The Ronan pioneer. [volume] (Ronan, Mont.) 1910-1970, 1917-12-07

ducing as "fine liquor as need be
drunk"
Indians Were the Losers.
real losers by the experiment. They
would take their corn to Mackenzie,
trade it for some of the liquor, he
made. He would then use their corn
in making more liquor, which the In
dians would purchase with furs. AS
a result outside of the glorious jags,
which many of the redmen accumu-
lated, they were nothing ahead and
fall found them without either corn
or furs.
Still there was no complaint from
the redmen, and in all probability the
American Fur company would have
been able to continue with it's dis
tillery and produce it's own liquor
for trading purposes, but for Mac
Kennels zeal as trader and his gem
crosby as a host. The two resulted
in the distillery business being re-
ported to the government and the
kibosh was put on it's operation.
Wyeth and Cerre Get Sore.
Into Fort Union one day late in
August 1888, rode Nathaniel j.
Wyeth, an adventurer and trader,
and M. S. Cerre, one of the associates
of Captain Bonneville in trading
with the Indians. Mackenzie showed
them every hospitality, giving them
open house, winning and dining them
He served as a pilot for their ex-
plorations of the post and surround
ing country and he permitted them to
see the distillery. Before leaving
they purchased lot of supplies and
also asked to buy some liquor. The
host Immediately became close fist
ed business man and no liquor was
to be had. They paid we'll for their
supplies, too, but made no complaint,
bidding their time.
Make Formal Complaint.
Going down the Missouri that fall
they stopped at Fort Leavenworth
and appearing before the Indian
agent, made affidavits as to the dis
tillery and other things they had seen
at Fort Union and alleged that the
American Fur company was there
making and vending whiskey in
quantity"
The agent at once took up the mat
ter with General William Clark, SUI
perintendent of Indian affairs at St.
Louis, and the latter wrote to Pierre
Choteau, jr., of the American Fur
company for an explanation.
Operations Arc Stopped.
Choteau came back with an in
genious explanation, but stopped the
manufacture of liquor at Fort Union.
In his letter to General Clark he
said: "The company, believing that
wild pears and berries might be con-
verified into wine (Which they did not
understand to be prohibited) did au-
thoriZe experiments to be made, and
if under color of this, ardent spirits
have been distilled and vended, it is
without the knowledge, authority, or
direction of the company and / will
take steps to arrest the operation
complained of, if found to exist"
While everything Mackenzie had
done was with the knowledge of the
officials of the company, Choteau for
got the fact, and in a letter rebuked
him for getting the company in bad.
AS a result the trader was stung to
the quick, but game to the core, he
came forward with an explanation
furnishing a plausible excuse for the
still, claiming that friend of his
(MacKenzie) living in the Red River
colony, had asked him to purchase
still in the states, which he had done,
taking it to Fort Union and setting
II up, beginning the manufacture of
wine, the result of which he wrote
"was satisfactory and very palat-
able article produced, but the whole
affair was in the nature of an ex-
pertinent, and had no relation to the
company's business.
Government is Aroused.
Neither Choteau's explanation or
the letter from Mackenzie appeased
the government agents and the Indian
department became very incensed. 1t
was only Choteau's assurance to the
secretary of war that the American
Fur company would conform to the
government regulations permitting
the company to participate in
the Indian trade that the affair
was not followed up and the COM
pany's license revoked.
The distillery incident seemed to
have practically closed the career of
MacKenz in the Indian country, for
in 1884 he went to England for Wis
it. On his return to the United
States a year later he made short
visit to Fort Union, the scene of his
manufacturing operations, and then
settled in St. Louis.
Undoubtedly this distillery was the
first manufacturing establishment on
a commercial basis in the northwest
ern part of the United States and
probably in the entire country west of
the Mississippi river. 1t was more
than half century later before any
other kind of manufacturing estab-
lishment was started in either the