Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1938-01-01

post awaiting the arrival Of the boat
so they could do their trading before
leaving for their fall hunting grounds.
There were more than 500 lodges OF
Piegans and Bloods and Blackfeet
there and they became highly indig-
nant when informed that there would
be an indefinite delay in the arrival
of Harvey with the supply Of trade
In vain Culbertson tried to tell them
Of the deadly nature Of the disease,
Of the rapidity with which 1t was
known to spread. He told them that
If 1t got started among their people,
they would be wiped out. Never having
had any experience with disease OF
that kind, they refused to believe him
and told him that If he did not order
the boat brought up river at once, they
would go after it and bring 1t up them
selves, by force II necessary. Culbert-
son tried to impress upon them the
malignant nature of the affliction, but
their medicine men had never heard
of anything Of the kind and they
thought that for some reason Culbert-
son was merely trying to deprive them
Of their trade.
Finding that they were determined to
bring the boat up the river, he finally
acceded to their wishes and sent orders
to Harvey to proceed on up the river
to Fort Mckenzie. He told the Indians,
however, to remember his warning and
not to blame him or the other white
men when the disease broke out among
them.
Culbertson started six men in two
canoes to help Harvey'S crew bring
the keelboats on up the river from the
mouth of the Judith. They left Fort
Mckenzie on July /. -Four of them rid
ing in one of the canoes were drowned
when their craft upset while they were
trying to run rapids. The place, on
the Missouri river, was afterwards
known as Drowned Mans Rapids"
The other two men in the second
canoe made the rapids without mishap
and reached Harvey's boat.
BY that time the half breed girl
with Harvey had recovered from the
disease, but the two others were still
down with it. although no new cases
had broken out. The boat was finally
brought to Fort Mckenzie the latter
part Of July. Soon after its arrival
there the Blood Indian and LaDouck
died.
The waiting Indians insisted upon
opening trade Immediately Harvey and
his crew arrived and within five days
they had completed their purchases
and left. To that time none of them
had been stricken with the disease.
Within a short time afterwards res
Idents at the fort began to be taken /
down with it, however, and before 1t
had run its course nearly every one OF |
30 or 80 persons there had contracted |
e, Culbertson among them. The major,
having been previously vaccinated, had .
4 tight attack. He utilized the virus
obtained from some Of the earlier cases |
and held general vaccination which
undoubtedly had much to do with re-
ducing the mortality at the fort, al
though many died: AT first the podles
we're buried. Within short time the |
we'll persons became so few they were |
Unequal to the task Of grave digging, |
and the bodies were thrown into the |
liver
OF the 90 who died at the fort, in
Guiding the two members Of Harveys |
crew who died Immediately after the
arrival of the boat, 26 were squaws.
The other victim was Antoine Dauphin,
! trapper after whom Dauphin's rapids
N the Missouri were named.
Not an Indian appeared at Fort Nc
Senzie for two months. At the end OF
hat time, the situation there being
veil in hand, CulbertSon, anxious to
NOW how the tribes had Jared, set
Dut to find them. taking with him a
nan named Sandoval. They had not
rOuE ldIs 1lOWCNCAs WHICH, OGADSA 0oOA~
,ecame i'll with a recurrence of the
disease and they had to return. AS
DON as he was able, he resumed the
lttempt.
Culbertson and Sandoval started for
he Three Forks country looking for
he Piegans, many of whom were US
tally to be found in that section at
hat time Of the year. They found q
illage Of so lodges where dead bodies
we're strewn about on every hand, men,
women, children, horses and dogs. The
,nly two live persons in the village
we're two ancient squaws. They dis
severed that many small bands had
led the village only to die on the
prairie or in the mountains. Scores Of
lead bodies dotted the range.
Sick at heart, the two men retraced
heir steps, the death chants Of the
wo old squaws ringing in their ears.
It was month later before stray
ding bands of Bloods, Piegans and
3lackfeet began to arrive at the fort
With reports of the ravages of the
disease. 1t had broken out among them