Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1936-10-24
Parade of Spectacular Events Coloring Early
State History Missed Broadwater Region; No
Outlawry, VigiIantes, Nor Bad Indians There
nr GEORGE nrARsH

Vigilantes; what Indian fighting
took place was on q small scale;
no pioneer missionaries brought
their civiIizing influence to the
cOunty--in short, the spectacular
parade Of Montana history seems
to have entirely missed Broad
water. Nevertheless anyone inter-
ested in M0ntana's story win find
much 10 interest him In the annals
of the county.
The first white men to see the regior
were the Lewis and Clark party. OF
July 10, 1905, Captain Clark, with {
few men, pushed ahead Of the rest Of
the expedition near the Gates Of the
Mountains and soon entered what ht
described in his journal as "a hand
some valley'-the Missouri valley sec
ton Of what was later to be Broad
water county It is interesting to To-
cate the points mentioned in Lewis
journal to see whether the original
names have been retained. The point
where a small run" was encountered
is the Indian creek Of today, just north
of Townsend where the Northern Pa
cific crosses the Missouri. Howard
creek" discovered July 26, is now called
Sixteen Mile creek and the camp Of
that same day made ION the left
shore, near rock-opposite two is
lands" is the site Of the present town
of Lombard
The party saw no Indians in that
district but occasionally found desert
ed campfires of the Minnetarees. Since
progress of the boats was slow, Clark
found time to shoot antelope and deer
which he hung on poles along the river
bank where the advancing party would
see them.
After the explorers came the fur
traders Andrew Henry and Manuel
Lisa, Representatives of the Missouri
Fur Co. penetrated to the headwaters
of the Missouri with the intention of
establishing a trading post but they
were driven back to their headquarters
on the Yellowstone by the hostile
Blackfeet.
Placer Miners Were First Settlers
The next and the first permanent
settlers were the placer miners. The
exact date of the first gold discovery is
unknown but in 1853 placers we're al
ready being worked at the headwaters
of Wilson creek, and miners quickly
spread into the adjacent gulches. Their
claims were recorded in the Radersburg
and HaSsel districts in the early sixties.
John Heating opened the Heating
mine at Radersburg In 1867 and In
that year the East Pacific claim was
located. Before 1904 these mines had
YNf00CtC0N
Diamond City, now ghost town, was
the metropolis of the region with its
10000 people. HasSel, another ghost
town 10 miles west of Townsend, sup /
ported 5000.
W. w. Harvey, who still lives at
Townsend, is the only survivor Of the
Indian fighting which took place in the |
county. Mr.. Harvey was born in Laf-
ayette, ILL.,, and came to Montana in ]
1871 via the Missouri river to Fort /
Benton. He ranched in the Missouri |
valley and it was during this period /
that the fight with the Indians oc-
CURED. Let Mr. Harvey tell the story; I
The Nez Perces Attempt a Raid
"a neighbor, John Mcneil, came to
the ranch one day in 1870 and said
one of his horses had been stolen dur
ing the night. In few minutes an
other neighbor, james w. Moore,
dropped in and reported saddle had
been stolen from his place. They had
hardly spoken when William Morgan
who worked for the Sands 81 Taylor
Cattle Co. rushed in to tell that most
of his company's horses had been stolen
and that cowboys from his outfit had
trailed them to where they had crossed
the Missouri st Big Springs near
ToSton.
IT thought the thieves were probably
and follow them. knew the only way
they could get out Of the valley was by
Dry creek canyon or Diamond pass.
Bill Woods, Bill Sharpe, and I, with
four other men, took up the trail and
at shutdown overlook the party in the
Sixteen Mile basin, 30 miles from the
ranch.
Remnant Of Chief JOseph's Band
There were ii Nez Perces, a rem ]
nant Of Chief Joseph's band which had
been broken up two years before We ,
valley. We opened fire and the first !
volley crippled some of the horses; the !
rest stampeded. We separated into two /
groups and tried to head them Off The !
Indians returned our fire and advised /
Bill Sharpe to drop behind his horse 7
and use 1t for a breaStwork In dis
mounting he was shot through the
knee. dragged him to safety. It was !
growing dark when Bill Morgan and !
I hemmed in three Indians. We killed !
two and wounded the third I kept an !
Indians gun, belt and scabbard, and !
Morgan contented himself with a
couple of scalps which the Indian had :
tied to his belt. !
We recaptured all but three horses.
On the way home, Charles Cook met !
us with wagon, IA miles from the !
ranch. and took the wounded Sharp :
home"
In memory Of this incident, the
mountain and creek where the fight :
imp took place are called Battle creek
and Battle mountain. william j. Sharpe
was an uncle Of Mrs. W. S. Thompson
Of Townsend, who remembers the in
cident clearly. The rifle he used is !
still in her possession but is to be :
presented to the Broadwater county /
historical museum when arrangements 8
are completed for housing the various 7
exhibits.
Townsend grew up along the North Q
srn Pacific tracks when they came {
through In 1885, The first house was Z
Quilt by James, Andrew, and Al Dead Y
nond in 1883 near the site OF the pres Z
snt Commercial hotel. The second old +
est building is the one now occupied
BY the Bon Ton cafe Here the towns
first child was born to Mr.. and Mrs. n
Arthur Knowlton July 4, 1888. The old n
Flathead trail, about a mile north of I
Townsend, used by the western Mon "
ana Indians when they went east TO *
he plains for their buffalo hunts, has "