Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1913-02-04
HAVE LOCATED
GOVT C0RRALS
Old III" Man Writes Va|u.
able Information Regard.
log Earth Entertainments
Tells Of Battle Capt. Fisk Had
With the IOoians Near
mdrmarth

Dickinson Press: As will be re.
membered by our readers, Curator H,
C. Fish of the State Historical soci-
ETY. vas in New England about two
weeks ago to attend a mass meet
ing of the teachers Of Hettinger coun.
ty and ask their cooperation in locat.
ing the old corral or intrenchment
made by Capt. James l.. Fisk, where
with an immiprant train, he was sur
rounded by the Indians for several
days. A. S. Jackson, an old time
Dickinson resident and ranger in this
part Of the country. writes from Tex
as, where he is owner OF a hardware
store, as follows: n
Dickens, Texas, Jan. pa, 1915.
editor Press:
| notice in your issue of January
18th that Curator Fish of the State
Historical society is DESTROYS of To-
eating the old fort, or corrals, out
southwest of New England.
Anyone of the old OK Or III boys
al direct him to this place. J. r.
sebrell (Bones) living near Gladstone
at present, or J.. j.. T0mamichel Of
Sidney, Mont, knew exactly where
this old fort or sod corral is located.
It is on the Little Missouri river
slope, between Bacon and Coyote
creeks, about seven or eight miles
from the Little Missouri river, and
about the same distance from Mar
marth, l think, as I have been in
formed that Marmarth is located at
the mouth Of Bacon creek on the
Little Missouri river.
| have often visited these corrals or
rifle pits as we used to call them,
alone and with other cowpunchers,
and We always wondered when and
by whom they could have been built.
am confident that this is the place
that Mr.. Fish is looking for, as l put
in over ten years on that particular
part or the range and | am sure if
anyone had driven a horseshoe nail
into the ground anywhere in that part
Of tile country l would have found
it.
! first Visited this place in the fall
Of 80 with Fred Lebreche, an old
time buffalo hunter, who said that he
had known of them for years, but
had eve met anyone who could give
him information as to their origin.
Hoping this letter may serve to put
Mr.. Fish on the right trail, to find.
ing this long lost fort,
| am yours truly.
A. s. JACKSON,
A little history of Capt. Fisk's en-.
counters with the Indians in North
Dakota has been CLEANED from collec.
tons by the State Historical society
and will be interesting reading in con.
nectino with the probable location by
A. S. Jackson of this old corral in
the country southwest Of Dickinson.
At that time the government had
five established forts in North DakO.
ia and were sending out troops of cav
airy with an effort to subdue the In.
dams and open the country to settle.
ment. It was then unsafe for immi.
grants on their way to the gold fields
west to traverse the country Or for
steamers to use the Missouri river
above Fort Pierre in what Is now
South Dakota. In the summer of 1854
a fought the battle Of the Kildeer
mountains. The greatest Indian bat.
tie ever fought in Dakota territory.
Gen. Sully vas at the head of the
white forces and succeeded, after a
hard struggle in defeating the red men
and driving them back into the Bad
Lands.
About this time Capt. Flick and fifty
soldiers from Fort Rice n8 miles be.
low the present site of Mandan). was
acting as a body guard for an immt'
grant train from Crookston, Mimi, to
Idaho. The train was COMPOSED OF
over 80 wagons and about $50 men
besides the women and children along
1t was q great venture and Capt
/! Fisk is criticised only that he ATTEMPT
ed the trip without more soldiers. He
should have had, at least, 300 men tt
insure the safe journey through thu