Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-09-18
1T was in 1904 when Lewis & Clark,
among the Most famous explorers Of
came up the valley and
made friends with the Mandan In

1T was in 1904 whenaLewis & Clark,
among the Most famous explorers of
America came up the valley and
made friends with the Mandan In
dams: u They found q guide to- lead
thennton their journey into the west
ern wilds in Sakakawea, 1.-THE Bird
Woman who guided them to che Pa
.cifc coast and aided them to escape
hostile Indians on their return, Their
tale Of the great land they discovered
sent q stream of hardy pioneers up
the Missouri river. As the white men
increased in numbers, the Indians,
pushed back assthey were, saw them
seIyesshemn1ed In by the mountains Of
the west, and their last hunting;
grounds being taken from them.
Their E%friendliness changed and the
Indian npassacres followed. General
led the first great. expedition
against them in 1863 and followed the
marauding red skins from the mas
Of Minnesota to the Missouri
river.
Many Pioneers Left.
There are many pioneers in Mandan
and Bismarck today who came into
the northern valley and on the plains
in the westward flow of homeseekers
after the Civil war. They came vi
sSAO,AANSA w OC1OIc II1c SLCS1
rails of the Northern Pacific were
pushed westward to the Missouri river
by James j.. HILL, They tell stories of
the days when the two cities were but
trading posts. when saloons. dance
halls and gambling idens abounded
and their, word pictures, carries a con-
viction%which leads one to believe that
the lurtd motion pictures of the wild
West" are not exaggerated.
Ahead Of the bulksof the white set
tiers, came the American flag and the
EOld Fort Abraham Lincoln was estab-
lished on the banks OF the Missouri.
It was from this fortr that General
George Custer rode out in 1876 with
his band of soldiers to the fateful
battle of the Little Big Horn when his
command was massacred. The first
word Of this battle which filled the
country with horror was sent out
from Bismarck when Captain Grant
Marsh raced the steamer. THE Far
West down the Missouri with the
wounded.
= The triumph of the cunning Sitting
Bull and Chief Gaul was the begin
ming OF the end Of Indian dangers on
the great plains. The so~nspirators, in
theHQprising, were pursued and caught
and the band was broken up. The
following winter there came word
that gold had.been discovered in the
Black. FILLS of South Dakota. Thou
sans OF. adventurers- came into the
country and in search of sudden
wealth. Gold failed them but many
remained to arm their living on
ranches or In farming the fertile
acres. Il :.
Railroad Pushes Westward.
L . ThA ID Nnrfho~p Do1iRoS. L1J L1o-
Epushed west to the river, and then
track was laid beyond. For a few
years trains crossed the river in the
winter on rails laid on ice, and in
summer on ferries. It was 40 years
tago when the first big bridge across
the Missouri, WHOSE shifting sands
have proved a hard problem for engi-
neers to solve, was built, the golden
spike driven and the east and west
coasts joined bysla northern railroad,
AS population has. i~ncrdaged and The
ity in crossing Atlerica, people hBBE&AIh
to chafe at having to cross thesNfis-
souri, at Mandaf and Bismarck on d
ferry. inconvenientS% and uncertain.
jtDemand for construction Of a. free
vehicular bridge followed. The bridge
LIS now complete, built at Il cost OF
about $4,000, 900 with approaches. BE.
cause 1t was on a trans-continental
highway, the United States bureau OF
Fpublic roads, made what is said to be
it's first big appropriation Of federal
aid for bridge building on trans-conti.
mental highways. The difficulties OF
bridging the Missouri lay chiefly in
the quick. sands through which piers
must be driven. The new bridge. the
only bridge across the Missouri be.
tween. Great Falls, Mont. and Sioux
Lefty, Ia, is 40 feet in height from the
bottom OF its piers to the top of it.
super-structure. 1t is SO feet above
water, high enough for the largest
steamboats, to pass under it. 1t is q.
443 feet in length, more than half !;
mile. and has, a sidewalk for pedes.
trians, a "a foot asphalt roadway TO,
vehicles and is built of sufricien1
ntrength to. accommodate a street cal
line.
The building Of the bridge mark.
the last conquest of the, natural bar
rier of the Missouri river, will join to.
gether a great section Of western
northern, Dakota heretofore segre,
I gated, and is al important link in tn,
ira ns-c9ntinental highway of which Il
n is a part. @ 1879