Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1931-06-11
MISSOULA FIGHTS
TO RETAIN FORT
PROTEST SENT TO WASHINGTON
BY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
AGAINST ABANDONMENT

tlldlllUeI, tIlIOuSIl N1OlldIld ) utltSdllOl
in congress and other Washington of
ficials, to convince the war department
that Fort Missoula should remain oc
cupied. The buildings at the post ar,
new, modern, and need nc maintenance
or Improvements for many years Il
come. They serve not only to accommo.
date the garrison, but the citizens
military training camp, the reserve of
fcers' training camp and othe.
branches.
Nearby posts to which personne
might be transferred are not prepared
adequately to provide for the new
corners.
it passed, but simply allowed the CON
struction of the railroad over the same
No white man was allowed to settle
upon it, Or to trade upon it, only The
railroad could construct such building.
as were necessary for the operation
of their line over the reserve.
In January, 1884, Chief Chariot anc
sub-chiefs of the Flathead nation hac
a conference with the secretary of the
interior at Washington, upon the prop
osition to remove the tribe which was
in the Bitter Root valley to the Jocko
reservation. Senator Vest and Dele
gate Maginnis were present. Secretary
Teller sought to convince Chariot that
the proposed change was for the best
as the Indians were at that time
brought into contact with white set
tiers and suffered thereby. He also
told Chariot the lands on the Jocko
reservation intended for the use of
his tribe would be sold unless occu-
pied, and they would find themselves
homeless. Senator Vest also endeavored
to induce Chariot to accept the prop
osition. n
A house on the reservation and an
annuity of $500 was promised him, and
other tempting offers were made, but
the old chief maintained a stubborn
silence, and when the secretary offered
him a paper to sign he refused it with
an angry gesture. On February 4 a
final conference was held. The secre-
tary consented to allow him to remain
in the Bitter Root provided he kept
his people IN their lands. Chariot
displayed during the several confer
ences great ability and knowledge of
law, and to his logged obstinacy is
due his victory. He told Teller his
people had patents to their lands and
could not be legally dispossessed, and
he would not listen to any proposition
that looked at removal. When the in
terview ended, Chariot, who during the
several interviews had maintained a
stolid, determined demeanor, wore a
bright smile and was chuckling with
his companions over their victory over
the whites"
The Crows, Blackreet, Piegans, Arick
arees, Crees, Bloods, Gros Ventres,
F1atheads and Pend d'Oreilles ranged
along the Yellowstone from the earli-
est times, but none of them acquired
possessory rights until the latter part
of the eighteenth century, when the
Crows claimed title to the valley from
the mountains to the mouth of Tongue
river, while the Cree tribes held the
country at the mouth of the Yellow
The buffalo country between
these tribes was held in common until
the Sioux drove the western tribes
before them on their way to the North
Missouri country.
The Mountain Crows are old in
habitants of the Yellowstone valley,
settlement antedating the move
ment of the Sioux west of the shores
Of the great lakes. In other pages the
policy pursued by this tribe toward
The whites, as well as their wars with
the Sioux, Piegans, Blackfeet and
western bands are described. The
River Crows are contemporary settlers
with the Mountain Crows, although
separated from the latter by the Vel
lOwstone. These savages claimed the
country from the mouth of the Mus
to Fort Benton, and south of
the Missouri to the Yellowstone. In
1865 the Sioux entered into a plan for
! confederation Of the western tribes.
out the Crows refused to become allies,
although it is thought that members
~ ViLAo UllOL dVo1ChCQ otudl u D pal W a.
1868, and assaulted three white men
n 1875, but apart from those there
Ire no charges against them.
From 1865 the Sioux were deadly
enemies of the treaty-loving Crows.
Every month afforded evidences of this
bitter feeling. In November, 1869,
was a battle between the Crows
and Cheyennes, within the bounds of
he Sioux country, in which the for
ner were the victors. Six C%heyennes
we're killed and four young warriors
captured. The Crows exposed their
to torture, first cutting off
heir hands, next their feet, and final
y their heads. Again, in August, 1872,
he terrific encounter between the
Sioux and Crows at Hart mountain
ended to increase their hatred. Wheth-
n opposed to Piegans, Nez Perces or
Sioux, the Crow nation has always been
ound the principal Indian aids of the
United States troops and to them must
,e given the credit of saving many a
company of United States soldiers from
fate similar TO that of Clusters COM
nand.
The story of Tzei-Goe was published
1t Brussels, Belgium, in September,
1884,, from the relations of Father De-