Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1921-04-07
PART OF ASYLUM
PROPERTY MAY Be
USED AS n. D. PARK
Old Indian Camping Ground
Will Be Made Into State
Park if No Legal Barriers
Are Encountered - Scene
of Indian Battle.

| - - ASA>~S3AS@~A >A OSSAN
of Indian Battle.
a part Of the property Of the State
| Hospital for the Insane, about five
acres in extent and located along the
bank of the James river between the
Midland Continental tracks and the
road between sections five and six OF
Homer township. will be converted
into Il state park unless it is found
that Il transfer Of this property to
the Historical Society is legally i'm.
possible. The Board of Administra-
tion has asked Judge Birdzell for an
opinion relative to this matter.
The effort to secure this tract of
land for a state park is part of Il
! movement started in Homer town
ship several months ago to preserve
some of the points OF interest by
making them into state parks under
the new state park law. One park
has already been established. the
park board being composed of Fred
Smith Edward Frey. Thomas Jenn-
ings. Carl Fisher and James Wright.
Used As Camping Grounds
Sheriff Dana Wright has been
gathering data in regard to former
camping grounds OF the Indians in
Stutsman county, and it is believed
that this particular spot was the
scene OF a battle between a party of
soldiers or ex-soldiers and the In
dians. a number of rifle stocks.
brass buttons, bride pieces marked
with the letters U. S., bullets and
nj hn,. III n hnvn hnnn fnry,I thop0
indicating that battle took place
there many years ago. So far no
record Of such Il fight has been
found in any of the old military rec
ords, but it is thot q party Of SOL
diers might have been on hunting
trip, or have gone out Of their terri
tory. got into trouble with the In
dams and were afraid to report the
matter for fear OF punishment. Sew
eral clues are being followed and it
is hoped that the story Of the skir-
mish. il there was one. can be OBJ
tanned and made part Of the histori-
cal records of the county.
Bones Found Near Spot
a. McKechnie who came to James,
town in 1873 and who was sheriff Of
the county for several years in the
seventies, located a homestead near
this place and when excavating for
his cellar, uncovered the remains of
several Indians. A party Of Indians
were camped in the vicinity at the
time and some of them said that
they had been camped in the valley
of the James River hunting when a
party of soldiers came from the east
and south and drove them west and
north, several men being killed on
each side These Indians declared
the bones uncovered by Mr.. Nc
Kechnie were those of the Indians
buried there at that time.
Another clue which is also hand
cd down by Mr.. McKechnie is that in
the late seventies while at the sta
tion, he heard man on the train
say, as he pointed to the bluff at the
Asylum, There's where we chased
the Indians over the hill when ! was
up here in the service. Still an
other bit OF evidence was the fact
that the first n. p. agent in James
town was all ex-soldier and told sew
eral of the old timers that he was
here and participated in the skir-
mish. This mans name is known to
the Homer park board but they have
been thus far unable to get in touch
with him or any of his relatives.
1t is definitely known that the spot
was used by the Indians and half
breeds for the drying Of buffalo
meat, the holes where the fires were
built being still discernible.
Action of Board of Administration
The transfer Of this property to
the State Historical Society was re-
by DR.. A. w. Guest. su
of the state hospital.
Tho minutes of the board Of admin
dated March 23rd, show
the following action:
Superintendent Guest having re-
ported the request by the State His
torical Society, through Mr.. Dana
Wright of Jamestown, one OF its di-
rectors. for the transfer to its charge
of approximately five acres Of insti-
tutional ground, it was moved by
Mr.. Muir, seconded by Mr.. Cahill,
that the transfer OF the ground de-
sired by the HISTORICAL Society be
provided after legal
opinion has been secured this Board
finds it has power to make the trans
fer. Motion declared carried"
A letter from Melvin r. Gilmore.
addressed to Mr.. Wright, states: !
Judge Birdzell thinks that the pro-
bable action will be a transfer of
of that particular
tract from the hospital, to the local
historical park board under the fIis-
torical Society. as the title already
rests In the state and for tha iDur.