The Powder River County examiner and the Broadus independent. [volume] (Broadus, Mont.) 1919-1935, 1922-02-24
JOSEPH BERTS0N SON OF liking OF THE UPPER MISSOURI
TELLS Of FATHERS LAST "TRIP AMONG THE MONTANA INDIANS

he had successful trade with the
Blackfeet.
In the spring of the following year,
1893, my father came up the river
from St. Louis on the company's Sec
ond steamer, the Assinniboine, as
clerk, and was at once sent by Ken
meth Mckenzie to the new post, which
had been called Fort Mckenzie. He
told me that he first reached the fort
early in August in company with
Mitchell and that famous character
in Upper Missouri river history,
Prince Macmillan, of Coblenz, on the
Rhine. The Prince, my father said,
was then nearly 20 years old, but
wiry. He was great naturalist, and
was making a collection of birds,
small animals and insects. He had an
artist and a servant with MIN. He
stayed at the fort about month.
About two. weeks after my father
reached Fort Mckenzie a trading
party of Blackfeet, who were camped
outside of the fort, were attacked by
1900 Assinniboine warriors. The
white men in the fort thought the at
tack was being made on the stockade,
and began shooting as the Assinni-
BONES, at the same time opening the
gates to let the Blackfeet in. AS 1t
happened, the entire band of these
Blackfeet were in camp three or four
miles away, and soon 1000 Blackfeet
braves swept down on the Assinni-
BONES, who fled across the Marias
fighting stubbornly every inch Of
ground they gave. The Assinniboines
had the better of the fight and the
Blackfet lost probably hundred II
killed and wounded. My father rode
across the river with the Blackfee'
and his horse was killed under him
It was his first touch of Indian fight
ing. The leader of the Assiniboine'
in this fight, Long Hair, died on tn
Fort Belknap reservation in 1874
when my father was interprete
there.
! In April. 1894, my father wa
placed in charge at Fort Mckenzie
and he told of most extradordinar
fight that took place near the pos
that month. Three Blood warrior
and squaw were attacked by thirt
mounted Crows, the Bloods bein
afoot. Two Of the Blood brave
were killed and the third was wOunt
ed, but the latter, taken as he was
surprise, sprung at a Grow warrio
knocked him from his horse with h
gun and leaped on his enemy's hors
dashing off in safety to the fort.
This incident was a couple
months later followed by a siege {
/ the fort by the Grows in force. aft
L one of their bands had driven 0
the horses belonging to the post. n
father had a we'll ten feet dug insi'
\ the stockade. and thus water was 0
tanned. The defenders of the 70
: soon began to run short of food. TIL
It even had to kill their Indian do
ia and eat them. My father was We
! DESTROYS of bringing the siege to
= conclusion without bloodshed, a
'e therefore restrained his men from +
lie ing at the besiegers. Finally, no
i'd ever, he had the cannon in an upI
A bastion of the fort loaded and fir
IN it into the Grow camp. That ter
s. fled the Crows so that they depart
Il, in haste.
w 1t happened that the chief of
he Crows, called Rotten Belly, was G
he of the greatest leaders the Grow !
is ton ever had. He did not WE
TT trouble with the whites, but was i,
re able to control his men. After tn