Western news and the Libby times. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1920-1933, 1929-03-14
Says There Were
Two Trading Posts
CONTINUED from page j.

men spent the winter in two leather
| tents.
Further on in his letter, Professor
Cochrane says "The small camp
known as Kootenay Falls House was
apparently built by Finan Mcdonald
above the Falls, and was designed to
serve not merely as a trading sta
ton, but as a jumping off point for
the exploration of the Pend O'Reille
country further to the south. For
this reason it would have been inr
convenient to construct the post be-
low the Falls, necessitating diff
cult carry. salThompson's map shows
the Post marked at approximately
Longitude 116 w. and Latitude
48.45" N. where brook flows in from
the south, but apparently above the
narrows of the river"
This view of Professor Cochrane
conflicts with that of Professor Phil
lips and also that of Mr.. T. C. Elliot.
From careful study of the maps of
that region, and with the kindly as
sistance Of Mr.. Miller, county survey
or, and Mr.. Dwinelle of the forestry
service, we have come to the con-
clusion that the location as suggested
would have placed the post two miles
east Of the Idaho line, and from
seven to eight miles north Of the
Kootenai river, in fact on a ridge
of mountains. Now coming back to
Professor Phillips view that the post
was south of the 49th parallel, how
does this compare with the views
of other authorities ?
More Material Found.
In the Provincial Archives of Brit
ish Columbia, and carefully pre-
served in the Provincial Library,
Victoria, there is mass of material
dealing with David Thompson's life
and work and amongst these coll
lection of letters and notes by the
late Mr.. Jacob A. Meyers of Wash
ington. Mr. Meyers has the happy
faculty of coming to concrete issue
in his writings and there is no dubiety
in his utterances.
1t was our privilege last August,
through the kindness of Mr.. John
Hosie, Provincial Archivist, to ex-
anime this material, and the results
we give as they appealed to US. In
one of his letters addressed to the
chairman of the Commission ON Con-
servation, Ottawa, Canada, Mr.. Mey-
ers says, Believe I have solved the
riddle of the three cellar holes on
the Pillet-Montour sites of 181O11s,
and that is that the Hudson's Bay had
one of the houses in 1901 there.
See Wilson's Map in the Hudson's
Bay history"
These are the posts mentioned by
Professor Phillips in the article
afore referred to.
In another of his notes, Mr. Meyers
says: "The site of the Montour
House of 1924 is on Lot 2, in the
North West corner Of Section is,
Township 80, Range 20, West Mon
tana, Meridian. It is admitted by all
authorities that Montour succeeded
Finan Mcdonald in this post in 1911.
Sites of Two Posts Located.
A comparison of the map of Lin
coin county, prepared by Mr.. Ira
Miller, with this data of Mr.. Meyers
will show that the site is on the prop
erty of Mr.. George Hathaway. With
reference to the Pillet post, occupied
by the Pacific, Fur company, Mr..
Meyers notes give the location as
the easts half OF Section 81, Town
ship 81, North Range 30, West Mon
tana Meridian. Everyone acquainted
with the locality will at once recog-
nize this as the Ben Thomas place,
situated at the mouth of Rainy
Greek.
Since reading Mr.. Meyers notes,
we communicated with the Hudsons
Bay Company in London, as to their
having such post as Mr.. Meyers
mentions. The reply Of the secretary
OF that institution to our query was
that they were unable to find any
evidence that post occupied by the
company was known as Montour's
House. The letter however stated
that it was possible that the refer
ence was to house occupied by the
North West Company, prior to the
union Of the two companies, and that
as Nicholas Montour was clerk of
the N w. company, it is quite pos
slble that the house was named in
his honour. This corroborates Prof.
Phillips view.
What then is the sum Of all these
opinions? 1t is admitted by all
authorities that a small log ware
house was constructor by Finan Me
Donald, in the fall of 1903, some
where on the Kootenai river above
the Falls. That this house was after
wards in charge of Nicholas Montour.
That the post was transferred to the
hudson's Bay Company at the union
in 1921. That the consensus of opin-
ion is that the location Of this house
was on the north side of the river,
either at the mouth Of Rainy Creek
or at the confluence of the Kootenai
and the Fisher rivers, near Jennings,
and that the weight Of evidence is in
favor of the latter, as it was the old
Indian Trail into the Flathead coun-
try. This is corroborated from the
data which has come to our hand, and
is Of the most reliable kind. In the
museum in Virginia City, there hangs
o. r1J eF Nd