The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1923-07-11

such a wild country resulted in
the fur trading companies exercis-
ing an all powerful influence over
the Missouri valley for more than
half century. 1t all but mon
opolized the fur trade, built forts!
and governed by the rifle both red
man and white over territory OF
500 miles, even holding the
power of life and death over the
inhabitants.
While in the early days the
boats passed the prairie on which
Bismarck was later. located with
cut halt, it later became a ship
ping center. The Benton Packet
company among the others carried
supplies and returned laden with
furs and hides. 1t was only in
1881 or 1882 that a quarter of a
million dried buffalo hides were
brought down the river to Bis
marck to be shipped east on the
Northern Pacific which had
reached the city some ten years
previously. In 1881 the "Black
His" a "Block p steamboat
brought 10000 hides on one trip
down from. the Yellowstone river
to Bismarck.
The. late T. C. Power Of Helena,
Mont, was one of the fathers OF
steamboat traffic on the Missouri.
In 1874 T. C. Power e. Bro, of
Fort Benton, Mont, ordered con-
structed a steamboat which they
called Benton" 1t was completed
the next year, making the trip
down the Ohio and Mississippi
rivers from Pittsburgh to St. Louis
Mo. There taking a load of
freight, consisting of about $50
tons of merchandise the "BentOn"
proceeded up the Missouri river to
Fort Benton and showed between
her stacks the trade mark "Block
P" A fen years before that T. c.
Power &,Bro. had inaugurated,
for shipments for the maritime
provinces Of Canada to the North
west territories in Canada what
was called the Benton Bonded
"Block p" line, so that the trade
mark "Block P" has been in exist
ence since about 1871.
The "Block P" line Of steam
boats was run under the manage
ment of the Benton Packet COM
pany and the eastern headquarters
of the company situated at Bis
marck with Capt. Isaac p. Baker
as superintendent Of the Benton
Packet company since 1876.
After the arrival of the North
ern Pacific in Bismarck in 1878
and the arrival of the Great Nor
thcrn railroad, the traffic on the
Missouri was changed. 1t became
more local. Grain was hauled
down the river from the more dis
tant points along the Missouri to
Bismarck and other centers for
shipment to the eastern markets.
A feature of river traffic for
years, the ferry which hauled wa
CONS, livestock, and later automo-
biles across the Missouri at Bis
marck during the entire history of
the place was replaced only last
September by the new vchicular
bridge over the Missouri.
Today Bismarck, fifty-one years
after it's founding, is still to some
extent a center for navigation
along the upper Missouri.
Benton Packet line still serves
points along the river.
/ Tho Pnn{n,, DooID% oo,>,~o~,, L ~
five boats operating along the
river, carrying bulk grain ane
merchandise, with Bismarck
Washburn and Cannonball as i'm.
portant points of cali Tor the boats
1t operates in connection with the
500 line at Wasnburn and trans
ports grain and merchandise fol
Sanger, Deapolis, Manhaven, FIX
pansion, and Bal.row's Landing
and in connection with the North
ern Pacific railway at Cannonball
Fort Yates, Standing Rock and in
termediate points south on tn,
Missouri. The grain is loaded di
rect from the boats to the eleva
tors.
While a sort of romance cling
to the boat traffic of pioneer day
when buffalo hides and other val
liable furs were important cargoes
citizens today scarcely think of tn
Importance Of the river boat
which constantly ply up and dow
the stream carrying thousands O
bushels of grain from the interio
parts of the state to elevators an
] shipping centers.