The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1931-07-27
Letter From Oscar Ward De.
scribing Fight With Indians
Indicates Hardships
Only 70 Are Living Today;
Names Of Williams, FIan-
merry, M'Kenzie Included

Burleigh county's new court house
was constructed not only as a building
to house the county officers, but also
as q memorial to the hardy pioneers
OF the '70s who battled the elements
and hostile Indians to bring civiliza-
ton to a prairie wilderness.
Some idea Of the vicissitudes en-
dured by early frontiersmen might be
gathered from a letter written in
1876 by Oscar Ward, cattle dealer, for
many years a resident of Bismarck.
Ward tells of a trip to South Da-
kota with a herd of cattle during
which his brother, George, and a
number Of others were killed in a
battle with hostile Indians.
According to his daughter. Miss
Aldythe Ward, it was during this trip
that her father formed friendships
with Buffalo Bill, Deadwood Dick,
and a number of other famous FROM
tier characters.
Came Here In 1873
Ward came to Burleigh county in
1873 from Pennsylvania. He built
himself a log cabin and settled on a
site about five miles east of where
Bismarck now stands.
Others on the trip were George and
Henry Ward, brothers of Oscar, and
Martin Hagen, for many years a
farmer near Painted Woods.
The text of Wards letter to his wife
in Bismarck follows.
Rapid City, April 10, 1876.
Dear Florence:
We are here at last. It was the
worst venture I ever made in my life.
I will tell you as near as I can how
We are fixed. The snow that came
when we started made us stop on the
Cannon Ball Il days. 1t was so deep
that we could not travel any further;
We expected the other party every
day. I had concluded to 60 back to
Bismarck for more feed when the
other party came up. Then we started
next day. They did not ask us to
join them on account of our cattle
not keeping up but they changed
their minds the first day. Then we
took turns breaking road. We made
slow time to Grand River, but we
found less 10Y there. We met Joe
and Bob Roberts four miles from
Grand River. They were lost.
We had five miles of bad lands
after crossing the river and then deep
snow with bad crust. We made 81
miles from the bad lands to Big
Meadow and there our trouble began.
Our cattle had no grass of any ac-
count for one and one-half days. Our
cattle scattered out down the bluff,
the best one on the lead. We went
down just at dark to drive them in.
but they were so hungry that we left
all but the oxen. Then we drove up
and fed.
Indians Steal Animals
Guards were put out as usual, but
at IL o'clock they came in to be re-
lieved, instead of waiting till they
relieved. When the guards
out one OF them saw some
Indians in among the horses and
He fired at them twice and
killed one Of Henry's oxen. We hur-
ried out as fast as we could but the
Indians had gone. We hunted around
for their trail and found out they
had taken some cattle and two
Five of us followed them two
or three miles and then went back
for more help, but could not get it
till morning.
We counted our cattle and found
gone and one killed. One of Col
Inns oxen, one of his cows, one of
our calves and our bull were with
hem. The rest were our best cows
with the exception of two. In the
morning Henry and Collins went
to see who would go after the
Fourteen of us started, George
and Collins among us. We thought
o find them in eight or ten miles on
account of the deep snow. We took
he trail and found it circled round
md come into our back track. We
found there were only four Indians
n the lot. Then we thought we
night catch them before they could
get to the Grand River bad lands, 81
niles.
We rode as fast as we could on our
vorked-down ponies till I was willing
% give it up, but the others said we ]
Gould catch them yet. Three miles
rom the bad lands we sighted the !
our Indians. at the time there was !
me man ahead, George and I next,
md the others one or two miles be- {
lind. All u horses were about I
out. The Indians started on I
he run ahead. We soon came to our
white COW killed and some meat taken :,
Ut; she had tired out. From the next !
'idge we could see the rest of our !:
.attle, standing still at the edge of
he bad lands, two miles ahead. F.,
The Indians turned off when they
,ot most Of the cattle and fired on :