Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1936-08-29

Using that Golfer, after his companion
! Sergeant Potts (also veteran OF the
/ Lewis and Clark expedition), had been
/ slain by eros Ventre Indians on the
1 Jefferson, became the first white man
/ Of record to view the wonders Of what
! is now Yellowstone national park. Col
/ ter then returned to Fort Manuel by
/ travelling up the valley of the Big Horn
! from the ShoShone country southeast
of the Yellowstone. Golfer told of what
! he had seen, of Steaming terraces, gey-
sers and mud pots, but no one believed
| him and it was not until years later
/ that the world knew that John Golfer
4 had told the truth.
| In 1909 Lisa brought a large party Of
trappers and fur traders from st. Louis
to Fort Manuel. Trappers scattered
throughout the region that summer
Some went up the Big Horn but they
| left no material evidence Of their ex-
plorations. When they found good
beaver country they kept 1t a secret.
More trappers came In 1910 when a
large party under Wilson Price Hunt
Of John Jacob Astor's American Fur
Co. Travelled up the Big Horn valley.
The great obstacle faced by the early
parties Of fur hunters on their west
ward passage was the Big Horn can
yon-an obstacle they avoided by going
around on the side of the Big Horn
mountains to the south Of the range,
or by turning west to the Clark's fork
of the Yellowstone, and then back into
the upper Big Horn country.
There was, however, a more direct
route to the west of the canyon known
as Bad Pass. When the band who or
ganized the Rocky Mountain Fur Co.
Andrew Henry, Jedediah Smith, Thom-
as Fitzgerald, James Br1dger, Milt and
Bill Sublette and otherS-came through
the region in 1924, they used the Bad
Pass, so-named because Of the diff
Guilty of traversing it.
To Gen. William Ashley is given the
credit for the first exploration OF the
Big Horn canyon, although Ashley him
self did not take part. In his journals
Ashley tells of sending a party of four
or five men along or through the can
yon while returning to st. Louis from
the fur country in 1925 with 100000
worth Of furs. In his report. General
Ashley wrote: 81 had, the Big Horn
river explored from Wind River noun
tains to my place Of embarkation."
This was the mouth of the Big Horn
canyon, or Just below, where he as
SeSmbled his men and went down the
river to the Yellowstone in bull boats.
In 1859. while acting as guide for
the government survey parties under
Capt William f. Reynolds, Jim Bridger
told Capt. Reynolds he had gone
through the Big Horn canyon many
years earlier ON a raft. Hence Bridger
was undoubtedly one Of the men sent
by General Ashley to explore the gorge
back in 1925 After Ashley there is
little record Of further attempts TO ex-
plore the canyon for several decades,
but trappers crossed and recrossed the
Big Horn country in the thirties and
forties. In 1910 Father De Smet made
his initial visit TO the northwest, and
in this year he said mass In the Upper
Big Horn country, under cottonwood
which stands to this day. This venerable
cottonwood is known as the De Smet
tree and stands near the ruins Of old
Fort Smith on the Grow Indian reser-
walton.
Even in this modern day compare
lively few people have seen the canyon
of the Big Horn, but those few tour
lists who have seen this 75-mile-long
canyon hold it to be second only TO the
Grand Canyon Of the Colorado in
beauty and grandeur. The great chasm
winds and twists through the noun
tains in a tortuous course. In places its
sheer walls rise as high as 5000 feet
above the river, while q number Of
tributary streams, especially In the
wall Of mountains to the east, have
cut side canyons Of almost equal gran
deur. The canyon Is from one-fourth |
to three -fourths Of mile wide. Its
walls are brightly colored, varying from
white sandstone to deep red sandstone !
and the colOring Is az varied and bril-
liant az that Of the Canyon OF the
Yellowstone.
Edward Gillette, Burlington railway
alton Of the ckasm In 1881, wrote. The
Grand Canyon Of the Colorado Is an
immense chaGm as broad as a wide
valley; the Royal Gorge Of the Ar
kansas river Is magnificent for a short !
distance only. the Yellowstone river
canyon Is awe-inspiring and gorgeously
colored for a brief space: but the Big
Horn canyon combines al these fea- /
lures with that Of 8 true box canyon |
and such overhanging cliffs are not to !
be found anywhere else to my know
ledge. AS a canyon It Is the most salts
factory that have seen IN this country
or Alaska"
In deeper portions Of the canyon the
river flows with great velocity and there
are many rapids. While the canyon
has been traversed several times by
boats, its passage Is one OF danger and
q number of men have lost their lives
In the attempt. When Surveyor Gillette
vent through the canyon In 1891 he
travelled with one companion. making
The trip IN winter over the frozen river
and dragging supplies on q sled. Sew
aral times the two mell went through
The ice, fortunately where the water
was shallow. In August, 1888, party
consisting OF M. w. Ensign Of the Bur-
lingt0n railroad. w. q. Griffin, j. p
Robin. n Robsueou an0 j. w. Newell
IL Sheridan. Wvo.s nlm0e the canyon
rip ia boats Alex ans oegT1st Forbes,