The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1924-07-03
THE FIRST BOAT to reach

mel of 1881 was the Ear
West" and it found as many pas
sengers awaiting its arrival and de-
parture as its limited cabin space
would accommodate, some thirty in
all. 1t was not a large boat, and
having navigated the Missouri and
the Yellowstone for a decade, its
condition was not of the best. I'm
der ordinary circumstances one
would have preferred to take one
of the newer boats, like the Hell
ena, which was daily expected. But
the season when the Missouri
could be navigated generally last
ing less than four months, those
who wished to visit the East, and
make the return journey UP the riv-
er, were anxious to start at the
earliest possible moment.
Among the passengers who we're
booked on the Ear West" was a
large number of officers and their
families from Fort Assinaboine,
Col. Brown, his wife and son;
Captain Cass Durham and fam
lily; Mrs. Hoyt, whose husband,
Capt. Hoyt, superintendent the
building of Fort Harrison; Mrs.
Wood, who with her son had been
visiting her sister, Mrs. Hoyt; and
Mrs. Baldwin, wife of Maj. Bald
win. The remainder were civil
ians, including myself, and my two
children, the younger a little more
than a baby.
All the listed passengers we're
aboard; the work of taking on
freight was ended; and still we did
not leave the levee. Then the Hell
ena whistle was heard around the
bend below the town, and soon it
steamed up to the landing. Our de
lay in starting could not be ex-
planned, boats rivalling one another
in making record runs to and from
Fort Benton. We began to think
we had made a mistake in going
on the Gar West when at length
the boat started down the river,
closely followed by the Helena,
which finally passed us.
Had I known the history of the
gallant little craft on which we then
were, as I do now, I should have
considered it a privilege to be one
Of her passengers.
Built in Pittsburg in 1870, the
Ear West" possessed the desir-
abe qualifications for upper river
navigation, of being light, sturdy t
and speedy, and because of these !
It was engaged in government ser ]
rice during the tragic summer of {
1876, when occurred the Custer &
Massacre.
!. At Yankton it took on food sup '
for Fort Lincoln; but arriving +
here found the fort nearly empty, t
n expedition having started for the I
Gene of some Indian disturbances Y
IN the Yellowstone, ten days be- a
ore, and the "Far West" was or J
to follow, which it did, ar /
at Powder river June 9TH. a
Iere General Terry came on
,oard and there established his S
headquarters. The next day the il
,oat reached a point fifteen miles a
below the mouth of the Tonguelt
liver, where General Gibbon joined Ii
and they went UP a few Q
to Gibbons camp, where the S
Far West" remained a couple of x
lours, when Gibbon took leave, and Il
he boat returned to Powder river. v
IRVING there June 9th. General c
Terry then left for the camp of
General Custer. o
From that date until the fifteenth h
f June the Ear West" was en- il
in transfer work. Early on c
he 18th, General Custer set out for a
he Tongue, with six troops of s.
aValry, and carrying MS SuppleS I
n pack mules. General Terry and W
is staff followed on the boat, al
.hich carried additional supplies. a
t the Tongue river news was hi
from Major Reno. This il
lme on the evening of the 10Th. SC
large Indian trail had been dis
'vered, leading, it was thought, til
wards the Big Horn. The time be
r decisive action had arrived now CT
at the position of the enemy was dc
Town, and the cavalry marched sp
the Rosebud, arriving there
'out moor of June 21st, to find
eneral Terry and the Ear West" tel
d reached there first. OIL;
1t was in the cabin of this boat ar