The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1928-01-10
FISK PROVES
NORTH ROUTE
IS PRACTICAL
Leads Party Of Immigrant:
From Minneapolis to Wash.
ington Territory

I'M IOu 4CIEltU1y
Grand Forks, N. D., Jan. TO-
(AP)-Practicability Of . northern
route across the continent first was
established by Captain James l.
Fisk in 1862, according to researches
by @. G. Libby, head Of the history
department at North Dakota Uni
versity. In that year Fisk, with =
military escort, led = party Of inn
migrants from Minneapolis to WASH
ington territory. The latter part Of
the journey is described by DR..
Libby in the following article, the
thirty-first Of a series on the history
of North Dakota, written for the
Associated Press and its member
newspapers. The first part Of the
trip by the Fisk expedition was
described in the last previous
BY o. G. Libby
Between the Mouse and the Mis-
souri, rivers the party met the first
and only resistance from the Indians.
Broken Arm, chief of a band Of
Assiniboines, and some well-armed
warriors tried to brighten the escort
into turning back. But a prompt
display Of rifles and pistols and the
businesslike appearance OF the gun
crew of the howitzer seemed to
cause a speedy change of heart
among the members of this fight
ing band.
At Fort Union the wagon train
passed Is miles north of the river
and only a few of the men rode
down to visit the fort. The chief
scout, Bottineau, left the train here
and the agent at Fort Union, Mel
drum, volunteered to guide the party
to Fort Benton. This latter fort
was reached by the emigrants on
September 5. The fort is thus
described by Mr.. Bond: "Fort Ben
ton is trading post of the American
Fur company, very similar in size
and character to Fort Union except
that the walls are built of adobe,
Of unburnt brick, instead of wood.
Above the main fort, about half q
mile, is another fort Of like char
acter, which was built by an oppo-
sition company but afterwards pur-
chased by the traders of Fort Ben
ton; and about half q mile still
further up the flat, . large fort or
trading fort is in process Of being
erected by the firm of LaBarge,
Hardness and company, traders from
st. Louis. Fort Benton was estab-
1tchaI -, 1917 n~l 1nw<vn <~oA< 6o .
since been conducted here with the
Blackfeet and other Indians, 10000
of whom were encamped close to
the walls of the fort but a few days
before our arrival"
Military Escort Dismissed
At Fort Benton Captain Fiske dis
missed his military escort but agreed
to accompany the emigrant train to
its destination at the mining town
of Walla Walla, Washington Terri
tory. When this point was reached,
November l, Captain Fisk disposed
of such property as had been brought
out on the journey and returned by
boat from San Francisco to New
York. Most of the emigrants, how
ever, had left the trail before reach
ing this point, being determined to
try their fortunes as gold seekers
along the banks Of q small stream
konwn as Prickly Pear creek.
Before leaving Captain Fisk and
his ASSISTANTS, they presented him
with statement, signed by the en-
tire party, expressing their apprccia-
ton of his invaluable services on
their long journey. Mr.. Bond sums
up his experiences by saying:
II cannot do less than say that
the route over which we travelled
is an eminently practicable one for
the purpose Of future emigration,
more SO, I have every reason to
believe by what have learned from
those who have crossed the plains
by the usually travelled route, than
any other route across the contin-
ent.
II cannot doubt that the greater
portion Of future emigration from
the Northwest to the gold fields on
both slopes of the Rocky mountains,
the extent and richness of which
are yet but little known and hardly
imagined, will pursue the general
overland route over which we
passed, and that by way Of the
Missouri River and Fort Benton:
and that the whole route will, before
many years, be marked by q con-
tinu0us line of settlements which the
country is fully capable Of sus-
tanning"