The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1924-12-26
DAVID THOMPSON, A PIONEER OF MONTANA
PIONEERS FIRST TO MAKE SURVEYS
INN OLD REGON---EXPL0 RED THE K00TERAY

was necessary, and thinking to save
| time he went up the river to It's
source east of Mt. Nelson. Here, on
the site of the present Windermore'
he built a fort, and left Frenchman
named Montour in charge of it.
While exploring at the source OF
the Columbia, Thompson discovered
another large river flowing south,
which might lead him to the Pacific.
He followed it into Idaho and Mon
tana, only to find it changed its
course. and flowed northward again
The season was too far advanced for
him to retraee his steps, as he had
to carry his report to the company
What is chiefly of interest to Mon
tanans in this record of his journey
ings is that, so far as l can ascertain,
he was the first man to make surveys
in this state. He had named this last
river explored, McGillivray, after one
of the Northwest partners. 1t is now
known as the Kootenay.
Hard on his track came the Hud-
sons Bay men, and when Thompson
returned in September of 1903, it
was to find posts of the rival COM
panies established at Howse's Pass,
that of the Nor'Westers being Rocky
Mountain House, of which fort Hen
nv. with whose brigade Thompson
travelled, was given charge.
With no delay the indefatigable
explorer moved westward to the
mountains, where he changed to
sleds drawn by dogs, from Kootenay
to Kootenay House, the post he had
built the previous year on Winder-
more Lake, where there were plenti-
full supplies, and he could spend the
winter
In April of the next year, 1909,
he again went into Idaho and Mon
tana, where he built fort on Pend
d'Oreille Lake, and one on Flathead
Lake with Firman Mcdonald in con-
troll. On going east in 1910, he was
surprised to hear that Astor's men,
many of them former employees of
the Nor'Wester, were on their way
to the Pacific, part of them going
overland, and part by sea. What
made Thompson doubly apprehensive
was his knowledge that these men
were familiar with the western coun-
try. 1t was evident, if he hoped to
must make haste, in the interest of
his company, and also of Great
Britain.
Taking with him eighteen or TWEEN
ty men, he hurried back to the noun
tains, where the Piegans are making
things lively for the fur traders, al
though, says Agnes Laut, "Henry
browns them with whiskey drugged
with laudanum at Rocky Mountain
House," he is not successful in quiet
ing them, as Thompson learns, when
he finds them living Sin wait at the
Big Bend to catch the canoes bring
ing up the furs from Idaho and to
plumber Thompson's goods bound
south to Kootenay House" Their
attack resulted as usual so far as
the voyageurs were concerned. They
beat a hasty retreat, and only
through the aid of Henry's men was
Thompson able to make his way back
through Howese's Pass to Rocky
Mountain House.
A weaker man would have given
up in despair at such discourage
ments; but not so would David
Thompson. Again he left Rocky
MOuuIdln I1OuSe WILL pdCh tidili
for the Athabasca River, where at
its head he entered the mountains,
and went through Athabasca Pass,
and took his course down a river
flowing southwest which enters the
Columbia at the Big Bend. On this
river he wintered, building canoes,
and trapping furs for the spring
trade.
Sending ten men back with the
furs that were to pay at least part of
the expenses of his present explora-
ton, together with seven men he