The Washburn leader., 1899-09-23
The Turning Point.

In the early spring of 1885,
eventful in North Dakota's his
tory as the year OF the first great
stride in it's permanent. settle
ment,-I started out out with
ponies, pack, traps and gun ON
y few days camping sojourn to
r reight Pie point, "a narrow.
belt of young cottonwood tim
Der stretching :llon, the Missou
ri's east bank opposite to. the
bottom lands to the southeast
of Lake Mandan. A mile or
more west of Freight Pile, stood
q lone group of tall, tough and
gnarled cottonwoods that had
served as a landmark for early
day steamboatmen and voya-.
gers, ,and was known AZ Counted
Woods, there being but eleven
trees, in the group which stood
out in line bare of underbrush-
facing tie Missouri's water and
sands.
The point of Freight Pile had
derived it's epigramic appelation
from q current legend in con-
nection with some dark trans.
actions in connection with the
conduct of affairs at the old Fort
Berthold Indian agency, in
which-so narrators' say-the
good Offices of the fire: fiend had
been called to assist in the can
ceiling Of an obligation discred-
liable alike to government Off
cials and their beneficiaries and
staggering to the limit the. Red
mans faith in the simple good.
ness Of his great white Grand
father.
Between this point of uncan-
ny fame and the rough frouted
nearby bluffs, in those days of
it's primitive glory. was a placid
little lake bordered and shaded
by cottonwood striplings. thick
willows and scraggy oaks. A
beaver house here stood out
aIore:on the sharp point of a
prometory, the occupants of
which for the most part
being old resi.lenters had with
stood defamation from the crack
Of hunters rifles and but partial
annihilation from fur trapper's
tortu"us ways. Though cruelty
beset they had managed to keep
family enough together to put
their house ia order during the
soft summer nights from win
ter's cod. and among protecting
jangles store a small. sunken
feed bed to give life until they
could behold the warmth and
JOY Of another spring time. 49,.
1.-The old military. route leading
Up from PAINTED Woods, led
aIong the crest of Turtle Creek
bluffs. and: in the: valley, of
which nestled Rhude 8 Turtle
Valley Ranch, which in the
days of military supremacy
had been a cheerful sight to the
tired traveller and wayfairer.,
: Two miles further along by
an old Indian trail. lpolned up
the first evidenceof the growing
town of Washburn:built near
site of the last of. many contests
that had left it's tracks of blood
between the a ricaree and Sioux;
Near the lnouth'of the first cou.
lee above the town, on the morn
ing of May 20. l 50. in mortal
two war chiefs had fal.
len there-each the leader of
hia hand
Two miles further up stream
from the embryonic county cap
ital comes down and out from
abrupt bluffs q little stream
that historically commentaries
the place "where the Crows and
Gros Ventres parted y Here,
SO the Gros Ventre chronicler. 8
lay, two, great camps of people
Df kith and kin quarreled and
parted forever over 40 trivial al
matter as the disputed own
of.a bull buffalo's punch.
A few hundred yards further
10 the west of this historic rivu-
let the deep cut Indian trail led
across the sharp points Of some
;onverging ravines when the
little lake with its lone beaver
house came to view. -.
After making camp under a
spreading oak. l proceeded to
sign up" the lake aud adjunct
and discovering tracks Of
! large beaver spread out u line
# traps and retired to the cover
# my blankets with the usual
'estless impatience of q trapper
anxious to learn the result of
his conniving net work to en-
rap n, .cturnal fur covered wan
lererS. i
Early the next morning on