The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1927-10-19
Manuel Lisa's Influence With
Sioux, Other Tribes on Up
per Missouri Proved Bc7cfi-
cial to United States in Early
Days

Grand Forks, Oct. 17.-(4p-Activ-
ity by Manuel Lisa, a Spanish fur
trader, was largely responsible for
preventing the Indians Of the upper
Missouri river from joining with
England against the United States
in the war of 1872, according to DR..
O. G. Libby, head of the history de-
partment at North Dakota Univer-
sity here. DR.. Libby tells about it
in the following article, the twen-
tieth of series on the history OF
North Dakota, written for the Asso-
ciated Press and it's member newspa-
pers in North Dakota.
BY o. &. LIBBY
This remarkable man was born in
New Orleans in 1772 and died at St.
Louis in 1920. He should be remem-
bered as the first trader to build
permanent fort on the Missouri riv-
er within the limits of what is now
North Dakota. Manuel Lisa was
without doubt the most successful
trader on that part Of the Missouri
river north of Omaha. His first
fort on the upper Missouri was built
in Montana in 1903 at the mouth of
the Big Horn river where it enters
the Yellowstone.
This fort among the Crow Indians
was two thousand miles from St.
Louis and was maintained until
1920, the last winter Of his life being
spent here with his wife. Two trad
ing forts were built by him in the
Dakotas. One was at the boundary
line between North and South Da-
kota and is famous as the burial
place of Sakakawea, the Bird Wom-
an, who died there December 20,
1912. The second fort was built in
1910 a few miles north of Stanton,
the county seat Of Mercer county.
The fort is thus described by Brad
bury, who visited it in 1911:
"The Fort consisted of a square
block house, the lower part of which
was room for furs, the upper part
was inhabited by Mr.. Lewis and
some of the hunters belonging to
the establishment. There were some
small outhouses and the whole was
surrounded by palisado, or piquet,
about fifteen feet high. I found at
tached to it a very pretty garden, in
which were peas, beans, radishes,
and other vegetables, under the. care
OF gardener, an Irishman, who
showed It to me with much self inn
portance."
Abandoned in 1912
This fort was abandoned in 1912.
The site OF this fort has recently
been found and identified and an an
will shortly be made of
this interesting find.
The most important service per-
formed by Manuel Lisa was his work.
among the Sioux of the upper Mis-
souri, during the War. Of 1872. In
1914 he was appointed sub agent Of
the Indians on the upper Missouri
by Governor Clark, Indian Agent att
st. Louis. Though having only the
meager salary Of $548 per year, he
succeeded in winning the tribes to
the side Of the United States and
off any possible attack
from the west. Manuel Lisa re-
signed his post in 1917 and at the
same time he wrote a letter to Gov
ernor Clark giving his reasons. The
letter, in part, follows:
!. ! received this appointment when
war was raging between the United
States and Great Britain, and when
The activity Of British emissaries had
armed against the Republic all the !,
tribes Of the upper Mississippi and
Of the northern lakes. Had the
Missouri Indians been overlooked by
British agents? No, your excellency
will remember that more than year
before the war broke out gave you
that the wampum was
carrying by British influence along
The banks Of the Missouri and that
III the nations Of this great river
we're excited to Join the universal
:onfederacy then setting on foot, Of
which the Prophet was the instru- |,
nent and British traders the soul.
rhc Indians Of the Missouri are to
hose Of the upper Mississippi as
.our Is to one. Their weight would
20 great, 4 thrown into the scale
against as. They did not arm
against the Republic. On the con-
;fary, they armed against Great
Britain and struck the Iowas, the
sll;cc Of that power"