davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1916-11-30
Conspd

AS the rain had soaked the bow
stflngs and the pans of the flint-lock
guns with which the Indians were
armed, their resistance was feeble.
AS they tried to dig shelters in the
banks with their butcher knives one
after another fell before the bullets
from the unseen rifles. A dash for
lie was determined on and the In
dams sang their death song as they
passed the lighted pipe. Some clamb-
cred up the bank while others un-
dertook to thread their way from
rock to rock in the coulee or to swim
to safety.
Whites Open Fire
Upon Comrades.
In the excitement some Of the
whites came under the fire of their
comrades, who were obliged to seek
shelter. 1t was due to this only
that the entrapped Sioux escaped an
inhalation. According to the story
told by the Indian survivors who
reached the agency at Fort Peck,
80 of the SO who took part in the
fight were killed outright or died
from their wounds on the way. Only
two of the Sioux escaped without a
wound. The Indians thereafter were
emphatic in their declarations that
Musselshell was "bad medicine" as
its defenders could fire their guns
right along without reloading or
even taking them from their shout
ders. The whites lost only one man.
The whites cleaned the skulls of
ten of the ''good Indians and set
them up on stakes at the steamboat
landing. Here when a boat arrived
trapper, known throughout eastern
Montana as "Liver-Eating Johnson"
usually stood guard. Peter Koch,
writing in later years, described this
character thus: "He was leaning
on a crutch, with one leg bandaged,
and the day being hot his entire
dress consisted in a scant, much
shrunken, red undershirt, reaching
just below his hips. His matted
hair and bushy beard fluttered in the
breeze, and his giant frame and
limbs, so freely exposed to view,
formed an exceedingly impressive and
characteristic picture"
Sioux Renew Attacks
With Larger Forces.
The Sioux vowed vengeance on the
town, and they renewed their at
tacks with larger forces every few
weeks during the spring and summer.
A three-inch, smooth-bore iron can
non was lent to the settlers by Cen
eral Hancock, who furnished them
large supply of solid shot, shell and
canister. With this they were en-
abled to dispense the Indians from
The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1916-11-30

In these days when fortunes ere
being made through the appreciation
of farm lands in Montana there are
probably few who know that the
first great realty project initiated in
the state was failure. This was the
effort to establish at the mouth of
the Musselshell river a town and
trading center which, it's sponsors
fondly believed, would eventually be-
come the metropolis of Montana,
probably. of all the northwest.
This settlement, founded in 1866
as Kerchival City, was washed away
by the river in 1868, to be re-created
the same year as the town of Mus
selshell. Two years later this town
also was abandoned, but until 1874
a trading post fingered on it's site.
Even the members of the territori-
al legislature had unbounded faith
In the glorious future of the town
and in 1866 the county of "Muscel-
she'll" was created and the county
seat fixed at Kerchiva1 City. AS the
Missouri had carried the county seat
all the way through the Dakotas
by the time the next legislature met,
the county seat was established at
Smithton, another "ghost city," while
the name of the county itself was
changed to Vivion. AS congress an
nulled the laws of this session, the
county became memory. The pres
ent county of Musselshell owes it's
existence to an act of the legislative
assembly of 1911 and the site of Ker-
chival City is not within it's bound
aries.
Founders Expected It
To Displace Fort Benton.
The founders of Kerchival City-ex-
pected it to displace Fort Benton
as the head of navigation because of
the swift current and numerous rap
ids, as we'll as the periodic recurrence
of low water, in the Missouri above
its junction with the Musselshell,
while little difficulty was experienced
in ascending to this point. Further
more, the Missouri described wide
circle to the northwest above the con-
fluence of the two rivers, whereas
the overland wagon road which these
boomers built offered direct cutoff
to Helena through the fertile Judith
basin. The abundant timber in the
region at time when all the steam
boats burned wood was an additional
argument in favor Of the site, while
many believed paying gold would be
found in the surrounding mountains,
which had never been thoroughly
prospected.
: Influenced by all these considera-
tions, a number of persons associated
themselves as the Rocky Mountain
Road company, opened the route
The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1916-11-30
MONTANA POWER
IS EXPANDING
WOLF CREEK DEVELOPMENT
RANKS SECOND TO PLANT
AT GREAT FALLS.
Dam Will Create Lake "a Miles Long:
Will BE Completed About July 1
Next Year; Is Big Factor in Reduce
ton of Ores and the Transporter
ton Problem.

