Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1940-12-28

erty and the Americans with him found
themselves reduced to straight meals
Of boiled corn without salt. There was
much complaint that the French voy-
ageurs and the partners Of the COM
pany, who we're In the leading barge,
were much better fed than the Ameri-
cans. It seems probable that the part
ners had already discovered that many
of the Americans were going TO be
disconnected and hard to handle, and
they tried purposely TO discourage
them In the hope that they would
turn back.
The plan evidently was now to make
the expedition successful through the
efforts Of the French and Creoles, who
were all experienced men in the viii
| derness. Soon 40 out Of about IS
Americans who started had deserted.
and when the Mandan village in Da-
kota was reached there were only a
dozen or so Americans left. John
! Dougherty was one of those who with
/ stood the hardShips and privations,
and who remained with the party.
There had been mutiny and bloodshed,
but the expedition held together.
! Meet HudsOn's Bay Traders
/ Shortly before reaching the mouth
of the Yellowstone river a camp Of
Gros Ventres Indians was reached
4AlEoC wiz d4bSA wa W~AN
implacable foes Of the whites, we're
very hospitable on this occasion. Here
the expedition met with a number OF
HudSon's Bay traders - Frenchmen
and Scotchmen from the north, who
departed hurriedly across the river
without greeting the Americans, and
who were believed to have melted the
Blackfeet to attack the Missouri Fur
Co. expedition. This was the beginning
- T.af AraarfnoY1
traders and trappers and the Hudson's
Bay men on the upper Missouri, which
developed fighting and bloodshed be-
fore the Britishers moved north and
left the Americans alone.
Early as this was-19O9-the Black
feet were obtaining crude arms and
ammunition from the Hudson's Bay
traders, and they we're formidable foes,
as DeHgherty and his comrades found
out later.
At the eros Ventres village the
party met John Golfer, who had been
with Lewis and Clark, and who had
left those explorers two years before
and had been trapping in the noun |
tains with Forest Hancock and Joseph |
Dickson, two hardy adventurers whom |
Lewis and Clark met on the Yellow |
stone when the famous explorers were |
on their return journey from the Pa
cffic coast. Lisa was able to induce
Golfer to return up the river with
the expedition, and his assistance as
a guide proved invaluable to the hand
full of white men in the vast wilderness
that they traverSed.
In November, 1903, some six months
after leaving st. Louis, Dougherty and
about seven Of his fellow Americans.
with q considerable number of French
men, reached Manuel's fort, at the
mouth Of the Big Horn, not many
miles from where the town Of Hysham,
in Treasure county, stands today.
BY this time Manuel Lisa, leader OF
the party, had returned to 81. LOUIS
after much trouble with some OF the
Americans In the party. One Of these,
James Cheek, had threatened to xii!
him and had also threatened TO kill
Pierre Chouteau. Cheek was a valu-
able man, however, and was permitted
to accompany the party to Three
Forks, where he was killed in a battle
with the Blackfeet later on. Lisa re- ;
burned to st. Louis.
Pierre Menard was now commander
Of the party, and he was much liked
and respected by Dougherty and his
The mouth of the Big Horn for few
lays, the party, consisting OF 81 j
Americans and Frenchmen, started for
he source of the Missouri at Three ,
Forks. The ground was covered with
now and the party suffered severely
rom snow blindness. John Golfer
yuided them. He knew the road well,
having twice escaped from the Black
eet over it when they we're after his :
calp. The snow kept getting deeper.
md had 1t not been for Dougherty,
Golfer and two or three more Of the
americans, whom no dangers or diff
.ulties seemed to daunt, the party
would never have Travelled as far as :
he Callatin river, which they finally
cached and followed all the way to
he Three Forks. Some game, includ- 9
ng an elk, was killed, and this sus-
aimed them. '
'ass CHASTITY Battlefield
The day before reaching the Three
forks, the party passed a battlefield :
yhere skulls and bones were lying !
round in vast numbers. The battle
yhich caused this slaughter had taken .
lace In 1903, two years before between
500 Blackfeet and about 800 Flat 4
leads and Crows. Golfer who had
TO be with the Crows when L
hey were attacked by the Blackfeet, o
ook part In the battle and was wound y