.  Went  to  the  hospital  in  the  evening.  Very  pret- 
ty moonlight  night.  Ord.  Gibhard  sentenced  to  be  reduced  to  the 
ranks  and  30  days'  hard  labor. 

Thursday,  Oct.  9,  1862 — I  went  from  the  hospital  to  work  in  of- 
fice.   Sick,  went  back,  got  some  soda,  felt  better. 

Friday,  October  10th,  1862 — Sick  lady,  Mrs.  Lull,  took  our  office 
by  permission. 

Saturday,  October  11,  1862 — I  worked  in  Second  Lieutenant 
Christ  Berker's  room  by  his  permission.  I  commenced  a  letter  to 
Howard  Bell.    We  sang  hymns  in  the  evening. 

Sunday,  October  12,  1862 — I  worked  in  office.  Two  short  at 
guard  mount.    One  private  from  D  buried. 

Monday,  October  13,  1862 — Very  blustery.  I  was  at  work  mak- 
ing out  blanks  for  post  returns. 

Tuesday,  October  14,  1862 — Carr  and  myself  found  some  canvas 
down  at  Slabtown  and  brought  it  up.    Carr  and  I  took  a  walk. 

Wednesday,  October  15,  1862 — Got  stove  in  office.  Carr  and  my- 
self spent  the  evening  very  pleasantly  in  the  office.  Slept  in  office 
black  hole;  cold. 

Thursday,  October  16,  1862 — I  copied  music  in  the  evening  for 
Private  Norton.    Slept  in  office.     Indian  summer. 

Friday,  October  17,  1862 — Carr  sick.  I  worked  at  post  return 
blanks,  etc.,  late  in  the  evening.  I  forgot  to  notify  the  orderlies 
about  going  for  potatoes.    Slept  in  tent.    Indian  summer. 

Saturday,  October  18,  1862 — Indian  summer.  Norton  paid  me 
70,  making  us  square.  Painter  painted  my  office.  Stamps  60, 
blacking  10.    Prairie  on  fire ;  very  pretty. 


k 


106  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 

Sunday,  October  19th,  1862 — Messenger  arrived  from  George- 
town. One  hundred  men  gone  back  with  him.  I  finished  a  letter 
to  Howard  Bell,  commenced  one  to  my  home.  Indian  summer. 
Carr  and  I  spent  the  afternoon  together. 

Monday,  October  20,  1862 — Indian  summer. 

Tuesday,  October  21,  1862 — ^Train  arrived  from  Georgetown  with 
Capt.  Noble's  band  of  refugees,  27  in  number,  one  a  woman  120 
years  old. 

Wednesday,  October  22,  1862 — Cold  and  blustery.  Mending 
shoes,  25c. 

Thursday,  October  23,  1862 — Very  cold  and  blustery  at  night. 
Our  tent  cold.  Stamps,  25.  I  obtained  permission  to  go  to  George- 
town with  Atkinson's  company  tomorrow. 

Fridav,  October  24,  1862 — So  verv  blusterv  and  cold  that  we  could 
not  go  to  Georgetown.  Stamps,  5c.  I  sent  letter  to  sister  Lejtitia 
West. 

Saturday,  October  25,  1862 — I  worked  in  office.  Capt  Emil  A. 
Burger  gave  me  a  box  and  left  for  St.  Paul,  taking  Capt.  Barrett, 
Adjutant  Pell,  First  Lieutenant  Groetsch  and  Capt.  Noble's  band  of 
refugees,  27,  and  four  privates  from  each  company.  We  moved 
into  log  quarters. 

Sunday,  October  26,  1862 — Capt.  Vander  Horck  gave  me  an  or- 
der for  a  sword  and  belt.    I  wore  them  on  dress  parade. 

Monday,  October  27,  1862 — Very  warm  and  nice.  Messenger  ar- 
rived from  Georgetown. 

Tuesday,  October  28th,  1862 — I  worked  in  office.  Everything 
goes  smoothly. 

Wednesday,  October  29,  1862 — Worked  in  office.  Scouting  party 
went  out.    I  bought  two  pounds  of  white  sugar,  50c. 

Thursday,  October  30,  1862 — Dress  parade  at  5:00  p.  m.  Very 
nice. 

Friday.  October  31st,  1862 — I  wrote  to  Locke's  Mills  pupils. 
Messenger  arrived  from  Alexandrian  woods  at  7  a.,  m.,  1,000 
men  coming  and  500  cattle. 

Saturday,  November  1st,  1862 — Dress  parade.  I  wrote  to  Spring 
Mills  pupils.  I  traded  gold  pen  to  Capt.  Vander  Horck  for  a  pair 
of  gloves. 

Sunday,  November  2nd,  1862 — I  sent  letter  to  pupils  at  Spring 
Mills,  Locke's  Mills.  Two  messengers  left  on  the  mules,  Billy  and 
Dixie. 

• 

Monday,  November  3,  1862 — T.  A.  Cariveau  and  I  had  a  nice  talk 
in  my  office. 

Tuesday,  November  4th,  1862 — I  obtained  permission  of  Capt 
X'ander  Horck  to  get  an  Indian  skull  at  Slabtown.  A  double  mule 
team  drew  2.104  ft.  pine  lumber  from  Breckenridge,  15  miles 
to  Al)ercrombie.    The  officers  had  a  pow-wow. 


STATE   HISTORICAL  SOCIETY  107 

Wednesday,  November  5,  1862 — T.  Baldwin  and  I  went  down  to 
Slabtown.  I  cut  off  an  Indian's  head  with  an  ax.  In  the  afternoon 
I  boiled  it.    His  name  was  Tack-houk-a-kee-chee-tah. 

Thursday,  November  6,  1862 — I  finished  boiling  the  skull  of  the 
Indian,  and  cleaned  off  most  of  the  flesh,  after  scalping  him. 

Friday,  November  7,  1862 — Commenced  raising  frame  of  new 
hospital. 

Saturday,  November  8,  1862 — I  finished  a  latter  to  my  sister  Car- 
oline. A  man  fell  through  the  scaffolding.    Doughnuts  by  baker,  15. 

Sunday,  November  9,  1862 — I  worked  in  office  as  usual. 

Monday,  November  11,  1862 — I  worked  in  office  as  usual.  Made 
a  pair  of  mittens  of  buffalo  hide. 

Tuesday,  November  11,  1862 — I  worked  in  office  as  usual.  Gave 
two  letters  to  the  P.  M. 

Wednesday,  November  11,  1862 — I  worked  as  usual.  Very  blus- 
tery.   Snow  squall.    Fixed  up  our  mess  room  with  canvas,  dirt,  etc. 

Thursday,  November  13,  1862 — I  wrote  off  Cough's  Apostrophe 
to  Water.  'Small  snow.  John  R.  Goodenough,  Carr  and  Harrison 
in  my  office  telling  fortunes. 

Friday,  November  14,  1862 — I  dug  up  an  Indian  back  of  quarters 
and  wheeled  the  body  down  to  the  river.  I  read  John  B.  Cough's 
Apostrophe  to  Water  before  the  crowd.  S.  V.  Carr  crossed  Red 
River  on  the  ice. 

Saturday,  November  15,  1862 — Mail  arrived,  8  for  me.  Snowy. 
S.  V.  Carr  gone  to  Breckenridge.  Sent  a  letter  and  Indian  scalp 
to  father. 

Sunday,  November  16,  1862 — Dress  parade.  I  made  form  for 
morning  report  of  cavalry.    Copied  two  orders. 

Monday,  November  17,  1862 — I  commenced  several  letters  to  dif- 
ferent ones.    Our  company,  G,  8th  Infantry,  was  mustered  in. 

Tuesday,  November  18,  1862 — I  wrote  to  Rev.  Loomis.  Lieut. 
Col.  Peteler  and  Capt.  Smith  arrived. 

Wednesday,  November  19,  1862— We  were  paid  off,  $57.75. 
Guard  reduced  to  three  posts.  N.  F.  Randolph  paid  me  $40,  mak- 
ing us  square.  I  wrote  some  in  Q.  M.  department.  Commenced 
to  pallisade.    Received  $25  bounty  and  $2  premium. 

Thursday,  November  20,  1862 — I  sent  $40  to  Moses,  $5  to  Letitia, 
$9  to  Sallie,  $11  to  Loomis,  making  me  out  of  debt.  Sent  $5  to 
Lewis  Hurley,  and  the  same  to  Lewis  Updike,  my  namesake,  to 
be  used  toward  their  education.  Paid  $4.50  for  four  mink  and  two 
otter  traps.    Baker  Harrison  goes  me  halves  on  them. 

Friday,  November  21,  1862 — Baker  and  I  were  out  prospecting: 
caught  one  muskrat ;  set  two  traps.  I  sent  a  letter  and  $2  for  some 
books  at  St.  Paul. 

Saturday,  November  22,  1862 — I  made  a  mistake  in  not  detailing 
a  sergeant.  The  guard  house  torn  down.  Companv  D's  quarters 
used  as  one.  Sent  a  letter  to  Col.  ^L  J.  Thomas.'  Caught  two 
muskrats.     Bake  and  I  were  out  prospecting.    Set  6  traps. 


108  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 


Sunday,  November  23,  1S02 — Corporal- Whitney  and  I  took  a  walk 
out  into  the  country. 

Monday,  November  24,  18(32 — I  bought  alum,  25;  dried  apples, 
25;  candles,  25.    2nd  Smith  sold  (Sunday  school  papers). 

Tuesday,  November  25,  18(12— Lieut.  Col.  Peteler  and  I  talked 
upon  the  subject  of  my  appointment  as  sergeant  major. 

Sunday,  November  30,  18G2 — Bake  and  I  caught  three  muskrats. 

Monday,  December  1st,  18()2 — Lieut.  Col.  Peteler,  Second  regi- 
ment, U.  S.  Sharpshooters,  left  this  morning  on  furlough. 

Tuesday,  December  2,  18()2 — Snowing  this  morning.  Warmer 
than  it  was. 

Wednesday,  December  3,  18G2 — Caught  a  mink  and  engaged  two 
to  captain  for  $4. 

Thursday,  December  4,  18G2 — Cold ;  busy  tanning  hides  with  salt 
and  alum. 

Friday,  December  5,  18G2 — Cold ;  busy  tanning  hides.  Bake  and 
I  divided  muskrat  skins.  I  got  7  1-2.  I  finished  the  skulls  and  gave 
Captain  (Geo.  Atkinson)  his. 

Saturday,  December  6,  18G2 — I  commenced  making  a  muskrat 
cap.    I  sold  my  4  mink  and  2  otter  traps  to  Wm.  Norton  for  $5. 

Sunday,  December  7,  18G2 — I  finished  my  cap.  Norton  and 
Jones  met  10  Chippewas  while  trapping. 

^londay,  December  8,  18G2 — I  wrote  oflf  Constitution,  etc.,  of 
debating  society. 

Tuesday,  December  9,  18G2 — Warm  morning. 

Wednesday,  December  10,  1862 — We  held  second  session  of  Co. 
Lyceum.  Question :  "Which  is  most  pleasing  to  the  eye  of  man — 
Nature  or  Art.'*    I  took  the  affirmative.    Decided  in  the  affirmative. 

Thursday,  December  11th,  18G2 — Very  pleasant.  Smith's  singing 
school. 

Friday,  December  12,  18G2 — I  went  to  singing  school.  Organized 
a  post  lyceum,  Capt.  Rolla  Banks,  president.  Question  for  next 
week:  **Are  Mankind  Advancing  Toward  Perfection?*'  Affirm- 
ative :  Wright,  Marsh  and  Buck ;  negative :  Kinney,  Paxson  and 
Brown. 

Saturday,  December  13,  1SG2 — Snowing  this  morning. 

Mondav,  December  15,  18(;2 — Lieut.  Col.  Peteler  arrived. 

Tuesday,  December  IG,  1SG2 — Military  school  and  drilling. 

Wednesday,  December  17,  18G2 — Debating  society.  **Is  Man- 
kind Advancing?"  Affirmative,  Wright,  Marsh,  Buck;  negative, 
Kinney,  Paxson,  Brown. 

Thursdav,  December  18,  18G2 — Militarv  school. 

Fridav,  December  10,  18(>2 — Militarv  school. 

Saturday,  December  20,  18(12 — General  policing  by  all  parties  out- 
side.    Fine  weather.     Patrol  dismissed.    Hayes'  singing  school. 

Sundav,  December  21,  1S(;2 — I  wrote  a  letter  to  Norton's  wife 
for  him.    Dress  parade  and  review.    Adjutant  came  and  Mr.  Wright 


STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY  109 

also.  Fine  weather.  Col.  wants  his  room  cleaned  for  $1.  I  sent 
a  paper  to  father. 

Monday,  December  22,  1862 — Military  school.  Baldwin  cleaned 
the  colonel's  room.  I  received  $1  from  the  colonel  for  it,  and  paid 
Baldwin  $1.  Capt.  Atkinson  received  his  clothing,  new  suit,  etc. 
Mack,  Whitney,  etc.,  gone  down  to  Chippewa  station. 

Tuesday,  December  23,  1862 — General  cleaning  up,  moving  flour, 
etc.    It  commenced  raining  about  noon. 

Wednesday,  December  24,  1862 — I  sold  my  traps  again  to  Mr. 
Wright  for  $5.50.    Lyceum.    Beautiful  northern  lights. 

Thursday,  December  25,  1862 — Unusually  fine  day.  Letter  to 
Stockton  pupils,  etc.    Oyster  supper,  50. 

Friday,  December  26,  1862 — Mail  came  in  this  evening.  Adj.  Lar- 
ned  (the  old  man)  and  I  had  a  long  talk.  I  wrote  to  Silas  L. 
Slack. 

Sunday,  December  28,  1862 — I  borrowed  five  stamps  of  Norton. 

Monday,  December  29,  1866 — I  finished  my  cap. 

Tuesday,  December  30,  1862 — All  as  usual.  I  bought  2  1-2  lbs. 
of  candles  at  40c,  $L00. 

Wednesday,  December  31,  1862 — Debate.  I  fixed  up  the  skull 
with  wax.  Carr  and  I  took  a  walk  around.  Some  curious  specimens 
of  quartz  found  in  the  well  slough. 

Thursday,  January  1st,  1863 — I  gave  Lowe  stamp.  I  sent  a 
Sioux  skull  home  to  father,  Lambertville,  N.  J.,  by  express  from 
St.  Cloud.  Oysters,  25c.  Three  rat  skins,  75c.  Captain  Atkinson 
gone  home  on  furlough. 

Friday,  January  2,  1863 — Received  letter  from  Rev.  Loomis, 
Lewisburg,  Penn.,  and  one  from  Brother  Moses  Paxson,  Newton, 
Penn. 

Saturday,  January  3,  1863 — Lamed,  Jr.,  gone  to  St.  Paul.  I 
gave  25c  to  help  make  up  $7  for  McBride  of  the  Times,  Lake  City. 
I  wrote  to  (Rev.  Wm.)  Speer,  Lake  City,  Minn.    Sore  eyes. 

Wednesday,  January  7,  1863 — My  eyes  are  improving. 

Saturday,  January  10,  1863 — ^Took  charge  of  the  new  hospital 
building. 

Sunday,  January  11,  1863 — I  copied  a  letter  from  Gen.  Sibley. 
Colonel  set  me  to  learning  artillery  for  howitzer. 

Monday,  January  12,  1863 — I  cut  wood. 

Tuesday,  January  13,  1863 — Lieut.  Larned  and  I  surveying  from 
bastions.    I  numbered  them,  etc. 

Wednesday,  January  14,  1863 — Very  blustery.  Debate  on  antic- 
ipation and  possession. 

Thursday,  January  15,  1863 — 21  below  zero  and  windy. 

Friday,  January  16,  1863 — 20  below  zero.  I  wrote  to  sister 
Letitia. 

Saturday,  January  17,  1863 — Second  Lieutenant  Randolph  and 
Corporal  Taisy  returned.    I  received  my  mittens. 


110  STATE    HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Sunday,  January  18,  18G3 — I  wrote  to  adjutant  general.  Second 
Lieut.  Randolph  spent  the  evening  with  me. 

Monday,  January  19,  1863 — I  received  watch,  books,  etc.,  from 
Lake  City.  Train  arrived  in  evening.  I  slept  on  floor.  Some  of 
Barrett's  company  returned. 

Tuesday,  January  20,  1863 — Four  of  Barrett*s  company  under 
arrest.  I  wrote  out  the  charges,  etc.,  of  three.  One  mink  skin, 
$2.50.    One-half  of  a  rat  skin,  10. 

Wednesday,  January  21,  1863 — Singing  book  and  lessons,  $2. 
Train  left. 

Thursday,  January  22,  1863 — ^\Ve  received  our  song  books.  The 
Acadeniv  V^ocalist.    A  scene  about  them. 

Friday,  January  23,  1863 — Matches,  15.  I  sold  six  traps  for 
$5.50.    I  paid  expressage  en  box  containing  Sioux  skull,  50. 

Saturday,  January  24,  1863 — I  copied  proceedings  of  court  mar- 
tial. 

Sunday,  January  25,  1863 — Beautiful  mirage.  I  wrote  to  Mrs. 
Dilley,  acknowledging  the  reception  of  hospital  stores.  Sergeant 
Fred  Miller,  Company  G  of  the  7th,  reduced  to  the  ranks.  At  sing- 
ing school.     (Adjutant  sings  in  my  office.) 

Monday,  January  26,  1863 — Henry  Selover  and  I  recited  tactics. 
I  translated  some  Virgil. 

Tuesday,  January  2Tth,  1863 — Butter  35.  I  cleaned  my  gun. 
Studied  the  second  part.  School  of  Batallion.  Studied  music  lesson, 
etc. 

Wednesday,  January  28,  1863 — I  was  sick.  Adjutant  excused  me 
from  guard  mount. 

Thursday,  January  29,  1863 — Feel  some  better  and  did  my  office 
business.  Made  out  a  new  roster  for  February.  Very  blustery, 
snowy,  a  howling,  blustering  storm. 

Friday,  January  30,  1863 — Whitney  and  train  returned.  I  sold 
my  gold  watch  for  $28  and  bought  a  silver  lever,  $23,  and  sold  it 
to  Norton,  Received  $7.  He  owes  me  $16.  I  bought  a  silver  Le- 
pine  fr)r  $17.    Singing  school.    Sore  eyes. 

Saturday,  January  31,  1863 — I  wrote  off  eight  orders  for  officers. 
Batallion  drill.    Paper,  postage,  10. 

Sunday,  February  1st,  1863 — One  of  the  most  famous  snow 
storms  of  this  country.  Norton  and  I  spent  the  evening  together. 
Washing,  20. 

Monday,  February  2,  1863 — Thirty-two  below  zero.  I  mended 
mv  moccasins,  Battalion  drill. 

Tuesday,  February  3,  1863 — Twenty-one  below  zero. 

Wednesday,  February  4,  1863 — I  finished  my  letter  to  W.  J. 
TIawn.  The  saw  mill  once  more  under  way,  and  broke  do^^Ti. 
A  threshing  wind.     Military  school. 

Thursday,  February  5,  1863 — Military  school. 

Friday,  February  6,  1863 — Cloudy.  Commenced  getting  out  tim- 
ber for  pallisades.    William  Beatty  died. 


STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY  111 


Sunday,  February  8,  1863 — I  wrote  off  six  copies  of  the  work 
of  board  of  survey.  Kunze,  of  Company  H  of  Eighth  Minnesota, 
was  frozen  very  badly.  Was  placed  in  the  hospital.  He  was  riding 
facing  the  wind,  escorting  the  mail.  A  letter  received  from  Red 
Lake  warning  us  to  beware  of  Sioux.  \\'illiam  Beatty,  (Lock's 
Mills)  buried. 

Monday,  February  9,  1863 — Snowy  and  warm.  Singing  school. 
Baldwin  did  not  get  permission  to  go  home  after  all,  as  Sibley 
grants  no  more  furloughs. 

Tuesday,  February  10,  1863 — Snowing.  Have  brought  a  barrel 
of  water. 

Wednesday,  February  12,  1863 — I  cut  a  pile  of  wood.  Cold. 
Clarence  A.  Hubbard  had  his  ankle  dislocated  and  leg  broken  just 
above,  while  pallisading. 

Friday,  February  13,  1863 — Stockading.  I  wrote  to  Ottman  and 
Caroline.  Received  four  crochet  and  one  stilletto  needle  from  John 
Goodenough. 

Saturday,  February  14,  1863 — Twenty-four  above  zero.  Train 
left.  Lieut.  Larned  left.  Very  stormy  and  blustery.  Capt.  and 
Lieut.  Marsh  returned.    Clarke  lost  in  the  snow  storm. 

Monday,  February,  16,  1863 — Train  left.  Quite  blustery  in  the 
morning.    I  moved  into  the  former  office  of  Major  Day. 

Tuesday,  February  17,  1863 — Train  did  not  leave  for  Brecken- 
ridge.  Clarke  found.  A  very  warm  day.  I  cleared  the  portico  of 
snow  and  ice. 

Wednesday,  Februar>'  18,  1863 — Warm.  Corporal  Carsley  gone 
to  Breckenridge.     Adjutant  and  I  studied  some  Virgil  and  Caesar. 

Thursday,  February  19,  1863 — I  studied  tactics  and  translated 
some  Virgil. 

Friday,  February  20,  1863 — At  ten,  Lieut,  and  I  commenced  sur- 
veying from  bastion  No.  3,  and  putting  out  barrels  as  targets. 

Saturday,  February  21,  1863 — Lieut.  Buck  and  I  were  surveying 
from  bastion  No.  2.  The  paymaster  arrived  and  paid  me  $26,  being 
the  amount  due  me  up  to  the  first  of  January. 

Sunday,  February  22,  1863 — I  let  Lieut.  Buck  have  $2  to  buy  me 
a  water  filter  and  pair  of  goggles.  I  sent  letters  to  Sarah  and 
Moses. 

Monday,  February  23,  1863 — Lieut.  Buck,  quartermaster  and  pay- 
master, left  for  St.  Paul. 

Tuesday,  February  24,  1863 — I  finished  draft  for  bastion  No  2 
and  put  it  up. 

Wednesday,  February  25,  1863 — White  and  I  chained  distance 
from  bastion  No.  1.  I  wrote  circular  for  Lieut.  Col.  Peteler.  Fin- 
ished pallisading,  etc.  I  got  up  petition  to  Sibley  about  matters  at 
Ft.  Abercrombie,  75  names. 

Thursday,  February  26,  1863 — Foggy.    I  finished  draft  for  No.  1. 


112  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 


Friday,  February  27,  1863 — I  wrote  off  parts  of  two  letters  which 
he  received  from  Adjt.  Gen,  Oiin  relative  to  defence.  We  had  a 
sham  battle. 

Saturday,  Feb.  28,  1863 — Norton  and  I  traded  watches,  and  he 
gave  me  $9  on  the  $16  due  me,  making  my  watch  $23.00  and  his 
$16.00.  Company  H  arrived.  Capt.  Geo.  G.  McCoy  took  room  next 
to  my  office. 

Sunday,  March  1,  1863 — I  fixed  my  post  returns  for  colonel.  I 
sent  stilletto  to  Sally  Ann  and  Hannah,  pen  holder  to  Moses  and 
Carrie,  the  latter  to  be  kept  for  me.  Paid  $3.00  for  them.  Snowy 
in  the  evening. 

Monday,  March  2,  1863 — A  fine  morning.  Writing  paper  25. 
washing  20  (Jones).  I  showed  the  colonel  my  burlesque  of  my 
company  and  the  fort  generally.    He  laughed  quite  heartily. 

Tuesday,  March  3,  1863 — Lieuts.  Randolph  and  Norton  spent 
an  evening  in  my  room. 

Wednesday,  March  4,  1863 — The  colonel  invited  me  to  play  a 
game  of  cards  with  him.  I  replied:  "I  never  play  games  of  any 
kind."  He  sneeringly  replied :  *'Virtuous  young  man  you  are." 
Lieut.  Randolph  asked:  "Does  thee  think  there  is  any  harm  in  it^" 
I  said :  "Every  man  can  do  as  they  please.  I  would  not  play  a  game 
for  a  farm." 

Thursday,  March  5,  1863 — Very  snowy.  The  Sibley  D.  T.  relief 
train  arrives  with  news  of  the  fall  of  Vicksburg.  Rumor  that  M.  J. 
Thomas,  our  colonel,  is  enroute  for  Ft.  Abercrombie.  I  cut  my 
wood.    I  got  out  five  lines  of  Virgil,  commencing  75,  book  2. 

Friday,  March  6,  1863 — I  got  out  . .  lines  of  Virgil.  A  nice  day. 
Collins  scared  about  his  drum.  Gets  up  in  a  hurry  for  reveille. 
Lieut.  Col.  sick. 

Saturday,  March  7,  1863 — I  wrote  to  John  C.  Haradon  and  cop- 
ied letter  to  Sibley.  Lieut.  W.  Kinney  and  I  examined  the  report  of 
hospital.  Artillery  and  horse  power  arrived.  Fire  in  the  hospital 
kitchen. 

Sunday,  March  8th,  1863 — I  made  out  returns  and  wrote  two 
letters.  An  awful  snow  storm  came  up  just  in  the  evening.  Hospi- 
tal walls  caving  in.  Private  Small,  Co.  D  of  the  Seventh,  died 
about  noon;  lung  fever.  Batallion  drill.  Lieut.  Col.  gave  me  five 
stamps,  15. 

Tuesday,  March  10,  1863— We  had  batallion  drill. 

Wednesdav,  March  11,  1863 — Verv  nice  dav.  I  wrote  some  on 
Burlesque  Military  School.    I  wrote  our  blanks  in  guard  book. 

Thursday,  March  12,  1863 — Three  dog  trains  arrived,  one  from 
Pembina,  one  from  Goose  River  and  Georgetown.  I  finished  bur- 
lesque, 23  pages. 

Friday,  March  13,  1863 — Messenger  arrived.  Furloughs  for  Cor- 
poral Jos.  E.  Faverow  and  Corporal  Benj.  F.  Rawalt. 


STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY  113 

Saturday,  March  14,  1863 — Nothing  of  special  importance  occur- 
red except  the  arrival  of  train  and  last  supplies  from  Alexandria 
and  mail.  D.  Phelps,  Co.  D,  Seventh  Minn.,  died  of  inflammation 
of  the  bowels. 

Sunday,  March  15,  1863 — Very  busy  as  usual  getting  out  reports. 
Faverow  gone  home  with  messenger.  Tarbell,  McCoy's  Co.,  relieved 
from  guard.    Corporal  Daniel  Phelps  buried. 

Monday,  March  16,  1863 — Wrote  a  letter  to  father.  Train  went 
below.  Norton  and  I  went  to  Slabtown  after  Jos.  Demarais,  in- 
terpreter, to  go  to  Georgetown.  My  skull  which  I  sent  to  father 
was  Brave  BuflFalo,  of  Standing  Eagle  Red  Feather's  tribe.  There 
was  ball  playing  upon  the  west  camp. 

Tuesday,  March  17,  1863 — Capts.  McCoy  and  Tyler,  with  one 
howitzer  and  36  men,  started  for  Georgetown  after  settlers.  Fine 
weather. 

Wednesday,  March  18,  1863 — Cloudy  and  some  colder. 

Thursday,  March  19,  1863 — I  studied  Virgil  and  did  my  usual 
official  duties.  Could  not  make  out  much  translation  until  after 
supper. 

Saturday,  March  21,  1863—1  got  out  18  lines  of  Virgil;  27 
refugees  came  up  from  Georgetown  with  Capt.  McCoy  and  Tyler. 
Warm  and  snotr  melting.  An  old  squaw  120  years  old  among  the 
Oiippewas. 

Sunday,  March  22,  1863 — I  wrote  to  father,  Sibley  2,  Col.  Cleary 
1.  Made  out  two  returns  weekly;  22  doz.  eggs  without  express. 
Pay  for  shoulder  straps.  Doughnuts,  biscuits  and  turn-overs  for 
supper.    Warm. 

Monday,  March  23,  1863 — Warm.  Capt.  Tyler  and  four  mule 
teams  gone  below.    Dress  parade. 

Tuesday,  March  24,  1863 — Very  blustery  and  cold,  and  occasional 
snow  squalls.    Dress  parade. 

Wednesday,  March  25,  1863 — Sergeant  Deutsch  appointed  post 
quartermaster  sergeant;  private  Fred  Mack,  commissary  sergeant; 
myself,  post  sergeant  major. 

Friday,  March  27,  1863 — We  had  our  usual  duties.  Fine  bright 
day,  with  wind.  Tarbell,  the  messenger,  came  back  with  the  letter 
which  he  took.  Lieut.  Col.  Peteler  is  admonished  with  **repetition 
of  such  disrespectful  language  will  not  pass  unnoticed." — (Mem.). 

Saturday,  March  28,  1863 — Very  fine  day,  rather  cool.  Seven 
teams  arrived  from  St.  Cloud  bound  for  Georgetown.  The  mail 
from  below  St.  Anthony  was  left  at  St.  Cloud.  One  pound  of  can- 
dles, 30  cents. 

Sunday,  March  29,  1863 — Mack,  orderly,  and  I  took  a  walk  to 
grave  yard.  Very  bright,  pleasant  day. 

Monday,  March  30,  1863 — Our  company  moved  into  new  quar- 
ters. Very  blustery.  Some  corrections  in  letter  copied,  I  forgot  to 
copy  another. 

Historical— 8 


114  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 


Tuesday,  March  31,  18()3 — I  make  out  post  returns.  Frank  Shep- 
ard  and  Lewis  Judd  got  their  discharge  papers  signed,  ready  to  go 
down  tomorrow. 

Wednesday.  April  1,  18()3 — I  made  out  ordnance  report  in  tripli- 
cate form.  Our  knapsacks  and  haversacks  are  being  marked  by 
Elsbury  and  Clark. 

Thursday,  April  2,  1863 — I  finished  ordnance  reports  and  ad- 
dressed letters  to  Olin  and  Adj.  General. 

Friday,  April  3,  18G3 — I  corrected  my  guard  book.  Batallion 
drill. 

Saturday,  April  4,  18G3 — Very  large  mail.  Water  filter,  50  cents ; 
goggles,  oO  cents. 

Sunday,  April  5,  18(53 — Orderly  Robinson  gone  below,  St.  Paul. 
Chaplain  preached,  **What  shall  we  do?"  One  pack  of  envelopes, 
15  cents. 

Monday,  April  G,  18G3 — A  small  mail  from  St.  Cloud  came. 

Tuesday,  April  7,  18G3 — The  most  blustery  day  I  have  ever  seen. 
Our  cook,  Samuel  Smith,  left  us.  I  pdid  80  for  washing.  I  wrote 
of?  court  martial  of  Ecan  Resseanblue. 

Wednesday,  April  8,  18G3 — Complaint  raised  against  Ecan  Res- 
seanblue. Threatens  to  strike  corporal  in  the  face.  Colonel  threat- 
ens to  attach  ball  and  chain  to  him  if  he  does  not  mend. 

Thursday,  April  9,  18G3 — ^The  pole  taken  down  and  roads  laid  out. 
Daniel  Leighton,  Co.  D  of  the  Seventh,  found  $20  gold  piece. 

Friday,  April  10,  1863 — We  had  wild  goose  for  dinner.  Pole 
dug  out.     Policing  on  the  roads  and  outside.. 

Saturday,  April  11,  18G3 — We  were  mustered.  I  mailed  $30  to 
John  C.  Haradon  of  Lake  Citv  to  invest  in  sheep  for  me. 

Sunday,  April  12,  18G3— Sermon :  "What  shall  we  do?"  Gabriel 
Franchiere,  the  last  survivor  of  the  Astoria  expedition,  died,  aged 
scventv-seven. 

Monday,  April  13,  18G3 — Mail  came  in. 

Tuesday,  April  14,  18G3 — Capt.  Barrett  starts  to  escort  Capt. 
Painter  and  crew  to  Georgetown.  Ferry  broke,  one  mule  lost,  $300. 
Barrett  gives  $10  to  get  his  sword  from  river.  Second  Lieutenant 
Beaulieu  $5  to  get  his  carpet  bag.  Raised  the  flagstaff  in  front  of 
headquarters. 

W'ednesday,  April  15,  18G3 — Train  left  for  Georgetown,  Buf- 
falo hunt.  Chaplain  Armsby,  Lorin  and  others. 

Thursday,  April  IG,  18G3 — I  was  out  with  Carr  and  Fields  hunt- 
ing up  to  the  old  house.  Killed  four  snakes  and  one  squirrel.  Saw 
six  grouse  and  six  ducks.    A  skirmish  drill.    Beautiful  day. 

Friday,  April  17,  18G3 — I  cleaned  out  arsenal.  Colonel's  and 
Bank's  rifles  came.  Scuffle  with  the  adjutant  and  colonel  and  my- 
self about  stove  griddles  stolen. 

Saturday,  April  18,  1S(;3 — \'ery  little  done  through  the  day. 
Colonel,  chaplain,  adjutant  and  Lieuts.  Randolph  and  Emmons  in 


STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY  115 

my  room  talking  over  Mexican  war.  Misty  all  day.  Staff  practic- 
ing with  Colt's  guns. 

Sunday,  April  19,  18G3 — Misty,  rainy  and  dull.  The  train  of 
ordnance  and  ordnance  stores  came  in  in  charge  of  Capts.  Petit  and 
Taylor.    Two  hundred  Springfield  guns. 

Monday,  April  20,  18(53 — We  gave  out  Springfield  rifles  to  Lake 
City  company,  G,  Eighth  Minnesota.    I  lent  Thompson  $5. 

Tuesday,  April  21,  1863 — Very  nice  day.     Skirmish  drill. 

Wednesday,  April  22,  18G3 — Very  fine  day.  Adjutant  and  I  dis- 
cussing propriety  of  my  continuing  the  study  of  Virgil.  I  studied 
some  at  it.  Probstfield  received  a  treaty  gun.  Adjutant  and  I  took 
a  ride. 

Thursday,  April  23,  1863 — We  had  some  elk  for  breakfast  and 
goose  for  dinner.  The  officers  were  quite  jubilant,  serenading  the 
commanding  officer.    Guard  out. 

Friday,  April  24,  1863 — ^The  steamer  International  arrived  from 
Georgetown  at  5  p.  m.  Broke  the  howitzer  trail  by  firing  a  salute. 
I  and  Sergeant  Thorpe  rode  seven  miles  on  her  way  up.  I  received 
a  letter  from  Sally.    I  lent  Faverow  $18. 

Saturday,  April  25,  1863 — Sent  a  letter  to  J.  Haradon. 

Sunday,  April  26,  1863 — Sermon,  Rev.  3  :18.  I  finished  a  letter 
to  Jos.  M.  Van  Cleave,  318  Washington  Market,  New  York.  I 
took  a  wash  in  the  river.    Dress  parade.    I  had  some  onions. 

Monday,  April  27,  184)3— Very  fine  day. 

Tuesday,  April  28,  1863 — I  received  a  letter  from  father.  The 
priest  arrived  from  Pembina.  Bishop  Tache,  arrive  from  Fort 
Garry.    The  drum  arrived. 

Thursday,  April  30,  1863 — We  were  mustered.  Cronin  hurt  in 
playing  wicket  by  being  run  against. 

Friday,  May  1,  1863 — The  mail  did  not  come.    Cronin  died. 

Saturday,  May  2,  1863 — We  roasted  com  in  the  evening.  Mail 
came.  Two  men  shot  at  Pomme  de  Terre  and  two  more  at  Seven 
Mile  Lake.    A  false  alarm  of  Sioux — turned  out  to  be  cattle. 

Sunday,  May  3,  1863 — Cronin  buried. 

Monday,  May  4,  1863 — Cloudy.  Commenced  setting  out  trees. 
Court  martial  of  Nell,  H,  Eighth,  sleeping  on  post.  Mail  came. 
Four  men  killed.  Mock  trial  between  Corp.  Enos  Way  and  Corp. 
Taisy. 

Tuesday,  Mav  5,  1863 — I  wrote  to  father  and  Lake  City  Times. 
Capt.  Atkinson,  commander  batallion  drill,  vice  Banks,  by  request. 
At  10  p.  m.  Adams  came  in  safely,  having  been  shot  at  quite  a  num- 
ber of  times  by  a  Sioux.  Lieut.  Beaulieu  went  down  with  17  (men) 
and  mail. 

Wednesday,  May  6,  1863 — Envelopes  15 ;  peaches  85. 

Friday,  May  8.  18()3 — Two  Red  river  carts  came  in  from  George- 
town, saw  eight  Sioux.  Capt.  Atkinson  and  Capt.  Barrett  were  over 
on  the  Wild  Rice  river. 


116  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 


Saturday,  May  9,  18G3 — Lieut.  Beaulieau  returned  with  no  maiL 
Capt.  Banks  commanded  batallion  drill. 

Sunday,  May  10,  18G3 — Inspection,  etc. 

Tuesday,  May  12,  18G3 — ^Major  Camp  and  Paymaster  Maj. 
Smith  arrived,  bringing  the  mail.  One  company  cavalry  arrived  as 
escort.  Maj.  Geo.  A.  Camp,  Eighth  Regiment. 

Wednesday,  May  13,  1863—1  received  the  $13  bounty  due  and 
$5  which  I  lent  to  Thompson.  The  troops  are  being  paid  oflF. 
The  command  turned  over  to  Maj.  Geo.  A.  Camp.  I  borrowed  $40 
of  Howard  Thompson  at  12  per  cent.  I  sent  $70  to  John  C.  Hara- 
don,  Lake  City,  to  buy  me  some  sheep,  making  $100  that  I  have 
sent  him.  Lieut.  Col.  F.  Peteler  serenaded.  I  received  $26  from 
Major  Smith. 

Thursday,  May  14,  1863 — Envelopes,  15;  peaches,  85;  postage 
$1.82,  of  which  $1.52  was  for  newspapers.    Mail  left. 

Friday,  May  15,  1863 — Carr  and  I  rectified  mistake  in  mess  fund. 
I  paid  him  70  cents  more,  exchanged  10  cents  worth  of  stamps  for 
change.  Colonel  gave  me  one  dollar  for  making  nine  copies  of 
requisition  for  forage,  three  of  each  kind. 

Saturday,  May  16,  1863 — I  paid  25  for  cook.  We  were  busy 
turning  over  ordnance. 

Sunday,  May  17,  1863— Text:  'Thy  shalt  not  take  the  name  of 
thy  God  in  vain."    Interpreter's  wife  came. 

Monday,  May  18,  1863 — Five  cents  for  molasses;  busy  with  re- 
ceipts; howling  wind.     I  am  quite  unwell. 

Tuesday,  May  19,  1863 — Resolution  complimentary  to  the  colonel 
handed  in,  and  responded  to.  I  wrote  the  reply.  Col.  gave  me  50 
cents.  I  am  quite  unwell.  Busy  with  invoices,  very  warm  and 
blusterv. 

Wednesday,  May  20,  1863— Lieut.  Col.  F.  Peteler  left,  being 
serenaded  across  the  river.  Warm,  threshing  wind.  I  am  very 
weak.  Much  gambling  done.  There  is  something  going  on  among 
N.  C.  officers  (non-commissioned). 

Thursday,  ^May  21,  1863 — I  feel  some  better — not  much.  Thresh- 
ing wind.    Lead  pencil,  10  cents. 

Friday,  May  22,  1863—1  feel  stronger.  Batallion  drill.  I  wrote 
Judge  (Dttman. 

Saturday,  May  23,  1863 — Adjt.  and  myself  were  very  busy  mak- 
ing out  reports.    Paid  for  sergeant  major's  chevrons,  75  cents. 

Sunday,  May  24,  1863 — In  the  evening  I  took  a  walk  with  Jos. 
Collins. 

Monday,  May  25,  1863— Fine  morning.  Batallion  drill  in  the 
forenoon. 

Tuesday,  May  26,  1863— Very  busy  all  day.  Capt  Barrett  and 
100  men  gone  to  Alexandria  to  escort  train. 

Wednesday,  May  27,  1863— Mail  left.  Ole  Nelson  gone  home  on 
furlough.    Blacking,  10. 


Maj.    George    A.    Camp 

Slh    Minn.    Inf. 

2nd  Lieut.  N.  F.  Randolph  Adjt.  Lewis  C.  Pax5 

Co    G,  8tli   Minn.   Inf.  8lh   Minn.   Inf. 

First  Lienl.  Wesley  Kinney  Capt.  George  Atkinson 

Cc.   G.  8tli   Minn.   Inf.  Co.   G.  8th   Minn.   I 


STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY  117 


Thursday,  May  28,  1863— Co.  G,  the  Eighth,  skirmished  Whis- 
key Creek.  Warm 

Friday,  May  29,  1863 — Letter  to  Uncle  Isaac  Ely.  Mowing  ma- 
chine brought  in  from  Harris  and  Bently. 

Saturday,  May  30,  1863 — I  made  out  new  roster.  Finished  ruling 
through  guard  book. 

Sunday,  May  31,  1863 — Quite  cold  and  blustery.  Tom  Kinney  shot 
off  his  fore  right  finger  on  post  No.  4,  having  dropped  something, 
stooped  to  pick  it  up,  and  his  trousers  caught  on  the  hammer  and 
exploded  the  piece.    Finger  was  taken  off. 

Monday,  June  1,  1863 — Fine  morning.  Sore  eyes.  Lieut.  Paist 
gave  me  some  wash.  Armstrong  and  I  ground  axe.  Capt.  Atkin- 
son, Lieut.  Paist  and  McCauley  went  to  Breckenridge.  Did  not  re- 
turn until  10  p.  m.  Thirty  of  us  went  out  after  them.  Found  them 
two  miles  out,  all  right. 

