The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1920-01-01
NOTORIOUS "PEAGE COMMISSION OF 1866 STIRRED HATRED OF
MONTANA INDIANS; FOUR MEN SPENT $50, 1000 ON STEAMER FARE

Fifty-three years ago, in 1866, the
principal topic of conversation in
Montana for several months was a
peace commission" which had been
appointed by the government to end
all Indian disturbances in the north
west, and which became n of the
standing jokes of hal period OF
western history. 1t was composed
of four politicians, and one of these
was a clergyman-the Rev. Henry w.
Reed, who SO long figured as an In
dian agent on the upper Missouri.
Far from putting an end to any of the
Indian troubles with which the
government was threatened, the COM
mission made matters much worse
than they had been before and stirred
up the tribes along the river to such
an extent that much fighting and
~bloodshed between whites and reds
followed.
Besides the minister-politician,
Reed, the members of the commits
sion were Newton Edmunds, govern
or of the territory of Dakota; Gener-
al S. r. Curtis, a we'll known officer
of the Iowa volunteers in the Civil
WQl 6Io O1lIh ooOl llOOJs l. L nto
officially known as the Northwestern
Treaty Commission, but was always
referred to as the Peace Commission
of 1866. General Curtis was chair
man of the commission, and he was
about as we'll fitted to negotiate
treaties with the plains Indians as a
Sioux brave would be to teach higher
mathematics.
MI ao-a - ,-1 - --4.1h14I ~ CT
Louis in the spring of the year and
spent some weeks in lengthy de-
alterations, concerning themselves
mostly with the manner of travel
that would be most luxurious in their
western journey, and how best to get
rid of the large appropriation that
had been set aside for them. They
gave out many flamboyant notices to
the newspapers, setting forth with
much confidence how they proposed
to make the troublesome red men of
Dakota and Montana contented and
loyal wards of the government. They
proved very amusing to the veterans
of the plains who read them and who
knew the Indians.
Charter a Steamer.
The commission finally decided to
charter a steamer to take them up the
Missouri to Fort Benton and back,
and they made a deal with Captain
Joseph La Barge, veteran Missouri
river pilot, who knew the Sioux, the
Crows, Gros Ventres, Blackfeet and
other tribes thoroughly. Captain La
Barge agreed to transport the COM
missioners for a price of $500 a day
on the fine new steamboat Ben John
son.. At the last moment a son of
n of the commissioners put in an
appearance and wished to 60. His
father asked Captain La Barge to
hire the boy in some capacity at a
salary of SIS a day, but the captain
intimated- that he would almost be
willing to pay SIS a day not to have
the youth along. The commissioners
insisted, however, so the captain
agreed to pay the lad provided the
contract price was raised to 1905 a
day, and this was done. Captain La
Barge was much Disguised with the
arrangement, but the young man en-
joyed a sinecure during the trip and
the government paid the freight, as it
were. Il
Captain La Barge in his memoirs i
Q6CldIGu IndL IuG WuOl6 fOydSS 6
seemed more like a pleasure trip I
which it really was intended to be by I
the commissioners-than a business
enterprise. The boat moved up
by ~leisurely stages, always
tying up early in the evening and i
starting late in the morning, as the q
commissioners did not wish to be un- a
duly fatigued by travel. Long stops i
we're made at all points of interest, t
and between these whist and other Y
card games served to while away the a
hours. s
Expedition is Ridicu1ed. il
The people along the river looked p
the expedition as a farce from v
he start, and no end of ridicule was b
poured upon it wherever the boat d
led up. The Indians were quick to v
see that the white men considered it d
Is a joke, and they acted according a
y. Captain La Barge wrote the fol- 81
owing account of n incident that f,
hear ending seriously for the s.
whole party: Il
"Some 20 miles below the mouth il
If White Earth river I saw two In
liam hunters on the hills. l hailed fl
hem and invited them abroad to t.
earn whether they were Yankton W
Sioux, as I suspected. They proved g
o be of this tribe-the most %relent- R
hostile of all the Sioux bands B
md said their camp was 10 miles off,
n White Earth river. General Cur
is asked them to go to camp and n
ell their chiefs to move the whole NJ
-illage down to the mouth of White NJ
river, and there await the boat al
or the purpose of holding a council. u
asked the size of the village and A
vas told that there were 900 lodges, OF
which meant not less than 5000 In H
.ians. ST
81 demonstrated at this PROPOSE ii
ion. strongly urging that only the ca
hiefs be asked to a council. l knew hi
should SO powerful a band of sc
hese hostile Indians get any advan- fl
age of us they would certainly use lie
t. We had no power of resisting th
hem, having only 80 people in all, er
they were poorly armed. | to
cared the Indians would make a rush in
nd attempt to capture the steamer or
r oooo n q rro 1apdod Our iptornrat- nc