Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1929-10-03
COL ALLEN TRADED WITH MONTANA INDIANS FROM EARLY COS
TRAVELLED ALL OVER STATE BUT LIKED BEST THE SALTWATER

a few took advantage of the offer.
and when the provisions were loaded
Tor the trip more than half of the tribe
Went along. The others remained in
The saltwater valley. The departure
Wa preceded by a celebration. Colonel
Allen gives an interesting description
OF The event.
Celebration on Saltwater
When July 4th came / went early
alter the artillery cannon that l had
celebrated that day with for five or six
years, and as usual aWoke the agency
dwellers from their dreams. At noon
W. H. White loaded the canno and
rammed wet sacks and grass on the
powder. There were Is Indians and
Judge Milburn standing in line beside
The cannon. 1t exploded and pieces of
1t flew across the river and to the hills
beyond. Luckily nobody was hurt, but
tie cannon and celebration were end
co for that day."
Colonel Allen loved the Saltwater
valley. The curling ribbon of ripping
and scintillating silver flashing down
the long corridor of a channel extend
Ing its length between the rising hills
and along rich bottoms of land pos
! sesses a charm and majesty to which
the soul of man responds in an init
mate and mysterious appreciation.
Colonel Allen gives an intimate and in
terestlng brief recital of some circum-
stances that indicates his deep and
underlying affection for the location
that he chose for his residence.
All things earthly have an ending"
he said, land SO it vas with several
OF the agency employees who were dis
charged; and about August LIST, I, too,
was let out after about five years of
trading. Dan Robinson and I went
to Saltwater, now Columbus, and took
the train west. We landed III Boze-
man as l had about $500 in the bank
there, and then on to Helena. We
intended to go on to Salmon, Idaho,
but that called for IS miles of stage,
SO we stuck around Helena and 1 took a
whirl at faro and won.
AS we left the saloon an N. p.
brakeman asked me for a loan of two
dollars to get some supper with, as
he had lost at faro. I told him to
go in and bet it straight up. He did
SO and expressed a desire to repay me,
but l sent him back to try it again
and again. He won, and wanted to
give me back my money, but I told
him he had enough for his bed and
board and a little to try again tomor-
row, SO he thanked me and pulled out.
Dan and I finally decided to hit it
back to Columbus and the Saltwater.
When we got there 1 heard I was
wanted at the agency, but got back
too late for the job. l also had an Of
fer from Judge Milburn to keep time
for the men he would employ in build
ing 20 houses, but / declined and re-
NAMED here.
Bought Store at Columbus
Then a Mr.. Martinsdale had a small
store and wanted to sell out. His stock
consisted of dry goods and groceries.
He said he wanted to leave so would
on the deal and SITS was due in 30
days. He asked for it 25 days later
and I was lucky enough to have it for
him. He gave me a clear bill of sale
An Indian told me that the trader at
the agency had orders not to sell them
any ammunition, so I sent an express
order to Chicago for thousands OF
cartridges, and the next spring I traded
for most all the buffalo robes they had
and cleaned up $700. That caused me
to remain here in Columbus.
1.-The traders, Dunn, Lee and Bah
cock, dissolved partnership. Mr.. Dunn
went east; Mr.. Lee to a store in Park
City, and Mr.. Babcock, as a trader
went to the new home of the Grows
on the Little Big Horn and was a trad
er there for years. Time and death
has taken them, and life's various
changes have placed the Grow tribe
in homes far apart, as also those who
were my friends in 1885,"
So, also, Colonel Allen has stepped
behind the black curtain that hides
from human view the eternity of the
future and on to a bourne from whence
no traveller returns. The murmuring
and sometimes turbulent waters of the