Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1930-06-26
OLD REEDSFORT
CABIN STANDS

LEWISTOWN PEOPLE PLAN RESTO-
RATION OF STRUCTURE; WAS
CTTY'S FIRST POST OFFICE
Its Construction Followed Close Upon
Establishment of Trading Post In
Judith Basin When It Was Thought
Crow Indians Would Be Moved There
For several years q number of peO-
pie Of Lewist0wn, under the direc-
ton Of Mrs. E. A. Long, have been
interested In the restoration of the
old Reedsfort post Office building,
that enjoyed q flourishing business
under the direction of that interest
ing historical character, Major AlOn-
20 Reed, In the early eighties. Under
present plans, which are rapidly be-
ing formulated, the plot of ground
where the building still stands will
be purchased, and as a part Of the
city property the old log cabin will
be restored to Its original character.
In time, the people who are inter-
ested in the restoration OF this inter-
esting historical building hope to make
an addition in the form of a miners
cabin, which will contain all of the
equipment that the early day pros
pector found essential. They believe
that a museum OF this type will in the
future be particularly interesting, and
il possible they will use the old post
Office building as a museum place for
many articles that pioneers will be
glad to donate to the city in order
that interest in early days may be per-
petuated.
OF particular significance were the
events which preceded the actual
establishment of the post Office, and
the construction of the building that
will In time enjoy historical renown.
In brief, these events are:
In the winter of 1872 and 1873, Major
F. d. Pease negotiated a treaty with
the Grow Indians, whereby they were
to give up the reservation on the yell
lowstone and accept instead the Judith
basin. Anticipating this change, Story
and Hoffman, who were traders with
the Crows, engaged Peter Koch to go
into the basin and establish a trad
ing post and the story of the establish
ment Of this post during the winter
of 1874 is tersely and compactly
told in a journal kept by Koch, the
original copy Of which is still in the
possession of Elders Koch of Missoula.
A site was selected just below the
mouth of Big Casino creek, on the
south bank Of Spring creek, and when
the OK train arrived with goods and
supplies, Koch built the first permanent
houses within the Judith basin. Incl
dentally, an interesting bit of nomen-
clature can be mentioned here. While
waiting for this train to arrive, Koch's
helpers had considerable time on their
hands and ar old deck of cards kept
them fairly we'll occupied playing
casino" Accordingly they named the
creek they were camped IN Big Casino
and the little creek, just below, Little
Casino, names which were later per-
petuated through a government map.
Treaty Never Ratified
Major Pease'S suggested treaty was
never ratified by the senate, and when
this became evident, Koch disposed of
the post, Fort Sherman, that had been
establish, to T. !. Dawes. Major Alon-
20 Reed purchased the trading store
of Story and Hoffman and moved it
to where the Carroll trail crossed Big
Spring creek, at the point where the
county farm is now located. Until 1880,
Reed and Bowles maintained this trad
ing post.
In the spring of 1874, company F,
Seventh U. S. infantry, under the COM
mand of Captain Constant Williams,
marched from Fort Shaw, On the Sun
river, ~ the time headquarters of the
department Of Montana, and estab-
lished a camp on the same spot where
Koch had established his camp, it is
believed. This was called Camp Lewis
by Captain Williams in honor of Major
William H. Lewis, a former commander
of the Seventh infantry. This sum-
mer camp, incidentally, was established
TO protect f%reighterS on the Carroll
trail, Carroll being a junction point
on the Missouri river near the present
site of Wilder's landing, and mi end
of a trail whose ultimate destination
was Helena. George Berry, still a
resident of LewiStOwn, was a men,
Der of the company that escorted a
wagon train of Murphy, Neel 81 Com
pany of Helena to Carroll during that
first summer
Post Office Built In 1880
The Reed and BowleS firm broke up
in 1880 and Major Reed built the cabin
that will in time be one of the recog-
nized historical spots of Montana; the
first post office in what Is now known
as Lewistown. Major Reeds post Office,
known as ReedSfort, was recognized
by the department in 1880, but under
what conditions it will never be defin-
itely known, for it is certain that the
major kept nc file of his correspondence
and the postal department, with a
bland disregard for those interested in
historical research, destroys old letters
and material when the accumulation
becomes burdensOme.
Judging from the present day stand
ards, it was a rather quaint post Of
flee. The major himself vas a par
ticularly interesting character, and the
political contacts that enabled him &c
the slogan he will use in his campaign
for the republican nomination as Gal