The vital connection of the hydro
electric developments of Montana
and the mining industry of the state
are we'll recognized in all the mining
districts of Montana. 1t was be-
cause of the cheap power furnished
by the Montana Power company that
the Anaconda company was able to
bring it's reduction works at both
Anaconda and Great Falls to their
present refineries that are now in
operation at Great Falls.
Helps Mining Industry.
It was this same power that has
enabled scores of mines in different
parts of Montana to operate at a
profit and the Harvesting of the wa
ter powers of the Missouri and
Clark's Fork of the Columbia has
played a most important part also
in the ore transportation problem.
Just now attention is being direct
ed to the latest water power develop
ment of the Montana Power COM
pany. This is known as the Wolf
creek plant located on the Missouri
river so miles above Great Falls.
Some rapid work has been done there
during the past summer, and the
power developed there will be avail
able for use early in the coming
year.
Develops 10000 Horse Power.
The estimated cost of this project
is $3,500,000. It will furnish ap-
proximately $4,000 horsepower and
will rank second only to the Big
Falls development of the Montana
Power company in the amount of
power furnished.
The total time required from the
inception of the work until the
power is turned on and sent out for
use is estimated at 16 months. This
means that the power will be ready
by July of next year. It is possible
that some units will be ready for
operation before that time.
When the dam is completed and
the waters have filled the great
reservoir above the new dam, it will
make a lake q miles in length and
with an average width of half a mile.
The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1916-11-30

were discussed; Montana's future
was analysed, and laudable sugges-
tions were agreed upon as to STAN
dardization.
"Civic Affairs" was the topic han
died by G. w. Fowler, secretary Bill
ings Chamber of Commerce; "a
State Chamber of Commerce." by
A. j. Harader of the Bozeman Cham
Der of Commerce; Publicity" by A.
j. Breitenstein, secretary Great Falls
Commercial club; "The Small Town
and the Farmer" by T. E. McCrosky
of the Havre Commercial club. ]. H.
Ginet of Seattle, western immigra-
ton agent of the c., M. & st. P.
railway, addressed the convention on
Railroads and Commercial Clubs"
Great Falls was selected as the
next meeting place. H. M. Robinson
of Roundup was reelected president
and Lou Blodgett of Lewistown, Sec
retary-treasurer.
The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1916-11-30

hump another dig with the knife the
scared animal bawled like wounded
buffalo bull. This scared Two Tur-
tie so that he swallowed the bullet
and pulled the trigger of the flint
lock at the same time. All this fuss
stampeded the mules and the pack
ers' bosses. Two Turtle was busy
hangin' on, and all he knew was
that he was travelling pretty rapid
back in the direction he come FROM
"It happened that this same night
the Piegans in the party Two Turtle
had left had slipped into a Grow
camp and cut loose 40 head Of
bosses, the pick of the camp, and
got away, killing two Crows in the
Crows overlook them and were
crowding them pretty close. when old
Two Turtle, with his camel doing a
shuffle-footed lope, came in sight
over a hill. The camel, thinking
the bosses of the fnjuns were his
own party, headed straight for them.
Naturally, the Crows, seeing this
monster loom up against the sky
line, took him for the original thun-
der bird or some other evil spirit,
and pulled out for home, kicking and
whipping every jump and never
looking back.
"Of course, this put Two Turtle
back on his feet with his friends, so
they headed for home, him leading
the way on the camel. On sighting
their camp they all stopped and
painted up, while the youngest men,
Der of the party was sent ahead for
the camp crier. When he came they
gave him the news and mounted him
on the camel. He rode around the
camp beating a small drum and call
The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1916-11-30
GEN. JAMES HOW
HASPASSED AWAY
BELONGED TO MORE SECRET OR.
DERS THAN ANY OTHER MAN
in STATE OF MONTANA.
Mason, Elk, Odd Fellow, Eagle, Mac
cabee, Workman and Other So
ciety Men Will Remember Him:
Had Attended Every Grand Lodge
Session in Montana for Years.

