Glacier County chief., 1940-03-01

one was dropping its upper Missouri
posts. The sale to the Northwestern
marked the real beginning of Fort
consisted only of the old post, with
few scattering buildings and, usually,
an opposition, post such as Fort La
Barge or Fort Campbell, with a total
population of about 100 to $50.
Charles ChOuteau Arrested
Charles Chouteau, an American Fur
director, was aboard the Yellowstone,
and had a dangerous adventure at
Fort Union. Chouteau was well known
for his sympathies for the Confederacy,
which had just been dissolved with
the end of the Civil war. News of Lin
coins assassination had reached Fort
Union, and quite possibly Chouteau
utterance. Col Charles R. A. Dimon,
in charge of the fort, arrested Chou
teau as rebel and a traitor, and made
preparations to have him shot. 1t was
only by an appeal to General Sully
secretly sent by mackinaw boat, that
Chouteaus release was affected.
The Deer Lodge made four trips
permost of a chain of boats which,
by shipping light cargo and moving
1t upstream hundred miles or so, was
bridging the distance between Fort
Union and Benton. The Benton was
on the stretch of river around Cow
island, the Deer Lodge was going down
to meet it, and below the Benton were
the General Grant and a couple of
other boats. These vessels. acting in
concert, solved the difficulties present.
ed by the low level of the river. Sew
eral times the boats were offered big
sums to move freight of other vessels
but these steamers were too busy with
fraiofof to tol-
that of other packets.
The Effie Deans and the Kate
Kearney formed another team. Joseph
LaBarge, most famous of all the upper
Missouri pilots, brought the Deans up.
Ray, his co-pilot. took her back down
to meet the kearney, while LaBarge
went to Helena on business. While
the owner of the Kate Kearney, his
good friend, John S. McCune. La
Barge solved the difficulty. which was
based on non-delivery of freight-thC
Kearney being unable to complete her
trip-by having Ray and the Effie
Deans bring the Kearney's load to
Galpin. near Milk river: where team
sters LaBarge had hired were waiting
to freight it to Helena. McKune. be-
| latedly learning of the lawsuits in
Montana which would have ruined
him, shortly found that LaBarges
good turn had made him a substantial
fortune instead.
Benton Logged 10000 Miles
The Benton. owned by John G.
Copeland. had the best record for the
eventful year of 1865, despite the fact
that she never reached Fort Benton.
| The boat left st. Louis March II, with
William Howard as master and C. J.
/ Atkins and John Gunsollis as pilots.
The steamer had an awful trip through
Dakota, going aground dozens of times,
and her crew averaged Is hours work
a day in bringing her through. On
i May 10 Santee Sioux opened fire on
the Benton, and her crew fought
running battle through to Fort Union,
which was reached on May 81. In COM
pany with the General Grant the
Benton went to Round butte, about lbs
miles below Benton. discharged cargo
and went back to Union for another
, load.
Altogether the Benton logged 10000
miles from March II to Aug. 26. 1865
To-day trip. The boat made many
trips to Round butte and Cow island,
case for the Deer Lodge to pick up.
Although the Benton lost no men
from Indian attacks. other vessels were
not so fortunate. Fired upon in narrow
channels, or when aground, attacked
at wooding places and in danger at all
the year. The mate of the st. Johns
was instantly killed in an Indian at
tack, while the Benton's sister ship,
the General Grant, lost three men at
a wooding place, killed by Sioux when
they sprang ashore to make fast line.
The Leni Leota was under fire Aug. 9
near Fort Berthold, with a passenger
killed. Only mountain boat" to be
recorded as sunk during 1855 was the
Twilight, which after completing its
trip, snagged and sunk on the lower
Mississippi in September.
The greatest tragedy Of the year.
however, was enacted in the Marias
valley, 10 miles from Fort Benton and
within three miles of the present town
Of Iona. This too, was closely inter-
woven with efforts to open the Mis-
out the townsite Of proposed Ophir,
and had engaged the steamer Cutter
10 help with the work. On May Is,