Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1935-04-13

z north BANK OF tne missouri and In
tended for trading with the Black,
: feet and Gros Ventures. Business wa
carried on there through about ii years
! Then occurred an incident that caused
its abandonment.
The incident that started the bic
troubles for Fort Brule was shocking
tragedy. The Blackfeet had commit
ted some minor depredations against
the post, SO the factor in charge, one
F. A. Chardon decided he would show
resentment. He awaited an occasion
when a band Of them came to trade. AS
they were assembled in front Of the
gate he let loose a shot from his can
non, loaded with bullets and metal
scraps and about 80 Of the Indians
were killed. OF course, the whole
Blackfeet tribe declared war on the
post. The situation was composed in
some degree by the discharge Of Char
don and the resumption Of command By
Culbertson. This was in 1912 Events
sequent to this case viii be treated in
paragraphs further on in this present
writing.
I In 1882, Mackenzie sent Tullock and
40 men to set up an establishment at
the mouth Of the Big Horn river. A site
was fixed On the south side Of the Yell
lowstone and about three miles below
the mouth of the Big Horn. The post
was laid out $50 feet square, had
high picket stockade and had bastions,
or guard towers, at two diagonal cor
ners of the square. It was named Fort
Van Buren,. Concerning this Fort Van
Buren,, Stuart wrote: "In 1868 I saw
the location. The pickets showed
plainly, they had been burned to the
ground, and several of the claimneys
were not entirely fallen down" It
seems that some observers have nlistak-
en- this Fort Van Buren, site as having
been the site Of the Manuel Lisa post
OF 1907.
In 1895 TuIlock was ordered to quit
Fort Van Buren, and build another post
lower down the Yellowstone. This new
post was named Fort Cass. It held fur
trading possession of this region for
about - years.
After the Fort Brule trouble, as set
forth in a preceding paragraph, Char
don built his own post, locating it on
the north bank Of the Missouri and Just
above the mouth Of the Judith on the
south side. He named 1t Fort F. A.
Chardon. This was In 184S.
In 1874. Culbertson abandoned and
burned Fort Brslle and set up new
post as its successor The new post was
named Fort Lewis. It was located on
the south side Of the Missouri river,
near Pablois island. Inside Of q year
1t bro1ght about the downfall OF the
competing Fort F. A. Chardon, which |
later was burned, probably by the
vengeful Indians.
Fort Benton was built by Culbertson
In 1896 It was located about seven |
miles below Fort Lewis, and on the /
north bank of the river. Fort Lewis then
was abandoned. Fort Benton became |
a permanent trading center, and 1t ul- |
timately developed into the present city
and county seat Of Chouteau county.
In 1S48, Fort Alexander. named for
Mr. CuIbertson, was built by a Fort /
Union representative named Lavender.
It was substituted for Fort Cas-, which
had succeeded Fort Van Buren,. The
new Fort Alexander was placed vet
further down the Yellowstone, although
the south side remained as the chosen
side.
In 1850. Fort Sarpy. another enter
prise directed by Culbertson, was built
to succeed Fort Alexander, which latter
post then was abandoned. Fort Sarpy
was set UP at the mouth Of the Rose
bud. It was used three years. After It's
abandonment. IN 1853 there were no
more fur-trader posts built on the
Yellowstone. except the fIeeting Fort
Pease in 1875-76.
The four successive posts set up on
the south side Of the Yellowstone were
for trade with the Mountain Grow In
dams. Stuart's writing says: They
wanted their trading post changed
nearly every year" he condemns those
people In general as ~an insolent and
treacherous tribe OF Indians"
Although il does seem that those
Grows were more expensive than they
were worth to those fur-traders. 1t Is ID
probable that Stuart's extremely harsh
feelings toward them were founded on
his harassing experiences IN contact
with them in 1883, while he was with !
.he miner expedition into their country
n search of gold in the Big Horn noun
tains. 1t was in the course Of this
1868 expedition that Stuart and his
companions saw the ruins Of old Fort 4
Van Buren, Just below the mouth Of the q
Big Horn. ID
The pre-pioneer trappers sought 8
specially the small skins, beaver, otter.
martin, etc. The earliest trading with
he Indians after the posts were es-
;ablished was in these small skins. But
he traders urged the Indians to bring :.
,uffalo robes. It was not long before !.
hess robes became the principal raw !.
material Of the Indian trade. To the Il
ndians the hunting OF buffalo thereaf- Ii