Glacier County chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1931-1940, 1939-03-10
Four Torpns Founded Along Missouri Riuer AS
Riuals of Fort Benton, Failed of Their Goals |

phine and was June 10 to Oct maxi
ing one round trip from Bismarck to
Carroll, and was 81 days reaching Bis
marck on her last down trip" The
KOuntZ line was owned by a great
lower Missouri concern and the boats
they operated in the upper Missouri
trade in 1874 were the Peninah, Fon-
tenelle, May Lowry, Ida Stockdale and
the Katy P KountZ
Advantages Argued for 1t
Carroll was insured success, said its
hackers, because the boats reached
Carroll first and the distance from
Carroll to Helena was little greater
than the distance to Benton, and the
navigation season was two or three
months longer, while on the deeper
channel to Carroll more tonnage could
be carried
For its part. the Fort Benton Record
early in 1875 outlined a list of river
Improvements which, if made, would
cut Carroll off without trade. 1t was
a surprisingly moderate list of prices,
too, totaling only 81 400, which the
Record said would open the river TO
Fort Benton from May to October.
Greatest single item was blasting and
removal Of rock from Dauphins rapids,
greatest obstruction on the river. This
was to cost 81 900. A wing dam at Cow
island was listed at $500. and a wing
dam for removal of the Shonkin bar
$500. Other items of bar and obStruc-
ton removal ran about the same.
So the two towns bickered back and
forth, as the river season of 1875 grad
ually came around, and both places
seemed to sense that 1875 would spell
success or failure for each.
The first two boats, the Josephine
and the Key West, came only to Car
roll, May 10 and May Is, 1875, but
then four in rapid succession passed
Carroll by: then four more following
the Key Vests second trip, and at the
seasons end 10 boats had passed up
Carroll. while 9 had gone no further.
Conspiracy" howled the Carrollites.
And pointedly remarked that Benton
bound cargoes were mighty light by the
time vessels were through tightening
ship to get over bars. Bentonites re-
torted that in spite Of freight rates
spiked in favor of the Diamond R
and Carroll, Fort Benton merchants
were laying freight into Helena or
3 cents cheaper than Carroll was
doing
Carroll was harried by Sioux horse
thieves and wood choppers were killed
1t became apparent that disadvantages
outweighed advantages, with the Sioux
nation thrown into the scale against
them, and even the Diamond R soon
battle-ground between the tribes that
was the Musselshell country.
Threat Ends in 1876
Carroll remained as Missouri river
landing for several years thereafter,
but in 1876 Fort Benton had one Of
the best high water years in its his
tory, and steamers chugged through to
the head of navigation without trouble,
virtually ending the threat from the
town down river
In later years of low water, freight
was brought to Cow island and de-
posted, for later transportation by
wagon train, but its destination by
that time was nearly always Fort Ben
ton. and it was nearly always Fort
Benton merchants who handled the
supplies freighted direct from that
point TO the mines and ranches of
Fergus county.
Fort Benton was to be secure in its
position as chief Montana port Of entry
until the coming OF tine Manitoba rail-
road in 1887. when it lost its CONNER
cial supremacy as quickly as had its
rival towns earlier.