Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1939-12-23

Among the earliest explorers of
Montana was Macmillan, prince
! of Wied- Neuwied in Rhenish
Prussia. Macmillan was born In
1862, served as a young man I'm the
Prussian army and at an early age
developed a liking and talent for
exploration. After the close of the
NapOleOnic wars, from which he
emerged as a major general, with
a distinguished record, the prince,
in 1915, set out for Brazil. After
two years in South America, dur
ing which he made several notable
contributions to science, he decided
TO come to North America. But as
affairs Of state delayed him, 1t was
not until 1882 that he was able TO
resume exploration and he landed
in Boston In July of that year.
Among his companions was Charles
Bodmer, a young Swiss painter, who
was one of the first real artists to
visit this section, and whose views of
Indian life are classics
Ascends Missouri on Steamboat
Macmillan journeyed westwar
slowly and reached st. Louis in the
spring of 1888. Here he met Gen. Will
liam Clark, and through him was in
troduced to officials of the American
Fur Co. They, In turn, advised him to
explore with their posts on the Mis-
souri, river as a base and the prince
and his party embarked on April 10 on
the steamboat Yellowstone for the
upper Missouri, Kenneth Mckenzie be-
ing a passenger.
At Fort Pierre the passengers were
transferred to the steamer Assinni-
boine. They made slow progress and
1t was not until June that the party
reached Fort Clark, near a Mandan
village occupying the site of Bismarck.
Proceeding up the Missouri to the Yell
lowStone confluence, they arrived at
Fort Union June "a. From here, after
a stay of two weeks, during which
time Bodmer seems to have made
number of sketches, they went on to
the central village of the Blackfeet
confederation on the Marias river, at
Fort Mckenzie
Caught In Midst of Indian war
The prince decided that here he had
found the base of his explorations, |
but after he had spent two months !
wandering about the vicinity engaged /
in hunting and in scientific observa-
lions, war famed between the Black |
feet and the AsSinniboines, and the |
Prussian, who had been one of the |
heroes OF Jena. decided the country /
was too hot for peaceful scientist
He unwittingly witnessed a bloody !
battle between the aborigines and |
thought it very spirited, indeed. It I
was In the latter part of August. at |
Fort Mckenzie, when a score or more
Of Piegans who had camped with their
families under the walls of the fort.
were charged, at dawn by a thousand
or more Assinniboines. who seemed to
rise from the ground.
Prince WOrsted I'm Bout With Rifle
The garrison, preSumtng the invad-
ers aimed to capture the fort, flew to
arms. They numbered only 10 white
soldiers, but they manned the works
and the prince, who was then
an old man, seized a rifle and began
firing with the rest. In the excitement
ne overloaded the crude weapon and
It kicked" the poor old princeling en-
5trely across a bastion. He fell with
4 thud upon the seat of his breaches,
much shaken in spirit and utterly dis
gusted with American guns The gar
'iSon by this time had learned that
he ASSinnihoineS had come to attack.
lot the fort, but the Piegans and
he whites ceased firing. The Piegans
had taken refuge within the fort but
/ score of their women and children
we're killed by the enemy. In the ex-
the miShap to the prince had
zone unnoticed, but he was In reality
shaken up and his dignity
scarcely survived the shock. Needless
o say, the frontiersmen admired the