The Wolf Point herald., 1924-05-29
ROMANTIC STORY OF PRINCE MAMDN@DlDAM,
GERMAN RNAJ0R GENERAL AND SCIENTIST
WHO VISITED MONTANA I'M THE EARLY 3O'S

dllQ Sldl n, WllCl ltC saw Wlldl Wd
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 Assiniboine:
and Crees attacked the Blackfeet
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 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 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 12O
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. On ascending to the
top of the chain of hills, you look
over a level dry prairie, in which,
at small distance, are the pretty |
deep beds of two rivers, Maria |
river, and Teton river, called by |
Lewis and Clark, Tansy river. The
latter, which is small river, flows
through 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.
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
nave any other food but grass in
he summer; and in the winter the
park of poplar trees, which they
gnaw off. They never enter a
table. The south bank of the Mis-
;ouri consists of high clay walls,
n which there are doubtless strata
# sandstone because numbers of
beautiful impressions of shells are
ound Immediately at the edge of
he bank. These high walls must
'e very dangerous to the fort, in
ase of an attack by the Indians,
ecause an effective fire may be i
made from them into the quad I
angle of the fort. This dangerous
osition was one of the causes
yhich led to the resolution of {
a new settlement further j
p the river"
At the end of his two months !
isit, Maxinilian returned to Fort s
Inion, and from there he went to I
ort Clark, where he spent the ?
inter studying the Mandans and r
lie Minitarees, and the following
ear, 1884, he returned to Neuwied. T
ere, a few years later, he enter 6
ined Kenneth Mckenzie. il
Alexander Culbertson, who was r
ith Prince Maximilian at Fort :
Mon, and who accompanied him s
Fort Mckenzie, gives the fol- VI
wing graphic description of the B
stinguished scientist: :,
"He was a man of medium SC
light, rather slender, sans teeth, el
ssionately fond of his pipe, un- is is
tentatious, and speaking very OF OF
oxen English. His favorite dress Sc
as white slouch hat, black of
lvet coat, rather rusty from long II II
rvice, and probably the greasiest he
ir of trousers that ever encased =
nicely legs. The prince was a :.
che1or and 2 man of science and