The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1888-02-03
HUNTING FOR FUR.
a PerHous Pursuit Described by .
Man OF Experience
scenes Of murder and violence Entireiy
UncontroIisd by Law-How U~naucCess
Gi TraPpers Were wOut g Rs
plenish Their stores.


Winism Fl. Upham, Of Mcorbead, MINI,
has been . resident OK the Northwest IoT
--=aT,s- NJ TnirTY years, says inc 1ts LOUIS
Pest Dispatch. aWhen I FIRST went 70 MIN
nesota,,i said Mr.. Upham, II settled about
4 hundred miles north Of 81. Paul, which
was at the time the northern boundary OF
civilization. Every thing north Was viii
derness, producing nothing but furs,and tho
entire population was sustained by the fur-
traders. Two great rival organizations were
struggling for mastery in the country Dor
dering the Red river Of the North, the Hud-
son Bay Company and the American Fur
Company. To one or other OF these conn
panies every man IN Minnesota and what
Is now Manitoba, was allied, and even
the Indians took sides, those IN Tan
adian territory holding to the Hud-
son Bay Company, while the MINNIE
sofa Sioux were friendly TO the Ameri-
can Fur Company. The deeds OF violence
that were perpetrated in those early days
have never been told. II was all Indian
land'' and law was never invoked 70 settle
any difficulties. During the early winter
there was seldom any trouble, and all tho
men We're busy gathering turs, and none
had accumulated any thing. But when the
sp.ing came and the fruits OF the winters
trapping were being brought into the warn
Gus stations the trappers OF both companies
were in great danger. Nothing was easier
/ than for o man who had been unsuccessful
during the season to watch until q rival
trapper, came along with his pack, send .
bullet into him from belinda tree a take
possession Of his furs. No questions were
ever asked by the agents, and no proof was
wZrufkIa .tr A Rapahtra II hnuA aas1n half n
dozen trappers come In with packs Of fura
wrapped up in canvas, stamped with tho
| seal OF the Hudson Bay Company, but no
one thought Of troubling them on that ac-
count. although every one knew how they
haG obtained them. On the other side 81
the line the same state OF affairs prevailed,
and the trappers were exposed to constant
danger. The Hudson Bay Company had one
advantage over the American FUR Com
pany,'' continued Mr.. Upham, 'and that
wns il the number OF half-areeds In their
employ. The officers and agents Of
the company were nearly without
exception Scotchmen, aud they regular
" married Indian women, some
times two or three at . time, and raised
large families. When these grow up the
men always went into tho employ Of tho
company, and enabled IL TO keep on the best
possible terms with tho Indians. These
half breeds were . peculiar race OF men.
They had both the Indian and Scotch char
acteristics, had light straight hnir, a dark
skin and often bsuo eyes. They had the
heavy frame Of the S~cotchmRn, with the
activity and sparenOss Of the Indian, and
wore model trappers. But as courieTs they
made their great fame. Such ]
never saw. Whom It was necessarily send
3 message from pno station to another, ono
OF these ~half-breeds would carry aALstter
EhfOaEh patnisss woods and deep snow at
the rate Of sixty miles day for q week al
Rtlme. They were not given TO violcn 9,
and did not play mach Of = part 10 the fights
that were continually arising between the
two companies, but as woodsmen and trap.
pers they wero admirable The american
Fur Company had q class Of employees whl
were almost AZ good ia their way as the
Scotch haIf-breeds. These were the French
voyageurs and the half-breeds from the
Mississippi Valley. The French never made
good woodsmeA and could not be relied on
to act independently as the Scotch and
American trappers did. It was simply i'm
possible for q Creole to set out through
the woods by himself and remain fol
months alone In the Wilderness They
ghated solitude, were not good run
ners and never could endure the
snow-shoc work that formed so largo a part
Of the life of a trapper; but wherever
a canoe could feat the voyageur was al
home, and he seemed to have o natura
nack OF getting along with the Indiana ant
diving good bargains wi. b them, As soor
OBJ tho Ice broke up IN the spring they would
Oct on in parties Of three and four, with
! 5irch-bark canoe laden with goods suitable
% tho Indian trade, and would fearlessly
bread tho labyrinth Df streams and lake.
that Is found ia Northern Minnesota, wouli
stay q week at one Indian village, o day a
another, and probably q month at . third
making themselves welcome guests every
where and always returning with q larg'
supply Of furs. Al merrier. lighter-heartes
set OF men never breathed. Always good
hundred, seldom violent, and nevel
Esastnous. they were the best Of ali pioneers
to deal with, and never made any trouble
But they were essentially nomaaic IN thci
habits, never attached themselves 70 tn
company, and were likely 70 desert at an
momen without rhyme or reason. Tn
most turbulent and dangerous mon
by all odds, were The Americans A
trappera they had. spQ Supporters
and when It was q question Of golnI
into a remote and dangerous country
Americans were always chosen, TIL
peril seeming only to add zest to thei
cnjoynenS But they were continually EN-
broiled with the Indians, being thus yer.
different from tho French and Scotch half
breeds. Tho Indians feared the American
trappers, but hated them stiil more, an
never s1issed an opportunity Of rafting til
traps or killing the trappersi II q favorable
Opportunity czcred. Where American
arappers had occupied any district tier
was no hope Of direct trade With the Ind
ans, who were certain 70 assume q hostl'
at tude to the ~cnissaries Of The company
Few people know Che reason Of the declin
in tho fur trade Mr.. Uphatn continued
Tho Introduction 81 the silk hat ruined IA
beaver trade, and this was the mainstay Q
The business.
sFrom tho time that tho present stov'
pipe hats became fashionable tho beaye
fur trade went down, and by 1850 had pra'
tlcally ceased Tho country became scttiet
also, and the ~nar~bearing animals gre'
scarce, and finally the American Fur Con
pany went out Of existence. The Hudso
Fay Company still keeps up It's trade, but
Il on d comparatively small scale. and WI
soon, IA ray opinion, windup It's aiiaira an
y. 50 ont Of existonces't
How 70 Treat Frost-nltea.
Duriag the past two days / have freatc