Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1931-08-20

the son of a Lutheran minister.
Naturally he looked forward to a pro-
fessional life; had been given a CLASH
cal education, and had spent three
years in the University of Copenhagen
| (Which he entered at 49, when the
/ fever to go to America took possession
of him.
He landed in New York in May, 1865,
penniless, a stranger, and unaccustomed
to physical work. He did anything he
could find to do; worked as a draughts-
man in a printing plant in New Jersey;
as a farm hand; as a clerk; as a Ia
borer on a railroad in Virginia, then
Missouri, and at last worked his way
down the Mississippi to his uncle's
home in southern Mississippi. He
stayed there long enough to fall in
love with his cousin, Laurentze Koch,
to become affianced to her, and grow
restless again in his desire to seek a
fortune for himself and his promised
bride. In the spring of 1869 he started
for the Northwest.
Troubled, unsettled, he walked along
the levee at st. Louis, where the boat
'Tacony'' had docked, and stepped
nearer to read the sign it displayed.
'Ho! for Fort Benton and the gold
mines" it read; and the next day Koch
was aboard the steamboat for the long
trip up the big Muddy"
An early account Of his trip says:
THE river was unusually low, and the
boat unfit for its voyage. After spend
ing 80 days on the river and chang
ing boats several times, Koch found
himself on a sand bar in the river,
still several hundred miles below Fort
Benton and the gold mines. Disguised,
he left the boat, embarked on a raft
made by tying a few cottonwood logs
together with willows, and started back
down the river to a little trading set
Element at the mouth Of the Mussel-
shell, where he engaged in wood-chop-
ping, working and hunting through the
winter. The Indians burned all his
wood in the spring, leaving him with
out a dollar, and in debt for his win
ter's supplies. He remained in charge
of Clendenin's trading post through the
summer, working out of debt.
This hard luck may have been the
eason he did not marry Laurentze
Marie until 1874.
During the first hard years in Mon
tana, Peter Koch kept a diary of his
daily round at Fort Musselshell on
Missouri River" He drew a map show
ing the settlements around Fort Mus
selshell, and the route to Fort Benton,
xrhioh oyo rponfiNnod IN n nCrfinn nf
the diary published in the Frontier, a
magazine of the Northwest. The diary
is in possession of his son, Elers Koch,
of Missoula, assistant supervisor of dis
trict No. l, U. S. National forest.
Fort Musselshell disappeared long
ago, washed away by the flooding
waters of the Missouri. It's two trad
ing posts, one owned by the Montana
Hide and Fur company, the other by
George Clendenin, Jr., and T. D. Pow
ers, are now only names. But a vivid
picture OF the daily life at the settle
ment, its drudgery and it's excitements,
remains permanently fixed in Peter
Koch,s journal.
Three entries appear in August,
1869:
Aug. 20-Mr. Clendenning left at
five o'clock in the morning for Hell
ena. Slowed away government freight.
Fixed up things generally. Made a
plot of the town for Judge Lee. Hunts
Vile came. Mailed letter. Andrew
plastering. Sales $80.85. Sent letter
up to l.. Rocky to Lohmgre.
Aug. 21-Henry came back with the
news that n of the oxen with the
Grow outfit had given out, and the
party was camped on Fourchette.
Went over the river and got a yoke of
oxen from Jim Wells at $500 a day.
Andrew went out with Henry to fetch