Bismarck daily tribune., 1908-12-20
PRICEL ESS HISTORY
SECOND VOLUME ISSUED BY
STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY
FULL OF INTEREST AND DATA
or RYGoNE ENENTs--MUcH
ORIGINAL MATTER rs con-
TANNED THEREIN.

The Forthcoming volume OF the
State Historical society promises to-
outdo Its predecessor in value and In
terest. All those interested in our
history will rejoice to know that the
priceless records of the early strug-9
giles and triumphs in The develop
of the northwest are to be put in per-
manent and accessible form before
those who bore the labors and re-
sponsibilities of pioneering have
passed away, and while it is still
possible to obtain exact and reliable
information. We have been too
ready to allow these matters to pass
unnoticed, but the time is soon COM
ing when the wisdom of those who.
have led the way in these historical
yestigations viii be fully appreciate
ed. NJ
From the most out Of the way and
unexpected sources have come Jour
nails, diaries, letters. photographs and
other historical materials which APP
pear in the work.
The new voium Collections Of the.
State Historical Society of North sDa-l
kota, Vol. ID, viii contain among other;
matters; three classes or groups Of
material Of especial Interest -first,
matter here published for the first
time and not otherwise ayailable ]; sec
ond, reports and letters already print
ed in papers and Journals contempo-
rary with even&s s., but now either
scarce or not longer accessible to the.
public, and lastly the results of orig
inal researches and explorations.
Under the first head comes q series
of journals. MlsLeod's S Journal, which
was obtained from the Provincial IL
brary at Manitoba, Canada. dates to
the year 1911, and records happen
ings in both the United States and
Canada, and is a most valuable source
of information for this early period.
The Atkins Journal or Log consists
of record of events on the Missouri
river from 1863 to 1858. The photo
graphs include such men as Captain
Atkins and Captain Sims, mentioned
in the log. The Ross Journal, 1868,
gives the authors experience on the
overland route to Idaho The Diary of
Lewis Paxson, Ft. Abercrombie
soldier, 1928. includes civil war SER
vice until the writer was mustered
out Photographs of the principaS
leaders are among the illustrations,
Colonel Peteler, Captain Wander
Horck, and many other commanders
and officers at Ft. AbeTcrombie APP
pear here, besides several pictures or
drawings Of the fort at various stages
in its history.
Story OF the Fort.
In the second group appear reprints
of materials collected after much la
= asacsf.
permanent form The story of Fort
sAbercrombie is told from contempo-
rary newspapers, letters and Journals
by men who were among the actors
in those troublous times. Here are
given in brief outline the stories of
the expeditions of Captain James u.
Fisk, who on four separate sonea lions
led gold hunters from Minnesota to-
the gold fields of Montana and Ida
no. The two chief routes used were
from St Paul to st. Cloud and via.
Fort Abercrombie on the trail run
ming south Of Devils Lake to Fort
Benton and beyond; and second, the
Missouri river route via. Ft. Wads-
worth (S Dak.l, to Fort Rice, and
then northwest to the gold regions.
The expeditions made the Dakota
prairies known to the people Of the
east and preceded the period of ac
tual settlement There are letters
from members 10 the Fisk expeditio Ions.
and numerous photographs, notably Of
Captain Fisk and his brother, the.
Sims brothers, and ]. p Lennan.
On Sellsirk Settlement.
Important among the papers pub
lished is III. G. Gums article on The
Selkirk Settlement The author has
long been known as an authority on
this subject, and his clear and impair
tiaI discussion will be welcomed by
all. Mr.. Gum is a grandson of DON
aid Gum, the author of the History
of Manitoba, himself one Of the origi-s
nal SeIkirkers. This article deals with
the causes leading up to Lord Sell
kinks famous venture, the Highland
clearances that furnished settlers for
the enterprise, his connection with.
the Hudson Bay company, and his
struggles with the Northwest COM
pany. These and other phases OF the
subject are set forth, an undertaking
Iespecially difficult on account Of the
heated controversies on every detail
of the subject and the difficulty OF
getting at reliable information.
In Steele County.
The history of Riverside township
describes Scotch English gronp In
| Steele county, and contains also the
j story Of the dead town of Mardell, a
4 typical boom town in early Dakota
/ days 1t is an account of the difficul-
ties, aspirations and disappo ointments
of a typical North Dakota settlement
with its gradual decay from loss Of
original settlers and of their8displace-
4 ment by Scandinavians ana others.
This sketch includes the Ross Jour
nal, sketches and photographs of
i leading settlers, all giving much local
color and illustrating exceedingly
/ well the possibilities in this kind oi
historical study.
Interesting also are Sveinbjorr
Jchnson,s account Of the Icelandir
q Lutheran Synod OF America and
Onion B Herigstad's Norwegian i'm
migration into the United States
which are in continuation of similai
work in Volume +
An Indian Story
Leroy jackson contributes in hil
a K .Tu