Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1879-06-05
the cavlsI Of the pAco1AH.


Indians n Indian AEencies-A
Magnificent Demain-Rail-
road Routes, Etc.
Editorial Correspondence
Bismarck, June 1.-The steamer Dacotal
reached Bismarck at midnight last night
making the run from Yankton in eight ant
one-half days. including . half a day at Fl
Pierre. Freight has been delivered at every
post below, with the exception of For
Thompson, This is considered'by the rive,
we Anr,a.x.p1s .ps
itthis season, even for the smaller boats
and with the pilots accustomed to this years
water. The big Dacotah is highly commend.
ed BY the Bismarckers and by the strangers
within their gales, for her magnificent pro-
portions and for the epeed with which she
stems the current Of the Big Muddy. She
left Yankton drawing three and one half
feet and came into this port with an inch or
two over three feet on her guage. During
the trip the boat has been aground but once.
The last v nights We had a good moon
and kept under way till midnight. With
these exceptions the boat has tied up at
dark. The entire run has been satisfactory
and pleasant in every particular. Captain
Todd and all his subordinates have fully
sustained the excellent reputation of the
Coulson line officers and employees for com-
potency and courtesy.
PIERRE TO BISMARCK.
Ny last communication closed at Pierre,
just now the busiest spot between Yankton
and Bismarck. Fort Sully and Fort Ben
nett, forty-fve and fifty miles respectively
above Pierre, are still grimly staring at each
other from their respective elevations on
opposite sides of the river. Sully has I'm.
dergone no change and will probably re-
main as it is until 4 military order causes its
abandonment and demolition. Fort Bennett
Cheyenne agency has been completely
made over since my last trip along this por-
ton Of the river. Its former site has gone
the way of numberless Missouri bottom
tracts-tumbled into the river. New build
ings have been constructed on a solid bench
a little back from the river and both the
military and Indian officers and employees
have c%ommodious and we'll made living
quarters. From Fort Bennett to Fort Yates
standing Rocky is a long stretch of a hun.
dred and fifty miles. with no intervening
post or agency. Grand River agency, a
the mouth of Grand river, has been aban
doned and nothing there remains to mari
its site except the accumulated rubbish o.
years and a client host Of good Indians
taking their everlasting sleep on the higl
scaffolds which the red men rear as the grave
of thier dead. There they remain and withe
and decay and blow to pieces and evaporat
into nothing and no wolf nor coyote gets
mouthful of the juicy morsels which pain:
taking survivors have put beyond thei
hungry reach. 1t has always seemed lik
cruelty to animals to tantalize the ha
starved brutes with a fresh Indian corps
which is forever just beyond their reach an
always near enough to cause the mouths
the hungry hosts to water with expectation
But then, this is an Indian arrangemen
White men are in no manner responsible
for it.
Standing Rock agency was reached a
seven o'clock Yesterday morning and as "
had been threading gloomy solitude for
couple of days, everybody wa on deck a
the Dacotah came to q halt alongside tn
levee Of this distinguished spot. standin
Rock and Fort Yates combined are
little city in size and architecture
pretentions. The buildings are located Q
a high bench on the east side of the riv,
e and are substantially constructed, eome
wood and others of brick. This is the mo
extensive Indian and military post upon Il
Missouri. Indian camps are scattered I
s and down the river above and below Il
n agency headquarters for miles, and ins:es
of log cabins the Indians generally occu]
' canvas tepees. This is the ESTABLISHING
which has drawn out one of those bit,
"you lie! and you're another" correspe
dences between the war and interior depa
ments, regarding the paternity of certs
youthful half breeds who there exist a
thrive-whethsr they are a military OF ci
ae product. / saw . large number of t
r.. troublesome amalgamated race, and with
IN any special effort. The woods seemed
1t of them. Some had brass buttons on tn
as coats and some hadn't, and I wouldn't "
der if that vas about the correct way
compromise the controversy.
ee Thirty-6ve miles above Standing R,
N. near the mouth Of Cannon Ball river, il
to recently abandoned military post, Fort R
vn 1t was never = very extern
id affair, apparently. and the pl
} Unity Of Forts Yates and Lin,
on render its continuance unnecessa
IA From Fort Rice to Lincoln and theme
|ne Bismarck most of the run of the Daco
ne. was made by moonlight and during
oil hours when her passengers slept. I can
h. IL. 1o-.->. f.a- A. -:I--- r