The Bozeman courier., 1927-01-14
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Montana was carved from Idaho Terri
allowed an appropriation apprOXImatinG
$1,000 to be used primarily for the opening
Of a wagon road from st. Paul to Fort
Benton. AS q result of this congressional
action, there was organized a "semi-Of-
ficial'' expedition under the command Of
Captain James L. Fisk. Fisk gathered to-
gether at St Paul, mammoth caravan OF
overland outfits, representing the wagons.
belongings and personnel Of many famil-
les who were desirOus of migrating to this
new land OF Idaho, whose riches were being
exploited in every nook and corner Of the
east. Captain Fisk, as captain and quart
ermaster in charge Of the great train, af-
ter many exciting and near serious eXper-
fences in the country of hostile tribes, was
successful in plotting his 125 emigrants
and their outfits to Fort Benton, and from
there to the gold "diggings" to the south
and west. Thereafter, the overland trek
along this new trail" was repeated an
nually for a few years. This route was
chosen by many because of the fact that
travellers thereOver were afforded a Iaili-
tary escort, which aided much in alleviat-
ing the fears harbOred by the pilgrims"
of mOlestatiOn by treacherOus warrior ma
tive bands. The Fisks in later years be-
came one of Helena's leading families,
prominent in pioneer daily newspaper cir
cles at the Capital City.
The "Fisk's route, Cor Northern Over
/ land TraiD, wended a snake-like course
along the north bank of the Missouri riV-
/
cOuntered, just a few miles west Of ola
/ Fort BufOrd, to the mouth of Milk river
From there il blazed a path bordering the
Milk river to about the center of the pres
lent PhillDs county. Thence it led through
Blaine county, on to about the site OF
Havre in Hill county. 1t then took much
the same course as now does the Havre-tO-
Butte line of the Great Northern railway
to old Fort Benton. Travel over this route
was not heavy after the government in the
late sixties, withdrew the military escort.
The Trail" from COrinne, Utah
Because it had been the first route
opened to overland wagon traffic into the
Great New West, the old Oregon Trail
was, at first the scene of greatest usage
by the argOnauts and settlers This plains
lcOurse of travel led westward out across
the prairies of Nebraska from Omaha to
the Rocky mountains. In the earliest days
no roads branChed north from this main
highway east of the foothills of the Rockies
and all traffic came west over the Divide,
! Through Bridger Pass, and to Fort Hall.
From there Montana bound travellers took
la nOrthery trail leading to Bannack. A few
years later, after the Union Pacific ana
Central Pacific transcOntinental railway
line had been completed, the general start
ing point for travel to Montana was Cor
inne, Utah
This led to the establishment of what
came to be known as the "COrinne wagon
road" which became, for time the
most heavily travelled stage and freight
route to the Montana mining camps from
the south COrinne was a station on the
Union Pacific, and, excepting Fort Benton
this was the transfer point for most
of the freight and passengers destined to
the new territory Of the north The COrinne
road ran in a nOrtherly direction from
COrinne, through Utah, to Fort Hall, over
= the Snake river divide, through POrtneu1
Canyon, across the lava fields, over the
main divide into Montana.
short distance south of the Montana
It Idaho border, this road divided. The west
e ern route entering what is now Beaver
- head county, while an eastern line crossed
n the border just south of MOnida, or a
1 ! about the point where the Oregon ShOr
n Line enters at Williams Junction, a fev
? miles north of MOnida. This eastern trai
is was also divided with one branch proceed
Pt ing down Red Rock creek, crossing HOrs
e Prairie creek to Bannack, and the Othe
d branch heading northeast led to the hea
RI of Black Tail Deer creek, past the site o
" the present city of Dillon, nOrthwestwar
n to Hellgate, via the Bitter Root valley
v The Bannack branch led on down tn
rt Beaverhead and up the Ruby to Virgini
70 City. From that point it ran nOrthwar
RI Because of the fact that the Bridge
lr Trail and the BOzeman route traverse
it the Northern Wyoming country, which wa
lie then the hunting ground of the hOstil
is Sioux nation Of Indians, the COrlnne rOa
he was for many years considered the safes
IN route for emigrant travel, military author
j. tiles at the several forts even discOuraa
lie ing, as far as possible the general use
ly the two northern Wyoming trails
The Mulian Road
At Fort Benton, at Great Falls, and {
n DrummOnd, Montana, stand respectiveu
GO three statues erected to the memory of OF
n pioneer. This man-Captain John Mulla
II ranks among the leaders in pioneer rOa'
re Continued on Agricultural Page)