The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1908-02-21
ROOSEVELT Was
DEPUTY SHERIFF
OF DUNN COUNTY
Captured Thieves Who Stole
His Boat A. Historic
Battle Ground.

Lemmon, S. ID, Feb. 20.-If President
Roosevelt We're TO visit his former
stamping grounds directly north of
here. he would scarcely recognize the
region, SO wonderful has been the
change the past year or two.
The steam plow the buildings Of the
settlers, their titled fields and rural
schoolhouses have taken the place of
the bucking bronchos and the immense
herds of cattle of the Roosevelt days
The territory now is included within
the limits OF Dunn county, North Da-
kota, which was recently organized.
1t was While President Roosevelt was
lanching in what now is Dunn county
hxlaat sneak thieves stole his boat and
ent down the Little Missouri river
he president at that tine was u dep
)uty sheriff, and he started in hot pur-
sssuit OF the thieves, overtaking them not
far from kildeer and placing them un-
der arrest.
1t was in Dunn county that General
Sully IN 1854 fought Il decisive battle
with the Sioux Indians who We're re-
!, sponsible for the Minnesota massacre.
The expedition started from ST. Paul
YIN the spring of that year and proceeded
into what is now North Dakota, estab-
hing Fort Rice ON the Missouri river.
kildcer mountain in July of that
Car was fought the principal battle Of
D'the campaign.
Early Morning Attack.
ATar marching all night. Sully's men,
in the early morning came in from the
east and took by surprise the big In
dian village on the south slope of Kill
!, deer mountain. The Indians fed pre-
-clpita' Fly to the northward, leaving be-
hlnd all their camp paraphernalia.
seully lost six men in the battle, and
they were buried mt kildeer noun
tain.
In the eighties when Il rach was es-
tabllshed on the site of the Indian camp
ana battle-ground. uneXploded shells
and solid shot We're found in the bank.
ana tepee poles, arrowheads and cook
1nS utensils We're streWn around.
Among the latter We're brass kettles
which the Indians had stolen from set
tiers i'm their raids in Minnesota. Sully
ana his men. led by a Blackfoot In
diaE guide, We're the first white men
! to travese the famous Bad Lands Of
western North Dakota. That fall the
troops. having accomplished their work,
4. ietnrne1 to st Paul
Up to 1882 and 1888 Dunn county was
4 Known to the white settlers Of eastern
ground. Deer and elk also We're nul11er-
GUS. The frontier town of Dickinson
became in 1883 a great center for the
hunters and shipping point for hides.
horns md little later. bones. In the
frontier newspapers of that year is told
the pathetic story C the wanton
slaughter of the buffalo.
a BoZeman man contracted for 10000
buffalo hides to be delivered at Dickin-
son. and on June 9, 5000 hides were
brought i'm; on June $. thirty-one OK
teams brought in hides the weeks rec
ORD being 1900. The teams of one firm
in July brought in 1000 hides. And sc
the work of determination went on Ir
the fall of the same year reports came
from l<ildeer that hunters We're slaugh
terlng deer for the = les alone, leaving
the carcasses on the prairie
Uron hill northwest Of the new
town of Manning, Dunn county, are tn,
graves of four of General Snlly's pick
/, cts who We're surprised and murdered
~ by the Indians