The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1929-09-07
White Child Born in
Bismarck Revisits Scene
Missouri River Steamboat Land.
inq Was Fascinating and
Fearful Spot
FRIEND or SITTING BULL
Recalls Visits of Generals Grant
and Sheridan and Pa.
rado OF 1859

Pioneer days with their uncertainty.
their privations, and above all their
adventure, were pictured BY Mrs. ].
A. Burgum. Arthur. yesterday at the
luncheon for pioneer women given BY
the Minishoshe chapter. d. A. r.
Born In 1874 at Camp Hancock. .
small handful OF tents marking the
place where the capital city now
stands, Mrs. Bursun knew In her
carly childhood the fear Of rowing
bands OF marauAing Indians, and the
menace Of the storms which swept the
prairies.
But there we're pleasures to make
up for the h~ardships. and Mrs. Bur-
gum recalls the colOrful days when
settlers and Indians too would gather
for 4 holiday, or to do honor to some
important visitor.
As q young woman Mrs. Burgum,
then Jessamine Slaughter. o the
: Burleieh county scholarship to the
agricultural college ut Fargo. and aft
! erwards she taught In the Painted
| Woods district. northwest Of the city.
Mrs. Burgum was married here III
1899. and lived for a time west Of
| Washburn. She has resided In Arthur
for a number Of years.
Her story follows:
Il am glad to be here to greet you,
pioneer women and sisters Of the p.
A. r.. in this city Of my birthplace.
Many changes have taken place IN
this goodly land where once roamed
the indian and buffalo among 1t
sculptured buttes and terraced slopes.
"The prairies were checkercd with
deep trod paths. and the red man
was still q menace In my early re.
collections, although the early set
tiers were coming in BY OK cart,
prairie schooner. DR. covered wagons
by team Of steam boat route.
.My father, DR.. b. +. Slaughter.
was post surgeon In 1872 1t Camp
Hancock, then . village Of tents. and
my parents both contributed to the
public welfare In the new little city
development. MY father was the
first doctor and postmaster and my
mother, Mrs. L. w. Slaughter. the
first teacher. Her first efforts were
made In having the children OF the
post meet as Q Sunday school class In
her tent. Later she taught In the
I public schools and was the first county
superintendent Of school. Many 9
surgical operation was performed by
my father among the crudeSt sur
roundings when bullet and arrow
wounds were frequent and men died
with their boots on
ssepR>A f3~0t NAvnAtAWVS mar located
north of the north Ward school.
then way out Of town. Later as
! the town grew 1t ri abandoned and
the bodies moved to st. Mays.
First Roof Garden
THE pioneer residents were rs q
rule young people 30 the picture OF Z
! silvery haired old lady Is recalled
clearly. as she came to my mother
and invited her to see her flower
garden. Now 4 flower garden was un-
heard OF at that time In the land
that General Hazcn had described In
Our Barren Lands Of the Northwest.
In which he demonstrated freely that
nothing could grow here. 50 my
mother and we children followed
eagerly after 'Aunty Anthony. who
had come from the Pacific coast With
her aged husband to settle In the
new city. We arrived 1t her log
cabin but no flower garden could be
seen. She invited my mother to climb
. ladder. leaning against the cabin
| wall. My mother ran nimbly up the
ladder and exclaimed over the beau.
tiful flowers growing on the sod roof
while Mrs. Anthony explained at
length on the advantages Of growing
flowers on the root where no dog
could dig up the plants Of cattle
destroy them. Il was the first Roof
Garden In Bismarck.
Bismarck ct this time Of my first
recollection was 4 collection Of log
cabins with sod roofs although the
business houses and warehouses had
tall wood false fronts like you have
seen In Wild weet movie scenes, rows
Of hitchlng posts. and not . tree
In the whole town. Later these were
planted with wooden racks around
them to prevent lndien ponies from
gnawtng their bark OFT. However.
tree growing was 1t . great disad.
vaI.ISe unsu w wescIwosA wetc
compleseo = numoe q years iateT.
Feared the Landing
1T was q thriving active settle
ment with los cabins replacing the
tents. then the cabins were replaced
rapidly. By the frame buildings. It
had 4 mixed population Of blue clad
soldiers from Fort Lincoln. team
sters and laborers from the new rail.
road rapidly being completed. Groups
Of blanketod Indians stood about
Watching with stolid faces the curious
ways Of the pale faces, the govern.
ment mule teams hauling supplies.
and the covered wagons trailing slow.
y n. The overland Stages arrived
ealloplng, from Nort DrA6foed. vogt
0egthold. and rort otevenson. brought
an air Of excitement and thrilling
adventure diAcernible - even .
NhAnA Than fhnAn $3.50 khA "