Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1911-04-15
CAPTAIN atkins FIRST
saw n. DAKOTA IN 1868
PIONEER MISSOURI RIVER PILOT SPENDING FEW DAYS IN THE
CAPITAL cI1v-No HAeITAToN At PRESENT SITE OF
ssmARcK-No 1RANscoNTINENTAL OF RAILWAY
cuERLLAs IN SOUTH AND INDIANS IN NORTH.

|
| euERILLAs IN SOUTH AND IN
Among the distinguished visitors in
Bismarck at the present time is Capt.
Carol J. Atkins of Cando, N. D., who
is spending a few days here on BUSH
ness with Captain Grant Marsh. Capt.
Atkins met Capt. Marsh in St. Louis
in 1866 and has never seen him since,
there was much to be discueed when
they met.
| Captain Atkins is one of the pion-
eer pilots of the Missouri river. He
first made the trip up the Missouri
past the present capital city in 1868.
At that time there was scarcely a
stop between Fort Pierre and Fort
Berthold and the present site of the
State capital was grazing place for
the buffalo and the home of the In
dian.
Born in Vermont in 1887, young At.
kins lived in New England until 1855
when he was seized with a desire to
go west, and accordingly made the
trip to St. Charles, Mo-, where an
uncle was living. In the summer of
| 1860 he began work as pilot on the
St. Charles Ferry. In 1868 he was in
Montana on the steamer Robert
Campbell, Jr," an dit was at this
vited to make a trip to Fort Benton,
time that he made his first trip to
"the mountains" as it 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 a de-
tailed account u 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 1, 1863:
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 full charge of bird shot
and as he raised the bank 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
three legs and we lost him. Arrived
at Cinibald Island (Assinniboine Is
land) 1880 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 Sibley 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 Asslniboine island pitched
battle ensued between the whites and
the Indians, and three of the former
were killed. The five logs are pub
lished in volume 2, of the collections
of the North Dakota Historical SOci-
ETY. 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 IL
lustration of guerilla bands may be
given in this connection:
The Live Oak" came from Ohio
river with a load of freight for Leav-
enworth. At st. Louis they changed
pilots and took on board Atkins and
John Gunsollis for the Missouri river
voyage. At Waverly they shipped a
tombstone booked for Berlin, NO.,
The orders were to stop at Berlin and
put off the tombstone, though the
captain warned the pilots that it was
Joseph Shelby's town and full of guer
illas. The shipment of the tombstone
was a mere excuse to get the boat to
stop at Berlin. There were two ware
houses just under the bluff, and At
kins saw a woman waving 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, 600
had been hidden by the clerk). they
robbed many of the passengers, and
took cigars and liquors from the bar
tender. It was reported that they
shot all the negroes on the boat ahead
of them carrying government supplies
Martin Belt was said to have been
captain of the gang. Several of the
passengers knew the members of the
gang as residents of the neighboring
towns, and conversed with them while
the other passengers were being
robbed.
In 1868 the steamboat business on