Glacier County chief., 1939-03-24
ADVENTUROUS
AMERICANS
By
Elmo Scott Watson
Elmo Scott Watson
A River Is Their Memorial

"A NlVef Is Inelr memorial
"A WAY back in 1879 Pierre and
Paul Mallet, Canadian traders,
heard Of the wealth Of PARKWAY
Santa Fee where, II was said, the
Spanish senors wore silver buttons
on their clothes and the senoritas
had silver heels on their slippers.
So they enlisted six other venture
some Canadians and after a long
journey by boat and pack train, ar
rived in the New Mexican capital.
The Spanish governor was friend
ly but there was a law against
free trading. So the Mallets start
ed north, crossed the headwaters of
the Canadian (called the Colorado
by the Spaniards because Of its red
waters) and followed up the Pur-
gatoire to its junction with the Ar
kansas. There the party split up.
Three Of the men, who were home
sick. started overland for Canada
and eventually reached Montreal
safely.
The Mallets, accompanied by two
others, went down the Arkansas and
the Mississippi to New Orleans.
where they reported their explora-
tons to Bienville. the governor.
whose efforts to find route to San
ia Fee had been unsuccessful. He
engaged them to guide another ex-
petition led by Andre de la Bruyere,
a royal officer. who was to ascend
the Mississippi and Arkansas to the
mouth of the Canadian, which the
Mallets correctly guessed arose
less than 40 leagues from Santa
Fe."
When the Canadian dwindled
away to mere brook in central
Oklahoma, Bruyere sat down to wait
for 1t to rise, instead of buying
horses from the Osages to transport
his goods. as the Mallets advised
him to do. But il was a dry year
and. after waiting six months, Bruy.
ere went back to New Orleans. The
Mallets returned to Canada. where
they disappeared from history. but
today the Canadian river is 100
mile-long memorial to the two
brothers whose wanderings rank
them on par with La Sale"
| 80
Klondike Kate
n Err neighbors in Bend, Ore,
- know her as Mrs. John Matson,
or Aunt Kate" Matson, but to old
sourdoughs who mushed over Alas
kan trails during the gold rush days
OF '98, she always has been and still
is "klondike Kate" The daughter of
a Seattle judge, Kate Belts spent
most Of her early life in convent.
Then a reverse in the Belts family
fortune took her from behind its
walls and started her on her career
of adventure.
She was in Seattle when the stam-
pede to Alaska started. She Joined
the gold rush and finally found her
self in rip-roaring Dawson City.
There she became the belle of the
bars and favorite Of the bearded
prospectors who came to town eager
to spend money after their struggles
to gain a fortune from the frozen
soil. They showered their nuggets
upon "Klondike Kate"-she often
made as much as $3.50 night by
singing and dancing for them. Once
a miner gave her $3.50 in dust
simply for the privilege of sitting
and talking to her.
But like many others, she brought
little of her money back to the
States with her when the boom days
were over. Finally in 1888 she re.
ceived a letter from 70-year-old
John Matson, who had known her
in the Dawson City days and who
wanted to marry her. The marriage
took place in Vancouver, B. c.
Then she settled down in the little
Oregon city, no longer the IA
nous "Klondike Kate" the toast of
Alaskan gold camps, but AUNT
Kate" to. the home-folks.
First Into Antarctic
THEY tell tall tales of explora.
1 tons in the Antarctic. None OF
them can compare, though, with the
trip of Nathanial B. Palmer if sheer
adventure is the standard. Away
back in 1920 he was the first yoyag.