The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1920-07-15
NIL m FMRT SHAWN AMID SOME OF THE FAMOUS
MEM WHO SERVED THERE 1M THE OLD DAYS

Falling into ruin through age
and abandonment, sadly in disre-
pair and practically u%noccupied 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
we're utilized in instructing these
Indian children in the ways OF the
white man. -,
It 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 eros 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
81 do not know who was the
first commander of the fort but
when I 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 II or two COM
panies and these we're stationed at
Fort Benton and other nearby
places for the protection of the set
tiers, of which at that time there
were quite a few.
ct was during the winter of o9
and 70 that Colonel Baker, who
was with Beforehand, subdued
the Piegan Indians and they have
never shown any fighting qualities
since. Colonel Baker left Fort
Shaw with his command in the
night. with the thermometer ind1-
eating 40 degrees below zero. Joe
Kipp, who is a respected citizen of
Browning Che has since died), then
a boy of 1o, was the guide and in
t~erpreter on that memorable occa-
sion. The country was covered
with snow, so that it was difficult
for the party to know whether they
were going in the right direction or
not. The boy on several different
occasions was in doubt. Colonel
Baker s~uspicioned his guide and
several times threatened to. hang
him if he betrayed the soldiers, but
Kipp found the camp and when
the soldiers got through with them
there were scarcely enough Pie
cans left to tell the tale. They
have never molested the pale faces
since.
"The Seventh infantry, General
Gibbons regiment, relieved the
Thirteenth at Fort Shaw in 1871,
and the Seventh was relieved by
the Third, General Brooke's regi-
ment. while the Third was relieved
by the Twenty-fifth, a colored regi-
ment.
Early Irrigation
cat the time that General Glib
bon was stationed at Fort Shaw.
Lieutenant Sanno, we'll known
throughout the country today as
General Sanno, who was a grad
uate of West Point, surveyed {
ditch and brought in a large, stream
of water to the fort. General Glib
bon had a large number of tree;
planted, while the grounds were
laid out in regulation shape anc
greatly beautified, and, if I an
not mistaken, l think that the ditch
is still doing its duty towards keep
ing the reputation it made for it
self several years ago.
"The Seventh infantry was re
lieved in either 1873 or 1879 by thu
Third with General John R. Brook.
in command, which remained Their
until the spring of 1887, when tn,
Twenty-fifth infantry, c%olored
with Colonel Van Horne in com
mand, took charge, and if my mem
DRY serves me right, the coloreC
men remained there until the for
was abandoned about the spring o