Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1927-03-04

the street vagrant Indians of various tribes
loitered about; while here and there q
stark Kentucky hunter in hunting dress or
leather, with rifle on shoulder and knife
In belt, strobe along.
Up the rise, above this muddy thorough
fare stood the French mansions, with open
easements, radiating the easy, indolent air
of the original colonlsts, and now ana
then the scraping of a fiddle and the lit OF
a French song served to complete the true
Gallo atmosphere. Down along the muddy,
Uttered river bank, the hectoring, extraya-
CANT. ~bragging boatmen, and the gay,
grimacing, singing, good-humored French
Canadian .voyageurs piled from saloon TO
saloon, or at their work.
The Expedition Of l704
All told, st. Louis was all and more OF
the frontier than could be described OF any
other village, town or city at any time OF
any place on The American continent; anu
the appearance at the waterfront, this 9TH
day OF June, 1904, Of a new company with
the announced purpose of an expedition
to the Nations Of the Upper Missouri
with ample funds at Its command, created
quite a sensation among the popuiace
| Down the street, amid the music or their
kind could be heard the loud song OF the
drunken vayRgeurs on a periodical spree
| while down the hill toward the loaded boat
| strobe Jean Baptiste Trudeau, the man
who had been commissioned to guide tne
destjnies Of the new enterprise.
On Nav IL, 1904, a new company had
| been organized to be known as "The Com
| mercial Company for the Discovery or Ma
lions Of the upper Missouri The articles
of agreement OF this concern we're signed
by then prominent French anu opahtssl a
traders, with Jacques Clamorgan as the
| acting manager. To 1t had been granted
! by the Spanish government exclusive trade
OF the Upper Missouri above the Poncas.
Jean Baptiste Trudeau had been seiecteo
by Clamorgan to "%eond musHt,nes n'e ap pd'' re-
had been granted an escort OF eight men
| Noel Charron, hunter; Joseph La de Route
| Joseph Chorette, NJ. Quebec, Nj. savoy, ~
| LIE Coyer, and perhaps Francois Menard
who was killed by the Assinipoines IN
1903.
Jean Baptiste Trudeau Tor Truteau as
| he has generally written IT., was born al
| Montreal December IL, 114S, making nin
As years Of age at the ime OF this expeol-
tion. According to bis Journals Wnicn aat
| preserved In the South Dakota Historical
Collections (vol. VII, p. 403), he was the
frst school master Of st. Louis, but 1t Is
| not known whether he taught prior TO this
| adventure. According to a notation In nis
journal under date Of July 10, IT'D, ne mac
| been making trips into the Upper missouri
| wilderness for rs years prior to that time
presumably up into and through the indiaI
| country. This mention, however, is all tnn'
is known Of these earlier trips. However
III his statement De correct, MS uEnt eApc
| dition Of this natufe would necessarily have
| been made about the summer OF 1863, onlS
a few years after Pierre La Verendrye anc
his sons made their famous exploration
trip to the Shining Mountains.
The Pirogue !.
What an interesting, romantic sight j
must have been, when these nine men pl'
forth upon the angry, muddy waters or tn
Mississippi, from the crude wharves OF 81
Louis village, headed upstream towards tn
mouth OF the mighty Missouri and on mt
the heart of a land unknown. The boa
they had loaded with supplies and nier
chandise was a huge pirogue, one OF tn
most peculiarly fashioned crafts ever z
ply the waters Of the West. 1t consisted
of two very large canoes, about six fees
or a little more apart. fastened togethe
and covered with a rough, wooden flooring
The boat was propelled by oarsmen 20
cordellers), who laboriously cordelled tn
craft upstream. This particular pirogn
was equipped with eight oars. Propellin.
this sort OF a boat was exceedingly hare
work, but a rather large sail was Away
used when the winds were favorable, with
out the least danger OF an upset.
Clamorgan directed Trudeau TO keep al