Cut Bank pioneer press. [volume] (Cut Bank, Mont.) 1909-current, 1916-10-27

agricultural districts in the world
"The Egypt of America".-its early
Importance arose from it's location at
the "front gate"-as Bozeman en-
thusiasts call ito western Montana.
1t was this pass, the Bozeman, for
merly known as the Yellowstone pass,
by which the Indians of the upper
Columbia river We're accustomed to
cross over into the Yellowstone or
Musselshell country on their buffalo
hunts.
While the Gallatin valley itself was
not the permanent abode of any In
dian tribe since the beginning of the
nineteenth century, it was claimed
by the Blackfeet and became a COM
mon fighting ground for all the sur
rounding tribes. The trail was worn
deeply into the soil by the moccasin
and the hoof of the Indian pony.
varendry First White Visitor.
The first white man known to have
explored this region is Sieur de la
Varendry, who made his way up the
Missouri during the years 1870 to
1874 and reached the Rocky Noun
tains on January l 1743. In 1907
Emanuel Lisa assembled the Missouri
with a large party and established a
trading post at the confluence of the
Yellowstone and the Big Horn. Lisa
returned to st. Louis and with IL
others formed the Missouri Fur com
pany with a capital of $4,000. In
1909 he again assembled the Yellow
stone, crossed the Bozeman pass and
established a post at the Three Forks
Of the Missouri. For many years
thereafter the Bozeman pass served
the fur trader as we'll as the Indian
as a gateway to the northwest.
Shorter Route Sought.
In the winter of 1862 John M.
Bozeman and John M. Jacobs left
Bannack for the states with the OBJ
.ject of finding a shorter route for en-
igrants than up the Platte and
through Wyoming and Idaho. They
, traversed Bozeman pass but were at
tackled by the Sioux on Powder river.
losing their horses and provisions,
They we're reduced to a diet of grass
hoppers. but they succeeded in making
J their way to Missouri. They started
back at once to guide a train through
by the re-discovered route, but they
. were turned back by hostile Indians
and compelled to complete their jour
e ney by way of Lander's cutoff anC
Snake river.
Bozeman himself again went to Mis-
souri, where he made up a large trair
t of immigrants for another attemp'
to test the new road. His route
northward lay between the Blacl
Hills and the Wind River mountains
Race to Virginia City.
James Bridger, who was taking
S train through by his new route ives
n Of the Wind River mountains AM
e down Clark's Fork, had d~enounce'
Bozeman's road as impracticable
h Bridger had several weeks star
d and he reached the Yellowston
first, but so circuitous was his cours
e into the Gallatin valley, up Shield
IS river and Bracket creek and dow
Bridger creek, that Bozeman reache
the valley ahead of him. They race
their trains from the West Gallatir
into Virginia City, which they reach
ed within a few hours of each othel
The first house was built on the sit
f of Bozeman in 1864. The city, Q
n course, was named for the man VIII
championed the Yellowstone Pas
a route. When the county was create
Il it was named from the river whic
had been christened in 1906 by Lew
is and Clark in honor of the ant:
l. federalist statesman, Albert Gallatil
# then secretary of the treasury.
d Murdered by Blackfeet
II Bozeman was murdered on the Ye,
lowstone in 1867 by Blackfeet VIII
were fugitives from their own trib
for killing a chief and were then liz
ing with the Crows. Bozeman wa
buried where he was killed, but tw
years later Major Camp brought hi
IS body to Bozeman and had it burie
in the graveyard on the bluff wher
e., Nelson Story, near whose cam
re Eozeman was attacked, erected man
q years later a handsome monument.
II During the two years following tn
Is first settlement at Bozeman the prir
cipal immigration into Montana VIZ
'e by the Bozeman pass and many c
those who later were leaders in pol
tics and industry in the state came b
this route. Forts Reno, Phil Kearne
s. and C. F. Smith were built to prote,
IS this road: but after the Fort Phi
ir Kearney massacre in 1866, the go'
eminent ordered all the forts abal
N doned and the road closed to trave
h Gallatin City Fizzle.
rs One year before the first house W;
built in Bozeman a party of Mi
to sourians laid out Gallatin City at IL
Three Forks, supposlng this point
be the head of navigation on the Mi
ty souri, Most of them abandoned Il
H. IL ~