Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1906-02-01
CAPTAIN
Marsh Tells Of Early Steam
boat Days on the
Missouri

Editor Tribune: The Thanksgiving
storm last fall makes me think of the
fall of 1880.
1 was at Ft. Buford on the Steamer
f. Y. Bachelor on the 4th day of
$780, While we were I'M
loading to return to Bismarck, an
officer came on board with a dispatch
from General Terry commanding the
to take the boat, put
battalion of troops on board and send
her to Mussel Shell river, Montana,
with all haste to the relief of Leuten-
ant Kisslenberry who was there with
a small party of soldiers who were
by the Sioux Indians. We
left as soon as we got the supplies
and soldiers on board, with Capt.
Kendrick of the 7th Infantry, in mill
tary command. We made good time
and arrived at Mussel Shell on the
18th. We found the party had killed
one Indian and driven the balance off.
Lieut.. Kisslenbelry was one of the
officers that later persisted in the
Arctic regions in the polar expedition
under Gen. Greeley, who is now at
the head of the weather bureau.
After Capt. Kendrick put things in
shape we started back on the 18th.
The weather was fine on the 18th,
18th and 18th, but about p. m. on
the 18th, when, at a point close to
Milk river, it commenced to snow and
blow. We found what we thought to
be, a good harbor and put the boat in
it. The next morning the river was
closed solid with ice, as, it had turned
bitter cold during the night. We had
two Berthold Indians on board, as
scouts, whom Capt. Kendrick sent to
Buford to report our condition The
commandant at Buford sent trans
portation and all but eleven men,
whom I left to watch the boat, went
to Buford.
While waiting for the transporta-
ton from Buford took the crew off
the boat and built house nearly on
the bank which we called Fort. We
took all portable property from the
boat and, put it. in the house and aban-
doned the boat as it could not be
made SO that the men could live on it
on account of the cold weather in
that country.
1t was about the 25th of November
when we left the boat which was
right in the midst of Sitting Bulls
dominions. We left plenty of sup
plies, winchesters and ammunition,
with Geo. Faux, the chief engineer
in charge. He is now in ST. Louis.
Our party arrived at Bufori all
right, where I remained with Mr..
Jordan of the firm of Leighton & Jor-
dan, the owners Of the boat, until the
10th of December when we started to
Bismarck in a lumber wagon. It was
Is below, and we were six days MAX
ing the trip. 1t kept getting colder
all the time with the wind blowing
and showing the entire trip. When
we arrived at Bismarck it was IS be-
low and we were all frozen more or
less. My face was black,
My recollection is that after the
first of January there were no trains
on any railroad in Minnesota or Da-
kota until April 1881.
There were great foods in the
spring, the river bottoms being
covered many feet deep for. several
weeks. The Steamer Eclipse, Capt.
Braithwaite. landed at the foot Of
third street in Bismarck right where
Mr.. Wilcox now lives. That spring
Leighton & j, Jordan bought the
Eclipse after the Bachelor returned
from her winter harbor. I went on
the Eclipse at a salary of $500 a
month. IS. .5s.: 4 ..%...s.f.. rs :,
Joe Leighton came out from st.
Paul and made the trip with us to
Bufords Keogh and Poplar Creek,
where his firm had trading posts. We
brought down the most valuable car
go that ever came down the Missouri.
ii consisted az beaver, otter and wolf
peits, with q few buffalo hides. and
was insured for sl0s. 00S.