The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1924-08-07
PRACTICALLY a ruin, but
picturesque in its decay, old

PlNld1 SOQQS III I'D ANNcJ; ~
Fort Ellis stands as a monu-
ment to the dead and bloody past
in the now prosperous and peace
full Gallatin valley, just beyond the
outskirts Of the city of Bozeman.
The fast-flying Northern Pacific
railway trains whirl through its
limits, on one side the site of the
old stables, now gone, and on the
other the former habitations of the
officers and men. Along the space
now occupied by the railway many
times was formed hurriedly the
little s%quadron~of cavalry that was
part of the garrison.
Across the fields, now yielding
a wealth Of golden grain, the stir
ring notes of Boots and Saddles"
oftimes sounded the overture to the
tragedy of a chase after and battle
with invading Indians. And then
the swift sharp orders of the adj
jutant, the turning over of the COM
mand to the senior officer, the brief
seconds wait and then the rafting
order Column of tours to break
from the right to march to the
left. Mar-r-rch !" The blare of
the bugle Forward" that took UP
the command, and then the march
ing away of the little column, fire.
quently to come back with ranks
thinner than it went.
One can see it all in imagination,
and then, too, he sees the white
faces of the women peering from
the row of log houses on the side
hill, peering after the disappearing
column, looking out across the field
with eyes that bravely held back
the tears, gazing at the line of blue
that merged into a dust cloud, and
saying nothing of the agony in
their souls. AS the husbands did
their duty nobly and bravely, so
did these frontier soldiers wives do
In their code n must new
err weep when the command is or
dered out.
When Fort Ellis was in existence
as a military post its reservation in
a square of land each side
of which was seven miles long.
Now this land has been cut up
and sold to farmers, who have
Transformed it into prosperous
grain fields. Of the original re-
serve only $40 acres remain. 1t is
now the property of the state of
Montana and here have in recent
years been held several Of the an
1ual encampments of the state mil
tia, whose tents were pitched down
he broad street hat leads away
from the guardhouse and passes
between the barracks and officers
quarters.
The post has changed materially
since it was first built a half cen
Jury ago. Of all the buildings the
stocky, solid double houses that
the officers quarters re-
ain most of the original appear
ance. They are little changed.
Fort Ellis was established in 1867
md the original building were con
'tructed by two companies of the
9Th infantry under command of
Lamont. A large stockade
10 feet high was built about the
louses, which-both mems and of
quarters - were of logs.
3astions were erected at two of the
corners = the southwest and
While intended to con-
ain a garrison of at least two COM
the orders were to build the
ort so it could be held by Is men
{ attacked when the main COM
nand was away. The object of the
'ost at this point was to command
he passes that led into the Gallatin
alley from the Yellowstone. The
alley then was almost on the east
IN frontier.
The post was given the name Of
Tort Ellis in honor of Colonel Ellis
f the Sixth Massachusetts, colored
infantry, a brave and
rilliant officer who was killed dur
ag the Civil War. In 1869 the gar
ison was reinforced by four troops
f the Second cavalry, which
marched i'll from Fort Russell,
Vyoming, in the department Of The
latte. These four troops re-
at the post practically all
he time up to its abandonment in
1884, but the two companies of in
antry were changed several times,
ompanies of the Seventh infantry