Philip weekly review and Bad River news. [volume] (Philip, Stanley County, S.D.) 1912-1918, 1917-12-27
HISTORIC TALES OF
EARLY DAYS
OLD FORT PIERRE MEMORIES RE-
CALLED AT RECENT MEETING

| 4uI1ColuCOly AOtAoN ldS tiiS AAAOSS
ing of the city council Monday
evening the members adjourned to
the court room, which was filled to
overhowing with our citizens,
where Mr.. j II. johnson, as chair
man, introduced Hon. Chas. E.
DeLand and Hon. Doane Robin
son, of Pierre, both of whom very
instructively entertained the au-
dience with tales of the very early
history of Fort Pierre. At the
conclusion of Mr.. DeLand's ad-
dress he presented to our city a
very nice enlarged photograph of
the bell which hung in Old Fort
Pierre Chouteau. Mayor Coyne
and City Attorney F. w. Lambert
in a few appropriate words thank
ed Mr.. DeLand for his gift, as
suring him that the photograph
would be treasured as link bind
ing our historic past with our pro-
missing future. Mr.. Robinson also
left with the council facsimile of
an Indian calendar, held in the
state historical collection. which
chronicles the building of the first
trading post at Fort Pierre by
Joseph LaFrombeau Following is
the legend of the bell as attached
to the back of the photograph:
The Post was located on the
west bank of the Missouri river,
two and seven eighths miles above
the mouth of Bad river. James
''Scotty" Philips house on his
federal homestead claim stood in
the center of the stockade grounds
on this old Post. The Jeffries
family afterwards lived for several
years in this house. SThe post was
established in 1882. This Bell
hung inside its stockade from soon
after the establishment of the Post.
The Post was owned by the Ameri-
can Fur Co. and was used in carry
ing on a vast fur trade on the up
per Missouri, which trade extend
ed from the mouth of the Platte
river Tin Nebraska) northward to
Apple river, near Bismark, N. d.
westward on the Cheyenne, Nor
eau and Grand rivers, the forks of
the Cheyenne; the north branch OF
the Platte river at old Fort John
on the Laramie; on the lower
Platte; the White river and the
Medicine; east of the James river,
and at Medicine; east Of the James
river, and at Medicine Butte (near
Blunt); and south and southeast on
the Big Bend, and at points below
and at the mouth of the Niobrara
river;at Vermillion; and at Council
Bluffs on the Missouri. All this
trade was centered at Old Fort
Pierre Choteau. The companion
trading post on the upper Missouri
was Fort Union, near :he mouth
of the Yellowstone river. Fort
Pierre Chouteau however was the
greatest landmark of the fur trad
ing period any where in the north
west. The Post was named for
Hon. Pierre Choteau, Jr., of st.
Louis, Mo-, who was principal
owner and proprietor of the
American Fur Co., headquarters
at St. Louis. Both Fort Pierre
and Pierre were named in his hon
or. The Post was operated until
about 1858, when it was sold to
the United States during the Sioux
outbreak. It was dismantled a.
bout 1859-60; new post being
built about 1859 one and a quar-
ter miles below, which later was
discontinued about 1854. This Bell
has for many years been in custody
of the Missouri Historical Society
in St. Louis. This photograph
vas presented to the City of Fort
Pierre, December 3rd, 1917 by
Chas. E. DeLand.-Fort Pierre
Times.