Bismarck daily tribune., 1903-12-23

us. Reynolds was then stationed
with Custer at Fort Lincoln. We en-
tered the Yellowstone river the last
of May. made a very successful trip
to point above where Huntley,
Mont, is now. about ninety miles
above the mouth Of Big Horn river,
on the Yellowstone. We stopped at
"Pompey's Pillar" and found a cave
where Lewis and Clarks men had
camped either going to or returning
from the Pacific. "Pompey's Pillar"
was an immense rock standing alone
in the middle Of the prairie, and was
about the size of the state capitol
building. 1t had a cave in the side Of
it, where Lewis and Clark's men had
camped, for the names of the men
we're engraved on the rock. COL
Ored servant of the expedition named
Pompey had died there and they cal
led the rock "Pompey's Pillar" The
names had been nearly effaced by
time and the action of the elements.
We had stone cutter among the
soldiers, and under the direction of
General Forsyth tools were impro-
vised and the names cut deeper in the
stone, to preserve them. We planted
a flag on top Of the pillar by General
0rIAr
On that trip all the names OF places,
islands, creeks. ETC., were given and
they bear the same names today.
This was a preliminary trip to the
Custer expedition of the following
year, to ascertain If the river was
navigable in June, and If the boat
service could afford successful CO.
operation to the army. Where Miles
City was first located on the bank Of
the Yellowstone river there was a
big camp of Sioux Indians When
they saw US they struck camp, took
their tepees down and moved in Il
great hurry and when we arrived
there the fires were burning just as
they had left them. We could see the
Indians moving off up Tongue river.
One of the results of that trip was
the Custer expedition of the following
year, and all are familiar with the his
tory Of that trip. No trip could have
been more successful than ours, as
for years afterward it was the cause
| Of opening up the river for navigation,
until the Northern Pacific road was
completed.
asked General Sargent, who was
building the Northern Pacific, if he
would not name town for my friend
General Forsyth, in recognition of his
services in the opening the west
Sargent told me about where there
would be towns and he said that he
would name any one Of them for my
friend. l selected the mouth of Rose
bud river, where we all separated on
the Custer expedition, and he told me
that there would be a division about
there, and he would name the town
for General Forsyth That is where
Forsyth, Mont, stands today.
This trip was important, as having
direct bearing on the opening Of thu
west Had 1t been failure, tn,
! military expeditions would have beel
more difflcult and hazardous and thu
| settlement of the west and the cam
paigns against the Indians might have
been delayed many years, and the
opening OF this vast territory like
wise delayed. As it was, the success
/, of the trip forwarded the settlement
Of this new country by many years
At that time the country was al
Indians paradise. The country wa.
full OF buffalo, mountain sheep, elk
bear, deer, antelope, mountain lions
and in fact every variety Of game
Fred Grant now General Grant, was
first class shot and shot many deer
elk, buffalo and all kinds Of gam
from the boat
rlichelson's store is the first il
the field with famous Bell coffee