Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-04-27
n. pos1.INIEllIcENcER PUB. co
,...,..,,pg Account OF the Wan.
a,r.uss Of the La se"e"dryr Broth
=. the Jpper Missouri Country.

,..,,ng Account OF the Wan.
a,,,us, Of the La se"e"drye Broth
-. In the Upper Missouri Country
O., KynGH. Feb l3 1t IL, belieye.
,a,er.I belief that Lewis and
- care the first white men To visit
~ Torer Missouri country. and dis
VIE Montana. Bat there were white
co,e' or the Upper Missouri and in Mon
balf a century before L'vi7 and
c-.La avsr saw il. and this state
ar, so-prising as II NAV be to many.
alss- strictly true. Let Us
-, In l7t3 two Freuchmen. tho
.y.nandrye brothers, with party Of
- .onntrymen. came from the Lake
tn Woods 10 the north to explore the
Uo.Iv Mountains. and fell IN with the
S~Es Iadi,n- on the Wind River. IN
r., "a n.y Wyoming Territory. La
ysnendrye and bis brother were sons
~ the Chevalier Neuendrve. who was
en-, in 1871, by Charles de BeauharnoIs.
,hsn Governor General of Canada, To
s,,lo,s the conutry about Rainy Lake.
49, b.sd OF the Missouri. and. II pos
~ nnsh on and ascs nd the Shining
:, Kncky mountains. heard OF for the
s,s, ,,ma In l72s. The Frenchmen
,sarhed the great mountains, ascended
.bsm mt could 90 no further south
tb.o Wind river. on account OF great
ear raging between the Snakes. Arri-
..,se. an Sans Arcs. On Nav -, IA.
thsy returned to the upper MIsSouri.
and in tho Choke Cherry country,
on an smiuenc-. planted ieadep pi ,te
of the arm. of France and raised
monument OF stone. which they called
Rs.nharuols. and then returned Ia the
Lake of the Woods july ., lI34. The eI
nlora,ious OF the Senendtye brothers
IN this country were much more exien-
siye and important than they have ever
heen accredited with IN hlstUrv. IL ap
pears thew started with fifty men from
Eontreal in l73l, and in the autumn of
,ha. year reached the Rainy lake. by
The Nantovagan river. now called
Pigeon river At the foot of kainy
lake a TO- was erected and called Fort
81. Pierre. The next year they crossed
the Lake Of the Woods and established
Fort St. Charles on its southwestern
bank Five leagues from Lake WInni-
peg they established post on the As
slnabolne Here they met p band of
Indians, who called themselves Assina-
boln.s, and said they We're branch os
the Dakotahs. and lived by netting fish.
which. for want of fuel, they cooked by
warming water with ho. stones. \
Jesuit account of them. written over
30 years ago. says
As woed Is very scarce and small with
them. nature has taught them tn burn
stone III place Of Il. and to cover their
vicwams with the Sklns of Wild AMI
uais. Some If them have built mud
cabins nearly in the same manner as
swallows build their nests.
The above statement IL made only for
the purpose If correcting II. IA II has
ef,en been asserted and applied to the
Snsk :. - we'll as the AssInahoines.
The fact IL II WAS not lack OF fuel
which caused them to boil their fish bv
putting bot stones in the wafer. bui "A
laek Of vessels that would stand fire.
Almost all the savage tribes before their
contact WITH the whites. often cooked
their fish or game bv putting 1t into
vater tipht baskets or troughs, nd
then pnt hot stone into the water
sntl it tolled. IA 10 wood
being scarce and small with thetu
and nature having taught thea to burn
stone in place Of II, most probably the
tfror arose from war parties ot their
hereditary enemies. the CLiprewss,
watching a. distance and seeing the
Asslnsbolne gather something ON the
naked praifi-s which looked like stoc, :.
and making a fire with them: what
they gathered must have been buffalo
chip, which are still sometimes used
ey the Asslnaholue for fuel. In the
distsnc~ the white cak.d droppings of
the buffalo look very much like stone.
and ARE often used ~ our soldiers for
coeking purposes. They make hot
IRE and Ne indeed vrrv good suhsti
sute for wood The hereditary enemies
ct the Asslnaboine. the Chippe-
VS., lived IN tlHbered country. knew
nothing about the use OF buffalo chips.
and II WAS thev who told he
!esult the Assiuabolne burned stone.
|. vas IN October. i7,iS that the Ven
eodtyes built Fort L. RENE. ard in
i'C reached the COUNTRY of the Mon
Nncs Nandars', on the upper MIS-
souri. AcNrdluc Ia the best Authori-
lies. they started from Fort La Refine.
90 the AsslnAboine River. went up
Aon>e River III southerlv direction
AND then Crossed over to the Missouri.
hu'e beloS where Fort Bertholi nov
s.ahos. From this point they a>ceuded
me nver as far As the Gates ~ the
noantains. where the Missouri breaks
.foags the bslt range a. Helena. Mont.
mere toey aseended the shining mouu-
asins on tie lst ~ January. l.t3. These
efe undoubtedly the first white men
'e' IN tins part of the country. From
as Moun,ais Gates they passed
~ Deep, or smiths River.
and over 10 the head o.
.ae M1sselshell. ana from there
.eh' south 10 the Yellowstone. crossing
o." what Is now called the mouth OF
Ltof nver. They followed up Pryor
sioosh the gap 10 Sinking water ,vh ict
aeN Crossed. and continuing on south
A1 smong the Snake Indians Wind
e,' VITO told them thew would be kill
'aes tfled to go further south. be
sse S'r parties Of the Sans Area bsnt
Siou1. hereditary enemies Of tbs
aasss, We're always Watching about tn,
:. 'o pass { kiil and plunder them a,
' laSsed to and from Green river
,..' efe lived ,nother band Of the Susk,
a~ lhe Indians Informed them thu
~ to- etst side OF the Wind rive
uuh'slns, there WIS riysr caiiet
ie-eo. which. IN the modern Sn4k,
80 o9s' means tongue. Thew alS'
Mem the river. where
s'aheh OF their t-ibe lived. wa
ails1 Shah coi,- bit. or Green rivar. AN,
10 named from the color o. II
,n. 'efs. Al Wind rIver the explorer
,-,sed back. and on the 18th OF Nav
NJ 'aey bad returned - tn. upp-
ssouti, ana ~ the fork near th
lh OF the Jefferson, they plsnte,
an emInence, 80 before stated.
.s, en plate Of the arms Of France. An
monument OF stone a. a toke
90 20. .oey would claim the country VI,
u ,or the King of France. They wer
a. 80 ole wear IN making their seu:t
p and although their route goiu
Sss perfectly described there
~. eh'ion In the records to show xhic
a., .eey returned. but probably cam
ss. tn- way they went.
erecting their cross and mon'
~ and Claiming the country Z,
!. aihe, they descended the Missou
.nS %, 10 where thev first stru,k
n+ nee lourneved by vav OF Mou
a, !, and the A~sInAboiue 10 the IaI
- We Woods. where thew arrived ,
VI July, lIii. There 10 a full a