The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1927-06-13

Editors Note: This Is the
second Of "A series Of historical
articles on North Dakota, writ
ten for the Associated Press by
q. G.. Libby, head of the his
tory department at the univcr-
sity of North Dakota.)
Grand Forks, n. d., June l3.-IP)
The French fur trade had attracted
a good deal Of attention in Europe
and the French government had done
its best TO encourage trappcrs and
traders TO push their traffic farther
west each year. ~ the end of the
18th century the French had taken
possession Of the Great Lakes and
had won also the eastern half Of the
Mississippi Valley. Beyond Lake SUI
perior the territory of the English
Hudson's Bay company barred the
way.
Along the upper Mississippi the
western plains we're held by the hos
tile Dakota tribes. The French were
friendly with the great Chippewa con
fedcracy which had just expelled the
Dakotas from northern Minnesota
The French traders were known to
sell the Chippewa warriors guns and
ammunition to be used against their
Dakota enemies. In 1926 Nerendrye
| was appointed commandment of tho
northwest and from the northern
shore Of Lake Superior he planned tt
| push west to the Pacific ocean. lr
this way he would avoid the hostile
Dakota tribes but he would be com
PEELED to cross through the lands be
longing to the Hudson's Bay company
Got Charter
He succeeded in obtaining a char
Ter from the king and in 1871 h.
began, establishing line of posts
| ilong 'Rainy Lake and Lake Of tn
Woods to the Red River Valley. II
1886 he built post on the prcsen
site of Winnipeg, which enabled hin
TO divert all the rich fur trade o
he Great Plains eastward to Mon
treal. Up to this time the Englisl
Post of York factory on Hudson
Bay had been the only post wher
the Indians in the northwest coul'
obtain the goods of the white man.
In 1873 Vercndrye determined T.
ward flowing river, which the Indian
| aSSuIcu ulIiI leu W tHc kTcdl SdlI sc
to the west, the Pacific ocean. Pass
nc up the Assiniboine river he es
tablished a post at the site of tn
present city of Portage LaPrairi,
Manitoba.
Visited Mouse
From here he struck off to tn
south, reaching first the Pembin
hills. He next turned northwest t
the northern slopes of the Turtl
Mountains, and then followed tn
Mouse river southwark to the grea
bend of this stream. Here he struc
off over the prairie to the south
west until he reached the Indian vi
lage where his guides assured hi
he would find news of the wcstwar
flowing river. He reached this II
| dian village on December 3, l73
He sent his son and small part
west days journey and the ne,
: day, December Z. he returned to te
J. !his father that he had found rive
| flowing west. He had actually four
another Indian village of the Hidat.
!. or Gros Ventrc tribe, located on II
, present site of Sanish, on the Sc
railroad. His westward flown
!. river, however, was simply the thre
, mile south westward bend Of Il
Missouri at this point. His overnigl
$ stay at this point prevented him fro
) correcting his error by few day
: exploration.
]. These two villages were built lii
g those of the Mandan and Arikar
. farther south. The houses were don
q shaped, thirty or forty feet in dian
e eter, and twelve high. They we
. built Of we'll framed upright log
: bound together by crosspieccs al
! covered by poles. bundles of willow
! prairie grass and earth. In appea
ancc they resemblcd huge bcav
lodges, clustered together on the pra
e RE, well defended by ditch and pal
sadc. The remains of these roul
Z lodges are still to be found alol
: both banks of the Missouri rive
, in the vicinity of Stanton, for i
! stance, there are four such clustc
! Of earth rings marking the sites
Indian villages like those seen
: 1888 by verendrye.