Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1894-01-19

part of the territory rapidly increased
and eliminated, at the period Of which I
write, in the thriving town Of. Fargo, the
first station on the Dakota division Of the
Northern Pacific railroad. Following the
railroad westward came the settlers.
At the crossing, s,ot the James river the
"Rivere aiui.. Jiabues" Of the. first explorers
the little post Of Fort Seward was estab-
lished. c0%-incident with the establishment
of Camp Hancock, for the protection Of
railroad engineers and graders on the
line between the Red and James rivers.
There sprang up the promising settlement
that became the Jamestown OF. to day, and
thereafter the mails and supply trains for
the Missouri river forts were carried over.
land along the surveyed line OF the railroad
and the settlements on the Red river and
theD settlements on the Missouri were
connected Dy q direct line of c0mmunica-
ton. The overland mail route from Fort
Stevenson, via Fort Totten, to Fort Aber-
crOmbie, wa abandoned. The Rec scout
line from Fort Rice to. Grand River fell
into disuse. Mail and officers on leave
went east from Camp Hancock; supply
teams for all the Missouri forts now cross
ing the territory, coming to Edwinton, di-
rect from the Minnesota line. What a saw
ing of time and distance, and how near VIC
seemed to be living to the states. We
laughingly said we had noneed to return to
civilization; we had only to stay here and
civilization would come to US.
Fifteen years before the establishment
of Fort Berthold, in 1880, the Ameri-
can Fur company of st. Louis, built their
first stockade at the mouth of the Marias
river, and after various changes, es-
tablished permanent headquarters at Fort
Benton, the head Of the navigation on the
Missouri river, in 1846, in what became in
1854, the Territory of Montana, but which
was then included In the limits of Dakota
Territory, which As originally organized
included Montana, Idaho and Nebraska,
thus embracing about half million of
square miles.
The first steamboat from st. Louis
reached Fort Benton on June q, 1860, and
that event was the beginning of an i'm
portant traffic on the, upper Missouri river,
and marked an important epoch in the his
tory of the northwest. The Indian trad
ing post at Fort Benton was sold by the
American Fur company to the Northwest
Fur company in 1854. 1t was occupied by
United States troops in October, 1859, to re-
ceive and forward the freight for Forts
Shaw and Ellis and Camp Baker, the last
named post having been established in
1859 to protect Diamond City and other
mining camps in the vicinity from Indian
,~depredatiOns. 1t was located on Smiths
River or Deep Greek, a branch of the Mis-
souri,. 1t was seventy miles southeast of
Fort Shaw, and 100 miles north of Fort
Ellis.
Fort Benton is located on the Missouri
at the head of navigation, and is aboutl5 ,OOC
miles from the Gulf of Mexico, in latitude
40 degrees, north, ITO degrees, 40 minutes
west, altitude about $500 feet above sea
level.
Fort Ellis was located, Aug. q, 1857, on
the south bank of the GalIiton river, and
was distant some 245 miles, by circuitous
route, south of Fort Benton.
Fort Shaw was located on Sun river
some twenty miles above its mouth, june
80, 1857. Its original name was Camr
Reynolds. The object of a military pos
on Sun river, was to protect and keep oper
the route from Helena to Fort Benton: and
to prevent, as far as possible, the incursior
OF Indians into the settlements to the south
1t was garrisoued by four companies o.
the 18th infantry. under Major Clinton
who had moved up the Missouri durine
the summer of 1856. The first battalion
Of the 18th, built Camp Cooke-afterwyard
a~bandoned-the same fall. Fort Shaw
was named in remembrance OF the service:
OF Col. Robert G. Shaw, who lost his life il
the assault on Fort Wayne in July, 1858
and. was the only military post in thu
United States named after a colored man
Fort Shaw was slxty-four miles west BIZ
water from Fort Benton.
The supplies for these important posts
and for the military then operating in tina
country were brought up the Missouri
from ST. Louis to Fort Benton, from where
they were distributed by wagon train
The steamboats, which brought up these
supplies, returned heavily laden with buff
falo robes, and valuable furs OF the otter
mink and beaver, for the St. Louis market
and carried down ''pemmican" (dried buf
falo meat) for the Indian agencies in Da
kota territory.
The steamboats, of the line controlled by
the firms Of Durfee and Peck of St. Louis
were the pioneers who opened the gates Of
commerce in the far northwest, and gave
70 all the vast region whereabouts includ
ing the northwest territory of Canada, g
market and an outlet for their surplus
turs and ore, through the medium Of this
great waterway of the west.
Later came'the steamboat line owned by
Commodore Kouptz of Pittsburg, Penn.
and at the period of which, l write, as
many as fifty cargoes per season we're dis,
charged at Fort Benton, while a feet OF
some thirty boats were kept busy rams.
porting troops and carrying supplies t. the
various military posts and Indian agencies
on the Missouri.
With the beginning Of the steamnbo,a,
traffic,,a new class Of men appeared in the
| country. Steamers could MT 10 r,,v -,;&t,