The Dickinson press. (Dickinson, Stark County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1927, 1912-01-20

NeIdttd ny ". >. NIync, HISTORIAN
of Stark County and Member
of the Gladstone Colony
of 1882.
More interesting than any fairy tale is
the development of the country lying
west of the great Missouri river in North
Dakota.
1t is a story of daring and adventure.
of hardships not unmixed with ro-
nance, of brave loving hearts and cling
ing spirits among the hardy pioneers.
1t is story not unmixed with blood
and tears, and legends tell of the in
of man to man, and the ex-
penditure of life and it's comforts in the
pursuit of gold; gold, the price of many
crimes committed. and souls lost; it is
also the story of mans love for his fell
low creatures in the work of the early
who. in obedience to the
Masters command. went ont into all
the world to preach the gospel.
About the year 1776 an attempt was
made to explore what is now the west
ern part of the United States by John
Ledyard !; Ledyard had accompanied Cap
tain Cook on his voyage to the Pacific
ocean. Thomas Jefferson met him in
Paris, and proposed to him that he 60
by land across Russia and Siberia to
Kamschatka, cross on some Russian ves-
sci bound for the shores of America,
work his way southwark to about the
latitude of the Missouri river, and from
this starting point penetrate the couhtry
to the eastward through to the Missis-
sippi river at some point.
Ledyard visited St. Petersburg with
this intention and obtained from the
Russian government a passport and de-
parted across the wide steppes of Siberia
with high hopes of carrying his in
tention to successful termination !; but his
hopes proved futile, for v hen within 200
miles of Kamchatka he was stopped by a
secret order from the government of Rus
sia. and, after being detained at this
point all winter, was when spring came,
turned back and compelled to retrace
his steps night and day until he arrived
at the frontier of Poland, where he was
released, broken in health and spirits.
He committed suicide in Egypt in 1888.
Thus ended the first attempt to explore
the country then known as Louisiana.
The work of the expedition Of Lewis
and Clarke is too we'll known to bear
repetition in this article. How be it
that expedition and its outcome had a
very wide effect and qu1ckened the pulse
of adventure into the hitherto unknown
depths OF the continent. where there was
believed to be stored the riches of
mines. and other resources of mankind
certainly no country ever exploited by
white men had greater natural resources
on which the pioneer. hunter or pros.
pector could with so much security count
for his maintainance while exploring al
did this country where we of the Wes,
Missouri Country live and prosper at the
present time.
Within practically short period
after the war of independence, specula
tion became rife. and there was de-
cided tendency to look after the bound
sries of the infant republic, and tt
know what the future of the government
would. or could be. environed by land.
claimed by the Spanish or French gov
ernments on the south and Canada on
the north. In the spirit of enterpris,
(already one of the noted assets of tn,
dwellers in the United Colonies, mel
were constantly branching out and ex
tending their rhesters of action. Johr
Jacob Astor established his depot o.
supplies on the coast Of Oregon with thu
direct intention of getting monopoly
of the fur trade among the mountain
districts of the western part of the con
! tinent; while prospecting and building
UP this trade it came about that thi,
part of the country contributed to his
endeavors in ponies bought Of the In
dians ut Fort Berthold (vide Irving.
Astoria.)
What is known as the Hunt expedi
tion which was to cooperate in Astor'l
activities. outfitted at Mackinac and tool