Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1906-02-03

>SAAS
Lean county, N. D., in 1S45, and soon
became an important trading point in
the upper Missouri country; and, has
an eventful history. In 1860 an op-
position post was built near Berthold
by Charles Larpenteur, Henry Boiler
and Jefferson Smith, ex-employees Of
the American Fur company, who
named the new post Fort Atkinson.
This post was used by them one year
and then abandoned, owing to the
panic caused at the beginning of the
war of the rebellion.
We find in Larpenteur's Forty
Years in the Fur Trade" the follow
ing mention Of the organization of the
new firm, in which he says:
ION my way down the Missouri
found at Fort Berthold, Jefferson
Smith, an old trader, who, like my
self, was out Of employment, and had
about $4,000. There I also met a
young man by the name of Henry
Boiler, who said that he could raise
$4,000 from his father in Philadelphia.
I felt sure that I could obtain my
share from Robert Campbell of Saint
Louis, and with that understanding
we agreed to meet in Saint Louis and
organize the new company"
Their plan was to ship goods up the
Mississippi river to Saint Paul and
transport it from there to Pembina
and the Missouri with teams.
Continuing Larpenteur says: GAS
those men had to wait tor the return
of Mr.. Choteau who had gone up to
Fort Benton. I arrived in Saint Louis
a few days before them and informed
Mr.. Campbell of our project, of which
he approved, and advanced me my
portion of the outfit"
One of Mr.. Campbelrs clerks by
the name of Robert Lemon joined the
new company as partner, and upon
the arrival of Boiler and JEFF Smith,
they went into operation with the
understanding that they were to build
and operate two new trading posts on
the upper Missouri-one by Lar
penteur and Lemon at the lower end
|of SpreadEagle bottom, near the
mouth of Poplar river in Dawson
county, Montana, and the other one
by Smith and Boiler at the Mandan
and eros Ventres villages, near Fort
Berthold.
They left Saint Paul on the 5th of
September, with eight wagons and
eleven men, their train attracting the
attention. of many frontiersmen as
they moved out over the old Stevens
Trail in the direction of the big bend
of the Missouri river.
They crossed the Red river at
Georgetown, village of Clay county,
Minnesota, at the mouth OF Buffalo
river, fifteen miles north of Moorhead
and Fargo, reaching the Norman
Kitson trading post at old Fort
Pembina, about the middle of October.
From there they travelled up the river
to Saint Joseph, at the base OF the
Pembina Mountains, where Larpen-
teur met many of his old acquaint-
|ances Of the upper Missouri, who had
settled at this place.
Here they secured a guide aud con-
tinued their course to the Missouri,
Of which Larpenteur says:
"The weather was fine and, we
travelled well till our cattle began to
get tenderfooted, when we had to go
slow. When we reached the Souris
Tor Moose) river they got so lame
that we had to shoe them with the
iron bands taken from our boxes,
Nothing now remains of old Forts
tanned us much on our march"
when we arrived at a little river
called the Elk Head-the Fete Ia
Biche, or South Antler OF the French
and Boiler left us with their
four wagons for Fort Berthold.''
"Larpenteur and Lemon continued
on their course, crossed the Missouri
Coteaus west to the present town Of
Minot, to the mouth of Poplar river,
where they built their trading post
situated near the present indian
agency school building on the Great
Northern Railroad. -s :
In 1862 the American Fur company
obtained possession Of Fort Atkinson,
(where Boiler served) transferring to
1t the name OF BerthoId; the site Of
old Fort Bertheld being cut away by
the Missouri. They abandoned the
old stockade which was famed by the
Sioux Indians December oath, 1862
a memorable Christmas eve In the
annals OF Fort Bertho1d, so wildly
told by Joseph Taylor In his Frontier
Life.t' z.s :s% ". ~ ags. s * ~..,
Fort Berthoid was first occupied as
a military post in 1864, when Gen.