The Idaho Republican., 1911-12-01
SOME EARLY IDAHO HISTORY.
More Facts Concerning Ft. Hall, Ft.
Henry and Medicine Lodge.
Cleaned from Early Observations
and Old Government Reports.

we quoted recently In regard to Ft.
Henry, has contributed some more
very interesting matter to our histor-
ical columns. We also have letter
from e. P. Henry of Idaho Falls,
who was companion to DR.. Taylor in
much of these historical studies.
Boise, Ida, Nov. "a, 1911. Mr..
Byrd Trego, Blackfoot, Idaho. Dear
+ Sir:-Since our correspondence rel
ative to location of Fort Henry, I
have been reminded of another bit of
eastern Idaho history which l found
in an old government report, and
thought it would be of interest to
you and to some Of the readers of
your paper. The matter of special
interest relates to the origin of the
name Market Lake, the date the lake
itself was first found ana the proba-
BILE date at which buffalo were last
seen in the Snake River valley.
= The report from which quote was
by Lieut.. John Mullan, U. S. A., to
the secretary of war in 1854, part of
volumne of reports or "Explora-
tions and Surveys to ascertain most
practical route for a railroad from
the Mississippi to the Pacific" This
particu ar trip was from Bitter Root
valley to Fort Hall, in December,
1853, going up Bitter Root valley,
thence southeast across neadwaters
of Big Hole (then called Wisdom)
river, through Horse Prairie into
Red Rock valley, then south over
the divide TO head of Medicine Lodge
creek, down that to the open country,
then east to Camas creek. Lieut..
Mullan says that Medicine Lodge
creek received it's name from the fact
that the Blackfoot Indians camped
there for some time on one of their
raids and built an immense lodge of
trees some sixty feet high, where
they made medicine" to destroy
their enemies.
He followed down Camas creek to
the sink now called Mud lake. then
called Kansas Prairie lake, which he
speaks of as being one mile wide and
three miles long. Then he says:
Sixteen miles from here we came in
view of large lake which stopped
our progress to Snake river in the di-
rection in which we were travelling"
*"Traveling along this lake
for a distanc of six or eight miles,
we left it to our right and In short
time fell upon the main stream Of
Snake river or Lewis fork of the Co.
lumbia." y ~ "The guide repre-
sented that, therefore the bed of
this lake has been a beautiful prai-
rie basin, where every year up to
the last season (1852) buffalo have
been hunted and killed and at times
in such large numbers that, among
the trappers and hunters of the
mountains it obtained the name of
"The Market certainly very ap-
propriate name, for whenever they
were out of provisions they always
made a visit to. this noted spot and
were ever rewarded for their labor
But during the last summer (1S53)
1t has changed it's character COM
pletely. have supposed that the lake
has been formed by the overflow of !,
the Snake river waters, and am con-
firmed in this belief by the fact that
the bed the lake now occupies is rep
resented as having been a basin
shaped prairie, and that during the
last season the Snake river over
flowed its banks to greater extent
than has been known for years, from
the melting :of: the SHOWS that fell
during the winter of 1882"
) Again in passing from the lake to
the river we met with much drift
wood, consisting in some places of
large trees, carried to a. great dis
tance from the bank of the stream, !,
which shows that a great depth of
water was necessary to thus trans
port these large and heavy masses.
There is no stream through the val
ley that could form this lake, and
from the circumstances / could only
suppose that it was formed by the
overflow of the Snake river
give the above in Ii ut. Mullan's
words to show conditions as he saw
hem. In later years there could have
,eens no question as to the source of
he water forming the lake, as a
arge channel was cut by the water =,
rom, the river to the lake bed which
vas called the Outlet, though in ,
'eality IL was the inlet" to the lake.
iowever, in exceptionally high water ,
seasons there was probably flow of ,