The Kevin review. [volume] (Kevin, Mont.) 1922-1929, 1924-05-29
ROMANTIC STORY OF PRINCE mAXDmDLlAM,
GERMAN MAJOR GENERAL AND SCIENTIST
WHO VISITED MONTANA DM THE EARLY 30'S

and clark, where he saw what wa
probably the Highwoods, and h
accompanied the artist Bodmer
when he sketched the Bearpav
mountains.
The prince saw the Indians a
peace, and at war; as while he wa:
at Fort Mckenzie, the Assiniboines
and Crees attacked the Blackfee'
who had come to the fort to trade
and the fort employees took the part
of the Blackfeet, finally putting the
enemy to flight, but not before sew
eral of the Blackfeet were killed.
One custom of the Blackfeet
mentioned by Maximilian, was that
of making a present of<the corpse
of a relative or friend, to some one
they wished to favor. Such a Gift
could not be refused, and it be-
came the duty of the recipient to
undertake its burial, which cere-
monial entailed no little trouble and
expense, as the donor watched the
proceeding with a jealous eye to
make sure that nothing was lack
ing. Such a burial Maximilian
witnessed at Fort Mckenzie.
Of the fort itself, Maximilian
writes "The present fort is 120
PAGES from the north bank of the
Missouri, which a little below
makes a large bend. = = 1t is
much smaller than Fort Union,
and worse, and more slightly built.
= = A level prairie surrounds the
fort; and about 800 PAGES beyond
it, the chain of hills, about so to
100 feet high, runs in the direction
from south to north, and about
1000 PAGES above the fort reaches
the Missouri, and then runs along
its bank. 4 < On ascending to the
top of the chain of hills, you look
over a level dry prairie, in which,
at a small distance, are the pretty
deep beds Of two rivers, Maria
river, and Teton river, called by
Lewis and Clark, Tansy river. The
which is a small river, flows
through a beautifully verdant val
ley, the bottom of which is covered
with tall, shady poplars; there is
good pasture of high grasses and
other plants. 1t flows into the
Maria not far above its mouth. y 4
Below the fort, in the first bend
of the river, is an island called
Horse Island, where the horses be-
longing to the fort are sent to
Craze in the winter. They never
have any other food but grass in
the summer; and'in the winter the
bark of poplar trees, which they
gnaw off. They never enter a
stable. The south bank of the Mis-
souri, consists of high clay walls,
in which there are doubtless strata
of sandstone because numbers of
impressions of shells are
found Immediately at the edge of
the bank. These high walls must
be very dangerous to the fort, in
case of an attack by the Indians,
because an effective fire may be
made from them into the quad
of the fort. This dangerous
position was one of the causes
led to the resolution of
founding a new settlement further
up the river"
At the end of his two month's
visit, Macmillan returned to Fort
and from there he went to
Fort Clark, where he spent the
winter studying the Mandans and
he Minitarees, and the following
rear, 1884, he returned to Neuwied.
a few years later, he enter
aimed Kenneth Mckenzie. i
Alexander Culbertson, who was !
With Prince Maximilian at Fort !
and who accompanied him {
o Fort Mckenzie, gives the fol- /,
owing graphic description of the |
distinguished scientist: :
"He was a man of medium S
rather slender, sans teeth, E
assionately fond of his pipe, I'M !
stentatious, and speaking very :
roken English. His favorite dress S
yas a white SLOUGH hat, a black Q
elvet coat, rather rusty from long !
and probably the greasiest b
air of trousers that ever encased
legs. The prince was a /.
achelor and a man of science, and