The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1924-05-16
RECORDS OLD DAYS
AT FORT SARPY
CHRONICLE OF LIFE IN MON
TANA BEFORE DISCOVERY
OF PLACER DIGGINGS
James H. Chambers Day-by-Day Mar
rative of Happenings at Ancient
Yellowstone Fur Trading Post
Sixty-nine Years Ago.

bcenCh of next month. James ii.
Chambers, tradaer at Fort Sarpy,
ate radishes and lettuce for dinner.
Montanans would not regard as
either startling or deserving of any
mention, was, however, the biggest
event in the life of this hardy from
tiersman, who was wrestling live
Hhood from the territory's primi-
tive confines, on June 15, 1855.
Friday, June 15-This day dinei
sumptuously on lettuce and radishes
the first I have eat for six years,
Chambers wrote in his diary to rec
ord his pleasure and good fortune.
The diary further discloses that
Chambers "shirted and shaved him
self in honor, or, perhaps, to cele.
brate his visit to the home of his old
friend, F. G.. Ritter, at whose home
for the first time in six years he was
to indulge his appetite with delica-
cies capable of evoking the ecstacies
of a hard-headed old Indian trader.
If Chambers were alive today, the
depression that came to parts of Mon
tana with the after-the-war read
justment, probably would not inn
press him as being something very
hard to bear. His everyday priva-
tions were of the kind that required
real fortitude and courage to sur
vive. His breakfasts consisted some
times of cherries and coffee" or wild
meat unembellished. When reduced
to an exclusive meat diet, however.
it seems that the frontiersman was
discriminating in the choice of cuts
for on Sept. of 1855 he tells of
killing two cows and bull buffalo
to secure meat enough for ga couple
of meals"
Only one of the five volumes which
comprised Chambers diary has been
preserved so far as is known. Vol
1856, was obtained by the late Gran
vile Stuart and was by him turned
over to the state historical library
Part of it is dim and some of it I'M
readable even when a powerful mag
nifying glass is used, but enough of
it has been copied by Dave Hilger,
state librarian, to constitute one of
the most authentic and interesting
histories of Montana as it was in the
days prior to the civil war.
The author of the log was frank,
candid and honest Unquestionably
he had many virtues and some vices,
but hypocrisy was not numbered in
the latter. Consequently there are
portions of the diary which are not
likely ever to be published. In the
conscientious, careful writing there
is reflected a personality of big |
hearted, open-handed, unpublished. |
yet not uneducated man. He quotes |
Shakespeare freely-writes for the
most part graphically and accurately, |
and while he frequently lapses into
the ungrammatical language that |
might be expected at fort situated |
in the wilderness. yet there are pages
and pages where not glazing error
of grammar or syntaX appears. He
had a typical sense of humor, and if
in rough sort of way, he enjoyed
other peoples misfortunes, he also
was possessed of the faculty to laugh
at his own misfortunes, and there is
little grumbling in the record, ex-
eept occasionally at the Crow tribe,
which he conceived to be comprised
for the most part of worthless, lazy,
,hieving, beggarly loafers." He also
the Crows towards in bat
lie, and frequently rejoiced when the
Sioux worsted them in encounters.
When negro employe of the fort
lad the affections of his wife alien
lted by husky, young buck Indians,
Chambers reviewed the proceedings
With unlimited merriment in his di-
Try, yet chapter or two later shows
lin to be a man of keen sympathy
md big-heartedness
His entries referred to are:
"Jan. (1856) - Thermometer II
TODD at SO below zero today. Buff
alos thick close to the fort. :
"Jan. 8-Clear and cold. Our peo-
lie came in at dusk. They were
aught in yesterdays storm. Seven
lorses and two oxen froze to death,
nd the party came near sharing the
ate of the animals. A little child,
he daughter of the late Col. A. B.
was brought in by them.
is mother had thrown it away, poor
title thing. 1t was near gone
chilled through. l took
barge of it and intend to keep it,
There is no further mention of the
e>AO OhC Ill v Ols ~ LlO AeSoS 0OOh VI
he series. Neither was there any
lention of any relationship existing
etween the man mentioned as the
ather of the waif or the writer of
ne diary, although their surnames
ere similar.
Fort Sarpy, State Librarian Hilger
eclares, was situated short dis
ance below the mouth of the Big
-orn river on the Yellowstone river.
he trading posts located there en-
Eyed a brisk and usually profitable
usiness buying buffalo robes and
Their furs from the Red men. A
,ason's trade would net company
s many as $4,000 buffalo hides,
hich were usually transported to
!. Louis on large barges constructed
logs. Other game was plentiful
I'D hunters who were employed at
lie fort frequently brought in deer,
k, antelope, bear, and wild sheep
Id goats.
At the time numerous Indian wars
ere in progress, but the reds seldom
o1ested the whites except OCCASION
ly to rob or plumber a travelling