The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1922-06-01
BACK-TRAILING ON H OLD FRONTIERS

Of the Yellowstone could be made
in a single season with ease. But
the officials at St. Louis felt that
so great an enterprise must be con-
Quoted with becoming state. Steam
boats only were appropriate to the
occasion. They therefore contract
ed with one Colonel James John
son. without competition on his
part. to build five steamboats, at
an exorbitant price. He built them
but three were entirely unable to
enter the Missouri because of their
deep draft, while the other two got
only as far as Cow Island, barely
out of the confines of the present
state of Missouri, returning to ST.
Louis the following spring. The
affair was so scandalous that on
gress Investigated it the next year
Colonel Johnson, it was reported,
was paid $4,000 for his wholly
inadequate vessels.
AS soon as the expedition set out
it became evident that the manage
ment was hopelessly weak. The
whole summer was spent on the
lower river and the farthest point
reached was Council Bluffs, where
a camp for the winter was estab-
lished. This was swept by disease
and death. The military part of
the expedition was in command of
Colonel Henry Atkinson, an excel
lent officer, who was hampered in
everything he tried to do by his su-
periors and by civilian interference.
Maj. Stephen H. Long had charge
of the scientific part of the pro-
iect, having under him biologists,
biologists, n%aturalists, artists and
topographers. Reports of the wild
extravaganza and hopeless mis-
management of the excursion so
disguised congress that it was bro
ken up in the spring Of 1920. Major
with two junior officers,
enlisted men and seven civil
ians, was ordered to go to the
source of the Platte river, which
they did.
Good for Nothing but Buffalo
The only definite accomplish
.ent of this expedition was the
scaling of Pixies Peak, for the first
time, by three of the party. An
other towering mountain peak was
named after Major Long, and it
forms one of the conspicuous land
marks of Colorado scenery that
tourists see annually today. Little
of geographical Importance was
learned.
AS if the accomplishments OF
the Yellowstone expedition were
not sufficiently disappointing, Ma
ior Long made an entirely mis-
leading report on the prospective
value to the nation of the great
western region, which has develop
I'd since such enormous wealth.
He declared it to be almost wholly
for cultivation and uninhab-
table by people depending on ag-
-iculture for a living. The country
wing between the Platte river and
he Canadian line, and between the
state of Iowa and the Rocky Noun
he characterized as being
principally suitable for a buffalo
-ange. It's only good to the ma
ion, he asserted, was as a frontier
barrier against hostile incursions of
)ther nations from that direction.
n this area are now to be found
many large cities, prosperous towns
md villages by the thousand, and
ONE of the best agricultural land
n America, with a population of
nore than ten million people.
The Yellowstone expedition only
erved to strengthen government
concerning the advisability
f trying to reclaim the western
erritory, and it remained for a
,ioneer population to penetrate,
to the Pacific, and to force
government to follow where it had
efused to lead.
by Cheely-Raban syndlcate.)