The Red Cloud chief., 1877-02-01
n 1925 the most Western military

IN ls25 the most western mliiIAfl
post was Fort Usage. In Jackson county
Mo, and the wilderness stretched from
there westward. The Indians in thoss
days were armsi with stone ha,che;s
and lances. and their arrows flint
tipped. II was only amusement % fight
them. and a few trappers went fear
lessly anywhere. / well remember one
incident OF that my first trip. As we
were travelling along the Platte River
uplands n day. We discovered in the
distance a large number Of Indians
and those Of US who had not made the
trip 10 the mountains before were ex.
cited in anticipation Of a brush. when
the Indians suddenly disappeared. The
plain stretched in full view before Us
and We could have seen them go Of in.
any direction. You can imagine our
wonder. and the jokes put at US By the
old trappers. who tried 10 make US be-
lieve We had seen a mirage. common on
those plains. But a short time brought
US TO the underground village Of the
Pawnees. where they lived in subterra-
neous rooms. like the prairie dogs.
These DON were about eight feet in
diameter. and lined with grass and
buffalo hides. each being the abode of
a family. We had no especial incl
dents beyond those Of hunting and
trapping on the expedition. We ran
into a party of Rickarees who were
going TO fight the PAXnees. and a few
Of our fellows put the party to flight.
Along the mountains ten or twenty
Indians would occasionally pitch at one
of our men when they got him in a
close place. but if he could get a fair
show he could keep them off until as.
sistance reached him. They preferred
fighting their Indian enemies to both
ering lis.
In 1926 we travelled 1,aOO miles, TO our
beaver grounds. and our carts were
taken through the South Pass nine years
before Bonneville is said to have taken
the first wagon train through there.
None of the regular trapping outfits
had wagons in those days, but a light
cart called a charatte was used by the
vOyagers.
The Santa Fe traders who went after
silver took a route LOO miles through
the wilderness ten years before Marcy
graduated from West Point. in 1892.
Along between 1875 and 1895 the fur
trade fever was at its hight. The
American Fur Company of st. Louis
and the other companies had over 1000
men in their employ. They built forts
at the mouth of the Yellowstone, at the
Mandan Village (abOve the present site
of Bismark. ID. To-, and at the mouth of
the TentOn, since called Bad River.
Fort L~eavenwOrth was also built by
the United States. The British COM
pany had fully 1000 men trapping and
trading west of the mountains, and the
Mexicans had quite as many trappers
and traders from the mountains to the
Pacific, and there were as many more
free traders and trappers scattered all
over the West and Northwest. Many
of these men found gold in the Black
Hills and other places, but the trapping
and trading paid far better then than
gold hunting, and was more certain.
and when the rush was made for Cali.
fOrnia all the old trappers pointed to
the Black Hills as fine field for mining
These trappers rarely ever
became miners they preferred their sOli-
tary rambles to the hustle OF a mining
but they penetrated everywhere
and guided the explorers to the wonder.
full scenes in whose description they
have gained such fame.
In conclusion 1 will say that Kit Car
son was a relative Of mine, though
much younger, his mother being a
Boone. One day meeting Fremont in
the Capitol and speaking of Carson and
other things. he said: "Boone, l
thought l wa the first white man at In
Rock, but l found your
name there" then told him that it
was the trappers' mile-pOst on the
for wears before l saw it.
Yours. respectfully.
A. G. Boone. of Denver Col.
Washington. January 8.