Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1939-12-23
TO YELLOWSTONE
.PARKBY STEAMER?
CAPTAIN GRANT MARSH PLOTTED
JOSEPHINE" ALMOST
THERE
Famous Missouri River Skipper Took
Vessel Nearly 40 Miles Above Bill
hngs; Railroads Soon Put an En.
to River Travel, However.

Within so miles of Yellowstone
PARK by steamboat! How would
that sound in an advertisement TO
lure the eastern tourists to Mon
tana. This was accomplished on
June 6, 1875, by the steamer Jos
/ ephlne pIi0ted by Capt. Grant
| Marsh and chartered by the United
states government As the result
of this trip Lieut.. Col. j. w. For
syth reported to Gen. Phil Sheri-
dan that the Yellowstone river was
navlgable for commercial purposes
as far as the mouth Of the Big
Horn. while the second officer Of
the expedition, Lieut.. Col. F. ID.
Grant, stated that the river was
navigabie to POmpey's Pillar, with
IN 50 miles of the present city of
Billings.
Both officers declared that the Vel
loWStone, owing to its gravel bed. its
STABLE banks and islands, and its free
oon from Snags, offered a much better
highway for commerce from Fort Ru-
Ioro TO the settlements of western
Montana than did the Missouri from
the same point to Fort Benton.
Railroads End River Traffic
Inc opportunity never came to dem
oIlStIate the correctness of their iudg-
ment as the advent of the railroads
river traffic. Their report aroused
much interest in Montana and in the
IAN OF 1875 an expedition was organ
lied at Bozeman which undertook tn
establish a town at "the Josephine,s
head Of navigation"
Nearly opposite the mouth of the
Big Horn small stockade was erected
and toWnSite laid out The founders
OF this post, which they named Fort
BHACA in hnnnrs IF ha - scF - A..
expedition, F. D. Pease, expected. like
the builders of the short-lived Mus
selsnen or Kerchival City, at the mouth
OF the Musselshell, to create a metrpp-
OILS that should eclipse Fort Benton
IN its palmiest days Pease and his
associates expected to open a road be-
tween Fort Pease and Bozeman, trans
fer freight from steamboats, to wagons
ana maui 1t over to the settlements
as had been done at Fort Benton.
Indians Compel Abandonment
AS was the case with the Mussel-
shell settlement, investment by IN
dlans compelled the colonists to aban-
don the post Throughout the winter
Fort PeaSe settlers were engaged in
a constant battle for existence. When
their number had been reduced to IS
through the killing Of six and the Sc
we're wounding of nine, 1t became evil
>-~-~e W 1&AC NC4OA4Aobo b4Adb Ollly d
expedition could save them from an
Inhalation at the hands Of the Sioux.
One of the party succeeded in carry
ing their appeal to the commanding
officer Of Fort Ellis, ITS miles away.
and when four troops of United States
cavalry appeared, the garrison aban-
1onea the townsite and returned to
Bozeman.
But to return to the voyage I'D the
Yellowstone that attracted attention
10 the possibilities of that river as a
Of commerce. Two days
Journey above the mouth OF the river
the Josephine drew in sight OF an
Isolated butte rearing its head above
he southern bank and, from the point !
where 1t was first seen, apparently |
IN the river itself The APP
oearance of it aroused the greatest |
attention on board, for 1t was at once !
recognized as Pompey's Pillar, the ia |
nous landmark discovered by Capt. /
William Clark of the Lewis and Clark /
expedition. High up on its face the /
men found inscribed the /
words WIN. Clark, July IS, 1906" the /
etters still as clearly defined as when
.hiseled there by the illustrfous ex-
,lorer SO years before.
Many of the steamboats, men and I
oldiers followed Captain Clark's ex-
nipple and IN a prominent place Cap
ain Marsh inscribed: Josephine.