Glacier County chief., 1939-04-28

! At the mouth of the Big Horn some
Of the men proSpected the surrounding
country without results while others
surveyed a section of land for town.
site and laid out 160-acre homesteadS
I for each man. The area was plated,
but that is as near as it ever came to
becoming town. Indian troubles were
| to continue for another Is years to
discourage settlement.
Leaving the mouth of the Big Horn
May 7 the expedition started up the
stream to prospect May II, Sc miles
up the Big Horn. they saw mile dis
tant three persons on horseback, and
tried to signal them into camp. The
three increased their pace and went
away from there fast. Men followed,
trying to overtake them, but could not.
Later it was learned the three were
John M Bozeman and John NJ. Jacobs
and his little daughter on their way to
the North Platte, selecting the route
of the BoZeman trail, established the
next year. They had been chased by
Indians a few days before and believed
the Stuart expedition was merely more
Indians. Two days later, however, they
were again chased by Indians and
stripped of all their possessions. except
Jacobs rifle and lead, which he had
surreptitiously dropped in the brush.
They endured severe hardships before
reaching their destination, Red Butte.
Fight With Indians
May l3 the Stuart party experienced
perhaps as harassing an Indian battle
as ever white men were called to eX-
perienCe and any escape alive. Run
ming buffalo along the horizon during
the day had indicated Indians were
on the trail.
The party was in camp when. an
hour before midnight, a vo.ley was
fired into the tent. Horses on each side
of Stuart were killed: he was sleeping
among them as a guard. Two men We're
mOrtally wounded. two badly hurt and
three others slightly nicked by bullets
The tents We're hurriedly torn down
to reduce their target value: The battle
continued all night, with bullets and
arrows flying thlckly.
Watkins and BoStWick were dying
Bell believed he was mortally wounded.
BostWick did not wait for death from
his wounds. He blew out his brains
while the party prepared to move.
Geery, Underwood and Hauser made
a pact to save their last bullets so that
should anyone else be wounded beyond
the ability to travel the remainder OF
the party should not have to remain
behind in danger. The matter was
taken to the entire company, and all
agreed to the same procedure.
1t had become evident that 1t was
unsafe to attempt to return to Ban
mack by the Yellowstone route The
only way left was to go on south to the
Emigrant road. 1t was estimated about
half the expedition might get through.
Bell showed life enough to ride. Ev-
erything was discarded except ratlonS
for six days. and trail was struck to-
ward the Emigrant road. after making
a bluff at the Indians, who had gone
UP a mountain side for safety after
dawn. The Indians followed for sew
eral days, and were in sight for some
time Travelling in unknown country.
the expedition followed up the Big
Horn.
One Accidentally Shot
May IA, in rough. mountainous coun-
try. Geery accidentally shot himself.
giving the party new problem, In
spite of entreatieS, Geery managed to
solve the situation by committing sui
eide. thus lifting a burden from his
companions.
Several tedious. painful, hungering
days were spent negotiating the noun
tains now known as the Wind River
range, in the vicinity of the present
Thermopolis, Wyo. seeking a way to
get back to the river. The men suf-
fered for water; they were too weak
to negotiate the walls of the canyon.
Encountering many further hard
ships, mixed with short periods OF cas-
ier going and occasional kills of fresh
game to augment their meagre fare
the party-only u men now, and some
of them wounded-rcached the Emil
grant road by way of Wind river and
the Popo Aggie river. To attempt to
detail their experiences would require
many columns of space.
May "a Stuart recorded: Our route
since the massacre has been through
part of the country too mean for
Indians to either live or hunt in. and 1
came through it to keep out of their
way. We are travelling for safety, not
comfort"
May 26 he recorded that they had
found wagon tracks, which indicated to
Stuart, who had Travelled the Emigrant
road, years before. that they were on
upper Wind river or the Popo Aggie.
and on an easy route to the Emigrant
road.
They came to the Sweetwater river
16 miles below Rocky Bridge at noon
May %. Late in the afternoon they saw
telegraph poles. Our feeling at See
ing the road and telegraph. after run
ming the gauntlet for about 400 miles
through the Crow nation can be bet
ter imagined than described" wrote