The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1894-03-09
FORT SHAW.
A Short History Of This Well.known
Military Post on the Banks
of Sun River.
1t Is Now Used for an Indian Indus
trial School for the Neigh
boring Tribes.

river stand tie buildings which former
ly composed the military post of Fort
Shaw. It was the third post erected by
the war departments in Montana, Camp
Cooke and Fort Ellis taking the prece-
dence. In 1867 the Thirteenth infantry
arrived at Camp Cooke at the mouth OF
the Judith river by steamboat, each
company being the full standard of lOl
men to the company. On their arrival
two (?) companies were sent up to Sun
River and made %cantonment at the old
mission neal the ranch OF Dave Church
i'll. About the month Of August of that
year the site of the future post was Sc
iected and more troops were forwarded
enough to make the garrison consist of
six companies. The post was established
to overawe the Blackfeet on the north,
who we're numbering and plundering at
that time from Sun river to the mouth
of the Judith river. The Pen dOreilles
too came down Sun river on their horse
thieving expeditions, and often the Crows
used to come up on retaliatory expedi
tions on the Blackfeet which sometimes
made things look rather interesting.
In the fall Of 1867, commencement was
made on the new post of Fort Shaw, and
the soldiers were kept busy making
adobe for the fort buildings. The re-
gimeht at that time contained some very
hard cases, most of these being recruits
newly arrived, thievery was a pasttime,
and desertion was an everyday occur
renee. The 9uartermasters safe was
stolen, and military stores were taken
and sold by the wagon load. The troops
at Shaw we're commanded by Lieut.-Col
Andrews. and the fort was nominally
completed in 1868. In the spring Gen
eral Trobriand, the colonel commanding,
joined his regiment. and in 1869 the
Thirteenth Infantry was relieved by the
Seventh. under command of General
Gibbon. 1t was during the following
winter that the expedition left Fort
Shaw that exterminated the hostile band
of Blackfeet on the Marias river. In
1870, the first road from Fort Shaw to
Camp Baker was surveyed. In 1872 the
expedition to the Yellowstone left Shaw
which eliminated in Bakers light. In
1874 the first road from Fort Shaw to
Camp Lewis (now Lewistown) was sur
veyed, the ford over the Missouri being
where the railroad bridge at present is al
Great Falls, and Camp Lewis being
named after the major of the regiment
In 1879 the Third Infantry, under Lieut..
Col. Brooks, took station at Shaw, and
in 1883 were in turn relieved by tie
Twenty. fifth Infantry, under command
of Lieut.-Col. j. j. Van Horn. These
were the troops stationed at Shaw, and
only g%arrisoned the post a short time
when 1t was abandoned. The growth OF
settlements had been so large, that the
fort had accomplished the purpose fol
which it was built. 1t vas an expensive
post, as it is estimated from 1867 to 1875
it cost the United States over half q
million dollars in the q~uartermasters
department alone.
A year ago an Indian school was es,
tablished under the superintendency Of
DR.. Winslow. 1t is now in a flour
ishing condition, having 30 children
under tuition. These children come
from the Crows, Cheyennes, Sioux
Blackfeet, and Assinnaboines, and the
progress of the pupils is somewhat re-
markable.
One feature of Fort Shaw is the large
size of the reservation, which continues
about forty square miles. This is entire
ly too large for the present requirements
and itcould with justice to incoming set
tiers be cut down to one-third Of the
present size.