Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1929-01-24
By MRS. NJ. E. PLASSMANN

IacJ tnat To-Day tne upper reaches OF lndI
river no longer echo the long-drawn
whistle of the arriving boat
Navigating the Missouri was. in the
beginning, a questionable experiment.
Keel boats and canoes went W 1t. and
m~ackinaws. in addition, drifted down 1t,
cut who could tell how far larger boats
could follow where they led?
AS is usual. the demands of trade made
the experiment worth trying. and there
were steamboat men more than willing
to undertake 1t. There was money to be
made in the venture, both for the river
men and for the fur companies, who
needed larger and sWifter boats to carry
their men and supplies to the posts in
that strange country in the northwest.
The first boats that turned their prows
up the Missouri were Ill adapted for the
stream they purposed conquering. They
we're made to navigate deeper rivers
whose currents were neither SO torturous
nor so rapid. Then, too, the ever-chang-
ing hanne had to be studied by their
pilots, accustomed to the courses Of
other rivers.
First Attempt in 1919
At length, in 1919, the Independence,
true to its name, made the initial at
tempt. 1t was not destined to go far
only to the mouth of the C~hriton-a
little north of the center of Missouri.
SlOSc UtnlIlu Jllc llUtpSllOtiCc lOllOWeQ
the Western Engineer, which managed
to pass the boundaries of Missouri, ter
minating its journey at Council Bluffs.
The first packet, operated mainly IN
the interest of the fur trade, was the
w. d. Duncan. This operated from st.
Louis to Fort Leavenworth. This was in
1929, ten years after the trial journey Of
the Independence and the Western Engi-
neer. Above Fort Leavenworth the fur
companies used keel boats to reach their
upriver posts and these were frequently
a whole season in making the trip. This
was too slow to suit business, which de-
manded quicker and more frequent com
munication with their outlying stations.
BY this time river men had learned
Missouri river boats must be of a diff
ferent type from those used on the Ohio
and Mississippi, and with the need came
the invention.
In 1881, the Yellowstone started out in
the spring-probably quite early before
SHOWS melting in the mountains. n the
delayed rains of the northern region had
raised the river, and bravely steamed
up to a point nearly 200 miles above
Council Bluffs, to the southern boundary
of South Dakota, at the mouth OF the
Niobrara.
1t must then have returned to st.
Louis, as in the fall, we read it made
another venture, which carried 1t to Fort
Tecumseh, and later to Fort Pierre. The
following year the Yellowstone reached
the mouth of the river for which 1t was
named, and where the American Fur
company had its chief post, Fort Union.
Held Fast All Winter
The same season the A~ssinniboine
passed Fort Union, paying dearly for its
effort. 1t was caught by low water and
forced to remain all winter not far from
the mouth Of Poplar river. in what is now
Montana. This was a heavy penalty for
being too ambitious. The country was
wild, n infested by wandering tribes
of hostile Indians, and in case of an
attack those left In charge Of the boat
might be unable to get all from Fort
Union. 1t was a precarious situation for
the crew of the Assiniboine, and we may
be very sure they welcomed the warm
days which freed the ice. sending 1T
swirling in great cakes dow stream,
although at times 1t may have imperilled
their boat. Following this the water
would rise. once more to set them afloat.
Yet this unfortunate experience of the
Assiniboine was not without It's bright
side. From 1t the knowledge was gained
that Fort Union was O necessarily the
head Of navigation On the Missouri. That
point had been passed and already the
Ell Paso left st. Louis In 1858, 20 years
after the AssinibOine stranded above
Fort Union. Bravely the little boat
steamed up the muddy river, past the
mouth of the Charlton, Fort Leaven-
worth, Council Bluffs, the mouth Of the
N%iobrara. Forts Tecumseh nd Pierre, Fort
Union, after, perhaps a protracted stop
there, past the place near Poplar river,
where the Assiniboine was forced to
spend the winter; all of these terminal
points OF It's predecessors, in their at
tempts to conquer the Missouri, and on
125 miles farther. to the mouth of Milk
river.
1t had taken 81 years, since the indie
pendence started up the river, to win to
this point, and the end was not reached.
On July IT, 1859, the Chippewa tied
up is miles below Fort Benton, and the
next year, this toat and the Key West
accomplished the additional is miles
the Chippewa in advance-and for all
practical purposes, the head OF naviga-
ton on the Missouri was attained, al
though 1T had taken 40 years to do 1T.
Some Went Farther
Some boats are reported to have
passed Fort Benton, going nearly to
Great Falls. But the terminal was rec
OgniZed as being at Fort Benton, al
though we now n from government
surveys, that but for the falls, the Mis-
souri, was capable OF navigation to Three
Forks. and the ACCESSIBILITY Of establish
AAAE u AAAO A1ONO IL = uAAcf
this to be connected with a railroad line
below them, was seriously considered.
The first boat to reach Fort Benton
the Chippewa-was doomed to a tragic
fate, when, In 1861. 1t burned, a little
below the mouth OF Milk river. A note
in Vol. /. OF the Montana Historical Re-
ports, he's this to say of the event:
Chippewa, bound for Benton, burnt
in Disaster bend. The owners, the Ameri-
can Fur company, were smuggling alco-
hol through to Benton, for Indian trade,
and OF the deck hands, In the act OF
stealing a drink, took a candle and gimlet
and proceeded into the hull Of the boat,
and In drawing the alcohol 1t ignited,
n the boat caught fire.
She was loaded with Indian annuity
goods, n also goods for the American
Fur company. There were about twenty
five kegs OF powder on board. When the
fire reached the powder, the a blew
up. Packages Of merchandise were found
three miles from the disaster.
Such was the pitiful end Of the gal
liant boat which demonstrated the posi-
bility OF reaching Fort Benton. Its CAP
tain was a LaBarge, a brother Of the well
known Joseph LaBarge. Joseph LaBarge
may have been Oh the Chippewa. but
not as captain.
No Boat That Year
1t was in 1861 the Chippewa burned,
n hat year there were no steamboat
arrivals at Fort BENTON The neyt wear