The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-03-05

by j. w. Crummey of st. Paul, for
gambling purposes. It was on the site
of the old Merchants hotel. or next to
1T, but had not been used for any pur-
pose There were some twenty odd
saloons in Bismarck then, and gam
bling halls, dance houses and places
of resort every one OF which was closed
during the church hour. After the
church the ministers and others went
over to Fort Lincoln and while service
was being held there the Indians tried
to run off the herd grazing on Custer
flats just south of the fort.
During the week following the North
ern Pacific surveyors started out to
survey the line to the Yellowstone and
they were attacked by the Indians on
the present townsite of Mandan and
I'm the fight seven Indians were killed.
We heard the rattle of the guns and
saw the smoke from Bismarck.
The Indians were content to have
settlement and stores come as far as
the Missouri river, for the traders had
charged them 81 yard for calico and
prices in proportion for all classes Of
goods, and the traders who had estab-
lished themselves at Bismarck were
giving them white mems prices for
their goods while paying reasonable
prices for their peltries. But beyond
the Missouri they must not 20. / went
over to Lincoln one day and wanted to
go up the Heart river a short distance
but was not permitted to do so without
an escort. 1t is my recollection that
the two fights at Fort Lincoln were
on June is and II, 1873. and that the
Presbyterian church was organized at
Bismarck June Is, 1873. The original
church structure was built that sum-
mer. A Congregational church was al
SO built and was afterwards used for
school house. Mrs. Linda w. Slaught-
er was the leading spirit in procuring
the funds for that building. But the
Presbyterians. being first on the
ground, the Congregationalists gave
way TO them.
| saw here an elk on Apple creek one
day in 1873. There were antelope ev-
erywhere and one day. a buffalo was
killed just north OF town. Boats com
ing down the river were loaded with
furs, and one day Grant Marsh, who
could go over dry sand bars and walk
his boats almost on "a morning dew,
had to pull out and wait for a herd of
buffalo to cross the river. The river
was alive with them. have seen whole
train loads of furs, principally buffalo
hides, shipped out Of Bismarck after
the arrival of BOATS from Fort Benton.
Though there are now nine steam
boats plying to and from Bismarck /
am inclined to think that there are
people in Bismarck, even. who do NOT
realize that there is 1000 miles of nayi-
gable river above Bismarck, not to
speak of ESQ miles of the Yellowstone.
Joe Medill of The Chicago Tribune
was in Bismarck one. time and | as
tonished him by telling him that for
1000 miles northwest of where he was
then standing there was a country
equal ia productive power to that lying
between Bismarck and Chicago, as I
have astonished many in the Red river
valley by telling them of the produc-
tive lands in the Mouse river region.
In those early days on the Missouri
there was corn and potatoes raised by
the Indians at Fort Berthold The po-
tatoes were all right from every stand
point. Id like to strike something as
good down here. The corn was OF ev-
cry possible color between white and
black. and all coIors mixed In ears
about four inches long Elijah BoIey
ar Mandan conceived the idea OF i'm
proving that com He took the pure
White kernels from the body of the
ear, describing the fps and butts. and
by planting year after year developed