Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1936-04-25

old q. S. a. again, but it was a wild
west at that early date; the Indians
those days were prosperous, rich with
ponies and buffalo robes, while beaver
and small furS we're plentiful in all
the mountain streams.
The last camp before reaching Fort
Benton was at the Twenty-four Mile
Springs. 1t was early when we arrived,
but 1t was the only water for a long
distance, so we concluded to camp there
for the night. 1t was our habit to camp
on high ground and we did so here,
but when we took our team down TO
the spring for water we noticed plenty
of fresh pony and moccaSin tracks
around the spring. Father was worried
and did not like the idea Of staying
there for the night. While we were
talking the matter over we heard q
horse nicker Just over the hill This
made us feel rather chilly, as we
thought we were being followed by hos
tile Indians. We hurried back TO our
wagon to make the best Of 1t. just then
a horseman came in sight and we could
see he was not redSkin. just then q
familiar sound came to my ea--the
creaking of Red River carts This was
q great relief. BY this time the horse
man had reached us and we found 1t
to be a big family Of half -breedS by
the name Of Pilkey, who had been to
Fort Benton trading furs for supplies.
We had met these people before during
our short stay at Fort Walsh. We spent
a pleasant night with them, sitting
around a buffalo chip fire, telling
stories and eating good pancakes and
buffalo meat cooked in Dutch oven.
This was great life for youngster like
me. The old women and girls seemed
to take to me and I thought they were
all right too. The next morning when
we got up we found the camp all astir
and old man Pilkey waiting by our
wagon to invite us to have breakfast
with them. We accepted the invitation,
taking q small box Of soda crackers
with us The crackers we're greatly en-
joyed by the half-breeds. The morning
meal was composed Of pancakes, buf-
falo meat and pemal1n. These people
were a little above the common half
breeds. There were about Is people in
this camp, all relatives.
This was an ideal camping place for
hunters, the luxurious buffalo grass
was knee high as far as the eye could
reach, and it's red tops would wave
with the slightest breeze. These springs
being the only good water for IL miles
one way and 20 the other, it was q
great watering place for buffalo and
antelope.
Before we broke camp that morning
many buffalo and antelope were gath
ering around the springs for water.
This was truly the hunters paradise.
where they could sit and wait for the
game to come to them. We pulled out
late that morning for Fort Benton,
which was only "a miles away. We ar
rived at the old historic post about 5
o'clock that afternoon and sold furs
that we had traded for from differ
ent tribes of Indians, to T, @. Power
& Brother We lOafed around the Fort
a few days to get acquainted with the
people and the resources of the terri
tory.
Father had promised Colonel Walsh,
of the Canadian Mounted
Police, to return and help get out logs
to build Fort Walsh on the North fork
Of Milk river, so we bought new sup
ply of grub and returned to the police
headquarters, where we got out logs to
build that historic fort. Later we re-
turned with other Americans 10 Fort