The Ronan pioneer. [volume] (Ronan, Mont.) 1910-1970, 1917-04-06
BUILD MONUMENT
TO JOHN BOHEMIAN
MAN WHO DEMONS ATED
FEASIBILITY OF TWO OVER
LAND ROUTES TO MONTANA
w. A. Clark Has Offered to Advance
the Money; Frank Brown Has Pre-
Pared Sketch; Chamber of Com.
MERGE of BOzeman and Pioneers
Help in Movement.

memorial monument for John
M. Bozeman, Montana pioneer after
whom the celebrated Bozeman pass
and the city OF Bozeman were
named, Is to be erected at the city
OF Bozeman, if plans suggested by
Montana pioneers and taken in hand
by prominent men of the city named
and the chamber of commerce of
that community are carried out.
Bozeman demonstrated the FEAST
bility of one of the two overland
routes into eastern Montana in the
sixties, notwithstanding it had been
declared impracticable II not impos-
sible by the celebrated frontiersman
and pathfinder Jim Bridger.
Already the movement to honor
the pioneer in the manner stated
has advanced to such a point that
sketch of suitable monument has
been made by Frank D. Brown, his
torian of the Montana Society of Pho
neers.
The proposed structure would cost
$4,000, and it is suggested that the
fund needed for the purpose may be
started by the school children of
Bozeman and completed by public
subscription. 1t is stated that for
mer Senator William A. Clark will
advance the money for the work at
once without interest, being deeply
interested in all plans to mark his
toric spots and honor the memory
of the men of pioneer days.
Peter Koch, in his splendid sketch
of "Bozeman, Gallatin Valley and
Bozeman Pass" published by the
Historical Society of Montana, has
the following account of John M.
Bozeman:
"1n the winter of 1923 two men,
John M. Bozeman and John M. ia
cobs, left Bannack for the states
with the idea of looking out short
err route for emigrants than the
roundabout one up the Platte. They
were set afoot by Sioux on Powder
river and nearly starved, being re-
duced to diet of grasshoppers, but
made their way finally to Missouri.
Hostiles Turned Them Back.
"They started back Immediately
to guide a train back by the new
road. Meeting hostile Indians, they
were compelled to turn back and
come by way of Lander's cutoff and
Snake river.
"Bozeman went back to Missouri,
and succeeded in getting a large
train to follow him in 1864. His
route lay between the Black Hills
and the Wind River mountains, leav-
Ing the latter to the west and south
Brldger also was taking a train
through by his new road west of the
Wind River mountains and down
Clark's Fork and he had denounced
Bozeman's road as impracticable,
But, although Bridger had sew
eral weeks start and reached the
Yellowstone first, his road into Cal
latin valley up Shields river and
Bracket Greek and down Bridger
creek was so circuitous that Boze-
man reached the valley ahead of
him, but, lingering there, Bridger
overlook him, and they raced their
trains from the West Gallatin into
Virginia, reaching that place within
few hours of each other.
"In 1854 the first house was built
in Bozeman, occupying part Of the
site covered by "The Bozeman."
During the two following years the
principal immigration into Montana
was by the Bozeman road and across
the Bozeman pass, and many of our
leading citizens came over the road
IN those years and doubtless could
tell many a moving tale of accident
by flood and field during their long
overland Journey
Forts Reno, Phil Kearney and
G. F. Smith were built by the gov
eminent to protect the trains on this
road, but on December 21, 1866, the
Fort Phil Kearney massacre took
place, and with characteristic pusil-