Sun River sun. [volume] (Sun River, Mont.) 1884-1885, 1884-03-27


timbered country, knew nothing
about the use Of buffalo chips, and it
was tlcy who told the Jesuit the AS
sinnaboines burned stone.
FORT LA RENE.
II was in October, 173S, the Yemen
drye's built Fort La Reinc, and in
1742 reached tho country Of the Mon
tanos (Mandans) on the upper Mis-
souri,. According to the best arthori-
ties they started from Fort La Refine.
on the Assinaboinc river, went up
Mouse river in southerly direction
and then crossed overto the Missouri.
Il little below where Fort Borthold
now stands. From this point they
assembled the river Us far us the Gates
of the mountains, where The Missouri
breaks through the belt rangc at Hell
ena, Montana. Here they ascendctl
the shining mountains on the 1st of
JANUARY, 1913. These We're undoubt-
edly the first white mon ever in this
part Of the country. From the Noun
tain Gates they passed up Deep or
Smiths river. and over to the head
of the Mussclshcll. and from there
went south to the Yellowstone. cross
ing it at what is now tho mouth of
PIyor's river. They followed up
Pryor through the gap 10 Sinking
water, which they crossed, and con
tinuing on south came among the
Snake Indians on Wind river, who
told them they would be killed il they
tried to 90 further south, because wal
parties of the Sans Ares band OF Sioux
hereditary enemies OF tho Snakes,
We're always watching about The south
pass to kill and plumber them, as they
assed to a I'd from Green river, where
lived another band of the Snake tribe.
The Indians informed them that OF,
the east side of the Wind river noun
tains there was a river called Haiego
which. in the modern Snake language.
means tongue. They also told them
the river, whore Il bunch Of their tribe
lived, wGs called Shah goic-hit, or
Green river, and was so NAMED from
the color OF it's waters. At Wind river
the explorers turned back, and on the
10th Of May, 1914, they had returned
to the upper Missouri, and at the fork
near the mouth Of The Jefferson. they
planted, on m cmincnce, as before
stated, Il lcadcn plate of the arms of
France, and raised n monument Of
stone as token that would claim the
country they had visited for the king
of France. They were about one year
making their southern trip, and al
though their route going south was
perfectly described there is no men
ton in the records to show, which
way they returned, but probably
caine back the way they went.
An ADVENTUROUS JOURNEY.
After erecting their cross and mon
umcnt, and claiming the country for
their king, they descended the Mis-
souri, in boats 10 where they first
struck it, and thence journoyed by the
way Of Mouse river AMI the Assinna-
boinc to the Lake of the Woods,
where they arrived on the "a day of
July, 17;t. There is full account in
the records Of The falls near Benton,
around which the French voyagcrs
portrayed their boats. The description
given them does not differ materially
from that Of Lewis Il Clarke, and
shows the falls have remained very
much the same for over II century.
The explorers found many Indian
tribes on their journey, and all were
glad to see tham, treated them in the
most friendly manner, and gave them
provisions until they came to the
Snakes, who alarmed them about the
Sans Arcs 1t is doubtful il the Arcs
would have disturbed them had thoy
gone on south, and they probaly could
have penetrated the country unarnaed
to the Platte rivers, and hence to the
Missouri. Tho strongest tribes met
with were the Montanes, Brockots,
Flathcads, Mauhantus, Gros Vcnircs,
Blackfcct, Dogfeet and Snakes. The
Montnncs were doubtless the Man
dams, the Broc!,pts Assinnaboinoa, and
the Dogfcot Il part Of the Blacifoet,
MS there are no such tribes as the OK
pIorcrS mention. There were thirteen
villages on the Missouri, and they
stretched from knife river up to the
falls. On the iliissolshcll river there
We're twonty-ihree villages Of Panis,
probably the Pawnees, some of whom
were white, others freclElod, and 9th
crs black. The explorers had been
told by Indians that the head of the
Missouri flowed from u great lake, and
the shining mountains were full Of
gold. What they saw shining they