General James How of Virginia
City is dead. He was not a military
man, but was the greatest secret soci-
ETY. man in all Montana. He belonged
to everything, and for the past quar-
ter of century had attended every
grand lodge and state meeting of all
the orders with which he was affiliat-
ed. The Masonic lodge was his re-
ligion and the Elk lodge room his
place of recreation. His utilization
with the Odd Fellows, the Maccabees,
the Eagles, the Ancient Order of
United Workmen, the Eastern Star,
and other societies was close. He was
the fraternity brother of every man
in Madison county.
Every night except Sunday was
The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1916-11-30
By Joe De Yong.

II was reading in the paper the
other day about old-time freighters
in Montana using camels for packing
grub and supplies into the gold
camps" observed French Charlie as
as he tossed a couple of chunks OF
pitch pine on to the fire that illu-
minated the cabin, land that ex-
plains story breed told me over
on the Flathead reservation that l
never believed before. This breeds
name was Valeau, and he claimed
the story was told to him by Cree,
but it appeared that it had been
handed around a good many times
by the Injuns before it came to VAL
eau.
according to Valeau, a band of
Piegans under Iron Coat, we'll
known chief, was camped on Black
Arrow creek one time in the early
COS, and among 'em was an old me-
licine man named Two Turtle. It
seemed that Two Turtle had led one
or two parties with some success,
but in a general way he was looked
on as second rater;;. his medicine
was pretty lame. Faee was he had
lived on what little rep he had for
30 lOu6 ClldC u0 11du dOOut WOAC OuI
with his followers.
"It finally got SO the kids made
fun of him and the dogs barked at
him. He could feel himself slipping
and realized it was a case of any old
way to turn a trick to get his repu-
tation back, SO one morning before
daybreak this old boy set up a sing
ing and drumming in his lodge that
would wake the dead, and the camp
gathered from his song that he'd had
a dream in which he saw himself
leading a war party back from the
Grow country, driving many ponies
before them.
"Now, with the 1njun, dreams
have heap of influence. It's the
way they tell the future and get
their medicine, and as there was
bunch of young bucks just itching
for little hoss-stealing expe 'ition,
his dream talk sounded pretty good.
When he made his war talk later
on in the day he soon had company.
"After having extra moccasins
made, taking medicine sweat and
praying heap, this old sport and
ten braves set out for the Grow
country. They travelled a-foot, as all
war parties did, 1t being safest, and
figured to ride home on stolen
bosses. After travelling for two
weeks they got pretty we'll tired out
and were nearly bare-footed on &C
count of the rocky country they'd
crossed. What dried meat they'd
carried was used up, and being in
the enemy's country, it wasn't safe
to light fire. It was getting to
where bosses was necessity.
"They'd sighted several camps,
but every time this old Two Turtle
false alarm would get cold feet and
claim the signs wasn't right or that
his medicine had warned him that
they'd all be killed and no one left
alive to carry the tale back to the
Piegans. After a while this got so
The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1916-11-30
Ho1u Two Turtle Saved Chjeftajncy
PECAN Sta11peded Crous With Stolen Fre;ghtng Camel