Tuesday,  June  2»  1863 — I  made  out  one  post  return.  I  had  fire 
all  day.  Quite  cold.  Home-made  hominy,  fresh  beef.  Court  of 
inquiry  in  session.  Capt.  Atkinson,  Lieuts.  Kinney,  Buck  and  Paist 
judge  advocate. 

Wednesday,  June  3,  1863 — I  made  out  three  post  returns,  the  last 
one  in  three  quarters  of  an  hour.  I  had  hair  cut,  25  cents.  We  had 
some  fresh  beef.    Court  of  inquiry  in  session. 

Thursday,  June  4,  1863 — I  did  my  usual  business.  Got  glass  cut 
for  prism.    Court  of  inquiry  in  session. 

Friday,  June  5,  1863 — I  did  my  usual  office  business,  then  copied 
names  of  the  non-commissioned  officers  and  the  date  of  guard  duty 
done  in  Co.  G  of  the  Eighth.  I  fixed  my  prism.  Court  of  inquiry 
for  Cheever  adjourned,  sixty  pages. 

Saturday,  June  6,  1863 — Paid  for  sash,  $2.50 ;  stamps,  50c.  We 
went  out  to  meet  the  train.  Mail  came.  I  read  a  letter  from  John 
Haradon,  acknowledging  receipt  of  $70  from  me,  making  $100  from 
me  to  buy  sheep  with. 

Sunday,  June  7,  1863 — Train  came  in  and  was  unloaded,  206 
teams.  I  drew  white  cotton  gloves.  Ver\'  busy  until  late  at  night 
preparing  mail  matter. 

Monday,  June  8,  1863 — Four  dozen  eggs,  $1.00.  Train  left  in 
charge  of  Capt.  Barrett.  Five  men  of  Capt.  Bank's  men  went  down 
to  Fort  Snelling  to  be  mustered. 

Tuesday,  June  9,  1863 — I  was  busy  all  day  writing. 

Wednesday,  June  10,  1863 — Finished  writing  letters  and  orders. 
I  wrote  blanks  for  post  morning  reports. 

Thursday,  June  11,  1863 — I  moved  into  the  chaplain's  room.  A 
slight  shower.  Captain  Atkinson,  Major  Camp  and  Lieut.  Lamed, 
with  40  cavalry,  went  out  scouting  on  the  Sheyenne. 

Friday,  June  12,  1863 — Dull,  dry  and  warm.    I  slept  alone. 

Saturday,  June  13.  1863 — Major  Camp  and  cavalry  returned  from 
Sheyenne.    Ever\ihing  dry  and  barren.    Norton  slept  with  me. 


118  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 

Sunday,  June  14,  18():^ — Warm  day.  Officers  had  a  time  over 
peaches  and  oysters  in  the  evening.  Fire  on  prairie.  False  alarm. 
I  slept  alone. 

Monday,  June  15,  18G:1 — A  fine,  bright  morning.  I  commenced  on 
second  volume  of  Hume's  History  of  England.  Co.  H  orders  the 
postmaster  not  to  let  First  Sergeant  Cheever  take  their  letters  out 
of  the  office. 

Tuesday,  June  1(5,  18(53 — Stolen  flour.  John  Warring  arrested  12 
p.  m.  R.  S.  A  nice  cool  day.  Capt.  and  Second  Lieut.,  Co.  H 
requested  to  resign.  Cool  and  pleasant.  Norton  and  I  took  a  walk 
past  point  towards  Graham's  Point. 

Wednesday,  June  17,  18(53 — Milk  5.  Petition  to  major  to  amend 
order  Xo.  9  refused. 

Thursday,  June  18,  18(53 — I  read  some  history  and  wrote 
letters.    Took  a  walk  with  Whitney,  besides  doing  my  usual  duties. 

Friday,  June  19,  18(53 — I  lent  Norman  Buck  60  cents.  Major 
etc.,  went  to  Breckenridge  to  meet  the  mail  and  see  some  logs.  Dull 
and  misty,  cold  enough  for  fire.  Boys  going  around  with  overcoats 
on. 

Saturday,  June  20,  18(53 — Lieut.  Lamed  and  Deutsch  went  down 
with  the  mail  to  see  what  was  the  matter. 

Sunday,  June  21,  18(53 — I  read,  and  did  my  usual  duties.  In 
the  afternoon  Deutsch,  Vance  and  myself  got  horses  and  went  up 
to  the  crossing.    I  rode  Major  Camp's. 

Monday,  June  22,  18(53 — Mail  came.  Received  Louis  Hurley's 
photograph.  Four  women  came.  Gave  up  my  room.  A  false  alarm 
of  Sioux. 

Tuesday,  June  23,  18(>3 — Sweaty  horse  returned  without  rider. 
False  alarm.  I  wrote  to  McBride  to  discontinue  papers.  \  fine 
day.    Major  gone  out  to  meet  train.    Cavalry  came  in. 

Wednesday,  June  24,  18(53 — I  received  $1.50  mess  fund,  I  spent 
the  night  at  camp  at  Harris's.  Two  hundred  halfbreed  carts  came 
after  Hudson  Bay  goods.  This  train,  78  tons  came.  I  rode  out  after 
Major  Camp. 

Thursday,  June  25,  1863 — ^Warm.  I  returned  to  the  garrison.  Ma- 
jor Smith  came  and  paid  me  $2(5.  I  paid  Thompson  $25.  I  still 
owe  him  $15.    Two  companies  paid  off.    Milk  5. 

Friday,  June  2(5,  18G3 — Jackson  heard  of  and  watched.  Young 
Joe  Demarais  arrived.    A  bear  killed.    Train  left  for  Alexandria. 

Saturday,  June  27,  18(53 — J.  Morrison  and  wagon  left  with 
scythes.  Jackson  in  the  guard  house.  General  Order  No.  11  in 
reference  to  liquor.  Two  hundred  carts  left  for  Pembina.  Baker 
cleaning  captain's  room. 

Sunday.  June  2i<,  18(53 — Capt.  Donaldson  and  Harris  returned 
after  horses.  Corporal  B.  F.  Rawalt  appointed  acting  ordnance 
sergeant.  The  two  horses  found  near  old  crossing.  Gambling  for 
eight  cans  of  peaches  in  our  mess. 


STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY  119 

Monday,  June  29,  18G3 — Capt.  Donaldson  and  Mr.  Harris  left  for 
Fort  Garry.  I  made  out  roster  for  July.  Post  morning  reports. 
Consolidated  reports,  etc.  Baker  Harrison  cleaning  up  captain's 
dormitory.  Jackson  offered  to  sell  liquor  to  Frink.  Mess  gambling 
for  7  cans  of  peaches. 

Tuesday,  June  30,  1863 — Very  w^rm  and  close.  Inspection  and 
muster.  Everett  wants  me  to  eat  some  of  their  peaches  which  they 
had  gambled  for  and  was  almost  offended  because  I  would  not. 

Wednesday,  July  1,  1863 — I  received  $1  from  the  quartermaster's 
department  for  the  letter  book  to  be  used  at  the  headquarters. 

Thursday,  July  2,  1863 — Lieut.  Col.  T.  Averill,  with  three  cav- 
alry and  two  infantry  companies,  arrived  from  Sibley's  train.  I 
was  making  out  post  returns.  Beef  and  pudding  for  dinner.  Death 
of  Little  Crow  near  Hutchinson  bv  Mr.  Lamson  and  son. 

Friday,  July  3,  1863 — Company  D,  Seventh  regiment  have  orders 
to  leave  with  the  expedition. 

Saturday,  July  4,  1863 — Very  busy  writing  all  day.  We  estab- 
lished a  hospital  corps.  Gambling  and  drinking  everywhere.  Major 
drunk.  Target  practice  with  six  pounder.  We  fired  six  rockets  and 
34  shots  with  the  six-pounder  cannon. 

Sunday,  July  5,  1863 — Finished  post  returns.  Had  done  up  my 
work  by  5  p.  m.,  then  went  out  to  camp;  horse  race.  Preaching: 
Mark  lo :  17-18.  Horse  race.  Gypsum,  etc.  Messenger,  Capt. 
Arnold,  came  in  from  Gen.  Sibley's  camp.  Thirty  animals  have 
died  within  a  few  davs. 

]\londay,  July  6,  1863 — Train  left.  Gates  bought  my  water  filter 
for  oO.  I  feel  very  sorry  to  see  the  poor  fellows  go  to  endure  such 
hardships  on  the  plains. 

Tuesday,  July  7,  1863 — A  letter  from  John  Haradon  informing 
me  of  the  purchase  for  me  of  37  sheep  for  $128.10.  I  received  sis- 
ter Caroline's  picture. 

Wednesday,  July  8,  1863 — Dull,  very  warm,  98.  Lieut.  Randolph 
and  I  took  a  walk. 

"Thursday.  July  9,  1863—1  sent  $28.10  to  John  Haradon,  making 
$128.10,  which  I  have  paid  him  for  36  ewes  and  one  ram.  Lieut. 
Larned  and  corn  train  came  in.  Lieut.  Randolph  and  I  took  a  walk. 
Indian  scare  at  1  a.  m. 

Friday,  July  10,  1863 — Lieut.  Lamed  and  bacon  train,  10,000 
pounds  left.    Heat  102. 

Saturday,  July  11,  1863 — Major  Camp  and  captain  returned 
from  Camp  Sheyenne.    The  dog  dead. 

Sunday,  July  12,  1863 — I  was  busy  all  day.  Did  not  get  either 
dinner  or  supper.  Company  H  came  in.  James  Cheever  under  ar- 
res:. 

Monday,  July  13,  1863 — Capt.  Fisk  arrived;  29  sent  to  hospital 
Ft.  Snelling.  Heat  41.  Messenger  came  in  from  General  Sibley, 
60  miles. 


120  STATE    HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


Tuesday,  July  14,  1863 — Geo.  Selover  and  Norton  in  my  room. 
Major  says:  **I  know  you  mean  well  and  intend  to  do  just  right, 
but  the  adjutant's  room  is  no  place  for  soldiers/'  Ferry  boat  sink- 
ing. I  got  some  shells.  Rawalt  gave  me  some  nuts.  I  g-ot  some 
shells  for  sister  Beulah. 

Wednesday,  July  15,  1863 — Capt.  Fisk  left.  Chaplain  and  I  rode 
horses.  Bishop  Tache  arrived  from  St.  Paul  with  news  of  the  fall 
of  X'icksburg  and  rout  of  Lee's  army.  We  raised  stars  and  stripes 
and  fired  thirteen  rounds.  I  received  75  mess  fund.  Francis  W, 
Fowler,  Co.  A,  Tenth  Minn,  volunteers,  died  of  diphtheria.  ZMajor 
gone  to  Wild  Rice. 

Thursday,  July  16,  1863 — Private  Fowler's  shameful  burial. 
Bishop  Tache  left. 

Friday,  July  17,  1863 — Mail  came  with  Capt.  Dietrich,  comissary. 
Major  informs  me  privately  he  intends  to  try  and  advance  me  in 
the  regiment  when  we  get  together;  wants  me  to  drill  one  hour  daily. 

Saturday,  July  18,  1863 — Rainy  this  morning.  Two  packs  of  en- 
velopes, 30.    I  wrote  to  McBride  and  to  Beulah,  sending  her  shells. 

Sunday,  July  19,  1863 — I  paid  the  mess  20.  Sermon  on  **Unman- 
liness,"  Romans  8 :31,  on  going  to  church — conduct  there.  Luke 
8:18. 

Monday,  July  20,  1863 — I  drilled  in  manual  of  arms.  'Busy  taking 
an  account  of  ordnance.  Capt.  C.  J.  Dietrich,  commissary  sub.,  re- 
ported for  duty.    Eleven  of  Barrett's  men  gone  for  hay. 

Tuesdav,  Julv  21,  1863 — I  wrote  a  letter  to  Col.  Peteler.  Washing^ 
60. 

W^ednesday,  July  22,  1863 — I  wrote  a  letter  to  John  Junkins. 
Slept  three  hours  in  the  afternoon.  Order  relative  to  gamblingf. 
General  Orders  No.  13.     Milk  10. 

Thursday,  July  23,  1863 — A  buflFalo  shot  and  brought  in.  Major 
Camp  and  myself  rode  in  the  buggy.  The  buflFalo  14  ft.  long  from 
tip  of  tail  to  nose,  weighed  1,000  pounds  dressed.  Messenger  came 
in  from  Gen.  Sibley.  We  had  prairie  chicken  for  supper.  Lieut. 
Freeman  killed  by  bow  and  arrow  and  scalped. 

Friday,  July  24,  1863 — Capt.  McCoy,  being  officer  of  the  day,  had 
the  whole  garrison  on  police  duty.  Dr.  Weiser  attempted  to  treat 
with  the  Indians,  was  shot  and  tomahawked.  Gen.  Sibley's  first 
battle — 60  killed.  Fight  with  the  Sioux.  Freeman's  trousers 
found  on  dead  Sioux. 

Saturday,  July  25,  1863 — Lieut.  Paist,  Capt.  Daniels,  Capt.  Mc- 
Coy, etc.,  went  over  to  the  Sheyenne.  General  policing.  Gen. 
Sibley  chasing  Sioux. 

Sunday,  July  26,  1863 — Scouts  brought  in  reports  from  Pomme  de 
Terre  of  the  capture  of  Port  Hudson,  Charleston,  and  of  Gen.  Lee 
and  forces.  Sermon  for  prayer.  Infidel  views  looked  at.  Sermon 
comparing  this  rebellion  to  rebellion  against  god.  Isaiah,  1st  chap- 
ter.   Another  fight  with  Sioux,  100  killed. 


STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY  121 

Monday,  July  27,  1863 — Showery,  slight  dtw  this  morning. 
Major  Selfridge  arrived.  I  received  letter  from  father.  Gen.  Sib- 
ley chasing  Sioux. 

Tuesday,  July  28,  1863 — We  were  inspected  at  1  p.  m.  Our  Co. 
went  to  Breckenridge,  enroute  to  Alexandria.  Co.  H  received  a 
lecture.  I  hold  in  my  hand  a  petition  from  30  of  us  for  the  resigna- 
tion of  Lieut.  Hughson.  Will  not  forward  it.  Another  battle  with 
Sioux.    Chased  them  beyond  the  Missouri  river. 

Wednesday,  July  29,  1863— Milk  10.  Major  J.  O.  Selfridge 
asked  me  to  go  for  a  keg  of  beer  for  him.  I  told  him  that  was  a 
kind  of  work  I  did  not  like  to  do,  that  I  was  a  temperance  man 
and  didn't  believe  in  carrying  beer,  but  would  go  if  he  ordered  it. 
Lieut.  Kinney  brought  the  beer.    Major  looked  strangely. 

Thursday,  July  30,  1863 — Major  Selfridge  and  mail  left.  Lieut. 
Kinney  gone  on  20  days'  furlough  from  the  30th  inst. 

Friday,  July  31,  1863—1  wrote  to  father. 

Saturday,  August  1,  1863 — Liver  5.  I  did  my  usual  office  busi- 
ness and  wrote  2  1-2  sheets  legal  cap  for  the  major. 

Sunday,  Aug.  2,  1863 — Sermon  for  prayer.  Sermon  in  the  even- 
ing: "Who  would  save  his  life  shall  lose  it,  and  who  will  lose  his 
life  for  Mv  sake  shall  save  it.'* 

Monday,  August  3,  1863 — I  did  my  usual  duty.  Wrote  for  ma- 
jor 1  1-2  sheets  legal  cap.  Went  fishing.  Took  a  walk  with  Smith. 
Bed  bugs  in  swallows'  nest.    Heavy  thunder  shower  in  the  night. 

Tuesday,  Aug.  4,  1863 — Two  mules  came  in.  I  had  my  hair  cut 
off  very  short  by  humorous  order  of  Sergeant  Rawalt.    Mail  came. 

Wednesday,  Aug.  5,  1863 — Sent  letter  to  father  and  J.  B.  Lip- 
pincott  &  Co.,  book  store,  Philadelphia.    Stamps,  25. 

Thursday,  August  6,  1863 — This  was  a  day  of  thanksgiving,  etc. 
Lieut.  Fields  shot  a  halfbreed  soldier  for  disobedience. 

Friday,  Aug.  7,  1863 — Trial  before  Major  Camp  of  Hart,  Cheever 
and  Graham. 

Saturday,  Aug.  8,  1863 — Deutch  and  I  out  after  plums.  He  shot 
a  duck;  eight  mules  brought  in.  Train  arrived.  Mail  from  St. 
Cloud.    Report  of  the  capture  of  Charleston. 

Sunday,  August  9,  1863 — Scouts  came  in  from  Gen.  Sibley's 
camp  bringing  in  news  of  the  death  of  Little  Crow  and  Lieut.  Free- 
man, and  the  capture  of  Junior  Little  Crow. 

Monday,  Aug.  19,  1863 — Scouts  from  Gen.  Sibley  with  Little 
Crow's  gun,  and  they  report  three  battles,  having  chased  them  be- 
vond  the  Missouri. 

*       

Tuesday,  Aug.  11,  1863 — Trial  of  Warring.  Thirty  boys  gone  for 
hav. 

*  

Wednesday,  August  12,  1863 — Lieut.  Randolph,  chaplain  and  my- 
self went  out  for  a  walk.  Quite  a  debate  about  negroes. 

Thursday,  Aug.  13,  1863— Capt.  McLeod  left  for  Gen.  Sibley's 
camp  under  the  escort  of  his  drunken  men.  Deutsch  and  I  took 
a  walk,  also  the  chaplain.    Lieut.  Randolph  took  a  swim. 


122  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 

Friday,  August  14,  1863 — Cloudy  morning.  Went  after  plums. 
Rainy  night. 

Saturday,  August  15,  1863 — Powder  and  shot.  Go ;  paper  30.  I 
shot  a  blue  heron  and  caught  fish  in  the  evening  in  the  Bois  de  Sioux 
till  twelve. 

Sunday,  August  16,  1863 — Lieut.  Randolph  and  I  hunting. 

Monday,  Aug.  17,  1863 — Went  to  Lake  Traverse. 

Tuesday,  August  18,  1863 — I  laid  around  camp  and  hunted. 

Wednesday,  August  19,  1863 — Hunting. 

Thursday,  August  20,  1863 — I  worked  at  haying  all  dav.  Re- 
cedved  $2.00. 

Friday,  August  21,  1863 — I  worked  in  the  p.  m.  in  hayfield,  $1.0O  ; 
Received  a  letter  and  picture  of  Lieut.  Col.  Peteler,  at  Anoka,  Minn., 
from  him. 

Saturday,  Aug.  22,  1863 — The  six-pounder  fired  11  times.  Brig*. 
Gen.  Sibley  arrived.  I  helped  load  teams,  $1.00.  Dined  at  lake 
and  staid  all  night  at  8  miles  this  side  of  Bois  de  Sioux.  Welch 
and  I  shot  some  ducks.  Slept  on  load  of  hay  and  under  it ;  rainy. 
Filthy  eflFect  of  water  upon  the  oxen. 

Sunday,  August  23,  1863 — Dined  at  Breckenridge  and  Samuel 
Welch  and  myself  came  to  fort  in  four  hours.  I  washed  up,  fixed 
shoes,  etc.    Milk,  10c.    I  weigh  131  pounds.     Milk  5. 

Monday,  August  24,  1863 — I  resumed  my  duties.  Lieut.  Kinney 
arrived.  Repairing  watch,  $1.50.  Trial  of  Crow.  Dress  parade. 
Sixth  regiment,    ^iail  came.    !Milk  5.    Paper  from  home. 

Tuesday,  Aug.  2o,  1863 — Gen.  Sibley  left,  taking  with  him  three 
Sioux  prisoners.  Brother  Moses  drafted,  so  I  hear.  jNIajor  gone 
out  to  camp. 

Wednesday,  August  26,  1863 — General  policing.  Our  captain, 
Geo.  Atkinson,  commanding  post. 

Thursday,  Aug.  27,  1863 — My  note  to  major,  his  answer,  etc. 

Friday,  August  28,  18()3 — Dull  feeling  all  dav.  Major  and  adju- 
tant gone  hunting.    Got  38  prairie  chickens.    Milk  5  cents. 

Saturday,  Aug.  29,  18(>3 — Very  fine,  bright  morning  with  frost. 
I  sold  my  watch  for  $20  to  Wm.  H.  Norton. 

Sunday,  August  30,  1863 — Sermon:  "I  have  learned  that  in 
whatsoever  position  I  am  therewith  to  be  content." 

Monday,  August  31,  1863 — Chaplain  and  Bugler  Norton  gather- 
ed 4  1-2  bushels  of  plums,  most  delicious. 

Tuesday,  September  1,  1863—1  lent  Rawalt  $10.00. 

Wednesday,  September  2,  1863 — Stamps,  40  cents.  Young  man 
trotted  out  of  quartermaster's  office.  Eaton  going  to  fight  him. 
Boys  bothering  him.    Milk  5. 

Thursday,  Sept.  3,  1863 — I  finished  post  returns.  Quartermaster 
sergeant  and  myself  after  plums.    Emery  lo. 

Friday,  September  4,  1863 — Fine  weather.  Isaiah  Smith  died — 
lung  fever. 


STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY  123 


Saturday,  September  5,  18()3 — Buried  Smith. 

Sunday,  September  6,  1863 — Wrote  Beulah  part  of  a  letter. 
Cold  and  cloudy.  Buried  R.  D.  Brower,  Co.  D,  First  Minnesota 
Mounted  Reserves — lung  fever. 

Monday,  September  7,  18()3 — Mail  returned.  Major  on  Sheyenne 
river.    An  elk  shot. 

Tuesday,  September  8,  1803 — I  wrote  letters  to  Lieut.  Paist  and 
Beulah  and  did  much  office  business.  Sent  muster  and  pay  rolls 
and  post  returns.  A  bear  was  killed.  Paid  ten  cents  for  some  of  its 
meat. 

Wednesday,  September  9,  1863 — Very  busy  taking  account  of 
ordnance.    Joe  shot  beaver  on  Wild  Rice  river. 

Thursday,  September  10,  1863 — Very  busy  fixing  the  ordnance 
invoices. 

Fridav,  September  11,  1803 — Letter  paper,  10.  I  allowed  Norton 
to  return  my  watch  which  I  had  sold  him.  He  gave  me  a  chain  with 
my  fur  cap.  Finished  invoice  and  receipts  for  ordnance  and  ord- 
nance stores  at  post.    Spring  for  watch,  $1. 

Saturday,  September  12,  1803 — Paymaster  and  governor  came. 
Fred  Mack  and  Capt.  Smith  returned.  I  sent  letter  and  Lieut.  Col. 
Peteler's  picture  to  father.  Present  of  hair  brush  from  captain. 
Gov.  Ramsev  came. 

Sunday.  September  13,  18(53 — Mr.  Currey,  care  H.  C.  Burbank, 
St.  Cloud.  I  sent  $5  to  him  with  application  to  join  North  Star 
Lodge. 

Monday,  September  14,  1863 — Chippewa,  Red  Lake  River  Cross- 
ing Treaty  Expedition  left  here.    I  busy  clearing  up  the  room. 

Tuesday,  September  15,  1803 — Policing  and  clearing  up.  Dr. 
Braun  and  stage  load  of  us  after  plums.  George  Everett  came  in 
sick. 

Wednesday,  September  16,  1863 — Lieutenant  Randolph  and  boys 
came  in  at  2  p.  m.  Rainy.  Paymaster  paid  me  $48.15.  I  paid 
Thompson  $40.00  principal  and  $5.00  interest  for  five  months.  I 
paid  Lieutenant  Kinney  $5.00  making  us  square.  We  played  ball, 
then  wrote  letters. 

Thursday,  September  17.  1863 — Paymaster  left.  Lieutenants  Beck- 
er and  Randolph  gone  down. 

Friday,  September  18,  18()3 — Captain,  Lieutenant  Beaulieu,  chap- 
lain and  myself  took  a  horse-back  ride  up  the  river. 

Saturday,  September  19,  18()3 — Policing,  tearing  up  trees,  fixing 
up  meeting  tent,  etc. 

Sunday,  September  20,  1863 — "If  we  have  no  rest  beyond  this 
world,  then  are  we  of  all  men  the  most  miserable." 

Monday,  September  21,  1863 — Mail  came. 

Tuesday,  September  22,  1863 — Played  leap  frog.     Played  ball. 

Wednesday,  September  23,  1863 — Sergeant  Carr  and  I  watched 
for  wolves  in  the  evening.    Moonlight.    Aurora  borealis. 


124  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 

Thursday,  September  24,  1863 — I  paid  mess  75c.  Sergeant 
Deutsch  and  I  dug  a  rifle  pit  and  then  watched  for  wolves.  Moon- 
light. 

Friday,  September  25,  1863 — Sent  10  to  press  office  for  history  of 
Sioux  war.  Dance  in  major's  rooin.  Lieutenant  BeauHeu  received 
1,000  cartridges.     Col.    511  from  Captain  Atkinson. 

Saturday,  September  26,  1863 — Spree  with  Sergt.  Carr  about  the 
guard  book — referred  to  adjutant  and  commanding  officer.  Cap- 
tain's 25th  birthday. 

Sunday,  September  27,  1863 — At  church.  Captain  informed  me 
of  Carr;  swore  that  I  should  be that  Carr  should  do  as  I  or- 
dered him — was  no  gentleman  to  act  so,  etc. 

Monday,  September  28,  1863 — Sergeant  Deutsch  left.  I  gave  him 
a  can  of  peaches,  cost  one  dollar ;  25  sick  sent  below  by  hospital  stew- 
ard.   Rainy. 

Tuesday,  September  29,  1863 — Rainy. 

Wednesday,  Sept.  30,  1863 — At  work  on  post  returns.  Gun  went 
off,  burned  the  bed. 

Thursday,  Oct.  1,  1863 — I  finished  post  returns.  Two  burials.  I 
told  Carr  what  the  Capt.  wished  — .    Tooth  brush  bought,  25. 

Friday,  October  2,  1863 — Busy  preparing  mail.    Order  No.  88, 
Carr — insane  actions  of  the  gentleman. 

Saturday,  October  3,  1863 — Mail  left.  I  was  busy  finishing 
reading  Elizabeth's  reign,  Hume,  Vol.  4.    Sent  letter  to  Lett. 

Sunday,  October  4,  1863 — Whitney  and  I  took  a  walk.  Boys  left 
for  Sheyenne  and  Goose  Dung  lake.    Stamps,  postage,  50. 

Monday,  October  5,  1863 — Clear  and  bright  once  more.  Captain 
Atkinson.  Lieutenant  BeauHeu  and  myself  and  Smith's  team  out 
hunting.    Received  a  letter  from  Lieutenant  Paist,  Fort  Ripley. 

Tuesday,  October  6,  1863 — I  finished  fourth  volume  Hume.  I 
sat  up  with  orderly. 

Wednesday,  October  7,  1863 — Washing,  40.  Dance  in  Company^ 
H  quarters. 

Thursday,  October  8,  1863 — Companies  C  and  A  came  from  be- 
low. 

Friday,  October  9,  1863 — Companies  H  and  G,  Ninth  Minn., 
serenade. 

Saturday,  October  10,  1863 — Capt.  Folsom  assumed  command  of 
the  post.  Cos.  G  and  H  of  Ninth  left  for  Fort  Snelling.  Capt. 
moved  quarters. 

Monday,  October  12,  1863 — Captain,  Lieutenant  Kinney  and  my- 
self went  out  to  meet  mail. 

Tuesday,  October  13,  1863 — Bright*  sunshiny.  Mail  came.  Com- 
missioners also.  Voted  for  Miller  and  Co.  Lieutenant  Randolph 
and  Capt.  Butterfield  came. 

Wednesday,  October  It,  1863 — Water  police  instituted.  Red 
River  train  arrived.  Samuel  Welch  and  myself  read  Sioux  war  in 
evening  in  my  room. 


STATE   HISTORICAL  SOCIETY  125 


Thursday,  October  15,  1863 — I  visited  Red  River  train. 

Friday,  October  16,  1863 — Corporal  fixing  hospital. 

Saturday,  October  17,  1863 — Dull,  rainy  and  snowy.  Washing 
30. 

Sunday,  October  18,  1863 — Snow  and  slushy.    I  wrote  to  father. 

Monday,  October  19,  1863 — I  wrote  to  Joseph  Van  Cleave,  No. 
326  West  Washington  Market,  New  York.  Snowed.  Mess  fund, 
50c. 

Tuesday,  October  20,  1863 — I  wrote  to  sister  Caroline  at  West 
Chester,  Pennsylvania. 

Wednesday,  October  21,  1863 — Cold  and  snowy. 

Thursday,  October  22,  1863— Cold  and  snowy. 

Friday,  October  23,  1863 — Cold  and  snowy. 

Saturday,  October  24,  1863 — Detailed  to  go  for  grain  below.  I 
moved. 

Sunday,  October  25,  1863 — Cloudy;  visited  hospital. 

Monday,  October  26,  1863 — Reached  Old  Crossing,  a  long  ride, 
a  cold,  sleepless  night,  two  feet  of  snow. 

Tuesday,  October  27,  1863 — Reached  Pomme  de  Terre.  Gave  a 
receipt  to  Ludwig  Jacobs  for  04  rations  of  hay,  20  pounds  each. 

W^ednesday,  October  28,  1863 — Arrived  at  Chippewa  and  found 
some  Lake  City  trappers  there.  We  spent  the  evening  very  pleas- 
antly. 

Thursday,  October  29,  1863 — Lieutenant  William  Helsper  took 
a  receipt  from  me  for  940  pounds  of  hay.  Arrived  at  Alexandria. 

Friday,  October  30,  1863 — Arrived  at  Sauk  Center  and  drew 
rations  of  hay  and  oats  for  three  days,  for  42  mules  and  5  horses. 

Saturday,  October  31,  1863— Arrived  at  Dutch  Yankee's.  Tea 
50,  breakfast  25. 

Sunday,  November  1,  1863 — Arrived  at  St.  Joseph.  Supper  and 
lodging,  35. 

Monday,  November  2,  1863 — Arrived  at  St.  Cloud.  Expressed 
wheel  and  box.  I  drew  rations,  14  men,  for  five  days.  Suspenders 
$1.00.  Pocket  comb,  25.  Initiation  fee.  Masonic  order,  first  degree, 
$10.00. 

Tuesday,  November  3,  1863 — Masonic  manual,  $1.25.  Certificate, 
$1.50.  Apples  10.  Teams  left  for  Mr.  Gates.  I  spent  the  evening 
with  Thomas  Van  Etten,  second  lieutenant  Company  I,  Ninth  reg- 
iment, Minnesota  volunteers. 

Wednesday,  November  4,  1863 — Paper  and  envelopes,  5.  One 
bottle  Jayne's  expectorant,  $1.00.  I  took  the  degree  of  fellow  craft 
under  A.  B.  Curry,  $5.00.    Lecture  by  Brother  Van  Etten. 

Thursday,  November  5,  1863 — Apples,  20c.  I  took  a  walk  down 
to  the  fort.  Was  lectured  by  Brother  Van  Etten.  I  took  the  third 
degree,  Master  Mason,  $10.00.  Lieutenant  Col.  Rogers  present. 
A  good  time. 

Friday,  November  6,  1863 — I  paid  my  bill,  $3,  and  went  to  Clear 
Lake,  encamped. 


126  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 


Saturday,  November  7,  18G3 — Returned  to  St.  Cloud  and  drew 
rations  for  13  men  for  5  days.  I  called  on  brother  Parsons,  I 
got  a  bottle  of  sherry  for  orderly  (medicine)  $1.25.  Hair  cut- 
ting, 25. 

Sunday,  November  8,  18()3 — Board,  75.    I  went  out  to  camp  and 
then  we  all  returned  to  St.  Cloud.    Ferry  10. 

Monday,  November  9,  18(53 — Got  five  shoes  set.  Loaded  teams. 
Board  75.    I  lent  Norton  75. 

Tuesday,  November  10,  18G3— We  left  St.  Cloud.  I  took  Major 
Camp's  horse.  Paid  5  for  apples.  Arrived  at  Richmond  and  got 
hay,  588  lbs. 

Wednesday,  November  11,  1863 — Left  for  Burns.  Arrived  at 
Bum's  station.  Fuss  about  hay.  Receipted  for  588  pounds  of  hay, 
$3.00.    I  am  to  insure  the  payment  of  it. 

Thursday,  November  12,  1863 — Arrived  at  Sauk  Center,  drew 
rations  for  14  men,  7  days ;  42  animals,  2  days. 

Friday,  November  13,  1863 — Arrived  at  Osakis. 

Saturday,  November  14,  1863 — Arrived  at  Alexandria.  Drew- 
rations,  588  of  hay. 

Sunday,  November  15,  1863 — Laid  over  this  day. 

^Monday,  November  16,  1863 — Arrived  at  Chippewa. 

Tuesday,  November  17,  1863 — Arrived  at  Pomme  de  Terre.  Drew 
one  day's  rations  for  men  and  four  for  42  animals  (hay).  Chippe- 
wa seen  at  Chippewa  woods. 

Wednesday,  November  18,  1863 — I  left  Pomme  de  Terre,  arrived 
at  the  Fort  at  9  :00  p.  m.  Major  very  kind  reception.  Sold  knife 
50c. 

Thursday,  November  19,  1863 — Busy  in  office.  Colon  paid  me 
50c  *'pain  killer."    Paid  for  Cosmos  $5.00,  for  Latin  Testament,  $1. 

Friday,  November  20,  18(53 — Busy  in  office.  Corporals  Taisey 
and  Way  apply  for  promotion  into  colored  regiment.  Received  50c 
from  Sinclair  for  **pain  killer." 

Saturday,  November  21,  1863 — Col.  AL  T.  Thomas  left  in  office. 

Sunday,  November  22,  1863 — Sno^vy.  I  translated  first  chapter 
of  Matthew  in  Latin  Testament. 

Monday,  November  23,  1863 — I  spent  the  evening  lecturing  with 
Corp.  B.  F.  Rawalt,  first  degree. 

Tuesday,  November  24,  18(>3 — I  spent  the  evening  in  B.  F.  Raw- 
alt's  room  lecturing. 

Thursday,  November  "Z^,  1863 — Scouts  hired  to  go  to  Devils 
Lake.    I  witness  it. 

Friday,  November  27,  1863 — I  froze  my  ear  at  guard  mount. 
Notorious  widow  left — being  urged. 

Saturday,  November  28,  18(>3 — Mercury  17  below  zero.  Stamps 
50c.    Three  teams  sent  out  to  Old  Crossing. 

Sunday,  November  29,  18(13 — Mild  and  fine. 

Monday,  November  30,  1863 — Council  of  administration  adjourn- 
ed.    I  was  very  busv.     Fine  weather. 


STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY  127 


Tuesday,  December  1,  1863 — I  fixed  post  returns.  Council  of 
administration  in  session  with  sutler.  Fine  weather.  I  received 
a  letter  from  A.  J.  Hubbard,  St.  Louis.  Orderly  and  Bake  re- 
turned. 

Wednesday,  December  2,  1863 — I  prepared  mail  matter  and  wrote 
orders.  Fine  weather. 

Thursday,  December  3,  1863 — Nothing  unusual. 

Friday,  Decem-ber  4,  1863 — Mail  came  bringing  good  news  from 
Lookout  Mountain  and  Missionary  Ridge. 

Saturday,  December  5,  1863 — Got  up  our  mail  matter.  Fuss 
about  sutlers.  Hawkins,  S.  S.  Murdock  and  David  ^IcCauley.  I 
sent  a  letter  to  J.  Hawn. 

Sunday,  December  6,  1863 — Cloudy  and  fine — that  is,  warm.  I 
read  Matthew  third,  Latin  New  Testament. 

Monday,  December  7,  1863 — I  wrote  two  letters.    Mail  came. 

Wednesday,  December  9,  1863 — Buffalo  Dung's  son  and  two 
other  Chippewas  came  in  from  Red  Lake.  I  finished  Vol.  1,  Cos- 
mos.   Mail  left. 

Thursday,  December  10,  1863 — Cold.  I  felt  sick  and  got  excused 
from  drill.  Drill  only  fifteen  minutes.  Lieutenant  read  in  Cosmos 
out  loud.    Moses  Whitney  was  there. 

Friday,  December  11,'  18()3— We  had  drill.  I  wrote  to  A.  J. 
Hubbard,  Alexandria  Barracks,  St.  Louis,  Mo.  Buffalo  Dung's 
son  and  companions  gone  away.  I  received  a  letter  from  Lieut. 
Beaulieu,  St.  Louis,  Mo.  The  refugee  Chippewa  squaw  from 
Georgetown,  aged  120  years,  died. 

Saturday,  December  12,  1863 — I  sent  off  mail  to  office.  Paid  for 
peaches  85.    The  120-year  old  Chippewa  squaw  buried. 

Sunday,  December  13,  1863 — I  translated  Matthew  IV.  I  wrote 
to  father.    Turkey  for  dinner. 

Monday,  December  14,  1863 — Thermometer  11  below  zero.  I 
wrote  to  Uncle  Isaac  Ely.    Mail  came  and  brought  ordnance  blanks. 

Tuesday,  December  15,  1863 — The  thermometer  22  below  zero.  I 
wrote  two  letters  and  sent  Bob  Conrad  Historv  of  Sioux  War. 

Thursday,  December  17,  1863 — Severe  attack  of  dysentery.  Milk 
10.    Corn  for  supper. 

Fridav,  December  18,  1863 — Felt  weak;  16  below  zero.  I  ate 
no  dinner  or  supper.  Received  a  letter  from  John  Haradon. 
Peaches  85. 

Saturday,  December  19,  1863 — Seventeen  below  zero.  I  read 
Cosmos  and  did  my  usual  office  work.  Spent  the  evening  with 
Lieut.  Randolph,  reading  Cosmos.  Sent  a  letter  to  Lieut.  Beau- 
lieu. 

Sunday,  December  20,  1863 — Fogg}'  and  moderate.  Read 
Matthew  5th,  in  Latin  New  Testament. 

Monday,  December  21,  1863 — Finished  up  ordnance  returns  for 
third  quarter  and  sent  them  off.  Major  left  for  Old  Crossing. 
Sent  letter  to  Orderly  Martin  Robinson. 


128  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 

Tuesday,  December  22,  1863 — Major  returned.  I  g-ot  some  med- 
icine for  my  dysentery  from  Dr.  Braun.  I  feel  very  weak.  Snow- 
ed some.    Old  Bartlett  called  to  see  about  his  horse. 

Friday,  December  25»  1863 — Gay  old  time.  Liquor  found.  I 
owed  25  for  washing.  .  Gave  one  dollar  to  E.  Way.    Chicken  pie. 

Saturday,  December  26,  1863 — I  wrote  to  Mary  Ellen  and  Melpia 
Norton.    Indian  news. 

Sunday,  December  27,  1863— Read  Matthew  6th,  Latin  Nev^^  Tes- 
tament. 

Monday,  December  28,  1863 — Mail  did  not  get  in  on  account  of 
a  sick  horse. 

Tuesday,  December  29,  1863 — I  wrote  to  A.  B.  Curry  for  blank 
application  for  A.  F.  and  A.  M..  I  wTOte  father.  Mail  and  Capt. 
Butterfield  came. 

Wednesday,  December  30,  1863 — I  fixed  roster  for  January 
and  finished  reading  3d  volume  Cosmos.  Rawalt  spent  the  even- 
ing with  me  and  commenced  volume  4,  Cosmos,  reading-  aloud. 
Spent  the  evening  very  pleasantly  and  profitably. 

Thursday,  December  31,  1863 — Very  blustery,  mercury  from   27 
to  29  below  zero.    I  fixed  one  post  return.     I  have  spent  the  year 
at  Fort  Abercrombie  in  the  capacity  of  acting  sergeant  major.     I  am 
able  to  pay  my  debts.    I  own  37  sheep,  the  savings  of  my  work.     I 
have  become  a  Master  Mason  and  have  been  blessed  throughout  the 
year  with  tolerable  health  and  many  friends — may  they  continue. 
Lieut.  Col.  Peteler's  stockade  commenced  Nov.  20,  1862,  finished 
Feb.  2."),  1863,  around  10  36-100  acres. 

Friday,  January  1st,  1864 — Mercury,  38  and  39  below.     Finished 
post  returns.    Not  so  much  wind  as  yesterday. 

Saturday,  January  2d,  1864 — Very  cold. 

Sunday,  January  3d,  1864 — I  read  7th  Chapter  of  Matthew,   in 
Latin  New  Testament. 

Monday,  January  4th,  1864 — Very  cold.  I  did  my  work  and  then 
read  Cosmos. 

Tuesday,  January  5th,  1864 — Lieut.  J.  G.  Cover  started  for  Ot- 
tertail  crossing.  I  fixed  orders  and  copied  letters.  Hoarhound  can- 
dy, 5. 

Wednesday,  January  6.  18G4 — Sent  oflf  mail.  Assistant  quarter- 
master returned. 

Thursday,  January  7th,  1864 — Busy  writing.  Had  a  talk  with 
Capt.  Smith  in  reference  to  Col.  Miller  and  myself.  Disclosures  of 
Lieut.  Randolph  about  cavalry  and  field  officers. 

