Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1929-10-03
Fl. Benton Had
Early Riual at
Marias' Mouth
MRS. NJ. E. PLASSMANN)

TT WAS in the spring Of 1864, the
steamer Cutler, under command of
Captain Moore started on its i'll
starred trip up the Missouri. 1t carried
emigrantS from Minnesota who were
OF their way to the new gold mines
of eastern Idaho. the river route being
shorter and safer than that leading
across the plains; it was also a much
more comfortable mode of travel. In
dams might prove troublesome, and
mosquitoes were quite likely to be a
torment, but neither were worse than
on the plains.
All went well on tie voyage until the
boat ARR ed at the mouth of the
Marias. There the machinery broke
down, and the Cutler could go no far
ther. In those days passengers never
knew, in taking passage for Fort Ben
ton, whether the boat would reach its
destination, and, as in this instance
they were likely no be dumped off al
most anywhere above Fort Union. In
the latter part of the season, Cow
Island grew to be the favorite place
of deposit, from which point passengers
and freight were carried overland tC
their objective point. Sometimes they
were carried, and again they walked
The officers of the boat did not con-
Germ themselves regarding this.
Those Minnesota emigrants on the
Cutler, had they known it, were ex-
tremely fortunate in reaching the
MariaS, which is by land but twelve
miles from Fort Benton. not q pro-
hibitive distance to have been under
taken by the ordinary pedestrian. But
these prospective miners are said tC
have been a bad lot, and purposed tc
make the Cutters captain fulfill his
promise to take them to Fort Benton
before a certain date, or suffer the con-
sequences. They began to grumble anc
wax insolent some time before the
boat became incapacitated for further
progress. Guaranteeing, as they did
the officers and crew Of the Cutler, the
captain found himself in a serious pre-
dicament, the more so, that the emf
grants seeking to right their wrongs
by dismantling the boat, were carrying
away everything portable. What they
expected to do with 1t is problematical
Furniture is difficult to carry, and
drapery, etc., is of little use in the
wilderness. These considerations, how
ever, were not sufficient to swerve the
former passengers from their purpose
and the quitting of the boat went mer-
rily on, with the officers and the crew
of the Cutler standing helplessly by
1t was doubtful at one time while this
lawlessness existed, whether Captain
Moore would have any boat left, threats
being made to burn it.
When matters were at their worst.
eighteen men of Grants freighting out
fit with J.. M. Arnold, wagon master,
appeared on the scene and promptly
came to the rescue. They saw a chance
for a fight, and were fairly aching for
it. The hero Of the occasion was one
Tom Riley, whose reputation was far
from being immaculate, but, true to
his racial instincts, he was a fighter OF
distinction. 1t was he who brought
order onto the stage, and that quickly
Spying one of his countrymen, a
little Irishman, about to carry or shore
a rocking chair, he seized the offender
by the rear of his trousers and his
collar. and with a mighty effort set
him ashore minus the rocker, and de-
cidedly the worse for his swift transit.
That was enough, there were no fur
ther depredations, and all of the arti-
Giles taken from the boat were speedily
brought back, and the d~isgruntled emf
grants departed for their various
destinations.
1t was now nearly August, and Cap
tain Moore could not hope to get his
boat in condition for the down river