The Bozeman weekly chronicle. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1883-1889, 1883-05-30
The Chronicles of the Yellowstone.
Al Accurate Description Country its 1ndians the Early
Settlers; Their Struggles with the Aborignes, and
Interesting "reminiscences Gathered from
III The Early Pioneer.
Iecopyght YELLOWSTONE has been applied
for and itwlle eventually appear in book form]
CHAPTER III.-CoNr1NUED:

[The copyright for the "CHRoNIcLE
for and it will eventually appear in book
CHAPTER RIII.-CoNTINUED:
Onthe way down Clarke named Shields
river md Boulder and Big Timber, which
come in opposite one another was called
by Clarke, rivers across. At the mouth
OF Rose river (now Stillwater) the Crows
who had given them no trouble before,
stole twenty-four of their horses, leaving
them but fifteen. The party staid here
for few days and built canoes. Sergeant
Pryor and Eve men were left to take
the remaining horses down to the mouth
Of the river, overland; the main party
with Clarke going in the canoes. On
July 25th Clarke came in sight Of huge
column of rock standing by itself on the
south side Of the river. He named it
Pompey's Pillar and engraved his name
on it, with date, which by weather and
vandalism has become nearly obliterated
and some means should be taken to pre-
serve this, the only handiwork left us, OF
the intrepid explorer. Clarke speaks OF
killing a white bear here and later of
killing two below Red Stone river Pow
der.) Query? Were they gray bear?
Near the mouth of Tongue river the
mats had to lie over for an hour, to let a
band of buffalo that were crossing the
river get by. Clarke's party arrived at
the mouth of the Yellowstone August
Sd, 1905 without futher adventure:
The party that were left behind under
Sergeant Pryor were followed by the
Crows, and just above Pompey's Pillar
had the remainder of the horses stolen,
by these Indians. The party made bull
boats 70 willow frame in the shape of a
huge basket and covered with green buff
falo hides) in which they went down the
river safely and overlook the other par
ties about 100 miles below the mouth of
the Yellowstone. One Of the men with
Clarke, named Coulter, left the party
near where Yankton is now located, to
go with some trappers. The next year,
1907, while ON beaver trapping expedi-
ton, he went up the Yellowstone river
to the head of the lake (which he called
Eustis) then crossed the range and went
down Stinkingwater to the prairie, then
crossed over to Clarke's Fork and down
IL to the Yellowstone. He kept no rec
ord Of his trip, but his story as told to
Bonneville and other fur traders would
be accepted to day as quite correct de-
scription of the country. So to him be-
longs the honor Of being the first white
imam in the now National Park.
Trapping parties from st. Louis would
occasionally come up the Yellowstone
With batteaus, but the Rees, Blackfeet
and Piegan Indians made it 80 warm for
them, that the same party would never
come up the second time.
No foothold Was made on the river till
1922, when Gen. Ashby and a Mr.. Henry
started trading post two miles below
the mouth of the Big Horn, lFort Van
Busen) and commenced business under
the name of the Rocky Mountains Fur
Company. Just afterwards John Jacob
Astor sent up feet of batteaus filled
with stores and built . post about thirty
miles below the Big Horn, which was
named Fort Cass. His party took the
name of American Fur Company. There
was great rivalry between the two COM
pany's, which continued for q year and
they then settled it bv dividing the trap
ping territory.
Bonneville came overland from st. Louis
the same year and made his headquarters
on Green river, but he received his sup
plies from Fort Caas. In the fall he sent
a party of twenty-five men to trap down
Wind river and the streams running
from the Big Horn range. The party
made winter quarters near a Crow camp
and eight of the men deserted and went
with these Indians. Early in the spring
the remainder of the party went over to
Powder river. One day soon after their
arrival at this place two Rees came into
camp and while the boys were talking to
them, some others of the same party, ran
off their horses. The trappers tied up
two Rees and seeing some Of the others
en- hill near by told them to give up
the horses or the prisoners should be
burnt at the stake. The Indians offered
two horses each for them, and that offer
being refused, went off, leaving their
. comrades to their fate. The party full
. filed their threats and left nothing but
ashes and charred bones.
This is the only case in the record Of
3his country where the whites were more
ibarharous than the savages.
In the latter part of this year. 1928
Bonneville with all his followers went
down Wind river and below the Big
Norn canyon, disbanded the party and
went east wiser, if not richer. Some Of
his men went down the river in bull
boats and of the remainder some joined
the Crows and the rest trapped for the
companies Astors company finally
absorbed the other snd then he had a
monopoly of the fur trade of the United
States. He made good part of his i'm
mense fortune at this business, and could
have continued to have made, but he cut
down prices 80 that his best trappers de-
serted him and went over the line to sell
to the Hudson Bay Company, and his
company disbanded In 1910.
We have no record of any more explor-
ing parties for many years. Trappers
followed up and caught furs on every
creek and fork of the rivers, hut as they
were illiterate men and kept no record of
their adventures and discoveries, their
tales cannot be told.
Kit Carson, Jim Bridger, Ksusse, Lou
Anderson and about twenty others on a
prospecting trip, came to the Bannack
camp on Green river late in the fall Of
lS49. They fixed up winter quarters and
stayed with the Indians till spring Then
went up the river and as soon as they
could for snow, crossed the mountains to
the Yellowstone and down it to the lake
and falls; then across the divide to the
Madison river. They saw the geysers Of