Friday,  January  8th,  1864^1  was  busy  writing  a  letter  to  Gen. 
Sibley  in  reference  to  Capt.  Carling.  I  finished  Vol.  4  of  Cos- 
mos and  commenced  the  r)th.  Disclosure  to  Lieut.  Randolph  of  plot 
(supposed)  a  hoax.    Proposition  to  Capt.  Dietrich. 

Saturday,  January  9th  1864 — I  sold  my  watch  to  John  Good- 
enough  for  $17.  Masonic  meeting  in  my  old  office.  There  was  a 
time  when  the  wind  blew  like  thunder. 


STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY  129 


Sunday,  January  10,  18G4 — Missionary  preached  in  Company  A's 
quarters.    Translated  8th  chapter  of  Matthew. 

Monday,  January  11th,  1864. — Lady  prayer  meeting  at  Skavers. 
^lajor  Kemble,  Marshall  and  Col.  Merriman  came.  Captain  received 
orders  to  go  below  on  recruiting  service. 

Tuesday,  January  12th,  1864 — I  sent  oflf  muster  and  pay  rolls  of 
Company  A,  C,  and  G,  Eighth  Minnesota  volunteers,  and  also  of 
the  hospital  of  this  post,  dated  December  31st,  1863.  Carling  let- 
ters, etc.    I  fixed  up  mail  matters.    Stamps,  30. 

Wednesday,  January  13th,  1864 — Major  Kemble  and  21  men 
left  for  Pembina  to  pay  troops  at  that  point. 

Thursday,  January  14th,  1864 — Bought  silk  pocket  handkerchief, 
$1.25.    Teams  left  for  Pembina. 

Friday,  January  15th,  1864 — I  wrote  Major  Brown's  opinion  of 
''Outbreak,"  to  Bob  Conard.  Capt.  Newsome,  C.  S.,  left  for  Pomme 
de  Terre. 

Saturday,  January  16th,  1864.— I  wrote  to  Philadelphia,  J.  B. 
Lippincott,  about  books,  asking  the  weight  and  price  of  the  Prac- 
tical Shepherd,  ^lethods  of  Study,  Types  of  Alankind,  Snowy 
and  damp. 

Sunday,  January  17,  1964 — Major  went  to  Ottertail  Crossing 
in  stage.  William  P.  Ives  spent  the  evening  with  me  and  Rawalt 
spent  the  afternoon.  I  spoke  to  O.  A.  Carver  about  Capt.  Smith 
going  to  St.  Paul.  At  2  the  Pembina  paymaster  arrived  at  Pembina. 
Matthew,  9th,  Chap. 

Monday,  January  18th.  1864 — Mail  came.  J.  A.  Hollar's  dis- 
charge. Major  returned  from  Ottertail  Crossing.  I  wrote  to  Sam- 
uel Doughty  about  William  McLeod's  sheep. 

Tuesday,  January  19th,  1864 — Very  fine  morning.  Snowing  in 
the  afternoon.  I  wrote  to  Cannon  Falls  wool  concern  about  varn, 
price  of  spinning,  etc. 

Wednesday,  January  20th,  1864 — I  spent  the  evening  with  Lieut. 
Randolph  reading  Cosmos. 

Thursday,  January  21st,  1864 — Warm  snow.  Melting.  Harris 
and  ox  teams  came.    Details  Company  A  missed,  orderly  excited. 

Friday,  January  22d,  1864 — Mail  came  with  a  letter  from  father, 
and  one  from  Orderly  Robinson.  Played  four  games  of  chess  and 
listened  to  Cosmos. 

Saturday,  January  23,  1864 — Tarbell  came  from  Pembina.  Little 
Six  and  Medicine  Bottle  captured. 

Sunday,  January  24th  1864 — I  read  Tenth  chapter  of  Matthew  in 
Latin.  Finished  fifth  volume  of  Cosmos.  Listened  to  Major 
Brown's  Indian  letter  to  Bishop  Whipple. 

Monday,  January  25th,  1864 — I  wrote  to  father.  Studied  French, 
first  exercise.    Warm  and  muddv. 

Tuesday,  January  26th,  1864 — Prepared  mail  matter.  Warm  and 
muddy.    Pens  5,  mending  boots  10. 

Historical— 9 


STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY  131 

Saturday,  February  13th,  1864 — Small  Boy  here,  medal  of  John 
Quincy  Adams,  date  1825.    I  wrote  to  Haradon.    Norton  paid  75. 

Sunday,  February  14th,  1864— Thirteenth  of  Matthew.  Hill's 
goods  seized.    Liquor  found  among  them,  'being  in  Indian  countr>'. 

Monday,  February  15th,  1864 — Mail  brought  letters  from  father 
and  Beulah.  Major  sick.  Furloughs  for  Harrison,  Desso  and 
Smith  came. 

Tuesday,  February  16th,  1864 — I  did  my  usual  duties.  Candies 
and  raisins  missing.     Fixed  up  mail  and  sent  it  oflF. 

Wednesday,  February  17th,  1864 — I  did  my  usual  duties.  Re- 
cited my  French  lesson.  Leather  blacking  25.  Played  chess. 
Lieut  Randolph  read  to  me  from  Book  2,  New  Gospel  of  Peace. 
Candies  and  raisins  missing. 

Thursday,  February  18th,  1864 — I  did  my  usual  work.  Got  my 
boot  re-pegged.  Attended  dance  in  office.  Danced  with  Mrs.  Bean, 
Tibbetts,  Way,  Miss  Braun.  Recited  a  lesson  in  French.  Lieut. 
Randolph  read  to  me  the  rest  of  Book  2,  New  Gospel  of  Peace. 
Hair  cut  25. 

Saturday,  February  20,  1864 — Moose  Dung  came  here  and  had  a 
pow-wow.    Wrote  to  brother  Lt.  Col.  Rogers. 

Sunday,  February  21st,  1864 — Fourteenth  of  Matthew  translated 
from  Latin.  Blustery  day.  Desso,  Harrison  and  Smith  on  furlough. 
Evan  E.  Pugh,  Company  C,  H.  B.,  arrested  for  desertion.  Lewis 
Updike  buried. 

Monday,  February  22nd,  1864 — Capt.  C.  J.  Dietrich  receives  his 
orders.  Major's  straps  came.  Assistant  Quartermaster  Geo.  L. 
Fiske  came. 

Tuesday,  February  23,  1864 — ^Did  the  usual  duties.  Fixed  mail 
and  recited  French  lesson.  Rawalt  and  myself  talked  about  his  St. 
Cloud  trip.  Major  speaks  of  quartermaster  sergeant.  I  spoke  to 
Lieut.  Fiske  about  helping  him  in  office.  Spoke  to  Way  about 
change  in  boarding. 

Wednesday,  February  24th,  1864 — Brother  Rawalt  left  for  St. 
Cloud.    Pocket  knife,  $1.    Recited  French. 

Thursday,  February  25th,  1864 — Recited  French.  Warm  and 
muddy.    Envelopes  5. 

Friday,  February  26,  1864 — Capt  Atkinson  and  adjutant  of  regi- 
ment came.  Received  letter  from  J.  Haradon  acknowledging  receipt 
of  $100.    Trouble  at  headquarters  room. 

Saturday,  February  27,  1864 — Fixed  up  room,  made  roster  for 
March,  1864.  Had  a  talk  with  the  adjutant, about  personal  matters. 
Recited  French.    Quite  blustery  and  cold. 

Sunday,  February  28,  1864 — Made  out  order  relieving  adjutant 
and  sending  him  to  Ottertail.    Matthew  16th. 

Monday,  February  29th,  1864 — Finished  office  work  and  com- 
menced post  returns.. 

Tuesday,  March  1st,  1864 — Mail  came.     Finished  post  returns. 


132  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 

Wednesday,  March  2,  1864 — Post  morning  report  blurred.  Or- 
derly Ives  and  I  recited  French  lesson.  Played  baseball.  Adjutant 
Butterfield  left.  Also  ]\Ir.  and  Mrs.  Bean,  Mrs.  Tibbets.  Letter  to 
Moses  Paxson.     Letter  to  Lambert  Paxson. 

Thursday,  March  3,  1804 — Fine  morning;  cleared  up;  cloudy  and 
windy.    Amos  Updike  died. 

Saturday,  March  5,  18()4 — Wrote  to  father.  Fixed  mails.  Wrote 
off  many  orders.  Recited  French  and  played  chess.  Major  Brown 
arrived  with  ninety  Indians  from  Pembina. 

Sunday,  March  6,  18G4 — Translated  loth  of  Matthew.  Major  and 
Lieut.  Tibbetts  gone  home  on  furloughs.  Major's  two  robes  sent 
back,  returned  to  Fort. 

Monday,  March  7,  1864 — Cloudy  and  warm.  I  got  my  boot 
mended,  5,  envelopes  20. 

Wednesday,  March  9,  1864 — Recited  9th  and  10th  lessons  in 
French.  Major  Brown  cleaned  me  out  so  badly  in  chess  that  I  was 
ashamed  of  myself. 

Thursday,  March  10,  181)4 — Fine  bright  morning.  Pembina  boys, 
20,  left  for  Pembina  in  charge  of  Sergeant  Joseph  Dudley. 

Friday,  March  11,  1864 — Received  letter  from  J.  Haradon  at 
Fort  Snelling.  He  ftas  enlisted  and  leased  his  farm  and  my  sheep 
with  it  on  the  same  terms  as  last  year,  $3  per  head  per  annum,  and 
he  has  to  provide  for  them  as  if  his  own. 

Saturday,  March  12,  1864 — Wrote  to  J.  Haradon.  Wrote  to  New 
York  in  relation  to  Practical  Shepherd. 

Sunday,  March  13,  1864 — Seventeenth  of  Matthew. 

Monday,  March  14,  ISiW — Wasukiye  arrived  with  Listener's  son 
from  Lake  Traverse. 

Tuesdav,  March  15,  18(;4 — Treatv  made  with  Wasukive,  chief  of 
the  Sisseton  Indians. 

Wednesday,  March  16,  18(»4 — Did  the  usual  duties;  battalion 
drill.    Read  Volume  1,  Gospel  of  Peace. 

Thursday,  March  17,  1864 — Cloudy  morning. 

Sunday, 'March  20,  1864 — Matthew  18th. 

Monday,  March  21,  1861 — Major  came,  bringing  orders  for  us  to 
go  to  Fort  Snelling. 

Tuesday,  March  22,  1S(>1 — Sent  25,  French  Without  a  Master. 

Wednesday,  March  23,  18()4 — Relieved  as  sergeant  major  of  Fort 
Abercrombie.    \>ry  busy  all  day. 

Thursday,  March  24,  1864 — Busy  fixing  ready  for  departure.  I 
lent  John  Soules  $5.  Initiated  the  new  acting  sergeant  major,  F. 
C.  Cutler,  into  his  duties.    Lent  Daniel  Burdick  $2. 

Friday,  March  25,  1864 — Bade  g(XKi-bye  to  Fort  Abercrombie, 
and  left  for  Ten  Mile  Point. 

Saturday,  March  2(),  1864 — I'p  bright  and  early.  Marched  to 
Otter  Tail  Crossing.  On  guard.  Sore  feet  and  tired.  Invited  to 
dinner. 


STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY  133 


Sunday,  March  27,  1864 — Stood  guard.  Two  and  a  half  hours 
for  breakfast  spell,  then  marched  to  Pomme  de  Terre.  I  rode  some. 
Rough  crossing  of  river.    Almost  an  upset.    Blustery  and  snowy. 

Monday,  March  28,  1864 — Stormy  and  snowy.  Enjoyed  a  good 
night's  rest.    Laid  over. 

Tuesday,  March  29,  1864 — Reached  Chippewa.  Spent  a  good 
time  in  the  kitchen.    I  was  on  guard  and  rode  some.    15  miles  today. 

Wednesday,  March  30,  1864 — Reached  Alexandria*  and  received 
a  hearty  welcome.  14  miles  today.  Walked  all  the  way.  Candies 
10.    Lent  E.  Way  $10. 

Thursday,  March  31,  1864— Reached  Osakis  Lake  12:30.  Went 
fishing.  14  miles  today.  Sweet  cakes  distributed.  Lieut.  Randolph 
and  I  took  a  walk. 

Friday,  April  1,  1864 — Came  into  Sauk  Center  and  found  our 
nine  new  recruits.  Rumors  of  smallpox.  I  got  vaccinated.  Bread 
50,  15  lbs. 

Saturday,  April  2,  1864 — Left  Sauk  Center  and  went  22  miles. 
Company  F  at  Richmond  treated  us  to  dinner. 

Sunday,  April  3,  1864 — We  marched  to  Cold  Springs.  Three 
teams  met  us  to  help  us  along.  We  visited  the  tamarack  swamp  and 
gathered  chewing  gum. 

Monday,  April  4,  1864 — We  marched  near  St.  Cloud.  Major  met 
us  near  St.  Jo.  Lieut.  Randolph  about  to  leave.  He  speaks  kindly 
to  me  about  the  staff.  Company  B,  2nd  Cavalry,  are  to  relieve  us 
and  we  are  to  march  to  Ft.  Ripley.  Rawalt  and  I  went  in  to  St. 
Cloud  in  the  evening  to  lodge,  but  there  was  none. 

Tuesday,  April  5,  1864 — We  crossed  the  river  and  camped.  91 
Sioux  we  brought  from  Ft.  Abercrombie  were  transferred  to  Com- 
pany B.  We  left  about  noon.  Lieut.  Randolph  and  I  ate  dinner  at 
the  Central  House. 

Wednesday,  April  6,  1864— At  about  10  left  for  Ft.  Ripley.  Stop- 
ped at  Luther's.    Slept  in  the  hay  mow. 

Thursday,  April  7th,  1864— We  left  Luther's  and  reached  Little 
Falls  in  snow  storm.  I  stood  guard.  Supper  25.  Candy  5.  We 
visited  the  saw  mill  and  had  a  good  time.  Slept  on  the  floor  in  the 
hall.    Snow  storm.    Pavmaster  passes. 

Friday,  April  8,  1864— Left  for  Ft.  Ripley.  Breakfast  25.  We 
reached  the  fort  about  noon.  Company  I  treated  us  to  dinner. 
We  fixed  our  gun  racks  and  filled  our  beds. 

Saturday,  April  9,  1864 — Liuet.  Randolph  and  I  took  a  walk  down 
the  river  with  W^hitney.  I  lent  Thomas  Kinney  25.  Ink  15.  I 
lent  Samuel  Welch  $1.    Stamps  $1.    Dress  parade. 

Sunday,  April  10,  1864 — Haradon  and  myself  took  a  walk.  At- 
tended service  in  the  chapel. 

Monday,  April  11,  1864 — I  made  a  barrel  chair  and  wrote  a  letter 
to  Beulah.  Part  of  her  letter  on  bark.  Spent  the  evening  with 
Randolph.    Thread  10. 


134  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 


Tuesday,  April  12,  1864 — I  wrote  Lieut.  Randolph's  resignation. 
Part  of  the  company  moved.    I  received  letter  from  S.  Welch. 

Wednesday,  April  13,  18G4 — We  moved.  Paper  10.  Lieut.  Ran- 
dolph commenced  military  road  to  St.  Cloud. 

Thursday,  April  14,  1864 — Samuel  B.  Smith,  lameness  long"  stand- 
ing, Henry  E.  Eaton,  neuralgia,  James  B.  Glover,  old  ag^e.  Colon 
Sinclair,  all  examined  and  fit  for  garrison  duty — not  field  duty. 

Friday,  April  15,  1865 — Wrote  a  letter  to  Orderly  Ives  of  Fort 
Abercrombie. 

Saturday,  April  16,  1864 — Lon  Woodworth,  Corp.  \^eeder,  and  I 
went  to  the  sugar  camp.  Sugar  25c.  I  wrote  to  Sallie  Smith  on 
birch  bark. 

Sunday,  April  17,  1864 — I  wrote  to  Hannah  Worthington  on 
bark. 

Monday,  April  18,  1864 — Wrote  a  letter  to  W.  Spear,  Lettitia 
West,  on  bark,  to  Hattie  and  John  Spear.  Lieut.  Col.  Rog-ers  in- 
vited me  in  to  see  him. 

Tuesday,  April  19,  1864 — I  was  on  police  duty  all  day.  Fine 
bright  day. 

Wednesday,  April  20,  1864 — I  mended  my  trousers,  studied 
French,  and  wrote  a  letter  to  Mary  Ellen  on  birch  bark.  Also  one 
on  bark  to  Rebecca  Paxson. 

Thursday,  April  21,  1864 — Lon  and  Chan  Woodworth  and  I  went 
out  hunting.  Chan  shot  two  rabbits  and  one  pheasant.  I  cleaned 
my  gun,  and  wrote  to  ]\Ioses.  Rainy  in  the  evening.  I  wrote  six 
copies  of  S.  O.  No.  83  (furloughs). 

Friday,  April  22,  1864 — I  was  on  guard.  A  fine  day.  Serg-eant 
Snyder,  Corporal  V^eeder. 

Saturday,  April  23,  1864 — Lieut.  Hunter  and  myself  were  going 
fishing  and  turtling.  Just  before  starting  we  received  orders  to  go 
to  Little  Elk  and  assist  in  building  military  road.  Drunken  man. 
Bear  (in)  the  river. 

Sunday,  April  24,  1864 — Reeves,  Knap,  etc.,  went  with  me  to 
Little  Falls  Bridge. 

Monday,  April  25,  1864 — We  put  on  the  bridge  timbers.  Did 
not  do  much  this  forenoon.  Made  a  spear  and  went  fishing  in  the 
evening.    34  red  horse  and  suckers  caught. 

Tuesday,  April  26,  1864 — Cold  and  blustery. 

Wednesday,  April  27,  1864 — We  partly  raised  the  bridge. 

Thursday,  April  28,  1864 — We  raised  the  bridge  and  put  in  the 
braces.  Lieut,  left  for  Fort,  leaving  orders  to  tie  the  bridge  to  a 
tree,  which  was  accordingly  done. 

Friday,  April  29,  1864 — We  got  up  late.  Cloudy  in  the  afternoon. 
Barney  Sweeney,  Starr,  Soule,  Sherman  and  myself  played  truant 
and  visited  Carnelian  Hill,  procuring  winter  green,  camelians.  gum, 
etc.  Knap  and  Goodell  traded  candles  and  rice  for  nine  lbs,  of  but- 
ter.   Took  a  walk.    Repeated  lectures. 


J 


STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY  135 

Saturday,  April  30,  186 1 — Laid  some  plank  on  bridge,  open  road. 
Fire  in  woods.  I  watered  Lieutenant's  horse  and  did  some  writing 
for  him. 

Sunday,  May  1,  18G4 — Ben  and  I  took  a  walk ;  fire  in  the  woods. 
Report  of  our  leaving  soon.  Report  that  Lieut.  Randolph  is  to  be 
left  in  command  of  the  Fort,  (Ripley). 

Monday,  May  2,  18G4 — Lime  relieved.  Jim  finished,  the  bridge 
and  went  to  Iron  river.  Milk  25c.  Rapid  marching.  I  finished 
Nelson's  Cause  and  Cure  of  Infidelitv. 

Tuesday,  May  3,  1864 — Built  pier  and  put  on  stringers.  A  hard 
day's  work.  Ben  Starr  and  myself  took  a  gunning  walk.  Had  a  nice 
talk  about  certain  counterfeiters. 

Wednesday,  May  4,  1864 — Commenced  covering  bridge.  Rain 
drove  us  off.  Finally  got  most  done  before  night.  Starr  and  Reeves 
discuss  work  question. 

Thursday,  May  5,  1864 — We  finished  the  bridge,  and  then  near 
11:00  a.  m.  started  for  the  Fort,  twenty  miles.  Arrived  there 
7 :00  p.  m. 

Friday,  ]\Iay  6,  1864 — I  did  my  washing.  Invited  by  Lieut.  Hunt 
to  take  a  horseback  ride.  Commenced  reading  Mrs.  Wakefield's  Six 
Weeks  in  a  Sioux  Tepee.    Capt.  went  to  St.  Cloud. 

Saturday,  May  7,  1864 — Finished  Mrs.  Wakefield.  I  received  a 
letter  from  Moses.  Also  a  paper.  Received  letter  from  Hannah. 
One  of  the  2nd  Cavalry  is  to  have  bread  and  water  four  days  for 
disobeying  orders  of  Lieut.  Randolph. 

Sunday,  May  8,  1864 — I  wrote  to  father  and  Hannah.  Went  to 
service  wMth  Lieut.  Randolph,  but  did  not  enjoy  it. 

Tuesday,  May  10,  1864— Lieut.  Randolph  and  myself  took  a  walk. 
Read  in  Ten  Thousand  a  Year. 

Wednesday,  May  11,  1864 — Read  in  Ten  Thousand  a  Year.  Took 
several  walks. 

Thursday,  May  12,  1864 — Picked  beans,  mended  clothes,  etc. 
Order  for  leaving  on  the  13th  read  on  dress  parade. 

Friday,  May  13,  1864— Marched  to  Pike  Creek,  17  miles.  Whit- 
ney and  I  took  the  lead.    Wagon  stuck  fast  and  tongue  broken. 

Saturday,  May  14,  1864 — We  marched  25  miles.  Saw  two  deer, 
shot  at  one.  Very  tired.  Saw^  beds  of  ice  four  feet  thick  by  the 
roadside. 

Sunday,  May  15,  1864 — March  30  miles  to  Sauk  Center.  Lon 
arrived  at  twelve.  He  shot  at  a  deer.  Randolph  and  I  came  in 
together.  Good  news  by  Lieut.  Colonel  from  Grant,  20,000  prison- 
ers, Joe  Johnson  among  them.  I  was  on  guard  from  1  to  3  in  night 
at  Sauk  Center. 

Monday,  May  16,  1864 — I  wrote  a  letter  to  mother  in  top  of  the 
new  grist  mill.    Horses  came. 

Tuesday,  May  17,  1864 — We  drew  our  horses  and  saddles.  I 
picketed  mine  out.     Haradon  and  I  fished  until  noon. 


136  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 


Wednesday,  May  18,  1864 — Haradon  and  I  did  up  our  washing^ 
and  took  a  wash.  E.  Way  on  dress  parade  came  near  fainting'  from 
the  heat.    I  got  a  post  lead  pencil  and  marked  my  traps. 

Thursday,  May  19,  1804 — I  drew  saddle  'bags. 

Friday,  May  20,  1804 — I  washed  the  pony  and  went  fishing-  with- 
out any  hooks.  Co.  H.  and  fish  stealing.  I  drew  a  hat.  I  received 
letter  from  Ellen,  Stout's  ]\IillSj  Trenton. 

Saturday,  May  21,  1864 — Dry  and  windy.  Starr  and  I  visited 
the  saw  mill.  I  picketed  pony.  Received  letter.  We  took  up  the 
line  of  march  and  arrived  at  Steward.  Encamped  for  the  nig'ht, 
having  come  six  miles.    I  went  after  some  water ;  warm  and  dusty. 

Sunday,  ]\Iay  22,  18(34 — I  was  on  Police  duty.  We  took  an  early- 
start  and  arrived  at  Paynesville.  In  the  evening  it  commenced  rain- 
ing and  rained  considerable. 

Monday,  May  23,  18G4 — Haradon  and  I  went  over  to  the  stockade 
^nd  wrote  three  letters.    Lieut.  Randolph  came  from  Sauk  Center. 

Tuesday,  ]\Iay  24,  18(>4 — I  got  my  horse  shod  and  did  up  my 
washing.    I  was  on  guard. 

Wednesday,  iVIay  2.3,  1804 — We  left  Paynesville  and  traveled  2.^ 
miles  to  go  14,  and  encamped  on  Green  Lake.  I  was  on  guard. 
Green  lake  is  a  very  pretty  lake  8  miles  wide.  Traveled  throug*b 
fine  country.    Only  scarcity  of  wood  in  places.  « 

Thursday,  May  20,  1804 — Stampede  from  dog.    We  passed   Giz- 
zard Lake  and  encamped  where  we  found  ducks,  war  clubs,  pipe, 
rattlesnake.    My  horse's  distemper  broke.    Country  very  rolling  yet 
good  grass  in  plenty.    Woods  scarcer.    Camped  at  Candiyohi  Lake. 
Alkaline  water,    ^ly  horse  found. 

Friday,  !May  27,  1804 — We  encamped  early  at  Camp  Butler.  Al- 
kaline water.  We  baited  plenty  and  I  rode  Rawalt's  horse  and 
washed  my  own.  Apparent  scarce.  A  new  guide.  Dress  parade. 
I'oiled  coffee  with  rushes,  took  turns  holding  them  while  they  burn- 
ed.    Poor  fare. 

Saturday,  ]\Iay  28,  1804 — Camp  Armsby.  Xo  wood.  Poor  fare. 
Haradon  and  I  read  tracts  and  picketed  our  horses. 

Sunday,  May  29,  1804 — Fourteen  miles  march  to  Fort  Ridgely. 
Enormous  dinner.     Sermon  on  swearing.     Bread  2,  stamps  G. 

Monday,  ^lay  30,  1804 — Haradon  washed  five  pieces  for  me.  I 
read  him  Ten  Thousand  a  Year.  News  received  of  rumpus  in  refer- 
ence to  expedition.    Dress  parade.    A  corporal  made  in  Company  H. 

Tuesday,  May  31,  18()4 — I  was  on  police.    Bread  2,  stamps  5, 

Wednesday,  June  1,  18()4 — I  was  detailed  as  clerk  in  headquar- 
ters, expeditionary  forces. 

Thursdav,  June  2,  1804 — Two  pens,  1  stamp.  Received  $52  from 
Major  E.  C.  Kemble,  $10  from  E.  Way,  $5  from  John  Soule,  SI 
from  Thos.  Kinney,  $1  from  S.  Welch.  I  paid  John  D.  Haradon 
$10,  making  $110,  being  the  amount  due  up  to  June  17th,  for  keep- 
ing my  sheep  one  year.    I  sold  blanket,  ."iOc.    Paid  25  for  washing. 


STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY  137 

Friday,  June  3,  18G4 — I  bought  paper,  envelopes  and  pencil  00. 
I  sent  $1.50  to  C.  M.  Saxton,  New  York,  for  Practical  Shepherd. 
We  received  shelter  tent.    Stamps  25. 

Saturday,  June  4,  18G4 — A  heavy  shower.  Three  men  of  Com- 
pany H  tried  for  insulting  a  woman.  One  horse  of  company  H 
killed  by  lightning.    Private  Sherman  deserted. 

Sunday,  June  5,  186-1: — General  inspection.  Major  Camp  and 
General  Sibley  arrived.  A  party  sent  after  Sherman.  I  made  out 
report  for  regiment.    Milk  5,  butter  20. 

Monday,  June  G,  18G4 — We  went  as  far  as  the  Lower  Agency.  I 
saw  a  blood  sucker  and  snake.  Dangerous  crossing  of  the  Minne- 
sota River.  Old  squaw  dug  up.  Fine,  bright  day.  Row  with  J.  O. 
Smith  about  supper.  Camp  Tiger  Creek  20  miles  today.  Tepees 
burned  auvi  boys  arrested  for  it. 

Tuesday,  June  7,  18G4 — We  arrived  at  Camp  Reynolds  near  Camp 
Pope.  I  made  out  consolidated  report  of  the  Regiment.  Smith  paid 
off,  35.    Came  some  four  miles.    I  got  my  horse  shod. 

Wednesday,  June  8,  1864 — We  marched  18  miles,  encamping  on 
the  battleground  of  Wood  Lake.  3  skulls  found,  (Sioux).  I  got 
two  teeth  from  one  of  them  as  trophies.  Potts  and  I  at  the  spring 
saw  boot  with  a  basswood  sole.  Pancakes  for  supper.  Very 
dusty  marching.    Otherwise  cool  and  pleasant. 

Thursday,  June  9,  18G4 — Milk  10.  We  laid  over  this  day.  I 
wrote  out  blank  details.  Huge  dinner.  I  sent  two  teeth  to  Lettitia 
(Sioux,  from  Wood  Lake). 

Friday,  June  10,  18G4 — We  came  six  miles  to  Camp  Riggs.  Des- 
olate homes.  We  dug  a  spring  with  our  hands.  Good  water.  Three 
frying  pans  found.  Also,  arrows,  etc.  We  passed  Yellow  Medicine. 
Many  desolate  homes  passed.     (A.  J.  Riggs  Mission.) 

Saturday,  June  11,  18G1 — We  came  18  miles  to  Camp  Sibley,  2 
miles  beyond  Camp  Release.  Good  pasture,  beautiful  timber.  Scen- 
ery along  river  bottom  (Minnesota  River).  Writing  at  heaquarters 
regiment.  Lieut.  Randolph  and  I  took  a  walk.  I  visited  Lieut. 
Fiske  on  business.    He  arid  Lieut.  McKusick  arrived  today. 

Sunday,  June  12,  1864 — Trouble  with  pony  about  going  into  the 
water.  Afraid  of  mud.  I  was  busy  writing  at  headquarters  for  the 
expedition.  I  received  a  letter  from  Geo.  Hinds,  Company  I,  104 
Penn.  \'olunteers,  Hilton  Head,  S.  C,  via  Xew  York. 

Monday,  June  13,  1864 — Reached  Camp  Sully.  I  did  some  writ- 
ing of  blank  details.  Dubois  arrested,  from  Company  I,  counterfeit- 
ing Lieut.  Colonel's  name  for  liquor.  15  miles.  Passed  Red  Irons 
village,  crossing  Lacqui  Parle  River. 

Tuesday,  June  14,  1864 — Reached  Lacqui  Parle  River  again. 
Camp  McLaren  18  miles.  Some  boys  caught  nice  fish.  J.  C.  Hara- 
don  fell  off  his  horse.    Map  50.    Washing  25. 

vV'ednesday,  June  15,  18(*>4 — Traveled  14  miles  to  Camp  Rogers. 
Pocket  glass  20.    Xo  timber.    I  endorsed  orders. 


138  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 

Thursday,  June  16,  1864 — We  marched  to  Camp  Wallow,  mid- 
dling good  grass  and  water.  Haradon  and  I  took  a  walk  and  read. 
We  passed  Lake  Chanonpa  and  Tizeptonan,  and  Indian  villag'e. 
Camp  15  miles.  No  wood.  Good  water  in  Lake  Tizeptonan.  Buf- 
falo chased  by  Capt.  Silvis.    2  killed. 

Friday,  June  17,  1864 — Received  sheep  one  year  ago  today.  We 
came  24  miles  to  Duck's  Nest  Lake,  camp  named  George  A.  Camp. 
Buffalo  seen  and  chased.    Six  antelopes  seen. 

Saturday,  June  18,  1864 — Came  15  miles  to  where  Indians  had 
been  captured  by  Col.  Marshall,  1863.  Indians  had  just  left.  Big 
fires.  I  washed  my  horse  and  clothes.  Prayer  meeting.  I  got 
onions.  Capt.  Jones  passed  me  through  the  Sentinel  chain.  Big* 
rain  storm.    We  came  15  miles  today.    Saw  buffaloes.    Camp  Rice. 

Sunday,  June  19,  1861 — We  dried  out  our  clothing.  Ink  5c. 
Some  words  with  Lieut.  Randolph  about  horses.  Paid  10c  for  letter 
to  messenger.  Clancy  and  I  down  at  the  lake,  writing  to  father. 
Lieut.  Fiske  got  varioloid. 

Monday,  June  20,  1864 — Came  10  miles  to  Camp  Rose,  a  beauti- 
ful camping  place  on  the  White  Horse  River  at  Dakota  Springs. 
Good  water.  Rainy  in  the  night.  Dr.  Geo.  Everett  cut  horses* 
gun:*^.  Adjutant  spoke  of  a  vacancy  on  the  non-commissioned  staff. 
I  led  the  pony. 

Tuesday,  June  21,  1864 — We  came  25  miles  to  Camp  Brown  on 
the  James  River.  A  cottonwood  crossing.  My  horse  led  and 
almost  gave  out.  I  rode  Crow's  horse.  Paid  $1  for  a  can  of 
peaches.  Poor  water.  A  spring  of  good  water  finally  found  by  dig- 
ging. 

Wednesday,  June  22,  1864 — Moved  across  the  river  to  Camp 
Daniels.  Good  water  found  in  river  bank.  Hot  wind,  99  deg.  I 
did  some  writing  of  blank  details  at  headquarters.  New  orders  No. 
7  received,  relative  to  10  armed  men  to  accompany  horses  grazing. 
I  was  out  of  spirits  about  my  horse. 

Thursday,  June  23,  1864 — Came  13;^^  miles  to  Camp  Murphy  on 
Moccasin  River.  Saw  antelopes ;  Assistant  Surgeon  shot  a  young 
one.  Excellent  water.  I  took  a  swim.  Paid  Major  Brown  a  visit. 
My  horse  got  mired.  Orderly  of  Company  K  helped  me  out  of  the 
scrape.  I  found  50c  in  a  match  box.  Oliver  and  Carpenter's  boxing 
spree.    I  had  my  horse's  mouth  burned  out.    No  wood. 

Friday'.  June  24,  1864 — Came  14  miles  to  Camp  Kimble,  on  Moc- 
casin River.  Heavy  rain  storm  before  supper.  Boys  picketing 
horses  and  got  wet.  Plenty  of  wood  and  tolerable  water.  Indian 
mound,  buffalo  bones,  etc.    I  found  an  arrow  head. 

Saturday,  Jui;e  25,  1864 — Came  14  miles  to  Camp  Jones  on  the 
eastern  slope  of  th*  Missouri  coteau.  Did  not  do  much  wTiting  at 
headquarters. 

Sunday,  June  26,  1864 — Sermon,  Mark  11:2.  I  made  out  mus- 
ter roll  of  staff  and  field.    Lieut.  Randolph,  Hayes,  Gee  Workman 


STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY  139 


went  with  me  after  June  berries,  Oh,  what  a  feast  we  had.  Two 
dead  Indians  in  the  tree  top.    I  felt  sick  and  vomited. 

Monday,  June  27,  1864 — Came  20  miles  to  Camp  Pettit.  Long 
delay  before  going  into  Camp.  A  windy  fellow  on  the  way.  I  found 
a  stone  like  a  black  bean.  Alkaline  lake.  For  washing  10.  For 
cooking  25. 

Tuesday,  June  28,  1864 — No  coffee  for  breakfast  for  the  com- 
pany. No  hay  for  the  horses  at  night.  Major  Camp  put  a  barrel 
in  the  slough  and  got  good  water.  I  was  unusually  weak  and  got 
some  tonic  of  the  Doctor.  Terrific  shower  of  wind  and  hail.  Came 
20  miles  to  Camp  Folsom. 

Wednesday,  June  29,  1864 — Came  21  >4  miles  to  Camp  McLarty. 
Horse  nearly  gave  out.  We  struck  Gen.  Sully's  trail  just  before 
getting  into  camp.  Saw  five  young  antelopes.  I  wrote  general 
order  No.  8  about  muster,  etc.    Buffalo  chips  to  cook  with. 

Thursday,  June  30,  1864 — We  came  23  miles  to  Camp  No.  18, — 
Sully's  Camp.  Indians  seen.  I  got  some  currants.  Very  stormy 
and  muddy.  I  did  some  writing.  We  are  15  miles  from  Swan  Lake, 
and  6  from  the  Missouri  River. 

Friday,  July  1,  1864 — I  w^as  very  busy  all  day  writing  out  returns. 
I  wrote  to  father,  and  sent  cactus  flowers.  I  also  wrote  to  A.  T. 
Gursey  of  Lake  City. 

Saturday,  July  2,  1864 — I  cleaned  up  my  gun  and  made  out 
blanks  and  returns.  Candy  10.  I  was  treated  to  mush  and  con- 
densed milk. 

Sunday,  July  3,  1864 — Came  3  miles,  leaving  Camp  No.  18,  about 
10  :00  a.  m.  Traded  p)ony  for  a  roan.  Our  route  for  Long  Lake. 
Pickles  15. 

Monday,  July  4,  1864 — Peaches,  $1.  We  came  back  to  Camp  Mc- 
Larty. I  wore  my  overcoat  all  day.  Shower  in  the  evening.  Geo. 
Everett  found  an  Indian  gun.    Camp  No.  19. 

Tuesday,  July  5,  1864 — We  came  18  miles.  Camp  No.  20.  I 
bought  condensed  milk  75. 

Wednesday,  July  6,  1864 — ^We  came  32  miles  to  Beaver  Creek  on 
the  edge  of  bluffs,  flat  topped  and  romantic.  We  got  into  camp  at 
5:00  p.  m.  We  were  completely  fagged  out.  Good  supper,  mush, 
etc.    Camp  No.  21. 

Thursday,  July  7,  1864 — We  came  11  miles  and  re-joined  Sully's 
command.  Bluffy  and  strange,  romantic  country.  Rumor  of  1400 
Sioux  near.  Much  mounting  and  dismounting.  Pleasant  day.  Ar- 
rived at  Little  Beaver  Creek,  Camp  No.  22.  Copying  general  order. 
No.  12,  nine  copies.    Fort  Rice  located,  longitude  101°,  latitude  4()". 

Friday,  July  8,  1864 — We  came  to  Missouri  at  Camp  No.  23 
near  Long  Lake.  We  came  down  through  bluffs ;  prickly  pears  in 
abundance.  We  came  about  18  miles.  I  drank  of  Missouri  water. 
Mended  my  trousers  and  blouse.    Chippewa  Falls  left  today. 


140  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 

Saturday,  July  9,  18G4 — Steamers  here:  Peoria,  Isabella,  A^rrt' 
Gat\%  Gen,  Grant,  Tempest,  Island  City.  Yellowstone  arrived  frotn 
Yellowstone  River,  with  25,000  buffalo  robes.  P.  T.  Gark  of  St. 
Anthony  buried  with  Masonic  honors,  "Thy  will,  O  God,  it  is 
accomplished." 

Sunday,  July  10,  18G4 — I  made  out  muster  roll  and  worked  until 
I  was  completely  tired  out.  Preaching  in  evening.  I  wrote  to 
Father  and  Lake  City  Times. 

Monday,  July  11,  18G4 — We  crossed  the  Missouri  River.  I  copied 
general  order  Xo.  54.  relative  to  our  trip  to  Idaho.  Paid  $1  for 
blackberries.  We  signed  muster  rolls.  I  wrote  again  to  Lake  City- 
Times. 

Tuesday,  July  12,  18G4 — Buttet  crackers  20c.  Hoarhound  candy, 
10.  John  Desso,  and  myself,  visited  the  big  mound,  found  iron  ore 
of  very  rich  quality.  Country  very  broken  with  ravines  and  bluffs. 
Plenty  of  cactus.    Grass  not  scarce. 

Wednesday,  July  13,  18G4 — I  bought  pie  25.  I  received  letter 
from  J.  L.  Paxson,  Little  Rock,  Arkansas,  care  Capt.  J.  A.  Swain, 
Q.  ]\L,  and  wrote  an  answer  to  it.  I  was  writing  at  headquarters. 
We  received  pay,  $2G,  up  to  June  30,  18G4.  I  paid  J.  R.  Good- 
enough  $20.  Witness:  J.  L.  Stearns,  $30  interest,  and  $10  on  a 
note  of  $100,  $90  remaining  due.  Took  a  wash  in  Missouri.  Coal 
found. 

Thursday,  July  14,  18G4 — 109°.    I  was  out  after  berries. 

Friday,  July  15,  1864 — I  was  busy  writing.  Slight  shower.  Mr. 
Whitney  and  I  visited  the  coal  mines  and  prospected.  An  order 
made,  putting  Lieut.  Randolph  on  duty  at  this  post,  Fort  Rice. 

Saturday,  July  IG,  18G4 — Very  warm.  Spent  the  forenoon  in  tent. 
I  made  out  requisitions  for  stationery  for  Lieut.  Randolph.  Doud 
of  Company  H  buried,  inflammation  of  the  bowels.  I  wrote  to 
Caroline  and  sent  cactus. 

Sunday,  July  17,  18G4 — I  wTOte  orders  for  the  turning  over  of 
surplus  baggage,  etc.  I  got  some  tonic  at  the  Doctor's.  Lieut. 
Randolph  receiving  stores  at  the  log  warehouse.  Review.  Wiscon- 
sin Boys'  arms  paralyzed  at  a  *'shoulder  arms"  more  than  an  hour, 
couldn't  "right  shoulder  shift"  when  ordered  to  do  so. 

Monday,  July  18,  18G5 — I  feel  better  than  I  have  before  for  a 
long  time.  Light  shower  in  forenoon.  I  visited  Wisconsin  camp. 
Surprising  progress  of  building.     Engine  being  got  in  place. 

Tuesday,  July  19,  18('>4— Left  Fort  Rice,  D.  T.,  en  route  for  Ida- 
ho. Arrived  at  Camp  Xo.  25  on  Cannon  Ball  River,  19  miles.  We 
found  berries,  petrified  wood.  I  washed  my  pony's  sore  back. 
Traveled  all  day  through  the  Missouri  River  bluflPs.  \>ry  strange, 
broken  countrv.    \>rv  warm. 

Wednesday,  July  20,  1S(U— We  came  19  miles  to  Camp  Xo.  26. 
Rained  some'.  Same  curious  country  as  on  yesterday's  travel.  Coal 
and  iron  ore  in  profusion. 


STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY  141 

Thursday,  July  21,  18G4 — Came  19  miles  to  camp  No.  27  on  the 
Cannon  Ball  river 

Friday,  July  22,  1864 — We  came  14  miles  to  camp  No.  28.  I  was 
busv  with  order  No.  12  at  Cannon  Ball  river.  Desso  burned 
tampers  in  pony's  mouth.  Two  scouts  came  in  with  news  of  Indians, 
(Heart  River),  1800  lodges. 

