The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1896-04-18

that point having shown themselves
generous and friendly toward the
whites at every opportunity. and on this
occasion turned out en- masse to well
come their old acquaintance of the
Hunt party with eXtraVagant demon
STATIONS of joy.
1t is curious to note. in these carly
invasions of the country, how the eter-
nal politician was always in evidence,
causing the weak and defensive tribes
to ally themselves promptly to the
white intruders. who were sufferers, like
themselves, at the hands of the strong
and aggressive bands. and the smart
ing red men drew sweet consolation
from the predictions of their white fell
low sufferers of a time when the hand
of the white man should be strong
enough in the land to crush all enemies
and reward all benefactors.
To the credit of the Wallah- Wallahs
be ii said. however, that their friendly
motives were never impugned. They
showed a hospitality which was truly
white" and fitted out the party which
was to traverse the continent with Mr.
Robert Stuart with the very best
horses from their numerous bands. and
this part of the expedition set off in
high spirits on July 81 to retrace the
route of the Hunt party along the arid
and mountainous course of Snake river.
Who that is familiar with travel in
that alkaline region, even in these days
of rapid transit and railroad comforts.
but can sympa thize with this little car
AVIAN as for a long summer day they
continued onward without hating; a
burning sky above their heads, a
parched desert beneath their feet, with
just wind enough to raise the light sand
from the knobs and envelOp them in
sitting clouds"
Not to follow this party farther, suf-
flee 1t to say that they reached their
| destination after many months of in
! credible adventure, hardship and suf-
| fering at the hands of predatory Indi-
ans 1t may be of interest, however, ia
add that when they again reached the
haunts of civilization they learned that
war with England had existed for an
entire year, and also that they tasted
bread for the first time in almost the
same period.
OKANOGAN AND SPOKANE POSTS
The remainder of the party at the
mouth of the Wallah-Wallah divided
into three attachments. one of which
was to recover the goods cached at the
Caldron Linn on Snake river, another
to visit the Okanogan post, and thirc
| to undertake the establishment of othel
new trading points. The party TO
| Okanogan, under Mr.. David Stuart, ont
of the partners, reached that post IL
safety, stocked it with goods and am
munition, and proceeded about 30
miles farther up the Columbia wher
they stocked and garrisoned anothe
trading post.
The party under Mr.. Clarke-anothe
partner-proceeded up Snake river L
the country Of the Nez Perces, to whom
by the way, he gave a sorry name 70
their treatment of his party; left Their
his boats and proceeded overland t
1.-The place on which he fixed for a trad
ing post; a fine point of land at tn
juncture of the Pointed Heart (Coeu
d'Alene) and Spokane rivers. His es
Establishment was intended to compel
with trading post of the Northwes
Company, situated at no great distance
and to rival it in the trade with tn
Spokane Indians; as we'll as with tn
Kootenais and Flatheads."
CThe post of the Northwest Compan
mentioned was some ten miles abov
the site of the present city)
sued their way for some distance up tn
Snake river-which stream appears I
have been known Unfortunately a
Lewis river, Lewis fork, Snake, CO
moenum, or Shaha plan-and establish
ed upon it's banks a post-afterwarC
known as Fort McKenzie-at the mo:
advantageous point for catching I'll
trade of the Indians travelling betwee
the Columbia river and the Rock
mountains. From this point a porto
! Of the party under Mr.. John Reed wei
on to the cache on the upper Snak
, only to find that six of the nine place
= of deposit had been revealed to IL
p Snake Indians by the Canadians WI
had dropped out of Mr.. Hunts par
i through sickness ana restitution, al
that the goods had been freely Apr
o priated by the Indians and their guest
O This was a sad blow to the whole Asst
( enterprise. and along with it came Il
q story of the wholesale robbery by
n dams of both posts established by NJ
? Hunt, who by this means had lost
l. the peltries collected in the interval, ;
the horses and equipments left the
e and pretty much everything else b
q their lives. Later on, disaster befell /
r post where John Reed and conside
d able party were trapping during (
st winter, and the whole garrison, inclu
ing Reed, the three stalwart hunter
J. Robinson Hoback and Risner, and I
a airy mongrel Pierre Doriore, were c
If terminated by savage massacre. Or
lie the poor squaw of the latter escap,
te with her two pappooses and two hors
a, to spend a solitary winter among t