Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1931-10-08

several years age
to I. D. ODonnel
w. H. nANfiII of Billings by
James w. Brown, of Browning, who
bore the nickname Of Diamond r.
Brown. Some time after his coming to
the district, Brown married a Black
foot woman, whose Indian name was
Stomach" They left several children
who are good citizens of Browning.
At the time that Brown came into
the country, the BlackfOot, Blood Pr
cyan and Northern Piegan Indians
roamed from Edmonton, Canada, as
far as the Gallatin valley. The country
was filled with war parties nearly the
whole year round. The white men, try
ing to get a foothold in the country,
found it almost impossible because Of
these war parties, and they frequently
had to fight to protect themselves.
In 1871, quite a few groups OF settlers
in the United States were trying to
start a trade in Canada. Their princi-
pal trade was in whisky and it caused
trouble between the different Piegans
SO that they were very hostile to each
other. Finally, the northern Indians
we're overcome and were not allowed
to come over on the American side.
This worked to the benefit of the white
men on this side Of the line.
A party Of nine or ten white men
started early in 1871 to go to Edmon-
ton, Canada. They were overtaken by
the United States marshal near Cut
Bank on the Blackfoot reservation. He
and his deputy demanded their sur
render but they refused to go with
them and stood their ground. Finding
themselves outnumbered, the marshals
desisted and went back without their
men. The party then went across the
Canadian line to a point at the forks
Of the Belle (also called Belly river,
where they established q trading post.
This from their experience with the
marshals, they called Fort Standoh.
The name of Standoff is still retained
by q town in that vicinity.
In the anne fall, Joseph Kipp,
Thomas and Diamond r" Brown es-
tablished q trading post about q mile
above Fort Standoff, which they called
Fort Kipp. Later in the same fall,
Charles Conrad of the Baker company,
built still another post about 100 yards
from Fort Kipp.
Some of the men at Fort Kipp in
GLIDING Brown went to Fort Benton to
get more supplies. They left there IN
November with teams, and supplies.
They were 70 days making the trip, a
distance OF only 230 miles, with seven
four-horse teams.
About rs miles out Of Fort Benton,
q terrific winter storm set III, the snow
being at least a foot deep on the level
and much deeper in places. The oaded
wagons cut down into the snow to such
an extent that no Roadway could be
made. The party finally gave up and
formed q camp about three miles from
the Canadian line, where they re-
manned for nine days. The storm was
such that the men were afraid to go
a hundred yards from the camp lest
they should get lost.
Out of the seven four-hOrSe teams,
all but three head were frozen to death
in the storm. When the storm had
abated, they went back to Fort Benton
with such goods as they could carry and
traded for more horses. They were 70
days in all getting to the Standoh dis
trict which they reached in the early
part of March.
The only fuel the party had during
most of their journey was buffalo chips
and ten gallons Of kerosene. Food was
very scarce and while they were on the
banks Of the st. Mary's river during
the storm, they were almost reduced
to starvation. Where they were calnped
was q buffalo carcass which had been
used as wolf bait. About 1t were %
wolves that had been poisoned. Ac-
cording to Browns story, he and Kipp
cut out the ribs and boiled and ate
them in two meals. One OF the men
refused to eat it for fear OF getting
poisoned. He made a paste out OF -four
and water and ate 1t. None OF them
were harmed by the revolving diet, how
ever.
The party remained in Canada until
trading time was over and then o
their furs and hides to Fort Benton
and disposed Of them. In the fall OF
1872, they built another fort for trad
ing at the mouth of Old Mans river
and Belle river, which was known as
Fort Kipp No. 2. In the same year, the
Whoop-up trading post was built by
Captain John Healy and A. B. Hamil-
ton. During the next year, Fort Kipp
was sold to T. G. Power 81 Co., and an
other was built by Kipp, Thomas and
Diamond r." Brown.
The traders from the United States
side of the line had considerable
trouble with the Hudson Bay company
in their efforts to buy furs from the
Blackfoot nations. The American trad
ers we're making inroads into the es-
tablished domain of the British Fur
company. The company finally COM
planned to the Canadian government,
accusing their rivals Of selling whisky
and other illegal practices. Finally In
answer to a request some mounted po-
lice were sent into the region.