Saturday,  July  23,  18G4 — We  came  23  miles,  turning  north.  Col. 
Thomas  and  five  of  us  (Company  D)  onlered  back  to  guard  train. 
Camp  No.  29  on  Cannon  Ball  river. 

Sunday,  July  24,  1864 — We  reached  Heart  river. 

Monday,  July  25,  1864 — Laid  over  today ;  found  specimens  of 
leaves  imprinted  in  the  rocks.    Busy  writing  orders. 

Tuesday,  July  26,  1864 — Saddled  half  past  three  and  started  half 
past  one  for  Knife  river.    Scouts  encountered  4o  Sioux. 

Wednesday,  July  27,  1864 — Camped  before  night  on  Knife  river. 

Thursday,  July  28,  1864 — The  name  of  the  battle  ground,  **The 
place- where  they  shoot  the  deer'*  (Tah-kah-o-ku-ty).  Saddled  our 
ponies  at  twelve  and  started  at  day  break,  marching  until  three  p.  m. 
Encountered  and  fought  2,000  Sioux  at  Falling  Spring,  four  hours, 
killing  150.  Hot  day.  We  suffered  much  for  water.  Drove  the 
Indians  nicely  until  dark ;  7  wounded,  2  killed.  Hackett's  battalion 
did  the  best.  I  was  completely  tired  out.  Drove  the  Sioux  five 
miles. 

Friday,  July  29,  1864 — Remained  skirmishing.  Saddled  at  2 
a.  m.  Found  much  dried  buffalo  meat  and  four  ponies,  and  other 
valuable  property,  which  was  mostly  destroyed.  Started  back  at  4 
p.  m.  Stampede  in  the  evening.  Two  pickets  killed.  My  pony  lost ; 
I  found  it  again. 

Saturday,  July  30,  1864 — Saddled  at  12  a.  m.  and  started  at  day 
break,  after  drawing  rations.    Three  horses  gave  out  and  were  shot. 

Sunday,  July  31,  1864 — Started  at  day  break.  Reached  Heart 
river  just  before  night,  during  a  heavy  shower.  Made  our  beds 
on  the  ground.  Went  to  bed  in  the  rain.  We  found  plenty  of  black 
cherries. 

^Monday,  August  1,  18(54 — At  work  all  day  on  consolidated  report 
of  the  regiment.  Everything  seemed  to  go  wrong.  I  had  my  pony 
stampeded  by  mules.    Camp  No.  36. 

Tuesday,  Aug.  2,  1864 — Was  busy  all  day  making  out  regimental 
monthly  returns.     Sick  at  night.     I  found  pony.    Camp  No.  36. 

Wednesday,  August  3,  1864 — I  rode  until  nine,  then  gave  out 
and  had  to  ride  in  wagon.  Feel  very  weak  and  bad.  Dr.  gave  four 
doses  of  quinine  to  me.  Came  20  miles.  Stopped  on  Heart  river. 
V^ery  warm.    Plenty  of  wild  cherries.    Camp  No.  37. 

Thursday,  August  4,  1864 — Arrived  at  Knife  river,  20-mile 
march.  I  rode  in  company  wagon.  Felt  very  weak,  took  quinine. 
Whitney  gave  me  some  wild  tomatoes,  cooked.  I  rode  until  ten  on 
horse.    Cloudy  and  cool.    Camp  No.  38. 


142  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 

Friday,  August  5,  1861 — Arrived  at  Tah-ka-o-ky-ty.  2G  miles 
inarch.  Found  but  little  water.  I  rode  in  ambulance,  took  charcoal, 
etc.    Camp  No.  39. 

Saturday,  August  6,  1864 — I  rode  in  ambulance.  We  marched  12 
miles  through  the  Tak-ka-o-ku-ty,  and  reached  Little  Missouri 
river.  Very  strange,  romantic  country.  Bluffs  and  ravines.  One 
of  Company  H,  8th  regiment,  fell  off  a  bluff  and  hurt  himself 
very  much.  Another  had  his  arm  broken  by  a  stampede  of  horses 
caused  by  a  rolling  stone.    Evening  fight. 

Sunday,  August  7,  1864 — Fghting  and  traveling  all  day.  Arm- 
strong shot  a  Sioux. 

Monday,  August  8,  1864 — Saddled  at  12.  Fighting  and  travfJingr 
all  day.  Fight  in  the  evening.  Company  H  and  2nd  Cavalry- 
charged.    Very  short  march. 

Tuesday,  August  9,  1864 — Saddled  at  12  a.  m.  No  coffee  for 
breakfast.  Fight  this  morning.  We  followed  Indian  trail  to  their 
camp.  Saw  a  dead  pappoose.  Indians  separated,  one  band  going* 
north  and  the  other  west.    Poor  grazing  and  bad  water. 

Wednesday,  August  10,  1864 — ^We  reached  Beaver  river,  Camp 
No.  44.  We  were  on  the  advance  guard.  I  picketed  horse.  Ser- 
geant major  and  I  made  out  the  consolidated  report  of  the  regiment 
by  candlelight.    No  Indians  seen  today.    Alkaline  water. 

Thursday,  August  11,  1864 — Alarm  of  Indians.  We  crossed  two 
deep  ravines  and  marched  32  miles,  getting  into  camp  at  10  o'clock 
in  the  evening,  tired  almost  to  death.  Got  a  little  piece  of  bacon  and 
hard  bread,  and  went  to  bed.  I  did  not  ride  with  the  company. 
Plenty  of  cherries.  Miserable  grazing.  Alkaline  water  strongly 
mixed  with  sulphate  of  magnesia. 

Friday,  August  12,  1864 — We  started  late  with  weak  animals. 
Finally,  after  coming  ten  miles,  walking  most  of  the  way,  we  reached 
the  Yellowstone  river.  Found  two  steamers  awaiting  us.  I  finished 
post  returns.  Miserable  grazing.  Alkaline  water.  Plenty  of  game. 
Elk,  antelope  and  deer. 

Saturday,  August  13,  1864 — We  laid  in  camp  all  day.  Were 
aroused  at  half  past  eleven  in  the  evening,  saddled  and  went  down 
on  the  bottom  of  river  flat,  and  after  waiting  till  morning  dropped 
asleep  holding  our  horses.  Game  in  abundance.  Elk,  antelope  and 
deer.    Grass  middling  good. 

Sunday,  August  14,  1864 — Crossed  the  Yellowstone  river  on 
ponies.  Dangerous  crossing.  Six  men  drowned,  35  mules — 30  of 
the  first  brigade.  We  camped  on  the  river  bottom.  Plenty  of  game. 
Tolerable  grazing. 

Monday,  August  15,  1864 — Broke  camp  early  in  the  morning. 
Came  12  miles  and  encamped.  Rather  poor  grass.  Plenty  _of  game. 
First  brigade  passed  us  toward  night.  Camp  No.  48.  20  men  and 
20  teams  sent  back  to  assist  steamers  over  bar.  Rockets  s^en  from 
Fort  Union  by  camp  No.  49. 


1 

\ 

I 


STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY  143 

Tuesday,  August  16,  18G4— ^Came  five  miles  to  Camp  No.  49. 
Good  grass.  Sully  and  First  brigade  left  for  Fort  Union,  ten  miles. 
Idano  emigrant  train  came  in  about  noon. 

Wednesday,  August  17,  1864 — Grazing  all  day.  Writing  paper 
and  envelopes  5.  I  partly  wrote  a  letter  to  father  sending  him 
some  cactus  seeds  for  my  brothers  and  sisters.  I  wrote  to  father 
and  the  Lake  City  Times. 

Thursday,  August  18,  1864 — Left  camp  at  2  a.  m.,  and  marching 
to  Missouri  river,  we  stood  around  until  after  nine ;  then  half  of 
the  company  went  on  fatigue  duty  on  the  boats  until  three  p.  m. 
Then,  procuring  a  boat,  we  rowed  our  company's  stuff  across  into 
Dakota  territory.  Jones  swam  my  pony  and  I  did  his  work.  Short 
graze.     I  got  some  cherries. 

Friday,  August  19,  1864 — Sent  the  two  above  letters,  16.  Grazed 
ponies  all  day.  Went  to  the  fort  (Union).  Examined  robes.  Dried 
buffalo  meat  10,  pap'er  10.  Hayes  and  I  cooked  and  ate  berries 
with  tack  and  dried  meat,  in  the  woods.  Hayes  and  I  got  some  cher- 
ries. 

Saturday,  August  20,  1864 — Hayes  took  my  pony  to  grass.  I 
made  out  consolidated  report,  then  Haradon  and  I  went  down  to 
where  our  ponies  were  grazing  on  the  Missouri ;  he  making  buffalo 
skin  pants  and  I  eating  berries.  We  lost  our  dinner  by  staying  there. 
Cooks  said  there  would  not  be  any  on  account  of  dust  and  wind. 
Drew  sugar.    Dusty  camp. 

Sunday,  August  21,  1864 — J.  C,  myself  and  Hayes  went  grazing 
three  miles.  Expedition  went  off  and  left  us.  A  horse  mired  and 
left.  We  got  him  out.  Started  for  camp  7  miles  distant.  Visited 
the  old  fort.  Grazed  our  horses.  Hominy  and  pancakes  for  supper. 
Sermon  on  "Patience,"  Romans  5:3 — "Count  it  all  joy  that  ye  fall 
into  divers  temptations."    Dusty  camp. 

Monday,  August  22, 1864 — Qoudy  morning.  Warmer  than  usual. 
Marched  18  miles.  Bad  watering  place.  Plenty  of  grazing  on 
Missouri  flats.    The  chaplain  and  I  rode  together  a  good  way. 

Tuesday,  August  23,  1864 — We  got  up  early  and  went  out  graz- 
ing. We  went  four  miles  and  camped  on  Muddy  river.  Grazing, 
washed  shirt  and  socks,  gathered  soda.  Hayes  and  I  tent.  I  refused 
to  help  put  it  up  because  he  would  set  it  out  of  line. 

Wednesday,  August  24,  1864 — Traveled  26  miles  and  encamped 
on  the  Missouri  bottom.  A  long,  dry  march.  Plenty  of  buffalo  seen 
and  seven  killed.  Very  cold.  I  borrowed  an  overcoat  and  could  not 
find  the  owner. 

Thursday,  August  25,  1864 — We  marched  21  miles  and  reached 
White  Earth  river.  Alone  in  the  river  and  seemed  snagged.  Starr, 
Gill  and  Desso  arrested  on  the  march  for  being  out  of  place.  Very 
dusty.  I  saw  petrified  stump  3  feet  in  diameter.  I  found  the  owner 
of  the  overcoat. 


STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY  145 

Friday,  Sept.  9,  1864 — We  moved  about  8  miles  to  camp  near  Fort 
Rice,  D.  T.,  on  the  Long  Lake  river.  I  wrote  in  headquarters.  Had 
a  walk  and  talk  with  Brother  Rawalt.  Received  letters  from  father, 
Beulah,  Carrie,  Joe  and  Lett,  Helen,  Moses,  and  Bell,  and  Bolton's 
picture. 

Saturday,  Sept.  10,  1804 — We  moved  out  into  the  country  three 
miles. 

Sunday,  Sept.  11,  1864 — Busy  writing  muster  rolls  for  Lieut. 
Kinney  all  day,  after  coming  from  the  fort.  Paid  50  for  a  pie. 
Saleratus  10.  200  8th  Minnesota  volunteers,  100  Brackett's  Battal- 
ion, 100  2nd  Minnesota  cavalry,  200  6th  Iowa,  left  for  Capt.  Fisk's 
rescue. 

Monday,  Sept.  12,  1864 — Busy  writing  muster  rolls  for  Lieut. 
Kinney.  Inspection  of  horses  and  clothes.  I  washed  two  shirts. 
Thomas  Kinney  and  I  went  after  water  to  a  spring. 

Tuesday,  Sept.  13,  1864 — I  wrote  in  headquarters. 

Wednesday,  Sept.  14,  1864 — I  was  busy  writing  in  headquarters, 
Major  Shreve  was  busy  paying  off  the  8th  Regiment.  Paid  me 
$38  for  salary  and  $7.65  for  undrawn  clothing.  Fuss  about  pay 
rolls.    Pears  1.25. 

Thursday,  Sept.  15,  1864—1  lent  Rigby  $2.  (Paid).  Very  fine, 
bright  morning.  Lieut.  Kinney  paid  me  $5,  making  $45.65  being 
amount  due  up  to  Sept.  1  from  government.  Minnesota  brigade 
started  for  District  of  Minnesota,  per  order  of  Gen.  Sully.  We  fol- 
lowed Long  Lake  river  8  mile^.  Slater,  Company  F,  Stiles,  Com- 
pany K,  died  on  the  road,  one  falling  from  his  horse.  Hair  cutting 
10. 

Friday,  Sept.  16,  1864 — Traveled  until  noon,  14  miles,  following 
Long  Lake  Creek  and  encamping  on  its  banks.  A  mail  came;  re- 
ceived a  letter  from  H.  B.  Grant,  West  Medway,  Mass.,  enclosing  a 
letter  for  Jacob  J.  Jackson,  begging  me  to  befriend  him,  5. 

Saturday,  Sept.  17,  1864 — Came  23  miles  to  2  lakes  (Long 
Lake  ?)  ;  intolerable  brackish  water ;  the  worst  of  the  season.  Short 
pancakes  on  account  of  alkaline  water  mixed  with,  horses  would  not 
drink  it.    We  got  no  coffee  for  supper. 

Sunday,  Sept.  18,  1864-^Came  21  miles  to  a  lake,  very  saline  and 
bad.  Found  a  spring  of  good  water  in  a  ravine  where  ponies  drank 
ready  to  burst. 

Monday,  Sept.  19,  1864 — Marched  26  miles  and  camped  by  an  al- 
kaline lake.  Found  good  spring  up  the  ravine.  I  rode  Jos.  E. 
Faverow's  horse. 

Tuesday,  Sept.  20,  1864 — Made  the  short  march  of  8  miles.  Good 
water  and  fine  grazing.  Made  out  a  consolidated  report  of  8th 
Minnesota  Volunteers.  Sergeant  major  absent  on  hunt.  I  rode 
Faverow's  horse.  Maj,  Murphvi  of  Medical  staff,  gored  by  a  buffa- 
lo bull. 

Historical—  10 


i 
I 


146  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 

Wednesday,  Sept.  21,  1864 — Took  an  early  start  and  reached  a 
river,  presumed  to  be  the  James.  Marched  17  miles.  Reached  camp 
about  noon.  I  found  a  pen;  sold  it  to  Webster,  25c,  (Copper  pen 
in  case). 

Thursday,  Sept.  22,  18G4 — Left  James  river.  Marched  about  ir» 
miles,  encamping  on  same  stream  at  night. 

Friday,  Sept.  23,  1864 — Came  31  miles  to  an  alkaline  lake,  en- 
camping after  dark.  I  slept  with  Selover  and  Starr.  Rigby  and 
Crow's  halter. 

Saturday,  Sept.  24,  1864 — Marched  26  miles  across  a  flat  plain, 
which  at  first  seemed  only  five  miles  wide  (mirage).  Camped  near 
the  head  of  the  Coteau.  (jood  water.  A  horse  tried  to  get  up  a 
bank  and  turned  tumble  set  back  into  the  water. 

Sunday,  Sept.  25,  1864 — Hayes,  Crow  and  myself  went  after 
plums  and  found  only  a  few.  Did  not  march  today.  Sent  up  rock- 
ets in  the  evening.  Sermon,  ** Beware,  lest  ye  fall  into  like  temp- 
tation."   I  made  a  pair  of  mittens  of  socks,  and  took  a  general  wash. 

Monday,  Sept.  26,  1864 — Marched  20  miles  nearly  south  and 
reached  Fort  Wadsworth,  D.  T.,  afternoon.  I  bought  five  apple 
pies  for  $1.  Gave  one  to  Rigby,  sold  one  to  Everett,  one  to  Knapp, 
one  to  Shaeflfer;  I  lent  25c  to  Workman.  Knapp  paid  for  his  pie. 
Rode  Davis*  horse. 

Tuesday,  Sept.  27,  1864— Laid  over.  Went  after  "Return"  to 
fort ;  paid  30  for  rations ;  wrote  to  H.  B.  Grant.  I  lost  and  found 
pony.    Cold  and  blustery. 

Wednesday,  Sept.  28,  1864 — I  wrote  to  father.    Very  cold. 

Thursday,  Sept.  29,  1864 — Came  24  miles  and  encamped  on  very 
nice,  large  lake.    Plenty  of  wood  and  grass. 

Friday,  Sept.  30,  1864 — Traveled  14  miles,  encamping  on  Whet- 
stone River.  Some  rainy ;  cold  and  unpleasant.  Reuben*s  chase 
after  an  oak  tree,  failure.  We  came  down  the  Coteau  on  to  the 
Minnesota  River  Valley.    Enough  wood  and  plenty  of  grass. 

Saturday,  October  1,  18()4 — Traveled  23  miles,  encamping  on 
Whetstone  river  where  blue  grass  was  nearly  as  high  as  one's  head. 
I  lost  my  picket  pin.  I  worked  on  post  return.  Warmer  than  usual. 
Camp  81.    W^ood,  grass  and  water.    Company  G  rest.    Guard  over. 

Sunday,  October  2,  1864 — Came  18  miles  to  river  called  Yellow 
Earth. 

Monday,  October  3.  1864 — Came  27  miles  to  Camp  No.  84,  on 
Lac  qui  Parle  river.  I  let  pony  and  Mollie  go  all  night.  We  met 
Capt.  Brackett's  train  enroute  for  Fort  Wadsworth,  200  teams. 

Tuesday,  Oct.  4,  1864 — Marched  four  miles,  encampi;ig  on  the 
Minnesota  river.  I  finished  up  post  return  for  Sept.,  one  copy. 
Foggy  morning.    Hard  time  finding  pony. 

Wednesday,  Oct.  5,  1864 — We  came  to  Yellow  Medicine  river  and 
encamped  on  it. 

Thursday,  Oct.  6,  1864 — We  marched  18  miles,  encamping  on 
Red  Wood  river. 


STATE  histori';al  society  147 

Friday,  Oct.  7,  1864 — We  marched  14  miles  and  encamped  in 
Birch  Coulee,  on  the  stream  and  at  the  mouth  of  the  coulee. 

Saturday,  Oct.  8,  1864 — Marched  13  miles  to  Fort  Ridgeley  and 
were  greeted  with  11  salutes;  grazed  our  horses  on  the  flats.  Ever- 
ett lost  his  purse.  He  wants  me  not  to  strike  pony  any  more.  Box 
blacking,  15. 

Sunday,  Oct.  9,  1864 — We  laid  over.  I  made  out  a  regiment  re- 
turn for  August.    Peaches  50.    Half  pound  butter  25. 

Monday,  Oct.  10,  1861 — Marched  27  miles  and  reached  Swan 
I^ke  late  in  the  evening,  very  tired.  Traded  5  1-2  pounds  of  coffee 
for  three  bushels  of  potatoes. 

Tuesday,  Oct.  11,  1864 — Left  Swan  Lake,  went  to  St.  Peter,  15 
miles.  I  made  out  consolidated  report  and  wrote  to  father.  Three 
stamps  on  them.  I  bought  pie  20.  W^e  received  oats  for  ponies. 
Col.  Thomas  offered  me  a  job  of  writing  for  him  (ordnance  return). 

Wednesday,  October  12,  1864 — Camp  92.  Marched  17  miles. 
Paid  25  for  bread  and  10  for  one-half  pie.  Col.  Thomas  and  wife 
here,  and  his  father.  We  passed  through  Henderson  and  came  four 
miles  bevond. 

Thursday,  Oct.  13.  1864 — ^We  came  23  miles  to  a  place  half  way 
between  Carver  and  Chaska.    Trouble  with  ponies. 

Friday,  Oct.  14,  1864 — Came  21  miles  to  Nine  Mile  creek,  en- 
camped for  the  night. 

Saturday,  October  15,  1864 — Came  into  camp  at  Fort  Snelling 
and  wrote  out  the  circular  of  Col.  Thomas  on  dismissing  the  second 
brigade.  Paid  30  for  bread  and  butter.  Received  $17  from  Jones, 
and  sent  it  to  Mrs.  Haradon. 

Sunday,  Oct.  16,  1864 — Frosty  morning.  I  turned  over  my  haver- 
sack and  horse  and  equipments  for  horse  minus  pair*  of  spurs.  Wrote 
in  office.    2  pies  40.    Paid  cook  20.    Stampede  among  the  boys. 

Monday,  October  17,  1864 — A  long,  lonesome  day  and  a  deserted 
camp.  I  was  at  fort  twice.  Apples  25.  I  sent  Sally  Bolton's  pic- 
ture and  a  present  of  $1  to  Caroline.    Paid  11  for  four  stamps. 

Tuesdav,  Oct.  18,  1864 — I  made  a  vest.  Paid  60  for  buttons. 
Paid  George  Everett  55,  making  us  square.  Drew  a  blanket.  We 
are  to  receive  furlough.  Ordnance  stores  inspected  by  Capt.  Atch- 
ison and  turned  over  to  Capt.  Smith. 

Wednesday,  Oct.  19,  1864 — Drew  one  haversack  and  two  pair  of 
socks.  Sold  a  blanket,  4.50.  Paid  30  for  pie.  I  made  out  return 
for  August.     Boys  almost  all  blacked  their  beards. 

Thursday,  Oct.  20,  1864 — We  made  out  consolidated  report  for 
the  regiment.  I  wrote  to  Saxton  and  the  chaplain  at  Ripky,  the 
latter  to  send  my  books  in  his  charge  to  Lake  City.  17  of  (us) 
went  to  Mendota  to  a  dance,  expense,  $1.95. 

Friday,  Oct.  21,  1864—1  sent  $2  to  A.  B.  Curry.  We  arrived  at 
Camp  Xo.  3  in  the  morning. 


148  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 


Saturday,  Oct.  22,  18G-1 — We  arrived  in  St.  Paul.  Found  no 
steamer  there-  to  take  us  home.  Lodging,  supper  and  breakfast, 
75.    Tomatoes  10,  butter  20. 

Sunday,  Oct.  23,  1864— Samuel  Welch  and  I  took  dinner  at  the 
Minnesota  house,  50.  Cakes  20.  Went  on  board  the  G,  //.  Gray 
just  before  night  and  went  12  miles.  Stuck  on  a  bar  till  morning. 
General  Sherman  (boat  pilot  drafted),  transfer  gf  Company  G  to 
G.  H,  Gray, 

Monday,  Oct.  24,  18G3 — Found  some  one  enjoying  my  bed.  Sup- 
per 25.  Saw  F.  Sterrett  at  Red  Wing.  We  arrived  at  Lake  City 
in  the  evening.  I  lent  John  Soule  $2.  A  few  days  since  I  lent  Jo- 
seph Collins  $5,  Harry  Rigby  $10.  I  went  to  City  Hotel  for  supper. 
Spent  the  night  with  John  Hawn. 

Tuesday,  Oct.  25,  18G4 — John  Hawn  lent  me  his  pony  and  I  went 
over  to  see  my  sheep.  I  have  55  now.  I  have  made  arrangements  to 
let  Mr.  William  McLeod,  of  Wabasha  county,  Minn.,  have  them 
from  this  time  forward  at  $3  per  head  per  annum,  or  at  that  ratio. 
He  is  to  care  for  them  as  his  own. 

Wednesday,  Oct.  26,  18()4 — I  gave  seeds  to  Mrs.  Junkins,  Sterrett 
and  McBride.  I  lent  George  Everett  $5.  Apples  10.  I  gave  Mrs. 
Junkins  $5  for  present,  keeping  my  clothes.  Saw  Will  Beatty. 
Visited  Hawn's  school  and  Rev.  Spear's.  Lake  City  gave  us  a  splen- 
did supper  and  $21,  how  kind.    Shampoo  20. 

Thursday,  Oct.  27,  18(M— Paid  my  bill,  1.25.  We  found  the 
steamer  Damsel  ready  for  us  when  we  awoke,  25  of  us  being  ready, 
embarked.  Paid  $1  for  breakfast  and  dinner.  Col.'s  horse  fell  off 
the  boat  and  hurt  himself.    We  arrived  at  La  Crosse. 

Friday,  Oct.  28,  1864 — Thompson  and  I  went  up  town.  Eatables 
85.  I  wrote  to  Hannah,  sent  printed  copy  of  letters  from  Expedi- 
tion. 8th  regiment  arrived  at  La  Crosse.  We  all  embarked  on  cars 
for  Chicago.    Astronomy  of  the  Bible,  $1.50 ;  paper  5 ;  stamps  30. 

Saturday,  Oct.  29,  18G4 — We  were  cheered  through  many  towns 
on  our  way  to  Chicago,  and  arrived  there  at  midnight.  We  were 
marched  to  the  Soldiers*  Rest  and  lied  to  about  supper. 

Sunday,  Oct.  30,' 1804 — Got  breakfast  and  dinner  at  Soldiers' 
Rest.  I  missed  mine.  Orderly  and  I  made  out  muster  rolls  at  hotel. 
Bought  two  pies  50.  We  got  on  board  cars  for  Louisville,  Ky. 
Filthy  car;  boys  revolt,  but  finally  come  to  terms,  and  we  started. 
I  slept  on  floor.  I  received  letter  from  A.  F.  Gumsey,  he  has  124 
pounds  of  my  wool. 

Monday,  Oct.  31,  1804 — Two  trains  of  cars  for  us.  We  remained 
on  cars  all  day.  Cheered  all  along  the  road  by  flags,  &c. 
A  man  at  Gosport  drunk,  speech  for  Lincoln,  etc.  The 
countenances  of  the  people  speak  volumes,  some  for  en- 
forcement of  laws  and  maintenance  of  union ;  some  pity  the  poor 
soldiers  and  wish  the  cruel  war  was  over.  Bought  one  pound  of 
butter  at  Bloomington  for  35c. 


Col,   M,    T.    riicmias.  I'lli   Minn.   Inf. 

Capi.   M.   I     Biittcrfiflil  Lauren   Orm^hy 

mpany  A,  Hth  Minni-«>ta  Infantry  Chanlain  8th  Minn.-^.ila  Infant 

Linit.  Col.  H,  C.  RoRers 

8th  Minn.   Inf, 


STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY  149 


Tuesday,  November  1,  1864 — We  arrived  at  New  Albany,  Ind., 
ferried  across  the  Ohio  river  to  Kentucky.  Apples  15,  gloves  75, 
pie  10,  biscuit  5.  We  encamped  at  Louisville,  Ky.,  getting  break- 
fast at  Portland.  Found  115  Colored  and  13th  Kentucky  regiments 
here.  Made  out  staff  muster  roll,  etc.  Hordes  of  women,  huck- 
sters, etc. 

Wednesday,  Nov.  2,  1864 — Rainy,  finished  staff  roll.  Ginger- 
bread 20.  We  broke  camp  at  3  p.  m.,  started  for  Nashville,  Tenn., 
at  dark.    Hordes  of  women,  hucksters,  etc.    Lead  pencil  10. 

Thursday,  Nov.  3,  1864 — Traveled  all  day  through  Kentucky, 
and  into  Tennessee.  Very  poor,  red  clay  country  all  along  the  way. 
Thousands  of  acres  of  corn,  little  wheat.  Abundance  of  cattle, 
mules  and  sheep.  Rained  all  day.  Passed  the  11th  Regiment  and 
reached  Nashville,  Tenn.  Slept  back  of  blacksmith  shop,  in  it,  and 
in  cars.    Saw  locomotive  which  guerillas  had  broken. 

Friday,  Nov.  4,  1864 — Pies  25.  Rainy.  Got  our  breakfast  beside 
the  track,  and  jumping  aboard  the  cars  rode  across  the  Columbia 
river  to  .Nashville,  Tenn.,  and  got  on  the  cars  for  Murfreesboro, 
and  did  not  start  till  3  p.  m. — expecting  to  start  every  minute,  all 
day.  Three  pies  30.  Reached  Murfreesboro  late  at  night.  Lay 
on  ground  till  morning.  Finest  state  capitol  in  America  at  Nash- 
ville citv,  Tenn. 

Saturday,  Nov.  5,  1864 — Ground  covered  with  frost.  The  sun- 
shine seen  for  almost  the  first  time  in  the  week.  "Nigger  shindig" 
in  evening. 

Sunday,  Nov.  6,  1864 — I  made  out  blanks  for  "present  for  duty" 
in  regiment.  I  made  out  post  return  for  October.  Very  pretty, 
sunshiny  day.  40  men  of  Companies  C  and  K  sent  after  guerillas 
at  night.     I  received  letter  from  father. 

Monday,  Nov.  7,  1864 — Rainy.  I  made  out  the  "present  for 
duty"  in  the  regiment.  Sergeant  Major  gave  me  some  fine  raisins. 
I  wrote  to  Lettitia  West. 

Tuesday.  Nov.  8,  1864 — Rainy.  I  finished  regiment  returns  for 
October.    Pie  10,  washing  15.    Desso  and  Hayes  quarrel.    Pie  5. 

Wednesday,  Nov.  9,  1864 — Quit  raining  and  commenced  blowing. 
Ten  of  our  boys  gone  with  a  forage  train.  Got  250  bushels  of 
wheat. 

Thursday,  Nov.  10,  1864 — Washing  15,  cake  10,  blacking  10. 
I  went  over  to  Murfreesboro  with  letter  and  report  to  headquarters. 
I  found  an  ax.  Clear  all  day.  Wet  and  cold  in  the  morning.  I 
wrote  to  Mary  Ellen. 

Friday,  Nov.  11,  1864 — Fine,  bright  morning,  pretty  cool.  I 
copied  special  order  77  and  general  order  17,  in  order  book.  Fixed 
up  the  book  with  red  ink.  Sixty  men  gone  with  two  forage  trains. 
I  received  letter  from  father. 

Saturday,  Nov.  12,  1864 — Drew  a  pair  of  shoes.  Lieut.  Mc- 
Gregor insulted  a  soldier's  wife.    Pie  20.    Apples  10.    I  sent  a  let- 


150  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIKTY 

ter  to  father  enclosing  one  piece  of  petrified  stump  for  himself  and 
one  for  me.  I  visited  cave.  Thompson  slept  with  me.  Parsons  and 
Rigby  on  outpost  duty. 

Sunday,  Nov.  13,  1864 — Sermon  by  Armsby.  "Do  Thyself  No 
Harm."  Lane  and  I  went  to  church  in  town  in  the  evening.  Special 
order  78  made,  making  promotions  and  reductions.  Cutler  made 
quartermaster  sergeant. 

Monday,  November  14,  1864 — I  made  out  weekly  and  daily  re- 
port, wrote  to  Howard  Bell,  paid  20  for  a  pie.  I  finished  reading 
Astronomy  of  the  Bible.  Two  guerillas  brought  in  by  Thompson 
and  Walters. 

Tuesday,  November  15,  1864 — Capt.  Atkinson  came.  Two  qts. 
corn  meal  10.  Soda  10.  Stamps  44.  I  made  some  corn  cakes 
for  supper  and  it  made  me  sick. 

Wednesday,  November  16,  1864 — Lieut.  Tollington  and  myself 
commenced  the  ColoneFs  ordnance  returns  for  second  quarter  of  1804. 
We  worked  on  them  all  day  and  finished  them.  Fisk  rescuers  came 
and  such  a  greeting  one  seldom  sees.  I  mailed  a  letter  to  Capt. 
Smith  on  private  business.  Rainy.  Haradon  slept  with  me.  Rigby 
and  Parsons  on  guard. 

Thursday,  Nov.  17,  1864 — I  finished  ordnance  returns  for  the 
third  quarter  and  had  them  mailed.  I  gave  J.  J.  Jackson  of  Com- 
panv  H  letter  which  I  had  been  saving  for  him.  I  wrote  to  Mc- 
Bride  and  Dr.  Rice.    Inspection. 

Friday,  Nov.  18,  1864 — Sweet  potatoes  10.  Newspaper  10. 
Nuts  5.    I  was  down  town.    Rainv. 

Saturday,  Nov.  19,  1864 — Lieut.  Randolph  and  I  visited  the  cem- 
etery. I  took  inspection  report  down  to  A.  A.  G.  Otis ;  was  treated 
to  chestnuts  by  Adjutant,  Lieut.  Randolph  and  J.  Armstrong. 

Sunday,  Nov.  20,  1864 — Rainy.  I  went  to  church  in  town  in  the 
evening.  Sermon  on  manliness.  Lieut.  Randolph  and  I  talked  over 
the  colored  infantry  question. 

Monday,  Nov.  21.  1864 — Very  cold  and  snowy.  Rigby  and  I 
went  over  to  Christian  Commission.  Wrote  letters  to  Lambert 
Paxson  and  Elias  Lowness.  I  spoke  to  adjutant  and  he  promised  to 
write  a-bout  the  colored  infantry. 

Tuesday,  Nov.  22,  1864 — Adjutant  spoke  to  me  about  getting  the 
recommendation  of  Col.,  Lieut.  Col.,  etc.,  for  me,  a  position  in  the 
Colored  Afrique.  Promised  to  send  it  oflF  by  tonight's  mail.  Very 
cold.  I  received  letter  from  Pat.  John  J.  Robertson's  letter,  Lieut. 
Col.  J.  R.  Putnam,  42nd  Colored  Infantry,  Chattanooga. 

Wednesday,  Nov.  23,  1864 — Copied  a  letter  from  the  Adjutant 
in  reference  to  my  aflfairs  and  sent  it  oflF.  Very  cold.  Inspection  of 
property.    I  received  letter  from  Pat. 

Thursday,  Nov.  24,  1864 — We  moved  at  8  into  Fortress  Rosen- 
crans,  and  put  up  our  tents.  I  went  to  Union  meeting  in  town  in 
the  afternoon.  Wrote  to  Pat  and  Aunt  Sarah  Wilkinson.  Ser- 
geant Major  John  Hartley  fixing  his  recommend  ready  to  send  oflF, 


STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY  151 

Friday,  Nov.  25,  1864 — Robertson's  letter  found  on  desk  unscnt. 
I  wrote  to  Moses. 

Saturday,  Nov.  26,  1864 — I  wrote  to  Rev.  Spear.  We  fixed 
**Book  Description."  I  copied  Capt.  Samuel  McLarty's  charges  and 
specifications.    Sergeant  Carr  returned. 

Sunday,  November  27,  1864 — Rainy  morning.  Sermon:  "If 
a  man  strike  thee  on  the  right  cheek,  turn  the  other  also.'*  Thanks- 
giving sermon  interrupted  to  bury  a  Lieut.  Col.  Received  a  letter 
from  Bob  Conard. 

Monday,  November  28,  1864 — I  wrote  to  Mrs.  J.  O.  Junkins. 
Our  company  stayed  in  town  all  night.  Mails,  communications, 
stopped. 

Tuesday,  November  29,  1864 — Heard  cannon  faintly.  I  went  to 
town  and  got  a  book.  Geology,  out  of  the  U.  S.  Christian  library. 

Wednesday,  November  30,  1864 — I  finished  Col.'s  reports  and 
about  half  done  on  regiment  return  for  November,  1864.  We  heard 
firing  (cannon)  distinctly;  saw  great  volumes  of  smoke  arising 
from  conflict. 

Thursday,  December  1,  1864 — I  was  sick.  Scofield  lost  600  men, 
took  18,000  prisoners,  killed  5,000  at  Franklin,  20  miles  away.  We 
heard  firing  plainly.    I  took  charcoal  but  did  not  feel  able  to  sit  up. 

Friday,  Dec.  2,  1864 — W^as  sick  all  day  and  did  not  eat  or  feel 
able  to  stir  around.  Fnally  went  to  the  hospital  and  got  some 
"Russia  Mustard.** 

Saturday,  Dec.  3,  1864 — ^W^ent  to  the  hospital,  commenced  taking 
tonic ;  at  night  felt  much  better. 

Sunday,  Dec.  4,  1864 — I  made  out  two  more  monthly  regiment 
returns.  Three  regiments  out  (8th  amongst  them)  in  battle  of 
^'Overall's  Creek.*'  Sharp  encounter,  came  in  at  12.  Distance  5 
miles.  Loud  cannonading  heard  all  day.  I  was  at  prayer  meeting 
in  the  evening. 

Monda\,  Dec.  5,  1864 — We  heard  cannonading  in  the  morning. 
I  ruled  out  blank  morning  reports.  Our  boys  slept  on  their  arms 
at  |>ost. 

Tuesday.  Dec.  6,  1864 — Boys  in  the  trenches  all  day.  Rebs  all 
around.  Much  firing.  I  wrote  a  letter  to  Bob.  In  the  evening  the 
Rehs  tried  to  enter  the  town.    I  made  four  envelopes. 

Wednesday.  Dec.  7,  1864— Eighth  Minnesota.  171  and  181  Ohio, 
61st  Illinois  Infantry,  12th  Ohio  and  13th  New  York  Batteries 
made  a  reconnaissance.  Sharp  battle  on  the  Wilkinson  Pike.  I^ss 
in  the  8th  Minnesota  Volunteers:  11  killed,  74  wounded.  Corpo- 
ral Veeder,  Co.  G,  among  those  killed.  Crowshaw,  Crow,  Way, 
Reeves,  Davis,  Warring,  etc..  wounded;  1,700  of  our  forces  en- 
gaged; 4,500  of  the  enemy,  Bates*  Infantry  and  Forest's  Cavalry, 
21  killed,  167  wounded  on  our  side. 

Thursday,  Dec.  8,  1864 — Very  cold  and  chilly.  Busy  makin<^  out 
a  list  of  casualities  for  McBride.     Train  went  out  to  forage. 


152  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 


Friday,  Dec.  9,  1864 — Sleet  and  rain  all  day.  Maj.  Camp  went 
with  the  regiment  after  timber  and  were  driven  back;  13  dead 
buried. 

Saturday,  Dec.  10,  1864 — Made  out  consolidated  report  and 
morning  report  of  the  regiment.  Hospital  tent  taken  away  and 
new  log  house  put  up  for  hospital  purposes.    I  read  Geologf>'. 

Sunday,  Dec.  11,  1864 — Cold  and  blustery.  Rigby  popped  some 
corn,  which  we  ate  with  sugar.    Mush  for  dinner.    I  read  Geology. 

Monday,  Dec.  12,  1864 — ^Very  cold  and  blustery.  Made  out  morn- 
ing and  weekly  reports  of  regiment.    Crow  returned  from  hospital. 

Tuesday,  Dec.  13,  1864 — Very  muddy  day.  South  wind,  and 
snow  disappearing.  I  did  my  washing.  Cars  went  out  after  wood, 
were  fired  into,  put  two  bullets  through  the  water  tank.  One  reg- 
iment, 29th  Michigan,  on  board  cars,  repulsed  the  enemy  and  pushed 
train  in.  Eighth  and  others  went  out  to  assist —  **There  come  those 
damned  Indian  killers." 

Wednesday,  Dec.  14,  1864 — Very  muddy,  lowery  day.  Eighth 
regiment  Minnesota  and  115th  are  formed  into  first  brigade.  Col. 
Thomas,  8th  Minnesota,  commander.  Corn  bread  for  breakfast. 
Gen.  Milroy  out  after  Rebs  all  day.  Lieut.  Col.  Holman  (Rebel) 
killed,  formerly  with  6th  U.  S.  Infantry.  Desso  and  Powers  quit 
cooking ;  Faverow  had  some  words  with  them. 

Thursday,  Dec.  15,  1864 — Hear  firing  again  this  forenoon.  Gen. 
Milroy  out  after  the  Rebs.  Our  regiment  out  also  on  foraging  ex- 
pedition. Rebs  captured  a  railroad  foraging  train,  which  was  again 
recaptured  by  Gen.  Milroy,  a  part  having  been  burned.  Messenger 
arrived  from  Nashville.  Heavy  cannonading  heard  all  day  in  direc- 
tion of  Franklin.    Thomas  engaging  Hood. 

Friday,  Dec.  16,  1864 — Warm  and  cloudy.  Heard  firing  rapidly 
during  the  entire  day.  Flag  of  truce  came  in  to  exchange  prisoners. 
Mush  without  salt. 

Saturday,  Dec.  17,  1864 — Lowery  day.  I  made  out  brigade  report 
blanks.  Prisoners  to  be  exchanged.  Messenger  arrived  from  Gen. 
Thomas,  Hood  routed,  50  pieces  taken,  4,000  arms,  and  our  forces 
still  pursuing.    Mush  for  breakfast  without  salt. 

Sunday,  Dec.  18,  186-1 — I  wrote  out  a  communication  to  Lake 
City  Times. 

Monday,  Dec.  19,  1864 — A  miserable,  rainy  day.  I  read  part  of 
the  biography  of  Major  General  Sherman.    Mail  sent  to  Nashville. 

Tuesday,  Dec.  20,  1864 — Mud  dried  up.  Some  of  command  of 
Stedman  arrived  here  from  Nashville.  He  had  charge  of  left  during 
fight  at  Nashville.  Lieut.  Chapman,  Private  Muddv,  and  Downing 
came  along.  Commenced  raining  toward  night.  Two  rail  engines 
came  in  from  Chattanooga,  loaded  with  refugees.  I  beat  quarter- 
master at  four  successive  games  of  chess.  We  received  the  new; 
of  tie  capture  of  Breckenridge  and  his  forces.    Diary  60. 


