The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1920-07-16
OLD FORT SHAW AND SOME OF THE FAMOUS
MEN WHO SERVED THERE I'M THE OLD DAYS.


Falling into ruin through age
and abandonment, sadly in disre-
pair and practically unoccupied for
the past decade, barracks, officers
quarters, stables and other struc-
lures of the old Fort Shaw, on the
Sun river about rs miles west of
Great Falls, are now serving mere
ly to bring back visions of the
early days when this was one of the
active regular army posts and of
later days when the buildings were
occupied by the children of the In
dams of northern Montana and
were utilized in instructing these
Indian children in the ways of the
white man.
1t is now 10 years since this old
post was abandoned for its second
time, when the Indian school was
discontinued and the children were
sent back to their homes at or
near the various Indian agencies
of Montana, the Blackfeet going
to Browning, the Gros Ventres to
Fort Belknap and others being dis
tributed about the Fort Peck res
ervation at Poplar and other
points.
At the time of this abandonment
of the fort as an Indian school a
sketch, historical of the old post,
was prepared by F. George HEIDI,
who is one of the old residents of
Great Falls and who was located at
Fort Shaw for many years, follow
ing its construction in 1867. The
sketch is hereby reproduced.
A Regiment of Soldiers
II do not know who was the
first commander of the fort but
when l was there in 1869 as clerk
of the quartermaster's department,
the Thirteenth infantry was sta
toned there and was commanded
by General Beforehand. The
regiment lacked one or two COM
panies and these were stationed at
Fort Benton and other nearby
places for the protection of the set ,
tiers, of which at that time there
we're quite a few.
"It was during the winter of go
and 20 that Colonel Baker, who
vas with Beforehand, subdued :
he Piegan Indians and they have
lever shown any fighting qualities :
since. Colonel Baker left Fort ,,
Shaw with his command in the
hight, with the thermometer indi-
:ating 40 degrees below zero. Joe
kipp, who is respected citizen of 5
Che has since died), then !,
boy of 1o, was the guide and in Il
erpreter on that memorable occa- q
ion. The country was covered e
With snow, SO that it was difficult y =
or the party to know whether they Z
yere going in the right direction or l.
OF. The boy on several different 4
ccasions was in doubt. Colonel 4
'aker suspicioned his guide and :
everal times threatened to hang
i'm if he betrayed the soldiers, but
-ipp found the camp and when
ne soldiers got through with them
mere were scarcely enough Pie
ans left to tell the tale. They
ave never molested the pale faces
nee.
"The Seventh infantry, General
ibbon's regiment, relieved the
thirteenth at Fort Shaw in 1871,
I'd the Seventh was relieved by
lie Third, General Brooke's regi-
ent, while the Third was relieved
Y the Twenty-fifth, colored regi-
ent.
Early Irrigation
"At the time that General Glib
IN was stationed at Fort Shaw,
lieutenant Sanno, we'll known
roughout the country today as
eneral Sanno, who was a grad
tie of West Point, surveyed a
tch and brought in large stream
water to the fort. General Glib
IN had a large number of trees
anted, while the grounds were
id out in regulation shape and
eatly beautified, and, if l am
It mistaken, think that the ditch
still doing its duty towards keep
3 the reputation it made for it
# several years ago.
''The Seventh infantry was re-
we'd in either 1873 or 1879 by the
lird with General John r. Brooke
command, which remained there
til the spring of 1887, when the
venty-fifth infantry, colored,
tn Colonel Van Horne in COM F.
md, took charge, and if my mem
7 serves me right, the colored
n remained there until the fort
S abandoned about the spring of -
II, when it was converted into an y
Hon cchoO1