The Bowbells tribune. [volume] (Bowbells, Ward Co., N.D.) 1899-1969, 1910-10-07
"REMINISCENCES OF
OLD FORT BUFORD
p. A. White, a Former Citizen Of BowbeiIs,
But Now Resident Of Williams
County, Tells the WilIist0n
Graphic of Old Tines
at Fort Bf0rd.

The Graphic has several articles of
more or less historic value which were
loaned us for exhibition by Mack Rem
vile who lives near Buford. We haye
in the collection an Indian pack saddle,
pipe of peace and an old army gun.
The pack saddle is about forty years
old and was used by one of Sitting Bulls
Indian warriors in the Custer Massacre
Of 1876. Four horses and their trappings
were abandoned by Sitting Bulls band
when they crossed the Missouri and
Milk rivers near Beaver Creek twenty
miles west Glasgow because the
horses were exhausted and could not
60 any further. Other horses were
taken by the Indian owners on which
to continue their fight. Mack Renville
was there at the time and cared for the
horses but they all died within few
days. The saddle loaned us was taken
from one of these horses.
Mr.. Renville, his wife and a number
of other Indian families were in this
neighborhood on hunting trip and were
taken prisoners by General Miles men,
. who were chasing Sitting Bull n d
his band, believing them to be spies of
friends of Sitting Bull. They were held
for three weeks and then brought to
Fort Buford. They were held here for
three months.
Game was very plentiful in this part
of the country at that time and Mr..
Renville stated that on the day before
he was taken prisoner he killed seven
buffalo. The party of prisoners were
given their liberty at last making the
oath of allegiance. Some of them going
to Turtle Mountains, some to Canada and
several to Fort Totten.
The pack saddle mentioned certainly
looks as if it had seen hard usage as it
is in pretty bad shape now. The frame
was made of forked branches of a tree
and these are held with pieces of boards
hewn out from the native trees.
They are fastened to the forked sticks
with thongs, not nail being used. The
frame was covered with piece of green
buffalo hide, it being fitted and allowed
to dry. While on this same hunting
trip Mr.. Renvi)le traded tea, beads and
other articles for pipe of peace, made
from the famous Pipe Stone, obtained
from the place known now as Pipe
Stone, MINI. 1t is beauty and meas
ures two feet in length, 1t weighs
three pounds and six ounces. This pipe
belonged to one of Sitting Bulls band
and they claimed they did not know
how old it was, it being handed down to
them.
The old army gun which we have was
used by soldiers at Fort Buford and is
now the property of Mr.. Renville. 1t
is all well preserved and was his favor
ite gun when hunting buffalo and other
large game in the early days. 1t is
one of the Springfield make and has the
promise of getting deer this fall.
Mr.. Renville and his family are con-
sidered reliable people and their talks
on early days are very interesting. Mr..
Renville own 16O acres of land four and
one-half miles east Of Buford and his
large family of children secured allot-
ments near by and this gives them
fine ranch which is we'll stocked with
horses and cattle. He and his wife talk
English. French, Chipp eva, Sioux and
Cree.