STATE   HISTORICAL   SOCIETY  153 


Wednesday,  Dec.  21,  1864 — Cold  and  snowing.  Received  letter 
from  Ellen,  i^ttitia.  Bob,  Pat,  Beulah.  A  paper  trom  Moses.  Ap- 
plication for  Captain  and  O.  S.  for  myself,  approved  by  Capt.  Smitli, 
I-ieut.  Col.  Averill,  Governor  Miller. 

Thursday,  Dec.  22,  1864 — We  received  orders  to  march  at  noon. 
Fell  in  and  marched  to  depot  and  returned  agam  late  in  the  evening. 
Cold  and  snowy.  Slept  in  Captain's  tent.  1  visited  Lieut.  Col. 
Rogers.  I  sold  on  credit  to  J.  C.  Haradon  for  $1.50  Mitchell's  As- 
tronomy of  the  Bible. 

Friday,  December  23,  1864-^We  were  around  all  day  awaiting 
orders  to  march,  which  were  received  just  before  night.  I  was  over 
to  town  twice.  I  fixed  my  boots.  Rigby  paid  me  $2 ;  owes  me  $8 
more.  Slept  in  Captain's  tent.  I  was  called  Capt.  by  some  dozen 
or  more,  a  mistake,  slightly. 

Saturday,  Dec.  24,  1864 — Reveille  at  4 :30.  Six  regiments  assem- 
bled on  Salem  Pike,  Col.  Thomas  commanding.  Marched  out  to 
Salem  Pike  12  miles,  encamped  in  the  cedars  beside  pike  and  a  field 
of  ungarnered  corn.  Rigby's  pile  of  meal.  I  put  my  knapsack  on 
headquarters'  team.    Headquarters  in  an  old  schoolhouse. 

Sunday,  Dec.  25,  1864 — ^We  marched  16  miles,  encamping  among 
the  rocks.  Great  foraging  of  horses  and  everything.  Chums 
brought  in  a  goose  and  molasses.  I  got  my  dinner  given  me  at  a 
farm  house  and  came  oflf  and  left  my  gloves.  Chaplain  and  I  went 
ahead.    Smith  threw  away  his  knapsack.    Met  a  negress. 

Monday,  Dec.  26,  1864 — I  had  a  real  tramp  to  find  headquarters' 
team  and  back.  Encampevi  near  the  Franklin  Pike  on  Flat  Creek. 
Chums  brought  in  some  molasses. 

Tuesday,  Dec.  27,  1864 — We  crossed  Flat  creek  over  a  poor 
bridge,  eating  our  dinners  in  woods  on  another  creek.  T  tried  to 
buy  something  at  houses,  but  failed.  Our  regiment  in  rear.  Com- 
pany G  in  rear  guard. 

Wednesday,  Dec.  28,  1864 — We  left  Spring  Hill  on  pike  in  direc- 
tion of  Columbia,  and  reached  that  place  in  evening.  We  encamp- 
ed in  the  woods  in  a  verv  nice  place. 

Thursday,  Dec.  29,  1861 — I  went  to  town,  telegraphed  to  J.  R. 
Putnam,  Chattanooga,  Tenn.,  42nd  U.  S.,  Company  I.  Our  regi- 
ment brigaded. 

Friday.  Dec.  30,  1864 — Cold,  snow  on  the  ground.  Not  much 
doing.    We  partially  moved. 

Saturday.  Dec.  31,  1864 — I  was  at  work  on  the  regimental  post 
returns.    Very  cold.    I  wrote  to  Joe  and  Lett.,  Buckingham,  Pa. 

Jan.  1,  1865 — Very  cold.  We  finished  regiment  monthly  returns, 
and  consolidated  morning  report.    A  fine  fire  in  front  of  tent. 

Jan.  2,  1865 — We  worked  on  returns.  Warm  and  nice.  I  ground 
some  corn  and  made  cakes.    Troops  leaving. 


154  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 

Jan.  3,  18<55 — We  passed  ex-President  Polks'  residence  and  Gen. 
Pillow's  residence  on  our  way  out  Decatur  pike.  Telegram  from 
Lieut.  Col.  A.  R.  Putnam,  42  U.  S.  Cavalr>%  Chattanooga.  First 
Division  broke  camp,  passing  through  Mt.  Pleasant,  encamping 
near  bv. 

Jan.  4,  1865 — A  fine  morning.  We  marched  up  Cumberland 
mountain,  through  the  woods ;  soft  and  spongy  ground.  The  teams 
did  not  come  up  all  night.    Chaplain  found  a  bucket. 

Jan.  5,  18G5 — We  laid  in  camp  until  half  past  two  in  the  after- 
noon. '  Teams  arrived  at  about  eleven  a.  m.  Marched  out  14  miles, 
passing  Laurel  Hill  after  dark,  getting  in  at  half  past  9:00.  Bad 
marching.  Mud  and  rain.  Fixed  tent  under  a  tree.  We  drew  ra- 
tions for  three  days. 

Jan.  6,  1865 — Rainy  morning.  We  traveled  all  day,  passing  an 
iron  furnace,  and  encamping  in  a  snow  storm  with  2nd  and  IM 
divisions.  I  was  chilled  through.  I  cooked  beans.  Rails  gobbled 
everywhere.  Major's  repulse  of  a  man  trying  to  pass  through  the 
lines  with  a  rail. 

Jan.  7,  1865 — I  drew  beef  and  salt,  cooked  the  latter  in  a  kettle. 
Company  F  came  in. 

Jan.  8,  1865 — We  laid  in  camp.  We  drew  rations  for  three  days. 
Sermon  by  Chaplain:  *Thou  Shalt  Not  Steal."  (Chaplain  J. 
Armsby).    In  the  afternoon  I  made  army  register  for  1864. 

Jan.  9,  1865 — We  left  Waynesboro,  marching  to  Clifford.  Saluted 
by  two  flags  and  one  handkerchief.  Rainy  and  muddy  march.  En- 
camped amid  rain  and  mud.    Haradon  on  picket  duty. 

Jan.  10,  1865 — Rainy  morning.  Our  company  on  forage  duty. 
Did  not  go  on  account  of  rain. 

Jan.  11,  1865 — Clear  weather.  I  worked  on  quarterly  return  of 
deceased  soldiers  all  day. 

Jan.  12,  1865 — I  finished  quarterly  return  of  deceased  soldiers  and 
sent  it  off.    Bought  flour.    I  worked  on  army  register. 

Jan.  13,  1865 — I  wrote  out  blanks  for  tri-monthly  returns.  I 
borrowed  a  pan ;  I  made  a  dodger  of  the  ear  of  corn  issued  to  us, 
then  made  gravy  and  had  a  good  dinner. 

Jan.  14,  1865 — Very  busy  with  army  register  for  1864,  and  annu- 
al report  of  casualties  for  1864. 

Jan.  15,  1865 — We  made  out  a  list  of  absentees  in  the  army  of 
the  Ohio.    Very  busy  with  returns  all  day. 

Jan.  16,  1865 — Sergeant  major  and  myself  busy  all  day  fixing  up 
ordnance   returns. 

Jan.  17,  1865 — We  arose  at  two  o'clock  a.  m.,  and  marched  out 
to  Clifton,  awaiting  the  transports.  Several  came  down.  Went 
into  camp  at  sunset.  Closes  Whitney  and  I  visited  Tennessee  river 
and  went  aboard  Stephen  Deeatur. 

Jan.  18,  186r — I  mended  clothes  and  commenced  a  letter  to  father. 
Transports  came  and  we  got  aboard  Morning  Star.    Left  the  wharf 


STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY  155 


at  10:00  p.  m.  One  gunboat  and  seven  steamers.  Trouble  about 
sleep.  Cold.  White,  Seeley  and  I  slept  together  on  lower  deck 
outside. 

Jan.  19,  1865 — Cold  morning.  We  were  gliding  swiftly  down 
Tennessee  river.  Coffee  made  on  stove.  Steamers  en  route: 
Stephen  Decatur,  J,  G.  Blackford,  Miami,  Morning  Star,  Caroline, 
Norntan,  Tarascon,  Mars,  Majestic,  Alice,  Cottage,  Crescent  City, 
Countess,  Sam  Orr,  were  seen  at  Paducah  wharf.  Sick  allowed  to 
sleep  in  cabin. 

Jan.  20,  18G5 — ^When  we  awoke  we  were  steaming  rapidly  up  the 
Ohio  river.  A  race  between  our  boat  and  the  Tarascon,  in  which 
we  were  defeated.  One-half  barrel  of  oil  used.  Lively  firing  up 
of  the  engine.    Lieut.  McKusick  lent  me  a  newspaper. 

Jan.  21,  1865 — Traded  pork  for  a  pie.  Rainy.  Found  ourselves 
at  Portland  at  5 :00  a.  m.  Marched  to  Louisville  and  got  on  steam- 
er Major  Anderson,  and  started  up  Ohio  river.  Received  1st  sani- 
tary stores,  cabbage  and  potatoes. 

Jan.  22,  1865 — Race  with  steamer  Dumont,  we  winning.  Cloudy. 
Laid  over  last  night.    We  arrived  at  Cincinnati  and  lay  till  morning. 

Jan.  23,  1865 — I  slipped  past  guard  and  bought  six  loaves  of 
bread  for  50c.  Very  cold.  We  got  up  steam  at  night  and  started 
up  the  river,  but  returned  again  and  laid  over  until  morning. 

Jan.  25.  1865 — We  got  ashore.  Somebody  stole  my  bottle  of 
vinegar.  We  got  aboard  the  cars  and  left  for  Columbus.  Xo  fire. 
We  slept  nicely.     Cold. 

Jan.  26,  1865 — We  arrived  at  Columbus.  We  were  treated  to 
coflfee  by  Post  Military.  Haradon  and  I  visited  the  Capitol.  We 
left  at  night.  Tight  crowding  on  cars.  We  rode  out  twenty-six 
miles  when  both  the  trains  ran  off  the  tr^ck  at  Greenville. 

Jan.  27,  1865 — Car  hanging  to  bridge;  three  horses  in  it.  We 
at  school  house.  Contributions  of  food  by  citizens.  We  left  at 
daylight. 

Jan.  28,  1865 — We  found  ourselves  in  Zanesville.  Traveled  all 
day  and  all  night.    Biscuit  distributed,  scramble  for  it. 

Jan.  29,  1865 — We  found  ourselves  at  Bellaire  on  the  Ohio  river. 
Drew  rations.    Crossed  over  river.    Found  coffee  awaiting  us. 

Jan.  30,  1865 — Crossing  mountains.  Coffee  for  us  at  Grafton. 
Drew  rations. 

Jan.  31,  1865 — Major  Camp  arrested  patriotism  of  Elliotts  and 
Mills.    We  arrived  at  Soldiers'  Home  in  Washington,  D.  C. 

Feb.  1,  1865— At  Soldiers*  Home,  Washington,  D.  C.  We  moved 
over  to  camp  on  Stony  Run.  We  drew  A  tents  and  commenced 
work  on  returns.     Heavy  luggage  of  two  knapsacks. 

Feb.  2,  1865 — I  worked  all  day  on  regiment  returns.    Very  cold. 

Feb.  4,  1865 — Lieut.  Randolph,  J.  C.  Haradon  and  I  visited  the 
city  of  Washington.  Visited  the  capitol,  Smithsonian  institute, 
patent  office  and  navy  yard.     Resignations  of  Lieut.  Randolph  and 


154 


STATE    HIST' 


Jan.  3,  18fi5— We  passed  e 
Pillow's  residence  on  our  w; 
Lieut.  Col.  A.  R.  Putnam, 
Division   broke  camp,  pas^: 
near  by, 

Jan.   4,   1865— A   fine  i 
moimtain,  through  the  wo 
did  not  come  up  all  night 
Jan.  .-i,  18G5— We  tai 
noon.  •  Teams  arrived  : 
passing  Laurel  Hill  a 
marching.     Mud  and 
tions  for  three  davs 
Jan.  6,  1865— Ra 
iron  furnace,  and 
divisions.     I  was  ■  ,": 

everywhere.     Ma'  "  fe- 

lines with  a  rail  ■'"''^ 

Jan,  7,  1865_  ,  v  ■"- 

Companv  F  ca-  , .  '■  '  -- 

Jan.  8^  1SC5  "'w    '   '  ■ 

Sermon    by   f  y.,-..---'^'-,  - 

Armsby).     J- 

Jan.  9. 18f  ..   ■-■■   ',.-  ■- 

by  two  flag'  ■    ■    " 

camped  am  ■■'    ,,- 

Jan.   10,  „'. 


Did 


notg 


.Fan.  ij 

deceased 

Jan.] 

sent  it  c 

Jan. 
borroiv 
then  n 
Jan. 
a!  rep, 
Jan 
thcC 
Ja- 


„^  /tace  confer- 
.^:/(^tiy^  force,  and 

■■■■■'  '"'Liirf  of  dead  for  A.  G. 

lj.ri  cold.     I  worked  on 

:^_T.^t  were  paid  off  up  to 
,<*"  ^%j:'"    I  worked  on  arniv  reg- 

■''        J.'  tTtnirnf- 

,_,.  ■-  -'-';",  ^^a'li  on  the  treasurer's  ac- 
'  "'■  Jj.-.  ■"  -i  ■.,  i"::i,  for  safe  keeping. 
■^   xr^'  "..■.^*    r  worked  on  report  for 

'  ■  -■     . , ...;■  report.    Col.  Thomas  made 

■  :-.*«.  visited  White  House,  nat- 

,\  -''^'^  sailers  arrived.     I  turned  over 

.  ■^.,]]  10  Geisboro,  got  on  aboard  the 
■-"■^;ij_  stayed  on  the  pavement  until 

"'    "iVf . started  early  down  Potomac  river, 
*  .  ytiTf  n'S*"'  Passed  Fortress  Monroe 

^Jini:  ourselves  away  out  of  sight  of 
'*'^ii  runn'^S'  We  saw  whales  out  be- 
.  ,;„^jni.   Tried  to  wash  with  soap  in  Gulf 


. j^ves  a'  Fort  Fisher,  North  Carolina. 

,,^^  ■■'^"i.,''i  piloi-  -^"  officer  on  board  the  Eliza 
^^..  r--*^.""^r  .jieamer,  saying  the  work  there  was 
^  i '^'f  xifiiiort.  N-  C.,  to  report  to  General  Pal- 
,  -  -s  ^  r*^  jfcingside.    We  sent  up  a  rocket  and  an- 

-^     nxiniinff  a"*'  ^  "'"X  '^^y-    We  finally  rode 
^^^ijing  fort  and  anchoring  in  bay.    We  lay 

.  -r  moniing-    We  lay  still  til!  afternoon. 
'     mij  on  board  cars  at  daylight  and  rode  to 
iW-i  K"  camp. 
V  out  muster  rolls  and  other  reports.    Moved 


STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY  157 

28,  18^5 — Made  out  eflfective  force  and  ordnance  reports, 
umthly  returns. 

rch  2,  1865 — I  finished  monthly  returns, 
arch  3,  1865 — ^We  broke  camp  and  marched  out  to  Bachellor*s 
ck,  about  ten  miles.    The  hardest  day's  march  we  have  had  as 

regiment.    I  found  an  overcoat  and  left  mine  on  the  road.    A  large 
mount  of  clothing  left  on  the  road. 

March  4,  1865 — Broke  camp  at  Bachellor*s  Creek  and  marched  to 
Core  Creek.  Not  so  hard  a  march  as  yesterday.  We  passed 
through  a  cypress  swamp,  arrived  at  Core  Creek.  Mail  came  on 
cars. 

Sunday,  March  5,  1865 — Sermon  by  Armsby,  Mat.  8:14.  Capt. 
Butterfield  requested  him  to  repeat  his  sermon  on  the  Nobility  of 
the  Soldier's  Vocation.  A  vote  taken  on  the  subject;  decided  in 
the  affirmative,  and  a  promise  given  of  a  repetition  Bridge  50 
ft.  long  built  in  one  night. 

Monday,  March  6,  1865 — Dress  parade.    Two  rebels  come  in. 

Tuesday,  March  7,  1865 — Broke  camp,  drew  one  day's  rations. 
Marched  9  miles  up  the  railroad  to  Dover.  Received  ordnance  from 
company  commanders.    Found  strong  breastworks  here. 

Wednesday,  March  8,  1865 — Made  out  consolidated  report.  Two 
regiments  taken  prisoners  and  two  guns,  132nd  New  York  and  13th 
Connecticut. 

Thursday,  March  9,  1865 — Sent  over  consolidated  report.  Mail 
came  and  brought  paper.  Shouting  heard  and  terrific  firing  all 
night.    Demoniac  charging  and  manly  repulse. 

Friday,  March  10,  186*5 — Rainy.  Ten  loads  of  ammunition  ar- 
rived.   Two  Carolina  regiments  taken  prisoners. 

Saturday,  March  11,  1865 — We  broke  camp  and  marched  to  cross 
roads,  four  miles. 

Sunday,  March  12,  1865 — Chaplain  preached  again  his  sermon 
on  the  Nobility  of  the  Soldier's  Vocation.  We  turned  over  ord- 
nance. Major  General  Cox  serenaded  by  a  brass  band.  Singing  in 
the  evening. 

Monday,  March  13,  1865 — A  well  dug  in  front  of  our  quarters. 

Tuesday,  March  14,  1865 — We  broke  camp  at  7:00  a.  m.  and 
mached  to  a  point  opposite  Kingston,  N.  C.  A  few  troops  occu- 
pied the  town. 

Wednesday,  March  15,  1865 — Broke  camp  and  marched  to  King- 
ton, crossing  on  pontoons.  Heavy  earthworks.  A  violent  rain 
storm,  a  wet  time,  late  camp.  Gobbling  of  rails.  Cannon  and  ord- 
nance stores.    Bomb  proof.    Rebel  deserters  coming  in. 

Thursday,  March  16,  1865 — Major  made  provost  marshal  of  the 
town.  We  moved  into  town  and  went  to  camp.  Haradon  had  his 
gun  stolen.    Rebels  coming  in  lively. 

Friday,  March  17,  1865 — I  visited  Masonic  hall,  St.  John's  Lodge 
No.  96,  Kingston,  N.  C. 


158  STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 

Saturday,  March  18,  1865—1  filled  blanks  for  consolidated  re- 
port. Report  that  Sherman^s  column  to  be  in  Goldsboro  today.  I 
bought  $10  worth  of  Confederate  scrip  for  25c. 

Sunday,  March  19,  1865 — Sergeant  major  and  I  fixed  ordnance 
papers,  making  out  sum  turned  over  up  to  this  date.  Our  regiment 
relieved  from  provost  duty  in  Kingston.     A  good  prayer  meeting. 

Monday,  March  20,  1865 — We  broke  camp  and  marched  16 
miles,  a  hard  march,  encamping  on  the  Neuse  river,  about  half  way 
to  Goldsboro.  A  very  pleasant  supper  of  bacon  and  hard  bread 
and  coffee.  Hundreds  gave  out  by  the  way.  A  man  by  the  road 
dead  drunk. 

Tuesday,  March  21,  1865 — Burning  cotton.  We  marched  through 
Goldsboro.  The  people  seemed  glad  to  see  us  (some  of  them). 
Entrenchments  thrown  up  until  12:00  at  night.  Rainy  time.  Got 
baggage  at  12:00  at  night. 

Wednesday,  March  22,  1865 — I  wrote  to  Bob  and  Martha  ami 
sent  some  of  the  singed  cotton,  a  ''commission,"  and  $10  in  Con- 
federate money. 

Thursday.  March  23,  1865 — General  Sherman's  troops  arrived. 
A  grand  inspection. 

Friday,  March  24,  1865 — I  went  to  prayer  meeting  in  the  evening. 
Joseph  Collins  commenced  tenting  with  us. 

Saturday,  March  25,  1865 — We  came  15  miles  from  Goldsboro 
to  Moseley's  Hall.  Railroad  cars  arrived  at  Goldsboro  early  this 
morning. 

Sunday,  March  26,  1865 — ^We  broke  camp  at  Moseley*s  Hall  and 
marched  six  miles  to  Wheat  Swamp  Crossroads.     Encamped  and 
commenced  building  breastworks.     Chaplain  preached  in  a  meeting 
house:    "Ye  are  not  your  own,"  text.     I  made  out  reports.    Com- 
pany G  on  picket  duty.    Collins  and  I  encamped  near  headquarters. 

Monday,  March  27,  1865 — At  work  on  breastworks.  Rogers's 
visit.  A  falling  tree;  narrow  escape.  I  made  out  blanks.  Scores 
of  negroes  passing.— "Bless  the  Lord  we  are  free."  Scant  rations, 
finally  came  codfish. 

Tuesday,  March  28,  1865 — James  Collins  and  I  fixed  tent  on  logs. 
Our  folks  worked  on  works.  Ate  my  codfish  and  drew  some  vine- 
gar. 

Thursday,  March  30,  1865 — I  worked  on  regiment  and  tri-month- 
ly  returns.  I  feel  nervous  on  account  of  not  drawing  any  coffee 
for  several  days.  Company  I  guarding  mill.  Rainy.  We  are  living 
on  corn  meal.    Haradon  and  Joe  out  foraging. 

Friday,  March  31,  186r — Windy,  bright  morning.  Our  regiment 
marched  to  Hookerstown,  N.  C.  H.  A.  Hubbard,  Company  L, 
12th  New  York  cavalry,  with  30  men,  charging  90  of  Whitford's 
cavalry,  captured  T.  G.  Sparrow,  2nd  Lieut,  of  K  of  N.  C.  Infantr>-, 
67th  Regiment,  and  T.  W.  Carr,  2nd  Lieut,  same  regiment.  Regi- 
ment encamped  three  miles  from  Hookerstown.  I  remained  in  camp 
and  worked  on  returns. 


^ 


STATE    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY       •  159 


Saturday,  April  1st,  1865 — Regiment  returned  via.  Snow  Hill, 
3  :00  p,  m.  I  made  monthly  returns  for  state ;  also  quarterly  return 
of  deceased  soldiers. 

Sunday,  April  2,  1865 — Made  out  report  of  effective  force. 
Worked  hard  on  ordnance  papers  all  day. 

Monday,  April  3,  1865 — Worked  on  ordnance  papers.  Made  out 
quarterly  return  of  deceased  soldiers  for  this  regiment,  and  sent  to 
the  state. 

Tuesday,  April  4,  1865 — Twenty-fifth  regiment  of  Massachusetts 
arrived  as  part  of  the  brigade. 

Wednesday,  April  5,  1865 — We  made  out  a  list  of  absentees. 
I  wrote  to  father  and  sent  indigo  seeds  and  two  gun  caps  received 
from  Rebel  Scout  O^Conner. 

Thursday,  April  6,  1865 — Four  men  carrying  logs  for  not  being 
out  to  roll  call.  News  received  of  the  fall  of  Richmond  and  Peters- 
burg, with  25,000  men.    A  good  sermon  by  Chaplain  Mitchell. 

Friday,  April  7,  1865 — News  received  of  the  fall  of  Richmond 
and  the  capture  of  25,000  prisoners. 

Saturday,  April  8,  1865 — We  made  out  report.  Great  patriotic 
meeting  in  evening. 

Sunday,  April  9,  1865— We  left  Wheat  Swamp  6  :00  a.  m.  Ar- 
rived at  Goldsboro,  Tenn.,  by  forced  march. 

Monday,  April  10,  1865 — I  was  appointed  sergeant  major.  Took 
my  position.  We  laid  in  camp  until  noon,  then  marched  westward 
ten  miles.    We  passed  many  decaying  carcasses.    Rainy  and  variable. 

Tuesday,  April  11,  1865 — We  broke  camp  about  daylight  and 
marched  very  slowly.  Got  into  camp  after  dark.  Fine,  big  white 
house  burned,  and  others  less  fine  also  burned.  An  Indiana  boy 
hung  by  Major  Black ;  the  man  living  in  this  white  house  accessory 
to  the  -same.    The  girl  made  to  play  on  piano  until  nearly  scorched. 

Wednesday,  April  12,  1865 — Received  the  glorious  news  of  the 
capture  of  Lee  and  his  Virginia  army.^  Celebration  and  jubilee, 
big  bonfire.  River  30  yards  wide.  Enormous  volumes  of  smoke. 
Marched  beyond  Smithfield,  passing  Nense  river  late.  Strin<^ent 
order  about  firing. 

Thursday,  April  13,  1865 — We  had  a  long  march.  I  was  tired 
completely  out. 


lAs  we  were  hurrying  along,  suddenly  the  bugle  sounded  "Halt!"  We  halted,  and  laid 
down  to  rest  our  tired  bodies.  After  a  while,  looking  down  the  line.  I  noticed  great  disorder, 
caps  flying  high  in  the  air.  etc.  1  saw  also  a  man  on  horseback  with  something  white  in  his 
hand,  from  which  he  would  read,  then  moving  along  the  line  he  would  read  again.  At  last  he 
was  near  enough  for  me  to  hear  "General  Lee  and  all  his  army  surrendered."  I  am  never 
much  of  a  hand  to  shout,  but  I  shouted  then  as  I  had  never  shouted  before.  The  whole  regi- 
ment shouted,  stood  on  their  toes  and  rolled  out  the  Indian  war  whoop  as  I  had  never  heard 
them  do  before.  Then  the  soldiers  gathered  up  their  officers  and  carried  them  back  and 
forth.  There  was  leaping,  and  running,  and  laughing,  and  weeping,  and  I  think  there  was 
some  praying,  too.  In  the  midst  of  it  all.  someone  set  fire  to  a  warehouse  close  by,  containing 
turpentine,  tar  and  rosin.  The  flames  leaped  up  more  than  100  feet  high.  The  stuff,  all  on 
fire,  ran  into  a  stream  close  by.  and  floated  down  the  valley  all  ablaze,  burning  off  great  pine 
trees  it  encountered  on  the  way.  The  cruel  war  was  over  and  we  were  going  home.  We  had 
had  to  boil  the  water  before  it  was  fit  to  drink;  now  we  were  going  home  to  drink  water  from 
the  mountain  springs;  we  were  going  home  to  sleep  in  houses,  to  sit  on  chairs,  to  eat  off  tables 
—  best  of  all  we  were  going  home  to  be  with  the  loved  ones. 


160  STATE   HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 

Friday,  April  14,  1865 — We  broke  camp  and  marched  to  Raleigh. 
Governor,  state  officers,  etc.,  claimed  protection.  They  received 
it.  We  drew  rations.  President  Lincoln  assassinated  at  Ford's 
theater  at  11  p.  m.  (Sec  semper  tyrannis,  and  Virginia  is  revenged.) 

Saturday,  April  15,  1865 — We  broke  camp,  standing  around  in 
heavy  rain  until  afternoon,  finally  set  tents  up  again.  Reported  sur- 
render of  Johnston. 

Sunday,  April  16,  1865 — I  made  out  reports.  We  had  dress  pa- 
rade. The  first  time  1  was  ever  out  as  sergeant  major  of  the  regi- 
ment. 

Monday,  April  17,  1865 — Fine,  bright  day.  We  moved  camp. 
Major  invited  me  to  go  to  Masonic  meeting  with  him.  The  General 
would  not  allow  us  to  go. 

Tuesday,  April  18,  1865 — A  beautiful  day.  We  worked  on  the 
consolidated  blanks.  Heard  of  President's  assassination.  Mail  and 
cars  came. 

Wednesday,  April  19,  1865 — Finished  consolidated  report.  Prop- 
osition to  have  "Rebels  return  to  several  states,  disband,  raise  Amer- 
ican flag,  and  stop  all  guerillas,''  sent  to  Washington.  President 
Lincoln  buried. 

Thursday,  April  20,  1865 — We  had  brigade  and  division  review. 

Friday,  April  21,  1865 — We  had  corps  review  before  General 
Sherman,  in  Raleigh.    Warm. 

Sunday,  April  23,  1865 — I  made  out  reports.  Cool  and  pleasant. 
I  was  detailed  sergeant  major  on  brigde  guard  mount.  No  guard 
mount  on  account  of  tardmess  of  25th  Mass. 

Monday,  April  24,  1865 — I  borrowed  blank  of  178th  Ohio,  made 
out  report  of  vacancies.    Gen.  Grant  in  Raleigh,  North  Carolina. 

Tuesday,  April  25,  1865 — Received  orders  to  be  prepared  to 
march  6:00  a.  m.  tomorrow.  I  was  detailed  on  brigade  guard 
mount. 

Wednesday,  April  26,  1865 — Struck  tents  ready  to  march,  waited 
until  nearly  night,  then  went  into  camp. 

Thursday,  April  27,  1865 — Received  notice  of  discharge  of  Lieut, 
Harris,  Co.  D.  Received  notice  of  the  surrender  of  Johnston.  Gen- 
eral policing. 

Saturday,  April  29,  1865 — Furlough  papers  made  out  and  sent 
back.    Worked  on  staflF  rolls. 

Sunday,  April  30,  1865 — The  company  mustered.  Major  re- 
turned from  Newbum,  North  Carolina.  Furlough  papers  sent  off 
and  returned. 

^fonday,  ^L'lv  1,  186." — Finished  and  sent  off  muster  rolls,  regi- 
mental return.  Chaplain's  report. 

Tuesday,  May  2,  186.5 — I  sent  oflF  descriptive  list  of  deserters, 
and  recruiting  return,  ^fajor  Camo  discharged.  His  closing 
speech.  Order  to  move  tomorrow.  Furlough  papers  sent  back  and 
destroyed. 


STATK  OF  NORTH   DAKOTA  Ibl 


Wednesday,  May  3,  1865 — We  broke  camp,  stood  around  till 
ten,  then  marched  until  after  dark.  Footsore,  weary  and  tired. 
We  camped  in  the  timber.  We  marched  through  Chapel  Hill. 
Rainy  and  variable. 

Friday,  May  5,  I860 — We  crossed  Haw  river,  wading  the  stream 
below  the  mill. 

Saturday,  May  6,  1865 — ^We  camped  IV/z  miles  out  of  Greens- 
boro at  Buffalo  Creek.    Spring  beyond  the  creek. 

Sunday,  May  7,  1865 — We  arrived  at  Greensboro,  N.  C,  and  en- 
camped beyond  town  in  the  timber.  A  very  pretty  town.  Very 
warm.    Made  out  effective  report  and  general  report. 

Monday,  May  8,  1865 — Made  out  report  of  vacancies.  Received 
orders  to  go  by  rail  to  Charlotte  Town. 

Tuesday,  May  9,  1865 — I  made  out  tri-monthly  report.  We  drew 
3,000  rounds  of  cartridges  and  issued  them. 

Wednesday,  May  10,  1865 — We  drew  2,000  rounds  of  cartridges 
and  issued  them.    We  drew  rations. 

Thursday,  May  11,  1865 — We  broke  camp  at  3 :00  a.  m., 
marched  to  depot  and  waited  until  half  past  five  p.  m.,  then  started 
for  Charlotte,  in  hog  cars.  A  rainy,  dreary,  and  long,  cold  night. 
Paid  25  for  the  meanest  peach  pie  I  ever  ate.  A  funny  little  negro 
boy  desiring  hard  bread  thrown  at  him. 

Friday,  May  12,  1865 — We  arrived  at  Charlotte,  10  a.  m.,  and 
went  into  camp  in  woods.  Welcomed  by  the  people  along  the  way. 
Fine  country. 

Saturday,  May  13,  1865 — We  moved  camp  twice,  finally  found  a 
good  place.  A  building  burning  rapidly  down,  Capt.  McLarty  on 
double  quick  to  save  it.    We  drew  rations  for  three  days, 

Tuesday,  May  16,  1865 — I  went  over  to  25th  Mass.  for  some 
blank  warrants.    A  Union  lady  in  camp. 

Wednesday,  May  17,  1865 — Busy  all  day  in  office.  We  drew  five 
days*  rations.  Haradon  on  guard.  Regimental  returns  and  muster 
rolls  sent  off. 

Friday,  May  19,  1865 — Made  out  tri-monthly  returns.  I  com- 
menced boarding  and  sleeping  at  headquarters. 

Monday,  May  22,  1865 — I  was  on  brigade  guard  mount,  visited 
town  and  cemetery.  Epitaph:  **Major  General  Graham,  1826. 
One  of  thirty  to  attack  400  British  at  Mclntyre,  seven  miles  from 
Charlotte,  and  drove  them." 

Wednesday,  May  31st,  1865 — I  made  out  monthly  returns  of  reg- 
iment, received  news  of  Order  No.  91,  to  be  mustered  out  at 
Raleigh,  N.  C.  Capt.  Folsom  ordered  to  Raleigh  tomorrow  morn- 
ing. 

June  4,  1865 — Three  thousand  negroes  at  our.  afternoon  meeting. 
I  worked  on  annual  returns  and  effective  force. 

June  14,  1865 — A  man  of  Company  A,  174  Ohio  regiment,  was 
shot  by  ex-Captain  (Rebel)  Wolf  for  robbing  his  garden. 


162  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


Jun€  26,  1865 — Capt.  McLarty  lectured  officers  and  orderly 
about  discipline.  Goodheart  and  I  worked  on  report  of  dead  for 
the  state.    Review  of  First  Division. 

June  28,  1865 — I  received  a  commission  as  first  lieutenant  and 
adjutant  of  8th  Minnesota  Volunteers,  dated  June  16th,  to  date 
back  to  June  5th,  1865. 

June  29,  1865 — 178th  Ohio,  started  for  home. 

July  6,  1865 — Major  Folsom  arrived  with  papers  and  instructions 
to  muster  us  out 

July  10,  1865 — I  was  mustered  in  as  first  lieutenant  and  adju- 
tant to  date  from  June  28,  1865.  We  started  out  to  depot  en  route 
home,  but  had  to  turn  back.    No  cars  came. 

July  11,  1865 — We  marched  into  Charlotte,  playing  "Union  For- 
ever."   We  got  on  board  cars  and  reached  Danville  late  at  night. 

July  12,  1865— Left  Danville  at  daylight.  Arrived  at  City  Point 
at  dusk  of  the  evening,  and  got  on  board  steamer  for  Baltimore. 
Little  to  eat  all  day.    In  evening  we  steamed  down  James  river. 

July  13,  1865 — We  passed  Fortress  Monroe  about  daylight,  and 
all  day  long  we  steamed  up  Chesapeake  Bay,  arriving  at  Baltimore 
way  into  the  night.    Very  pleasant  trip. 

July  14,  1865— We  spent  the  day  at  Soldiers'  Rest.  We  left  Sol- 
diers' Rest  at  9  :00  p.  m.  and,  playing  "The  Girl  We  Left  Behind 
Us,"  got  on  board  at  11  and  started. 

July  15,  1865 — We  traveled  up  the  Juniata  River.  We  changed 
cars  at  Mifflin,  engine  gave  out,  got  another.    Passed  Lewiston,  Pa. 

July  16,  1865 — We  reached  Pittsburg,  and  was  treated  to  a  splen- 
did dinner.  Heaven  bless  the  people  of  Pittsburg  for  their  kind- 
ness and  patriotism.  Stood  around  in  the  rain  for  two  hours,  gave 
three  cheers  for  the  people,  then  sped  on  our  western  way  into 
Ohio. 

July  17,  18G5 — We  reached  Chicago  about  5:00  p.  m.  We  went 
to  the  Soldiers'  Rest  and  were  treated  to  a  splendid  supper,  and 
thv,n  a  feast  of  ice  cream,  the  latter,  as  we  were  instrumental  in  sav- 
ing the  city  last  fall.    Wc  put  up  at  the  Adams  House. 

July  18,  1865— We  paid  our  bill,  $2.00,  and  started  at  6 :00  o'clock 
to  the  Northwestern  depot.  Kind  reception  at  Columbus;  kind  re- 
ception at  Portage  City.  Eatables  handed  around.  We  arrived  at 
La  Crosse  and  got  aboard  Keokuk  about  daylight. 

July  19,  1865 — Steaming  up  Mississippi  river,  we  landed  at  Lake 
Citv  about  dusk. 

July  20,  1865— We  reached  St.  Paul  about  2 :00  p.  m.  Were  re- 
ceived with  cheering  and  cannonading,  and  marched  to  state  cap- 
itol.  Fared  sumptuously,  then  loaded  down  with  flowers,  and 
greeted  with  many  happy  smiles.  Regiment  went  up  to  the  fort. 
Several  companies  went  home  to  stay  until  August  5th. 


STATE  OF  NORTH   DAKOTA  163 

July  21,  1865—1  started  for  home.  Paid  25  to  St.  Paul,  Minn. 
Then  got  aboard  the  McClelland,  Capt.  Carpenter.  I  paid  $2.25  for 
fare  to  Lake  City.  Got  asleep  and  went  on  to  Reed's  Landing  at 
12 :00  p.  m.,  then  walked  back,  got  lost. 

July  22,  1865 — I  arrived  in  Lake  City  at  9 :00  a.  m.  I  went  home 
with  Will  Townsend.    Had  a  very  pleasant  time  in  the  evening. 


INDEX  TO  VOL.  II. 


PART  I  AND  II  ARE  INDICATED  BY  THE  ROMAN  NUMERALS. 

Abbott,  Caroline,  Boston,  married  on  Capt.  Fisk's  expedition,  II.,  46,  72; 
Frank,  I.,  233. 

Abell,  II.,  97;  expedition  to  Georgetown  from  Fort  Abercrombie,  II.,  28. 

Abeona,  Steamboat  on  Missouri  River,  I.,  335,  372,  375. 

Abercrombie,  Fort,  II.,  6,  7,  8,  9,  17,  18,  23,  26,  32,  34,  39,  70;  abandonment  of, 
34 ;  arrival  of  Lieut  Col.  Peteler  and  his  command  at,  24 ;  arrival  of  Capt 
Fisk  at,  1862,  40;  description  of  in  1861,  9;  description  of  in  1863,  29;  de- 
scription of  in  1864,  33;  establishment  of,  7;  letter  from,  10,  14,  17;  letter 
from  in  1862,  14;  letter  from,  in  1863,  26;  list  of  commanding  officers,  89: 
list  of  deaths  at,  91;  permanent  fortifications,  1862.  23;  picture  of,  in  1863, 
frontispiece;  picture  of,  in  1869,  opp.  23;  plan  of,  in  1859,  opp.  10;  plan 
of,  1862,  opp.  10;  relief  expedition  to,  17.  18,  19,20,21,  22;  report  of  Capt 
Freeman's  relief  expedition  to,  18;  Sioux  attack  on,  11,  13,  15,  16,  18; 
stockade  built  by  Lieut.  Col.  Peteler,  128. 

AbercronAie,  Lieut  Col  John  J.,  II,  7,  89. 

Acton,  I.,  164. 

Adams,  Ben,  I.,  348;  J.  Q.,  Chicago,  173;  Joseph.  II.,  101;  Lieut  Col.  Chas. 
Powell,  I.,  89;  at  Fort  Abercrombie,  33;  W.  P.,  II.,  177. 

Adner,  John  K.,  I.,  416. 

Agnes,  steamboat  on  Missouri  river,  I..  328,  335,  358,  359,  373. 

Aitken,  Wm.  A.,  trader,  I.,  473,  note  1. 

Akers,  Rev.  Peter,  I.,  472,  note  1. 

Alaska,  I.,  134. 

Albright  S.  J.,  I.,  142. 

Alcott  U-  S.  deputy  paymaster,  II.,  9. 

Alden,  Thos.  C,  2nd  Lieut  Northern  Rangers,  II.,  18,  95. 

Alexandria,  Minn.,  II.,  17,  30,  125,  126,  1^3. 

Alice,  steamboat.  II.,  155. 

Allen,  Rev.  T.  F,   Grand  Forks,  I.,   177;  W.  W.,   Moorhead,   172,   note  3. 

Alman,  John,  postmaster  at  Sweden,  N.  Dak.,  I.,  168. 

Alone,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  II.,  143. 

A.  Majors,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  287. 

Amanda,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  329,  340. 

Amaranth,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  335,  372,  374.  378. 

Amelia  Poe,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  328,  350,  352,  253;  wreck  of 
362,  36G,  372,  374,  378. 

America,  conditions  in,  as  described  by  a  Norwegian,  I.,  198-200. 

American  Fur  Co.,  I.,  123,  457,  473,  note  4;  at  Fort  Union,  II.,  61. 

Anderson,  Daniel,  I.,  249;  W.  J.,  165.  ,  , 

Andrew  Ackley,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  356,  364. 

Antelope,  hunting.  I.,  321 ;  method  of  hunting,  148. 

Antelope,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  335,  354,  355,  372,  378. 

Apple  River,  D.  T.,  II.,  144. 

Arctic  Expedition,  I.,  134. 

Argonaut,  No.  2,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  359. 

Arikara   Village,  description  of,  I.,  506;   illus.,  506. 

Armsby,  Chaplain  Lauren,  portrait  of,  opp.  I.,  148. 

Arnold,  Frank,  I.,  439,  note  1;  J.  P.,  343,  345,  3:>j,  350.  367,  370,  and  note  1. 

Ashley,  W.  W.,  L.  417. 

Askelon,  Ben.  C,  I.,  IGG.  , 


166  INDEX. 

i 

Assiniboia,  governor  of,  I.,  129. 

Assinihoine  Indians,  II.,   (Jl,  62:  met  on  Capt.   FisVs  expedition,  1862,   58. 

Assiniboine  river,  I.,  118,  119,  128,  129.  131,  132;  territory,  80,  90. 

Atchison,  George.  I.,  235;  John,  202.  , 

Atchison,  John  H.,  I.,  233;  first  postmaster  at  Atchison,  208;  sketch  of,  235. 

Ates,  Wm.  W.,  I.,  417. 

