The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1911-04-18

bismarck. N. D.. April 17.-Among
the distinguished visitors in Bismarck
at the present time IL Capt Carol J.
Atkins Of Cando. N. ID, who IL spend
ing a few days here on business with
Capt. Grant Marsh. Captain Atkins
met Captain Marsh in st. Louis In
1866 and has never seen him since,
there was much to be discussed when
they met,
Captain Atkins lis one of the pio-
neer pilots Of the Missouri river. He
first made the trip up the Missouri
past the present capital city in 1858,
AT that time there was scarcely a
stop between Fort Pierre and Fort
Berthoid and the present site Of the
state capital was a grazing place for
the buffalo and the home Of the In
dian.
Born in Vermont in 1887. young At
kins lived I'm New England until 1855
when he was seized with a desire to
80 west, and accordingly made the
trip to st. Charles, Mo. where an
uncle was living, In the summer Of
1860 he began work as a pilot on the
st. Charles Ferry. In 1868 he was in
vited to make trip to Fort Benton.
Mont, on the steamer Robert
Campbell, jr," and 1t was at this
time that he made his first trip to
the mountains" as 1t was then
called. AT the present time the North
Dakota historical society is in pos
session of five log books donated it by
Captain Atkins, which contain de-
tailed account of several trips up the
river In these early days. In the log
book Of the Robert Campbell the fol-
lowing entry is found for Wednesday,
July i, 1868:
LEFT our anchorage at daylight.
Ran about ten miles; saw a buffalo
crossing the river. Everybody got
their gun. some had rifles, some shot
guns with a fun charge Of bird shot
and as he raised the bank a perfect
volley was poured into the poor brute,
then not fifty yards distant, breaking
his left shoulder, filling his body full
OF balls and shot, but he went OFF on
4hree legs and we lost him. Arrived
at Cinibald Island @Asslnniboine Is
land) 1850 a. M; could not find wa
ter; laid up. Captain found water in
left hand chute"
The island which Is referred to as
Assinniboine Island is none other than
the present Sibiey Island Immediately
south of the city. The log fully des-
cribes the arrival at Fort Berthold.
and the great pow-wow which was
held by the Indian agent, Major Latta,
and the chiefs and great men of-the
eros Ventres.
The log book also tells Of the many
skirmishes with Sioux war parties,
and six days after the boat had laid
up at Assinnibofne island a pitched
battle ensued between the whites and
the Indians, and three Of the former
were killed. The Ave logs are pub
lished in volume 2. of the collections
of the North Dakota Historical So
ciety and are very interesting reading.
While the Indians were on the north
worrying the boatmen there was just
as much danger on the south. At
that time the Civil war was about half
over and the shores OF the river In
Missouri and Kansas were watched
unerringly by guerilla bands. One H.
Illustration OF guerilla bands may be
given in this connection:
The "live oak came from Ohio
river with load OF freight for Leav-
enWorCn. AT st. Louis they changed
pilots and took on board Atkins and
John Gunsollis for the Missouri river
voyage. At Waverly they shipped
tombstone booked for Berlin, Mo.
The orders were to stop at Berlin and
put off the tombstone, though the
captain warned the pilots that II was
Joseph Shelby's town. and full Of guer-
illas. The shipment OF the tombstone
was mere excuse to get the boat to
stop at Berlin. There were two ware
houses just under the blufE. and At
kins saw 8 woman waving a sunbon-
net from the bluff as the boat came
in. Then, as they tied up the boat
and prepared to get off freight,
dozen riders rode in between the ware
houses and captured the boat. They
took the boats money, $3.50 ($5,0o0