The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-08-23
ANACONDA NEWS.
EARLY DAYS IN MONTANA
Pioneer Trapper Relates Some of
His Youthful Experiences.
FRIEND OF jim BRIDGER
Old Man Is Now Living on the Blacktoot
Observation-Disclosures With Inter-
est the Days When He
Fought Indians.

Charles Choquette, ex-voyageur and
trapper of the old American Fur COM
pany, has been telling some tales to a
correspondent of the Chicago Inter-
Ocean. Under date of Blackfoot reser-
walton, Aug. IA, this correspondent re-
lates many stories told him by Cho-
quvJrc, some of which follow:
'Robber?" said Choquette, in answer
to my inquiry. "Oh, many times. 1t
was not until l finally married Black
foot woman, and travelled about with
the tribe-a member of it, you may say
that l felt reasonably certain of get
ting my seasons catch of furs to the
company's posts in safety. For several
years after l arrived at Fort Union |
went with one or two companions each
season up the Milk river, or to the
Snowy mountain or Little Rocky coun
try, and about half the time the In
dams got our furs. I'll tell you now
about the first big catch | made, and
how l met Jim Bridger Ever hear of
him.
Yes; he was a great trapper, hunter
and scout, was he not?"
That's him. All, but he was a brave
man. But wait: twas this way. We
lldu bStIl lobDtu Ildlly times. In the
spring of 1913 we returned to Fort
Union and we had only the few beaver
we caught coming down the river. We
had wintered on the Fourchette, and
the Assinaboins had raised our cache.
We worked around the fort all summer
hunting for the company, and wetting
out fire wood and finally the time came
for us to start out for another seasons
trapping. There were three of us. An
tome Bisette, Louis La Breche and my
self. All summer we had been trying
to decide on the best place to CO. where
there would be plenty of beaver and
where we would likely be safe from
the Indians. We concluded to try the
country of the Yellowstone. There
were many Indians to pass, Cheyennes
and Crows and Snakes, besides the
chance of war parties and other tribes,
but once in the mountains, beyond these
people who always hunted on the
plains, we felt we would be safe. We
could play Indian ourselves and travel
nights, hiding in some good place dur
ing the day time
I'VE left the fort late in August.
Each of us had a saddle horse and two
pack horses. Our outfit was simple;
couple of skillets and pots, a little
bedding, an Indian lodge for shelter, a
couple of axes, three dozen traps and
plenty of ammunition and tobacco.
Well, having crossed the Missouri just
we struck out over the rolling prairie,
keeping far enough back from the lat
ter stream to hear its long coulies and
breaks. None of us had ever been up
the Yellowstone, but we had obtained
general idea of the country from The
Indians who visited the fort. On every
. side there were buffalo and antelope in
countless thousands, from which we
could have selected a fat one for our
breakfast, but there was no water. and we
were as thirsty as we were hungry: SO
we kept YEARLY on toward some wood
ed breaks a long ways ahead, where
r water as well game was sure % be
found. When we got within mile of
our destination, a dozen or more
horsemen suddenly rode up out of the
valley and came straight at us. Our
hearts sunk; 1t seemed as If we had
jumped out of the frying pan into the
fire. Our horses were played out, we
could not retreat, and we were prepar-
ing to dismount and fight the best we
knew how when we discovered that the
strangers were white men. We had
never expected to meet anything but
Indians in that wild country. On they
came. big, strong, broad-shouldered
flaXen-haired and blue-eyed man in the
lead. riding as fine a saddle animal as
/ ever saw. They were now quite close;
they came within a few PAGES and
stopped.
How said the big man.
How, how" We exclaimed, shaking
hands with him in turn.
WHO are you?' he asked; free trap
pers'
mo I replied, we belong to the
company. And you?
My name is Bridger,' he said. Jim
Bridger. Maybe you've heard of me-
Well Fixed for Indians.
We had There wasn't man west
of the Mississippi who did not know
him or of him, for he was the greatest
hunter trapper and Indian fighter of
us all. AS we rode along with him and
his men to their camp, we told of In
dams we had seen the day before and
advised Bridger to move on at once, as
we We're sure there was a big camp in
the vicinity. He laughed. and just
then we came to the edge of the valley,
and with a sweep of his hand he said:
Does that look much like running?
1t didn't: around a number of small
fires his band of white men-SO in all,
as we afterward learned-were willing
away the time smoking, cooking, clean
ing guns and mending clothes.
No, said Bridger, as he noticed our
establishment, we only move when we
get ready to, and God help the Indian
outfit that tries to stop us. We've
fought our way out here and we can
fight some more
This was Bridger's first trip into the
Yellowstone country, he having before
always trapped south of it. He told us
that he had left St. Louis in July and
had fought his way through the coun-
try of the Sioux, the Pawnee, the
Cheyenne and the Crow and that he
intended to winter wherever he could
find good fur country. Well, we Joined
in with him, and next day once more
moved westward. 1t was on the Big
Horn that we met him. and little did
we think that 90 years later on our sol
diers would be butchered by the In