Sioux County pioneer. (Fort Yates, Sioux County, N.D.) 1914-1929, 1916-01-07
Captain (zr amt Marsh
Crosses I he Last Bar
Veteran River Pilot Passed Away IN A
Hospital At Risnaarck.-~-Ezis inter-
esting Career BY Frank Fiske

i Bisn1ark, n. d., Jan. 4 4-(i;ray1
|: Marsh, SO, the Oldest stcomboa
l captain in actual service in til,
/ United States; died in local hos
/ pital in this city last night:
Marsh ran a Steamboat on tn,
Missouri in the iftics and was NJ
in the Yellowstone river at t!;1
mouth OF the Little Big Horn at tl:t
time OF the Custer massacre Curly
an indian scout, brought him new,
Of the battle and was followed by /;
carrier of wounded to his boat
Marsh made a famous run, break.
ing all records, to bismarck, and
brought news uf the massacre to tht
world.
He will be buried ON a high bluff
overlooking the Missouri river, old
/! Fort Lincoln and scenes Of Clusters
time.
Captain Grant Prince Marsh was
horn in Warren county; Pa; May
ii, 1854. At tho age Of II he ac-
acpted his first position oil a river
steamboat as cabin boy on the river
stca!ner Dover running cut of Pitts.
burg. From then his rise was rap
id, and he filled every position but
cngiiteer; thus ]eafii,ng the business
thoroughly, aiid when lie was put
iii command OF the Luella, Mis-
soui'i ri;;cf bead; iii 1906; he was
well equipped by experience to
run the boat successfully As mate
he served the North during the
Civil War and at one time worked
with Mark Twain un q Mississippi
river boat;
- His first .ri.A t...il,e l...,elmatn4.-. Of.
the Missouri river Was made with
the Sully expedition iii 1864. He
i,as mate on the stc:tnier Matce|}a.
For the first time his eyes rested on
the wild and picturesque country OF
the Sioux fndians where he WIS des-
tined TO take d very important part
in the work Of bringing civilization
and paving the WAY for the coming
OF the settlers who now live iii peact,
where he found it extremely dam
grrous to venture.
Out OF unnumhered interesting
and exciting adventures, MANY
which were forgotten about even by
Captain Marsh; the sreatest Incl
dents historically with wlici, llc was
connected are these:
Tn 1872 as master of the Nellie
Peck, he raced the Far West. Capt.
Mart Cou]soh, from Sioux City to
Fort Benton ard back, a. 3: 900 mile
trip in which the Far West won.
fin 1873 he took the Key West Zip
the Yellowstone river with an cxpe-
dition under General Forseythc 10
ascertain if this river was ina sigable,
thus he was the first man TO nav:
gate the Yellowstone, and also had
the honor Of being the last man to
run a boat there: Tn 1910 this river
was damned for irrigation purpos-
scs; and the Expansion carried the
constructing material, with Captain
Marsh in command, and since the
dam was built no boat has run ON
the Yellowstone. Captain Marsh
was part owner and superintcnded
the construction Of the Josephine,
and F. i. Bachelor, fine
passenger steamers that will he re-
hy all old timers, and
whose names will ever grace the
pages Of the history Of this country
The Batchel'r was probably the
best all around boat that has ever
ran OH the Missouri and was used
by the Benton Packet Co.. the Block
P line, in carrying freight and pas
sengers between Bismarck and Fort
Yates until the spring Of 1902.
In 1875 Captain Marsh again ex-
p]ored the Yellowstone with a mill
tary expedition on the Josephine.
and he reached tie highest point
ever touched before or since by a |
steamboat, being 4s3 miles above
the mouth OF tic river. In 1876
he took tie Far West up the Big .
Horn river to poiut fifteen miles
above the mouth Of the little Big
Horn. and then backed down and |
tied up at this little stream to a.
wait orders from General Terry, |
who, with Custer was moving a.
gainst the hostile indians under
Sitting Bull When the wounded
from Reno'z cam,nand was placed