The Powder River County examiner and the Broadus independent. [volume] (Broadus, Mont.) 1919-1935, 1922-02-24

flight he told them that they had
acted like towards, and called on
them to go with him in an expedition
against the Blackfeet. In a fight
with the latter the chief was killed,
but he left word as he was dying that
the Crows should ever after keep
peace with the whites. As nation.
the Crows were never again in arms
against the whites.
| There were many thrilling expert
ences at the fort in succeeding years;
also many unusual incidents. On
July 4th, 1896, the men wanted to
fire national salute from the can
non. Gabrielle BcnOist, Canadian
Frenchmen, was ramming charge
down when premature explosion
took place, the hammer tearing off
his right hand and hitting the wall
with such force that it was splintered.
His face, breast and arms were horri-
bly, mangled and his right eye put
out. He lived, however, till 1870.
when he passed away on the Fort
Relknap reservation.
There were constant fights near
the fort between the Crows and eros
Ventres and the Crows and Blackfeet.
My father was called upon at all
times to exercise the greatest tact
trade going on successfully. In 1887
smallpox was brought up the river
by one of the boats and the scOurge
hit the Indian tribes along the Mis-
[ souri, with terrible fury. Thousands
died. Finally it attacked the garri-
) son at the fort. Scarcely one of its
! hundred occupants escaped. My faith
) er, himself, was sick with it. but in
t sisted on making vaccination, how
ever. Deaths took place daily. At first
: the victims were buried, but soon the
. number of the healthy was so small
E that they could not dig graves, and
!, the bodies were thrown into the
r river.
Notwithstanding the terrible re-
s suits of the disease my father took in
}, 10000 buffalo robes the next winter,
Y and in the succeeding years the num-
It Der of robes kept increasing until the
s annual receipts were from 10000 to
yt25,000.
g In the spring of 1888 my father
S had a narrow escape from death, be-
l. ing attacked while lying on his bed
" by Blood Indian of quarrelsOme
r, disposition. Two men OF the garrt-
is son rescued him and killed the
e, Indian.
= In 1889 my father took the furs
of and robes to Fort Union, and then
IN took charge of eight mackinaw boats,
er each frelghted with 500 packs of
if furs. and descended with them to
~ St. Louis, the trip taking just one
de month. This was the last fleet OF
b. mackinaw boats the company ever
rt dispatched to St. Louis. their furs
ey afterward being carried down the
Is river in river steamboats,. While at
"a So no
a ner of the American Fur Company.
nd That year virtually ended my faith
ir- er's residence at Fort Mckenzie, and
W. in 1S41 the American Fur Company
,er made the greatest mistake of its
ed career by transferring him to Fort
ri Laramie, at the junction Of the La
ed ramie and Platter rivers, where trad
ing conditions had been bad for some
he time. He told the officials that he
me felt it was extremely unwise to leave
ma affairs at Fort Mckenzie in the
INT hands of untried men, as the situa
ln- ton with the Blackfeet was very
cir delicate one. However, they insisted
and as my father had predicted
= trouble soon followed. One Chardon
in charge of the fort, massacred al
innocent and unsuspecting party o
Blackfeet with the forts cannon t.
q avenge the killing of a pig belonging
IL ito the post by another band. Thi
made necessary the abandonment Q
the fort and the building of another
Fort F. A. c. at the mouth of tn
Judith on the north bank of the Mil
souri,. The big and profitable Black
feet trade that my father had built
was thus dissipated. Then the Officer
of the American Fur Company begge
my father to return to the Nilsson
to set things right. He at first r
fused, but at last consented.
Returning to Fort Union,
started up the Missouri, and in 184
selected a spot at the head of Il
first rapids above where Fort Be
ton stands today, and built on Il
south bank of the river a fort tn
was completed in January, 1874.
was log fort, the stockade beil
$50 feet square, with two bastioI
There was one gate facing the riv,
The garrison comprised 70 men.
My father soon made peace wi
the Blackfeet and resumed ira
with them, taking in 100 packs
buffalo robes in the first fo
months, besides beaver, wolf and
furs,. AS result of this fine VOL
my father was made agent for (
company of the whole Upper Nilsson
country at salary of $1,000. 7
highest salary paid to any of his p
decessors was $4,000 a year.
The location of Fort Lewis was ,
favorable, because the Blackfeet b
to cross the river to trade, so in [
spring of 1916 my father decided
move to new site and chose the {
where Fort Benton stands today.
took down the stockade and but
ings of the fort and RATED them do
the river, rebuilding the new
from the materials of the old Wit
the next few years the fort was
built of adobe.
There followed from this time