The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1924-11-21
fTTAVING determined to explore
II part of the country drained
y - h1r he Xnllcs1rct for IQP

II part of the country oralne'
L L by the Yellowstone, for thu
purpose of discovering gold mines
and securing twonsites, and beiley
ing this object can be better accom-
plished by forming ourselves into
regularly organized company, We
hereby appoint James Stuart captain
agreeing upon our word of honor tc
obey all orders issued by him OF
any subordinate officer appointed Dy
him. In case of any member reIus-
| ing to obey any order or orders from
said captain, he shall be forc1bly ex-
PEELED from our camp. 1T is further
understood that we all do our equal
portion of work, the captain being
umpire in all cases, sharing equally
the benefits of said labor, both as
to the discovery of gold and securing
townsites.
"(Signed) James Stuart, James
N. York, Henry t. Geery, Henry A.
Bell, George H. Smith, Cyrus ID.
Watkins, Richard McCafferty, Dwyer
Underwood, William Roach, Ephraim
E. Bostwick, James Vanderbilt,
James Hauxhurst, Samuel T. Hauser,
E. Sterne Blake, George Ives"
On this agreement was based prob
ably the most exciting chapter in
the history of pioneer Montana. Full
of fighting and danger, and soul
stirring experience, this little expedi-
ton led by Captain James Stuart, is
worthy a book all its own to con-
tain the narrative of it's adventures.
One of the strange features of it all
is that the laggards of the exped1-
ton, men whose names were not
signed to the foregoing agreement
because they had not reached the
meeting place on time, were left be-
hind and, being driven back by In
dams, they discovered Alder gulch
with it's fabulous wealth.
The agreement was signed at an
appointed redezvoUs on Rattlesnake
creek, April 10, 1853, and from
there the start was made. All the
signers were men who had come into
old Bannack in search of gold and
they were attracted to the Yellow
stone region by tales of fabulous min
eral wealth.
The George Ives whose name APP
pears last, was not the George Ives
Of desperate infamy. The two were
different breeds.
The leader and master mind of
the enterprise led his band through
! country as yet untraveled by white
men, defeated the chivalry of the
Crow nation by sheer nerve without
firing a shot, suffered midnight at
Jack by the same treacherous saw
ages, in which just one half of the |
was either killed or wound
edo; laid out city whcih was fated
% remain unoccupied for nearly 20
years and is now one of the most
beautiful towns in the Yellowstone
ALLEY; fought his way with the rem
liant of his gallant band for nearly
loo miles through the then trackless
Mountains to the overland route
.cross the plains in the valley of the
sweet Water river, and reached his
tarting place at Bannack after a
oilsome and perilous journey OF
800 miles, the last 1900 of which
we're travelled without shelter or ev-
n a change of clothes.
Though several parties of Indians
yere met on the road there was no
erious annoyance at the beginning
( the journey until April %, when
he company encamped on the north
ank of the Yellowstone, about 80
lilies from the mouth of the Shields
iver. That evening 80 Crow war .
iors under the guise of friendliness
OF into camp. The Indians began :
once the system Of peculation for
-hich the Crows we're noted. This
ept IN until the next morning.
cat daylight runs the journal of
aptain Stuart, ST aroused the party |
nd we proceeded to ascertain our
uses, which were too numerous to
IGNITION, everybody having lost
In case we stood them
If without a fight I thought it best
pack up and go about eight miles
sfore breakfast, for knew that be-
ire we could eat we would probably H
ave half their village to watch, and
~ sripo from fbai,. oct NIGHTS haTl. Ill