Athabasca  territory,  I.,  90. 

Atkins,  C  J.,  I.,  267,  268,  270,  273,  285,  290,  304,  313,  3U,  324,  330,  and  note  1. 

331,  333,  note  1,  340,  note  3,  343,  356,  359,  370,  note  1 ;  fight  with  Sioux,  278, 

note  1 ;  logs  of  Missouri  river  steamboat  trips,  262 ;  por.,  shot  at  by  Sioux, 

296,  and  note  1 ;  sketch  oi  263. 
Atkins,  John  Albro,  I.,  263. 
Atkinson,  Capt.  Geo.,  II.,  102,  122;  Ft.  Abercrombie,  30;  Ft.  Abercrorabie, 

absent  on  a  furlough,  109;  portrait  of.  opp.  116. 
Auge,  David,  II.,  101. 
Auger,  Anton,  I.,  246,  249. 
Auld..Gov.,  I.,  120,  121. 

Austin.  Andrew,  I.,  183;  II.,  20,  104;  cause  of  death,  27. 
Austin,  Lieut.  16th  Regt.,  I.,  132. 
Averill.  Lieut.  Col.  T.,  Libby  expedition,  II.,  32,  119. 
.\xdahl,  Samuel  J.,  I.,  246.  249. 
Axtell,  Frank,  I.,  202,  237,  247.  249. 
Aycr,  Frederich,  I..  473.  note  1. 
Ayers,  Frederick,  I..  486. 

Ayers,  Geo.,  1st  Sergt.  Citizens*  Company,  II.,  93. 
Rabcr,  Jesse  B.,  I.,  343;  Mrs.  Jesse  B.,  343. 
Bad  Gun,  letters  of  recommendation,  I.,  408,  470;  Mandan  Chief,  499;  sketch 

of,  465:  por.  of,  454 ;  U.  S.  officers  held  bv,  466,  467. 
Bailey,  Robert  B.,  L,  417. 
Baker.  William  A..  I.,  416. 
Bald  Fagle,  Mandan  chief,  I..  467. 
Baldwin,  D.,  I.,  417;  Henry,  II..  95. 
Baldwin,   Mr.   and   Mrs.   Geo.,   Sr.,  por.,  I,  234. 
Baldwin,  Rev.  Jas.  II.,  I.,  201),  247;  pioneer  experiences  of.  in  North  Dakota. 

242:  sketch  of,  241. 
Baldwin,  R.  G.,  I.,  416. 
Ball.  M.  R.,  I.,  189,  note  1. 

Banks,  Capt.  Rolla,  IT..  108;  portrait  of,  opp.  23;  sketch  of,  90. 
Banning,  Rich..  II.,  100. 

Bannock  Citv,  I..  230;  II.,  79,  83;  mining  camp  described,  I.,  244. 
Barber.  Fdward  B.,  II.,  98, 
Barnum,  Guy,  I.,  220. 
Barrett.   Capt.   Thco.   H..   Fort  Abercrombie.  II..  27,  30;  \V.   F..  member  cf 

tho  Fisk  expedition.   1S«>2,  75. 
Bartlett,   Philander,  I.,  182. 
Barton,  Albert  G.,  II.,  95. 
Bas  de  la  Riviere,  I.,  116.  124,  130.  132. 
Bateau,  John.  II..  1^);   Margaret,  100. 
Battinc.  Cha^..  Little  FalN.,  Minn.,  II.,  12. 
Baxter,  Judge  L.  L.,  L,  260. 
Bean,  John,  II..  93. 
Beatty.  Wm.,  II..  91  :  death  of  .110. 
Beaucliamp.   Peter,  interpreter,  IT.,  462. 
Beaufort,  X.  C,  II.,   156. 

Beaulieu,  1st  Lieut.  Cha'^.  IT.,  Fort  Abercrombie,  IT..  30. 
Beaupre.  Geo..  4th  Sergt.  Xorthern  Ranvzers,  II.,  95;  Philip,  L,  453,  458. 
Boaver  Woman,   wife  of  Tobacco.  L.  471. 
Becker,  2nd  Lieut.  Christian.  I'nrt  Abercrombie.  IT..  2>^. 
Boldru.  (leo.  H.,  As«;t.  U.  S.  survevnr  and  euuineer,  IT..  28. 
Belle  Pe<iria,  steamboat  on  the  Mi-^souri  river,  I..  2^2,  311,  321,  339. 


INDEX.  167 

Belt,  Martin,  guerilla  captain,  I.,  264. 

Bemis,  Henry  A.,  sketch  of  Mardell,  I.,  246;  por.,  I.,  241;   Myrtle,  History 

of  Riverside  township,  I.,  202. 
Ben  Johnson,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  329  ,333,  341,  357,  372,  378. 
Bennett,  G.  G.,  territorial  representative  at  Washington,  D.  C,  I.,  208;  Jas. 

corporal  Citizens'  company,  H.,  91,  93. 
Benschler,  F.  F.,  H.,  93. 

Bentley,  Louis.  H.,  98;  L.  R.,  1st  Sergt.  Citizens'  company,  15,  93,  96,  97. 
Benton,  Fort,  H.,  34,  36,  37,  79;  description  of,  OS;  reached  by  Capt.  Fisk, 

1862,  6S. 
Benton,  steamboat,  I.,  265,  315,  334,  341,  343,  344,  346,  348,  356,  372,  374,  375; 

log  of,  285. 
Bergen,  Norway,  labor  conditions,  I.,  190  191. 

Berger  (see  also  Burger),  Capt.  Emil  A.,  II.,  18,  19,  103,  104,  106. 
Bergman,  Rev.  F.  J.,  I.,  144. 

Bertha,  Steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  371;  log  of,  343,  359. 
Berthold.  Fort,  D.  T.,  II.,  144. 
Bertrand,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  290. 
Bierly,  Mrs.  Florence,  I.,  257;  Mrs.  Sarah,  257;  Willis  M.,  257. 
Big  Bank  Village,  Mandan,  I.,  471. 
Bigger,  Thomas  C,  I.,  146. 

Big  Horn,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  310,  318,  327,  336,  372,  375 
Big  Muddy  river.  II.,  61,  62. 
Big  Stone  lake,  D.  T.,  II.,  8,  89. 
Big  Turtle,  Mandan  Indian,  I.,  466. 
Big  White,  Mandan  chief,  L,  471.  472. 
Bingham,  mail  route  agent.  II.,  12;  John,  95;  J.  E.,  93. 
Bjarnason,  Rev.  Jon.,  I.,  144. 
Bjornson,  V.,  I.,  144. 
Black,  Henry,   II.,  100. 
Blackfeet  Indians,  medicine  lodge,  II.,  C6. 
Black    Fox,    Arikara,    I..    466. 
Black  Rabbit,   Mandan   Indian,  I.,  466. 
Black  Shield,   Grosventre  chief,  I.,  4()6. 
Blain.  Rev.,  II..  21. 
Blair,  Partly,  II..  95;  C  L.  81. 
Blue  Bug.   Mandan  woman,  I.,  465. 
Blunt,  C  W.,  I.,  416;  C.  W..  Sr.,   371. 
Boal.  Allie.  I.,  348;  Laura,  265;  W.  C,  263. 

Board  of  Directors,  Hudson's  Bay  Co.,  England,  I..  In8,  Hn),  122,  lid. 
Boat  Makers  Village,  Mandan,  I.,  5<'8. 
Bois  Brules,  I.,  10.5,  125. 
Bois  de  Sioux  River,  II..  7. 
Bond,   Samuel   R.,   H.,  35;  account  of  Capt.   Fisk's  expedition,  72;   member 

of  Capt.   I'^isk's  protective  corps,  39. 
Borden,  Andrew  J..  II.,  lOo. 
Bottineau  Butte.  Fisk's  expedition,  II.,  45. 
Bottineau,  Pierre,  Buffalo  hunting,  II.,  44;  guide  and  Chippewa  interpreter, 

Capt.   Fisk's   protective  corps.   1862,  39;   guide  to   Gov.   Stevens,    ]?^53,   39; 

guide  of  Siblev  expedition,  32;  returns  to  Pembina,  61;  guide  in  Fisk's  ex- 
pedition of  1866.  I.,  453. 
Bosard,  Andrew,  I.,  255;  Andrew  Keller,  255;  Jas.  H.,  sketch  of,  255;  por.  255. 
Boundary  line,  Canad'an,  I.,  94. 

Boyd,  (jco.  W.,  I..  417;  James,  club  fooled  trader,  322.  note  2. 
Boynton,  H.,  II.,  98. 
Boyington,  O.,  II.,  93. 
Brackett,  Geo..  I.,  424. 
Bas  Casse,  Chief  of  .^ssinilxjincs,  II.,  58. 

Braun,   Dr.   E.   E..   post    «?urgeon,    Fort   Abcrcrombie,   II.,  26,  40 
Breck,  Rev.  Jas.  Lloyd,  I.,  480. 


168  INDEX. 

Breckenridge,  Minn.,  II.,  11,  12,  13,  14,  17,  106;  census  of  1860,  98. 

Brecount,  Rev.  C.  B.,  Casselton,  I.  117. 

Brennan  M.  H.,  sketch  of  Jas.  H.  Bosard,  I.,  255. 

Brick  kiln,  burning  coal  mine,  I.,  274,  319,  329. 

Bridges,  Mark,  II.,  93. 

Briem,  Rev.  H.,  I.,  144. 

Briggs,  R.  R.,  Moorhead,  I.,  172,  177. 

Briley,  2nd  Lieut.  2nd  Minn.  Cav.,  I.,  428. 

British  America,  I..  135,  137. 

British  Isles,  emigration  from  in  19th  century,  I.,  83-88. 

British  soldiers,  employed  by  Lord  Selkirk,  I.,  105. 

Broken  Axe,  Mandan  Indian,   I.,   466. 

Brookings,  W.  W.,  I.,  142,  143;  early  history  of  Dakota,  141. 

Brower,  Rich.  D.,  II.,  91 ;  death  of,  123. 

Brown,  John  G.,  sketch  of,  I.,  241;  Maj.  J.,  424. 

Brown  Woman,  Mandan,  I.,  465. 

Brunell,  Joseph,  I.,  166. 

Brimson,  Rev.  Alfred,  I.,  476. 

Brunswick,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  268. 

Bryce,  Dr.,  Winnipeg,  I.,  81,  92;  his  history  of  the  Hudson^s  Bay  Co.,  112. 
113. 

Brylan,  Thos.  W..  I.,  417. 

Buck  Theodore,  II.,  95. 

Budge,  Wm.,  I.,  164. 

Buffalo,  bones  of,  found  by  early  settlers  in  Riverside  township,  I.,  206,  238; 
Capt.  Fisk's  expedition,  1862,  II.,  44,  56,  57;  herds  of,  seen  from  steam- 
boat, I.,  297,  208,  365;  bides  sold  at  Pembina,  D.  T.,  238;  hunting  of.  325, 
455,  456,  II.,  144;  killed  by  grizzly  bears,  53;  killed  from  steamboat,  I., 
299,  303,  305,  306,  307,  326,  334,  356. 

Bull  Head,   Arikara,  I.,  466. 

Burbank,  A.,  I.,  416;  II.  C,  II.,  10.  letter  to,  11;  J.  M.  C,  St.  Paul.  9. 
L.,  L,  416 

Buri)ank  &  Co.,  wagon  train  arrives  at  Fort  Abercrombie,  II.,  24. 

Burger,  Capt.  Emil  A.,  IL,  23. 

Burgett,  R.,  II.,  93. 

Burgit,  R.,  II.,  97. 

Burnham,  D.,  II.,  95. 

Burritt,  E.   H.,  member  of  Capt.   Fisk's  protective  corps,  II.,  39. 

Burton,  Capt.,  30th  Wis.  Vol.  Inf.,  I.,  424. 

Burtsch,  Rev.  G.  W.,  Casselton,  I.,  177. 

Bussy,  Robert,  I.,  250. 

Butler,  Ellis.  I.,  436,  note  1;  E.  C.  247,  por.  241;  sketch  of,  240;  Wm.  H., 
216,  note  3. 

Butte  de  Morale.  II.,  49. 

Birtterfield,  Capt.  M.  Q.,  portrait  of,  II.,  opp.  148. 

Caldwell,  Wm.,  IL,  97. 

Calhoon  F.  S.,  L,  416 

Calvert,  Chas.,  IL.  98. 

Calypso,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  L,  284,  286. 

Cameron,  Duncan,  L,  101,  111,  112,  122,  125;  aids  exodus  of  Selkirk  colon- 
ists, 103 ;  arrested  and  sent  to  England,  104 ;  arrests  Capt.  MacDonnell,  103, 
125;  sows  discontent  among  Selkirk  settlers,  102,  103;  taken  prisoner  by 
Robertson,  130. 

Camp,  Maj.  Geo.  A..  IL.  30,  89,  127,  137;  arrival  at  Ft.  Abercrombie,  116; 
letter  from,  to  Col.  Miller,  81;  portrait  of,  opp.  116. 

Camp  Atchison,  Sibley  expedition,  described,  IL,  83. 

Camp  Cooke,  description  of,  I.,  336,  note  1. 

Camp  Hackett,  Sibley  expedition,  IL,  32. 

Camp  Jackson,  anniversary  of  capture,  L,  294. 


INDEX.  169 


Campbell,  John,  II.,  93,  97;  Thos.,  I.,  320,  353;  Thos.,  agent  at  Fort  Union, 

279,  note  2. 
Canadian  boundary,  I.,  94. 
Canadian  government,  commands  hostilities  between  rival  trading  companies 

to  cease,  I.,  106;  sends  commissioners  to  adjust  diflferences  between  rival 

trading  companies,  106. 
Candiyohi  Lake,  Minn.,  II.,  141. 
Cannon  Ball  river,  II.,  141. 
Cappenakis,  I.,  118. 
Cariboo  gold  mines,  II.,  78. 
Cariveau,  1st  Lieut.  T.  A.,  II..  10,  106. 
Carlington,  Jesse,  IL,  95. 

Carlisle,  James,  3d  Sergt.  Northern  Rangers,  II.,  95, 
Carlson,  Carl,  I.,  248. 
Carlton  House,  I.,  134. 
Caroline,  steamboat,  II.,  155. 
Carpenter,  early  French  trader  in  D.  T.,  I.,  165. 
Carr,.  Sergt.  S.  V.,  Fort  Abercrombie,  II,,  31,  107;  story  of  march  to  Fort 

Abercrombie,  I.,  179. 
Carrie,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  263,  339,  345,  372,  373,  575,  377. 
Carson  ,H.  G.,  I.,  416. 

Carter,  Henry  S.,  I..  417;  Wesley,  II..  95;  W.  R.,  L,  417. 
Carver,  O.  F.,  IL,  93. 
Caswell,  John,  I.,  182. 
Cathright,  J.,  L,  417. 
Catterel,  Oliver,  I.,  314. 
Caubage,  John,  Chippewa  missionary,  I.,  475. 
Cedar  Lake,  first  inland  port  of  HiKlson's  Bay  Co.,  I.,  81. 
Cedar  Wood  Feather,  Mandan  Indian,  I.,  470. 
Census  of  1860,  U.  S.,  Breckenridge,  Polk  and  Tombs  Co*s.,  Minn.,  IL,  98, 

99;  of  1865,  Clay  Co.,  Minn.,  101;  of  Minnesota,  1860,  and  1865.  98,  99, 

100.  101. 
Central  House,  Grand  Forks,  D.  T.,  L,  475. 

Centralia,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  373,  390,  397,  409,  412. 
Chaboillez,  Charles  Baptist e  Jean,  I.,  82. 
Chalmers.  Alexander,  I.,  202  ,233. 
Chance.  Lieut.  J.  C.  I.,  33,  note  1,  332,  337. 
Chapel  Hill.  N.  C,  IL.  161. 
Charlotte,  N.  C,  IL,  161. 

Charlton,  David,  member  of  Capt.  Fisk's  protective  corps,  IL,  39. 
Chart  showing  variation  in  Norwegian  immigration,  I.,  187. 
Chart  showing  numbers  of  Norwegian  immigrants  in  U.  S.  as  compared  with 

those  from  other  countries,  I.,  194. 
Cheever,  James,  IL,  119. 
Cheyenne  village,    I.,   n()S. 
Chicago,  111..  IL,  148,  162. 
Chippewa,  Minn.,  IL,  133. 

Chippewa  Falls,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  L,  287 ;  IL,  130. 
Chippewa  outbreak,  prevented,  L,  484. 
Chippewas,  Turtle  Mountains,  I.,  150. 
Chippewa  station.  Minn.,  I.,  183. 
Chouteau,  Pierre,  L,  457. 
Chouteau,  Pierre.  Jr.,  and  Co.,  IL,  36. 
Christiania,  Norway,  labor  conditions  in,  I.,  190,  191. 
Christianson,  Mathius,  L,  166. 
Cilley,  Hetty,  E.  Z.,  L,  255. 

City  of  Pekin,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  L,  373,  376. 
Clamore,  Frenchman;  L,  270. 

Clara,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  286,  287,  314,  330. 
Clarabell,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  267,  268. 


170  INDEX. 

Clark,  Biirnham,  II.,  93,  98;  C.  W.   95;  Dr.  J.  R.  C,  U.  S.  vaccination  agent, 

II.,  63;  John  R.,  95;  P.  T.,  St.  Anthony,  Minn.,  140;  Rev.  John,  I.,  474,  475. 

Robt.,  314;  Thomas,  223;  Thos.  A.,  member  of  Fisk's  expedition,  1862,  II.,  75. 
Clay  Co.,  Minn.,  census  of  1865,  II.,  101. 
Clear  Lake,  Minn.,  II.,  125. 

Clement,  A.  A.,  member  Fisk's  expedition,  1862,  II.,  75;  Basil,  I.,  429. 
Clowney,  Maj.  John,  30th  Wis.  Vol.  Inf.,  I.,  424. 
Coer  d'Alene  lake,  II.,  71 ;  mission,  71 ;  mountains,  70. 
Coil,  Wm.,  II.,  95. 
Coissart,  Wm.,  II.,  95. 
Cold  Springs,  Minn.,  II.,  133. 
Coldwell,  Wm.,  II.,  93. 
Collins,  Jane,  II.,  98;  John,  98. 
Colony  Fort,  I.,  110. 

Colorado,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  287,  312,  315,  330,  341. 
Colt's  rifles  at  Fort  Abercrombie,  II.,  89. 
Columbia,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  356,  360. 

Columbian,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  315,  330,  341,  375,  376,  377. 378. 
Columbus,  Ohio,  II.,  155. 

Commanding  officers  at  Fort  Abercrombie,  II.,  89. 
Comptois,  Joseph,  II.,  91. 
Congress,  Act  of  1857,  II.,  7;  appropriation  for  Fisk's  expedition,  1863,  73; 

appropriation  for  road  from  Fort  Benton  to  Fort  Walla- Walla,  69. 
Conley,  Wm.  I.,  416. 

Conner,  Thos.,  member  Fisk  expedition,  1862,  II.,  75. 

Connor,  Chas.  L,  250;  Chas.  W.,  215,  note  1;  Mrs.  C  W..  211.  Wm..  II..  95. 
Constant,  Sam,  I,  417 
Constandt,    P.,  I.,  417. 

Converse,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  308. 
Cook,  Henr>',  II.,  95. 
Cooper,  David,  1.,  486;  John,  359;  J.  T„  245;  Rollen  C,  249;  por.  24;  sketch 

of,  245. 
Cooper,  T.  E  .,first  postmaster  at  Grafton,  168;  sketch  of  early  settlement  of 

Walsh  county.  Dak.  Ter.,  161. 
Ccoperstown,  N.  Dak.  settlement  of,  I.,  245. 
Copeland.  John  G.,  I.,  2G5,  304  notje  1,^308.  jJ29,  330. 
Copway,  George,  I.,  473,  note  2,  475,  476,  477. 
Cora,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  313,  326,  329,  353,  372. 
Cordelling,  process  explained,  I.,  268,  footnote. 
Corn,  grown  at  Fort  Berthold,  I.,  410. 
Corn  Silk,  Mandan  Legend  of,  I.,  490. 
Cornelia,  steamboat  on  the   Missouri  river.  I.,  315,  .'^30,  343,  344,  372,  373. 

375,  377.  378,  414. 
Coshoff  Casper,  II.,  92. 
Cottage,  steamboat,  II.,  155. 
Coucs,  Elliott,  New  Light  on  the  Early  History  of  the  Greater  Northwest, 

I.,  82. 
Coun,  J.  II.,  I.,  417. 
Countes*;,  steamboat,  II.,  155. 
Cover,  Lieut.  J.  G,  II.,  128. 
Covey,  W.  S.,  IT,  93. 
Coyote,  Mandan  chief,  I.,  470. 
Craig.  Elijah,  I.,  226. 

Crawford,  Capt.  Medorum,  II.,  87;  George.  I..  330  note  1,  343. 
Crcc  Indians,  I.,  150. 

Crcighton,  Edward,  I.,  221,  note  1;  James,  freighter,  226;  Sam,  freighter,  221. 
Crescent  City,  steamboat,  IL,  155. 

Crittenden.  Col.  T.  L.,  II.,  89;  at  Fort  Abercrombie,  34. 
Cn)\v  Indians.  II. ,  62;  war  dance  of,  65. 
Cropster,  M.  H.,  I.,  417. 


INDEX.  171 

Crounse,  Mrs.,  Wis.,  I.,  352,  353,  354. 

Crow  Wing,   Minn.,  I.,  483,  484,  485,  487;  Chippewas  attack  on,  488;  river, 

II.,  8. 
Culbertson,  Alexander,  I.,  272  note  1,  278  note  1;  Joseph,  272  note  1. 
Curril,  Archibald,  I.,  126. 
Curtis,  Wm.,  I.,  314. 
Cutanahye,  I.,   122. 
Cutler,  F.  C,  II.,  132. 
Cutter,  Albertin,  II.,  98;  Salmon  C,  98. 
Dahl,  Ole.  II.,  95. 
Dakota,  early  travel  in,  I.,  146 ;  Gov.  Semple's  work  in,  104 ;  winter  home  of 

Selkirk  colony,  1812-13,  04,  95;  winter  home  of  Selkirk  colony,  1815-10.  104. 
Dakota  Democrat,  first  newspaper  in  Dakota  Terr.,  I.,  143. 
Dakota  Land  Company,  I.,  141. 

Dakota  Territory,  a  traveler's  impressions  of,  in  1864,  I.,  432. 
Damsel,  steamboat,  II..  148. 
Dance  Flag,  Mandan  Indian,  I.,  466. 
Darling,  C.  W.,  Fort  Berthold  Agent,  I.,  469. 
Davenport,  Benj.  F.,  2nd  Corporal,  Northern  Rangers,  II.,  95. 
Davey,  Capt.  P.  B.,  2nd  Minn.  Cav„  I.,  428. 
David,  Robert,  II.,  99. 

David  Tatum,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  313. 

David  Watts,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  L,  302,304,  305,  306,  308,  328. 
Davidson,  Matthew,  I.,  203. 
Davis,  Capt.  X.  IL,  II.,  7,  89. 

Day,  J.  A.,  I.,  JoO;  Lieut.  Col.  Hannibal,  II.,  89;  Rev.  E.  H.,  I.,  478. 
Dayton,  Minn.,  1 1.,  22. 
Dear  man,  Matthew  L.,  II.,  92. 
Deer  Lodge,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I..  264,  265,  28.5,  286,  287,  288, 

289,   291,   295.   297,   299,   301.   306,   308,   309,   311,   313,   325,   330,   341,    353, 

354,  358,  3(>1.  372,  373,  377,  378,  388,  392,  393,  394. 
Deer  Lodge  valley,  II.,  70. 
Delancv,  Joseph,  I.,  425. 
Delling',  Joseph,  I.,  268. 

Demarais,  Joseph,  interpreter  at  Fort  Abercrombie,  II.,  30. 
Demarer,  Nelson,  II.,  95. 

Dc  Meuron,  brigade,  retake  Fort  Douglas,  I.,  106;  regiment,  I.,  105. 
Demorest,  Rev.  W.  L.,  Grand  Forks.  I.,  177. 
Denslow,  member  Fisk  expedition,  1863,   II.,  81. 
Denver,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  270,  284,  2?^7,  3! 5,  329. 
Develin,  Captain,  I.,  424. 
Devils  Lake.  D.  T.,  II.,  25,  80. 
Devils  Lake  scouts,  II.,  126. 
Diary  of  Chief  Trader  John  McLeo<l,  Sr.,  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  I..   115; 

of  Lewis   C.    Paxsun,   Stockton,   N.   J.,   Fort   .Xbercrombie   soldier,    18«)2-4, 

II.,  102, 
I>ibb.  Dr.  Wm.  D.,  buffalo  hunting,  II.,  44;  experience  of.  lo^t  on  prairie,  55; 

letter  on  Fisk  Overland  Expedition,  82;  mtinber  of  Capt.  Msk's  protective 

corps,  89;  surgeon  of  Overland  Expedition  to  Ft.  Benton,  )i5;  member  Fisk 

expedition,  1864,  I.,  426. 
Dibs,  I'homas,   II.,  95. 
Dick,  William,  I.,  241. 

Dictator,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river.  I.,  373,  376. 
Dierks.  Henry,  H.,  93. 
Dietrich,  Capt.  C.  J.,  H.,  120. 
Dill,  Col..  Fort  Rice,  I.,  426,  427,  428. 
Dilts,  Jefferson,  scout,  I.,  425.  430,  435. 

Directions  to  gold  seekers,  by  Capt.  Jas.  L.  Fisk,  18«I3,  II.,  79. 
D(Klge,  D.  J.,  I.,  428. 
l)t)herty,  Patrick,  H.,  99. 


172  INDEX. 


Dole,  W.  P.,  United  States  Indian  Commissioner,  I.,  484. 

Donald,  Hug^h  O.,  II.,  95. 

Donaldson,  Capt.  patrol  duty  on  Red  river,  II.,  33 ;  W.  H.,  I.,  291. 

Dooper,  J.  D.,  I.,  416. 

Dora,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  372. 

Doran.  John  T.,  I.,  416;  fight  with  the  Sioux,  301  note  l;.Rev.  R,  Moorhead, 

Minn.,  I.,  177. 
Dorman,  Laura  E.,  I.,  439,  note  1. 

Double  Ditch  Hidatsa  site,  description  of,  I.,  501 ;  illus.,  501. 
Dougherty,    Annie,    II.,    98. 
Douglas,  Thomas,  see  Selkirk,  Lord. 
Downie.  Maj.  Mark,  Fort  Wads  worth,  I.,  424. 
Dozier,  Fred,  I.,  416 ;  John,  264. 
Drean,  Jean,  II.,  101. 
Dreschel,  Chas.,  II.,  92. 
Du  Bois,  Gustavus,  II.,  99;  Mary,  99. 
Dudley,  Sergt.  Joseph,  II..  132. 

Duis,  Geo.  E.,  address  at  Annual  meeting  of  the  State  Historical  Society,  I.,  69. 
Dumont,  steamboat,  II.,  155. 
Dumonlin,    Father  Severe,    I.,  95;   W.,   133. 
Dunton,  H.  J.,  2nd  Lieut.,  Citizen's  Company,  IL,  93. 
Durant,  Fraud,  I.,  101. 
Dutch  Jake,  I.,  300  note  3,  328,  353. 
Dyson,  Glenn,  I.,  206,  250. 
Eagle  Woman,  wife  of  Move  Slowly,  I.,  471. 
Earle,  Annie  I.,  100;  Thomas,  100. 
Eaton,  Henry  E.,  I.,  134. 
Ebenezer  Manual  Labor  School,  I.,  476. 
Ebert,  C.  C.  I.,  260. 

Eclipse  of  Moon,  mentioned  in  steamboat  log,  I.,  314. 
Eddystone.  I.,  92,  96. 
Edgerton,  Judge,  I.,  222,  note  1. 
Edward  and  Anne,  sailing  vessel,  I.,  92,  116. 

Effie  Deans,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I..  300,  302,  304.  305,  306.  307. 
Elder,  F.  A..  Moorhead,  Minn..  I.,  172,  177;  W.  W.,  177. 
Elkhorn.  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  330,  343. 
Elliott,  F.  M.,  I.,  256. 

Elsbury,  George  H..  L,  246,  248  and  note  1. 
Emery,  trader  on  the  Slissouri  river,  I.,  327,  note  2. 
Emilie,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  313,  315. 
Emma,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  269. 
Enmegahbowh,  por.,  I.,  474. 
Emmerich,  J.,  Fort  Berthold  Agent,  I.,  469. 
Emmerling,  Geo.,  II.,  100;  Mary,  100. 
Enemy  Heart,  Mandan  Indian,   I.,   470. 
England,  return  of  Lord  Selkirk  to,  I.,  106. 
English,  L.  W.,  I.,  285,  294,  205. 
English  river  department.  I.,  133. 
English  river  district,  I.,  131. 

EnmegahboWh,  Chippewa  Missionary,  I.,  476,  477,  483;  sketch  of,  473. 
Entrails.   Grosventre,   I.,   465. 
Eshelman,  Jacob,  I.,  164. 

Esther  Buffinton.  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  286. 
Evans,  L.  A.,  II.,  95;   Rev.  James,  I.,  474. 

Evening  Star,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  286,  314,  316,  330,  373,  376. 
Faben,  Wm.,  II.,  93, 

Fannie  Barker,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  356,  371. 
Fannie  Lewis,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  264,  373. 
Fannie  Ogden,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  267,  268,  269,  284,  287,  302. 

304,  305,  312,  314. 


INDEX.  173 


Farnsworth,  Maj.,  I.,  258. 

Far  West,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  371. 

Faulkner,  Rebecca,  I.,  257. 

Faucette,  early  settler,   I.,  165. 

Fecto,  Joseph,  I.,  265,  353,  41^. 

Fee,  John  W.,  II.,  97. 

Fergus,  Jas.,  letter  on  western  routes,  II.,  79. 

Ferguson,  Robt.,  I.,  314. 

Fever  on  board  Prince  of  Wales,  1813,  I.,  97. 

Few,  John  W.,  II.,  93. 

Fewer,  Walter,  St.  Anthony,  Minn.,  I.,  425,  430. 

Fidler,  Peter,  I.,  120.  121. 

Finkle,  Chas.,  I.,  165. 

Filmore,  H.  G.,  II.,  95. 

Fish,  H.  C,  Report  of  Museum  and  Library,  I.,  51. 

Fisher.  L.  F,  I.,  449. 

Fisk,  A.  J.,  por.  I.,  431. 

Fisk,  Capt.  Jas.  L..  I.,  423.  425,  430,  437.  451,  453;  II.,  6,  81;  arrival  at  Ft. 
Abercrombie,  119;  arrival  at  Bannock  City,  Idaho  Ten,  84;  assist.  Q.  M.,  U. 
S.  volunteers,  39;  buffalo  hunting  of,  44;  commander  of  Overland  Expe- 
dition, 1863,  82.  83,  84,  85 ;  departs  for  San  Francisco,  71 ;  expedition  of, 

1862,  34 ;  expedition  of,  1863,  78 ;  expedition  of,  1864,  421 ;  expedition  of. 
1865,  442;  expedition  of,  ISm,  450;  journal  of  expedition  of  1862,  II..  38; 
leaves  for  gold  mines,  120 ;  North  Overland  Expedition  of,  35 ;  por.,  I.,  420 ; 
rescue  of  his  party,  1864.  I.,  428,  II,,  145. 

Fisk,  Dan  W.,  I.,  444;  Maj.  Van  H.,  458. 

Fiske,  Geo.  L.,  Assist.  Quartermaster,  II.,  131. 

Fitch,  E.  J.,  I.,  203. 

Fitzgerrcd,  J.  P.,  I.,  416. 

Flandrau,    Chas.    E.,   I.,   488. 

Flandreau,  earlv  Dakota  town,  I.,  141. 

Fletcher,  Capt.  Wm.,  II.,  89. 

Florence,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  270. 

Florence  City,  II.,  65. 

Flying  Eagle,  Mandan  Chief,  L,  465. 

Follinsbee,  H.,  11.^  95. 

Folsom,  Capt.,  II.,  124. 

Forbes,   Lieut.  Frank  B.,   I.,  484. 

Forest  City,  Minn.,  II.,  20.  ^ 

Forrest,  Gen.,  II.,  91. 

Forks  of  the  Red  River.  I.,  117.  118,  119,  120,  122,  125,  130. 

Fort  Abercrombie,  D.  T.,  I.,  146,  421 ;  II.,  6,  7,  8,  9.  17.  18,  23,  26,  32,  34,  39, 
79,  90,  104;  abandoned,  34;  arrival  of  Capt.  Fisk  at.  1862,  40;  arrival  of 
Lieut.   Col,   Peteler  at,  24;  commanding  officers  of,  89;  description  of,  in 

1863,  29;  description  of,  by  Lewis  Paxson,  26;  description  of,  in  1864,  33; 
estabhshment  of,  7;  in  1861,  9;  letter  from,  10;  letter  from,  1862,  I..  170. 
II.,  11,  14,  17;  letter  from  in  1863,  26;  list  of  commanding  officers,  89; 
list  of  deaths  at,  91;  meeting  of  citizens  and  soldiers  of,  96;  Overland 
Expedition  from,  35;  permanent  fortification  of,  in  1862,  23;  picture  of.  in 
1863,  frontispiece;  picture  of.  in  lSi}9.  opp.  33;  plan  of  in  1859,  opp.  10; 
plan  of,  in  1862,  opp.  10;  relief  expedition  to.  I..179;  II.,  17,  18.  19,  20,  21,  22; 
report  of  Capt.  Freeman's  relief  expedition  to,  18;  road  to.  8,  9;  Sioux 
attack  on,  11,  13,  15,  16,   18;  stockade  built  by  Lieut.  Col.  Peteler,  128. 

Fort  Alexander,  I.,  130. 

Fort  .Andfew,  L,  326. 

Fort  Bas  de  la  Riviere,  I.,  124. 

Fort  Benton,  Montana  Ter.  ,1.,  327;  II.,  34,  36,  37,  79;  arrival  of  Capt.  Fisk 

at,  1862,  6S:  arrival  of  Capt.  Fisk  at,  1863,  84;  description  of,  L,  337,  3.>4 ; 

II.,  68;   military   road  to   Walla-Walla,   38;    North    Overland    Expedition 

to,  35. 


172 


^1 


D 


e.  W  LV/>£.v. 


.    i^O'iaJd  - '  ^  _- \   , ..   .^  /«^;  //.,  36,   144 ;  Arikara 

n  ^'  **    -r  ^^^■^'/.  /vwl  /.  .''"■  •*'•.  ^-^  1/  /  ^^^'^;  Indian  drawing  of,  498, 

9o  Fort  CopflMj-'  f  >.;.  m. 

D  ^'"■'  A'vH'''  or  /.,  "*•'"'  if  a,  o:  09  lOl  104,  105,  128 ;  arrival  of  Lord 

^  /:;?  ^W^.^  5;>.'*'-/fcf  nK^'S.  WS;  retaken  by  Selkirk  brigade. 


J(M>:  feU'"^^ 


Fort  hllif.  /••  «   "  jj    J50. 
Fort   yi.<hfr.  V  J.?.  "  ' 
^;,rt    l'»JP'"','-,f:'iJ   9.  25,  29.       ^,    ,^- 


,-,...   .^ .„,.,   J    .., ....  102,  119,  122,  127,  130;  capture  of. 

Fort    »-^"'"^,9,fsemp/c,•J(M. 

/•^i:;'   /^^--'^nref  Canada,  I.,  129. 
(or-r     K,-tndai/.  M  i-.    -^,  -^^^  ^.^^^  ^^.  jj^  j^^^    j^^.  established,  II..  139; 

>'*^««>F,^'T  yL    I,  429;  II.,  9.  136.  147. 
Forr     ^  l-^^'^^:i: 484/  4^,  487 ;  II..  8,  $1,  1^3. 

Pore       ^^"^  ^Georgetown.  Minn.).  II..  10;  evacuated,  27. 
Fort       ^^",^?["  Minn.,  I..  179.  476;  II.,  102,   103,  117,  147. 
•   Fort        S.ioin^^y    227  note  2. 

fort  ^ VJJVn^n   D.  T.,  I.,  389 ;  description  of.  400. 

foft       ^iitly   I^  ^-  '^"  -^^'  ^^^   ^^'  ^^^'  ^^^'  "^'^'  ^^"• 
^^^      T^Viompson,  I.,  389. 


Ufni 

\:o^    -v^^na-Walla,  Oregon,  II.,  ^5,  36;  military  : 

V^^    )Q^ilIiam.  Canada.  I..  101.  103,  104,  132,  306  note  2;  captured  by  Lord 


f^^^     ^Lr^Von>-  T-.I-,  279,^409.  457,  ^^^JU  37,  40.  76.  77.  142,  143;  agent 
,<t    Jv;jf,t,.Walla.  Orejfon,  II.,  a5,  36;  military  road  to,  38. 


tro^*-       _  Triton,  i^-   ^-  ^-  -'^'  ^"^«  '*'^*'  ^•**^'  **•' 

W^     iV^tlni,  61;  a^-ival  of  Capt.  Fisk,  1862,  61. 

>^*^\Sjr^worth.  D.  T..  I..  432;  II.,  6,  146;  e 


established,  I.,  424;  II..  aS. 


^V^^i^^Monroe.  Va..  II.,  156. 

Vo^^^t  V  T-  I-  1"^;  Newton,  II.,  95. 
W^^^  Wears.  Mandan  Chief.  I.,  465,  499. 
Vo^^^.r  Francis  W.,  II.,  92;  death  of,  120. 

^^^Jklin,  Sir  John,  I.,  134. 

^^  V  in,  Tenn.,  battle  of,  II..  152. 

^^^dcn^"^^'  %"'•  J-  ^-  ^-^  ^'^^'  ^'^'^'  ^'^^• 

F^^^an,  Captain  Ambrose,  II..  23,  95 ;  report  of  relief  of  Fort  Abercrombie, 

Fr^  roster  of  his  company  of  Northern  Rangers,  94. 

*-  inch.  Robert,  death  of,  I.,  355 ;  T.  L.,  177. 

trench  Canadians.  I..  127,  133. 

rr^^nkr,  Antoine,   guide   and   interpreter  of   Fi.sk's     Overland     Expedition. 

^7^.  IL,  80. 

fo/ler,  A.  G.,  I.,  142. 

jTyr-trading  ports  on  Missouri  river,  I.,  389. 

^iiaglier,  ^Iaj.  H.  D.,  Pine  Ridge  Indian  Agent,  I.,  470. 

Gai/atin,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I..  328,  320.  a3<),  337,  345,  372,  375. 


INDEX.  1 75 

Gallatin  post  office,  D.  T.,  II.,  237;  first  post  office  in  Riverside  township, 

208;   illus.,  248. 
Galpin,  Maj.,  fur-trader  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  409. 
Gardner,  Capt.  Wm.  M.,  II.  8,  89. 
Garrison,  O.  E.,  II..  95. 
Gasper,  Max.,  II.,  95. 
Gastrel,  J.  W.,  I.,  -416. 
Gates,  O.  P.,  Fort  Abercrombie,  II.,  3h 

G.  A.  Thompson,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I,  335,  343,  372,  375. 
Gault,  Wm.,  I.,  330,  note  1,  359,  367. 

G.  B.  Allen,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  L,  360,  373,  375,  377,  378. 
Gecr,  Rev.  E.  G.,  I.,  480. 
Gen.  Grant,  steamlx)at  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,    299,  300,  301,  303.  304,  305, 

306,  308,  309,  310,  316.  433.  note  1 ;  II.,  140. 
General  Sherman  steamboat,  II.,  148. 
George,  Chas.  G.,  II.,  99. 
Georgetown,  Minn.,  II.,  10,  12.  22.  23.  24,  25,  27,  33,  113,  115;  census  of,  1860, 

100;  expedition   to.  from   Ft.  Abercrombie,  28  106  113;   refugees  from  at 

Ft.  Abercrombie,  29,  104. 
Georgian   Bay,  Canada,  I.,   105. 
Gerald,   Lieut   .A.   R.,   Fort  Abercrombie.   II.,  33. 

Gere,  Geo.,  Sioux  interpreter,  Capt.  Fisk's  expedition,  1862,  II.,  39,  58. 
Germaine,  Henry,  II,,  101 ;  Sarah,  101. 
Gervois,  A.,  II.,  95;  Gaiah,  93. 
Getchell,  Jesse,  II.,  99;  Rebecca  M.,  99. 
G.  H.  Gray,  steamboat,  II.,  148. 
GiflFord,    Abram  J.,    Fort   Berthold  agent,    I.,   469. 
Gilfillan,  Rev.  J.  A.,  I.,  489,  491;  names  of  Ojibwas  in  Pembina  band,  150; 

trip  through  Red  River  valley  in  1864,  146. 
Gillette,  J.   M.,    introduction  to  Indian  mythology,  I.,  485. 
Gilliam,  John  W.,  I.,  416. 
Gillon,  Th.,  II.,  93. 
Gingras,  Antoine,  I..   147. 
Girard,  Antoine,  I.,  164,  165. 

Glasgow,  steamboat  on  the   Missouri   river,   I.,  267,  312,  314,  315,  330,  343, 
•     375.  376.  377.  378. 
Glazier,  Henr>'  F.,  II.,  93. 
Glover,  John  B.,  II.,  134. 
Goff,  L.  S.,  II.,  93. 

