Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1935-05-11
BUTTE PIONEER
CAME WEST IN II
JESS B. PRUDEN, RESIDENT OF BUTTE,
HELPED TO BURY CUsTER's DEAD;
IN INDIAN ATTACK

Jesse b. Pruden Of Butte has been q
resident Of Montana since 1877, and has
had q variety OF interesting early day
experiences, which are reminiscent Of
the major episodes Of MOntana's his
tory. Pruden came west In the late
summer OF 1877 with the Maxwell
party, so named after his stepfather,
A. J. Maxwell In addition to Jess
Pruden and Maxwell, the party In
cluded Pruden's mother, his sister and
George ID. BOutan and Matt EIgin. the
Maxwell party set out from Vermilii0n
county, Illinois, and first went TO Lib
erty county, Kansas, when II was de-
cided TO 90 to the far west.
4 When the Maxwell party, accompanied
by two other wagons Of travellers, reach
ed Colorado they were informed OF high
water, which made travel to their original
destination. Puget sound. q grave risk.
The course was altered and Montana be-
came the goal.
At Fort Steele, Wyo q number OF
others gathered on their way to Mon
/ tana, but owing to the Nez Perez Indian
4 troubles. did not venture on their way.
The Maxwell party also tarried there, pre-
ferring to wait until q detachment OF
soldiers should leave to garrison Fort
Custer. While at Fort Steele, Maxwell
purchased 40 cattle as q start for his
proposed Montana cattle ranch on the
Little Missouri
Enroute to Fort Custer the troopers
stopped at the battle-ground on the Lit
the Big Horn to inter some OF the ex-
posed bones OF the soldier dead Of Gem
eral Clusters command. Pruden assist
ed with the task and remembers in par
ticular the skeletons Of a soldier and
his mount about fourth OF a mile from
the battle-ground.
From Fort Custer the Maxwell party
went to Miles City after resting several
weeks to give Maxwell time to recover
from o gun wound that crippled one OF
his feet. At Miles City they were joined
by Tom Gray and continued to the region
Of the Little Missouri, where the pro-
posed cattle ranch was to be. The cattle
having stood their trip WELL gave promise
Of good beginning.
Prlden then Just is years old, was
Interested In everything that went on
and occasionally did little side hunting
to provision the party In addition TO
herding the cattle. On the way Max
we'll who had q long telescope which
Pruden remembers well as 8 fortunate
spy glass; rode ahead. A camp OF Sioux
Indians was seen through the telescope
and the party, as q precaution made
camp on the bend Of creek believed TO
have been named Pennel creek about
eight miles from the mouth Of oFalion
creek.
There it was decided to make stand
II necessary. since there was q low,
fiat table st the bend which afforded
a sheltered place on one side YVES Pen
mel creek and 500 yards away was the
rising hill or bank. The fiat was covered
with sagebrush and a stand OF cotton
wood trees. An enclosure was made with
logs and brush so as to form breastwork
and the horses were taken within. The
cattle were turned loose on the fiat.
AS was expected, the Indians located
the camp and the first night they prowl-
.,.f...
closure, when shots were exchanged. Be-
cause the Indians did not know the
strength Of the defenders. who were arm
ed with repeating rifles, no combined
attack was made.
The second night Matt Elgin, then In
his teens and later 70 become prornin-
ent settler In Montana, left with his
horse to ride to Fort Keogh for assistance.
Though he was followed most OF the way.
he made good his escape.
While Elgin was away the cattle were
all killed, either by the Indians or be-
cause they were caught between the fir
ing lines. Elgin was gone for some time,
but on the fourth day brought troopers
under Colonel Baker to within eight
miles OF the encampment, when they
heard the Indians had dispersed.
Christmas day, 1877, the Maxwell party
left their shelter after having been be-
seiged for four days. Owing TO the loss
rever established. The Indians paid with
their lives for the attack, as was later
learned. while none Of the whites were
killed
Pruden's next experience was when he
hired out as a packer at Fort Keogh UNI
der Colonel Baker In the latter part OF
February, 1873 He was with the troop
ers that spring In the Cheyenne cam
paign and was with the command OF
Cen. Nelson A. Niles when. In the spring
4 1879, he was on duty against the Sioux,
who had escaped into Canada and were
frequently coming across the boundary.
In 1879 Maxwell procured a sub-con-
tract TO carry the mails between the sta
lions Of Little Missouri and Redwater.
FALL OF 1879 and spring Of 1890. Pruden
took the mail to one station on one day
and returned the next A fast saddle
md revolver were the two friendly as
sets in getting the mail through
From 1880 TO 1883 Pr1den hunted
ouffaloes for their meat and hides Hides
nad q market value Of several dollars
each and q good hunter with fair luck
could make good wages The winter OF
1880 and 1881 found Pruden and party
n the Sand creek country Of eastern
Montana. The succeeding year he was
IN Beaver creek near Ekalaka and he
next hunted buffaloes on Grand river
near the Montana and North Dakota
boundary.
In 1887 Jess Pruden went to Helena
ana took UP work in the building Tine.
since then he has lived IN Missoula,
quite and other Montana cities.