The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1921-02-03

If considerable trading was tc be
done, or something Of Importance
was to be settled, the chief and per-
haps a couple of his followers would
be allowed inside the store without
their guns, and under the vigilant eye
Of an armed white man. These pre-
cautions were not necessary with the
Assiniboines, who belonged on this
part of the reservation, but there
were many wandering Indians of var
ious other tribes. The Assiniboines
have always been known as friendly
and as a tribe have never fought the
whites. The desperate straits in
which the Indians often found hem
selves were enough to drive to crime
a far more civilized people. Today
the approach of hunger and want Of
ten drives white men to the boldest
crimes. Then, it was common for
the Indian to find himself and his
squaw and babies in the most despa7-
ate need of food-a condition that
he justly attributed to the coming" OF
the white man. 1t was not strange
that a ! ne trapper, a SMALL party OF
travellers or a trader, known to have
food in their possession, were not
safe. So far. it was hard for the In
dians to see how the coming of the
white man had done him anything
but harm.
The hide hunters killed off the buff
falo, and the Indians main source OF
food was gone. Deer and small game,
by no mean took the place. OF the
bulky and easily secured buffalo
The white man brought whiskey,. and
while the Indian loved it, it was an
enemy that brought him to grief in
many ways. Worst of all, the white
man, and especially the soldiers,
brought disease Of many sorts which
spread among the Indians with the
greatest rapidity because of their Ig-
a of the ways to combat It.
At that time the whole of north
ern Montana was Indian reservation.
This reservation extended westward
TO the Assiniboine and the Asslni-
boine joined the Fort Beiknap. The
Indians east of Touley Greek were
and still are quite distinct from those
on the western part. The east
Indians are made up of various tribes
of the Sioux Nation, the Y~anztonsy
the Yanktonais, several tribes OF the
Santees. some of the Oglala, a few
S~issitons and several others. 1T is
said that they were placed ON the
eastern part Of this reservation soon
after the Sitting Bull Sit
ting Bull himself was sometimes a
visitor to Wolf Point and while he
was considered a distinguished guest
he was required to do his trading
through the hole in the corner of the
store. In other words, he was not IN
the same category with Caesars wife
above suspicion.
One peculiar thing that made the
food problem more difficult for the
Indians was their distaste for flour.
They had lived on meat, berries,
herbs and roots, and such primitive
products so long that it was very
hard to acquire a taste for the white
mans staff of life. Some raised al
very small amount of corn or ether
crops.
Conducting a trading post present.
ed other difficulties besides the dam
ger from Indians and other outlaws.
Chief of these was transportation.
Practically everything of weight or
bulk was brought up the Missouri by
steamboat, and the river in its up
per portions was navigable for the
large boats only during the period in
Guided in the June rise. There was a
time in the very early days when ST.
Louis was the point from which boats
started. Sioux City and other river
towns this side of st. Louis were then
of small commercial Importance. Lat
er on the freight boats started from
Sioux City and sometimes Yankton.
They would start early in the spring
as soon as the ice was out and labor
n%orthward against the current. Some
of them went clear to Fort Benton,
some stopped here or at points above
or below here, if the water reached
too low a stage to make further pro-
gress possible. Sometimes supplies
unloaded here would be distributed