The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1937-10-08


favorite and frequent hunting ,
grounds of Kit Carson, one of the
most noted of the VESTS trapperS,
traders, Indian fighters and scouts
who roamed the Great plains and
the Rocky mountains from about
1920 until late in the 1S60's. He
did, however, make at least one
announced at his home in Taos,
NJ NJ, before the start, was to be
his last one. The expedition was a
total failure from a financial
standpoint so far as Montana was
concerned, the total take of Carson
Yellowstone river being Indian
scalps, rather than beaver skins,
the hope of which had brought
them north.
After numerous encounters with hos
tile Indians both before and after
reaching Fort Benton, Carson and his
companions circled through the Gal
latin and Madison countries to Fort
Hail, Idaho. and then on to the Green
spent the winter.
Carson was familiar with Wyoming
Colorado, New Mexico. old Mexico
Arizona, Utah, Nevada and California
For many years free trapper. his
favorite trading headquarters was
Bent's fort on the Arkansas river in
southeastern Colorado, trading post
which was to the southwest what old
Fort Union at the mouth OF the Vel
Lewiston. and Fort Benton, were to the
northwest. Bent'S fort was centrally
located to the mountains and the
plains Of Kansas, Nebraska and Texas.
The men who traded in and out Of it
were familiar with all Of that territory.
They were plainsmen and buffalo
hun tnrc t,sly1 n mo "
taineerS.
1t was during the summer of 1856
that Carson, while at his Taos home,
decided to make one last big trapping
and trading expedition and that it
should be into the country north of
the Yellowstone and around the head
waters of the Missouri river, he had
been told by men who had been there,
were rich in beaver.
The party ne organized for the trip
was not large. but it was strong in
personality and experience. Besides
Carson himself, it was composed Of
Jim Bridger, Jim Beckwith and Capt.
w. F.. (BilD Drannan.
Their experiences during the trip
were recounted by Drannan in book
he wrote entitled '.Thirty-one Years on
They started from Carson's home at
Taos in August, 1856, each man with
a string of five pack horses in addi-
ton to his saddle horse, total of "a
horses. They carried with them their
traps and provisions and supplies as
well as stock of goods for trading
with the Indians should the opportun-
headed north through the Colorado
country, crossing the Platte river where
it leaves the mountains in northern
Colorado.
From there by easy stages they tray
eled across the plains until they reached
the North Platte river, where they en-
countered a detachment of soldiers
campaign against hostile Sioux Indians.
There they stopped few days. Just
where Harney'S troops we're located,
Drannan does not say, but they were
probably somewhere in the vicinity
where Capser, Wyo is now located for
Carson Bridger and Beckwith had been
in this region many times and were
undoubtedly familiar with the route
which they proposed to follow beyond
the Yellowstone.
They undoubtedly were in the region
between the Powder and the Big Horn
rivers for time, crossing the latter
and hitting the Yellowstone where the
city Of Billings is now located and the
mountains.
The second day out of General
Harney's camp, the Carson party met
a band of IL Sioux Indians on the
Warpath. The trappers hastily arranged
their horses in a circle and during the
battle which followed killed seven red
skins. The other four got away. That
was the first trouble they had had
with the Indians since leaving Taos,
and it was the last encounter they had
before crossing the Yellowstone.
1t must not be drawn from this that
travel was safe in the country through
which they Travelled. But these men
were all experienced on the trail and
lew how to avoid Indians and trouble
II there was any possible way of doing
~ That they were able to travel from
northern New Mexico to the Yellow
'.one river, large part of the distance
through country where the Indians
we're known to be hostile, and do it
with only one fight, speaks volumes
for their scouting ability. In fact,
Dranan in his book, devotes less space
to the encounters with Indians than
he does to the routine of trail and
camp.
A day after crossing the Yellowstone
river. the trappers were chased by a
party of 20 Crow Indians. Carson and
his comrades put spurs to their horses
and ran for five or six miles until they
reached ground which considered suit
able for stand against their pursuers
-Four Indians were killed in the fight
which followed and the rest went