GoW  Finch,  steamboat  on   Missouri  river.  I.,  328. 
Gold  miner's  outfit,  Fisk  expedition,   1863,    II.,   80. 
Gold   miners,   Deer  Lodge,   II.,  74;   Helena,   Mont.   Ter.,   described,   I.,  457, 

4-58;  Salmon  river,  II.,  76. 
Goldsboro,  N.  C,  II..  158. 
Goodenough.  J.  R.,  11,.  140. 
Good  Fur  Blanket,   Mandan  Chief,  I.,  465. 
Gorden,  Ole   F.,  I.,  166. 

Gorman,  John  T.,  I.,  240;  Mrs.  John  T.,  214,  note  2. 
Goudy,   Rev.   R.  R..   I.,  161. 
Gould,  E.  W.,  I..  416. 
Gourne,  Lawrence,  II.,  10\. 

Government  freight,  shipped  from  St.  Louis,  I..  375. 
Grafton,  D.  T..  early  history  of,  I.,   161,   162;  first  post  office  in,  168.   169; 

origin   of  name,   169. 
Graham's  Point,  Minn.,  II.,  7. 
Grand  Forks,  D.  T.,  I.,  117;  in  1878.  163. 
Grant.  Capt,  U.  S.,  I.,  243;  Cuthbert,  125. 
Grasshopper  "Diggins,"  II.,  38. 
Grasshoppers,  flight  of,  I.,  338. 
Great  Britain,  unrest  in,  I.,  83,  8S. 


176  INDEX. 

Green  Lake,  Minn.,  I.,  180. 

Greensboro,  N.  C,  II.,  161. 

Greenvie^y  stock  farm,  I.,  241. 

Grethen,  Anton,  sketch  of,  and  portrait,  I.,  260. 

Grierc,  Geo.,  Sioux  interpreter,  II.,  82. 

Griffin,  Edward,  II.,  99. 

Griffith,  Samuel,  I..  324. 

Griggs,  Capt.  Alexander,  I.,  165;  Andonirane,  II.,  95. 

Griggs,  County.,  D.  T.,  causes  of  immigration  into,  I.,  192,  193;  first  school 
and  first  teacher  in,  249. 

Grimes,  Ab.,  I.,  339,  345,  346 :  Walter,  St.  Paul,  425. 

Grindall,  J.  H.,  expedition  to  Cariboo  gold  mines,  II.,  78. 

Groetsch,  1st  Lieut,  Fort  Abercrombie,  II.,  13,  23  ,40,  106. 

Grosventre  Indians,  II.,  62,  77;  council  of,  I.,  277. 

Guerillas,  fire  on  Robt.  Campbell,  Jr.,  steamboat  on  Missouri  river,  I.,  284 ; 
raiding  Miami,  269. 

Guidon,  steamboat  on  Missouri  river,  I.,  337,  355,  362,  372,  405. 

Gunn,  Donald,  I.,  89,  90,  91,  95,  96,  97,  98,  103,  105,  110,  111,  119.  123;  his- 
tory of  Manitoba,  133.  135 ;  in  Selkirk  colony  1823,  93. 

Gunn,  H.  G.,  footnotes  to  MacLeod  manuscript,  I.,  115;  Selkirk  Settlement 
and  Its  Relation  to  North  Dakota  History,  79. 

Gunsollis,  Jas.  W..  I.,  264,  416,  417;  John,  263,  205,  267,  269,  270,  273,  274. 
276,  291,  293,  295,  297;  fight  with  Sioux,  278,  note  1 ;  sketch  of,  281.  note  1. 

Gun-that-guards-the-house,  Mandan  Indian,  medal  owned  by,  I.,  470;  por.. 
471 ;  sketch  of.  470. 

Gullickson,  George,  I..  203. 

Gull  Lake  Mission,  establishment  of,  I..  481. 

G.  W.  Graham,  steamboat  on  Missouri  river,  I.,  307,  315,  333,  373,  375. 

Hackett,  mail  carrier,  I..  208. 

Hadwin,  R.  R.   215,  note  6;  R.  §-,  250. 

Hair,  Rev.  G.  R..  I.,  177. 

Haley,   P.,   IL,  93. 

Half  breeds,  see  Bois  Brules. 

Hall,  Capt.  Francis,  Fort  Ripley,  Minn.,  I.,  484. 

Hallier,  William,  I.,  116. 

Hamilton.  Washington,  D.  C,  II.,  81;  William,  267. 

Hammond,   Nancy,   I.,  255. 

Haney,  David.,  I.,  300;  note  1,  416. 

Hanley,  Capt.,  2d  Minn.  Cav.,  I.,  424. 

Ilanna,  John,  IL,  99;  Wm..  99. 

Hanson,   Dr.  Andre,  I.,  186. 

Harris,  Georprctown.  Minn..  II.,  33;  Jas.  R.,  08;  W.  C,  L,  439,  note  1. 

Harris  and  Bentley's  Brcckcnridge,  Minn.,  II.,  11. 

Hatch,  F.  A.  C,  I.,  486. 

Hatch's   Ind.   Batt.    Minn.  Cov.,   Fort   Abercrombie,   II.,  33. 

Haitic  May.  «;teaml>oat  on   Missouri  river,  I.,  2^6,  3o2,  304,  305,  300,  3!2. 

Hay  river,  Canada,  I.,  116. 

Hays,  Jas.  P..  I..  479. 

Hazktt.  H.  K..  I.,  417. 

Hcald,  David,  II.,  99. 

Hcarne.  Samuel,  I..  81. 

Heart  River,  D.  T.,  IL,  141. 

Hein7cn,  Heinrich,   II.,  95. 

Helena,  steamboat  on   Missouri  river    I.,  328. 

Hell   (iatc   Pan,   Rocky  Mts.,   II..  70. 

Hel>per.  Lieut.  Wm.,  Chippewa.  Minn,,  II.,  125. 

Hender<;(m,  Andrew,  I..  239;  Wm.,  247. 

Hendnm,  J<)«;eph,  II.,  130. 

Henna.   J.    F.,   II..   95. 

Hcnny,  HuKh,  I.,  117,  118.  119. 


INDEX.  177 


Henry,   Andrew,   II.,    100,   101;   Jose,    100;    Margaretta,     100;      Mary,     101, 
Susette,  100. 

Henry  Atkins,  steamboat  on  Missouri  river,  I.,  847,  348,  349,  354. 

Hensley,  steamboat  on  Missouri  river,  I.,  341,  343. 

Herberger.   Carl,   II.,  93.  98. 

Herbert,  Gordon  C,  II.,  98;  Henry  W..  98. 

Herigstad,  Oman   B.,   Norwegian  Immigration,  I.,   ISdy. 

Hermiker,  Rev.  Wm.,  I.,  475. 

Hemdon,  Edward  S..  I.,  314,  416. 

Hessy,   Prof.,   National  Observatory,  Washington,  D.  C,  XL,  81. 

Hicks,  W.  E.,  I.,  439,  note  1. 

Hidatsa  villages,  Knife  river,   description  of,  I.,  500;  Indian  drawings,  500. 

Highland  clearances.  I.,  84,  88. 

Hildreth,  Joseph  I.,  221. 

Hill,  J.,  II.,  93;  Jas.  J.,  I.,  248,  note  1;  John,  I.,  121;  Thos.,  314,  320. 

Hillard,  M.,  I.,  417. 

Hillier.  I.,  110,  118,  119. 

Hills,  Walter  L.,  II.,  98. 

Hills  and  Ramsdell's  Breckenridge,  Minn.,  II.,  11. 

Hines,  John,  I.,  219,  note  1. 

Hinman,  Mate  of  Ida  Fulton,  steamboat  on  Missouri  river,  I.,  330,  note  1. 

Hiram  Wood,  steamboat  on  Slissouri  river,  I.,  340,  356,  366. 

H.  M.  Shreve,  steamboat  on  Missouri  river,  I.,  360. 

Holback,  John  I.,  314,  317. 

Hoffman,   Nicholas,  II.,   101;   W.,  93. 

Hogan,  James,  I.,  226. 

Hole-in^he-day,  Chippewa  Chief,  I.,  481,  483,   484,   485;  assassination,  490; 
connection  with  Little  Crow,  486,  487. 

Holes,  Samuel,  II.,  95. 

Hollar,  J.  A.,  II.,  129. 

Hollsworth,  I.,  120. 

Holmes,  L.  R.,  I.,  219,  note  1.  220,  224. 

Hoh.  Lieut.,  I.,  133;  Rev.  J.  W.,  478. 

Holyoke,   death  of,   II.,  85;  member  of  Fisk's  expedition,  83. 

Homme,  Samuel  O.,  I.,  246. 

Honorary  members.  State  Historical  Society  of  North  Dakota,  I.,  11,  15. 

Hookerstt:)wn,   X.  C.   11.,   158. 

Horsethicf,  Crow  Indian,  I.,  300,  note  3. 

Hovis,  Rev.  Jacob  A.,  I..  177,  178. 

Howard,  Capt.  Wm.  I.,  285. 

Howell,  C.  W.,  report  on  ol)stacles  to  navigation  in  Missouri  river,  I..  379. 

Howitzer  belonging  to  Fisk's  expedition  of  1862,  II.,  62. 

Howitzer  at  Fort  Abercrombie,  II.,  16. 

Hoyt,  J.  E.,  letter  regarding  the  Fisk  expedition,  II.,  Kl 

H.  S.  Turner,  steamboat  on  Missouri  river,  I.,  341,  344,  375,  376,  377,  378,  414. 

Huard,  Joseph,    T.,   I.,    166. 

Hubbard,  H.  A..  New  York,  II.,  158;  N.  K.,  I.,  172,  177. 

Huddleston,    Rev.    Allen,    I.,    476. 

Hudson's  Bay  Co.,  I.,  79,  81,  92.  96.  101,  10.3,  104,  107,  108.  109.  115,  116,  117. 
118.  n9,  121,  122,  123.  124,  125,  126.  127.  128,  129,  130,  131,  132,  133.  134; 
becomes  aggressive,  100;  destroys  Northwest  Fur  Co.  trade,  104;  grant  of 
land  to  Lord  Selkirk,  1811.  91;  history  by  Bryce,  81,  92;  instructions  is- 
sued by,  90;  orders  Northwest  Fur  Co.  to  vacate  territory,  101;  Pembina 
port,  80,  81;  trade  in  Canada,  II.,  29;  Winnipeg  post,  I.,  80. 

Hull,   Harrison,    II.,  98. 

Hunt,  Lieut.  Col.  L.  C,  at  Ft.  Abercrombie,  II.,  34,  89. 

Huntington,  James.  I.,  255. 

Huntsville.  steamlM)at  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  328,  331,  349,  354,  3.55,  356. 
357,  372,  373,  377. 


178  INDEX. 

Hutchins,  Major,  Indian  agent,  II.,  37. 

Hutchinson,  Edwin  R.,  II.,  101. 

Hutchinson,  Wm.,  mate  of  Benton,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  302. 

celandic  Lutheran  Synod  of  America.  I.,  144. 

da  Fulton,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  352,  373,  376;  log  of,  330. 

da  Reese,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  356. 

da  Stockade,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  334,  338,  347,  348,  349, 
351,  354,  356,  358,  372,  375,  397. 

daho  gold  mines,  II.,  34;  Fisk  expedition  to,  1864  to  1866,  I.,  421;  Over- 
land exoedition  to,  II.,  80. 

mperial,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  ..  338,  373,  376,  388,  390,  403,  405. 

mporter,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  356. 

ndian  battle  field,  KilWeer  Mt.,  D.  T.,  II.,  141. 

ndian  Crossing,  Park  river,  I.,  167. 

ndian  deading,  described,  I.,  322,  note  1. 

ndian  Mythology,  Introduction  to,  J.  M.  Gillette,  I.,  485. 

ndians,  see  also  Sioux  Indians. 

ndians,  I.,  116,  117,  118,  120,  121. 

ndians  of   N.   D.,    I.,  464. 

nman,  Capt.  T.  E.,  II.,  10,  89. 

nternational,  stean^oat,  II.,  24,  27,  28,  115;  at  Fort  Abercrombie,  29. 

reland,  Lord  Selkirk's  agents  in,  I.,  91. 

rish,  Alonzo,  I.,  166. 

rish,  Nathaniel,  I.,  166. 

ron  City,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  328. 

sabella,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  284,  313,  314,  318,  321,  330,  370. 
377;  II.,  146. 

shpeenotz,  chief  of  Prairie  Crows,  I.,  300,  note  3. 

shpenootz,  Crow  chief.  I.,  328. 

thtca,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  313. 

.  G.  Blackford,  steamboat,   II.,  155. 

.  H.  Drover,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I..  372,  388. 

.  H.  Lacy,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  287,  312,  330. 

ack  river,  I.,  125. 

acksons,  Leroy,  sketch  of  Anton  Grethen,  I.,  260. 

ackson,  Leroy.  sketch  of  Enmegahbowh,  I.,  473. 

ackson,  Mrs.  Ray.,  I.,  258. 

ager,  Hans.  J..  I.,  250. 

ames  H.  Trover,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  335,  353,  363. 

ames  river    (Jacques),  II.,  47.   138..  146. 

amestown.  N.  Dak.,  in  1879,  L,  242. 

amison.  Wm.  C,  I.,  416. 

arrett,  Jesse  T.,   I.,   142. 

ennie  Brown,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  264,  318,  3.S5,  372. 

ennie  Lewis,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  264,  287,  375,  376. 

ewell,  Ben.,  I.,  331,  333,  note  1,  341,  380,  note   1. 

ohn  Bell,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  264. 

ohn  Disney,  steamboat.  II.,  156. 

ohn  Sitting  Bear,  .Arikara.  I.,  466. 

ohnson,  Andrew,  I.,  247,  249. 

ohnson,  Ben.,  I..  416. 

ohnson,  Geo.,  II.,  96. 

ohnson,  John,   TI.,  96. 

ohnson,  John,  Chippewa  missionary,  sketch  of.  I.,  473;  por.,  474. 

ohnson,  Sveinbjorn,  Icelandic  Lutheran  Synod  of  America.  I.,  144. 

ohnston,  Lieut..  I.,  423. 

ones,  John,  Chippewa  Indian,  I..  474. 

ones,  Peter,  Chinoewa  Indian,  I.,  474. 

ones,  Thos.  B.,  Fort  Berthold  .^gent,  I.,  470. 

ones,  William,  L,  250. 


INDEX.  179 

Jones,  Col.  Wm.  R.,  Washington,  D.  C,  II.,  81,  99. 

Josephine,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I..  371. 

Journal  of  expedition  of  Capt.  Jas.  L.  Fisk,  1862,  II.,  38. 

Judd,  Lewis,  II.,  114. 

Kaposia,  Little  Crow's  Village,  L,  476. 

Kate  Kearney,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  302,  303. 

Kate  Kinney,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  287,  31o,  375,  377,  378. 

Kate  Sweeney,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  290. 

Kaufman,  Rev.  M.  S..  Fargo.  I.,  172,  177,  178. 

Kavanaugh,  Rev.  T.  B.^  I.,  477. 

Keeley,  J.  H.,  I.,  177. 

Keiser,  David,  L.,  L,  416. 

Keith,  Henry.  I.,  416. 

Kelerer,  Sebastien,  II.,  92. 

Kelley,  ^Irs.  Fannie,  Capt.  Fisk's  effort  to  rescue,  I.,  440,  441,  442;  captive 

among  Sioux,  427,  430,  437;  letters  to  Capt.  Fisk,  440,  441. 
Kelley.  Kelly's  Point,  I.,  164,  165. 
Kelly,  George  R,  II.,  97;  J.  E.,  II..  93. 
Kemble,  Maj.,  Trip  to  Pembina,  II.,  129. 
Kemper,  Bishop,  I.,  470. 
Kennedy,  Alexander,  I.,  12;  Capt..  II.,  9. 

Kent,  ,  St.  Cloud,  Minn.,  II.,  15;  Frank,  94. 

Keokuk,  steamboat,  II.,  162. 

Kerr,  Jas.  I.,  II.,  93;  John,  1st  Corporal  Northern  Rangers,  95;  Dr.  Theodore 

F.,  first  postmaster  at  Mandell,  L.  247;  Wm.  L.,  II.,  93. 
Kiar,  A.  M.,  I..  189,  note  1. 
Kidder,  J.  P..  I..  142,  143. 
Kiebert,  Frank,  I.  V.,  field  work  of,  I.,  498. 

Kildonan.  I.,  85,  S6,  93   123;  name  given  to  colony  by  Selkirk,  106. 
Kildonan  settlers,  I.,  S^. 

Killdeer  Mt.,  D.  T..  Indian  battlefield,  II.,  141. 
Kimball,  surgeon  U.  S.  army,  Ft.  Buford.  report  on  Indian  rattlesnake  cure. 

L,  411. 
Kimball.  Porter,  I.,  205.  note  1;  215,  note  1,  250. 
Kindled,   W.   A..  I.,  205. 
Kingston,  N.  C,  II.,  157. 
Kinkhcad,  Alex..  II.,  9S:  Cordelia,  98. 

Kinney,  Lieut.  Wesley,  absent  on  furlough,  II.  ,121;  portrait  of,  opp.  116. 
Klaats,  Capt.,  I.,  424. 
Kline,  Joseph,  II.,  101. 
Knife  River,  D.  T.,  II.,  14!. 

Knife  river,  Hidatsa  village,  description  of,  I.,  500. 
Knox,  John,  I.,  163,  164,  166;  Mrs.  J.  H.,  178;  Rev.  M.  V.  B.,  173,  178. 
Knox,  R.  C,  wagon  master,  Capt.  Fisk's  protective  corps,  II.,  39. 
Kolosk>'.  Joseph.  I.,   164. 
La  Barge.  A.  G.,  I.,  417;  John,  416;  Joseph,  267.  271.  272,  273,  274,  278,  note 

1;  Joseph  C,  417;  Joseph,  Jr..  417;  Thos.  J..  411. 
La  Barge,  Harkncss  &  Co.,  at  Ft.  Benton,  II.,  6S. 
La-bi-na-shany,   L,   118. 

Labont,  A.,  3d  Corporal.  Northern  Rangers,  II.,  95. 
Labrador.  I.,   134. 

Lacon,  steamboat  on  the  ^fissouri  river,  I.,  355,  366. 
LaCrosse,  Wis.,  II.,  148,   162. 

Ladbury,  Luellcn,  I.,  205,  206;  por.,  234;  sketch  of,  238. 
Laduc.  Julien,  II.,  04. 
Lady  Grace,  steamboat  on  the  Misouri  river.  I.,  330.  331,  ^32,  3.37.  372,  373, 

374,  375.  376.  378. 
LaFramlH)is.  Fort,  I.    274.  275,  note,  281. 
LaFrambois,  Frank,  I.^  275. 
Lake  Amelia,  Minn.,  II.,  17,  20. 


180  INDEX. 

Lake  City,  Minn.,  II..  102,  148,  2(32,  163. 

Lake  City  Times,  quotation  from,  II.,  26. 

Lake  Jessie,  II.,  46,  47. 

Lake   Lydia,   II.,  46. 

Lake  Manitoba,  I.,  121. 

Lake  Townsend,  II.,  47. 

Lake  Winnipeg,  I.,  87,  103. 

Lamb,   P.,  St.   Cloud,   Minn.,   Corporal,   Citizen's  Company,   II.,   14,  93,  98; 

letter  from,  11. 
Langford,  N.  P.,  member  Capt.  Fisk's  protective  corps,   II.,  39, 
Lamothe,  W.  P.,  I.,  416. 
LaMoure,  Judson,  I.,  165,  236. 
Lampman,  Iowa,  I.,  231. 
Langford,  U.  P.,  I.,  458. 
LaPlante,  woodyard,  I.,  272. 
Laramie,   Fort,   II.,  38. 
Larimore,  N.  G.,  I.,  177. 
Larned,   Horatio   H.,   I.,  430. 

Larpenteur,   Chas.,  trader  near  Ft.  Union,  II.,  62. 
Larsen,  Peter,  II.,  96. 

Last  Chance,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  339,  373,  377,  392,  393,  394. 
Latta,  Maj.,  I.,  275,  277. 
Lattoral,  Raspal,   II.,  98. 

La  Verendrye,    Visit  to  the  Mandans,  I.,  502. 
Lawrence,  Capt.  Jacob,  I..  330  note  1,  333  note  1,  340  note  3. 
Lawrence,  Mrs.  Sidle,  I.,  258. 

Ledbeater,  M.  D.,  expedition  of,  to  Salmon  River  gold  mines,  II.,  76. 
Lee.   Ole,   I.,   166. 

Lee's  surrender,  how  announced  to  federal  troops,  II.,  159. 
Leech  Lake  mission,  establishment  of,  I.,  482. 
Leighton,  Daniel,  II.,  114. 
Leitch,  R..  I.,  459. 

Lennan,  I.  P.,  the  Fisk  expedition  of,  1864,  I.,  429;  por.,  431. 
Lent,  Gilbert,  II.,  99. 
Lenvig,  John,  I.,  203. 

Leonard,  Mrs.  W.  K.,  Anoka,  Minn.,  I.,  425. 
Lconi  Leoti,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  358,  364,  368. 
Leonidas,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  264. 
Lewis  Ihland.  I.,  92,  115.  116. 
'  Lewiston,    Lewis,    II.,    94,    97,   09;    Lizzie,   99. 

Lexington,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  314,  329,  341,  371,  372,  373,  376. 
Libby,  Albert.  Anoka,  Minn.,   I.,  425. 

Libby,  O.  G.,  Typical  Villages  of  Mandans,  Arikara,  and  Hidatsa,.  I.,  498. 
Libby,  Secretary.  O.  G..  II.,  6. 

Library.  State  Historical  Society  of  N.  Dak.,  Report  of,  I.,  56. 
Lignite  coal,  burned  on  steamboat,  I.,  332. 
Lilly,  steamboat  en  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  372,  375. 

Lilly  Martin,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river.  I..  301,  304,  306,  328,  337,  339. 
Lima.  Die,  Conditions  in  Norway  and  America  Compared,  I.,  198,  199,  200. 
Lincoln's  Assassination,  II.,  160. 
Linn,  Peter,  I..  166. 
Little  Crow,  Sioux  chief,  II.,  29,  32,  81,  82,  119;  connection  with  Hole-in-the- 

Day,   I.,  486,  487. 
Little  Muddy  river,  II..  60. 

Little  Rock,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri   river,  I.,  337,  373. 
Little  Salt  river,  I.,  165. 
Little  Six.  Sioux  chief,  captured,  II.,  129. 
Little  Winnipee,  I.,    121. 
Little  Winnipeg,  I.,  91. 
Live  Oak,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I..  264,  286. 


INDEX.  181 

Livingston,  David,  I.,  241 ;  Kathryn,  241. 

Loclavood,  steamboat  on  the  ^fissou^i  river,  I.,  313. 

Lone  Fight,  Mandan,  I.,  470. 

Long,  Major,  I.,  94. 

Louisa,  steamboat  on  the  Missourir  river,  I.,  285. 

Louisville,  Ky.,  II.,  148,  149,  155. 

Louisville,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  345. 

Lowe,   Simpson,  I.,  204. 

Luella,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  328,  336,  337,  373,  375. 

Luez,  Capt.,  II.,  10. 

Lull,  Cornelius  P.  V..  II.,  11,  94,  98;  Julius  E.,  98;  Mary,  98. 

Lund,  Lemuel  K.,  II.,  92. 

Lunkenheimer,  Henry,  II.,  9G. 

Lynn.  Robt.,  surveyor,  I.,  105. 

McAlpcn,  John,  II.,  96. 

McBeth,  C,  II.,  93;  C  C,  97. 

McCarty.  Bridget,  II..  99. 

McCauley,    David,   Ft.    Abercrombie,   II.,   94,   96,   97;   deputy   postmaster   at 

Fort  .\bercrombie,  32;  old  store,  SicCauleyville,  Minn.,  picture  of,  opp.  20. 
McCauley,  J.,  letter  from,  II.,   11. 

McCauleyville,  Minn.,  picture  of,  II.,  opp.  18;  in  flood  time,  picture  of,  opp.  27. 
McClellan,  John,  I,  142. 
McClelland,  steamboat,  II.,  163. 
McComb.  J.  W.,  I.,  379. 
McCoy,  Capt., 

McCrea,  Drayton,  N.  Dak.,  I.,  165. 
McCumber,  P.  J.,  I.,  177. 

McCumber,  P.  J.,  address  at  annual  meeting  of  State  History  Meeting,  I.,  73. 
McDearman,  John  K.,  I.,  265. 
McDougall,   Mary,   I..  237. 
McGarry,  James,  I.,  359. 
McGregor,  James,  II.,  94. 

McGregor,  mail  carrier  and  store  keeper,  I.,  167. 
McHugh.  James  V.,  I.,  260. 
Mcllroy,  Rev.  Thomas,  I.,  209,  250. 
Mclntyre,  Malcolm,  II.,  94,  97. 
McKenney,  C  \V.,  I..  269,  273.  274,  282,  329;  J.   P.,  263,  267.  269,  270.  271. 

28?,  ,307,  note  2.  329;   1st  Lieut.  Westley,  II.,  102. 
McKen/ic,  Wm..  I..  162,  169. 

McKusick.  Capt.  J.   F.,  Fort  Wadsworth.  I..  424. 
McLaughlin,  Jas.  C.  Standing  Rock  Indian  Agt.,  I.,  470. 
McLaughlin,    Prof.   A.   C,  I.,  79. 
McLean,  Hugh,  I.,   126. 
McLcman,    Tohn.    11    94. 
McMani'^.  Fdward.  II.,  !I2. 
Mc.Martin,  Wm.   Jr.,   I.,   166. 
McMnllen,   Rev.    Danier.   I..  474. 

McPhcTMm,  E.  R.,  Jr..  I..  417;  Henry,  417;  Capt.  Henry,  264. 
McTate,  Jane.  II..   101;  William.   101. 
McCare.  Joseph,  IL,  101. 
MacDonell,  Alexander,  I..  117,   120.  124;  leads  attack  on  Selkirk  settlement, 

125;   Capt.   Miles,  92,  95,    KM),    102.   108,   Ui\   117,   118,   121.   122,   125,   132; 

arrested,   10,%   125. 
MacDonnell,  Gov.,  see   MacDonell   .Capt. 
Macfarlane,    .Andrew,   I.,    120. 
Macintosh,  James,  I.,   126. 
Mack.  Fred,  II..  113. 

MacKenzie,   Sir  Alexander,  account  of  travels,   I.,  Si),  87. 
Mackinaw   boat,   with   miners,   I.,   292,  293. 
MacLean.  Charles,  I.,  115,  116. 


182  INDEX. 

MacLeod,  John,  I.,  108,  109,  110,  111,  112,  113,  115,  118,    119,  125,  127.  131, 

132;  meets  Lord  Selkirk,  132;  John,  summoned  to  Quebec,  133;  Malcolm, 

107,  108,  109,  122.  123,  134. 
McLeod  manuscript,  I.,  105,  107,  135. 
Magenta,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  L,  268. 
Majestic,  steamboat,  II.,  155. 

Major,  ,  Washington,  D.  C,  II.,  81. 

Major  Anderson,   steamboat,  II.,  155. 

Malin,  J.  W.,  I.  .416. 

Malton,  G.   S.,  quartermaster,  Northern  Rangers,  II.,  95. 

Mandan  and  Hidatsa  villages  compared,  I.,  500. 

Mandan  letter  to  Pres.  Grant.  I.,  467. 

Mandan  village,  Fort  Clark,  descriptiion  of,  I.,  499. 

Manitoba,  I.,  80 ;  History  of,  by  Gunn.  96,  97,  99,  103 ;  Lake,  121 ;  part  of 

grant  to  Lord  Selkirk,  91 ;  seat  of  the  Selkirk  colony,  82 ;  steamboat  on 

the  Missouri  river,  232.  239. 
Manning,  Eugene,  II.,  92. 
Manitou,  Baa.,  I.,  121. 
Mantor,  Capt.  Peter,  II.,  89. 
Manvel,  I.,  164. 

Map  of  Riverside  township,  I.,  212. 
Map   showing  divisions  of  Riverside  township,  I.,  207. 
Maple  river,  crossing  of  by  Capt.  Fisk's  expedition,  II.,  43. 
Marcella,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  L,  284,  313,  319,  327,  329,  372,  375. 
Marcy,  Maj.  Gen.,  I.,  368. 
Mardell,  I.,  205    ;first  postmaster  of,  247;  first  teacher  in,  247;  history  of 

by  H.  A.  Bemis,  246;  history  of  by  Ole  Serumgard,  248;  illus.,  248. 
Maria,  steamboat  on  Missouri  river,  I.,  327. 
Maria's   river,   II..   67. 

Markham,  Peter.  I.,  475,  476,  477 ;  Capt.  W.,  II.,  89. 
Marmion,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  340. 
Maroine,  Geo.,  II..  98. 
Marquette,  Mrs.  J.   P.,  I.,  155. 

Mars,   steamboat,   II.,    155.  

Marsh,  Capt.  Grant,  I.,  808,  note  1.  416. 
Marshall,  stage  driver.  I.,   162. 
Marshall,   Gov.   Wm.   R.,   Minn.,   I..  456. 

Martin  ,  St.  Cloud.  Minn.,  II.,  12;  Joseph,  95. 

Marvin.  Geo.  B.,  II.,  94;  John  B.,  quartermaster.  Northern  Rangers.  95. 
Mary  McDonald,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  328,  344,  373,  375.  376, 

378. 
Mason,  Sarah.  I.,  178. 

Massacre  of  Selkirk  settlers,  1816.  I.,   128,  131. 
Massie,  W.  R.,  I..  267.  note  3,  417. 
Masters,  Henry,  L.   142. 
Matatope,  Mandan  chief.  I.,  465. 
Mathews,  Washington,  Fort  Buford.  T.,  468. 
Mattie  Stephens,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  284. 
Mayhcw,  Ambrose.  II.,  95. 
Mayo,  H.  H..St.  Cloud,  Minn.,  11..  13,  02,  93. 
Meagher,  Gen.  Thos.  F.,  I.,  446,  440. 
Medary,  Early  Dakota  town,  I.,  141. 
Medicine  Bottle,  Sioux  outbw,  II.,  120. 
Meehan,  Michael,  I.,  164. 

Meeting  of  citizens  and  soldiers  at  St.  Cloud,  II.,  96. 
Mcldrnm,  agent  at  Ft.  Union.  11.,  61. 
Menonites,  Canada,  I.,  236.  237. 
Merrick,  Rev.  Austin,  I.,  480. 
Merritt,  Frank,  I..  250. 
Mcsser,  Reuben,  II.,  101. 


INDEX.  183 

Meyers,  Henry,  II.,  100. 

Mexico,  steanioat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  315. 

Miami,  steamboat,  II.,  155. 

Military  road  between  Ft.  Benton  and  Ft.  Walla-Walla,  II.,  38. 

Milk  river,  II.,  44,  64,  65. 

Millard,  Ezra,  I.,  141. 

Miller,  Col.  Sibley,  expedition,  II.,  81 ;  Ignace,  I.,  219;  John,  arrest  of,  284; 

Mate  of  Robert  Campbell,  Jr.,  274;  murder,  283;  Sergt,  Fred,  II.,  110. 
Mills,  James,  II.,  96 ;  James  B.,  98 ;  Wallace  P.,  98. 
Miner,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  328,  339,  343,  344,  345,  354,  369, 

372,  373,  390,  398,  407 ;  report  of  trip  on,  392. 
Minnesota,  census  of,  1865,  II.,  101;  map  of,  1869,  opp.  8;  U.  S.  census  of, 

1860,  98. 
Minnesota  Volunteer  Infantry,  Fifth  Regt.  Co.*  D.,  II.,  10;   Fourth  Regt., 

Co.  D.,  9,  10;  Second  Regt,  Co.  A.,  9;  Second  Regt.,  Co.  B.,  9;  Seventh 

Regt.,   Co.   D.,    Colt's   rifles,  30. 
Mission  of  Jesuits  at  Coeur  d'Alene,  II.,  71. 
Missionary,  first  on  Red  river,  I.,  133. 
Missouri  river,  II.,  140   ;commerce  on,  I.,  387,  388,  389,  390;  description  of, 

380;  formation,  401,  404,  408;  gold  mines,  II.,  78;  improvement  of  navi- 
gation, I.,  384,  385,  386;  obstacles  to  navigation,  379;  passenger  traffic,  388 
Missouri  river  Steamboat  Trips,  logs  of,  I.,  2G2. 
Missouri  river  trade,  steamboats  engaged  in,  I.,  387,  388. 
Missouri  river,  II.,  140;  gold  mines,  78. 
Mitchell,  Gen.  H.  Z.,  report  of  Capt.  Freeman  to,  II.,  18,  20;  W.  B.,  letters 

to,  77;  Mrs.  Marie,  I.,  257. 
Mix,  Capt  Chas.  H.,  II.,  33.  89. 
Mollie  Dozier,  steamboat  en  the  Missouri  river.  I.,  313,  317,  318,  319,  320, 

321,  322,  323.  324,  325,  320   327. 
Montana,  I.,  287.  313,  315,  329,  371,  376,  377,  378. 
Montana,  Gold  Mines,  I..  34;  Fisk's  expeditions  to,  1864-1866,  421. 
Monticello,  I.,  180;  Minnesota.  II.,  103. 

Montreal.  I.,  110,  126, '132,  133;  visited  by  Lord  Selkirk,  88,  105. 
Moore,  John,  II.,  94. 

Morale,  half  breed  billed  by  Sioux,  II.,  49. 
Moran,  Martin,  I.,  227. 
Moravian  mission,  I.,  97. 
Morgan,  Andrew,  I..  204,  208.  238;   sketch  of,  240;  George  H.,  380;   John, 

II.,  96;  Samuel.  96;  Wm.  IL,  02. 
Morina,  George:  II.,  96. 
Mormon  emigrants,  I.,  220. 
Morning  Star,  steamboat,  II.,  164,  155. 
Mosettc,  J.  D.,  I.,  163. 
Mountaineer,   steamboat   on  the   Missouri   river,   I.,  330,   330,   340,   354,   355, 

372,  373,  374,  377  ,378. 
Mountain  Sheep,  seen  from  steamboat,  I.,  208,  333,  364. 
Mouse  river,  II.,  77;  description  oi,  52. 
Move   Slowly,   Mandan   chief,    I..  471. 
Mower,   Gen.   Joe.,   II.,  91. 

Mullan,  Capt.,  his  road  from  Ft.  Benton  to  Ft  Walla-Walla,  II.,  37. 
Murfreesboro,  Tenn.,  II. ,  10. 

Afuseum,  State  Hist.  Soc.  of  N.  Dak.,  Report  of,  I.,  5!. 
Muslade.  John.  II.,  94. 
Munity  of  Selkirk  settlers,  I.,  103. 
Nahgahnup.  Chippewa  chief,  I.,  479. 
Nashville,  Tenn.,  II.,  140 ;  battle  of,  152. 
Navigation  on  Missouri  river,  obstacles  to,  L,  381.^ 
Navy,  Swedish,  I.,  133. 

Ned  Tracey,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  315,  373,  375. 
Nellie  Peck,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  371. 


184  INDEX. 

■^ —  - 

Nellie  Rodgers,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  279,  281,  329. 

Nelson,  Amon,  I.,  233,  note  1 ;  first  school  in  house  of,  I.,  250.  ' 

Nelson,  S.  H.,  T.,  248. 

Nelson  river,    L,  92,   95,  98,  116. 

New  Albany,  Ind.,  II.,  149. 

Newbern,  N.  C,  II.,  156. 

Newell,  Dubois,  I.,  215,  note  7;  247. 

Newell,  Geo.  W.,  Corporal,  Citizen's  Company,  II.,  93. 

New  Caty,  steamboat  on  Missouri  river,  II.,  140. 

Niel  Lake,  L,  131. 

Nile,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  330,  341,  354,  372. 

Nininger;,  John,  I.,  444. 

Noble,  Capt.,  II.,  23. 

Noel,  Chas..  II.,  100;  M.  P.,  %. 

Nolan's  hotel,  McCauleyville,  Minn.,  picture  of,  II.,  opp.  18. 

Nora,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  340,  345,  373,  376,  388. 

Norman,  steamboat^  II.,  155. 

North  Alabama,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  356,  367. 

North  America,  first  battle  of  Whites  north  of  Lat.  40  degrees,  I.,  124. 

North  Dakota,  character  of  immigration  into.  I.,  194,  195.  196. 

North  Dakota,  earliest  settlers  in,  I.,  82;  early  history,  79,  80;  Norwegians 
in,  193;  Map  of,  500;  not  the  original  site  of  the  Selkirk  settlement,  93.  94; 
part  of  grant  to  Lord  Selkirk,  991 ;  relation  to  Hudson  Bay  Co.,  79. 

North  Dakota  Annual  Conference,  I.,  172. 

North  Dakota  State  Historical  Society,  I.,  107. 

North  Overland  Expedition,  Ft.  Abercrombie  to  Ft.  Benton,  1862,  II.,  35; 
in  1863,  79. 

Northern  Rangers,  expedition  of,  to  Ft.  .Abercrombie,  II.,  18;  roster  of, 
1862,  94. 

N^orthwest  Fur  company,  I.,  99.  10.-,.  106,  107,  108.  110,  112.  115.  117.  118. 
119,  123,  124,  125,  127,  128.  129.  130.  1.31,  132,  133,  134.  361,  396,  400.  477 
note  4;  amalgamation  with  Hudson's  Bay  Co.,  106;  aid  exodus  of  colonists, 
1815,  103,  104;  annual  meeting,  b^l4,  101;  assist  Red  river  colony.  95.  100. 
102;  attacked  by  brigade  under  Lord  Selkirk,  105;  attacked  by  Red  river 
colony,  101 ;  at  Pembina.  80;  at  Winnipeg.  80;  attitude  toward  Lord  Selkirk, 
1<X);  conveys  Selkirk  colonists  to  lower  Canada  by  boat,  125;  cut  oflF  from 
east,  104;  extends  to  plains.  Si];  in  Red  river  valley,  81,  82;  members  of,  96; 
opposition  to  Red  river  ctilony.  100;  ordered  to  vacate  Fort 'Gibraltar,  101; 
Pioneers  of  inland  trade,  81,  SO;  under  truce  with  Hudson's  Bay  Co.,  106. 

Northwest   Territories,  I.,   102. 

Norway,  causes  of  emigration  from,  I..  192,  193;  character  of  emigrants 
from.194,  li»5,  196;  character  of  soil,  189;  conditions  in.  200.  201;  loss  of 
population  by  emigration.  187,  188,  194,  197;  occupations  in,  189. 

Norwegian  cranberry,  I.,  213. 

Norwegian  immigration,  I..  186;  chart  showing  variation  in.  187;  chart 
showing  numbers  as  compared  with  those  from  other  countries,  194 ;  per- 
centage in  western  states,  197. 

Nor'westers,  see  Northwestern  Fur  company. 

Nova  Scotia,  I.,  135. 

Nudick,  Louis,  St.  Anthony,  Minn.,  I.,  425. 

Nugget,  steambont  on  the  Missouri  river.  I.,  316. 

Nvmph  No.  2,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river.  L.  332.  337,  372, 

Octavia,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  333,  345.  346.  347.  349,  350,  354, 
358,  372.  373.  378. 

Ohiman,  Joseph,  I.,  370  note   1. 

Ojibiwas  in  Dakota,  I..  150;  in  Pembina  band,  15<\ 

Old  Crossing,  Minn.,  II.,  21. 

Old  Dog's  Head,  Crow  Indian,  II..  64. 

Oldfield.  David,  II.,  94. 

Olcson,  Ole,  II.,  96. 


INDEX.  185 


Olin,  R.  C,  Assist.  Adj.  Gen.,  orders  to  Lieut.  Col.  C.  P.  Adams,  II.,  33. 

Omaha  City,  description  of,  I.,  392. 

Omaha  City,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  267,313. 

One  Horn,  Mandan,  I.,  470. 

Only  Chance,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  317,  328,  339,  353,  36G,  372, 
373,  377,  394,  40(5. 

Ontario,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river.  I.,  327. 

Oregon  Terr.,  gold  discoveries  in,  II. ,38;  gold  mines,  overland  Expedition 
to.  II.,  80. 

Osakis  Lake,  Minn.,  II.,  133. 

Otter  Tail  Crossing,  Minn.,  II.,  132. 

Otter  Tail  river,  II.,  7. 

Overland  emigration  train  to  gold  mines.  II.,  80. 

Overland  Expedition  in  18G3,  Capt.  Jas.  L.  Fisk,  II.,  83,  84,  85. 

Overton.  Capt.  G.  A.,  Fort  Wadsworth.  I.,  424. 

Ovrat,  Catherine,  II.,   100;  William    100. 

Owen,  J.  G.,  I..  328.  Jack,  263;  Major,  agent  of  Flathead  Indians,  II.,  37. 

Owens,  James,  II.,  94,  9S. 

Oxford  House.  I.,  131. 

Pacific  railroad,  exploration  for,  by  Gov.  Stephens,  II.,  38. 

Packineau,  Chas.,  interpreter,  T.,  466;  Jos. 

Painter,  Capt.,  II.,  114;  of  steamboat  International,  27,  29. 

Painter.  Jacob,  I.,  229. 

Paist,  Lieut.  VVm.,  Ft.  .A^ercrombie,  II.,  31. 

Pahce  HotcU    Mardell,  I..  247. 

Palfrey,  Charles,  L,  204,  239;  Henry,  215  note  1;  John  S.,  211. 

Palmason,  Jon.,  I.,  144. 

