, 1879-07-03
"A Trip on a Beautiful River
: ---Why 1t Is Ma !;
ligned.
Chicago arasping the upper-Misaouri
TrRde---Fine eoenery---Abun-
dant Game.
Col. Lea aud His Mtn...DettJ's "Sneatorl" W..
30 To,Sns...yast aud Valuable Unsettled
Country.
Fort Benton and Its Pooplo-Ugly Indians
The 'Return-Tho Bteamor
:, Dakota,

= Dakota, n
Spre,al Cot7elrondtnes os The Trtb,ns
. FoAr BENTON, Montana, june 23-Thc wrltcr
bude good-by TO the readers Of TIE tribune at
Mauslan, Dakota, after most enjoyable trsp
over the Northern Pacific Railway. Tie desire
to eco tho Uppor Missouri has always been very
great; aud as the new nnd sp1cnd!d steamer
Dakota the proprtetcrs spell her maine Oaco-
'.!ah, after tho Indian orthoeraphg) WAS lying at
.1ismarck, anu wns to leave Friday morning,
-lune O, the opportunity to realize thls dream Of
boyhood could not be rcs'ated.
With MI The effort havo made to get correct
practical Knowledge Of the great Northwest,
tho whole Upper Missouri country, efpccially
above Bismarck. was, rs suppoaed, given over
mainly 10 immense herds Of buffalo, elk, and
deer, bears, and 'sncaklnE, murdorous wolves,
md still moro savage 1ndaus And, Nth rnro
exceptions 1t the military and trading posts, II
was 10 It'll wlthia very few years past.
And drat at to-.
THE MISSOURI N1vER
pftse]i The character of thfs river has been per-
sissontly m!srcproscntcd. really expected to
sec sections 'of It, for half-a-lozen miles to.
ecther, filled with saud.bars mud enags that
Threatened tho life OF tho steamer at every
acng.h. Now, the fnct Is, 1t la, at this staee Of
flowing rivers upon the Continent. This Is said
adviscdy,' after having travelled upon the Red
River Of the. North, the ST. Lawrence, the
Hudson, Tho Ohk',- tho Mississippi, and the
Columbia. OF sand-bars there ara mauy,-fns
TOO mauy,-especlaljy In low Water; but, In tho
Aghole distance Of e00 miles brtwcen .lstnarc1i
i. aud Benton, though our steamer nnd her con-
Burt, tho Montana, arc by. far the largest boats
that over were un the Upper Missouri, tho spars
were used only Two or three tincs AS
to sungs,. not dozen dangerous ones
perhaps not half so many-were observed
during the entire journey. Tic strong current
makes them easily sccn and nvoidcl Tile dis
tancc g1ven Is the one made out by the Govern
1neni, and on which they pay for Transportation;
hut the pilots and rtvermen insist that 1t Is very
considerably osst 1,c0o miles; MID auy one who
travels Tor moro thnn two weeks from Bismarck
10 Benton, and observes the Winding course Of
'thc river, can readily bc,icyo that tic Govern
.pent bus shortened tho dtstnncc very consider
ubly. The current will perhaps average three
or four miles an hour, and In sonlo placcs six.
The steamer was obliged 10 usa the rope and
raputan hut 'once,-to pass Drowned MINIS
tfsapids,-and That delayed us less than IN hour.
It is not difficult to understand why the MIS-
Bouri has beei so pctbistcntfr tnaltrned by those
who naylgatsd 1t and controlled It's business.
Inc luf-sfaucFs, "noso a|oIea Mcse III et' 1'oue'
did, d ycry large and profitable trade; nnd, by
1nnpnifrlnr tie difficulties Of navlEattighe river,
ahey managed for long time to re.ain virtual
monopoly ~ tllc profits Of that trade. III this
.theytssss,asb largely by the steamboat In.
tcrcst. Tho profits Of a single season would
often, pny TOR thn boat and nll expenses, md
leave n largo margin Tor the oWncrs. The Fur
Company'E. boat, tho Chippewa, got within
twelvo miles Of Fort Benton In 1850; and tht
first sicamera to rcneh the port, IN lstG, vert
tho Chippewa and Icy West. In TINT year TIL
t1uu' 81 on.s, u"u u.aue '"s .oon ar -
MY. c,. Let nel2ht was taken at s&u pei Ion
s0I i'm Ann.her .icamrr VIA mcuiionct h
~. 1,"..ss s.,,a"s -aaa,.,. 80. ,stn 49,
i po. sq Teps o,Il tae1s tpam a'9 p to-
per month";. aud g., 100 was sometimes received
Of coursc, the other officers vcro paid In co,
-osnondtrc rain. t,cncc tbe' wacca of n .,ncI
sasa,, 49,. -oo, fnr,rno - rnnr1 - ~ ~
Il vas rhcrcIorc. rnnnifrsllv greatly tn thc If
tcrcst of I'll co,,nected With trnnsnorto "a !n o. O.
The Uppcr Missouri to mako tho public bolicy
Tint Iii comnotit!on would not only be ur
profitable, ysly dangerous. and, II II, fac!
ctul,y dangerous is proved by tic fact t!.at opi
Two or ,i,reo steamers have eynr been lost .
Totcdd M beh M tha month OF. the Yctiowston
for many,ysars. md 10 Fort Benton siuce i81
a,xcy r,,r ,,I,,w.rs
'" ,.. y
rtachcd sioux Cis! hfI 1ahkton, m
especially sfnee ne Horthcrn rncll
Was opened, to BISMARCK business q
fhe rycr hae inefeasea so enormou
" thnt tHe us!1saon III !e.a1u 70 t1e uAnGeIs
@ nno lsc!,naY'Yaon ea' mo 'oIgcE ,e. oe aept ~
".S ~. ot ~ sutni, 1 ts'o n.E,,e s.' H.
tona-arc 100 tuns burden, a,,d 2Io feet lon
by i8 feet beam, with conpjcte md cxceilc,
Recommendations for TOO passengers. BcaId
this. there ara three or four other Inca; Md
Mi twcntY or more steamers aro cmployed tn
season ia tho Uppcr Missouri trade With Ii
usual enterprise, somc Of tho principals OF Of
largo Chicago houses. besides Representatives