ing on the people to hear his talk.
"To say that Two Turtles new
mount was curiosity would be ex-
pressing it mild. Wherever the ami
NAL stood you'd find crowd around
him. They kept him IN big lodge at
night and he was fed on grass pulled
by the squaws. He nearly wrecked
the lodge the first few times they put
him in it, but it was soon the usual
thing to see his head poked out
of the smoke hole on moonlight
night, nibbling bunch of grass tied
to an ear-pole.
well, the night the party re-
turned there was ,feasting, and it
lasted all the next day. The story
was told and re-told, and each telling
seemed to improve 1t. The fame Of
Two Turtle reached to the furthest
camps of the Blackfeet. The old
camel thief was hailed as a great
warrior and medicine man, and ad-
mitted into the highest secret So
cieties of the tribe. When he led a
war party success was certain.
"But one day late the next sum-
mer, Two Turtle and a few friends
rode to a small trading post on the
Marias a few miles from their camp,
where there was party of trappers
outfitting for the winter. They'd
been drinking lot, and one long,
loose-jointed old boy was pretty
shaky. 1t was an even break whe-
Their he'd see snakes or not; he said
things had been slipping up behind
him all day, and when it got so he
was seeing Injuns riding camels, it
about topped the limit. Grabbing a
sawed-off shotgun he downed Two
Turtles camel with {. double load of
slugs, and when the smoke and dust
cleared Two Turtle was crawling
from under his mount, pulling his
gun from it's case at the same time.
The trapper's friends stood off the
Injuns, however, and finally things
quieted down.
"That night there was weeping
and wailing in the lodges of Two
Turtle and his family. After skim
ming the camel, the old boy sat with
his head sunk on his chest, watching
his squaws scrape the side. When
it was tanned. he stretched it on a
frame and painted the story and
plenty of details his Imagination fur
nished, so that all might read. So
in after years, when Two Turtles
tale was questioned, he'd flash his
camel skin diploma, and it was usu-
ally all that was necessary"
The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1916-11-30

lodge night with him, and he was
always in attendance. This was his
unalterable rule for the past 20
years. He kept record of his lodge
attendance and the lodge dues that
he had paid out. It is estimated that
he has paid more in lodge dues than
any three men in the state. In the
past 20 years he had attended over
5000 sessions of the lodges and or
CARNATIONS of which he was a de-
voted member.
Always at Grand Lodge.
Virginia City is kindly place.
The Virginians have contracted the
genial habit of humoring the neigh
Dor who has hobby. So General
How was always sent to the grand
lodge as delegate. He was affiliat-
ed with all the higher orders of Ma
sorry, and as perpetual tyler has
stood ward and watch at the outer
door of all the grand lodges Of Ma
sorry and other organizations that
have been convened in recent years.
Into his trained ear thousands of
brothers of various orders have whis-
pered the mystic words which per-
united them to cross the portals of
the lodge room.
He has attended every state meet
ing of the Elks since that order be-
came of consequence in the state. His
figure, bent with years. but covered
with insignia, and clothed in the
striking uniform of the order, is fami-
liar to thousands. He has attended
several supreme grand lodge sessions
of this order, and has taken prizes on
several occasions for being the old
est Elk in parades.
General How came of distin-
guished st. Louis family, the head
Of which arrived in Virginia City
when that place was the greatest
placer gold camp in the world.
Dreamed of Fortune.
He loved Virginia City, and re-
manned there after his relatives had
moved away, content to make a mod
est living, dreaming always of the
day when his tungsten properties in
the Pony district would bring to him
a fortune. Recently, some Pittsburg
steel companies, through Charles E.
Morris, the Pony mining operator, be-
came interested in the How property
and were developing it, with every
prospect of making producing tung-
stem mine, but the old man did not
live to see his dream materialize. He
has crossed into the bourn from
which no traveller returns and his
virtues are now being written on the
tablets of love and memory.
The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1916-11-30

old that these Piegans told Two Tur-
tie he could drag it till he'd found
his nerve; in the meanwhile they'd
try their luck alone. So he was left
by himself, afraid to go with the
war party and not daring to go home
alone unless all his party was killed.
"After wandering around, travel
ing at night and hiding on some
butte or among the brush during
the day for several days, he finally
sighted camp of white packers one
evening about SHUTDOWN. Besides the
usual mules and bosses, there was
five of the strangest looking animal
this Injun had ever seen. He craWled
up close and looked 'em over. AS
he told it afterwards, they had o
buffalo humps with the head of
long-necked moose.
"After studying awhile, he decided
If he could get one of these animals
and take it back to his war party, it
would square him with them. Aft
err watching the packers handle their
stock, he picked out his mount and
settled down to wait for dark. Along
after midnight, when the pack s.
fire had died down, he sneaks up
and cuts every animal loose.
"This strange looking animal he
had picked out was laying down. He
crawls on its back and sticks his
knife into its hump, and they quit
the earth together quite sudden, the
big animal nearly splitting his rider
as he gets to his feet, hind end first
like cow. Two Turtle managed to
hang on to the old Hudson Bay flint
lock he was packin', and he had
an extra ball in his mouth for quick
loading in case any gun work start
ed, but when he give his mounts
The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1916-11-30
Fairview Has Two Postfofices.

