The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1914-10-16
The Overland Trail
By M. QUAD
Copyright. 1914. by Associated Lit
erary Press.

In the old days of the Overland trail.
the pony express and the numbering
~stagecoach stage stations had been
erected ut a distance OF fifteen miles
apart throughout the length of the
whole trail. After the first thirty
miles from the Missouri river no coach
was safe from attack until 1t reached
San Francisco. The Indians could not
use fire as a weapon. nor could they
carry a station by assault. but they
captured many of them by trickery or
siege. In no case was the life OF Il
company employee ever spared.
Never were greater hardihood and
bravery exhibited than by the men Sc
lected to drive the coaches.
As the stage toiled through the
heavy sand of some strips OF desert or
met several miles of stony and uphill
trail a band of a hundred yelling war
riors would suddenly appear. The
driver must fight as we'll as guide his
excited team. 1t was when the over
land company finally appealed to the
government to clear its route through
Kansas that General Custer was sent
out with a brigade Of troopers. Custer
couldn't hope to strike a telling blow
against the hordes in the field. but he
laid his plans to open the route and.
drive the Indians back from 1t.
AS we followed the trail to the west
we picked up station after statloh'
showing grewsome sights.
Clusters whole command witnessed
the arrival of the last stage from the
west-the last for several weeks. From
a hilltop three miles from the trail.
with impossible gullies between. we
saw the coach come up the trail with
100 Indians pursuing it. 1t was a run
ming fight. which aroused every man
to the highest pitch of excitement. but
we were helpless to extend aid.
Through the clear air Of a summer
afternoon we saw the stage horses shot
down and the coach overtaken. The
passengers made a brave fight to the
last, but none of them escaped. 1t was
night before we had made u detOur
and reached the station. and the In
dams had departed long before. They
had captured the station two hours be-.
fore they attacked the stage.
If this station had failed to hold out
how would it be with Pawnee Flat. the
next station to the west, and with
White Horse, the next after that? The
first was a four man station and the
next a relay Of eight. AS we rode
n-,1v kL~o,,0h kI,O ,,irhf nat a man had
the slightest hope Of Pawnee, though
we knew it would have been defended
as long as one of the four could lift a
gun. We reached it at about II o'clock.
1t was as we had feared. Over 200
Indians had swarmed down out of the
hills at daybreak the morning before.
and. though they had lost a score of
men. the dugout had been carried by
assault and its defenders butchered.
We waited here half an hour to give
the poor corpses burial and then push
ed on toward White Horse. 1t was not
until we got within two miles of the
station that our fears were relieved.
Then we heard the reports Of rifles and
knew that the place was still holding
out.
The station was situated about mid
way of a long. bare hill. To the west
of it was a coulee. or dry ravine. with
banks twenty feet high. We had with
us a couple of scouts. who knew every
rod of the Overland trail. and when
within a mile of the station these men
were sent forward to spy out the sta
ton. They returned after awhile to
report that Spotted Horse and about
$50 of his dog soldiers" as the Chey.
ennes were called. were laying siege
to the station and had evidently occu-
pied the ground for two or three days.
The ground around the dugout was so
open that the Indians dared not rush"
the place. nor was there any show to
use a keg Of powder without reckless
exposure. With their allies holding the
trail to the east. the Cheycnnes had en-
tered upon Il siege in hopes to starve
the defenders out. Their war ponies
and most Of the band were lying up
in the dry mvine for the night This
ravine had II" opening to the south and
w;ls therefore u cul de sac.
Lu0 liSt SlSuS vi III" "CiC III luC
sky when We saddled up. mounted. and
the whole Of us pushed forward. led by
the scouts. for the mouth of the ravine.
We had the Spencer carbfnes. each
with IL full magazine. and as we got
the order to charge each man began
shooting When u carbine was empty
1t was thrown away and Il revolver
used in its place. When the revolver
w:as empty It was cast aside for
the saber. Extended from bank to
bank. we swept up the ravine. and we
had nothing to do but kill. Taken by
surprise. the Cheyennes thought only
Of getting away. The fight did not last
above thirty minutes. and our loss was
only three men wounded.
Down in the ravine we harvested
seventy-eight dead Indians. and on the
banks above the stage men counted up
twenty-five more. We got upward Of
100 rifles. about 50 pistols. 1870 ponies
and a wagon load Of miscellaneous
stun. Every Indian lying there was q
dead one. Custer had said. "Shoot to