Pangman,   Bostonias,  L,  117,  118.  119.  130. 

Paragon,  steamboat  on  the  Miss.our  iriver.  I..  314,  315.  330.  341,  373.  376. 

Park,  Andrew,  Sr.,  list  of  old  tunes  by,  I.,  250;  sketch  of,  237. 

Park  Congrev?ati(-nal  church.  I..  209;  history  of.  25(>. 

Park  river  (Little  Salt),  L,  165. 

Park  River,  first  postoflRce  at.  I.,  168. 

Parks,  Isaac.  II..  94,  97. 

Parsons,  Ottie,  S.,  I.,  178. 

Pates.  John,  letter  from,  I.,  203. 

Patterson,  Capt.  J.  II.  Ft.  .Vbercrombie,  IL.  34,  89. 

Pau.  France,  death  of  Lord  Selkirk  at.  I..  20.3. 

Paul.   Mrs.   Elizabeth.   I.,  227. 

Paynesville,  Minn.,  TL,  20,  136. 

Payton,  I.  M.,  I.,  455. 

Pax^on,  Lewis  C.  description  of  Ft.  Abercrombie  in  18r)3.  II..  25;  extracts 
from  diary  of,  23;Ft.  Abercrombie  to  St.  Cloud,  Minn..  125.  126;  Ft.  Wads- 
wortli  to  Ft.  Rice^  D.  T..  135-139;  in  Gen.  Sully's  army,  140-145;  leaves  for 
Ft.  Ripley.  Minn..  132.  portrait  of.  opp.  116;  returns  from  army,  161;  serves 
in  U.  S.  army  in  Tenn.  and  X.  C,  149-160;  sketch  t)f.  102. 

Pearc  river,  T..  134. 

Peake,  Rev.  E.  Steele,  I.,  4^2. 

Pell.  \Vm.,  II..  23;   acting  post  adjutant.  Ft.  Abercrombie,   104. 

Pelouse  river,   IL,  71. 

Pemberton,  confederate  soldier,  L.  269. 

Pembina.  D.  T.,  I..  80.  94,  95,  99.  104,  117,  118,  129,  130,  1.32;  IL,  25.  4L 

Pembina  band  of  Ojibwas,  I.,  150. 

Pembina  Fort,  D.  T.,  IL,  6. 

Pembina  House.  I..  94,  104;  destroyed,  130. 

Pembina,  Red  river  cart  train,  bound  for,  IL,  118. 

Peninah.  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  343,  346,  247,  348,  351,  3.54,  ^55 
358,  360. 

Penney,  R.  L.,  L,  260. 

Peoria  City,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  315,  330. 


186  INDEX. 

Peoria,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  II.,  140. 

Pepoon,  W.  A.,  I.,  178. 

Perished  Children  village,  Mandan,  1.,  46. 

Persival,  Bedford,  I.,  314. 

Peru,  cut  off  at,  I.,  413. 

Peteler,  Lieut.  Col.  Francis,  II.,  23,  25,  27,  29,  89 ;  arrival  at  Ft.  Abercrombie, 

24,  107;  leaves  Ft.  Abercrombie,  116;  letter  of  John  Schultz  to,  25;  on  a 

furlough,  108;  order  to,  respecting  Ft.  Abercromie,  23;  portrait  of,  opp. 

23 ;  resignation  at  Ft.  Abercrombie,  30 ;  soldiers*  resolutions  on,  30 ;  stockade 

at  Ft.  Abercrombie,  128. 
Peter  Balen.  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  328. 
Peterson,  Christ,  II.,  96;  John,  96;  Nels,  I.,  204;  Peter,  166;  II.,  96. 
Phelps.  Daniel,  II.,  92;  death  of,  113. 
Phillips,  Dr.  J.  U  I..  142. 
Phillips,  Lieut.  2nd  Minn.  Reg.,  I.,  424. 
Piatt,  Chas.  C,  I.,  215  note  1. 
Pierce,  Hubbel,  I.,  238. 

Pierre.  Chouteau,  Jr.,  Co..  at  Ft.  Union,  II.,  36,  61. 
Pitezel,  Rev.  J.  H..  I.,  479. 
Pittsburg,  Penn.,  II.,  162. 
Plannette,  B.  C.  I.,  177. 
Pianette,  Rev.  D.  C,  I.,  173. 

Platte  Valley,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  L,  26^,  313. 
Pocahontas,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  347. 
Point  Douglas,  I.,  93,  112,  128. 
Poindexter,  John,  I.,  346. 
Ponce,  John  G.  W.,  I.,  417. 

Polter,  Rich.,  2nd  Sergt.,  Northern  Rangers,  II.,  95. 
Pomme  de  Terre,  Minn..  II.,  21,  125,  126,  133. 
Poor  Wolf,  Grosventre  chief,  I.,  466. 
Pope,  Maj.  Gen.  John,  I.,  423;  letter  of  Jas.  W.  Taylor  to,  II.,  24;  letter 

to  Lieut.  Col.  Peteler,  23. 
Portage  la  Prairie,  I.,  104,  120. 
Porter,  R.,  I.,  417. 
Portlnd.  Oregon,  II..  37. 
Potter,  Rich.,  II.,  98. 
Potts,  Howard.  II.,  94. 
Pound,  S.  J.,  I.,  203,  208.  250. 
Prairie  Dog  Town,  I.,  361. 
Prairie  Fires  in  Riverside  Township,  I.,  206. 
Prairie  Outpost.  I..  129,  130. 

Prairie  State,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  30G,  308. 
Prebstfield  (Probstfield),  Michael,  II.,  100. 
Prickly  Pear  river,  II.,  69. 
Priestly,   Thomas.  I.,  424. 

Prince  Edward  Island,  home  of  1st  Selkirk  colony,  I.,  88. 
Prince  of  Wales,  sailing  vessel,  I.,  92,  96,  97. 
Probert,  E.  L,  II..  94. 
Probisher,  Benj.,  I.,   117. 
Prolwrt    E.  L,  II.    94. 

Probstfield*  Catherine,  E.,  II.,  101;  Paul,  94. 

Probstfield,  R.  M.,  II.,  3,3,  lol;  census  taker  for  1805.  Clay  Co.,  Minn.,  101. 
Probisher.  Benjamin,  I.,  117. 
Provincial   Library  of   Manitoba,  I.,   115. 
Provcncher.  Father  Joseph  Norbert,  I.,  95. 
Pruden,  John  Peter,  chief  factor,  I.,  134. 
P.  S.  McCiill,  steamboat  on  the  ^Iissouri  river,  I.,  373. 
Pugh,  Evan  E.,  II.,  131. 
Purinston,  R.  O.  D..  I.,  209. 
Quantrcll,  guerilla  chief,  I.,  209. 


INDEX.  187 

Quigg.  Hugh,  II.,  94;  Hugh  H.,  97;  James,  94,  97. 

Raleigh,  N.  C,  II.,  160;  the  army  mustered  out,  161. 

Ramsdell,  Joel,  II.,  94. 

Ramsey,  Gov.  Alexander,  I.,  488,   II.,  123. 

Randolph,  2d  Lieut.  N.  F.,  II.,  102;  portrait  of,  opp.  116. 

Ransom,  Fort,  D.  T.,  II.,  6. 

Rattle  Snake  bite,  Indian  cure  for,  I.,  410. 

Rewalt,  Corporal  B.  F.,  II..  118. 

Raymond,  John  H.,  II.,  21,  96. 

Red  Lake  Treaty  Expedition,  leaves  Ft.  Abercrombie,  IL,  123. 

Red  Lake  treaty  train,  II.,  11. 

Red  river,  I.,  80,  81,  91,  93,  98,  99,  102,  103,  104,  107,  108,  112,  116,  118.  119, 
120,  123,  127,  128,  129,  131,  133. 

Red  river  cart  train,  II.,  114,  124;  from  Ft.  Garry,  118. 

Red  river  collegiate  instititute,  I.,  175. 

Red  river  colonists,  as  agriculturists,  I.,  99;  crops,  128;  forced  to  become 
soldiers,  99;  houses  destroyed,  125;  winter  at  Dakota,  104. 

Red  river  colony,  I.,  89,  91,  92,  96,  108,  110.  112,  115,  118,  119,  120,  125,  126, 
127,  29;  arrival  at  Red  river,  93,  94;  attacked  by  Nor'westers,  125;  dis- 
bands in  1815,  103;  embarks  for  Lower  Canada,  1815,  103;  equipment,  95; 
first  winter,  1811-12,  92;  grows  discontented,  102;  in  Dakota,  94,  95;  in- 
land journey,  93;  leaves  for  York,  1<>3;  moves  to  Pembina  and  -Turtle 
River,  94,  95;  opposed  by  Northwest  Fur  Co.,  100;  protected  by  truce, 
106;  receives  aid  from  the  Northwest  company,  95;  reinforced,  104;  second 
winter,  1812-13,  95;  on  Red  river,  1812,  82;  takes  Ft.  Douglas,  103;  third 
winter,  1813-14,  99. 

Red  river  colony,  see  also  ,SeIkn*k  colonists,  Selkirk  colony,  Selkirk  settle- 
ment. 

Red   river  country,   I.,   109. 

Red  river  district,  I.,  123. 

Red  river  of  the  North,  II. ,  7;  steam  navigation  on,  24. 

Red  river  settlement,  I.,  116,  120,   122,   123,  125,  128,  133,  134. 

Red  river  trail,  IL,  8. 

Red  river  valley,  trip  through  in  18G4,  I.,  146. 

Red  River  Valley  University,  first  board  of  trustees,  I..  177;  first  faculty 
of,  178;  history  of,  171;  presidents  of,  178;  second  board  of  trustees,  177. 

Red  Wing,  Minn.,  IL,  148. 

Reed,  Rev.,  Indian  missionary,  L,  275. 

Reed,  S.  A.,  L,  260. 

Reeder,  A.,  L,  416. 

Rcid,  Collector,  I.,  115. 

Report  of  Secretary  of  State  His.  Soc..  N.  Dak.,  I.,  9. 

Report  on  obstacles  to  navigation  in  Missouri  river.  I.,  379. 

Resolution  commending  management  of  Fisk's  expedition,  18tV2,  IL,  75;  of 
citizens'  meeting,  St.  Cloud,  Minn.,  96;  of  garrison  at  Ft.  Abercrombie,  on 
Lieut.   Col.    Peteler,  31. 

Resseanbleu,  Ecan,   IL,  114. 

Reykjallin,  H.,  L,  144. 

Reynolds.  Rev.  N.  L.,  5.,  256. 

Reynolds,   Samuel   IL,   I.,  246. 

Rhinehart,  Jacob,  Kelley's  Point,  L.  167. 

Rhodes,  Rev.  J.  C,  Bismarck,  L,  177. 

Rice  .Fort.,  D.  T.,  IL,  140,  145;  established,  139. 

Rice,  Henrv  M.,  I.,  486. 

Richard,  Harry,  L,  229. 

Richardson,   R.   B.,  I.,   177. 

Richmond,  Ft.,  at.  L,  182. 

Richmond,  Minn.,  IL,  20,  126. 

Richmond,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  337,  373,  376,  405. 

Ridgely,   D.  IL,   IL,  96. 


188  INDEX. 


Ridgely.   Fort,   Minn.,  9,  136,  147. 

Ripley,  Fort,  Minn.,  11.^  8. 

Riverside  township,  buffalo  bones  in,  I.,  206;  change  of  population  in,  212, 

215,  216;   first  postoffice  in,  208;  first  teacher  in,  208;  Highland  customs 

in,   214;   history  of,   202;   map  of,   212;   map   showing  divisions   in.   207; 

pioneer  conditions  in,  200,  210,  211;  prairie  fires  in,  206;  schools  in,  216, 

2!7;  settlement,  202;  social  conditions  in,  211,  212. 
Riviere  des  Lacs.  II.,  54. 
Road  from  H.  Ripley  to  Red  River  of  the  North,  II.,  8;  to  Ft.  Abercrombie, 

8,   9. 
Roanoke,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  302,  306,  307.  308,  311. 
Robt.  Campbell,  Jr.,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  263,  264,  267,  269. 
Robert  Campbell,  Jr.,  fight  with  Sioux,  I.,  278,  note  1. 
Robertson,  Colin,  I.,  119,  128.  130. 
Robertson,  J.  P..  Provincial  Librarian,  I.,  115. 
Robertson,  Rev.  E.  P.,  I.,  174,  178. 
Robiscar.  Louis,  II..  100;  Margaret,  100. 
Robinson.  Martin,  I.,  247. 
Roche,  Edward.  II..  98. 
Rock  Village.  Mandan,  I.,  465. 
Rockwood,   Capt.,   Alexandria,   Minn.,   II.,   30. 

Rogers,  C.  J..  I.,  417;  Gillman,  II.,  94;  Lieut.  Col.  H.  C,  portrait  of,  opp.  148. 
Rood,  Abgail,  L.  263;  Oliver,  C,  2fi3. 
Rosignal.  Auguste.  II.,  100. 
Ross,  Alexander,  I.,  108,  123;  Joseph  Gerry,  242;  Thomas,  231;  R.  D.,  jorr- 

nal  of,  portrait,  220.  242;  sketch  of,  242;   trips  to   Bannock  City,   Idaho, 

244;  trips  to  Utah,  230,  note  1,   245;  Mrs.  R.  D.,  death  of,  244. 
Ross-shire,  Scotland,  I.,  84. 
Roster  of  Capt.  Freeman's  Northern  Rangers,  1862,  XL,  94;  of  company  of 

citizens  mustered  in  at  Ft.  Abercrombie,  1862,  92. 
Rounsville.  Chas.,  II.,  99;  Sylvia.  99;  Wm.,  99. 
Rowell.  Wm.  A.,  member  of  Fisk's  expedition,  1862,  IL,  75. 
Rubicon,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  314,  329. 
Ruchnell,  Augustus,   II.,  92,  94. 
Running  Face,  Mandan  Indian,  L,  466. 
Ruperts  Land.  I.,  97,  106. 

Rushing-after-the-Eagle,   Mandan  chief,  sketch  of,   I.,  465. 
Russell,  E.,  Breckenridge,  Minn.,  II.,  12;  J.  A.,  member  of  Sibley  expedition. 

letter  of,  83. 
Ryan,  S.  E.,  I.,   177. 
Ryder,   Samuel,   I.,  417. 
Sage,  .Alexander,  interpreter,  I.,  506. 
Saginigas,  Lake,  I.,  91. 
St.  Andrews,  N.  D.,  I.,  165. 

St.  Clair,  Chas..  member  of  Fisk's  expedition,  1862,  IL,  75. 
St.  Cloud  Democrat,  quotations  from,  I..  423  note  1,  425  note  1.  451  note  1, 

455  note  1,  457  note  2.  II.,  9.  10.  11,  14,  17,  18,  19,  22,  24,  28,  31,  32,  72, 

74,  76,  78.  81,  96.  97.     " 
St.   Cloud,   Minn.,   I.,   180,   II.,  6,   11,   12,  20,  22,  29,  80.   113,  125,   126,   13:^, 

meeting  of  Ft.  Abercrombie  survivors,  96;  wagon  train,  113, 
St.   Germains.  I.,  129. 

St.   Helena,  Neb.  Terr.,  description  of,  I.,  272. 
St.  Joe,  steamboat  on  the   Missouri   river,  I.,  316,  414. 
St.  John's  cathedral,  I.,   106. 
St.  Johns,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river.  I.,  300.  303,  306.  313,  316,  317.  326, 

329,  344-3()(),  372,  373.  375. 
St.   Louis,  trade   from,  to  P't.  Union.  1 1.,  61. 
St.  Luke,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  343,  354. 
St.  Paul  Daily  Press.  I.,  424,  note  1;  quotations  from,  II.,  75,  78,  79,  81,  82, 

84,   85. 


INDEX.  189 

St.  Paul  Globe,  I.,  483  note  2. 

St.  Paul.  Minn.,  II.,  9,  23,  29,  37,  40,  78,  104,  148,  162,  163. 

St.  Paul  Weekly  Pioneer,  451  note  1,  453  note  1,  456  note  1. 

St.  Paul  Weekly  Press,  446  note  1,  449  not  1,  450  note  1,  454  note  1,  456 
note  2,  458  note  1. 

St.  Regis  de  Borgia  river,  II.,  70. 

Sallie,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  345,  354. 

Salmon  River  gold  mines,  II.,  76. 

Salt  Lake,  II.,  38. 

Samgaty,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  264,  282,  286,  301,  302,  303,  304, 
309,  311,  313,  375.  376,  378. 

Sam  Orr,  steamboat  II.,  155. 

Sanborn,  Fort   (Georgetown),  II.,  10. 

Sanborn,  J.  B.,  I.,  488;  J.  N.,  II.,  97. 

Sanborn,    Cooperstown  and  Turtle   Mountain  R.   R.,    I.,   249. 

Sanborne,  ^  II.,  94. 

San  Francisco,  departure  of  Capt.  Fisk  for,  II.,  71. 

Sandy  Lake  Mission,  I.,  477.  note  4;  report  of  Enmegahbowh  on,  478,  479. 

Sauk  Center.  Minn.,  II..  18,  20,  103.  125,  126,  133,  135;  fort  at,  I.,  182. 

Saulteaux  I.,  129,  130;  chief  of,  129. 

Saunders,  Alexander,  I.,  202,  204 ;  sketch  of,  231 ;  portrait,  241 ;  Geo.,  Sr., 
209;  sketch  of,  239;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Geo.,  Sr.,  portrait,  234. 

Scambler,  Robt.,  II.,  101. 

Scarred   Face,   Mandan  Indian,  I.,  467. 

Scarred  Wolf,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river.   Log  of,  I.,  343,  359. 

Scharpenter,  early  French  settler,  I.,  165. 

Schemidlio,  A.,  I.,  444. 

Schwab,  John  A.,  I.,  417. 

Schultz,   John,   Red   River  settlement,   letter  to  Lieut.   Col.   Pcteler,   II:,  26. 

Schulz.   Wm.,   II.,   92. 

Scotch  Dishes,   I.,  251. 

Scotland,  I.,  lk>,  99 ;  highlands  of.  I.,  84,  136. 

Scotland,   Selkirk  agents  in,  I.,  91. 

Scott,  Mrs.,  Old  Crossing,  Minn.,  II.,  13;  Thomas  W.,  I.,  416. 

Scott  family,  massacre  of,  I.,  184. 

Scoric   Hill    Village.    Mandan,    I.,   470,   471. 

Scrleye,  Chas.,   II.,  97. 

Seal   Creep,  winter  station  at,  I..  92. 

Sec.  State  Hist.  Soc..  report  of,  I.,  9. 

Seeley.  Capt.  Robt..  I.,  255;  chas.,  II.,  94;  Jas.  C,  92. 

Selfridge,  Acting  Adj.  Gen.  R.  D. ,  order  of,  to  Lieut.  Col.  Peteler,  II.,  24; 
Maj.  J.  O.,  121. 

Selkirk,  counties  of,  I..  132. 

Selkirk.  Earl  of,  see  Selkirk,   Lord. 

Selkirk,  Lord,  I..  80,  87,  98,  99.  100,  101,  102,  103,  104,  107,  108.  110,  112.  119, 
123,  24.  127,  128,  131,  132;  advertisement  and  prospectus  of  the  new  col- 
ony, 135;  arrival  at  Ft.  Douglas,  1816,  106;  British  government,  87-88; 
buys  Hudson's  Bay  company  stock,  89.  calls  meeting  of  colonists,  106; 
death  of,  at  Pau,  France,  106;  his  1st  colony,  87-88;  Hudson's  Bay  Com- 
pany, 88,  89,  90;  leads  brigade  against  Nor'westcrs,  105;  mandates  of 
ejection,  90;  motives  for  colonizing,  89;  orders  rivals  to  retire,  90;  proc- 
lamation of.  101 ;  send  out  more  settlers,  1813,  96,  97 ;  returns  to  England, 
88,  106;  visit  to  Montreal,  1803,  SS,  89;  visit  to  Montreal.  1815,  105;  winters 
with  bridgade  nt  Ft.  William,  105;  Selkirk  account  of  colony  dispersion 
in   1815,   111. 

Selkirk  colonists,  armed,  I.,  9S. 

Selkirk  colonists  of  1811.  I.,  91,  92,  95. 

Selkirk  colonists  of  1813.  I.,  96.  97,  104;  at  Hudson's  Bay,  97;  moved  to 
Colony  Creek,  97;  reach  th€  Red  river,  98. 

Selkirk  colonists  of  1815,  I.,  104,  105. 


190  INDEX. 

Selkirk  colony,  I.,  93,  94,  95;  first  winter,  92;  second  winter,  95. 

Selkirk  colony,  see  also.  Red  river  colony,  and  Selkirk  settlement. 

Selkirk  settlement,  I.,  108;  II.,  8,  24;  conditions  leading  to  founding,  I.,  83; 
on  Red  river,  1812,  82;  original  site  of,  93,  94;  part  of  widei  movements, 
83;  relation  to  North  Dakota  history,  by  Rev.  Gunn,  79. 

Selkirk  settlement,  see  also  Red  river  colony  and  Selkirk  colony. 

Selkirk,  steamboat,  picture  of,  II.,  opp.  9. 

Selkrig,  Chas.,  I.,  482. 

Semple,  Gov.  Robt.,  I.,  104,  128,  129,  130;  attacks  Nor  westers,  105;  killed 
at  Seven  Oakes.   105. 

Serumgard,  Ole.,  I.,  247;  historv  of  Mardell,  248. 

Settlement  of  Kildonan,  I.,  123,  124. 

Settler,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  303. 

Seven  Oakes,  I.,  131 ;  battle  of,  105. 

Shadbolt,  Martha.  II.,  99;  Seaman,  99. 

Shauer,  Jacob,  II.,  95. 

Shaw,  Rev.  Edwin  S.,  I..  209,  250. 

Sheyenne  river,  crossing  by  Capt.  Fisk's  expedition,  II.,  41,  42;  second 
crossing  by  Capt.  Fisk's  expedition,  46. 

Shaylor,  Chas.  W..  II.,  99;  James  S.,  99. 

Sheckler.  Rev.  T.  H..  I.,  177. 

Sheheke,  Mandan  chief,  I.,  470,  471,  472. 

Shepard,  Frank,  II.,  114. 

Shepley,  Jas.  A.,  Ord.  Sergt.,  Northern  Rangers,  II.,  95. 

Sherman,  H.,  II.,  130;  Richard  P.,  I.,  246,  248  note  1. 

Shillock,  Daniel  G.,  I.,  2o0. 

Shreveport.  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  276,  277,  278,  279,  280,  281, 

282,  2S0,  328,  344. 

Shunks,  W.  D.,  I.,  417. 

Sibley  expedition  of  1863,  II.,  32. 

Sibley,  Gen.  H.  H..  I.,  4^<3;  II.,  90,  119,  137;  arrival  at  Ft.  Abercrombie, 
122;  expedition  against  Sioux,  81,  120. 

Sidell,  Lieut.  Col.  \V.  H.,  IT.,  34,  89. 

Siebottom,  Norman,  1st  engineer  on  Bertha,  I.,  343,  359. 

Siegel.  \Vm.,  II.,  13,  92. 

Silver,   D.   II.,   I.,  416. 

Silver  Lake  No.  4.  steamboat  on  tne  Missouri  river,  I.,  330  note  1,  337,  357, 
361,  372,  374,  375,  376. 

Sims,  Chas.  F..  I.,  450. 

Sims,  Chas.  F.,  description  of  Fisk's  expedition  of  1864,  I.,  431 ;  portrait 
of,  431. 

Sims,  Chas.  F.,  sketch  of.  I.,  439,  note  1 ;  L.  G.,  II.,  90. 

Simmons,    Andrew.    II.,   98. 

Simonton,  John,  II.,  96. 

Sims  F.  \V.,  T..  43S,  455;  portrait  of,  431;  W.  H..  359,  367;  nates  by,  341, 
370,  371  ;   portrait  of.  431;   sketch  of,  371. 

Sinclair.  Colon.   II.,  134. 

Sioux  City,  stcaml>oat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I,,  270,  286,  313. 

Sioux  Cilv,  Iowa,  description  of,  I.,  394. 

Sioux  Indians,  I..  122,  129,  421;  at  Ft.  Union.  II.,  61;  attack  Arikara  vil- 
Inuo,  T..  o^h):  attack  Benton,  steamboat  on  the  Mi<;!;ouri  river,  307;  at- 
tack Fisk  expedition,  18r«4,  426;  attack  Ft.  Abercrombie.  II.,  11;  attack 
(ion.  (irant,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  301;  attack  Shreveport, 
<iteanil)oat  on  the  Mi*^«oiiri  river,  277;  escape  of.  to  Canada,  II.,  25; 
fiiilu  with  hunter,  I.,  3-J6  note  1 ;  fight  with  wtwid  choppers,  356  note  1 ; 
fire  on  the  Bertha,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  3<m  note  2;  hostilities 
and  half-breeds  II.,  29;  kill  male  of  St.  Johns,  steamboat  <>n  the  Missouri 
ri\er,  I..  3ori;  kill  wood  choppers.  .3r».'i,  note  1:  prisoners  at  St,  Joseph, 
207;  prisoners  taken  to  St.  Cloud,  Minn.,  II..  L'i^l;  war  of  18^12,  I.,  179; 
war   party,   323. 


INDEX.  191 

^ . 

Sioux-Chippewa  peace  convention  in  1870,  picture  of,  II.,  opp.  34. 

Sisseton  Sioux,  treaty  with,  II.,  132. 

Sitting  Buffalo,  Mandan  chief,  I.,  471. 

Slabtown,  Ft.  Abercrombie,  II.,  10,  26,  106,  107;  map  of,  10. 

Slant  village,  Mandan,   I.,  465. 

Slaton,  Ezra,  Jr.,  99;  Ezra,  Sr.,  99;  Rachel,  99;  Vera,  99. 

Slayton,    Morey,   II.,   99. 

Slingsby,  Katheryn,  first  teacher  in  Riverside  township,  I.,  208;  George, 
sketch  of,  239;  Mrs.  George,  211. 

Slontour,  Bonhonime,  I.,  118. 

Small,  Henry  L.,  II..  92. 

Smith,  Adam,  II..  98. 

Smith,  Capt.  T.  D.,  II.,  11,  14,  15,  23,  24,  93;  arrival  at  Ft.  Abercrombie, 
107;  resolutions  praising,  97. 

Smith,  Charles,  II.,  96;  Edward  B.,  Com.  Indian  affairs,  I.,  468;  Gen.  A.  J., 
II.,  91;  Henry,  I.,  .314. 

Smith,  Isiah,  II.,  92;  death  of,  122. 

Smith,   Jefferson,   I.,   303. 

Smith,  Lieut.,  Fisk  expedition  of  in  1864,  I.,  436. 

Smith,  Peter,  II..  90 ',  Robert  M.,  98;  Samuel  B.,  134;  Sergt.  J.  H.,  Ft. 
Abercrombie,  Co.  II.,  8th  Regt.,  30. 

Smugglers'   Point,  I.,  232,  236. 

Snake   river,   II.,  71. 

Snell,  Chas.  W..  II..  92,  93,  97. 

Snyder,  Joseph,   I.,  250. 

Soldiers*  Home,  Washington,  D.  C,  II.,   155. 

Sombart,  C.  L.,  I.,  417. 

Son  of  Star,  Arikara,  I.,  466. 

Sousby,  J.  R.,  I..  410. 

South  Pass,  Rocky  Mts.,  II.,  38. 

Spates,  Rev.  Samuel.  I.,  476. 

Spencer,    hotel    proprietor,    Breckenridge.    Minn.,    II.,    12;    E.,    I., 

417;  Elishn  S.,  II.,  94;  John,  I.,  r22;  R.  M.,  member  of  Fisk  expedition, 
1862,  75. 

Sperry,  L.  B.,  Ft.  Berthold  agent,  I.,  469. 

Spokane  river,  II.,  71. 

Spray,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  311. 

Spread  Eagle,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  269,  284. 

Stafford,  Marquis  of,  1st  Duke  of  Sutherland,  I.,  84. 

Standing  Buffalo,   Sioux  chiefs  II.,  83. 

Standing  Rock,  D.  T.,  II.,  34. 

Stansbury,  Howard,  Capt  U.  S.  Top.  Engineers,  II.,  9;  footnote  2;  John 
T.,  35. 

Stanton,  Edwin  M.,  Sec.  of  War,  report  of  Capt.  Fisk's  expedition,  IL,  35. 

Starkey,  Rev.  J.  B..  I.,  177. 

Starrat,   David.   II.,  98. 

Star  Robe,  chief  of  Grosventre  Indians,  II.,  63. 

State  Hist.  Soc.  of  N.  D.,  annual  members  of,  I.,  16;  articles  of  incorpora- 
tion, 9;  by-laws  of,  10;  donations  and  loans  to,  58;  Hoffman  Loan  Col- 
lection, 61;  honorary  members  of,  15;  laws  respecting,  12;  life  mem- 
bers of,  15;  McKenzie  Loan  Collection.  63,  newspapers  received  by,  52; 
officers  and  directors  of,  15 ;  report  of  field  work,  64 ;  report  of  museum 
and  library,  51;  report  of  receipts  and  expenditures  of,  21. 

Stavan^er,  Norway,  Labor  conditions  in,  I.,  190-191. 

Stean>boat  watches  described.  I.,  327  note  1. 

Steamboats,  in  Fort  Benton  trade,  I.,  372. 

Stearns,  J.  L.,  II.,  140. 

Stearns,  W.  N.,  History  of  Red  River  Valley  University,  I.,  171. 

Steele,  Edwin  D.,  Mankato,  Minn.,  II.,  13,  92;  H.  B.,  L,  454. 

Stephen  Decatur,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  313;  II.,  154,  155. 


192  INDEX. 

Sterner,  Wm.,  I.,  94,  97. 

Stevens,  Gov.,  road  surveved  by,  I.,  35,  38;  camp  of,  in  1853,  46. 

Stevens,  Julhis.  I.,  246,  249;  Rev.,  Fargo,  241. 

Stevens'  Pass,  Rocky  Mts.,  II.,  70. 

Stewart,  Angus.,  I.,  205  note  1 ;  sketch  of,  241. 

Stewart,    Rich.,    I.,    166.  ' 

Stokes,  J.  W.,  II.,  94. 

Stone,  Gov.  Wm.'A.,' Pa.,  I.,  256;  Hiram,  II.,  94,  97;  J.  M.,  97;  L.  J..  I.. 

208,   239,   250. 
Stonewall,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I..  329,  343,  376,  377. 
Stornoway,  I.,  92,  115,  116. 

Stout,  A.  B„  field  work  of,  I.,  498;  at  Fort  Berthold.  506;  in  N.  D.,  65. 
Strong,   C.   D.,   I.,  449;   E.    M.,  member   of   Capt.    Fisk's   expedition,   1S62, 

II.,  72. 
Stull,  Rev.  E.  B.,  I..  177. 

Success,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  353,  364. . 
Sukash,  Mandan  chief,  I.,  465. 
Sully,  Gen.  A.  H..  L,  421,  422,  426,  428,  433. 
Sully,  Gen.,  expedition  of,  I.,  282  note  1. 
Sully*s   Elxoedition,   II.,   144. 
Sully,   Gen*,  Alfred,   II.,   139. 
Sumner,  Chas.,  II.,  94,  97. 
Sun  Dance  of  Blackfeet  Indians,  II.,  G6. 
Sunday,  John,  Qiippewa  Indian,  I.,  474,  475. 
Sundin,   H.  A.,  L,  248. 
Sun  river,  II.,  69. 

Sunset,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,   I.,  328,  338,  414. 
Sunshine,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  269,  270. 
Sutherland,  Countess  of,  I.,  84. 
Sutherland,  Duchess  of,  estates,  I.,  84. 
Sutherland,  Duke  of,  see  Stafford,  Marquis  of. 
Sutherland,  James,   1st  missionary  on  Red  river,  I.,  133. 
Sutherland  estate,  evictions  on,  I.,  85-86. 
Sutherlandshire,  I.,  96,  106. 

Tache,  Bishop,  Ft.  Garry,  II.,  25,  115;  arrival  from  St.  Paul,  Minn.,  120. 
Tacony,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  316-328,  371,  372. 
Taft,   Robert,   II.,  97. 

Tanner,  Elijah  J.,  II.,  96;  James,  Giippewa  interpreter,  17,  21,  22,  1'6. 
Tappan,  John  E.,  Ft.  Berthold  agem,  I.,  468. 
Tarascon,  steamboat,  II.,   155. 
Tarleton,  Annette  J.,  II.,  98;  Thos.,  98. 
Tate,   n.,   II.,   94. 

Taunchney,  John,  Chippewa  missionary,  I.,  475. 

Taylor,  Charles,  II.,  96;  Jas.  W.,  special  agent.,  U.   S.  Treas.  Dept.,  25. 
Taylor,    Oscar,    1st    Lieut.,    Northern    Rangers.    95;    U.    S.   census   taker   in 

imK  II.,  98. 
Tebeau,  J.  E.,  I.,  416. 

Tempest,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  II.,  140. 
Ten   Mile   Point,  Minn.,   IL,   132. 
Terry,  Brig.  Gen.  A.  H.,  report  of,  II.,  34. 
Terry,  steamboat  on  the   Missouri  river,  I.,  371. 
Thomas,  C.  W..  freight  shipped  by,  from  St.  Louis,  I.,  375. 
Thomas,  Col.  M.  T.,  portrait  of,  II.,  opp.  148. 
Thompson,  Benj.,  1st  Lieut.  Citizen's  Company,  II.,  93,  94. 
Thompson,  1st  Lieut.  2d  Minn.  Cav.,  I.,  428. 
Thompsim,  David,  I.,  94;  at  Pembina.  1798.  82. 

Thompson.  Frank,  I.,  485;    Horace,  449;   W.   H.,  264;   W.  O.,    II.,  94,   97. 
Thorgrimsen,   Rev.   H.   B.,  I.,  144. 
Thorlaksson,  Haraldur,  I..  144. 
Thorlaksscm,   Pall.,  I,,   144. 


INDEX.  193 


Throckmorton,  Joseph,  I..  416. 

Throckmorton,  William,  I.,  416. 

Three  Rivers,  I.,  133. 

T.  Q.  McGill,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  264,  315,  330,  376. 

Tobacco,  son  of  White  Painted  House,  I.,  471. 

Todd,  Capt.,  I.,  331  note  1 ;  J.  B.  S.,  14* 

Tohka,  Wm.,   II.,  96. 

Tombs  Co.,  Minn.,  U.  S.,  census  of  1860,  II,  98 

Tom  Morgan,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  287. 

Tom  Stevens,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  328,  336,  338,  357,  363, 

373,  376. 
Townsend.   Mrs.  B.  J.,  death  of,  I.,  362,  363. 
Totten,  Fort.  D.  T.,  II.,  6. 

Tracy,  J.  R.,  4th  Corporal,  Northern  Rangers,  II.,  95. 
Treaty  goods,  for  Red  Lake  Chippewa s,  II.,  15. 
Treaty  Train,  Red  Lake,  Minn.,  II.,  11. 
Trohjem,  Norway,  labor  conditions  in.  II.,  190,  191. 
Trudo,  John,  I.,  166. 

Tubbs,  G.  W.,  I.,  455;  Hon.  Chas.,  Osceola.  Pa.,  255. 
Tucker,  Johanna,  II.,  99;  Moses,  99. 
Tupilo,  Miss,  Battle  of.  11.,  91. 
Turner,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  315. 
Turtle   Mountain,   I.,   129. 
Turtle  river,  I.,  95.  108,  122,  129. 
Turtle  River  trading  post,  I.,  117. 

Twilight,  steamer  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  301.  304,  305. 
Tyler.  Henry  F.,  St.  Anthony,  married  on  the  Fisk  expedition  of  1862,  II., 

46,  72. 
Typical   villages  of  Mandans,  Arikara  and  Hidatsa,  I.,  498. 
Tysen.  J.  R.,  account  of  the  Fisk  expedition  in  1862,  II.,  72;  member  of  the 

Fisk  expedition,   1862,  72. 
Underwriter,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  414. 
Union,  Fort,  II..  37,  40,  76,  77,  142,  143;  agent  Meldrum  at,  61;  arrival  of 

Capt.  Fisk,  1862,  61. 
United  States  Census,  Tombs,  Polk,  Breckenridge  Cos.,  Minn.,  186>,  II.,  98, 

99,  im. 

United  States  War  Department,  report  of,  II.,  9,  footnote  1. 

Updike,  Lewis,  II.,  131. 

Upton,  Benjamin  A.,  I.,  216  note  4.  247;  sketch  of,  240. 

Urilda,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  357,  360,  365. 

Vacant,  Ann,  II.,  98. 

Van  Amen,  St.  Anthony,  Minn.,  I.,  179. 

Vande  Horck.  Capt.  John.  II.,   10.  11,  40,  89,  104;  portrait     of,     opp,     23; 

sketch  of,  10;  footnote  2. 
Van  Elten,  T..  I..  460. 
Van  Vlict.  Rev.  G.   H.,  I..   177. 
Vatne,  Andrew,  conditions  in  Norway,  I.,  200,  201. 
Vaughan,  G.  W.,  I.,  314,  417. 
Venderberg,  Carrie  Ann,  II.,  98;  Cornelius,  98. 
Verendrye,  visit  to  the  Mandans,  I.,  502. 
Verenthorn,  Mary,  II.,  100;  Wm.,  100. 
Vickers,  George,  I..  416. 
Virginia  City,  II.,  83. 

Virginia,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  344. 
Viola   Belle,   steamboat   on   the   Missouri   river,   I.,   335,   336,   337,   357,   359, 

372,  402. 
Voll,  Nils,  I.,  189  note  1. 
Von  Werner,  Maj.  F.,  I.,  392. 
Voorhees,  T.  K.,  I.,  416. 
Voudrie,  Toussaint,  I.,  117,  118. 


194  INDEX. 


Wade,  Ira,  II.,  96. 

Wadsworth,  Fort,  D.  T.,  II.,  6,  146. 

Wahpeton,  N.  D.,  secures  Red  River  Valley  University,  I.,  173. 

Walke,  Harmon,  II..  92. 

Wallace,  J.  D.,  I.,  177. 

Walla- Walla,  description  of  II.,  71;  Fort,  35. 

Walsh,  Geo.  H.,  I.,  169. 

Walsh  Co.,  early  history  of  ,1.,  161. 

Wamberg,  J.  J.,  I..  249;  John,  246. 

Wards,  Jennie,  I.,  371. 

Wardner,  James,  I.,  232. 

War  Eagle,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  272,  315,  330,  375,  376,  377 ; 

II.,  102. 
Warren,  John,  I.,  110,  111,  113,  126. 
Washington,  D.  C,  Soldiers'  Home,  II.,  155. 
Washington,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  341. 
Washington  Terr.,  gold  discoveries  in,  II.,  38. 
Wassells,  Lawrence,  I.,  417. 
Wassen,  H.   H.,  I.,  246. 
Wasukiye.  chief  of  Sisseton  Sioux,  II.,  132. 
Water  diief,  Mandan.  I.,  470. 
Waters,  Frank,  I.,  165,  166,  169. 
Watson,  H.  W.,  I.,  455. 
Watteville  regiment,  I.,  105. 

Waverly,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  314,  318,  326,  329,  372. 
Wayneslboro,  N.  C,  II.,  154. 

W.  B.  Dance,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  328,  372,  374,  378. 
Welch,  Sergt.  S.  D.,  Co.  G.,  8th  Regt.,  Ft.  Abercrombie,  II..  30. 
Welcome,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  287,  315,  330,  344. 
Welles,  John,  I.,   117. 
Wenseinger,  John,  II.,  92,  104. 
Wergeland,  Dr.  A.  M.,  I.^  187. 
Wesley  College,  organization  of,   I.,  176. 
Western,  Capt.  H.  W.,  3d)  Minn.  Battery,  I., 
Western  Independent,  Dakota  newspaper,  L,  143. 
Western  Town  Co.,  Dubuque,  Iowa,  I..  141. 
West  Wind,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  272,  282. 
Whidden,  Rev.  W.  R.,  I.,  209. 
Whipple,  Bishop,  I.,  483. 

Whitcomb,  Capt.  Geo.  C,  II..  89;  established  Ft.  Wadsworth,  33. 
White  Cloud,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  270. 
White,  Dr.,  I.,  Ill;  Wm.,  177. 
White  Bear  Lake,   Minn..   II.,  20. 
White  Eagle,  Mandan,  I.,   470. 
White  Earth  Mission.  I.,  490,  491. 
White  Earth  Reservation,  I.,  489. 
White  Earth  River.  II.,  143. 
White  Fish  Lake  Mission,  I.,  478. 
White  Head,  Crow  chief,  II.,  64. 
White  Painted  House,  Son  of  Sheheke,  I.,  471. 
Whiteledge,  R.  J.,  I.,  417. 
Whitney,  W.  F,  I.,  314,  319.  321,  330. 
Wickam,  Geo.  A.,  member  of  Fisk's  expedition,  1862,  II.,  75. 
Wilcoxson,  Rev.  Timothy,  I.,  480. 
Wild  Rice  river,  II.,  8;  bridged  by  Capt.  Fisk,  41. 
Wild  turkeys,  seen,  I.,  288. 

William  Rathbone,  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river,  I.,  235. 
Williams,  E.  A.,  early  days  in  N.  D.,  I.,  141. 
Williams,  Gust.,  I.,  164. 
Willson,  Gen.  Geo.  P.,  Fargo,  I.,  172,  177.