Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1910-10-16
.BISMARCK'S GROWTH
PLEASES MANDAN man
f. STElNBRUECK CONTRIBUTES
AN INTERESTING LETTER
TO TRIBUNE.

Honor and Precedence Are Due to the
Ladies of North Dakota Federation
of Women's Clubs.
The Tribune is in receipt of a com
munication from e. R. Steinbrueck
of Mandan, first curator Of the state
historical society, and one of the
first field workers to labor for the
society's interest. The letter fol-
! lows herewith:
,, Mandan, N. d., October IS, 1910
Editor Tribune: While the impress
sion is fresh let me write. After an
absence of about two years, rode
over to Bismarck to find our Capital
City remarkably improved. Grand,
high brick buildings adorn the places
where a few years ago miserable de-
lapidated wooden shacks disgraced the
city. My object in coming over the
river, which seems to divide North
Dakota in two very much differing
parts of the state, was to help cele-
brate a great event in many respects,
the unwilling of the bronze statue
OF Sakakawea German pronouncia-
ton, which is correct to the Indian
sound.)
Meeting many of my friends of for
mer days, l was deeply touched to
find myself heartily welcomed. l am
like an Indian. distinguish the true
from the false. At two o'clock In
the afternoon speeches were made by
the ladies of the state federation OF
women's clubs of North Dakota in
the house chamber, which was decor
ated in the ladies' honor In their
colors, green and white. The seats
of the members were filled with the
delegates and other ladies, and there
was enrolled before US picture OF
women's suffrage. The gallery was
filled with people of both sexes and
school children, white and red of skin.
1t was ladies' day and no leap year.
But honor and precedence was due to
the ladies of today, who, through their
zeal and energy had accomplished a
great and difficult task and had made
feasible the erection of statue In
memory of one of their sex, VINO
rendered an immeasurable precious
service to this state and the Union at
large. That statue of the Bird Wo-
man with her little child on her back
will teach generations to come, how
Lewis and Clark were sent In 1904
by President Jefferson to explore the
newly acquired Louisiana territory
and how the young wife of a French
trader Chabonueau (the spelling dif-
fers in many instances), who also
went with the expedition as inter-
prefer, while his wife served as the
guide and peacemaker, made that most
valuable enterprise come to sue
cessful ending.
It was she who smoothed the diff
ficulties with hostile Indians and par
ticularly with the Shoshones or Snake
Indians, of whose tribe she really had
been a member, though taken captive
by the Hidatsa when a child.
On the 9Th of April the party de-
party departed from their winter
camp on the east or north side of the
Missouri river, not quite mile below
old Fort Clark (Which was built later
in 1881 by James Kipp, German-Can-
andian, to accommodate the trade OF
the Mandans), during the rough time
of a northwestern spring, with frost,
sleet and rain.
About the speeches l refrain from
giving record, better writer's will do
that part. One thing only, I wish to
impress on everybodys mind Is, that,
as the ladies of North Dakota of today
have accomplished work OF such
eerat importance for the history and
of the history of our state, aslo to
the ladies of North Dakota of the
early days, belongs the merit and the
glory of having laid the foundation
and the corner stone to the present
so.called state historical society OF
North Dakota, of which later true
if not the only true record so lar
published, shall be given, because
give honor to whom honor is due.
For the occasion some four Indians
and two girls of the Hidatsa, were
dressed up in more modern and still
savage costumes, who sitting under
the committees and speakers plat
form very still, on exhibition, may
have INDUCED in the thought, much
talk" =.
The three younger seemed to feel
uncomfortable IT. the unwant dress
parade, and l observed one young III
dian of the Indian school, chowd up
on the gallery, point out and laugh at
the masqueraders. The Indians OF
the time Of 1904 did not wear such
we'll cut suits, and the present In
dams at the Fort Berthold reserva-
ton wear white mans clothes TOT
many long years. Still the dressing
up was all right insofar as to pro
duce to the public in general some
idea of the old time fashion.
The little boy of the curator, II.
e, Fish, was also dressed in gor-
exooua Indian srit and marched prOuQ-