The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, D.T. [N.D.]) 1873-1875, 1873-09-10

of their lodges are built in a circular
form, Of logs, thatched with willows and
pIastered over with mud, some Of them
40 or so feet in dlamater and Is to 20
feet high in the centre. Each one of
these contains a family, and what live
stock they possess is corralled inside at
night. The bucks lay around camp dur
ing the day and gather together in alarge
lodge called tho Medicine Lodge at nighr
where they howl and dance until afteo
midnight, while the squaws 60 out intn
the fields during tho day and work lie
their gardens. AT the present tint
they are at work packing in squashes
and drying them for winter. Most of
the Indians are now living on. corn
and what little game they can get.
Their gardens look finely, what were
not destroyed by the June flood. They,
have about 900 acres under. cultivation,
800 to corn and 400 to squasaes pota-
toes and beans. The Agency farmer,
Mr.. W. A. Plummer has 80 acres of
splendid wheat, already harvested which
averages over 20 bushels to the acre,
and 45 acres Of oats which average
about so bushels to the acre; 80 acre
cornfeld which is hard to beat any
where, 20 acres of potatoes, three hills
of which weighed 33 lbs. and 5 acres of
turnips, beets, cabages &C., beside sew
eral acres of peas. Wewerc surprised
to find such fine field of corn, as we
were laboring under the same delu-
sions that many others are, that corn
could not he successfully cultivated in
so high latitude, but we never saw a
nicer looking field anywhere, than
this 80 acres. IF corn can be sue
cessfully cultivated so far north Of Bis
marck, what is to prevent the country
along the line Of the Northern Pacific
near us settling up rapidly, for we have
less snow than in the Red River valley,
and the temperature the past winter
averaged 14o warmer than at Moorhead
and Oak Lake, Mimi. The wheat rails.
| ed at the Agency is manufactured into
-four in steam mill run Mr.. Brad
ford, on the premises and fencing
| material gotten out in g saw mill at
tackled to the flour mill though the Ium
Der has to be broug ght down from TWEEN
| ty or more miles up the river. There
being no wood or lumber near Berthold
or Stevenson. They use coal mostly fol
fuel. and dig it ont Of the hills near by
There are eighteen white men at the
Agency, two white women two
children but no soldiers.
The Indians under Maj. Tappen's care
seem contentcd and well behaved but il
is shame and disgrace for the &. S
| Govt. to support such lazy lot Of dcy
! lis as these are in idIeness. Here are
less than 1900 Of them in all three
| tribes are camped upon ten acre
l0t--and whv dare not move from it TO,
| fear Of the Sioux having a reserya'
ton set apart to them larger than some
Of the Eastern states, to the exclusion OF
honest white men who help to pay the
bills. They never will improve any as
long as they remain in villages, and the
Govt. should remove them to the In
dian Territory or some other place
where they can cultivate the land in peace
and throw their present reservation
open to settlement. Maj. Tappin drove
US over to Stevenson behind one of the
finest teams in thecountry and turned us
over to tue tender mercies Of the gentle
men in charge Of Durice & Peck's store at
that place; and here let us express anew
our obligations to Maj Tappen, Mr..
Marsh and the gentlemen in their en-
ploy for the courtesy and kind atten-
tions extended rs by them. May their
shadows never grow less: Lieut.. Gnr-
lev, at Fort Stevenson, drove us out to
the coal mine back Of the Fort, where
the Missouri River Contract Company,
represented by Mr. McCau]ey, are at
work getting ont the winter supply.
The vein is nearly eight feet thick, and
is covered by about six feet OF earth,
which has to be stripped off to get at
the coal. None Of the coal veins about
there have anything but walls of clay,
and of course cannot be successfully
mined except by the process Of strip
ping.
The steamer Peninah, Capt Paul
Murphy, brought in load Of wood
for the post while we were there, from
Painted Woods, forty miles below-the
nearest point from which they could oh
tain supply---and we improved the op-
portnnity to return TO Bismarck by
river, taking with US kind remcmbrances
Of the generous hospitality and attention
shown US on every side during our short
trip, and glad to got rid Of the tteas.
We reached Painted Woods in six hours
from Stevenson, and tied up until day
light at Dry Point, the night being
cloudy. jim Greenough, the Clerk OF
the Peninab, entertained US during the
evening by relating some of his adven-
lures on the lower Mississippi during
the war, and Jim knows how TO tell a
good yarn. Daylight found MS again
moving, and in two hours we reached
Fort. A. Lincoln, where we landed lot
of Indian scouts and their families, and
returned to the Bismarck landing, very
we'll satisfied with our trip and glad to
get home. The samples Of grain ana
Vegetables from Fort Berthold Agency
viii be on exhibition at the n. P. irelg ut
house for a few days, and we would like
to have them examined by any one who
is at all skeptical in regard to the vaioe
of farming lands in this vicinity
JAY.
Wakeman'sI st. Louis Liquor Store.
Wholesale depot for Missouri Native