Fairview, one Of the prosperous
~centers of Richland county, is the
only town in the United States which
has two postoffices. One postoffice
is located in Montana and the other
in Dakota. The state line divides
the town.
The residents of Sweetgrass, in
Toole county, have postal facilities on
a par with those of Fairview. The
Canadian boundary makes the north
ern limits of Sweetgrass town, and
when one steps across the line he Is
in Coutts, the southernmost town in
the province of Alberta.
The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1916-11-30
EXPERTS ON PUBLICITY
EXCHANGE THEIR IDEAS
SECRETARIES OF COMMERCIAL
CLUBS TALK STANDARDIZED
TON AT LEWISTOWN.

Montana's development was the
nucleus of discussions at a two-day
session of expert publicity men from
16 different sections of the state.
This meeting was the first annual
convention of the Montana Associa-
ton of Commercial Club Secretaries
held at Lewistown November Fl and
%.
Staggering outputs of mines, the
renown of wool and livestock, agri-
cultural farms, wonderland parks,
better roads, and kindred subjects
The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1916-11-30
Freight Rates Advance.

Butte. - Freight rates on west
bound shipments to Butte will ad-
vance approximately 10 cents per
hundred pounds on carload lots and
approximately rs cents per hundred
pounds on less than carload lots on
December 80, according to word re-
ceived at railroad offices here. Rates
on freight from the coast will be in
creased about 10 cents per hundred
pounds on carload lots on the same
date.
The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1916-11-30

Sioux hill whence they formerly sig
nailed defiance to the town.
Later in this year an eccentric and
restless Frenchman, who became
known as "the man with 90 lives"
added another sensation to Mussel-
shells brief annals. This man ar
rived from Helena with the inten-
ton of taking passage down the river
by the first boat. After waiting in
vain several weeks for the boat to
appear, he came to sudden deter
mination to return alone on foot to
Helena. He lost the way and ran out
of food and showed up at Musselshell
a couple of weeks later nearly ex-
hausted, only to find that the steam
boat had come and gone. In disre-
gard of the warnings of the townfolk
he made up his mind to go back to
Helena by the Denton trail" I'M
mediately after his departure an
alarm of Indians was raised and
the inhabitants of the town turned
out under arms. The Indians were
seen making their way through the
timber to the top of a hill by which
the Benton trail assembled from the
valley.
Frenchman Pays no Heed
To Fusillade From Town.
The Frenchman, unconscious of his
peril, began to climb the hill. The
townfolk exhausted every possible
means in their efforts to attract his
attention, but he kept on. AS he
neared the summit where the Indians
were in ambush the whites, as though
by common impulse, leveled their
guns and opened fire.-not upon the
Indians, for that would have availed
nothing, but upon the Frenchman.
His death seemed inevitable, so they
determined to cheat the Indians of
their prey.
The bullets ratified around the
Frenchman, but he seemed to have a
charmed life. Rounding the bridge,
he found himself face to face with the
redskins They withheld their fire
to count their coups. In a moment
he was surrounded. The leading In
dian counted his coup by dealing the
Frenchman a blow across the face
with the flat of a saber. This seemed
to rouse the traveller for with a bound
he cleared the ring of Indians and
dashed down the hill. There were
witnesses who were ready to swear
that his feet touched the ground only
two or three times on his way down.
Not one of the Indians dared to urge
his horse down the hill at a pace
sufficient to overtake him. The
Frenchman got back safe and waited
for the boat.
The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1916-11-30

Beaverhead Ranch Deal.
The Brock and Smith sheep ranch
near Dillon, comprising 1000 acres,
has been sold to Ccvey & Blaney of
Salt Lake. The consideration was
100000.
The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1916-11-30

A good front is an asset in war as
we'll as in peace.