Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1904-03-30
THE FIRST WHITE ...:
4. WOMAN I'm BISMARCK.
Mrs. Slaughter Corrects Some Statements
4 Made BY Mrs. Kinney and INDUCES in
Some Interesting "reminiscences. ?

NVlllllllSAVll
husband, Mr.. R. r.. Marsh, who had
built the Wellington hotel" on Main
street. ..
A woman named Mcdonald came
with her, husband in the fall of 1872.
Her babe born in November was the
first child born in Bismarck. They
lived in the little log house on Fifth
street, adjoining Judge Boyle's Office.
With Mrs. Mcdonald, was a woman
named Kate Shannon, a good indus
trious woman, but now unfortunately
in the state hospital for insane.
There was also mulatto woman
named Louisa Thompson from Fort
Rice, who was my Shousekeeper, and
good old "Aunty Harris" who kept
house for Captain Clarke at Camp
Hancock. =.
At Burleigh City Mrs. Belhymer
was housekeeper for Major Lewis,
brother-in-law of DR.. Burleigh, who
was holding the townsite of Burleigh
City ], in opposition to the Lake
Superior and Puget Sound Co., who
had pre-empted most of the claims in
the Big Bottom. Belhymer was board
ing the laborers on the railroad which
was being graded through the "Big
Bottom to "The Point" at the river.
Il trust, If am in error in any Of
, these statements, that / may be cor
} rected by any one knowing the facts;
and if have omitted mention of any
one, who was in Bismarck in 1872.
trust the name and date of arrival
will be furnished me, as I want my
history of Bismarck to be complete.
! Mrs. Kinney's memory Is not per.
feet. She speaks of seeing cowboys
and "cattlemen" in Bismarck. Now
know that in those early days there
were only two or three COWS in Bis
marck, and no man having a proper
respect for his scalp would have ven
tured out on the Indian infested
ranges even if there had been cattle
there. Mrs. Kinney speaks of Bis
marck as then containing a motley
crowd of white adventures, settlers
cowboys, soldiers, roilroad men .and
other classes of border population.
Now my experience of Bismarck IL
that in 1872 It was a quiet. orderl,
town, with q Sunday school, fret
day school and church alread!
planned for. There was also
Shakespeare Reading Circle" com
! posed Of ladies and gentlemen o
Bismarck and Fort Lincoln. that me
at the surgeons quarters at CAM
Hancock, and read and acted all tn
shorter plays Of Shakespeare during
the winter of 1S72-1s73. i
!. It was not until the summer of 1877;
when the N. P. R. R. track was com
: pleted and brought in together witt
! many good settlers) crowd o
u gamblers from "the end Of the track
and the 7th cavalry came to Fort Lin
} coin, that Bismarck received its ba
7 name. But all the saloons and dane
81 halls were congregated in one part Q
: the city, which was avoided by tn
: citizens, and no one in the residenc
! part of the city was ever molested.
! But newspaper correspondents woul
come to Bismarck, spend . night /
the dance halls on Fourth street. nc
a noticing the good citizens and tn
r orderly homes, nor the good work ths
? was being done, and like the blin
t man who had seen the elephant. woul
8 write UP the city, describing only til
= part they had themselves seen g
s typical OF the whole. town. \
+ I am sure there were no COWBOYS
8 Bismarck III 1872. and % there was
9 railroad there we're no railroad me-
g although they are usually considere
s la good class Of citizens. The soldier
= at Camp Hancock were. orderly an
i under fine discipline BY the ofacer
& and never molested the citizens. an
2 there were no Indians In the tow
y although there were many sleeplel
8 nights when we knew they wei
g towering On the outskirts Of the g
d. Element, and liable ct any moment
y attack the Camp and town. N new new,
q heard before Of any dead lndis
chief being killed "a Z light IN p
q q msrck and hope Mrs. Kinney win 81
\ US fuli particulars. I was postmast
y 81 Bismarck from February 1879
of April 1875. ana want 70 say that z
y pionesrs of Bismarck. both men I,
81 womsn. we're ! srapd class of poop