The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1888-04-12
The Sun River Stampede.

"Talk about your big snow storms
and loss of life in Dakota" said Major
Easterly, special agent of the interior
department in Dakota, as he soused
himself into the information chair OF
the Tribune bureau. Ibid you ever
hear of the great Sun river mining
stampede in Montana during the win
ters of 1866? That was a winter
that was never made glorious by the
summers sun of Montana. / wasn't
there myself, but I reached the Last
Chance camp, now the city of Helena, !
in the early August day of that men,
orable year. Myself and a chum left
Red Wing, Mimi, early in May, 1866,
and Joined the camp of pilgrims at
New Ulm, whose destination was the
gold fields of Montana.
THE party numbered $50 good men
and true, with lao wagons loaded with
provisions and necessary supplies to
run most of the boys for year, when
we left New Ulm, commanded by Uncle
Tom Holmes of Shakopec. man OF
splendid ability and thoroughly quail
fed to look after the welfare of lot
of tenderfeet."
Major Easterly says that during
their march up Milk river for $50 miles
they travelled through one continuous
mass of buffalo. ..At no time, day or
night, for over a week, but what we
had solid body-guard of buffalo as
protection against our blood thirsty
enemies, the Indians. None OF our
party was allowed to kill only for
meat necessary. The buffalo did not
| modest us and we did not modest them
| onlv when we wanted a nice young
| fnndoI, lnGnInnS
| and juicy. Why, We just rolled all
| over in clover-grew fat and pert, ana
thought we could lick the whole Sioux
nation, and the Indians must have
been of the same opinion, for they
never came after any hair OF stock. l
tell you that was glorious trip.
1.-The Sun river stampede was holy
terror, so to speak. Early in Janu-
ary. 1868, a mysterious-looking pros
uector came into Last Chance camp,
which was overfiowing with all kinds,
classes, and conditions OF men, which
might be sized up as good, not SO
good, tough, bad and the shouting
roarers from Rum Gulch and Bitter
Root. Every man who came into
camp or left it was spotted and watched
and his location learned. The Sun
river prospector had come i'm to stock
up and was about to start back for his
prospect hole. He was asked by a
: few parties where he was located and
what his prospects were. He frankly
told them that his hole was on Sun
, river and that he had as good thing
as he wanted, This harmless and
truthful information, on its face, in
dicated nothing, but to the ever-watch'
, full mining craze it said there are mil
lions there
1.-The Sun river man was watched
: and trailed to his lair, and the repor
: of his location soon spread far anG
y wide. No bellwether ever led flocl
|, of sheep with more Interchangeable pur
pose than the simple statement OF th'
happy Sun river man did the thou
!, sands of gold-crazy hunters who came
. from near and far, on foot and ol
g horse OF mule or anything else attain
\ able. Idaho. Washington, Wyoming
= Dakota, and from all parts of Mon
4 tana rushed the daring gold-hunters
rushing on to their unknown fate AM
terrible death from hunger.
e 'It will never be known how man
I men reached the banks of the Su
! river that memorable winter. Thei
e numbers have been estimated int
It thousands, and it is equally impossibl
l. to estimate the number WHO perishe
"a from hunger and cold. When tn
camp was up and everybody diggin
l. and prospecting over the country
te terrible snowstorm came up, blockaG
% ing trails and shutting out those VIII
}. wanted to escape from the apparer
ss death-trap. No supplies sufficient fo
ty the camp had been provided before tn
= snow embargo set in. The Glockad
continued into March. Supplies ha
d run low, and in many cases had give
n. out entirely, and the inevitable resu
r. death from observation-disclosures
m Minneapolis Tribune.