Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1940-09-21

livestock manufactured to the scene
of the battle 1t was unmarked and
forgotten. And had it not been for a
trip he made in September, 1899, in
search of the old battlesite, even he
would not have known in 1910 where
it was.
Never trust an Indian-they mean
deyilment," warned the old scout.
Four hundred yards down the road
40 Sioux Indians stood paSsively wait
ing for the breakfast for which they
had asked the wagon train. There
wasn't a ferocious glance in the lot Of
them-so it seemed.
Captain Townsend, who had the
lives of 1855 persons in the wagon train
in his charge as they wound up the
old Bozeman trail-the second train.
after Bozeman's to head for Montana
by this overland route from Omaha
was undecided But another scout,
John Richard pronounced RishawJ
said that the Indians probably meant
nothing-that they probably just want
ed food
Railsback Remembered Story
Railsback well remembered the story
last July z when he revisited the bat
tlefield.
For several years George C. Osten,
Yellowstone county clerk and recorder,
and Vern johnson. a former county
clerk, had been promising Railsback
that they would take a trip to the
plains country of southern Johnson
county, Wyoming to see if they might
find the old battlesite.
Railsback, who has been retired the
last several years, got his wish to re-
turn to the scene last September. With
the assistance of Deputy Sheriff j. K.
Turk of Kaycee, deputy sheriff of
Johnson county, RailSback, Johnson
and OSten, after a long search, found
the place where the "devilment" was
given expression.
Then, since July z, 1910, fell on
holiday, they returned to the scene to
mark the anniversary and to take some
pictures.
Railsback had come with his parents
from Iowa, where he was born, at
Ottumwa, Feb. 6, 1859. On April 10,
1864, they started for western Mon
tana, then a part of the territory Of
Idaho. The train of which their wagon
was a part made UP on the Platte river
west of Omaha At the junction of the
Bozeman and Oregon trails, the Rails
back train moved up the Bozeman
trail. The RailSback family had started
out with two wagons, three yokes Of
steers and one of cows, and with one
additional COW which they gave to a
SASJcI VI HlIS. 4Ou4 f1yC4Sb VIII al Vic
junction of the Bozeman and oregon
trails started up the oregon trail with
Tom Ayers and his family. This Tom
Ayers was a grandfather of Gov Roy
E. Ayers of Montana.
Near the site of Fort Reno, about
20 miles east of Kaycee, was where
the Indian battle was. RailSback tells
1t this way:
1.-THE train came on Dry Fork of
Powder river on July 4. The guards
had reported a large Indian camp
about IS miles below on Powder river.
In celebrating the Fourth all muzzle-
loading firearms were discharged and
freshly loaded. On July the train
travelled down the Dry fork to its juno
ton with the Powder river. Here the
train camped for the day of July 6
in order that the immigrants might do
their washing as this was the first
good stream we had crossed for a long
time.
1.-THE feed being scarce at this camp, |
Captain Townsend decided to pull out
before breakfast and after travelling |
about four miles, the train halted in !
q small basin near a grove of cotton
wood trees. Here we had breakfast. /
Just as we were finishing, a band OF |
about 40 Sioux Indians showed up
about 400 yards from the train camp |
and halted on the ridge where they |
made their appearance. The guides
vent out to see what they wanted and |
we're told that they were not on the |
varpath of the whites but were going |