The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1937-11-05
Yellowstone Expedition of 1868 Marked by
Hardship and PriVatiOn; Indians Killed Three
self, he urged upon them the necessity
Of leaving the camp where they were
before dark lest the Indians come upon
them again.

Of leaving the camp where they were
before dark lest the Indians come upon
them again.
Sixteen-Day Struggle
For 16 days they struggled on, their
horses weary and faded and often with,
out grass. The men had only a small
ration of bread for themselves. There
seemed to be no game in the country.
At all times they were in close prox,
unity to bands of rowing Indians n
expecting attack every night. AT noon
On May %, they came within signt +S o.
SWeetwater river and two miles farther
came upon telegraph poles, the military
telegraph line which followed the Q
Within another mile they came upon
an emigrant train.
Their shouts SO frightened the emil
grants. hat they threw the wagons
into a circle, thinking they were about
to be attacked by Indians.
The relief of the emigrants at find,
ing that the party which had alarmed
them we're white men, was as great as
that of the Stuart party in having en-
countered them. The emlgrants mace
camp and they all remained together
for several days, resting ana ea 4haig
wounded. The emigrants then con.
tinued on their way and the Stuart
nartv started for Bannack by way OF
Soda springs and Fort Hall. Bell was
left behind at Crossing station 70 nave
his wounds treated and YORK !e1G tne
party to try his fortunes IN Sa az t +raii
bv Perry w. Meadow, who accom-
panied them back to Bannack, where
they arrived on June Y.
Meadow became a notable figure IN
Montana. He was the first merchant at
Coulson, the town which precedea
Billings on the Yellowstone, n was
interested in opening up prolltaple
When the members Of the Stuart party
entered Bannack upon their return
they were hardly recognizable by their
friends. Their clothing was in rags
and they had had neither shave nor
haircut for more than 60 days;
That James Stuart was not sagiStieu
with the results of his first eXpedltloa
by the fact that he made a second trlp
there during the following year: During
the 1863 trip the men had been SO
harrassed by Indians in the Big HQIil
country that they had made only the
most superficial search TOR goid E aiSe9
r rfavcns on Slie Feb IT, 1864, a party
Of Is men. ali we'll equipped for the
Journey ahead of them, left a ren-
Gezvolls camp 25 miles below GallaCln
CITY on the Yellowstone to retrace a
bart of the trail made the year before.
It was a late cold spring and the
snow that remained in the MOUNTAINS
made it impossible for them 70 pros
pect in the hills. They found the spot
IN the Sinking river fork of the Big
Horn. where Lieutenant Menadier had
canned in 1858 and reported. having
found no gold. The Stuart party pros
nected it thoroughly but oun no more
than a color. The formation proved
to be sandstone and they became con-
WINGED that gold paying guam uanI1'l ef
could not be found IN that sectloI VI
the At 'o thst point the party spls up;
lanes Stuart and Is of them returned
. to Virginia City and others scattered
over the country. Some remained. ~
tending to prospect more thoroughly
. when the snow was gone. On the Wrole
trip the men saw no Indians; StuaIt
and his following reached virginia
Citv. NAV 10. The rest of the party
Returned during July and August. They
had gone from the Big Horn to the
| SWeetWater and then split up into
small parties and struggled back, some
over the emigrant trai! and some
through the mountains but none OF
them found any gold. -.
Soon after Stuart left the party IN
GQe Big HULL COu41CAy
remaining went hunting. They became
separated and lost. One of them,
known as Indian Dick, tried to over-
take the Stuart party and was cap,
tured by Grow Indians who robbed
him and held him o couple OF
weeks. He finally induced them to WISH
Gallatin City on the promise Of good
trading. They made no trades but IN
dian Dick managed to get away from
them there and took n Of their best
horses to reimburse himself for h
| things of which he had been robbed.
The body of the other man was
found in the bushes along the Stink,
ing river the following, year. He had
been shot, presumably by Indians, as
his horse was found among the Crows
later. Thus ended Stuart's second at
country. A dredging project to recover
gold from the Big Horn river sand
where the Stuart parties panned, a