The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1936-08-14
BY WEST

The il-starred General George A.
Custer blaZed one of h earliest
trails across Dawson county In
eastern Montana, and around Glen
dive, the county seat, there are
t;vi4yy a sem arSe Gf 90 th Hu eae,y In In
1876, General Custer, in command
of the Seventh U. s. cavalry, was
ordered by the war department to
lead his troop to the mouth of the
Tongue river, join forces with Cen
erals Terry and Crook, and Major
Reno, and subdue the Sioux In
dams, who were making life mis-:
cradle for white settlers. The trail
blazed by Custer on that fateful
journey was, for many years there
after, used as a mail route between
Bismarck and Fort KeOgh, e the
present site of Miles City. A portion
Of the modern highway, U. S. 10,
follows the route taken by Custer
on that last campaign.
Custer had been in this region as
early as 1873 and neal Glendive there
is a spot of tremendous historic inter-
est where a part of his Seventh cavalry
battled Indians in the winter of that
year. The old battle-ground is on a little
knoll in the pasture of a farm now
owned by DR.. R. H. Good. Here are
seen the well-defined remains of
U1SdSGWO1h Nd dllo 81 v 14ClC C1lC d111ly
escort to the preliminary surveying
party of the Northern Pacific railroad
fought a band of Sioux and Cheyenne
warriors. The surveying party was a
large one, with many wagons and a
large supply of foodstuffs. It was pro-
tected by the 18th and 18th infantry,
a part of the Fifth cavalry and the
General Custer. The soldiers and the
survey party had made their winter
camp at the mouth of Glendive creek
in the fall of 1873. A battalion of SOL
diers and the supply wagons they had
been detailed to guard crossed the Vel
lowstone and made camp on the knoll
G which m is now a part de OF DR.: Go Sdtb fa I'm
camp and the older, larger camp on the
east side of the river were attacked by
Indians. After a short but fierce en-
counter the tribeSmen were repulsed
and the two camps united. A number of
soldiers had been killed in the smaller
camp and they were buried within the
earthworks which had been hastily
sunken graves and the earthworks are
still plainly seen and the deeply rutted
wagon trail leading up to them is also
plainly discernible. Some of the men
who took part in this early skirmish
were killed three years later In the
famous Custer massacre.
"Custer Lookout" a Misnomer
There is another landmark in the
Glendive area which is connected, at
least by legend, with Custer. It is a
bold, square topped butte which is seen
west of highway IA, five miles south
of Glendive. The butte has long been
known as Clusters lookout. However,
Charles Guiles, pioneer and veteran
army teamster Of Glendive, declares
kA-L 0-k&~ -,~,,ll rya aNvyN Ian~ on
t%houghtless as to climb this prominent
point to look for Indians. Such an act
would have made him a target for any
enemy Redman within miles. Accord
ing to the story told by Mr.. Guiles,
"fool subordinate officer" who
had never fought Indians, sent a body
of soldiers to the summit Of the butte
approach Of hostile Indians. The SOL
diers. victims of ignorance on the part
of their superior, were picked off by
sharpshooterS among the Indians. The
wise officers directed their men to
hunt the Indians a. the Indians hunted
them, by crawling through the grass.
It is also said that Clusters lookout
point. According to legend, early white
often saw smoke signals rising
from the summit of the butte.
McC0ne Also Knew Indians
A little booklet published by the late
Senator George McCone, shows that
he was closely connected with the early
of Dawson county as well as
that of all eastern Montana and
Dakota. In 1879 McCone carried mail
the Route between Bismarck and
Fort Keogh, which had originally been
blazed by General Custer. He was then
In the employ of Valie, Miner, Peck
and Co., who were holders of the con-
mile stretch Of dangerous Indian coun-
try. Life on this mail route was one of
excitement and hazard. One
day in late July, 1879, McCone was
for his relief carrier at Little
Beaver mail station. The relief carrier
was a nan named Green who, oddly
enough, came from Green river. Green
was late and McCone, becoming anx-
!ous, drove ahead to investigate. Near
Ing the station which was known as